N.Y. Giants: Seahawks Expected To Puncuate Big Blue's Demise

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: Eliminated From The Playoffs, Jerry Reese's Off-Season Decisions Must Be As Cold, And Cut Throat As Ever.

After rooting-on the New York Giants for over 35 years, I think I understand how cycles make their rounds.  No, the Giants couldn't do it for the Duke - not this time, not this season.  In fact, this still unfinished schedule was part of a greater trend.  Last week's elimination from the playoffs was not unexpected, but it did hit home.

The challenge facing the Giants this afternoon is simple.  For today at least, they can either lay down like dogs, or keep biting at the ankles of opponents.  Even in defeat, it is still important to finish like professionals and maintain self-respect.  Admittedly, today's match-up against the Seahawks could get ugly.  But, we should not place any more emphasis on this game, than any other - not in a lost season such as this one.  Instead, let's end this nightmare with civil tongues, and figure a way to best get the Giants righted in the correct direction again.  The challenge facing them over the next few years, is harder than just facing the Seahawks today.  This game still serves a major purpose though.  We'll see, note, and measure the major disparity between good and bad football.  Call it - reverse clarity.

I was chock-full-of answers after SBXLII.  After we attended our second Super Bowl parade together, my son asked me - now what?  I told him, I didn't know.  History didn't teach me THAT much.  The last time, Bill Parcells walked away and I thought we would suck forever.  Then Ray Handley happened.  I do not think we are headed down that road again.  Tom Coughlin's retirement will be somewhat different.  He won't leave here and go coach elsewhere like Parcells did.  But I told my son this - that in Jerry Reese I trust.

The GM has considerable work to do.  He entered the season with the most free agent acquisitions of his tenure.  Most of them were stopgap acquisitions, not to mention cheap, and cap conscious.  To me, that signals the end of useful careers, and the appropriate way to end one era, and inaugurate another.

Offensively, he has no tight end, Hakeem Nicks looks like a goner, the offensive line is woefully in flux, the backfield is still a questionable situation, and Eli Manning needs to reconcile his very poor season.

Defensively, JPP should be shut down.  Justin Tuck will be a free agent.  Jerry Reese needs to revisit Jon Beason's future with the club, and re-address linebacker as a whole.  The secondary is thinning again.  Terrell Thomas is a free agent, Corey Webster and Aaron Ross were nowhere to be found this season.

The problems go beyond that, but with three games left, I'm only scratching the surface.

There is no doubt the Giants roster will undergo an tremendous amount of upheaval, and change this coming off-season.  The Giants salary cap situation will not make things any more easier on Jerry Reese.  A main priority however, should be to get substantially younger, and to reinvest themselves in the draft, and play more rookies.  Signing older veterans is fine, when you still have the ability to realistically compete.  The Giants are beyond that now, and must alter their thinking accordingly.

Perhaps a shellacking at the hands of the Seahawks today will hasten and reinforce a new set of priorities.  In fact, I expect nothing less.  The Seahawks are young, have grown together for a few years, and are arguably the most physical team in the league.  Thinking the Giants can possibly compete with Seattle, Carolina, New Orleans or even San Francisco any more, at this stage of the game, is emotional folly.

Over the next three games, the GM needs a critical eye, and start leaning towards some very tough courses of action.  To the players, they need to feel like they're on notice, and in jeopardy of not returning next season.  If there are players who would like to remain Giants next season, they have the next three games to prove it.

The futures of Tom Coughlin, Kevin Gilbride and Perry Fewell, are an entirely different matter.

 

*     *     *     *

 

The career of Brandon Jacobs has ended...again.  He will have surgery on his left knee, which should end the 31-year old running back's career.  Before his season ended, he added four more rushing touchdowns to his Giants record.  Big Buddy now has 60 rushing TD's in his Big Blue career.



Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants: Running In The Shadows Of Daylight

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS - With Andre Brown Returning To Rush Behind A Reconfigured Offensive Line, Is There Yet Hope For The Running Game?  Or, Will This Wind Up Being A Late Sunday Afternoon Shadow In Autumn's Fading Quest For Daylight?

The Giants are ranked 30th in the NFL rushing the football.  They average 69.9 total yards per game, but the effort rates even worse when you peel back the layers.

In eight games, the backfield has rushed the ball 166 times, for an average of 20.7 attempts per game, but even that is misleading.  In the first five games, they averaged sixteen rushes per game.  Over the last three games, they've averaged twenty-eight rushes per game.  Here's the breakdown:

Week One - 41 pass attempts; 12 rushes for 41 yards.
Week Two - 49 pass attempts; 19 rushes for 23 yards.
Week Three - 25 pass attempts; 15 rushes for 46 yards.
Week Four - 37 pass attempts; 19 rushes for 86 yards - (Wilson, Scott; 18/81, 4.5 avg.)
Week Five - 52 pass attempts; 17 rushes for 53 yards.
*
Week Six - 26 pass attempts; 26 rushes for 123 yards!
Week Seven - 39 pass attempts; 29 rushes for 59 yards.
Week Eight - 39 pass attempts; 29 rushes for 89 yards.

The Giants have gained a total of 520 real yards, which excludes Eli Manning's attempts to scramble. In nine attempts this season, Eli has gained thirty-eight yards, for a 4.2 average.  In jest, Eli Manning could technically qualify as the Giants best rusher, as the backfield has only averaged 3.1 yards per carry this season.  Without Manning, the Giants rush average drops to only 65 yards per game.

Wait - it gets worse.  Take away Brandon Jacob's supreme Week Six effort against the Chicago Bears, and the Giants recalibrated totals read - 144 rushing attempts, 414 total yards, for an average of 2.8 yards per carry, and a likewise reduced 60 yards per game average.  Not unexpectedly, Brandon Jacobs suffered a strained hamstring during the Bears game, and has not factored since.

So what do we know?  Through eight weeks, the Giants featured a barren backfield, running behind a depleted offensive line incapable of run blocking.  The O-Line additionally allowed sacks, and drew penalties at an (un-Giant like) prolific rate.  And of course, over reliance on passing the ball has resulted in an absurd amount of interceptions.

Okay.

Lost in all this, offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride has quietly been out of sight and out of mind - if not lost upon our collective self-pity over starting 2-6 this season.  So, as necessity is the mother of all invention, Coughlin unleashed Simon Bar Sinister to be as crazy, wiley and as irresponsible as he wanted to be without fear of recriminations from me, you and most fans, nor the media, the NSA, the Russians, global warming and endangered polar bears.  He may not escape Jerry Reese at season's end, but that remains to be seen.

Let's not forget, in the Eli/ Coach Coughlin era, the Giants have been a highly aggressive, pass-first team.  This is not all on Gilbride.  He is Coughlin's enabler.  And so, through the first five weeks, in trying to play catch-up football, Air Gilbride reduced the running game into a mere smudge on his  play calling chart.  Yes, the running game indeed was a futile venture, but there was a minimalist attempt on his part to keep opposing defenses honest.  Many screamed for more controlled roll-outs and 3-step drops by Eli, employing double tight ends and utilizing pulling linemen, trying more screen passes and draw plays, and more overall swing catches by the backfield to offset the run.

Instead, we're presently at the midway point of the season, and Eli Manning has as many INT's (15) as he had all of last year, and yes, he leads the NFL this season in that category.  Kevin Gilbride's idea of situational play calling and lack of better creativity, in addition to receivers running incorrect routes, no tight end to speak of, the crumbling offensive line, and yes, Eli Manning's inconsistency and occasionally reverting back to old habits (like throwing off his back foot) all share equal blame for fifteen interceptions.  But in truth, without an effective running game, all semblance of play-action was, and still remains null and void.

Under those conditions, it is hard to decipher any measure of success or even promise, culpability, negligence, or singular blame.  The Giants do not have much to hang their helmets on outside of A) - a decently competitive game to open the season against Dallas, B) - a good first half against the Broncos, C) - a decent day against the Chiefs running the ball despite yet another loss, D) -  a throw-back game by Brandon Jacobs against the Bears, and E & F) -  two yawn inspiring victories over the Vikings and Eagles.

