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
Showing posts with label Chase Blackburn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chase Blackburn. Show all posts
Friday, January 11, 2013
Monday, January 23, 2012
N.Y. Giants ~ Back To The Land of Giants
From the desk of: DO IT FOR THE DUKE
NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL: "Did Ya See Us Last Night Pop? I Told You I Got This. And You Would Have Been Proud of Mom Too."
It wasn't freezing this time like on that night in Green Bay four years ago; just extremely wet. The game wasn't played in the legendary frozen tundra of Lambeau Field either. Although the Media chill Tom Coughlin suffered this season would have broken a lesser man. But he, and we, have been there and done that. Instead, Sunday night's setting was a blast from Big Blue's past. The New York Giants went back to a place where they made history once before by willing their way through one of the most tightly contested upsets in NFC Championship Game history.
This Sunday's game was another classic played in one of today's grandfathers of football stadiums against the 49ers. The contest evolved similarly to the game played twenty-one years ago replete with stout defense, fumbles, and field goals. In 1991, Lawrence Taylor recovered a Roger Craig fumble. Matt Bahr then nailed a 42 yard field goal sending the Giants to Super Bowl XXV. Twenty-one years later, the Giants returned to a rain-soaked Candlestick Park this time; recovered a fumble; and kicked an NFC Championship winning field goal....again. Only this time it was a new generation of Giants that broke the hearts of San Francisco and propelled them into another Super Bowl. Unlike that team of twenty-one years ago, this edition needed overtime to finalize victory, which just made it sweeter; and colorfully more historic. But for more than a dozen or so Giant players and the Head Coach, STILL HERE since the 2007 season, they are now trying to get Lombardi Trophy number two; just like that NFC Championship team of 1990-91 was.
In the unlikeliest of manners, the Giants beat the 49ers with Special Teams. San Francisco was supposed to be a superior team than us in that respect. One the one hand, they were that good. On the other, Giants' Special Teams have always had their problems. And for portions of the game, it seemed as if the Niners held a huge advantage in that respect. But in classic confrontations such as this one where mistakes were held to a minimum, the team who made the last mistake lost.
*Thank You - Steve Weatherford whom I've jokingly but routinely dubbed our pseudo-MVP this season, for continuing to have a great season punting the ball. When it comes to matters of field position, he's been more than just a punter. He's been a force. Once upon a playoff era, Bill Parcells would have been proud of his kicker on a night like this. This Sunday, Ol' Tom Coughlin was the beneficiary of his fine performance. And glory be to Weatherford for getting that last snap down!
*Thank You - Devin Thomas for his effort to get down field after getting pushed out of bounds by two 49ers blockers, and for having the presence of mind to recover a live ball touched by the Niners.
*Thank You - Jacquian Williams, the rookie, similarly for his down field punt coverage, and for sticking his hand exactly where it needed to be when the Giants needed a big break most.
*Thank You - Lawrence Tynes for planting one sure foot into the soggy Candlestick turf and using the other foot to keep kicking Big Blue forward.
That 49ers' defense was as tough as advertised. They completely dominated the Giants' Offensive Line all night long - (more about that later today!) They totally took away the run right up until the very last few rushes by Ahmad Bradshaw which set up Tynes' field goal. How good was the Niner Defense? The Giants held the ball more than ten minutes longer than the 49ers and ran thirty-three more plays than San Francisco. Yet we only out-gained them in total offense by twenty-four yards.
They beat, battered, pummelled, and pounded Eli Manning. Sometimes Eli saw the rush coming. Sometimes he didn't. It didn't matter because he knew the rush was coming regardless, and that it was going to hit him; and that it was going to happen throughout the game. Eli took hits; many hits; hard hits; and looked downright dishevelled at times. He got sacked six times. But he never fumbled. Eli never even blinked with the Niners and the rain continually in his face. He just kept staying tough and launching footballs into the heart of San Francisco. Fifty-eight times Eli tried defying mother nature and the Niners. Thirty-two passes found safety in the wet hands of his receivers. By the end of the night, Eli Manning had thrown for 316 rain-drenched yards. The Niners could have had interceptions, but missed their chances. Instead, what they got were two more touchdown passes from The Aw-Shucks Kid. In yet another great Championship Game, Eli stood out as the game's greatest player.
