N.Y. Giants: Secondary Issues A Primary Concern

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: Waiting For The Other Shoe To Drop...  Prince Amukamara And Terrell Thomas Must Stay Healthy, and Stay Playing Together.


While everyone is so caught up with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones accusing the Giants of flopping, and getting all uptight about David Wilson's performance, I believe the Giants have a much more serious problem on their hands.

In attempting to make a tackle towards the end of the first half In Dallas, safety Ryan Mundy and corner Prince Amukamara collided helmet to helmet, like two rams in heat smashing skulls.  Prince wound up getting the worst of the collision.  He left the game with a concussion, while Mundy continued playing.

Since the Giants selected Amukamara in the first round of the 2011 draft, almost immediately, starting with an off-season broken foot suffered before he ever played a professional game, and since, Prince has been riddled with injuries.  In two seasons, he's managed twenty games played out of a possible thirty-two.  He played in thirteen games last season and seven in his rookie year.

Prince reportedly feels fine at the moment, but if us Giants/Rangers fans have learned anything about concussions, is one) - feeling fine today doesn't ensure feeling fine the next day, and two) - their effects are cumulative.

The Giants really can't afford to lose anyone from the secondary.  Facing Denver and Peyton Manning in Week Two only compounds the Giants issue.

Terrell Thomas looked good Sunday night, didn't he?  He appeared to be moving very freely.  Unfortunately, he is the other source of my anxiety.  Terrell, unlike Prince, has outright missed the last two years to the same recurring injury.  Sunday was his first game since the 2010 season.  How can you not watch him and think any given play could be his last?  Having Webster and Ross back together will help in the short term, but Thomas and Amukamara were supposed to be firmly entrenched in this secondary already.  That hasn't happened yet.  In fact, Jerry Reese has demonstrated extraordinary patience with Terrell Thomas.  I just hope he stays healthy and rewards his GM's faith.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Coach Fewell's New Dogs of Winter

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE - NFC Championship Game Edition

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

NEW YORK GIANTS
vs.

San Francisco 49ers

Post ~ LEFT With Questions About Run Game

Post ~ California, Here We Come!

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:   A Still Growing BIG BLUE Wave of Destruction Spotted Off The California Coast.

Perry Fewell is in Position to Place an Indelible Stamp on

a Whole New BIG BLUE Demolition Crew.

N.Y.G. 29  -  N.Y.J. 14
N.Y.G. 31  -  DAL 14
N.Y.G. 24  -  ATL 2
N.Y.G. 37  -  G.B. 20



Going back to the Jets game, the New York Giants have outscored their opponents by a combined 121-50 score.  Obviously, the other way of saying that is the Giants have held their opponents to fifty points in their last four games.  That averages to 12.5 points allowed per opponent.  Say hello to the new "Crazed Dogs" of Winter.



The Giants have slowly and methodically regained their Defensive dominance and poise via health, cohesiveness, and adjustments made by the adaptable Defensive Coordinator; Perry Fewell.  In the previous four games prior to the Jets (WSH; DAL; G.B.; N.O.) the Giants gave up (144 points) an average of thirty-six points.  What started when the Saints marched over us with forty-nine points, dropped to thirty-eight points against the Packers.  That number dropped to thirty-four points against Dallas.  And the number dropped again to twenty-three against Washington.  The Jets game followed and here we are today.



On the Defensive Front, since returning to action Osi Umenyiora has no doubt had a tremendous impact on this Defense.  He had two of the Giants four sacks against Green Bay.  Justin Tuck, is finally healthy again but lately has only provided flashes of his former dominating self.  Perhaps that changes next week because he's close; really close.  And looking ahead to Sunday, Rex Smith doesn't present the bi-pedal problems Tony Romo and Aaron Rodgers do; ...or did.  However what we view as a 90% Justin Tuck is still more than most of the League can handle.
 


Jason Pierre Paul has been getting banged up these last few games but the kid is holding up very well and remains highly effective against the run when he isn't getting sacks.  With all his team mates behind him again, JPP may be a force in trying to stop Frank Gore this coming Sunday.  And the emergence of Chris Canty continues.  He says he's OK and Sunday will not be an issue.  Good!  Because his game is coming on like a hurricane.  Most importantly heading into Sunday's game, this unit has all it's depth back.  Dave Tollefson and Linval Joseph are turning into big blocks of granite in the middle.  Even Rocky Bernard is getting a piece of the action.



Now let's eliminate any doubt about what they've been doing together.  The Giants' Defensive Line battered Marc Sanchez and basically made him give up.  But many naysayers said that was due to Brian Schottenheimer's play calling.  The Giants similarly battered Tony Romo into submission.  But the naysayers said Tony Romo wasn't able to do more with a swollen throwing hand.  So, the Giants then proceeded to batter Matt Ryan and effectively made him quit also.  And the Giant detractors said "Matty Ice" wasn't up to the challenge of the playoffs.  Then this last Sunday in Green Bay, the Giants held the offensive juggernaut; Aaron Rodgers of the Twenty-Fourth and a Half CENTURY! - to twenty points and under three-hundred yards passing.  Along the way they sacked Rodgers four times, induced an interception, forced him to fumble, and flushed him from the pocket all night long.  Because of that, the Giants turned him into Green Bay's leading rusher.  The naysayers still insist the Packers dropped too many passes.  But how do you explain ALL of them, to include Aaron Rodgers, having a bad day together?  There is no answer why Rodgers was so off his mark as well other than a recent lack of games played.  So what next?  Credit the Giants for sound pressure, coverage, and tackling.



Unlike the last game we played against the Packers, while Aaron Rodgers did in fact inflict damage with his legs again, he still wasn't about to take any chances this time around with a healthy Michael Boley patrolling the middle and leading the team in tackles along with another pair of resurgent Dogs..., Antrel Rolle, and Deon Grant.  The three led the team and accounted for twenty-three hard hitting tackles.  Michael Boley got the other two Giants sacks of Aaron Rodgers and recorded a sack against the Falcons too.  Additionally, in consecutive weeks, he made Dustin Keller; Jason Witten; Tony Gonzalez; and Jermichael Finely all disappear. And if you remember his dive over the pile to stop Tony Romo, then you know he's had three dominating performances now.  The Giant Linebackers once again led a group of Safeties and the Line in limiting Green Bay's backfield to seventy-six yards rushing before taking Rodgers' yardage into account.  Since Michael Boley came back from a hamstring injury in the first Packers game, the Giants have effectively shut-down all attempts to run against them.  And the fact that Michael Boley is getting sacks shows Coach Fewell is indeed being more aggressive with the pass rush now that he has most of his Blue henchmen back.



The Giants' Secondary has not given up the deep play that plagued them from Week One all the way through Week Fifteen.  Since then, not only have there been few down field completions against them, there have been even fewer pass attempts made against them.  Quarterbacks are pumping, double-pumping, and triple-pumping their way into trouble waiting for something to open up down field.  And to the credit of Corey Webster, Aaron Ross, Deon Grant, Antrel Rolle; and Kenny Phillips, it just hasn't happened like opposing QB's were hoping.  In this latest Giant Lambeau Field conquest, it can be argued the pass rush rode the backs of the Secondary.  Marc Sanchez was just an all out mess.  But Tony Romo, Matt Ryan, and most recently Aaron Rodgers, all took very good and long looks down field, saw nothing, then ran for their lives.



It was recently revealed and reported in the tabloids that ever since the first Packers game, Antrel Rolle said he and the Secondary reinvested their efforts and routinely met for weekly pre-game prep pow-wows where ever they could on their own.  Their efforts are paying off at the best time possible.  Theoretically, the biggest threats to the Giants; Rodgers and Brees; are behind them or in Drew Brees' case, already gone.  Next up is Alex Smith; the guy who led a tremendous comeback against the mighty Saints, and who beat Drew Brees at his own game. -  And who incidentally beat us in a well played game by both teams back in Week Ten.



