N.Y. Giants: Week One - The Ford Field Follies

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: Game One Reveals Old Truths.

If that carnage was awful to witness, imagine how the Christians felt.  Amazing how getting fed to the Lions still makes spectators cheer with fury all these centuries later.  Goes to show how Roman we still remain today.

WEEK ONE FINAL:

New York Giants   14

Detroit Lions          35

The game I watched was not as close as this score may indicate.

In Ben McAdoo's first game as offensive coordinator, his unit attempted 57 plays, amassed 197 total yards, for 3.5 yards per play.  His QB only passed for 163 yards, got sacked twice, and threw 2 interceptions.  His running game averaged just 2.2 yards on 22 carries.  His already compromised offensive line performed woefully.

Detroit even subsidized the offensive unit with 8 penalties for 85 yards - more than half of Eli Manning's output.

In other words, last season's poor execution, and this year's poor pre-season have officially bled into the 2014 regular season.

Defensively, the Giants played nicely against run.  However, the Giants allowed a total of 417 yards.

You know what that means - Coach Fewell's secondary looked just as confused as ever.  This may be knee jerk of me after one week, but here's Fewell's pattern: begin the season by over-complicating assignments, then when the team is in late season dire straits, simplify secondary schemes resulting in much greater success. That's not necessarily my opinion either.  In the past, Corey Weber and Aaron Ross never really voiced the problem, but over the last few years, Antrel Roll has many times.

Monday night, Matt Stafford, Megatron, and the rest of Detroit's air attack lit up the Giants for 346 yards.  They're good, but the Giants need to do better.

The Giants also had a punt attempt blocked, so their ineptness was well distributed.

Much of this points to personnel issues, which ultimately puts Jerry Reese in the spot light.  At this point, hindsight is indeed everything.  He took Ernie Accorsi's team, supplemented it with 2 key drafts, and as we know, won 2 trophies.

His former running game and offensive lineman all generally deteriorated at the same rate, while talented (or at least par) replacements did not come in a timely manner.  His depth at receiver is long gone.  His defensive line is nowhere deep, or formidable as it once was.  His linebacking corp. is still pedestrian at best.  And no matter how many draft selections he spends on the secondary, the unit remains troublesome as ever.

In recent years, Reese has been relying on cast-offs, an overabundance of free agents, and has drafted rather poorly.  

Welcome to 2014.

Mike

N.Y. Giants: Showdown At The Met-Life Corral

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

 

WEEK TWELVE:

Jerry's World Enters The Land of Giants

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL: Big Blue's Season Is
Facing Third And Very Long.  Can They Convert?

 

I - First Quarter of Season; 0-4

II - Second Quarter of Season; 2-2

III - 2-0 Entering Clash with Cowboys.

IV - The Final Four.

For this season, and this 2013 troubled season only, the time has come to take the New York Football Giants seriously again.  They've earned it.  Despite still being two games under .500, four straight victories have somehow propelled them back into NFC East contention.

Consider which teams were predicted to be players and pretenders this season.  The Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons ran headlong into adversity and fell apart like wet toilet paper, while the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants, two of the league's ancient sentinels, have weathered their respective 0-6 tempests.  Team fortitude such as that displayed by these two inter-connected franchises emanates from the top, and works its way down to the field.  People know who own the Giants and Steelers.  They know who coaches them.  Quick!  Who owns the Falcons and Texans?  My point exactly.  Thus, on Sunday, the Steelers and Giants stand poised to make December meaningful again.

Everyone knows who Jerry Jones is too.  He's the famous football owner of America's (most overrated) Team, who may just now be realizing what so many have known all along - Jerry Jones is an awful general manager.  Despite a 3-0 record against the division, his team is reeling.  The Cowboys are now 28th in offensive rushing yardage, and rank 29th defending the run.  How much did Jerry Jones spend on cornerbacks last off-season?  Answer - the Cowboys currently rank 32nd, or dead last in passing yards allowed.  So, it doesn't matter what he spent except to Cowboys season ticket holders.

The Giants have made just enough adjustments, improved their situation just in time, and regained just enough confidence and momentum, to make Sunday's clash against the Dallas Cowboys not just relevant, or even a huge deal.  This game is now set up to join the all-time great clashes these teams have ever engaged in.

At present, the teams appear to be passing each other by, heading in opposite directions at high speed.

After beginning the season 0-6, this conversation shouldn't even be taking place, but the rest of the NFC LEAST has made all things possible again.  A victory by the Giants this Sunday would give them a 5-6 record, tying them with the 'Boys for second place in the division.  The Philadelphia Eagles won last week, and will sit out this week's bye in first place, with a secure 6-6 record.

Big Blue still has the same flaws and deficiencies which got them into this mess in the first place, which no doubt will require GM Jerry Reese's immediate off-season attention.  But at the same time, there's no arguing the locker room is still filled with skilled, good character professionals.  Many of them have been to both the top of the mountain, and the bottom of the valley together, among them obviously, is Coach Tom Coughlin.

Defensively, the Giants have only allowed 46 points in their last four games, or 11.7 points per game during this current winning streak.  By comparison, they allowed 146 points in their first four games of the season.  Then for good measure, they gave up another 63 points in weeks five and six, thus allowing over 200 points during their six game skid.