But none of this happens without another Herculean effort by the Defense. The stats say San Francisco did so much more with their possessions than the Giants did with theirs. With less time of possession and less plays from scrimmage, the Niners wracked-up almost as many yards as Big Blue. The Giants may have given up over one-hundred yards rushing between Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter, and still more through catches out of the back field. But they were controlled yards. Instead, the Giants stymied San Francisco by dominating third down. The Niners were held to one first down in thirteen tries. And other than two TD passes to Vernon Davis, Alex Smith, the 49er offense, and Vernon Davis himself, could muster little else.
Chase Blackburn played huge. JPP was a Wall of One. And pass coverage was outstanding; save two plays. Over the last few weeks, the Secondary has become a blanket. In turn, the Secondary's success is coming from the Giants ability to maintain quarterback pressure with four guys. Led by Justin Tuck, they flushed Alex Smith from the pocket, batted some passes, hit him often, and sacked him three times. Together with overall good tackling, the Defensive effort was just enough to get the Giants through regulation, overtime, and off to Indianapolis to play in another Super Bowl.
The night ended perfectly as Terry Bradshaw was forced to look at winning coach Tom Coughlin in the eye yet again. That was always Bill Parcell's favorite part; proving the naysayers- "The Commies" - "the subversives from within" ..., wrong. But even before that, the re-education of Terry Bradshaw had begun. The Family would have their say first. Watching John Mara; the man who believed in Tom Coughlin; and his Mom; - Mrs. Duke - Mrs. Ann Mara - THE MATRIARCH - just destroy Terry Bradshaw and telling him Where to Stick It was the most satisfying part of the whole night. Don't Worry Pop. I Got This!
Now That's GIANTS FOOTBALL!!
YEeeeeeeeaAHH!
Mike.BTB
John Mara Leads Team Back To
THE LAND of GIANTS
Pre-Game Post: A Transcendental Championship Game
NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL: "Did Ya See Us Last Night Pop? I Told You I Got This. And You Would Have Been Proud of Mom Too."
It wasn't freezing this time like on that night in Green Bay four years ago; just extremely wet. The game wasn't played in the legendary frozen tundra of Lambeau Field either. Although the Media chill Tom Coughlin suffered this season would have broken a lesser man. But he, and we, have been there and done that. Instead, Sunday night's setting was a blast from Big Blue's past. The New York Giants went back to a place where they made history once before by willing their way through one of the most tightly contested upsets in NFC Championship Game history.
This Sunday's game was another classic played in one of today's grandfathers of football stadiums against the 49ers. The contest evolved similarly to the game played twenty-one years ago replete with stout defense, fumbles, and field goals. In 1991, Lawrence Taylor recovered a Roger Craig fumble. Matt Bahr then nailed a 42 yard field goal sending the Giants to Super Bowl XXV. Twenty-one years later, the Giants returned to a rain-soaked Candlestick Park this time; recovered a fumble; and kicked an NFC Championship winning field goal....again. Only this time it was a new generation of Giants that broke the hearts of San Francisco and propelled them into another Super Bowl. Unlike that team of twenty-one years ago, this edition needed overtime to finalize victory, which just made it sweeter; and colorfully more historic. But for more than a dozen or so Giant players and the Head Coach, STILL HERE since the 2007 season, they are now trying to get Lombardi Trophy number two; just like that NFC Championship team of 1990-91 was.
In the unlikeliest of manners, the Giants beat the 49ers with Special Teams. San Francisco was supposed to be a superior team than us in that respect. One the one hand, they were that good. On the other, Giants' Special Teams have always had their problems. And for portions of the game, it seemed as if the Niners held a huge advantage in that respect. But in classic confrontations such as this one where mistakes were held to a minimum, the team who made the last mistake lost.
*Thank You - Steve Weatherford whom I've jokingly but routinely dubbed our pseudo-MVP this season, for continuing to have a great season punting the ball. When it comes to matters of field position, he's been more than just a punter. He's been a force. Once upon a playoff era, Bill Parcells would have been proud of his kicker on a night like this. This Sunday, Ol' Tom Coughlin was the beneficiary of his fine performance. And glory be to Weatherford for getting that last snap down!