Not incidentally, Perry Fewell has long turned away from the Turtle Shell zone-coverage he devised when both Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck were injured and out of action at the same time.  The new system left the Secondary admittedly in a trance because there were too many options they needed to think through. -  Hence, the mass confusion we were witnessing on a near weekly basis; replete with blown assignments and receivers with nary a Giant within twenty yards of the play.  Today, man-coverage and good ol' cover-two is back and working to a tee.



Lastly, many didn't care to understand why the blitz disappeared from our game plan.  The health of Michael Boley, Osi Umenyiora; and Justin Tuck were at the heart of that matter.  All that is behind us now.  The Blitz stands poised to ride in like the cavalry just in time for the NFC Championship Game.
 


But that's because everything else is now working again as well.   As in Perry FeWELL.







Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Coach Perry Fewell's Time is Now

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:  It's Coach Perry Fewell's Responsibility to Keep the Heat On the Packers in Chilly Green Bay.




The Giants are heading back to the Frozen Tundra of Green Bay for another game of the ages.  But unlike the last time these teams met back in East Rutherford, the Giants are much better equipped to battle the Packers; not to mention the elements; during Sunday's upcoming arctic expedition to the Dairy State.




We last played the Packers at Giants Stadium without the services of Osi Umenyiora.  Justin Tuck still wasn't feeling so well.  Michael Boley was still getting his legs under him in his first game back from a hamstring injury.  Chase Blackburn hadn't become the smart reinforcement yet that he is at the present time.  Chris Canty and Antrel Rolle hadn't yet achieved their present levels of play either.  Only recently do things seem to be coming together.   And when you consider the Giants' Secondary hasn't suffered any more of those embarrassing meltdowns they endured prior to and during the Packer game, it's reasonable to say Green Bay's offense will be facing a slightly different unit than the one the Packers narrowly defeated in Week Thirteen.




The three things that stick out most about that last game are Eli's pick-six; the Packers returning the last kick-off back to mid-field setting up an easy game winning field goal; and Aaron Rodgers continually scrambling out of the pocket and exploiting acres of empty field in front of him.  Every one of his rumbles were back-breakers.  With several reasons to chose from as to why the Giants lost that game, I say Aaron Rodgers' legs were a huge difference in the game.  That goes hand in hand with an inability to stop Green Bay on third down.




Interceptions and Special Teams can be worked on and corrected however.  That last matter about Aaron scrambling isn't so easy.  Last game Aaron Rodgers managed to stay a finger tip away from the Giants' (depleted) rush.  He created plenty of time living outside the pocket and as a result, coverage eventually broke down.  Or, he just tucked the ball and ran for big yardage.




In this season's big rematch, first and foremost, the biggest difference going into this game is the Giants are healthier.  In addition to the past casualties mentioned above, Aaron Ross appears to have been cleared to play Football again after being taken out of last week's game with concussion symptoms.




The Giants now have something I've dubbed Defensive Synchronicity.  The state of The G-Men and the Department of Defense heading into Sunday looks promising.




Perry Fewell has demonstrated his willingness to turn up the heat as well.  With the return of key players he's been much more aggressive lately.  That was far from the case last time we played Green Bay.  In that game, Coach Fewell decided to rush only three men for a substantial portion of the game.  Early on it had it's affect.  But like I mentioned, because the three man rush never did get to Fee Range Rodgers, and because Coach Fewelll refused to blitz, the game turned out to be one continuous down field study in busted coverage.




Even though it was the Chiefs who ruined Green Bay's undefeated season, I happen to like how the Lions handled Aaron Rodgers even more, regardless that it came in a losing Thanksgiving effort.  The Lions didn't let their Defensive Ends over-pursue Aaron Rodgers and risk blowing by him when he stepped-up in the pocket.  Detroit instead brought pressure up the middle.  The Ends maintained discipline and kept lane integrity.  When Aaron Rodgers stepped up or tried scrambling, the Defensive Ends caved in on him.  I caught that on ESPN by the way.




In the Giants last three games, it didn't take long before Marc Sanchez, Tony Romo, and Matt Ryan were all made to look like they quit at some point in the game.  The Defensive Pressure oppressed them like 100% humidity in Costa Rica.  Aaron Rogers won't be nearly as meek or as accessible to the Giants as the last three QB's were.  Rodgers is a much more polished cat than that.  So, they'll have their work cut out for them trying to get a hold of an elusive guy.




Amid my confidence right now, I have one major concern.  The Giants have not come up with an answer for the no-huddle offense.  When teams speed up the game, the Giants Defense gets bogged down.  And why not; no substitutions.  I would imagine the Packers are fully aware of this flaw in the Giants game.  As I trust Coach Fewell is aware of it as well.  While Atlanta never had a chance in last week's game, Dallas employed hurry-up tactics in the third quarter in the season finale with great success until the Giants closed that game out.




I haven't hammered Perry Fewell nearly as much as I usually pound Coach Gilbride.  Somehow, especially after last game, Gilbride has somehow managed to stay on my good side this season.  In his second full season as Defensive Coordinator, Perry Fewell is still trying to win many people over even though the Giants already signed him to an extension.




I will say this much about Perry Fewell, on a week to week basis, he is very adaptable.  When it comes to schemes and deception, he's no Spagnuolo.  But that's fine.  Defensively speaking, Jason Pierre Paul  and Mathias Kiwanuka have carried this unit.  But Perry Fewell's adaptability has gotten the Giants to within a game of playing for the Conference Championship.  Somehow he kept it all together with band-aids and scotch-tape, and finished strong as we head into Sunday.  With his side of the ball decimated by injuries this season, through sheer necessity we've witnessed Perry Fewell employ everything from Turtle Shell Mode at times, to watching him unleash fury upon three straight teams. So it's safe to say that adaptability and heavy doses of straight forward aggression are his strengths.  Then, there's always a measure of individual effort that a Coach has no control over, nor can account for.  For instance, no one coached Osi how to bend Offensive Linemen backwards (see Falcons game) and still bring both him and the quarterback down simultaneously.




Super-human feats of strength are one thing, but what the Giants need now more than ever, is for Perry Fewell to get this one right.  Whether it's by brute force and ignorance, or through more scientific methods of planning and preparation, we are about to find out if Coach Fewell was worth the extension he signed, and if he can follow through this Sunday in the spirit and tradition of Giants Football; which in part is predicated upon a dominating Defense.






Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Playoffs Return to the House of BLUE

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

2011

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

WILD CARD WEEKEND

Atlanta Falcons
Wild Card

vs.

NEW YORK GIANTS
NFC East Champs

From

"GIANTS STADIUM"
in
A GIANTS TOWN

NEW YORK GIANTS:   May The Magical Force; Power; and Historic Tradition of BIG BLUE Football Be With Us.

DO IT FOR THE DUKE!

Footballs are not round, which means things usually go smoothly up to a point.  A football has two points, which makes things doubly-difficult.  And as footballs are not perfectly round, players are not always perfect in their execution of the fundamental strategies involved with negotiating said Football. The ball we call Pigskin takes strange bounces when they hit the ground.  And if not thrown correctly, they also do confounding things in the air.  And what's worse is when it lands in the hands of the other team.  In the Game we call Pigskin, sometime players take strange bounces off people too.  And if not tackled correctly, confounding things happen as well.


The idea on offense is to matriculate the football into the other team's end zone.  Defense is about preventing that from happening.  Some teams do one or the other better than their opponents. Sometimes they do both equally well.  In what can be a humbling or rewarding pursuit of those endeavours, sometimes the efforts result in good times, and sometimes they result in bad times.


Since 1925, the New York Football Giants have had a few bad moments.  They've had some pretty cool moments as well.