They are now 7th in the NFL against the run, and 15th against the pass.  Three big reason for that are, 1) - Jon Beason, who has turned into an exceptional acquisition by GM Jerry Reese, 2) - Jason Pierre Paul is showing signs of emerging into a dominant lineman again, evidenced by a sack against the Raiders, and his remarkable, point-blank pick-6 against the Packers, and 3) - Antrel Rolle continues to be a relentless leader, and the team's undisputed MVP.

Offensively, the revamped front line is coming along.  They allowed four sacks last week.  That must change by this Sunday.  Otherwise, the situation is far from being the calamity it was earlier this season.  Justin Pugh continues to play effectively as a rookie, Jim Cordle is providing a considerable upgrade at center, while David Diehl has undoubtedly become a stabilizing presence since his return to action.  With the return of Andre Brown, the overall running game is breathing with life again.  Make no mistake, things are progressing slowly, but progressing nonetheless.

Eli is still throwing picks, albeit less frequently.  Interception #17 against the Packers was due to an incorrect rout again by the receiver.  Despite the miscommunication, and because the running game is making strides, Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and even Ruben Randall can potentially be aggressive big play makers for the Giants again.  The numbers say Big Blue should win a shoot-out against the Dallas Cowboys.


Last word - Never underestimate guile, experience, winning cultures, and great organizations.  And never, overestimate the Cowboys, especially this time of year.





Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants: Defense Playing The Annual Simplification Game

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: Know What I Hear?  The Same Stuff As The Last Few Years.  Ponderous!

This isn't the first time the Giants defensive players needed Coach Perry Fewell to simplify his schemes!  It happened last year, and most glaringly two years ago, just in time to right themselves and win a Super Bowl.  I'm not even going to suggest the Giants will get there this season, but then again, an 8-8 record could conceivably win the NFC East.

After two consecutive victories, I'm more annoyed than anything.  Perry Fewell has consistently failed to realize the correlation between his cause, and his scheme's effects.  When Coach puts too much into his player's thinking, they struggle mightily, and oft look confused on coverage.  When he lightens their check-offs, the defense has thrived.  This condition is not this year's dilemma.  This has been a yearly pattern under Coach Fewell.  The only defense I offer for him, is that this has been a trying season for everyone.  Coach Fewell shouldn't be singled out as the primary problem here.  But this particular problem has certainly has been a recurring one.

Injuries haven't helped.  I get it.  On that note, the comeback of linebacker Jon Beason certainly has.  Ever since Dan Conner went down, middle linebacker was a huge problem, until Beason arrived.  He was in on nine tackles, and three solo tackles against the Vikings, and was in on four tackles against the Birds.  Spencer Paysinger, who was serving the position, all but disappeared Sunday.

It was Terrell Thomas who perhaps had his best game as a Giant last week.  He made ten solo tackles and recorded a sack against the Eagles.  While Antrel Rolle continues to be the most consistent Giant all season.

The schedule helped the Giants along.  Both Minnesota and Philadelphia both have more problems than a math book.  Perry Fewell now has two weeks to figure this out.  The Giants will sit out their bye week, then face the Oakland Raiders in Giants Stadium.

Of course with the Giants, if it's not one thing though, it's another.  While the defense was putting its act together over the last two weeks, Giants special teams have been getting exceedingly atrocious by the game.



Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants: Defense Still Panning For Fewell's Gold

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: Still Panning Around In Fewell's Gold.  Jerry Reese and Defense May Need a New Direction.

The Giants allowed 129 rushing yards per game last season, which ranked 25th in all the NFL.  The 254 passing yards they allowed per game ranked 28th in the league.  The 383 total yards they allowed opponents per game ranked 31st, second to last in the NFL and ahead of only New Orleans.  Yet, they only allowed 21.5 points per game, which rated them 13th best in the league. Which also says, they give up an awful lot of yardage, but quite often held their opponents to field goals.

Somehow related to that is the fact Big Blue led the entire NFL in tackles made - like I said, somehow.  On that note, Chase Blackburn, Antrel Rolle and Michael Boley led the team in tackles, but only one of them is returning this season.  And while I'm at it, regarding their supposed forte' - they ranked 22nd last season with only thirty-three QB sacks.  To combat these numbers somewhat, the Giants ranked fourth in fumbles recovered and third in interceptions, but don't be misled.  Panning through the Giants 2012 regular season, time and again only turns up (Perry) Fewell's Gold.

Now what?

The Defensive Line:

The strength of the defense is still the front four, but they are evolving, or devolving.  Whether for better or worse is still to be determined.  At one point this squad had so much depth, they needed an unwelcomed, coach imposed rotation.  Of course that was by design, but the days of Osi Umenyiora, JPP, and Justin Tuck going full tilt together are done.  As per the contentious gentleman's agreement reached between Jerry Reese and Osi last year, Umenyiora chose to leave New York to spread his remaining feathers in Atlanta for one last big contract.  Meanwhile back in the land of Giants, Jason Pierre Paul is still on the mend after back surgery.  The Giants and fans are praying to their respective football deities and offering them sacrifices of burnt buffalo wings in hopes JPP can return to his rookie season form.  Even if he plays Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, his performance will still be a questionable proposition.  Until JPP is fully healthy again, Mathias Kiwanuka is once again entering a season as the x-factor.  He will be moved back on the defensive line this season.  That leads us to Justin Tuck, who is entering his tenth season with a lot to prove.  He is coming off two injurious and rather sub-par seasons.  If the Giants are to get back to the playoffs this season, Justin needs to become not just a major component towards that effort, but a feared force in the NFL once again.  Bottom line is Tuck needs to play an elite defensive end this season.  There is just no getting around that.