*Thank You - Devin Thomas for his effort to get down field after getting pushed out of bounds by two 49ers blockers, and for having the presence of mind to recover a live ball touched by the Niners.
*Thank You - Jacquian Williams, the rookie, similarly for his down field punt coverage, and for sticking his hand exactly where it needed to be when the Giants needed a big break most.
*Thank You - Lawrence Tynes for planting one sure foot into the soggy Candlestick turf and using the other foot to keep kicking Big Blue forward.
That 49ers' defense was as tough as advertised. They completely dominated the Giants' Offensive Line all night long - (more about that later today!) They totally took away the run right up until the very last few rushes by Ahmad Bradshaw which set up Tynes' field goal. How good was the Niner Defense? The Giants held the ball more than ten minutes longer than the 49ers and ran thirty-three more plays than San Francisco. Yet we only out-gained them in total offense by twenty-four yards.
They beat, battered, pummelled, and pounded Eli Manning. Sometimes Eli saw the rush coming. Sometimes he didn't. It didn't matter because he knew the rush was coming regardless, and that it was going to hit him; and that it was going to happen throughout the game. Eli took hits; many hits; hard hits; and looked downright dishevelled at times. He got sacked six times. But he never fumbled. Eli never even blinked with the Niners and the rain continually in his face. He just kept staying tough and launching footballs into the heart of San Francisco. Fifty-eight times Eli tried defying mother nature and the Niners. Thirty-two passes found safety in the wet hands of his receivers. By the end of the night, Eli Manning had thrown for 316 rain-drenched yards. The Niners could have had interceptions, but missed their chances. Instead, what they got were two more touchdown passes from The Aw-Shucks Kid. In yet another great Championship Game, Eli stood out as the game's greatest player.
But none of this happens without another Herculean effort by the Defense. The stats say San Francisco did so much more with their possessions than the Giants did with theirs. With less time of possession and less plays from scrimmage, the Niners wracked-up almost as many yards as Big Blue. The Giants may have given up over one-hundred yards rushing between Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter, and still more through catches out of the back field. But they were controlled yards. Instead, the Giants stymied San Francisco by dominating third down. The Niners were held to one first down in thirteen tries. And other than two TD passes to Vernon Davis, Alex Smith, the 49er offense, and Vernon Davis himself, could muster little else.
Chase Blackburn played huge. JPP was a Wall of One. And pass coverage was outstanding; save two plays. Over the last few weeks, the Secondary has become a blanket. In turn, the Secondary's success is coming from the Giants ability to maintain quarterback pressure with four guys. Led by Justin Tuck, they flushed Alex Smith from the pocket, batted some passes, hit him often, and sacked him three times. Together with overall good tackling, the Defensive effort was just enough to get the Giants through regulation, overtime, and off to Indianapolis to play in another Super Bowl.
The night ended perfectly as Terry Bradshaw was forced to look at winning coach Tom Coughlin in the eye yet again. That was always Bill Parcell's favorite part; proving the naysayers- "The Commies" - "the subversives from within" ..., wrong. But even before that, the re-education of Terry Bradshaw had begun. The Family would have their say first. Watching John Mara; the man who believed in Tom Coughlin; and his Mom; - Mrs. Duke - Mrs. Ann Mara - THE MATRIARCH - just destroy Terry Bradshaw and telling him Where to Stick It was the most satisfying part of the whole night. Don't Worry Pop. I Got This!
Now That's GIANTS FOOTBALL!!
YEeeeeeeeaAHH!
Mike.BTB
Thursday, January 12, 2012
N.Y. Giants ~ Coach Perry Fewell's Time is Now
From the desk of: DO IT FOR THE DUKE
NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL: It's Coach Perry Fewell's Responsibility to Keep the Heat On the Packers in Chilly Green Bay.
The Giants are heading back to the Frozen Tundra of Green Bay for another game of the ages. But unlike the last time these teams met back in East Rutherford, the Giants are much better equipped to battle the Packers; not to mention the elements; during Sunday's upcoming arctic expedition to the Dairy State.