For those inclined to do so, there's every reason to dwell on the bad stuff that's happened to the Giants in the playoffs during the Tom Coughlin era.  The Carolina Panthers; the Philadelphia Eagles twice - It's all fair game because that's the way the football bounces around here as well as across the landscape of the NFL.  Sometimes the football drops right in your hands like an Eli to Plaxico Super Bowl winning catch, and other times you look like a fool chasing it (or a player) down; which is exactly what happened against the Eagles last season, ending Big Blue's quest to make the 2010 playoffs.  Include extreme cases as well, like when organizations ultimately have no control over a player's desire to go out to a club packing heat in the waist band of a pair of loose fitting sweatpants, and what we come to understand is no one really knows where a two pointed ball will bounce next; even if it's pointed at your own thigh.  As much street cred as that gets you on the open market, something like that does everything to shoot down the chances of defending a team's NFL title.


The Giants haven't been expected to win anything since the 1986 Super Bowl season.  And even then, John Elway terrified a lot of Giant Fans; especially after watching the way Elway beat the Browns in the AFC Championship Game.  OK, maybe they were expected to win the Flipper Anderson playoff game that ended the 1989 season.  That one still hurts.  But the Giants were underdogs against the Bills in 1990.  They surely weren't favored against the Ravens.  And they sure as hell didn't stand a chance against the Patriots in 2007.  Part of the reason is because the Giants have never been flashy about scoring points; until now.  Eli, Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks have changed all that.


Welcome to the first Giants' home playoff game since Big Blue defeated the Minnesota Vikings 41-0 to become the 2000 season's NFC Champions.  That was a long time ago "On a field of green painted mud" when Wellington Mara chided the Media as he accepted the George Halas Trophy on behalf of the "worst team" to win the NFC Title.  John said that was Pop's last greatest moment before he passed away.


Was Wide-Right miraculous?  Bill Parcells had confidence Scott Norwood would miss from 47 yards out on grass.  But yeah, it's a good thing that went our way.  Was that 44-0 win in 2000 "improbable"?  Probably; pardon the pun.  Was the 2007 run to the Super Bowl just as unlikely?  Maybe.  Can a win today against Atlanta spark another run towards a Lombardi Trophy?  You never know.  We'll see about that.  But can the Giants win today?  Yes, they can.


I called up 1050ESPN this morning.  Jody McDonald was on with Amani Toomer as his co-host.  I called and brought up my point about the Giants running game being considerably better when Kevin Boothe plays Center, and Mitch Petrus plays Left Guard.  Amani Toomer agreed.  I'm not tooting horns here.  I just want the Giants to do today what the Giants are capable of doing best.  And the fact of the matter is, David Baas is hindering the Giants' ability to matriculate the ball up the field via the ground; and more specifically, up the middle.


Eli and Matt Ryan are both capable of destroying each other's Secondaries.  The Giants' pass rush however is much better than Atlanta's.  So of the two teams, I think the Falcons will look to RELY on the run more and sooner.  With Michael Turner running behind an Offensive Line that "plays to the whistle", they certainly can get it done.  Establishing the run for either team is a different matter of strategy though.  In either case, the Giants will need to run the ball better.  The best way to keep Matt Ryan from hurting us, and keeping Michael Turner from rumbling through us, is to keep them on the sidelines.


Yes; for the Giants this season, passing the ball has been at the heart of winning, and in the absence of a better running effort and Secondary lapses, here we are.  But what an effective running game will do is give us a greater measure of control over our opponent, just like it did last week against Dallas.  Like I said, Atlanta can and will look to do the same.  So we need to be better at it.  And we can be.


We can run with a front line combination that has performed very effectively together this season; Kevin Boothe at Center; Mitch Petrus at Left Guard; and David Diehl at left Tackle.  Forget the opponent for a second.  Kevin Boothe is a bigger body at Center than David Baas is, and with Mitch Petrus the Giants still maintain a large presence at Left Guard. That's pigskin point one.


Pigskin point two in a game played with a ball not perfectly round is as follows.  To prevent the Falcons from matriculating the ball up-field through an air attack, I would like for Aaron Ross; Corey Webster; and Safeties in the slot; etc.; to play receivers closer to the line of scrimmage.  I'm not demanding bump-and-run coverage; although some of that would be nice.  But I do not want them giving the Falcons ten yard cushions to start plays with.  In almost every instance, during their read and react, they consistently get caught flat-footed on the receiver's break.  Get closer to them and constantly keep your feet in motion!  I can't believe coaches Peter Giunta and Dave Merritt aren't telling them this themselves!  I'm not a coach damn it!  I'm a freakin blogger.


Last thing - Last week I watched Hakeem Nicks hold the Pigskin like a loaf of bread.  He didn't fumble or anything.  But that's a proactive shot across the Giants' bow.  Brandon Jacobs also fumbled last week, but the Giants luckily recovered.  Among the oldest, truest, and time tested ways to matriculate the football into the other team's end-zone is to hold on to the damn Pigskin!  Don't get sloppy.  Take care of all the little things and something big will happen.

That's it.  Those are my loose ends.  Everything I wanted to say heading into this playoff game, I've said already in these posts:


*  RUSHING TO THE CENTER OF THE PROBLEM
*  DEFENSIVE SYNCHRONICITY
*  G-MEN AND THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
*  ELI LEADS GIANTS' GROUND GAME?




Let's Go Giants!  Let's DO IT FOR THE DUKE!





Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Defense; There's Beauty in Simplicity

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:  Yes; There is Beauty in Simplicity.   But There's an NFC East Title to be Won With Defensive Agression.


POST:  N.Y. Giants - Romo's Hand?  Victory May Rest in Kevin Gilbride's Hands



Let's make something perfectly clear.  The Jets did much to make the Giants Defense look good last week.  They employed a bizarre game plan that didn't involve exploiting the Giants' Secondary.  Rather, the Jets did everything to highlight their own flaws and put them on full display.  The few times Marc Sanchez attempted to go down field, he heaved-up up several dying quails that were easily intercepted.  The old guy from the Benny Hill Show could have intercepted those passes.  And interspersed among thirty other in-completed pass attempts, Sanchez was busy taxing his compromised Offensive Line and giving the Giants pass rush plenty of time to get their hands on him. 




So as you'd now expect, I caution my fellow Giant Fan - last week was not a game from which to draw false hope.  This Defense still has the problems it's had for two years running.  And if they're not careful, Tony Romo and the Cowboys can make the Giants look silly on so many levels. 




That's precisely the way the Giants don't want to end their season.  As I stated last week before the Jets game, - I am pretty much through with logistics.  That stuff is strategy and plotting through the season.  Those are weekly issues with full knowledge another game awaits the following week.  The Giants have no such reassurances this week.  This is the end of the regular season.  If they don't win, while on the one hand going home to their families for the Winter sounds wholesome and Americana'ish, the other hand is some players and even coaches will be asked to stay there and not return.  Such as life in the NFL.  Such as life for a NY team. 




In losing seven games this season; at least three of them very inexplicably; the Giants have chummed their own waters off the Hudson.  There will be a Media feeding frenzy awaiting the Giants just beyond some curtain in a room within the bowels of Blue Life-or-Death Stadium; for then it will have been three straight seasons Big Blue misses the playoffs.  That's a nice chunk of meat to start sinking their teeth into and probably only the beginning.  People need to be held accountable for some of the things we saw this season.  And the not so funny thing is that organizations, the Media, and Fans all have a different way of going about that.




I said such as life in the NFL?  Then a win changes everything it seems.  It always does.  A win not only saves the season, it will most likely save jobs also.  And even then, I'd have to do an awful lot of combing over the deficiencies of this team of which there are many.  The short list of who to blame has already been drawn up.  At this point, the only question is if names will get added to it.




But low and behold, the Giants have one more game.  Sunday night we all get to find out if the New York Football Giants are a playoff team.  No one really cares much how you get there, just as long as you're there.  The late great Wellington "The Duke" Mara once stood upon a hastily constructed TV podium at the fifty yard line on a field of green painted mud..., and sarcastically chided the Media, and proudly hailed his 2000 team as the worst team ever to win the NFC Championship...!  That was the late Mr. Mara's last truly great moment as owner of the team his dad founded back in the 1920's.
 