Make no mistake - the defense and special teams have more problems than a math book as well.  But you know what they say - an effective running game gets first downs, keeps possession of the football, keeps the punter off the field, takes time off the clock, keeps the opposing offense off the field, and minimizes the defense's exposure and limits their fatigue.

The demise of Brandon Jacobs, then Ahmad Bradshaw ushered in the era of Andre Brown and David Wilson?  That's the way Jerry Reese designed it, and the Giants paid a steep price. 

October 9, 2013 - The Long Successful Run To Daylight Is Over

Andre Brown went down before opening day, and David Wilson is still battling a neck condition.  Brandon Jacob's contribution this season has been chronicled and appreciated, while Da'rel Scott and Peyton Hillis did all they could.  None of this falls on them.

What now?

The season ending injuries to offensive linemen Chris Snee, but more specifically to David Baas, are perhaps addition by subtraction.  Jim Cordle has filled in at center, and will continue seeing steady playing time.  The center position is now bigger and healthier because of it.  David Diehl's return is not only timely, his ability to play multiple positions has allowed him to slide into Snee's spot.  Corresponding to the changes, the O-Line has demonstrated marked improvement over their first five weeks of the season.  The backfield in turn has benefited as well.  Will Beatty, Kevin Boothe, Jim Cordle, David Diehl and Justin Pugh, who has played quite well as a rookie, are now the starting front five, and should finish out the season together barring any further injury.

Coach Coughlin also put the brakes on Air Gilbride.  After failing to run the ball at least twenty times during the first five games, and averaging two passes for every one rush, Coach advised his long-time friend and coordinator to restrike a balance between passing and running the ball.  In Week Six, Kevin Gilbride struck total balance for his friend, and elected to pass and rush an equal twenty-six times each.  In both Weeks Seven and Eight, the Giants ran a season high twenty-nine times, and had finally rushed the ball in excess of twenty-five times in three straight games.

David Wilson recently went for a second MRI for a herniated disk in his neck, and will not be reevaluated for another few weeks.  But, finally some good news - Andre Brown appears back after sustaining a fractured leg in pre-season, and may finally play for the first time this Sunday against the Oakland Raiders.  How effective he'll be in his first few games back is obviously a highly questionable proposition.  Not to mention, regardless of the opposition, he'll be playing against defenses that are very literally in mid-season form.

With Andre Brown rushing again behind a reconfigured offensive line, perhaps there's hope for this running game yet.  I'm afraid however, the affect will be too little, too late, and wind up a mere late afternoon shadow in Autumn's fading quest for daylight.

Despite the pass-happiness of the Eli/Coughlin/Gilbride era, for nearly a full decade, the Giants featured one of the most fearsome running games in football, rushing behind a record setting offensive line.  Back then, Coach Gilbride took it upon himself to strike offensive balance, and had the resources to get it done.  Those days are officially long gone.  After Chris Snee went down, David Diehl became the lone surviving lineman from the previous era, and even his days are short.

There are no football miracles on the horizon for Big Blue.  Not this year.  Time and Football stand still for no one.  The Giants will not win out and finish with a 10-6 record.  They need to go 5-3 just to finish with a 7-9 mark.  Let's just get through the Raiders first.

I've never hesitated to criticize Kevin Gilbride.  I'm old school, remember - raised on Bill Parcells, smash mouth, and stuff like that.  So Gilbride has been a real assault on my sensibilities.  But I never wanted him fired.  Defensive coordinators?  Yes.  Him?  No.  This year, Gilbride is only guilty of doing what he's been told, and it feels weird defending him, but there you go.  I'm resigned to the fact that in this modern era of...whatever... Coughlin, Gilbride, and Eli Manning will go down as the most prolific offensive trio in Giants history, yet go down as perhaps the most criticized.  Ponderous, but true.

N.Y. Giants: On Tom Coughlin - Note To Fans, Remember Where You Came From

 

Too may of Jerry Reese's problems stem from the salary cap.  Above all else, he needs to get that in order.  The Giants entered the season with the most free agents on their roster and least amount of drafted players in the Jerry Reese era.  That is the inherent and inevitable peril when tasked with putting a previous era to bed, and trying to establish a new one on the fly in the parity stricken NFL.  So, money is a definite factor in future decision making.  Free agent acquisition David Baas woefully under-performed for the cash he was earning.  That mistake can not be repeated.  Will Beatty is making too much as well, but at least deserves further consideration.

Of the current members of the offensive line and backfield, I am only otherwise predisposed to move forward with Justin Pugh, David Wilson, Jim Cordle and Kevin Boothe.  The Giants need to reevaluate quickly this off-season and choose which direction they want to go.  Then move forward by making very hard, unpopular decisions and affect the necessary changes.

Next, Jerry Reese needs to reprioritize next year's draft.  Reese did not compromise himself by sending the Panthers a late pick for Jon Beason. 

We've know for a few years now, the offensive line needed a complete overhaul.  When Jerry Reese finally rebuilds the offensive line, only then will things fall into place again.  A grassroots effort is in order.  Assemble another young core of linemen, and let them grow together.  Selecting RT Justin Pugh last year was a needed step in the right direction.  Jerry Reese will need to expend another pick on an O-lineman, and hope he gets as good a player, if not better than Justin Pugh.  A trade and a smart free agent signing later, and perhaps one more rush for glorious daylight may resume in earnest again before Eli retires.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants: Brandon Jacobs Rumbles While Big Blue Stumbles

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

 

0-6

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: Brandon Jacobs Romps Though Daylight, But Can't Save Giants From Eli.
 

THURSDAY NIGHT FINAL:
Giants 21
Bears  28

If I could reach out and hug him, I would.  No one anticipated the renaissance man, but Brandon Jacobs gave the Giants, losers of their sixth straight game, a throwback performance.  He didn't drop with the lightest brush against an opposing jersey, or slightest touch of a hand as he's been accused of in his later years.  Instead, he powered ahead, sometimes left, and with great success to the right.  Best of all, he pushed a pile of Bears for an early touchdown, as well as the clock back about six years.

The Giants all-time rushing touchdown leader added two more to his collection, and has three for the season.  Brandon Jacobs now has fifty-nine rushing touchdowns as a member of Big Blue.

He was a work horse and very refreshing to watch, on another otherwise disappointing night for the Giants.  Big Buddy rumbled for 106 yards on twenty-two rushes.  He scored twice while averaging 4.8 yards per carry, and had a long of sixteen yards.  He even took the field with a wrapped up thigh after Da'Rel Scott left the game with a hamstring injury.  Jacobs also caught one pass for eight yards.  All told, the Giants rushed for 123 yards.

Who knew the Giants running game was going to be saved by Brandon Jacobs' swan song?  The offensive line and Justin Pugh in particular changed schemes somewhat, and created space for Jacobs.  A few cutback misdirection plays also worked very well.  It was nice to finally see someone get the ball twenty-two times.  In fact, Eli threw the ball twenty-six times, and the Giants ran the ball twenty-six times.  With the way this season has gone, that in itself was an amazing feat.  Eli's three interceptions were the determining factor in this latest debacle.  Brandon Jacobs almost got them over the mountain though.

The big guy was huffin' and puffin' last night, and sucked a lot of oxygen.  He's only starting to get his legs under him.  Speaking of which, I'm sure we'll find out the full extent of discomfort Brandon's leg is in by tomorrow.




Mike.BTB

N.Y.Giants: The Long Successful Run To Daylight Is Over

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

 

JOE MORRIS

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: Big Blue's Long Proud Contiguous Chain Of Running Backs Has Snapped.

Just so you know, former G-Man Ahmad Bradshaw will undergo neck surgery, and miss the rest of the season.  So, in all likelihood, he would have been of no use to the Giants had they retained him.  In essence, the Giants would have been in the same situation they find themselves at this very moment.  Think of it this way, by letting Ahmad Bradshaw walk to Indianapolis, the Giants were able to retain Victor Cruz.  The reality is, that equated to a personnel net gain of zero, which circles back to the current state of running game, doesn't it?  Meaning - Net Gain Zero.

In David Wilson's defense, he's been attempting to rush behind the Giants worst offensive line of the last fourteen years.  He's no doubt a partial victim of bad timing in that respect.  The front five couldn't push a refrigerator right now.  There is no taking away the marvelous season Wilson had returning kicks last season.  Over 1,500 yards led the entire NFL.  In fact, his career is starting similarly to Tiki Barber's; returning kicks, fumble issues, and accused of being undersized.