We last played the Packers at Giants Stadium without the services of Osi Umenyiora. Justin Tuck still wasn't feeling so well. Michael Boley was still getting his legs under him in his first game back from a hamstring injury. Chase Blackburn hadn't become the smart reinforcement yet that he is at the present time. Chris Canty and Antrel Rolle hadn't yet achieved their present levels of play either. Only recently do things seem to be coming together. And when you consider the Giants' Secondary hasn't suffered any more of those embarrassing meltdowns they endured prior to and during the Packer game, it's reasonable to say Green Bay's offense will be facing a slightly different unit than the one the Packers narrowly defeated in Week Thirteen.
The three things that stick out most about that last game are Eli's pick-six; the Packers returning the last kick-off back to mid-field setting up an easy game winning field goal; and Aaron Rodgers continually scrambling out of the pocket and exploiting acres of empty field in front of him. Every one of his rumbles were back-breakers. With several reasons to chose from as to why the Giants lost that game, I say Aaron Rodgers' legs were a huge difference in the game. That goes hand in hand with an inability to stop Green Bay on third down.
Interceptions and Special Teams can be worked on and corrected however. That last matter about Aaron scrambling isn't so easy. Last game Aaron Rodgers managed to stay a finger tip away from the Giants' (depleted) rush. He created plenty of time living outside the pocket and as a result, coverage eventually broke down. Or, he just tucked the ball and ran for big yardage.
In this season's big rematch, first and foremost, the biggest difference going into this game is the Giants are healthier. In addition to the past casualties mentioned above, Aaron Ross appears to have been cleared to play Football again after being taken out of last week's game with concussion symptoms.
The Giants now have something I've dubbed Defensive Synchronicity. The state of The G-Men and the Department of Defense heading into Sunday looks promising.
Perry Fewell has demonstrated his willingness to turn up the heat as well. With the return of key players he's been much more aggressive lately. That was far from the case last time we played Green Bay. In that game, Coach Fewell decided to rush only three men for a substantial portion of the game. Early on it had it's affect. But like I mentioned, because the three man rush never did get to Fee Range Rodgers, and because Coach Fewelll refused to blitz, the game turned out to be one continuous down field study in busted coverage.
Even though it was the Chiefs who ruined Green Bay's undefeated season, I happen to like how the Lions handled Aaron Rodgers even more, regardless that it came in a losing Thanksgiving effort. The Lions didn't let their Defensive Ends over-pursue Aaron Rodgers and risk blowing by him when he stepped-up in the pocket. Detroit instead brought pressure up the middle. The Ends maintained discipline and kept lane integrity. When Aaron Rodgers stepped up or tried scrambling, the Defensive Ends caved in on him. I caught that on ESPN by the way.
In the Giants last three games, it didn't take long before Marc Sanchez, Tony Romo, and Matt Ryan were all made to look like they quit at some point in the game. The Defensive Pressure oppressed them like 100% humidity in Costa Rica. Aaron Rogers won't be nearly as meek or as accessible to the Giants as the last three QB's were. Rodgers is a much more polished cat than that. So, they'll have their work cut out for them trying to get a hold of an elusive guy.
Amid my confidence right now, I have one major concern. The Giants have not come up with an answer for the no-huddle offense. When teams speed up the game, the Giants Defense gets bogged down. And why not; no substitutions. I would imagine the Packers are fully aware of this flaw in the Giants game. As I trust Coach Fewell is aware of it as well. While Atlanta never had a chance in last week's game, Dallas employed hurry-up tactics in the third quarter in the season finale with great success until the Giants closed that game out.
I haven't hammered Perry Fewell nearly as much as I usually pound Coach Gilbride. Somehow, especially after last game, Gilbride has somehow managed to stay on my good side this season. In his second full season as Defensive Coordinator, Perry Fewell is still trying to win many people over even though the Giants already signed him to an extension.
I will say this much about Perry Fewell, on a week to week basis, he is very adaptable. When it comes to schemes and deception, he's no Spagnuolo. But that's fine. Defensively speaking, Jason Pierre Paul and Mathias Kiwanuka have carried this unit. But Perry Fewell's adaptability has gotten the Giants to within a game of playing for the Conference Championship. Somehow he kept it all together with band-aids and scotch-tape, and finished strong as we head into Sunday. With his side of the ball decimated by injuries this season, through sheer necessity we've witnessed Perry Fewell employ everything from Turtle Shell Mode at times, to watching him unleash fury upon three straight teams. So it's safe to say that adaptability and heavy doses of straight forward aggression are his strengths. Then, there's always a measure of individual effort that a Coach has no control over, nor can account for. For instance, no one coached Osi how to bend Offensive Linemen backwards (see Falcons game) and still bring both him and the quarterback down simultaneously.