The era that ended on the night Scott Norwood missed wide right has since ushered in four head coaches.  The Giants tried the in-house thing with Ray Handley.  They then tried the established NFL coach approach with Dan Reeves.  The Giants moved on with an off-campus - thinking out of the box type hire in Jim Fassel. 




Then with the hiring of Tom Coughlin, the Giants made a return to their roots.  Wellington Mara liked Coach Coughlin very much.  Tom Coughlin was part of the old regime here when they won Super Bowls under Bill Parcells.  Today there are three of them; -  three Vince Lombardi Trophies won via the Bill Parcells/Tom Coughlin Laws of Football.  That is not a coincidence.




In that spirit,  It's time to DO IT FOR THE DUKE.




The reputation this organization has long maintained was built on the defensive side of the ball.  It was true of the 1986 and 1990 teams.  It was the Defense which shut-out the Vikings on that field of green painted mud back in the 2000 NFC Championship.  Then the return to defensive dominance  culminated in the organization's third trophy in 2007.




In 2007, Kevin Gilbride was the Offensive Coordinator.  And since he's been to the mountain top with us, it's with a heavy heart I turn to him this week and plead for clock management and ball control through the run.  Of course Eli will throw his share of passes.  That's not only a given, it's needed indeed.  But I beg for the smash-mouth aspects of the Giants' attack to make a mark on this game in order to minimize Tony Romo's and Dallas' big play ability to overly affect the game.




Perry Fewell's defense is still suspect.  And as a long time Giants fan with several decades worth of mental reference to draw from, no Giants' team in my recollection ever accomplished much when the Offense was the more dominant unit of the team.  For all my lifetime, Giants' success has been solidly built on Defense.  Less offensively talented Giants teams have outscored the likes of the mighty 49ers; Broncos; Bills; Green Bay; and the Patriots; in the biggest games in the organization's history.  But they were able to do so, because the Defense put them in positions to do so.




There is no such dynamic at work between the Giants' Offense and the Defense this season.  They are an inharmonious, and an uncomplimentary team.  One unit is usually forced into bailing out the other -  Or worse yet, logistically speaking, conspiring against each other.




Number one, the Offense is too slow to the line.  Too many time-outs have been used because the play clock ran out.  The play needs to get in and the players need to be ready.  That comes from the coach.  Second, the three-and-outs are putting the Defense in harms way.  Too many needless pass attempts and questionable play calling inevitably result in not spending enough time on the field.  The Offense is losing the time-of-possession game.  In my last post, I explained how I think Kevin Gilbride needs to win this game for the Giants, because Perry Fewell's unit is as of right now, unreliable.




The Defense has mostly suffered from mass confusion in the Secondary.  We know.  Untold points have been scored against the Giants as a result of busted coverage; and worse yet, no coverage at all.  Over two season under Perry Fewell, what's become evident is that Aaron Ross, Corey Webster; Antrel Rolle, and Deon Grant; those four in particular; and include their coaches Peter Giunta and David Merrit; clearly do no grasp what Coach Fewell is teaching.  Those four players and their subordinate coaches have been together for a time exceeding Perry Fewell's tenure as Giants  Defensive Coordinator.  So, isn't it safe to deduce that which ails the unit is the leader himself?




All I'm going to say about that is:  SIMPLICITY.  There's beauty in simplicity.  There's another saying for that - Keep it simple stupid!  At some point you have to give up on what hasn't worked, and go back to what you do best.  I'd say the last game of the season, - a do or die game for the NFC East title is a good time. 




In the Secondary's case, Tony Romo will no doubt try to exploit them.  And he has the arm for it.  So  let the guys play man and just let them be Football players.  And bump them off the line please?  Yes, physicality plays a large part in this too...thank you.  But just let them play without too much to think about.  Just let them run around and keep an eye on their man.  We can not have two defenders looking at each other again and have them both claim to be in the correct spot; not when twenty five yards away there's a guy in the end zone with the ball and doing a little dance with his team mates.  Not in this game.  Play it that way because clearly, no one understands the new zone coverages and all it's built in options and I have no reason to believe they'll learn by Sunday.




Otherwise, everything else is elementary Watson.  Make sure we have the right linebacker covering Jason Witten.  Then let the other linebackers do what they've done since high school, which is plugging holes against the run, covering backs out of the back field, and help rush the passer. 




No!  Better yet... Here's an idea, make the backfield engage the Linebackers in their back field when we blitz!  C'mon Coach.  You have to unleash a blitz at some point.  The Cowboys have a quarterback with a compromised wrist.  He's going to be very protective of it.  And just because Romo's wrist might feel fine Sunday morning, with one shot, he's right back at square one, if not worse off.  So they have to get after him.




Perry Fewell has done very little however in the way of disguising anything really.  There have been no Safety blitzes; Linebackers; none of that.  He's been overly concerned with coverages and relying on his four man front to supply all the pass rushing.  It's not a terribly wrong way to compensate for a flawed Secondary, but when you play a team twice in a season, so close together like the Cowboys and Giants are playing, you have to change things up.  And what Perry Fewell hasn't been lately, or much at all this season, is aggressive.  Maybe that's exactly the kind of change needed for this particular game.  If you remember, we barely escaped Dallas with a victory, thanks in part to a ball lost in the lights.




Osi might play, and if he can spell Justin Tuck and JJP at times, and is healthy enough to get inserted together with them from time to time, the Giants will have a distinct advantage.  And if Chris Canty and Dave Tollefson continue to raise their games like they've been, even better for the G-Men.




I'd rather lose this game and rest easier knowing I went all out trying to get at Tony Romo than if we adhere to a much more conservative plan.  We know Tuck, Osi, and JPP and others like Kiwanuka can bring pressure upon quarterbacks.  That's a given.  But my question is how well will Coach Fewell enhance their abilities to rush the passer.  How well will he compliment their effort?  How confident is Coach Fewell if he throws numbers at Romo, that we can get to him before he gets off a pass or breaks the pocket?  All I can say is nothing ventured - nothing gained.  If we were meant to die because of the Secondary...let's die with the Secondary then.  But all I know is that we need to make the pocket, and the Box, a dangerous place for him to be.




In keeping things simple, Perry Fewell is also going to have to take chances.  In football, aggression shouldn't be considered taking risks at all.  In football, it's a way of life.  And Giants' History by the way, is based on it.




I've asked Coach Gilbride to really put on his thinking cap for this one.  I think his unit can play a larger role towards securing a win.  Perry Fewell's unit however has repeatedly shown they can do little to prevent a loss.  See Eli manning on that one.  So, if your back is up against the wall, you damn well better go down swinging.  No?




And if the Giants Defense rises to the occasion with a superlative effort, well then, they'll look like heroes.




Naturally.








Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Answers on Defense are Few or Injured

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE




NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:  What's a Defensive Coordinator to Do?




There was a certain would-be pick-six early in the game against Eli but was dropped by Dallas.  And then there was a Tony Romo pass that got lost in the lights that would have went for another certain touchdown.  But luckily in the end, Jason Pierre Paul rose up just in the nick of time to block a potential game winning field goal against the Cowboys.  Otherwise, the Giants were seconds away from having to deal with a fifth straight defeat and kissing this year's playoff aspirations good-bye, as well as having another log thrown on the fire of successive late season failures.



The Giants have Eli Manning; Jason Pierre Paul; Hakeem Nicks; Victor Cruz; Tom Coughlin; Mathias Kiwanuka; Jake Ballard; and Steve Weatherford - the punter! - in that order, to thank for putting the team in the position they are in today.  In the absence of an effective running game and a wholly unresolved situation on the Offensive Line, the fact of the matter is Coach Gilbride, Eli, Nicks, Cruz, and Ballard have supplied the Giants with enough points to have won more games than they have this season.  Eli has managed to outplay the deficiencies with the running game.  And furthermore, problems on the Offensive Line weren't the root cause for huge gaffes on Defense. 