Wilson should only be so lucky.

Potential talent aside, David Wilson is now stored energy.  He will miss Thursday night's game against the Bears with a neck injury that threatens to keep him out longer - maybe even the entire season.  That still remains to be determined.

What if I said David Wilson also represents a glaring break down in the system?

I'm afraid the long successful rush towards daylight is over.  The torch passed from Joe Morris, to O.J. Anderson, to Rodney Hampton, to Tiki Barber, to Brandon Jacobs, to Ahmad Bradshaw, has been dropped and extinguished.  Even guys like Ron Dayne, Gary Brown and even Charles Way did their part to keep things moving down field.

The difference between all those guys and David Wilson is this - Every single one of those running backs overlapped each other.  Since Joe Morris, the Giants have always smoothly transitioned from one back to another.  Morris played with O.J., Otis played with Rodney, Hampton played with Tiki, Barber played with Jacobs, and big buddy Brandon played with his little buddy Bradshaw.  Then..., Jerry Reese handed Brandon Jacobs his walking papers two seasons ago, and opened the door for Ahmad Bradshaw last season.  In this long succession of backs, David Wilson was the first one to go into a regular season solo.  At this point, I beg you please - Andre Brown is inconsequential.  I'm not even inclined to say the injured Andre Brown and David Wilson would, or could have formed a formidable duo.  Unless you blindly see life through Big Blue colored glasses, I respectfully ask, who the hell is Andre Brown that we should rue the day he got injured?  And so I reiterate, the search for daylight just went dark.  There is a failure in the system, and it's not necessarily with David Wilson.  He is a byproduct.

For the moment, let's leave Brandon Jacobs out of this.  The Giants will enter Thursday night's game against Chicago with a backfield of Da'Rel Scott, who they cut last week, and a rookie, Michael Cox.  In the name of Frank freakin' Gifford, have you ever recalled such a circumstance?  I have!  And it was a long time ago.

I hope I'm clear in making my point, which is, the contiguous chain of running backs has been snapped.

The O-Line is indeed as bad as perhaps fourteen years ago, and deserves rightful blame for much of the current offensive dysfunction.  Jerry Reese did not transition this unit with the urgency it demanded.  The offensive line had long ago peeked and was already in steep decline entering the 2011 SB season.  Now that Chris Snee is done for the season, that means four of the original Big Five record setting linemen inherited by Jerry Reese are done.  David Diehl is the last man standing.  Reese replaced Shaun O'Hara with an ineffectual, and expensive David Baas, and Rich Seubert with a growing question mark and equally expensive Will Beatty.  Rookie Justin Pugh replaced Kareem McKenzie, and now the Giants will juggle Jim Cordle and James Brewer to accommodate the loss of Snee.  The Giants offensive line was allowed to grow old together, and these are the consequences.

Should I pile on and speak of the tragedy which is tight end?




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants: Offensive Line Must Create Daylight

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: Performance Anxiety By The Offensive Line Causing Running Game Impotence.

AIM HIGH - AIR FARCE:

No carpet bombing is worth the effort

unless followed up with an effective ground campaign.

Kevin Gilbride's "offense from above" is tops in the league.  And so here we go, over the top again - first because the Panthers' secondary is flaky, but mostly because the Giants running game ranks 32nd in the NFL.  I agree, this week's recipe calls for another day of carpet bombing.  As such, the Giants passing game is averaging 390 yards after two weeks.  But that much aerial bombardment hasn't generated any victories thus far.

Even though Eli will be facing a banged up secondary this Sunday, he and Gilbride would be smart to avoid being predictable.  Even in Coach Gilbride's greediest days, the Giants offense was still predicated on balance, with a strong running game that gained first downs on the ground, sustained long drives and consumed the clock.  In return, Coach Gilbride and Eli Manning consistently lead the league in most yards per pass attempt.

You can point to Eli's seven interceptions as the lead point of the Giants troubles, and how ten overall turnovers have put the defense on the field much more than necessary if you want.  After all, they have played two winnable games.  But without a decent running game and continued substandard  blocking by the offensive line, this sort of football will continue to be order of the day.

In the running game's present state, a lack of respect by opposing linebackers, safeties, and defenses in general is only natural.  But this week, the offensive line will potentially be working against a Carolina defense that may not be too interested in committing their depleted safeties to stopping any attempt at running the ball.  Therefore, it is time to give the back field upwards of twenty-five carries, featuring a fresh new unbiased look at David Wilson.  Kevin Gilbride will also have to incorporate catches out of the backfield as well, if only to keep the remaining healthy Carolina Panthers secondary honest.  That may sound simplistic, but the backfield has literally generated little to no offense.

The Giants transition away from the Shaun O'Hara, Ahmad Bradshaw and younger Brandon Jacobs era is not going well at all.  With David Diehl still out, they have few choices but to start maximizing their remaining options on the offensive line.  That means David Baas, working on a troubled knee, would cease to be a starter.  I know, I know, Brandon Jacobs scored a touchdown against the Broncos behind Baas' block.  But something must be done to improve the woeful play upfront.  Let Kevin Boothe, Jim Cordle and Chris Snee fill the space between the tackles, or slide Boothe over to play center while James Brewer starts at left guard.  I'm sorry, the Giants continue to be woeful running between the tackles, and as such, David Baas' free agent contract continues to be money ill spent.

Big Blue's obligatory two week grace period is over.  While only a game separates them from first place in what will turn out to be a parity riddled NFC East, time is already of the essence in Week Three.  Hard decisions need to be made regarding the offensive line, and by now, David Wilson must know how to securely handle the football, and how to effectively pick up a blitz.  It is time for him to perform - no questions asked, and Sunday's game is a good situation for him to take a major step in the right direction.  Heavy doses of a much healthier Henry Hynoski leading the way can also go a long way towards turning around Wilson's season.

If the Giants do not turn the ball over, the defense won't be as taxed, and should able to keep Cam Newton, Steve Smith and the Panthers somewhere between seventeen and twenty-three points.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants: Week Two; Manning Versus Manning

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

 

Week Two:

Denver Broncos @ NEW YORK GIANTS

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: I Believe Issues With The Backfield And At Linebacker Are Too Much To Overcome In Time For Achieving Week Two Success.

I don't care much for things like the Manning Bowl, but Peyton's seven touchdown passes in Week One sure got my attention.  This week, he'll be calling signals against a secondary containing a safety (Antrel Rolle) nursing a groin issue, and Prince Amukamara at corner who is one more solid hit to the helmet away from missing significant time with a real concussion.  Not to mention, Peyton stands to befuddle a depleted and common linebacker unit.

That said, the Giants defensive line, and Justin Tuck in particular had a good Week One.  Tuck led the team with eight tackles and assisted on a sack.  Linval Joseph combined with Tuck, while JPP recorded a solo sack.  Tuck and Joseph also had another two QB hits apiece.  Peyton Manning is a statue and goes down easy, so there is a good chance the Giants can get their hands on him - but with Peyton's smarts and timing, not too much.  There is no reason why they couldn't create enough havoc however, to induce an interception or two.  And that's what the Giants will need - maybe a score by the defense, but certainly a turnover or two.

That's where Coach Fewell comes in.  He needs to do a good job of disguise and deception, and figure a way to deliver some aggression Peyton's way.  If the GMen just man-up against him, he'll dissect them like a Meadowlands swamp frog in some Secaucus high school biology class.  This is why I prefer a 3-4 set over a 4-3 front.  I guess in a 4-3 Mathias Kiwanuka is athletic enough to release from the line and cover a back or tight end, but without stunting, a four man front doesn't lend itself to much deception without blitzing.  Otherwise, JPP's play last week was very encouraging.

I'm afraid the Giants are headed for a shoot-out.  And why shouldn't they be able to hang around?  Eli threw for over 400 yards last week and three different receivers caught passes for over 100 yards each.  Even though the backfield is unsettled, at some point, the Giants could find themselves in the fourth quarter with a chance to affect a win.  I just don't think the defense will be able to make enough stops to make anything stand - not without cashing in on turnovers.