At defensive tackle and entering his fifth season, Linval Joseph has a fan in me, while former Eagle and eleven year veteran Cullen Jenkins was brought in to round-out and solidify the line.  He is a  respectable acquisition.  Jerry Reese used his second pick in April's draft to select Jonathan Hankins, a DT from Ohio State, and he used his third selection to take DE-Demontre Moore out of Texas A&M.  It would stand to reason then, the defensive line was of obvious concern to Reese.  That said, in the new NFL, having a formidable defensive line has served the Giants well.

Linebackers:

The Giants lost two of their top three leading tacklers from a year ago, both linebackers.  Michael Boley was released after failing to impress.  That's not to say he wasn't a solid player.  But he was expensive, and that factored into the decision.  Most of all, Michael just didn't have the presence in the middle that was expected of him.  Chase Blackburn parlayed his commendable play last season  into a contract with Carolina, that the Giants had no intentions of matching.  Good luck to him.

Linebacker is by far the thinnest, most untalented, and questionable squad of the entire Giants defense.  These are the guys charged with stuffing the run, covering tight ends and wandering mischievous fourth receivers, spearheading the blitz, and setting the overall defense.  Right....  Jerry Reese failed to select a linebacker with his first seven picks, and somehow continues to stick it out with Keith Rivers.  That situation is getting a little frustrating for me.  Entering his fourth season, Spencer Paysinger now gets to be a starter, while Dan Conner, formerly of Dallas and Carolina, suddenly finds himself in a starting role as well.  Jacquian Williams is entering his fourth season, and it would be nice if he too started making more of an impact.  That's the line-backing corps, and boy aren't they most unintimidating and yawn inspiring.

Secondary:

After Blackburn and Boley, safety Antrel Rolle was the team's leading tackler, and he continues to be an important team leader.  I never thought so before, but he has proven that out over his years here.  For those of us who fretted when Kenny Phillips left for the Eagles..., they cut him.  Tyler Sash played surprisingly well last season.  Can he do it again?  I'm still scratching my head over the Giants 2013 fourth round pick (a QB), but with their fifth pick, they selected a safety, Cooper Taylor out of Richmond.  He is 6'4" and 228 pounds - I like his size at safety.  He is big with speed which can take a measure of pressure off the linebackers forced into covering tight ends.  Who's Ryan Mundy?  He's a fourth year free-safety formerly of the Steelers who managed to start just five games for Pittsburgh in four seasons.  Suddenly, he is forced into a starting role here - it's ponderous actually.

The Giants finally may be the strongest they've been at corner in a few years now.  Corey Webster and Aaron Ross are reunited but will likely not be the starting corners together.  Prince Amukamara looks to have finally graduated to full time starter.  Jayron Hosely turned a lot of heads last season and garnered a lot of attention with his play.  Lastly, Terrell Thomas is determined to not be forgotten about.

The Defensive Coordinator:

Quite simply, he needs to get it together - and he needs to do it aggressively.  His read-and-react schemes are a 31st rate failure.  The Giants gave up an obscene number of huge yardage plays last season, both via the air and ground, and the year before for that matter.  Not because they lacked talent, but due to Fewell making his secondary reads too layered, and an overall inability to stop the run.  When there isn't a Giant player within fifteen yards of a receiver, something went terribly wrong, and that happened to them far too often.

When speaking of Perry Fewell's blitz packages, one is always forced into asking - what blitz packages?  There aren't many stunts going on within the front four either.  He puts it on his front line to play straight up, win individual battles and stay disciplined to their lanes.  Perry calls for safety blitzes with the frequency of a lunar eclipse.  Overall, there isn't much deception you're going to encounter playing against Perry Fewell's defensive game plan.

The defensive personnel was always capable of that shut-down, dominant performance.  They still have it in them.  I just think sometimes their coaching gets in the way of better defensive results and overall performances.  With this linebacking unit, I admit Perry Fewell has his work cut out for him.  I'd suggest more aggression and deception, and less reading and reacting.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants Wrap-Up: The Defense

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE


NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL ~ The Defense That Wasn't.


No Super Bowl title defense for you...  So what happened?  For me, the failures were equally on both offense and defense.  I am also inclined to agree with the coaching staff's general consensus that there was a tremendous lack of execution this past season.  After Hurricane Sandy, I didn't get to watch many games on TV.  In hindsight, perhaps that was best.  But I certainly didn't like what I heard on radio.


I will start this post season assessment with the Defense, and coordinator Perry Fewell.  His victory parade is over.  It's time for him to get back to the drawing board.  I'll let him slide for throwing his players under the bus at season's end regarding their overall performance.  But next season, his defense must yield far better results.  There is much change that needs to emanate from the top, meaning from Mr. Fewell.  He doesn't exactly fit the mold of Giants offensive coordinators and their strategies of the past.  Bill Belichick, John Fox, Steve Spagnuolo - they were very good coordinators here.  Perry Fewell's Read and React schemes however drive me batty.  His defenses are not terribly aggressive.  But that's as far as I'll criticize Perry Fewell.  Many other factors contributed to an overall poor defensive effort.  As a unit, the Giants Defense couldn't stop the run. They couldn't stop the pass.  And they couldn't stop themselves from looking downright amateurish at times.