Before I get to that - to my utter dismay, not once did I mention Kevin Gilbride as being a problem.  I even stupefied myself on that one after I put his rump squarely on the hot seat to begin the season.  But as things progressed since Week One up to the present time, it is his counter-part; Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell; who's posterior is getting toasty on the hot seat instead.



Blame a veteran Secondary for that; then a slew of injuries; no depth at Linebacker; a dormant pass-rush; and a sudden fear of blitzing on the part of the Defensive Coordinator as the reasons why the Giants aren't better.  With a mere 7-6 record this season, they're lucky to still be flirting with first place.  And sadly, in the face of great Giant Tradition, it's fair to pin the blame for another troublesome season on the Defense.  But along with some extenuating circumstances of course.



The Secondary was supposed to be featuring Terrell Thomas, Prince Amukamara, and Kenny Phillips in prominent roles by now.  That clearly has not happened largely due to injuries.  And Michael Coe was recently added to the list of injured players as well.  So what they have been left with are the old guard Secondary veterans - Corey Webster; Aaron Ross; Antrel Rolle; and Deon Grant.  The fact that the four players are indeed veterans; unlike rookie Tyler Sash; is the most startling affront regarding their collective failure.  You would think that these four players, who are no strangers to each other after having played together for some time, just might be on the same page of music by now.



The woes of the Failing Foursome started in Week One against Washington and have continued consistently throughout the season, and all the way through last week's game against the Cowboys.  If I've characterized the Secondary before, add the word INEPT to the lexicon.  Why, for two consecutive seasons has the Secondary either lost, or never had the ability to communicate on the field?  The lapses in coverage have been getting ghastlier by the week and the craters being left behind by opposing quarter-backs continually throwing bombs against us is skyrocketing towards near catastrophic proportions.  I say near catastrophic, because near every team's secondary is getting lit up for insane yardage and points this season.



Corey Webster and Aaron Ross were never this bad under Coach Spags.  Then again, back then they were twenty-four and twenty-three years old respectively.  Today, Webster is 29 years old and Ross is 28 years old.  Is Father Time speeding past them into the end zone already?  They are seven and five year veterans now with both having had three common Defensive Coordinators in their time with the Giants.  The constants for both players have been Corners Coach Peter Giunta; since 2006; and Safety Coach, David Merritt; also since the 2006 season.  So the point is, the four individuals have all been together for some time now.  So I'll reference Coach Spags again.  Was he the difference between the Secondary being good, then after his departure becoming horrifically bad?  Maybe.  But that's all theoretical/hypothetical.  Because right now, the Secondary looks like a bunch of fifth graders trying to play zone coverage.  That's real and now and something Perry Fewell, not Coach Spags, needs to figure out over these next three weeks..



Getting beat on man-coverage is one thing.  How miscommunication in zone coverage between the Safety and Corners are leaving receivers literally ALL ALONE is another.  And yet, that's not all.  Slot receivers have been playing our coverage like a veritable nickelodeon.  And frankly, the five cent game films have been appalling.  If you gave Antrel Rolle the other team's playbook and a scooter, he still couldn't keep the slot receiver close.



The situation at Linebacker only exasperates the Defensive situation.  Let's face it, Chase Blackburn was asked to come back out of desperation.  Jonathan Goff and Clint Sintim were lost for the season.  Rookies Spencer Paysinger and Mark Herzlich did not play against Dallas.  And the defensive QB; Michael Boley; has played infrequently, and apparently will be compromised the rest of the way.  That leaves the Giants with their other two rookies; Greg Jones, and Jacquian Williams; to hold down the fort along with Mathias Kiwanuka, who thank goodness, has been a season long force.



There's all the reason we need to know why Perry Fewell has been so hesitant to blitz and why he's been throwing seven and eight men in coverage lately.



Up front, Justin Tuck hasn't been the same Tuck we're accustomed to seeing all season long.  He's never been right since suffering a neck stinger.  And at present, he now has a toe injury to contend with.  Osi Umenyiora was been of little use to us as well.  With those two players missing alone, the three and four man rush Coach Fewell has been employing just hasn't been getting it done; save Jason Pierre Paul who has been nothing short of an absolute beast.  Jason Pierre Paul and Mathias Kiwanuka have teamed up to very literally carry this Defense all season.



But with two of our three best pass rushers out of this week's game; a paper thin and inexperienced Linebacking Corp., and a Secondary suffering through a fundamental breakdown, what is a Defensive Coordinator to do? 



Injuries and the Secondary have conspired to limit our pass rush.  The latest scheme allows receivers to shake loose in spite of seven and eight men in coverage.  The quarterback is getting way too much time in or out of the pocket allowing a receiver to eventually break free.  And as we witnessed with Aaron Rogers, gaping holes will appear in the middle of the field for the QB to run through should he decide to.



The Offense has given us plenty of reason to not be overly concerned about their ability to put up points.  And Eli has proven he can dial it up when the team needs it most.  But the Defense isn't being so kind to us.  They've been down right scary, and have Fans terrified.






Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Media Wakes Up to Secondary Issues

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE




NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:  Apparently, There is a Problem in the Giants' Secondary.  Who Knew?


I said this after Week One :

"....Rex Grossman picked apart the Secondary like a fruit basket.  Jason Pierre Paul wasn't going to stop the Skins by himself.  Nice game by him by the way.  But otherwise, Washington went through us like we were wet toilet paper.

 

If Osi and Tuck play, does the Secondary have as a bad a day as they did?   Answer; - Probably!  They are all familiar with the smell of getting toasted.  We've seen this act from Aaron Ross; Antrel Rolle; Corey Webster; Kenny Phillips; and Deon Grant before. The book has been out on these guys for some time now.  Be aggressive against them and they will give up huge plays.  Prince Amukamara was supposed to improve our depth. But he's out.  Kenny Phillips is the only player with any real hopes for major improvement in his play.  The rest of the cast is comprised of seasoned vets.  What you see is what you get with them.  And many times last season, they've made us look away.

The Secondary problems will be the more visible on TV.  That unit will look the worst doing what they do.  But football fans know full well, our lack of linebackers; our soft white under belly for some time now; is going to kill us."

I said this on October 18th:

".....The Corners and Safeties are suffering a major lack of communication and I want to know what Corners Coach Peter Giunta and Safety Coach David Merritt are doing about it.  Because the huge plays; the huge breakdowns in coverage; the huge lack of communication at times; are becoming routine now."

If you follow my Giant blogs, then you know I've been flipping out on Secondary Coaches; Peter Giunta and David Merritt; all season long.  So why all of a sudden is the putrid play by the Secondary such a revelation to everyone in the Media now?  And why are they using the same exact words I used back in September and October in describing our calamitous Secondary today?  I could have told you the Giants were going to surrender thirty-plus points consecutively to the Saints, Packers, and Cowboys back in September!

Heading into the Saints game, I continued with this:

"......the hairs on the back of my head stand up because of the state of confusion which exists between our Corners and Safeties.  Their lack of communication has not only been confounding, it's also high time Coach Giunta and Coach Merritt had these issues resolved.  And if they haven't by now, then Perry Fewell should have.  This isn't the first time I brought this up.  And tonight, they're getting put under the microscope."

After the Packers game, on December 5th I posted a blog titled: SECONDARY ISSUES A PRIMARY CONCERN.  On December 12th, one of the local tabloids teased an article with this:

In the aftermath of Big Blue's last second, blocked-field goal victory in Dallas, many, if not all things said about the Giants' Secondary still hold true today.  Only, what more can little old me say about it now that ESPN, the Talkies, and the papers have this late breaking scoop covered?



You know where to find me.






Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ TEXAS SHOWDOWN

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:

With a Record of "Six and Sick" and Four Games To Go,

Big Blue's Season Boils Down to a Showdown Against

Our Old Nemesis, the Dallas Cowboys.

WEEK FOURTEEN PICKS

POST:  Secondary Issues a Primary Concern

GIANTS  vs.  COWBOYS:

Two things happened on Offense last week that are worth discussing; A) - For the first time in many weeks, the running game rushed for 100 yards behind... B) - a revamped Offensive Line due to Center-David Baas being a late minute scratch with migraine head-aches; and maybe more than just that.


But what that did was get Mitch Petrus inserted into the game at left Guard while David Diehl slid over to Tackle again.  Kevin Boothe moved over and started at Center.  And together, along with the return of Ahmad Bradshaw, turned up the power on the Giants' Running Game again.  Is there something to that O-Line combination?  After all, it was Mitch Petrus' first career start. 


We know Ahmad Bradshaw often finds his own cracks and creates his own holes to run through.  Last week in his return, he didn't have quite the day Jacobs had rushing the ball however.  The clearest evidence the O-Line was doing something right was noticeable in the way Brandon Jacobs got into Green Bay's secondary.  The maligned back rushed eight times for fifty-nine yards.  And with a hop here and a skip there, he could have rushed for much more.  But he's never been accused of being a hurdler, now has he?  Those tree trunks of his were made for running in two directions; straight; and right at people. 


Sounding like a broken record now, with pitches and screens; etc.; the Giants can minimize Dallas' run-blitz which is what every team has been doing against Jacobs up the middle.  Most of Brandon's success has been coming on either side of the Tackle; usually with Kareem McKenzie opening things up and Bear Pascoe doing a better job lately at Fullback.


Last week proves Brandon Jacobs is not just a useless cog with a big mouth.  And the relationship between the O-Line and the backfield is a symbiotic one.  That's why I never came down too hard on Jacobs; not without pointing out the ground work for a poor performance first.  I never did say the criticisms against him weren't fair though.  I just felt he's been misused.


But here we are at the precise point of the season why I always said it's important for Coach Gilbride to give Brandon Jacobs more touches throughout the season.  Independent of Eli Manning, this is the time of season when the Giants need Brandon most.  This is the game when we need THE BULLY, to push Dallas around; and to revive a term; playing smash-mouth football.  With Ahmad Bradshaw back; a seemingly effective combo on the left side of the O-Line; and Jacobs showing he can still thump and bump, the Giants need to regain their identity; stay true to themselves, and play Giants football in order to beat Dallas Sunday.


A guy like Jacobs needs touches; even ineffective touches.  And with Bradshaw still uncertain on his foot, Brandon just may get the touches he's craving for against the Cowboys.  And finally the Giants may have stumbled across a combination on the left side of the O-Line that could finally benefit everyone. Coach Gilbride deserves his credit for sticking with the running game.  And as it turned out last game, Bradshaw turned into the set-up man for the big-rumblin' Brandon Jacobs. 


Go back to Smash-Mouth 101.  Use as directed:   1) - Run the ball. 2) - Run with Power. 3) - Control the clock. 4) - No stupid penalties against the O-Line; and converting third downs all will serve to keep Tony Romo off the field.


So what exactly was the O-Line doing right?  They pushed the Packers D-Line backwards off the snap.  But you can do that against the Packers because in Rogers they trust.  I don't know if the Giants will be able to push the Cowboys' front around as easily.  But let's hope so, because Brandon Jacobs has promised to unleash "The BULLY" against a very chatty Dallas team.  After a week of much flappin' on their part, the Cowboys could use a good slap in the face.  But Jacobs will only be able to "punk Dallas" defenders if the O-Line performs similar to the way which opened up holes last week against the Packers.  And well, Dallas' defense is just a little more stout against the run than Green Bay's is.  But the run must be sold none the less for the sake of Play-Action.


The left side of this O-Line also kept Eli Manning's blind side well protected, while the Line as a whole kept him upright long enough for Eli to engineer better than ten points over the Giants' season average against the Packers...which should have been good enough - But wasn't for reasons other than lack of Offense.


So Offensively speaking, if the Giants are to win the most important game of the season with their playoff chances in the balance, it all has to start up front with the Offensive Line.  They must keep DeMarcus Ware away from Eli Manning.  That will fall on David Diehl, and to a lesser degree, Mitch Petrus, the Tight-Ends and backfield.  With help, I'm satisfied Diehl can handle the challenge and minimize damage Ware brings from Dallas' right side.  Dallas will get through once in a while, but Diehl won't get embarrassed.


Coach Gilbride should also roll Eli right from time to time.  Eli does that fairly well.  When it comes to stepping-up inside the pocket or literally shaking a pocket loose, I don't think Eli is nearly as good as Brees, Rogers, and yes...even Tony Romo.  Inside the pocket, those guys can dance.  Eli not so much.  And then again, Eli's scrambling is a complete wash versus Dallas' speed on defense.  So it looks like there will be a lot of hanging in the pocket for Eli Sunday.  It could hurt at times but Eli can take a good shot.  Eli has been throwing off his back foot again lately, so the closer Dallas gets to him, the more likely they can make Eli do the same.  So it's incumbent on the O-Line to limit most of Dallas' harassment.  At least long enough for Eli to exploit Dallas' Secondary...which Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz should find very.....exploitable.


If the O-Line allows Bradshaw and Jacobs to get to daylight and Eli can successfully continue connecting with Nicks; Cruz; Ballard; and get some other less heralded catches, enough Giants' points should be on the scoreboard by game's end for a win.  And it would certainly be nice if we could score early in the game.  Playing with a lead can help immeasurably with any plan to disrupt Tony Romo.


That's if the Giants can hold back the Cowboys on Defense.


Coach Fewell's reluctance to blitz has left the last bunch of QB's with a ton of time to wait and allow  something to open up down field.  It just so happens in the last two weeks, the Giants have played two QB's who expertly juke and snake their way inside the pocket.  In the process, they've given up damn nearly ninety points.  Tony Romo, like I said, is another QB who slips just out of reach.  The guy hops, dodges, back-pedals, skips, and scats into open spaces, and can either kill you running the ball or by identifying the busted coverage in broken plays.  Even off balance, he gets off amazingly accurate throws.  Because the pass rush never really got to Brees and Rogers in time, they continually side-stepped any on-comers and killed us on third conversions by running when the eight men in coverage kept things tight down field.  It's been a damned if you do; damned if you don't sort of deal.


Is that a message for Coach Fewell to get back to the four man rush and take chances with the Linebackers and hope they are up to the task?  Michael Boley is back.  Chase Blackburn is back from outer space to help.  And Jacquian Williams looks like he enjoys getting physical.  But one of them will have to be responsible for Dallas Tight-End Jason Witten.  Every one in the Western Hemisphere knows he's Tony Romo's go to guy.  Keep him out of the picture, and Romo goes into panic. 


Maybe that's the way to go.  This Defense is never better than when they are on the attack.  Last week's plan almost worked.  This week's plan needs to be different.  Coach Fewell has been compensating for poor coverage by flooding the Secondary with bodies.  But it's turned us into a read-and-react defense at the expense of aggression.  And as a result, we've given up well over 300 points this season.  I'm willing to take my chances that we can force Romo into mistakes before he can abuse our Secondary across the middle or over the top.  If Coach Fewell tries that three man rush again like he did against the Packers, Romo will most certainly run silly on us underneath.  At least with a four man rush, The Giants can maintain containment and keep Tony Romo in front of them like they do with Michael Vick.


So, it's probably time to change things up front.  We need to go after Romo, and force him into hurried and harried mistakes.  After all, he's good at screwing up too.  And he's ripe for a December let-down!  As a matter of fact, I'm banking on it.  I say amp up the pass rush Coach, and make our Safeties and Corners do their jobs.  Nothing ventured; nothing gained.  As inconsistent as Aaron Ross and Corey Webster have been this season, Tony Romo is an old foe whom they should have a full account of his body language by now.  Familiarity has to count for something; no?  After that, I'm just crossing my fingers our Safeties don't get burnt like forgotten toast.


