N.Y. Giants: Reese's Pieces and Defensive Malfeasance

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

First Half Report Card

D-

DEFENSELESS

NEW YORK GIANTS: The Defense Rests, Every Sunday!

What did we learn last Sunday?  That if left unattended, the Saints can score 52 points.

With every passing week since his dismissal, Perry Fewell must snicker with satisfaction in the bowels of FedEx Stadium as the Giants defense sinks deeper into the abyss.

That by no means absolves Fewell from implementing an utterly ponderous system which fostered mass confusion, but he nonetheless squeezed out the very last bit of goodness Ernie Accorsi's old defense had to offer (or was the beneficiary thereof).

The unfortunate irony for Giants fans is that we got Coach Spagnuolo's system back - which I've always been a proponent of - but now lack personnel with which to execute a simple game of checkers.

The enduring poor state of this defense is 100% a personnel issue, which in turn, makes this Jerry Reese's problem.

How bad is this defense?  Let us count the ways:

• The second most total yards allowed.
• The most total yards allowed per game.
• The 6th most total points allowed.
• The 9th most points allowed per game

• The most total passing yards allowed.
• The most passing yards allowed per game.

• The 9th most total rushing yards allowed.
• The 14th most rushing yards allowed per game.

• Last in QB sacks.
• First in INTs.
• Forced 6th most fumbles.
• Recovered 16th most fumbles.
• First in Give/Take ratio.

That last stat, if you remember, is very indicative of Coach Spagnuolo's style.  Everything else about the Giants first half defensive performance, though, is forgettable.

Look around - there's nothing left of Ernie Accorsi's defensive leftovers.  They're all retired, or should be.  Ernie and The Duke seeded the previous run for the new regime, with Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning being their only remaining legacies.

This era of Giants Football belongs to Jerry Reese and John Mara.  That said, the Giants owner must sit in his office at Snoopy Central thinking how he watched the Giants win four Super Bowls with either Hall of Fame caliber linebackers, or with likewise elite pass rushers, and wondering why he presently has neither.

In truth, the Giants issues go far beyond JPP's situation.  Simply put, Jerry Reese has failed to sustain the talent level of the Giants, particularly on defense.  And after watching Drew Brees and Saints tight end Ben Watson go buck wild, perhaps no one on the Giants realizes that more than John Mara.

In fact, the defense has been in a state of devolution since 2011, with JPP serving as the prime example.  That's not a mutation crack  - when JPP was a rookie, he was surrounded by three other elite pass rushers, and had two quality linebackers behind him, with Webster and Ross on the corners. The choreography between pass coverage and the pass rush back then was championship caliber.

They aren't even Snow Day caliber at the moment.

Did injuries help ruin the Giants best laid plans?  Yep, that's what they do - in more ways than one.

The GM gave large sums of money to a linebacker whom repeatedly demonstrated an inability to stay healthy.  When feeling well and contributing, Jon Beason is an actual difference maker.  But, at this juncture, he couldn't make a difference for my local bar's flag football team.  He's given fans less than zero since his arrival.  They say he's great in the locker room.  So, keep him there!  Jon Beason's body obviously does not respond well to prolonged NFL level physicality anymore.

• Is JB tough?  I'm sure.  
• Is JB fragile?  Without question.  
• Is that ideal for linebacker?  Obviously not.

Cut him!

Then there's poor rookie Landon Collins.  Drew Brees stuck it to him good last Sunday, didn't he?   He's going to have a hard time shedding last week's stink (that was permeable stuff). That said, Prince Amukamara can't get back on the field soon enough.  In the mean time, Dominique Rogers Cromartie is so alone in the secondary he might as well be on Revis Island.

Jerry Reese is inside his 8th season as general manager.  Over the last four years, his drafting is proving largely inconsequential, while his reliance of free agency has steadily increased.  That in turn has inspired some curious salary cap maneuvering.

It's Week Nine and the Giants are faced with a must win situation.

At some point, objective analysis must compartmentalize two Lombardi Trophies away from Reese's trending body of work.  Jerry Reese has been with the Giants since 1994, therefore he will be treated with the utmost dignity and respect by ownership.

But John Mara is not going to appreciate an 8-8 NFC East title, or worse.