I'm afraid the Giants just weren't prepared for the first two weeks of the season folks.  Next week, regardless of opponent, the Giants will restart the season right.  Sure, 0-2 is troublesome.  But parity will rule the day.  The NFC East division is up for grabs this year, and every team will stumble along the way.

Circling back to the running game, I fully expect Coach Gilbride to call at least twenty-five rushing attempts.  But if Brandon Jacobs gets more than nine of them, something went very wrong.  At this stage in his career, I don't know what game ready for Jacobs is, but I feel he needs at least another week before he becomes somewhat impactful, or at least helpful.

Trust me, I'd love to be wrong about all of this.



Mike.BTB

N.Y.Giants: Big Buddy Is Back

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: ....And This Time He's Here To Keep An Eye On A New Little Buddy.

Familiarity won the day.  Brando Jacobs aced Tuesday's interview and got the job....again.  The two-time Super Bowl champion, and Giants all-time rushing touchdowns leader signed a one year contract to rejoin the club, help in the back field, and impart some knowledge upon the young and unlearned David Wilson.  Brandon is in effect, Wilson's new full time paid mentor.

Although he was far from being a media darling, and his mouth sometimes got him in trouble, Brandon Jacobs always had respect for Tom Coughlin, and he was a very good and supportive teammate.  He assumed Tiki's position quite graciously, and never once complained about sharing backfield duties once Bradshaw emerged.  Brandon held out for some extra cash one off-season and got a bad rap for it.  But before departing the club, he did the rare, unselfish act of restructuring his expensive deal so the Giants could in fact retain Ahmad Bradshaw under the cap.

As far as Brandon Jacobs the player, he is thirty-one years old and saw little to no action last season with the 49ers.  For the moment, I can not even fathom him being in game-ready shape.  In fact, I'm more worried he'll get hurt - like pull a hamstring or something to that effect.  That aside, he is no where near the player who unseated Tiki Barber as the Giants feature back.  He wasn't even that during his last few years with the team.  He softened in his later years, and for his size became an easy tackle.  Jacobs as we know was eventually unseated by Ahmad Bradshaw as the feature back.  Nonetheless, from 2007 through 2011, they formed Big Buddy and Little Buddy together.  And that's where Brandon Jacobs' newest importance to the team lies.

He is now tasked with tutoring a new Little Buddy.  David Wilson will be led by the hand, and taken through the finer points of ball safety and protecting the quarterback.  Brandon Jacobs did both well.  He held on to the pigskin, and picked up blitzes.  That's all the Giants want Wilson to do.  They already know he cam run.



Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants: Offensive Line Adds Some Weight

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

 

David Wilson's Quest For Daylight

Giants Need A Full Season From Hakeem Nicks

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: Week One's Offensive Line Is Big and Blue, Weighs Over 1500 Pounds, And I Like It.

Did David Diehl's Injury Actually Improve The Offensive Line?

 

Tiki Barber, Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw all ran behind superior offensive lines.  I didn't say that, the record books did.  In the same breath, Eli Manning has been one of the least sacked quarterbacks since entering the league.  But time stands still for no one.  The front five I'm referring to were already on the precipice of decline by the time the Giants won Super Bowl XLII.  Over the last five years since then and another Super Bowl later, some members have slowly been transitioned out.

Last season saw the departure of Kareem McKenzie.  Prior to him, Rich Seubert and Shaun O'Hara were given their walking papers.  Remaining from what was once the most formidable offensive line in football are David Diehl and Chris Snee.  Diehl, as we know will miss the first quarter of the regular season with a thumb injury.  Although he's been very adaptable and helpful in playing multiple positions over the last several seasons, his game has been in steady decline for the last two in particular.  For the moment, that leaves Snee as the lone survivor at right guard.

This year's offensive line has already suffered multiple casualties.  In addition to David Diehl, regular starting center David Baas will miss Sunday night's opener in Dallas with an injured left knee.  I'm still not at peace with the signing of Baas.  He struggled somewhat and suffered a neck injury his first season here.   To be fair however, he played well last season.  I just feel he is undersized for the position.

This year, the Giants will enter Sunday's clash against the Cowboys with over 1500 pounds of offensive linemen.  At 6'3" and 320 pounds, Jim Cordle, 26, will take over at center this week.  That's the kind of size I'm talking about.  Jim will be taking on his biggest assignment to date.  Entering his fourth season, he should at least have the smarts and his technique down.  Kevin Boothe was the original back-up plan for David Baas, but after David Diehl went down, Boothe was forced to slide back to left guard.

Will Beatty is back to man left tackle.  He is a technique reliant guy, which tends to get me down on him from time to time.  But when you crunch the rushing numbers, the Giants ran the ball slightly better running left with Beatty at tackle than with Diehl.  As previously mentioned, Kevin Boothe will play left guard.  I like Boothe - always have, and especially like him at left guard because we can trust him.  He is entering his sixth season, and his prime years as a player.  At twenty-eight years old, he maintains a 6'6", 319 pound wall of protection for Eli Manning's blind side.

Chris Snee is just a good, gutsy lineman.  He's been a great front line grunt for the G-Men.  He is now entering his eleventh season.  When you add his 305 pounds to that of Jim Cordle and Kevin Boothe, that's over 900 pounds of Big Blue man meat between the tackles, which I find somewhat comforting.

Pressed into service at right tackle, will be Jerry Reese's first round (#19) draft pick, Justin Pugh.  Luckily for him, he will be playing along side an excellent mentor in Chris Snee.  He'll need to mature in a hurry, as Pugh could potentially receive a personal welcome to the NFL from the Cowboys DeMarcus Ware.  Pugh brings another 301 pounds to the line.

These five will be charged to open holes for David Wilson and protect Eli Manning.  Through injury, I kind of like this unit better.  Of course, being down to one feature back is a precarious way to start the season.  If David Wilson goes down, we're pretty much consigned to throwing 70% of the time; or just plain screwed if you prefer.  But I'm not so sure going into the season with just David Wilson is such a bad thing though.  Running off right tackle with a rookie there might pose a problem, but  that wouldn't be a new problem. The running game saw a drop off in yardage last season when rushing to the right side, or off-tackle.  In Kareem McKenzie's last season, the Giants averaged nearly five yards per rush running right, and barely three yards per carry to the left.  Last season with McKenzie gone, the Giants had difficulty getting to the outside of both tackles, faring much better inside.  If anything, the Giants will have good size and experience up the middle this season.

I guess the idea is to keep defenses honest.  Coach Gilbride likes balance.  Hopefully, the running game will provide that, and prevent team's from keying in on Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz.  Offense is all about making the defensive safeties commit.  If the offensive line and David Wilson can help keep safeties honest by providing a productive running game, then Coach Gilbride, Eli, Cruz and Nicks can dice up any team.

Welcome to the new, modern day NFL.  Oh smash-mouth football, why have you forsaken me?



Mike.BTB

New York Giants: Running Game Taking On New Persona

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

 

O.J. ANDERSON

SUPER BOWL XXV MVP

 

The Age of Smash Mouth Football

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:

The Big Buddy and Little Buddy Show Had a Great Run.

 

PRE SEASON

Game Two - Giants vs. Jets  Post-Game

Pre Season Pigskin; Giants vs. Jets

 

N.Y. GIANTS OFFENSE

Eli Manning Is Now Beyond The Coach

On Kevin Gilbride, And An Offensive Line Preview

At this very moment, the Giants' feature back is doing what he normally does at this time of year.  He is healing from injuries and missing practice.  If not his feet or ankles, then you knew something else would afflict Ahmad Bradshaw.  It's always something with him.  Every season we all ask, how many games will Ahmad Bradshaw miss?  For he always misses at least a couple.  This season however, Big Buddy Brandon Jacobs isn't around to pick up Little Buddy's slack.  Brandon Jacobs now has his own knee issues to contend with in San Francisco.


This year's reason why Ahmad Bradshaw's training camp has been compromised?  He is nursing a hand injury suffered early in last week's game against the Jets.  The trauma was downgraded to just a bruise, and reports are Bradshaw is fine.  But Coach Coughlin already hinted he wanted rookie David Wilson, and returning vet, D.J. Ware, to get a lion's share of touches against the Chicago Bears this Friday night anyway.