That's all I got.  We know the rest.  This is the Giants biggest game of the season because they made it so.  The Giants were once 6-2 this season.  Heading into Sunday they are now "Six and Sick" with four games to go.  I only see this one way.  The Giants must win out.  I'm not interested in needing help from other teams.  Convince me this is a playoff team by winning your way in.  It all starts in Dallas, Texas, where they like everything big.  But in Big Blue Country, nothing is looms larger than a Giants win.


There's been a lot of smack talk lobbed back and forth between camps.  Both these teams are old, bitter rivals.  The fan bases hate each other.  Both teams stand in each other's way for the Division crown.  And nothing would satisfy either city's fans more than a win Sunday.  But both teams need two wins against each other in order to secure the division.  And there's the matter of some other pressing games as well.  But if your team is set on doing something special, like pulling out a crucial game against a heated foe,  then I can't think of a better team to "make my day" against other than the Dallas Cowboys.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

"Battle for the NFC East"

NEW YORK GIANTS
vs.

Dallas Cowboys

From

The Double J Ranch

Texas

Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Secondary Issues a Primary Concern

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:

It Wasn't The Running Game or the Offensive-Line This Time. It Wasn't the Line Backers or an MIA Pass-Rush.  It Wasn't Osi or All the Injuries.  There's Been One Constant Since Game One.  The Veteran Corners and Safeties of This Team Have Been Consistently Bad All Season.




Of course there are many ways to describe us...the Fans; What we do; and Why we do it.  But for today's purposes, there's two kinds of Fans out there: A) - the Fan who is happy his/her team competed in a game such as Sunday's, and B) - the Fan who is frustrated feeling their team could have done better after coming really close.  I'm not one for extremes.  But I lean closer to the latter regarding Sunday's game against the Packers.  Maybe it's just me.  But I'm not feeling the moral victory in the Giants' loss to Green Bay.  And it's probably every reason why I've been in a foul mood all day.




Yes, we hung tough against the undeafeated Packers.  However, the only thing that matters in the way of making the playoffs is winning games.  We have not done that lately.  We did not do that Sunday.  Period.



I'm going to be careful with this.  So be patient.



I'm NOT going to kill Coach Fewell for his plan to get after Aaron Rogers with only three pass rushers even though I didn't agree with it at the time.  It actually had an effect.  But, I would have been a lot more aggressive against Rogers.  He's not a three step drop passer.  He likes to get back in the pocket and fling it.  So I thought we should have gone after him more conventionally.  In Coach Fewell's defense though, he did mix it up.  The pass rush was indeed inching closer to Rogers and when Coach called for a four man rush and "Blitz-Lite" as the game played on, we got key sacks at big times.  It must also be said, not having Osi available for the game is enough to alter any one's best laid plans.



Down field at least, Perry Fewell's plan to rush three at Aaron Rogers worked to an extent.  Early on, Aaron Rogers had no one to throw to.  I get the strategy.  And Jason Pierre Paul was providing a lot of harassment on his own.  However, JPP aside, up front, the coverage-sacks never materialized like I think Coach Fewell was banking on although the plan with extra men in coverage did land us a huge interception.  I thought the Packers would eventually adjust to Coach Fewell's three man rush and start killing us underneath.  But Aaron Rogers instead took matters into his own hands and rushed four times for thirty-two killer yards and key third down conversions.  Additionally, because the three man rush never really got to him, Aaron Rogers literally stood in the pocket as long as he wished or just rolled-out.  The most famous implementation of the three man rush was devised by Bill Belichick in Super Bowl XXV - so it wouldn't necessarily be fair to kill Coach Fewell for taking a page out of history.  But as it pertains to Sunday's game, coverage guys can only maintain for so long before receivers shake free.



Coverage is the root of my frustrations regarding Sunday.  Nothing more; nothing less.  Perry Fewell at least demonstrated he did his proper game prep.  You can't kill him for the Giants' loss.  He's not the one who was in coverage and got burnt on the field like toast.  Additionally, he has a Cornerback Coach (Peter Giunta) and a Safety Coach (David Merritt) that I have been complaining about since Week Four!  In the Age of Offense where high scoring and down field football are order of the day, Perry Fewell devised a plan "good enough" to beat the Packers.  And lest we forget, seven of Green Bay's points came on a pick-six.  We still had problems with getting stops on third down.  Absolutley.  But say what you will - you're entitled; - this year's unravelling season is following the exact script as last season's show stopper.  Blame miscommunication, confusion; lack of proper body positioning; and overall woefully ineffective coverage by this team's two starting Corners and two veteran Safeties in particular; whom for some reason I still refrain from calling out by name!  But you know who you jokers are!



Just before halftime, the fact Donald Driver was all alone in the corner of the end-zone with nary a Blue jersey (Antrel Rolle) within ten yards of him making the score 21-17 was ghastly; and inexplicably indefensible.  There's your evidence of lack of communication, confusion, and not knowing your assignment.  Allowing the Packers to get within field goal range on two plays against our Corners to end the game was just pathetic.  There's your evidence for flawed technique; bad body positioning; poor body control; and clumsy foot work.  And no..., Will Blackmon isn't nearly the only guilty party.  OK...so I dropped some names.  But this goes for Corey Webster, Aaron Ross, and Deon Grant as well.



Everything that transpired fell within the context of a really good game; high scoring, penalties, interceptions, fumbles and all.  The Offense gave the Giants that little bit extra the team needed to beat the Packers.  They scored eleven points over their season average of twenty-four per game.  The Offensive Line opened up gaping holes for Brandon Jacobs.  And Ahmad Bradshaw shake-and-baked Green Bay in his own way.  More importantly, Gilbride stuck with them and was rewarded with 100 yards on twenty carries by the backfield.  Eli had enough protection to practically go toe-to-toe with Aaron Rogers in attempts, completions, yardage, and touchdowns.  Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks especially, made insane catches.  Defensively, we got important sacks in big moments.  The Linebackers led again by Michael Boley played as well as we needed them to.  And in the kicking game, Steve Weatherford even pinned Green Bay within their ten yard line twice while having another overall good game punting the ball and keeping Green Bay drives started in their own end.



In what played out like a great heavyweight bout, we did all those things we needed to do against Green Bay; ...All except one.  For all our faults and things we complain the Giants can't do, like run the ball....or stop the run - Blah blah - Look at the team's Conerbacks and veteran Safeties.  For a second straight season, start pointing fingers there.  Not at someone like your Head Coach.

Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Life After the Monday Night Fiasco?

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:

Certain Hall of Famer, Michael Strahan, Paid the Giants' Defensive Line a Visit to Impart Some of His Knowledge.   I Have Better Advice For Them From the Mouth of Another  -   "...Let's Go Out There Like a Bunch of Crazed Dogs and Have Some Fun!" - quote; LT.




Any time your team loses a game, and if spelled out the opponent's point total starts with the letter "F" ....and it's not Fourteen points we're talking about, it invariably means you're team is F'd - as in Frightful; Feeble; and Futile.  Ultimately, we're talking about a Frustrating team on the heals of a Freakin' Fiasco and an overall Friggin' mess the Giants have created for themselves.  Fugheddaboudit.




There's never a good time to have a bad game.  But the Giants should have been so lucky.  The Big Black and Blue Bleeding Crew are playing their most horrific football at the worst imaginable time.  They've been getting progressively worse with every loss over their last three games.  They went from competing against the Niners to getting embarrassed against the Eagles.  Then....




....Then in something resembling the opening scene from James Bond's Live and Let Die,  the Saints rolled a casket with a blue NY logo on it down Bourbon Street.  French Quarter revelers at the Monday Night Football Fiasco, along with a national audience watched the Saints rip the collective spirits out of whatever on-field Defensive personnel the Giants had left.  And with that, the cake was cut ushering in the annual late season Giants Pity Party .....N'orleans style.