At Cornerback, year one in the post-Aaron Ross era was a disaster.  For starters, the secondary was ravaged by injuries for a second consecutive season.  On that note, for the second consecutive season Terrell Thomas was lost for the year.  Michael Coe was lost for the season as well.  Prince Amukamara is still yet to play like a #1 draft pick but showed improvement.  And Coery Webster had perhaps the worst season of his career.  Rookie Jayron Hosely had his moments.  But he is too short for the position I believe, and is easily picked on.


At Safety, I feel yet another injury to Kenny Phillips was also a huge blow to the defense.  He was turning into an impact safety until sidelined....again.  On the bright side however, Antrel Rolle had a stellar season.  Will Hill and the amazin' Stevie Brown filled in tremendously.


Next, there are two ways I would describe the Giants situation at Linebacker - average and without impact.  Chase Blackburn, we hardly knew ya.  Where would the Giants have been without him?  Because truth be told, Michael Boley, Keith Rivers, Jacquian Williams, Mark Herzlich, and Spencer Paysinger put forth rather inconsequential seasons.


Up front, it's like the Defensive Line kept bumping into each other in the fun house.  No one ever adequately explained what happened to the Giants pass rush last season.  Osi was his own worst enemy, constantly playing his way out of a sack or tackle.  The league made adjustments against JPP.  He will now be taking lessons from Michael Strahan on how to deal with getting double-teamed.  That's not a bad idea.  But Justin Tuck remains a bit mystifying.  I was satisfied with Chris Canty when he managed to stay on the field.  He only played nine games.


Staying on the field - what a task.  With regard to injuries, the Giants have questions that need answers.  How long should the Giants stick it out with Terrell Thomas before cutting the cord?  As mentioned, he has missed the last two seasons with the same injury.  Kenny Phillips can be viewed  similarly.  We also need to consider Chris Canty missed almost half the season.  And Keith Rivers, dealing with his fair share of injuries, also has not fulfilled his potential here.


On the free agent front, GM Jerry Reese has his hands full.  Osi's situation is well known to us by now.  He has most likely played his last game as a New York Giant.  Kenny Phillips is also an unrestricted free agent.  I do not want to see him leave.  But since he first hit the field as a rookie, he's had troubles staying on it.  When Chris Canty went down with an injury, Rocky Bernard teamed up with Linval Joseph and plugged the Tackle position well.  Rocky Bernard is also now an unrestricted free agent.  Some very fine play at linebacker just might have earned Chase Blackburn a handsome little raise for him and his family.  It just won't be with the G-Men.  I can't see them paying-up for Chase.  The Giants cap situation is too restrictive for that.


What now?  If I had my druthers, I'd have Jerry Reese address the linebacker situation.  The Giants need more impact from that position.  While Boley is still a fine player, and Rivers is worth a further look, the rest of the corps perhaps needs fresh meat.  Unfortunately, I do not believe there is any money in the budget to spend quality dollars here.  If Osi has indeed played his last game as a Giant, then Mathias Kiwanuka seems certain of returning to the defensive line.


In spite of the injury to Kenny Phillips, I'm hoping he can be re-signed to an extension.  In his absence however, Stevie Brown was able to show what he's capable of.  And it was good.  With Antrel Rolle, the Giants are looking pretty good at Safety.  It is the Cornerback situation they need to fix.  Jerry Reese faces a quandary as to how, be it holding out hope for a healthier Thomas, revamping the position, or throwing money at it.  And we know the latter suggestion is simply not the Giants way.  That said, Jerry Reese also has a very hard decision to make regarding Corey Webster as well.  After two very sub par seasons, Webster comes with a mighty hefty price tag next season.  He could very well get cut.


On the defensive line, my concern is at Tackle.  The Giants might be forced to take a closer look here.  While Chris Canty has an ally in me, the position has not been right since Barry Cofield left.  Linval Joseph played okay.  No major gripes.  But overall, the Giants ability to stop the run must improve.  Improvements to the linebacker and tackle positions would be my way to go about that.  As far as stopping the pass, give me less Jayron Hosely and give me more size at the corners.




Mike.BTB

New York Giants: G-Men Send Tremors Through Frisco

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:

G-Men Shake Up San Francisco 49ers.

Defense Dominates In Last Visit To Candlestick Park.

Sacks, turnovers, and the Rushing game.., Oh My!  The Giants went out to the Left Coast and gave their fans a San Francisco treat.  While the Giants defense was causing tremors in the Bay area, it was a former Giant; Mario Manningham; who turned out to be the 49ers greatest weapon Sunday.  No surprise there.  And no help either.


Six sacks - that's a hell of a wake-up call.  They didn't come from Osi or Justin Tuck.  Two came from JPP, which was reassuring to see.  But I'm very encouraged we got sacks from our linebackers and tackle.  Linval Joseph and youngster Adrian Tracy picked up one each.  Jacquian Williams and Mathias Kiwanuka got the others.