Heading into the 2012 season, Ahmad Bradshaw, David Wilson, and D.J. Ware, are all tasked with improving upon last year's running game, which ranked dead last in rushing yardage.  An Offensive Line thrust into transition by Jerry Reese was partly to blame.  After Jerry Reese cut Shaun O'Hara, and Rich Seubert last season, injuries and uncertainty dominated the left side.  Additionally, Center David Baas' initial integration into the line didn't go so smoothly either.  It took him all season to get right.  And he also suffered through a neck injury for a few weeks.  Baas played much better in the playoffs.  This season, Jerry Reese continued to flip the O-Line by parting ways with Right Tackle; Kareem McKenzie.


Another reason the Giants ranked last in the NFL in rushing was Brandon Jacobs was no longer the Brandon Jacobs of old.  While he did have his moments last season, it was pretty evident the Giants would not be bringing him back.  However, he wound up ending his New York Giants career in grand fashion.  After supplanting Tiki Barber as the Giants feature back, the big guy went on to help Big Blue win two Super Bowl Championships.  Along the way, he also became the organization's all-time rushing touchdowns leader.


Despite career long bi-pedal problems, Ahmad Bradshaw is now THE guy in the backfield.  The Big Buddy and Little Buddy's show had a great run.  That is officially the past now.  Rushing forward,  and quite understandably, Ahmad Bradshaw's durability is in question.  But when it comes to heart, there is none larger.  He's a gamer in every sense.  But how long can he stay on his feet this season?  We almost expect Ahmad to miss a few games.  Therefore, David Wilson will no doubt have a large role to play this season.  Whether the rookie fulfills his role adequately remains to be seen.  Friday night he'll get a chance to show what he can do.  Wilson will get an opportunity to run behind the starting O-Line for at least one half of football.  Many interested eyes will be on him, and perhaps none larger, than Tom Coughlin's.   D.J. Ware is already a known commodity.


Apparently, a team can be the worst rushing team in the NFL, and still win a Super Bowl.  Go figure.  But make no mistake, smash mouth football is not dead.  That style of football still owns credibility in today's modern Age of the Quarterbacks.  Somehow, Eli Manning and Kevin Gilbride squeezed just enough out of last season's running game, and made it good enough; good enough for another Lombardi Trophy that is.


In the past, Kevin Gilbride's implementation of the running game often drew my ire.  I'm sure this season will be no different for me.  But the truth is, the Giants' running game will indeed take on a new persona this season, and old-time fans will have to adapt.  In terms of game planning, the Giants did their best rushing behind the right side of the line last season.  But to his credit, Kevin Gilbride maintained a strict balance between running left, middle, and right, regardless of clear statistical trends.  The Giants Offensive Coordinator has now helped orchestrate, not one, but two last minute Super Bowl winning drives.  So where the Giants running game is concerned, only the Offensive Coordinator knows where he's taking it.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see.





Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ This One is for THE DUKE

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE  ~  Super Bowl XLVI Edition

Wild Card Round

ATLANTA FALCONS

Divisional Round

GREEN BAY PACKERS

NFC Championship

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

SUPER BOWL XLVI

NEW YORK GIANTS

vs.

New England Patriots

From,

Indianapolis

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:   Play Like Giants!

Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots stand in our way again.  For the second time in four years, the Giants will play them for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.  This time the Patriots are looking to exact revenge.  For in Super Bowl XLII, a mere neophyte out-miracled a three-time Champion and certain Hall of Fame quarterback named Tom Brady.  That wasn't supposed to happen.  Not to Tom Brady.  Not after marching the Patriots down field late in the game and throwing the go ahead touchdown to Randy Moss.  The incredulity of Eli's ensuing game winning drive continued all the way through to the onset of this season.  The simple word "Yes" was resoundingly considered preposterous that Eli Manning should answer a question and suggest that he was indeed in an elite class of quarterbacks along with Tom Brady.



Eli then went on to have the best season of his career.  So yeah, aw shucks...  The neophyte grew up a little since 2007.  And he was last seen in San Francisco absorbing far more punishment than the beating the Giants laid upon the great Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLII.  Two weeks ago Eli still managed to throw two touchdowns and pass for over 300 yards with rain, wind, and Forty-Niners in his face all night.  Yet, the topic on conversation over the last two weeks was how Eli Manning stacks up against the legend of Tom Brady.



That 49er game is something to think about.  Even with Vince Wilfork storming up the middle, I don't think New England will be bringing-it like San Francisco can and did.  Instead I believe Coach Belichick will sell out on coverages, as the Patriots are very average on the Corners.  That would swing two things in the Giants' favor.  It increases Eli's time in the pocket, and opens up the running game.  What Belichick does so well however, is he keeps QB's guessing at the line.  Belichick may even try to tackle Nicks and Cruz into submission.  Where have we seen that before?  But Eli can foil all that by just taking off on his own; something he's been doing with increased frequency and success these last five weeks.



There's no secret, New England will give up yardage and they will give up points.  And for the Patriots, there's the rub.  Eli is a much more dangerous proposition for the Patriots than he was four years ago.  He is much more polished than he was back then.  And Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz have more than proven to be a lethal tandem this season.  Furthermore, the three together are now converting third downs at their highest rate of the season.  With "now-veteran" Mario Manningham, and the return of Jake Ballard, the Giants have enough to score with the Patriots.  As a reminder, the Giants were without Hakeem Nicks and Ahmad Bradshaw when these teams met in Week Nine.



Can we run the ball?  Sure we can, and yes we will.  Brandon Jacobs was taken right out of the NFC Championship Game by the 49ers and additionally and rightfully so by the Giants' Offensive Coordinator.  His abilities just didn't suit that game.  But in this match up, he fits right in.  And he may play a bigger role than anyone realizes.  I believe center David Baas will have trouble with New England's Vince Wilfork.  But instead of getting help from the Guards; Kevin Boothe or Chris Snee; the Giants might fight a big body with another big body; that being Brandon Jacobs.  Employed imaginatively, Jacobs can provide a world of difference while Ahmad Bradshaw takes care of the rest.

*     *

These two previous posts cover all my thoughts regarding the Giants' Running Game:

Only Coach Gilbride Can RIGHT the Running Game

SUPER SIZING the Offensive Line

In these posts, I discussed behind which portions of the Offensive Line the Giants have had the most success running the ball this season.  And the fact is the Right Side has been our best side all season.  There has been short but consistent yardage to the Left.  But up the middle behind David Baas, there's been nothing to speak of.  I also discussed how David Baas might very well be a liability at Center playing against Vince Wilfork.  David Baas is undersized, and while under duress last week, he  consistently delivered low snaps against the 49ers.  To me the solution is to start Kevin Boothe because a) - he instantly gives the O-Line more size when he plays Center and Mitch Petrus plays Left Guard, and b) - he instantly provided Eli with superior snaps out of the shot-gun when David Baas missed a few plays against San Francisco.



*     *     *

But getting back to the "bigger game story", way too much has been made about whether Eli Manning is in Tom Brady's class.  Where ever you stand in the debate, it all comes to a head today.  For many and whatever their reasons, Eli Manning being named MVP of Super Bowl XLII meant nothing.  And now suddenly, it means everything.  But if you've always been behind your quarterback like a good Giant Fan should, there is no debate.  Eli Manning is a Giant.  Tom Brady is a Patriot.  I like our guy, and have the utmost confidence he can beat their guy Sunday evening.  And I believe our Defense will do more to disrupt Tom Brady than the Patriots can affect upon Eli.  I can't make it any more simple than that.



Eli has over a dozen Giant team mates returning with him from that game played four years ago.  Many of these Giants - very key Giants; like (Eli); Osi; Tuck; McKenzie; Snee; and Diehl; Bradshaw and Jacobs; and Webster and Ross; have all made it through this battle before.  They did it together as a team.  And Tom Coughlin has always stressed that; be a team.  So it goes without saying, Eli will not do this alone.