Big Blue left New Orleans behind having been voodooed into shock, and leaving the Fans bone-shivering scared for their playoff lives.  So how bad was it? - Even though this is the Age of Offense, it was as bad as any generation of Giants Fans had ever seen before.  The Giants' Defense allowed the Saints to gain five hundred and seventy-seven yards in total offense en route to an utterly demoralizing forty-nine point undressing of a (depleted, and...) now completely exposed Giants Defense.  Over two-hundred of New Orleans' yards came on the ground alone.  The sad reality is Drew Brees and New Orleans could have easily broken fifty points.




Most people outside of Vegas believe this Sunday's game against Aaron Rogers and Green Bay is shaping up to be another complete disaster for the G-Men; which if they get embarrassed again, may start to mean the Gag-Men.  Well..., that's the perception at least.  And increasingly, it's rather well deserved.  Because the Giants have given Fans and Media alike, every reason to question whether they were good enough to contend in the first place.  Looking back, they have a win against the Patriots.  But the Eagles' miserable loss to the Seahawks this past Thursday night reinforces once again the fact we lost to a vastly pathetic Eagles team in a very pathetic manner.  And the Giants present situation as a result of that loss, (along with Seattle), brings everything into question regarding the Giants' success this season, or lack there of.




But, ....oh yea; the injuries.  Rrriiiiight.




So..., Who Dat gonna help Coach Perry Fewell figure this one out in time for the undefeated Green Bay Packers?  Because his side of the ball quite honestly looked completely amateurish against the Saints.  I'm going to tell you right now, Peter Giunta and David Merritt are two of his problems.  But first.....




Blitz... This is Giant Fan.  Come in Blitz...!  Over?




Uh..., has anyone seen the Giants' Blitz lately?  What happened to that?  Perry Fewell dialed-up some pretty nifty blitzes...once.  But it seems like that was a long time ago - much earlier in the season to be exact.  Several times, during better days before this current three game tail-spin, I expressed concern that the Giants' "over-reliance" on sacks would come back to haunt this team because of underlying issues with the Giants' thin Linebacking ranks.  In at least four of the Giants six wins, in addition to Eli's heroics, the Giants let their opponent hang around until finally getting a late game saving sack.  And well, - BOO!  Over the last four weeks Perry Fewell has been relying on the front guys to take care of the pass rush on their own.  As a result, we're getting killed on third downs.  Problem is, Justin Tuck is a compromised player this season, and Osi is Useless-Some-More-a.  He left last week's game and will miss this Sunday's game against the Packers.




Allow me to digress a moment, as I ask my fellow Giant Fans who expressed displeasure with GM Jerry Reese's  hard-line stance against Osi during his off-season holdout - How do you like his handling of Kevin Boss; Steve Smith; and in this particular example; Osi; now?  We know Osi is great on the field, but our problem has been keeping him healthy.  Welcome to the riskier side of hold-outs and hard line bargaining.




However, Jerry Reese let Barry Coffield go.  He is clearly a sorely missed player in the defensive middle.  Chris Canty has been putting forth a respectable effort in Coffield's place, as has Linval Joseph.  But they, along with the Linebackers are complicit in allowing back after running back to storm through the middle of the field on us.




Now consider the Giants' depth of talent with Mathias Kiwanuka and Jason Pierre Paul, who've been the Giants' constant and most consistent pass rushers this season.  Depth and talent we have.  However something just does not compute.  Any harassment the Giants have issued opposing QB's has been nothing more than mere words for several weeks now, as the Giants haven't really laid their hands on many QB's at all lately.  What ever Perry Fewell's reluctance has been lately to dial-up varying blitz packages has not gone unnoticed.  And I suspect the health of Michael Boley has had much to do with that.



Long known to be the Soft-White Under Belly of the Giants' defense, the season-long absence of Jonathan Goff and recent scratch of Michael Boley at Linebacker is absolutely killing this team.  The Giants' remaining healthy Linebackers are simply too young; too inexperienced; and for the moment completely over-matched.  Primarily manned with rookies, they've been confused regarding pass coverage and getting their ankles busted on crossing patterns.  Against the run, they haven't plugged the running gaps exceptionally well and they over-pursue plays there-by abandoning their areas of responsibility.



Last week's game film against the Saints can go a long way towards advancing all their careers because within those sixty minutes of so called football Monday, are all the mistakes a Linebacker can make, revisit, and learn from moving forward.  It's another way of saying Drew Brees took them to school and gave them a hard taught lesson about life in the NFL.  Next lesson; Aaron Rogers.  Study hard boys.




Of all the Giants' defensive sub-units, I understand the Secondary has been victimized the most by the number of injuries they've sustained.  But Corey Webster and Aaron Ross are veterans; not to mention healthy ones at that.  And together, they have been woeful.  There is no pass route disruption at the line in the form of jamming receivers.  There is no contact what so ever within five yards.  And they have a total misunderstanding as to how to go about zone-coverage, as they lay-out more cushion than an IKEA floor display.



I should actually be calling out the regular Safeties, and be a lot harsher about it too.  You know who they are.  But I'll go this way instead; -  Prince finally had his NFL debut; and good for us.  However Kenny Phillips is bordering on doing stupid things lately.



But collectively, the Secondary has joined forces to keep opposing drives in business by consistently missing tackles against the run, giving up huge plays via the air, and blowing big third down and long situations.  To anyone watching, right up to the moment the ball is snapped, they are clearly and consistently unsure of their assignments as evidenced by swivelling heads and excessive exchanges at the line of scrimmage as to who is covering who.  And I put much of that on the heads of Corners Coach Peter Giunta and Coach David Merritt.  There is too much on-field miscommunication taking place.  There are too many issues concerning technique, body positioning, schemes, smartness, and preparedness to go right for the jugular and indict the Secondary for a lack of talent.



In truth, Ross and Webster were never all-pros.  And Terrell Thomas, Kenny Phillips, and Prince Amukamara were supposed to be up to snuff by now.  Injuries at some point to the latter three have slowed that process down considerably.  But this much of a precipitous fall-off in coverage effectiveness must be partly due to instruction rather than blanketing the Secondary with the easy and all-encapsulating......they suck.  Because there is also every reason to point our fingers at Perry Fewell's; Peter Giunta's; and David Merritt's collective inability to stop the no-huddle/hurry up offense teams are now routinely employing against us.  The coaching triumvirate has had absolutely no answer for that....have they?



Sure injuries have been a factor.  But we do not suffer a lack of talent.  And there-in lies the true root of all Giant Fan's frustrations.  It's the lack of execution and a seeming willingness to get outplayed which have plagued us.  That's on the players.  Lawrence Taylor once exhorted - or - excoriated - his team to "...go out there like a bunch of crazed dogs and have some fun!"  Instead the Giants appear to have put their tail between their legs and are having a miserable time of it.  And not for nothing, Justin Tuck is the current poster child of Giants' melancholy.  During the week, Coach Fewell tried the old "chastise my unit like naughty boys" routine.  What he needs however is an epiphany.  A little creative thought into the art of deception will go a long way Coach.  In that respect, Coach Fewell has indeed slipped since earlier this season.  And that's on him.



Last week was wholly on the Defense as well it should.  The Offense did what is always does; put up twenty-four points.  That's their season average and another story.  Clearly, a better running game helps keeps Drew Brees off the field, and maybe New Orleans' final score doesn't start with that nasty old letter F.  But going into that game against the Saints, defensively, both teams were relatively even statistically.  That wasn't the case Monday night as the Giants were twice as bad.



The letter F also stands for Coach Fewell.  And he better think of something Fast.  Otherwise, the Giants season is on the verge of being Finished.



More on the Offense is coming; along with my Sunday Picks.





Mike.BTB