Under duress all afternoon, the Giants harassed Alex Smith into throwing three interceptions.  Antrel Rolle stepped in front of two Smith errant passes and Prince Amukamara picked off the third Alex Smith INT.  Otherwise, in a great down field effort, the Secondary rendered Randy Moss, Michael Crabtree, and Vernon Davis all inconsequential.


The Giants defense limited the 49ers to 4-14 on third down, and 0-2 on fourth down.


The defensive game ball no doubt goes to everyone who made a tackle and aided in stopping San Francisco's running game.  Big Blue limited Frank Gore to thirty six yards on just eight rushes.  Additionally, they didn't allow Gore to get uncorked by catching passes out of the backfield either.  In total, all the 49ers could muster were twelve rushes for sixty two yards.  The yards gained on the ground by Manningham, Smith, and Colin Kaepernick only color the 49ers ground effort in a deeper shade of pathetic.


Antrel Rolle not only picked off two Alex Smith passes, he also tied for the team lead with six tackles.  Give that man a game ball.


This was about as dominant a whoop-ass I've ever seen the Giants hand a good San Francisco 49ers team in a long, long time.




Mike.BTB

New York Giants: Injuries Have Defense In A Bind

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

We're goin' back to San Francisco fellas.  California here we come!   - Lawrence Taylor

 

 

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL: This May Turn Into The Revenge Game The 49ers Have Been Itching For.

If The Giants Defensive Line Is To Cause Any Tremors,

Obviously, San Francisco Is The Place To Do It...

The 49ers are still sniveling about last year's game.  They haven't budged from their contention they are better than the Giants either.  Sunday, maybe they will be.  Recent, and not so recent history says, they beat us in the regular season then we beat them in the playoffs.  Save a game or two, that's the way it usually goes between the Giants and 49ers.  At any rate, here we go again.  Sunday, San Francisco finally gets their rematch after last season's NFC Championship loss.  Hey, the sun shines on a dog's posterior once a day too ya know...  So good luck with that.


I haven't been too bothered by injuries before.  But the ones to Kenny Phillips and Rocky Bernard concern me.  The Giants are weakened up the middle as a result.  Chris Canty and Rocky Bernard were supposed to be the two stating Tackles this season.  Now they are both out of action.  While playing well, Linval Joseph must now play big man on campus, and keep Markus Kuhn's and Marvin Austin's head in the game, and focused on stopping Frank Gore.


I think losing Kenny Phillips is a big problem.  Kenny was off to a great start this season.  His tackling was stellar.  And that's what the Giants will miss most Sunday.  Antrel Rolle will no doubt have to babysit 49ers tight end, Vernon Davis.  But who will tackle Davis in the open field?  The guy is 6'3" and weighs 250 pounds!  Kenny Phillips would have.  He has the size to bring down Davis.  Kenny Phillips is 6'2" and weighs 217 lbs.  I feel Phillips was the best defense against Davis dominating the game.  Who now for the G-Men?  Steve Brown stepped in last week for Phillips and played very well.  But it was against the Browns.  He is only 5'11" although weighs in at 221 lbs.  I'd be skeptical about his chances versus Davis in the open field.  Tyler Sash is back just in time from his four game suspension to lend a helping hand.  He is 6'0" and weighs 215.  That's better.  Will Smith is 6'1", but falls over forty pounds shy of Vernon Davis.


Unless Antrel Rolle has a superlative day of solo tackling, rest assured, Vernon Davis will shake and bake Rolle out of the slot Sunday.  Someone will need to bring him down.  Otherwise, Alex Smith will look for him all day long.


At wide out, The Giants defensive backfield will have to contend with usual nemesis Michael Crabtree.  But they also now have to deal with ex-mate, Mario Manningham.  The problem is Corey Webster is not Corey Webster this season, with or without a cast.  And without Terrell Thomas, the Giants are still having trouble filling the void left behind by the departure of Aaron Ross.  Prince Amukamara at least has ceased being a liability, as was the case in his first two starts.  Jayron Hosley sat out last week.  And Michael Coe is doing what he can on gimpy legs.  This unit is already the Giants weakest link.  One more injury, and this chain snaps.


Unless the Giants defensive front seven can impact this game via stopping the run, and rushing Alex Smith, the 49er quarterback just may pick the Giants apart this week.  While I do not find the 49ers offensive line overly impressive, collectively, they are a very solid bunch.  Opposing them will be the Giants defensive line which has recently fall under great scrutiny.  And for good reason.  Where are the sacks?  Where is the overwhelming pressure?  They couldn't even manage a sack against the Browns.  Something has to give.  But conventional thinking says the Giants won't get their pass rush righted against the 49ers.  San Francisco is too legit to be any team's remedy for lack of pressure on the quarterback.  If the 49ers use three step drops and go no-huddle, it will wind up being an extremely long day on the Left Coast for Big Blue.





Mike.BTB

New York Giants: Game One - Tony Romo Hogties Big Blue Secondary

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

 

WEDNESDAY NIGHT FINAL:

Cowboys    24

GIANTS    17

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS:  Cowboys Strike Texas Tea in East Rutherford.


The Giants left us with much to be desired out of Wednesday's effort.  In defense of their title, they decided to make their season interesting right out of the runway.  I'm not going to get too bent out of shape though.  I always felt Game One is a coin flip anyway.  But if you want a list of topical items to ponder, start with the Secondary.