Tom Brady is back as well, and seemingly a little more angrier than the average Minuteman.  He wants revenge for what happened four years ago.  Unlike Eli, Brady returns with fewer of his old Patriots in Arms from four years ago.  And there in lies the Patriots biggest deficiency this season.  It's not that they return with less players from four years ago.  They come into this game with one man on a mission.  For two weeks all I have heard is how Tom Brady is a great many things, and how he's trying to chase down immortality by going down as the best quarterback ever.  When the talk turns to the Patriots, it invariably turns to Tom Brady.  There is also the high level of uncertainty surrounding The Gronk.  And so it strikes me that all the Patriots' issues are singular issues; individual issues.  Where as the Giants seem all together now, healthy, and shy of any individual dilemmas.



In the face of all the injuries that seemingly tried derailing Big Blue's season this year, never once did anyone take pity on the Giants, or on the Defense, or Coach Perry Fewell, or on Osi or Tuck, or anyone in the Secondary, or Michael Boley, or least of all, Tom Coughlin.  This team was considered dead and buried.  They just kept plugging in the next replacement and continued playing football.



And this morning I finally get it.  The Giants have been shooting off at the mouth this past week.  The way they've been carrying on, it sounds like they don't care who's taking snaps from center for the Patriots.  And it sounds like they could care even less about Tom Brady's legacy.  When you have a team like the Patriots down, you keep them down.  They did it four years ago, and again in Week Nine this season.  And Bill Belichick knows the Giants can do something his team can't.  The Giants can get to Brady with four guys.



Super Bowl hype week is just a mind game.  And what you heard this week was a Giants team rallying around their quarterback.  In the face of all the adversity these Giants dealt with this season, the Aw-Shucks Kid from the south got them to this game again.  And now that all his Defensive team-mates are healthy and having fun again, their rambunctiousness showed this week.  This unit is chomping an the bit to make sure Eli Manning shines brighter than his larger than life counter-part today.  Because all Eli ever tried to do was be successful on the next play call and get his guys a win.  Because all he did two weeks ago was keep getting up and trying to beat San Francisco when many of his mates where getting overwhelmed in from of him.  All he did was just keep getting up and kept the Giants going.  Now Eli has led them all the way to another Super Bowl appearance.  And today,  Eli's team mates want to do something for him.



They're back.  Eli and the worst team to win the NFC East are back to show what they think of all the naysayers this season.  Jerry Reese said we were a playoff team and John Mara believed in this Coach.  And here we are in the Super Bowl.  The Matriarch; Ann Mara; told Terry Bradshaw what she thought of him and all the doubters.   Now the Giants will show what they think of the Patriots.  And yeah, they showed up with a chip on their shoulder.  And why not?  Who believed in this team before the Band Wagon rolled down their block?  Now they all want on.  But it's too late.  To a man, the Giants are already ALL IN.  If you weren't on board before, there's no room for you now.



New England?  They have the great Tom Brady, a legendary Coach, and a busted Gronk.   There's safety in numbers and the Giants have them.  On the morning of February 5, 2012, all the Giants' problems are behind them now.  After a rocky road, this team is finally in tact.  This is our best and I like it.  All that's left is to play today's game.  THE DUKE would have liked this team too.  John Mara said Super Bowl XLII was for all the Giants Fans who stayed with the team since the days they played at the old Polo Grounds.  Well, today, this one is for Ann, and The Duke.  All this team needs to do now is go out there and Play Like Giants.



Let's go Giants!



PREVIOUS POST:   Coughlin and Parcells; Parallel Eras.







Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Only Gilbride Can "RIGHT" the Running Game

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE  ~  Super Bowl XLVI Edition

ATLANTA FALCONS

GREEN BAY PACKERS

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:   The Time is Now For Kevin Gilbride to Help The Running Game Get This "RIGHT" Once and for All.

Submitted for Your Analysis:

Offensive Coordinator; Kevin Gilbride's Implementation of the Running Game.

I long ago established the Giants have done their best rushing behind the right side of the Offensive Line.  Chris Snee, and more so, Kareem McKenzie have done the Giants best run blocking this season. David Diehl, playing out of position again this season is run blocking admirably at Left Tackle.  Diehl and Booth have created consistent but shorter yardage together.  Yet with even greater consistency however, the middle; running off Center, has proved fruitless for virtually the entire season.

There is no forward surge being created by the front five; and in particular by the interior Line.  Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw are both continually getting met at the line of scrimmage because there is no forward push.  And in my opinion, the problem resides with Center David Baas.

I shared my latest concerns regarding Center David Baas, and his upcoming mis-match against New England's Vince Wilfork in my last posting:  Super Sizing the Offensive Line.  David Baas is still feeling the effects of a stinger suffered in last week's game.  And it remains my hope Kevin Boothe gets the start at Center and Mitch Petrus plays Left Guard.  Both men together increase the Giants' size up the middle and have been successful opening up some space when they played together for a few games this season in Baas' absence.

As for the running game itself, I can not fault Kevin Gilbride electing to heave the ball up fifty-eight times.  It's what won us the game.  And further more, this post can not continue without giving the 49ers their deserved credit.  But even with all Eli's heroics, Gilbride still called for twenty running plays.  Once again I commend him for staying dedicated to the run even when it seemed to go nowhere.  But I don't know if I should call last week's run selections an epiphany or just random acts of Gilbride coincidence.  The Giants only ran for fifty-nine yards during regulation time on twenty rushing attempts.  And there-in lies the Giants' silver lining.  In overtime, the Giants ran five more running plays for an additional twenty eight crucial yards.  And once again you'll see, that the RIGHT side of the Line is the correct side to follow towards Daylight.

Against Green Bay-I, Dallas, the Jets, Dallas-II, and against the Falcons, Big Blue pounded the right side of the Line on their way to 100+ yard games.  Keep in mind the Atlanta Falcons game's stats:

Versus Atlanta....

* The Giants rushed LEFT nine times for thirty-one yards. 3.4 average gain.

* The Giants rushed UP THE MIDDLE eight times for thirty-one yards. 3.4 average gain.

* The Giants rushed RIGHT thirteen times for one hundred-one yards. 7.8 average gain.

 Of the Giants' running plays that went for fives yards or more, here is your break down:

* LEFT - Three Plays ~ eight yards; eight yards; fourteen yards.

* MIDDLE - Two Plays ~ ten yards; fifteen yards.

* RIGHT - Four Plays ~ thirty four yards; thirty yards; seven yards; nine yards.

In the Divisional Round against the Green Bay Packers, Kevin Gilbride went against everything the Giants do well with regards to running the ball.  He dialed-up a complete 180 degree reversal of field and went left side intensive with the running game.  Just a few days prior to the game, an article in the tabloids reported Kevin Gilbride - in summary as saying, - Click HERE for full Daily News article.

......Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride believes the “conventional wisdom” that the Giants must run the ball effectively to keep Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ high-powered offense off the field as much as possible in Sunday’s divisional playoff game “honestly doesn't hold much water.”

 Then against Green Bay he devised this;

*LEFT - Thirteen Plays ~ for net fifty-four yards.  Three plays combined for -9 yards.  In the first half, Ahmad Bradshaw started left, then changed course and went *right for +23 yards; setting up Eli's Hail Mary pass.  Ahmad Bradshaw broke another +24 yard gain running off Left Tackle.  And on the last N.Y. touchdown of the game, Brandon Jacobs once again started a play running left, then turned back *right for a fourteen yard touchdown run.

*MIDDLE - Six Plays ~ for fifteen yards, and one No-Gain.  Two plays went for five yards each.

*RIGHT - THREE PLAYS!  One play negated by a Holding penalty.  Two plays for negative yardage. Only one gain for +4 yards.

 I was torn between wanting to punch him in the face or crediting him for having some deceptive plan up his sleeve, as if he had clairvoyance into knowing the Giants would still be playing; and in knowing such, trying to throw everyone off the Giants' trail?       Really?  Is that plausible?



There was the matter of the 49ers game and an overtime session that reconfirmed every assertion the Giants' run the ball best behind Snee and McKenzie.  However during regulation time, the Niners put the breaks on Big Blue's rush with haste.

This is the regulation time break down of running plays called by Kevin Gilbride that amassed all of fifty-nine yards:

LEFT:  Seven Plays ~ Twenty-Four Yards.  One No-Gain.  One Six Yard Gain Negated by a Penalty to David Baas.

MIDDLE:  Seven Plays ~ Nineteen Yards.  One No-Gain.

