New York Giants: Giants Loss Deeper Than Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:

Missed It by THAT Much

 

WEEK FOUR FINAL:

GIANTS   17

EAGLES  19

First things first - The fact Lawrence Tynes missed what could have been the game winning field goal doesn't bother me in the slightest.  He's got a good foot and is not why the Giants lost to the Eagles.


Next item - I do not mind that Kevin Gilbride and Coach Coughlin stayed ultra aggressive towards the end of Sunday night's game.  There was a time (as recently as last season) when I would have ripped into the Offensive Coordinator.  I guess two Super Bowls and Eli Manning have altered my thinking somewhat.  Sure I would have ran the ball on second down with under 0:30 seconds left.  But such as life.  Let's not be hypocrites...okay?  The old adage is you play for the win on the road, and for the tie at home.  Could the coaches have considered a different way to matriculate the ball into field goal range?  Yes, but again, I'm not concerned.  Remember what they say about hindsight and apply it here.


Third on my list -  I do not mind Eli's earlier interception in the end zone.  Although that was perhaps one of the worse he has ever thrown.  The fact is, offensively, Eli and whatever receivers on the field at any given time are the only components functioning well.  With regards to Eli heroics, this is just the way this game played out.  We fans can do a better job tempering ourselves when we start demanding perfection.


If Eli is indeed functioning well, let's give the Offensive Line some credit before I start a different tact.  The Offensive Line has indeed provided Eli enough time to throw the ball.  Eli suffered no sacks Sunday evening.  They got help blocking from Martellus Bennett and Ahmad Bradshaw.  But through a quarter season thus far, the group has pass protected well with or without David Diehl in the line-up.


Here is where I am concerned.  First, I do not mind Aaron Brown only rushed the ball four times considering he was coming off two very productive weeks leading into Sunday.  While Eli suffered no sacks Sunday evening, the O-Line created no holes to run through.  The Giants rushed for a pathetic fifty seven yards.  Low production out of the backfield is more than just a pattern.  That concerns me.  And that's why I give the way Sunday night's game ended, a pass.


Lastly, I was even more perturbed by costly holding penalties committed by the Offensive Line; i.e. - Will Beatty and Sean Locklear in particular.


If a team runs the ball well, and defends against the run well, that team will win a preponderance of their games.  There in lies the reason why the Giants lost.  Against the Eagles, they did neither well. Sunday night's contest was one of those very winnable games the Giants let slip by.  But make no mistake, this game wasn't lost because Tynes missed the last second field goal, or Eli's INT in the end zone, or the Giants inability to run the ball.  The Giants lost that game because they couldn't for the life of them stop Philadelphia's running game.  All told, the Eagles gained 191 yards rushing.   Michael Vick sprung free for forty nine yards on six carries.  And LeSean McCoy ran buck wild around Osi Umenyiora, and figuratively over Big Blue, rushing twenty three times for 123 yards.  Most disheartening, the majority of his yardage came in the second half.


Once again, the Giants got sliced and diced off the edges, and generally everything bounced to the outside.  Carved and served would be a more accurate portrayal of the feast enjoyed by the Eagles running game.  All containment has left the building.  Sunday's effort was as undisciplined a performance as they've had on the field together.  And as coach, if I am stressing anything this week in practice, it would be that.


Meanwhile, the deterioration of Corey Webster's play continues.  DeSean Jackson had Webster twisted like a pretzel when he received a second quarter touchdown pass from Michael Vick.  That's why Webster was no where to be found on the play.  He was heading somewhere else.  Nothing about that play has anything to do with Corey's hand being in a cast.  For the fourth consecutive week now, Corey Webster has played a very suspect game.


My two greatest two concerns after Sunday's loss to the Eagles however, are the health and status of Kenny Phillips.  His season was off to a tremendous start.  The Secondary just can not withstand any more injuries.  Losing Phillips, I believe would be major, major blow.  And secondly, the Giants are now 0-2 within the division.




Mike.BTB