The real question is, who didn't think they were going to get lit up?  We suspected it, and it happened.  The place smelt like burnt toast after Tony Romo got done with the Giants Secondary.  Corey Webster looked especially crispy  In a word, the Secondary was, terrible.  We've been here before.  However I do not believe this badly.  The ramifications of Aaron Ross' departure are being felt right away.  Michael Coe wound up leaving the game with a leg issue which means the Giants are now three down at right conerback.  Additionally, Tom Coughlin didn't look too pleased with rookie Jayron Hosely.  Antrel Rolle was solid however, making nine solo tackles.


No sacks for Justin Tuck, Osi, or JPP last night.  On the heals of me saying the Giants were hurting at defensive tackle, Rocky Bernard and Linval Joseph provided the Giants with their only two sacks of the game.  Otherwise, outside of a near pick-six interception by Michael Boley, Tony Romo shake and baked his way out of the pocket, and buttered us.


Here's another question.  How long before David Wilson sees meaningful time again?  We know he'll eventually have to rejoin the mix.  But how long will Coach teach his rookie back a lesson? Fumbling the ball on the Dallas twenty-seven yard line, on only your second rush in your first game in the NFL, is no way to start a career son.  Coach Coughlin doesn't take too well to fumbles in the first place.  After coughing up the rock, no more rushes for him.  In light of the Giants cutting D.J. Ware, does Coach give Wilson a fresh start next game?  Or, does Coach Couglin continue teaching the rookie an early, hard, and valuable lesson that will no doubt benefit his career moving forward?  In the past, Tiki Barber and Ahmad Bradshaw both suffered Coach Coughlin's wrath over fumbling.  It would behoove the rookie to not become the next.


Benching Wilson Wednesday night was nothing.  That happens to the best of them.  It is just unfortunate when it happens to rookies; otherwise no different.  In Coach's eyes, it is how David Wilson responds faced with adversity so soon into his NFL career.  Fumbling the ball can be corrected.  Coach will now be testing his character, not his ability.  Jerry Reese is on the hook for that part.


Penalty flags, and non-calls played an interesting part of this game.  The replacement Refs were curious at best.  A preponderance of yellow flags were thrown against Dallas.  After giving the Giants practically a whole field worth of penalty yardage, Big Blue couldn't take advantage.  The stripes also negated a touchdown pass to Victor Cruz with a non-call on clear interference.  Such as life.  Dropped passes by Martellus Bennett and Victor Cruz caused more damage than the Refs did.


How about that Jason Witten playing last night with a compromised spleen?!  Stupid - but what isn't there to admire about that?  His presence alone helped Tony Romo destroy the Secondary.






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 ~ Defensive Synchronicity

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

2011

WILD CARD WEEKEND

PLAYOFFS

Atlanta Falcons

vs.

NEW YORK GIANTS

FROM

GIANTS STADIUM

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:  For the Giants' Defense, Timing Will be Everything.   In Order to Search and Destroy Matt Ryan, the Giants Still Must Keep Down Field Safe and Secure.



POST: N.Y. Giants; G-Men and the Department of Defense




The Giants are 2-2 against Birds this season; (Philadelphia 2x; Arizona; Seattle).  If you include the Jets game, the Giants are 3-2 against things that fly.  So naturally, the question begs to be asked - how do the Giants ground the Falcons?  Very simply, the answer is with Synchronization.





Here's the difference between the Green Bay and New Orleans games per say versus Giant wins against the Jets and Cowboys.  Drew Brees and Aaron Rogers managed to stay just a finger tip away from the rush.  But they faced a depleted rush, as there was no Tuck and no Osi, in addition to no Michael Boley.  The point is, at least against Green Bay, the coverage for the most part was there (and no, I'm not talking about the utterly confusing aspects of the Secondary's failures in zone coverage -not right now).  OK, they've sucked all season.  But coverage only lasts so long before a dipping and dodging QB dances long enough until a down field break down occurs.  That's exactly what happened against Aaron Rogers.  What happened against Drew Brees was just mass confusion and something else all together.  So let's grade on a curve here.  The Giants still came frustratingly close to Brees; quite literally within hands reach.  But he just skipped away and killed us.  There were many things wrong with the Giants Defense that night.  Among other things, we were ill prepared for the task personnel wise.





I still don't have an answer for the Redskins game.  But these last two weeks, a fully loaded pass rush got their hands on the QB as they were still going through check-downs.  At first glance Marc Sanchez' and Tony Romo's first and second options were covered.  However this time, the pass rush got their man.  In these last two weeks Coach Fewell largely ditched his confusing zone as well.  The horrific gaffes that occurred against the Packers and Saints that left receivers all alone have not happened since then. 





I leave the Giants win over the Patriots out of this because Tom Brady is a freakin statue.  He leads the NFL in completed passes with pigeons on him.  He's as fleet of foot as a table.  That's why we continue to play New England well.  But I digress.  Matt Ryan isn't exactly a mad-scrambler either.  He CAN be found in the pocket.  The only question is how quickly can the Rush get to him, and how long will the Secondary afford them.  If Justin Tuck; Osi; Jason Pierre Paul; Chris Canty; and Dave Tollefson are all in the rotation Sunday, the Giants may have something.  But Justin Tuck had a week of limited practice and Osi admitted he's sore as hell.  Then, if Ross; Webster; Grant; Rolle; Phillips; and Prince, can manage coverage long enough in order for the rush to get at Matt Ryan, the Giants may have something going for them again.  And in that case, mission accomplished.  But it's going to take synchronization on the part of the Secondary and the Pass Rush to make good things happen on defense.