RIGHT:  Six Plays ~ Sixteen Yards.  One No-Gain on 4th and 1; (B. Jacobs).
  

Then, it hit him.  Kevin Gilbride turned to the tried and true method this team has for gaining yardage on the ground.  In overtime, the right side of the Offensive Line found daylight for the Giants yet again.  And with no disrespect to Eli, they kinda saved the big finish.

LEFT:  No Plays.

MIDDLE:  One Play ~ Four Yards.

RIGHT:  FOUR PLAYS ~ FORTY YARDS!

Against the San Francisco 49ers, in total they ran Left 7x for twenty-four yards;  Middle 8x for twenty-three yards; and RIGHT 10x for FORTY Yards.



The question remains why Kevin Gilbride designed such a radical departure from the Giants' strength in the Green Bay game?  Yet, the Giants ability to spring two plays back to the right side sealed the game against the Packers.  And the Giants' ability to pound out SIX; EIGHT; SIX; and FOUR, yards all behind the right side sealed the game in San Francisco as well.



Heading into this showdown with the Patriots, that's two issues now I believe the Giants need to investigate, with, a) - being the starting status of center David Baas, and b) - will the Giants stick with their strength and run behind their right side and outside their Left Tackle; David Diehl?



My over-riding concern is the potential inability of David Baas to keep Vince Wilfork from disrupting the line of scrimmage.  Most specifically, I fear he can dominate David Baas and cause overwhelming chaos in the Giants' backfield; not to mention the pressure he can bring on Eli up the middle.



This is the Big One Coach.  Get this one RIGHT and you can shut me up forever.  So don't blow it with some goofy game plan.   Friggin' egomaniac!






Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ LEFT With Questions About Run Game

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

Kevin Gilbride and the Giants' Running Game:

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:   It's Back to the Old Drawing Board With Big Blue's Running Game.  The Super Genius Was at it Again.  Coach Gilbride Led Them Away from Daylight and LEFT Them in the Dark.




The next time a hot looking mechanical female rabbit blows up in your backyard, a guy named Mud will soon appear introducing himself as the cause.  A wise ol' Wabbit once reminded us, "...remember kids, Mud spelled backwards, is DUM!"




The New York Football Giants' offensive coordinator is the Wile E. Coyote of the NFL.  They are both egomaniacs and both are super smart; too smart for their own good.  One is engaged in a fruitless and constant chase for some road-runner or rabbit.  While the other is in constant search of the perfect pass play at the expense of common sense.  At the same time, they're the genesis of some of the most insidious yet befuddling schemes ever hatched from the minds of an idiot.  One uses ACME products to help facilitate his cunning yet disastrously humorous failures, as the other nefariously calls running plays for the New York Giants that sometimes work as well as those wacky overly complicated ACME products do.




He shows up and says he's not trying to sell us anything nor is he working his way through college.  He's simply someone of superior intellect with a pressure cooker who wants to rip our hearts out, stew it along with the Giants' running game, add diced celery, onions, carrots, and eat it.  So the next time someone unfolds a portable door on your front porch, rings the bell, and starts off by saying,  "Allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Wile E. Coyote Kevin Gilbride; Super Genius..." - Do me a favor and punch him in the face!  And don't worry.  He's used to it!




Yes; This is about Kevin Gilbride and the Running Game - Again.  If you're tired of hearing about it, I'm equally tired complaining about it.  But I need serious help grasping what Kevin Gilbride was trying to achieve Sunday night in Green Bay.  Because what he designed was either a work of genius with a hitch, or a serious failure of epic proportion on his part.  I've done a lot of kidding but you'll see I'm really trying to understand.




First - Eli, Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, Mario Manningham and the Defense were great Sunday.  As the passing game goes, Kevin Gilbride deserves his share of credit for their success.  And..., we won!  But once I'm done you'll see I'm not being nit-picky; nor am am I thrill-seeking negativity.  The following are just facts supported throughout DO IT FOR THE DUKE.  So with that out of the way, let's get on with this.




The Packers made little effort to run the ball.  Aaron Rodgers was their leading rusher with sixty-six yards on seven carries.  Yet, due to Aaron Rodgers' ground efforts, the Packers out-rushed the Giants.  The Packers also held a slight lead in time-of-possession.  Additionally, Green Bay ran-off more plays from scrimmage that the Giants; seventy-three versus sixty-one.




Now - the Giants rushed the ball twenty-seven times versus twenty-three for Green Bay.  Yet due to Aaron Rodgers mentioned above, the Packers out-rushed the Giants 147 yards versus 95 yards for Big Blue.  Twenty-seven rushing attempts by the Giants was only six less pass attempts by Eli.  As far as the number of rushing attempts and balance of plays, I'm content.  No issues there.  As a matter of fact, I commend Kevin Gilbride for sticking with the run all game long.  He rushed the ball twelve times in the first half, and eleven more times in the second half.  Even thought the Packers defended the run very well, and held the Giants to a 3.5 yards-per-rush average, Gilbride stayed with it.  There was a time he would have abandoned the run all-together.  So far I'm cool on all counts.




Here now is everything wrong with Kevin Gilbride's plan Sunday.  It has long been established, with new Center David Baas, there has been absolutely no running game up the middle to speak of.  The left side of the Offensive Line with Kevin Boothe and David Diehl only has slightly better results.  Although, they have run outside David Diehl at Right Tackle with more success that between the Guard.  Rushing didn't improve until Baas was forced to miss games and Boothe played Center, and Mitch Petrus played Guard.  With them in the game, the middle opened to the run.  Then the Giants reinserted Baas at Center again once he was cleared to play.  On the other side of the Offensive Line, the Giants have run with great effectiveness behind and between Chris Snee and Kareem McKenzie all season long.  There has been even more Daylight outside Right Tackle Kareem McKenzie.




The Atlanta Falcons game was the epitome of this season long trend.  The following stats were reasons for me to begrudgingly give Coach Gilbride a pat on the back after a season long beef regarding everything being discussed here-in.  The main issues I've had have been with Gilbride's play selection.  All season he's insisted on running up the middle and left where there were rarely holes to be found while knowing full well the Daylight was shining on the other side.  Then against the Jets and Cowboys, Gilbride opened up the gates and let the boys run right.

In playoff game one versus Atlanta....

* The Giants rushed LEFT nine times for thirty-one yards. 3.4 average gain.

* The Giants rushed UP THE MIDDLE eight times for thirty-one yards. 3.4 average gain.

* The Giants rushed RIGHT thirteen times for one hundred-one yards. 7.8 average gain.

Of the Giants' running plays that went for fives yards or more versus ATL, here is your break down:

* LEFT - Three Plays ~ eight yards; eight yards; fourteen yards.

* MIDDLE - Two Plays ~ ten yards; fifteen yards.

* RIGHT - Four Plays ~ thirty four yards; thirty yards; seven yards; nine yards. And they didn't need any help from Center.

To reiterate, the Giants have done their best running off Right Guard and Right Tackle all season long.  Kareem McKenzie in particular is having a tremendous season.  So this is what Kevin Gilbride chose to do this last Sunday:

*LEFT - Thirteen Plays ~ for net fifty-four yards.  Three plays combined for -9 yards.  In the first half, Ahmad Bradshaw started left, then changed course and went *right for +23 yards; setting up Eli's Hail Mary pass.  Ahmad Bradshaw broke another +24 yard gain running off Left Tackle.  And on the last N.Y. touchdown of the game, Brandon Jacobs once again started a play running left, then turned back *right for a fourteen yard touchdown run.

*MIDDLE - Six Plays ~ for fifteen yards, and one No Gain.  Two plays went for five yards; tops.

*RIGHT - THREE PLAYS!  One play negated by a Holding penalty.  Two plays for negative yardage.  Only one gain for +4 yards.

For fifty seven minutes of this game, I wanted to reach into the TV and strangle Gilbride.  Ahmad Bradshaw's +24 yard run just before the second half was successful by his own doing.  The play was designed left and Bradshaw busted it back.  That was not counter-motion.  Bradshaw reversed field.