Now should the Falcons decide they want to establish the run against us with Michael Turner, I'd welcome that.  The Giants are not the same team they were against the run through the first half of the season when they were at their worst.  The Problem lied quite obviously with our Linebackers or lack there of.  Heading into Sunday, Michael Boley appears to be operating at full capacity again.  While Jacquian Williams is a vastly improved player since week one till now.  And of course, the hybrid- Mathias Kiwanuka always poses a problem for offenses.  Over all, the stats say the Giants are the worst team in the NFL against the run.  But not lately.  They've defended the run below their season average and are allowing 86+/- yards over their last four/five games.  Additionally and not so quietly anymore, Chris Canty is doing an increasingly good job plugging up the middle.  And Jason Pierre Paul is exhibiting discipline against the run as well.





If the Giants appoint Michael Boley or Jacquian Williams to Tight-End Tony Gonzalez like we did against Jason Witten of the Cowboys, Big Blue should get the same result.  The Giants neutralized Jason Witten very well last week.  I have no reason to think they can't repeat the effort again.





These teams are pretty evenly matched.  So what's not to like about our chances?  As fans, the most frustrating part of this season was knowing we should have done better.  We know the Giants have enough personnel to accomplish great things.  That's what makes the let-downs so heavy.





This game against the Falcons is pretty well set up for the Giants.  This will be our first home playoff game since the 2000 NFC Championship and the first playoff game in the new Giants Stadium.  And for everything I detailed in my last posting;  G-Men and the Dept. Of Defense;  health, experience, and cohesion finally seem to be on Perry Fewell's side.  This posting basically puts a bow on what I started then.





Next up - The Offensive Plan





Let's Go Giants!





Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ G-Men and the Dept. of Defense

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:   Big Blue Unleashed Their Version of the Doomsday Defense Against Tony Romo and the Cowboys. 


Health, Experience, and Cohesion Finally Seem to be on Perry Fewell's Side.  But Suddenly, Steve Spagnuolo is Available Again.  So How Will Perry Fewell Deploy His Boys Now?



OFFENSIVELY SPEAKING:  Eli Leads Giants' Ground Game (?)



Let's face it, when the Defensive Front doesn't generate overwhelming pressure, and does little to disrupt timing, and can't crumble pockets, or cause fumbles, or get sacks, odds are the Giants lose.  Outside of Eli's arm, the more pressure they mount, the greater the Giants' chances are of winning.  That's the way it's played out all season.





For the simple fact that we are even talking about this today, you can thank Jason Pierre Paul for putting Big Blue on his back.  He recorded one of the Giants' six sacks Sunday.  But his relentless pursuit of the quarterback and overall indefatigable play through the first fifteen games delivered the Giants to Sunday and into position to play for the NFC East Title.  Then.., you can thank Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck for getting us past Dallas and into the playoffs.





With six sacks under their belts against Dallas, the Giants won convincingly by a 31-14 final score. That's no coincidence.  With Osi Umenyiora missing nearly half the season, and Justin Tuck not playing up to his standard because of a nasty neck stinger this season; more so than most things wrong with this team; point to an inconsistent pass rush for Big Blue's stumbling through the season en route to a 9-7 record.  Then point to Justin Tuck's late season health and Osi's return to the playing field these last two weeks against the Jets and Dallas, and well..., the results speak for themselves.





Perhaps one of the biggest sacks of the night came when Justin Tuck chased down Tony Romo.  Tuck was initially blocked on the play, but stayed persistent and finally got his man.  The play reminded me so much of the time Leonard Marshall hunted down Joe Montana in a legendary playoff battle of yore.  They were eerily similar plays in many ways.





In addition to ringing Romo's bell six times, the number of times they reached out and touched him were more than Romo and Dallas' offensive line could handle before Coach Garrett's switch board blew.  Because the pressure brought on by the Giants' pass rush also caused Tony Romo to fumble.  Keeping him under constant duress also induced a Tony Romo interception.  In the end, the Defense held Tony Romo under 300 yards passing, forced two turnovers, and totally shut down Dallas' running game.





I think Tony Romo dropped back to pass forty-five times in all.  Dallas only ran the ball sixteen times which perhaps played right into the Giants' pass rush.  However, the few times Dallas did elect to run the ball, the Giants stopped them cold.  Take away two Tony Romo scrambles (...for his life and limb), and the Giants limited the Cowboys to forty-six yards on fourteen carries.  The Giants' defense against the run has come a long way this season.  Where once they routinely gave up Giant gallops through their middle, they have become somewhat of a resolute bunch against the run lately.





For a portion of the season, Linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka was asked to some how keep things together with four rookies in the rotation.  Today, much of the reason for the turn-around against the run has been a return to health by Michael Boley and the continuing maturity of Jacquian Williams.  The two led the Giants in tackles Sunday.  And on top of corralling Dallas' run game, the Giant Linebackers also rendered Jason Witten inconsequential.  The emergence of Jacquian Williams was also reflected with a sack of Tony Romo.  And then there was the play in which Michael Boley launched himself over the pile-up at the line of scrimmage to prevent Tony Romo from literally sneaking a fast one past the Giants and getting into the end-zone for a score.  It was a great play by a Giant Linebacker; the way it used to be around here....once.





For Dallas, play-action went out the window.  The Linebackers shut down the run game and as mentioned, were tasked with spying Jason Witten.  The pass rush was able to tee-off on Romo because Dallas was playing from behind and had obviously abandoned the run.  Most importantly, Perry Fewell finally decided to rush five people against Tony Romo and it worked to the tune of six sacks and seven more QB touches as noted.





For Dallas, all element of surprise was gone.  Thus the Secondary was afforded many opportunities to look back at the quarterback and still maintain coverage.  So it stands to say that in the last game of the season, the battle-torn Secondary had perhaps their finest day.  And just in time too.  There was nothing open down field for Tony Romo and his receivers nor anything available over the top.  Dallas' main receivers remained covered and out of step with the Giants' pass rush.  When Romo checked down to Mr. Reliable Jason Witten, Antrel Rolle knew it was coming.





The Giants forced Romo to accept the underneath pass and limited them to a ten yard average per catch.  Perry Fewell simplified coverage and played a lot of base-Cover-Two.  And it worked.  The only knock against the plan was Kenny Phillips was still a little slow in his recognition.  But the bottom line is the Secondary pretty much took away the deep pass.  Only Dallas' Laurent Robinson seemed to find empty spaces in the Defense.  In the third quarter, the Cowboys started to speed things up with success until Coach Fewell adjusted.  Otherwise, the longest play the Secondary allowed through the air was a thirty-four yard gain.  And their tackling was sound.  As the pass rush kept Romo in a harried state, Antrel Rolle was able to come down with an interception.

*     *     *     *

The end of the regular season ended on a good Defensive note;  -  not great; but very good.  Lest we forget all the problems they really still have.  But the conversation regarding the Defense is now one which involves many players (key word - many) doing big things together again.  Health, a year of Experience; and Cohesion seem to be finally bringing things together for this Defense.  We hope.





Chris Canty continues to take Giant steps forward.  He also recorded a sack of Romo.  Osi Umenyiora, fresh out of the M*A*S*H tent steps on the field and records two sacks.  For the second week in a row, Justin Tuck looks like - Justin Tuck; and it's great to hear him talkin' trash after being so down on himself just three weeks ago.  Because a happy Tuck is a dangerous Tuck!  Dave Tollefson's game has also been up-ticking as well.





Rookie Jacquian Williams is officially no longer a rookie.  Has an entire regular season under his belt now after seventeen weeks of on-the-job-training, and he's all the better for it.  He might very well be a major contributor in the upcoming game against Atlanta.  Michael Boley tapped into his inner-Superman and sprung to action in the nick of time (and space), to keep the Giants out of the Twilight Zone.  And with Mathias Kiwanuka, the Linebacking Corps just might be up to the challenge of the playoffs.  The only test that concerns them now is how to stop Michael Turner and Matt Ryan.





Antrel Rolle, Deon Grant, and Kenny Phillips had a much easier go of things with Corey Webster and Aaron Ross off in man-coverage.  And perhaps the Safeties, the Corners, and Perry Fewell have finally found some common ground with which to work on.  What ever they did Sunday contributed to the pass rush.  And in return, the pass rush made coverage look good all game long.  It's a symbiotic relationship.  We can only hope the two units keep that timing going against Atlanta's offense.





Which causes which to succeed?  It doesn't matter for as long as the pass rush and the Secondary are in sync.  Timing is everything.  And it appears as if the Giants Defense is getting healthy, gaining cohesion, and feeling aggressive at the right time.  As the Defensive play continues to rise, will Perry Fewell now turn up the heat against Atlanta?





Much of his dilemma with the Giants' pass rush came in part because Coach tried cheating to help the coverage.  He relied on the front four to provide pressure without any blitzing or any real kind of deception.  Osi was still out and Tuck was ailing then.  Perry Fewell's Secondary confusing zone coverage; four rookies at linebacker; and injuries to the pass rush all conspired against the Defensive Coordinator.





Let's say this much about Coach Fewell's adaptability.  He ditched his experiments in zone coverage and simplified things for the Secondary considerably.  Then up front, he added a fifth guy to the pass rush.  But that came with healthy bodies.  Injuries and "Coordinator pragmatism" have force his hand at times.  While Eli Manning was the star of the game, the dominance the Giants exhibited over the Cowboys Sunday was the major reason the Giants won.  Can they carry the Giants moving forward?





Perry Fewell may not be as diabolical as Coach Spags was with his schemes, or as creative for that matter.  But I do know Perry Fewell knows a thing or two about aggression if he feels he has all his chess pieces in place.  Well Coach, the gang is all here now.  And after last game, they look like a bunch of  "crazed dogs" wagging their tails mightily with ears pointing up just waiting for you to give them the signal to attack.





Perry Fewell has had his moments.  But his overall body of work remains average.  Steve Spagnuolo is officially a free agent again.  The St. Louis Rams fired him as Head Coach at the conclusion of the season.  And yes, I'd fire Perry Fewell and rehire Coach Spags in a N.Y. minute.  But that's for the future.  How fast that future descends upon Perry Fewell and the Giants' Defense is now in Coach's hands.







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