Then in the third period it started to dawn on me.  I saw this before.  Mike Ditka used to do this all the time with the Bears.  He'd pound the ball incessantly.  Then when he lulled you in, he went over the top to Willie Gault.  I started thinking, maybe Gilbride was waiting till the end of the game to spring someone off the right side to seal the deal.  And for as long as the Giants were leading, I was a) - willing to let his plan play out and see, and b) - willing to give Kevin Gilbride the benefit of the doubt that he wouldn't have continued that course of action if the Giants were trailing.  If that were the case, I feel he would have changed sides.




Brandon Jacobs did just that; he popped one off the right side to put the nail in Green Bay's coffin.  And I'm willing to give Kevin Gilbride the benefit of the doubt again, and say that last touchdown play was designed to be a counter-motion play.  I know Gilbride knew our strength was running right and maybe he was trying to set Green Bay up by getting them to over pursue.  I'm willing to go with that.  But Gilbride really makes you scratch your head.




If I do not give him the benefit of the doubt in thinking that was his plan all along, the only conclusion I can come up with as a result of his game plan is that he's a complete idiot when it comes to the running game; of which I have no problem saying.  But if he was indeed trying to bait the Packers all game for something in the fourth quarter; and for as long as he was doing this with a lead; and I'll even say maybe he was looking towards next Sunday and trying to get the Left Side up to snuff, then I'll be glad to call his plan for what it was - ballsy.  After all, you have to have a lot of footballs to try some of the stunts Wile E. Coyote attempts in trying to capture a little bite to eat.




"Oh well, some people just have to learn the hard way."  -  quote, Wile E. Coyote.




But having said all that, you decide now. I said my piece.







Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ California Here We Come

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

DIVISIONAL ROUND:

NEW YORK GIANTS   39

Green Bay Packers       20

FINAL

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:  "We're Baaack!"


Down goes Title Town!   Down goes Title Town! 




They did it.  Eli Manning and Perry Fewell's Defense beat the mighty Aaron Rodgers of the Twenty-Fourth and a Half CENTURY..!  They beat the rich history of famous Lambeau Field.  They beat the legend of the Green Bay Packers.  They knocked off the defending Super Bowl Champions.  They defied all the doubters and naysayers.  The Giants even overcame referees that seemingly were  conspiring against them as if forced by some diabolical plot hatched by the Networks.  But no matter.  The Giants beat all that; and the odds too.

"We're going back to San Francisco fellas."  -  Lawrence Taylor, January 1991 

"We're Baaack!"  -  Carl Banks, January 1991

 

That's right.  The New York Football Giants are back.  And now they're headed to San Francisco to try and rip their hearts out too; just like they did to all the cheese-heads in not-so-frigid Green Bay, Wisconsin, Sunday night.  Yes Momma, you heard correctly.  You can shed that winter coat.  We're going to sunny California.




And now, I guess all the comparisons will shift from the 2007 team towards the 1990/91 Super Bowl run and the classic NFC Championship Game the Giants played against the 49ers twenty-one years ago.  But before we pack our bags and go there, there is so much to revel about and celebrate right here in Giants Town.

With ice still in his veins since January 21, 2008, Eli looked Mission Impossible in the eye again, and Green Bay blinked on cue.  The Giants went up 3-0 on the first drive of the game and never trailed the Packers and their vaunted offense the rest of the night.  Eli Manning deserves a much better descriptive account regarding his night than I can humbly attempt tonight.  But what I can say with certainty though, is that on January 15, 2012, Eli Manning was far better than Aaron RODGERS of the Twenty-Fourth and a Half CENTURY....!  So how many more ELITE quarterbacks does a guy have to beat in order to get some respect around here anyway?




They say luck is the residue of skill and design.  In the Giants' case, a HAIL MARY! - didn't hurt either.  Eli Manning attempted thirty-three passes and completed twenty-one for 330 yards.  He connected with Hakeem Nicks for two touchdowns, and once with Mario Manningham for another.  But there was so much more than just that play.  Eli carried the day, put us ahead, and kept us there, while Coach Gilbride relentlessly baited Green Bay by running the ball to the Left Side all game long.  Then in the final minutes, Coach Gilbribe finally counter-motioned the run towards the Right Side (where they've run the ball most effectively all season long) with Brandon Jacobs who scampered down field for the game's final touchdown.  Jacobs' run sent Lambeau Leaping for the exits and his Giant team mates packing for a trip to play the Niners - Just like the old (older) days.




But it was Victor Cruz and Eli Manning who really made all the throws and catches Aaron Rodgers and his arsenal of weapons could not complete or replicate.  Where the Packers receivers continually dropped their passes, time and again Victor Cruz was making big catches for critical third down conversions.  He did his damage Sunday in the middle of the field, where for Green Bay, there were only incompletions.  Scoring plays are no doubt great.  But the plays that get you in position to score are no less important.  And in this game, Victor Cruz exploited an area of the field where good Safeties dispense pain.  But there was no such threat coming from the Packer Secondary in this game.  Victor Cruz also smartly recovered a 4th quarter on-side kick attempt by the Niners.




Defensively, Perry Fewell employed the same scheme that defeated the Jets; the Cowboys; and the Falcons.  For the fourth consecutive game, the Defense took away the deep pass and forced their fourth consecutive quarterback to accept the underneath play instead.  So far, the plan has worked out brilliantly for the Giants for as long as they continue to make sure tackles.  That said, enter Michael Boley, who played his third consecutive great game; games like Linebackers of the past used to have around here.  It was the Giants' Linebacker who led Sunday's pass rush with two of the Giants four sacks.  And collectively, they harassed Aaron Rodgers many more times through-out the game.  The down field coverage stayed tight for lengthy periods which in Sunday's case, helped the pass rush along.  So give the Secondary a huge assist there.




The Safeties also deserve a bit of mention as well.  Along with tight coverage that left Rodgers scrambling about, Deon Grant; who intercepted Rodgers by the way; and Antrel Rolle, both had brilliant games making sure tackles, combining on fourteen solo tackles between them.  Michael Boley led the team in tackles with nine.




Also credit the Defense for creating four turnovers (three fumbles) Sunday and for forcing Aaron Rodgers to become Green Bay's leading rusher of the game.  Watching him run all over the place for key first downs time and again was enough to make me scream.  But the Giants Defense was more resilient and more relentless than Aaron Rodgers was great this game.  For on this day, the Giants reduced him to just being good.  He was held to 264 yards on 26/46 passing; two touchdowns; one interception; and one lost fumble off an Osi Umenyiora strip.




The fact the Packers attempted an on-sides kick in the second quarter I believe is a testament to Green Bay's fear of playing the Giants from behind, and risk having their pass rush tee-off on Rodgers.  Why else take such a huge gamble so early in a playoff game?  Because they remember the trouble the Giants put them through last game, and knew this time, the Giants were bringing something extra to the dance.  Like I said in my pre-game post - We can score, and Green Bay can score.  But I said our Defense was more physical and better than Green Bay's.




If many had their way, Tom Couhlin would have long been in a park somewhere feeding pigeons and playing chess.  Luckily for all of us, Coach Coughlin and his staff will start going through the San Francisco game films and initiating preparations for the next game.  Why?  Because unlike twenty-eight other teams in the NFL, we still have more Football to play.




And one last word to Tom Coughlin detractors.  Frozen Tundras and getting taken out at the legs have done little to hinder his ability to Coach this team.  He coaches hurt.  There's no question about his toughness.  Coughlin also has the undivided attention of each and every player in his locker room.  As the final seconds ticked down, Brandon Jacobs could be seen going over to his Coach and congratulating him.  See?  Brandon Jacobs loves his Coach.  He loves being a Giant.  He loves his team mates.  He just hates the Media and in return, they've created trouble for him.  Back to the point, the Giant players will play for and respond to Tom Coughlin.




For those of you who sought change when things weren't going so well, consider this.  After Bill Parcells left, Ray Handley was the in-house promotion and a miserable failure.  Then Dan Reeves came in as the successful more experienced approach.  The Giants then turned to the off-campus approach and brought in Jim Fassel.  By the time he left here, the locker room was like a diva version of Delta House.




It is no coincidence the Giants organization has enjoyed the most success under the regimes and styles of Tom Coughlin and Bill Parcells.  We've already tried alternatives.  And around here, this system seems to work very well for us, Thank you.




This will be a fun week of posts.   See You in Cali.







 Mike.BTB