Super-human feats of strength are one thing, but what the Giants need now more than ever, is for Perry Fewell to get this one right. Whether it's by brute force and ignorance, or through more scientific methods of planning and preparation, we are about to find out if Coach Fewell was worth the extension he signed, and if he can follow through this Sunday in the spirit and tradition of Giants Football; which in part is predicated upon a dominating Defense.
Mike.BTB
NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL: It's Coach Perry Fewell's Responsibility to Keep the Heat On the Packers in Chilly Green Bay.
The Giants are heading back to the Frozen Tundra of Green Bay for another game of the ages. But unlike the last time these teams met back in East Rutherford, the Giants are much better equipped to battle the Packers; not to mention the elements; during Sunday's upcoming arctic expedition to the Dairy State.
We last played the Packers at Giants Stadium without the services of Osi Umenyiora. Justin Tuck still wasn't feeling so well. Michael Boley was still getting his legs under him in his first game back from a hamstring injury. Chase Blackburn hadn't become the smart reinforcement yet that he is at the present time. Chris Canty and Antrel Rolle hadn't yet achieved their present levels of play either. Only recently do things seem to be coming together. And when you consider the Giants' Secondary hasn't suffered any more of those embarrassing meltdowns they endured prior to and during the Packer game, it's reasonable to say Green Bay's offense will be facing a slightly different unit than the one the Packers narrowly defeated in Week Thirteen.
The three things that stick out most about that last game are Eli's pick-six; the Packers returning the last kick-off back to mid-field setting up an easy game winning field goal; and Aaron Rodgers continually scrambling out of the pocket and exploiting acres of empty field in front of him. Every one of his rumbles were back-breakers. With several reasons to chose from as to why the Giants lost that game, I say Aaron Rodgers' legs were a huge difference in the game. That goes hand in hand with an inability to stop Green Bay on third down.
Interceptions and Special Teams can be worked on and corrected however. That last matter about Aaron scrambling isn't so easy. Last game Aaron Rodgers managed to stay a finger tip away from the Giants' (depleted) rush. He created plenty of time living outside the pocket and as a result, coverage eventually broke down. Or, he just tucked the ball and ran for big yardage.
In this season's big rematch, first and foremost, the biggest difference going into this game is the Giants are healthier. In addition to the past casualties mentioned above, Aaron Ross appears to have been cleared to play Football again after being taken out of last week's game with concussion symptoms.
The Giants now have something I've dubbed Defensive Synchronicity. The state of The G-Men and the Department of Defense heading into Sunday looks promising.
Perry Fewell has demonstrated his willingness to turn up the heat as well. With the return of key players he's been much more aggressive lately. That was far from the case last time we played Green Bay. In that game, Coach Fewell decided to rush only three men for a substantial portion of the game. Early on it had it's affect. But like I mentioned, because the three man rush never did get to Fee Range Rodgers, and because Coach Fewelll refused to blitz, the game turned out to be one continuous down field study in busted coverage.
Even though it was the Chiefs who ruined Green Bay's undefeated season, I happen to like how the Lions handled Aaron Rodgers even more, regardless that it came in a losing Thanksgiving effort. The Lions didn't let their Defensive Ends over-pursue Aaron Rodgers and risk blowing by him when he stepped-up in the pocket. Detroit instead brought pressure up the middle. The Ends maintained discipline and kept lane integrity. When Aaron Rodgers stepped up or tried scrambling, the Defensive Ends caved in on him. I caught that on ESPN by the way.
In the Giants last three games, it didn't take long before Marc Sanchez, Tony Romo, and Matt Ryan were all made to look like they quit at some point in the game. The Defensive Pressure oppressed them like 100% humidity in Costa Rica. Aaron Rogers won't be nearly as meek or as accessible to the Giants as the last three QB's were. Rodgers is a much more polished cat than that. So, they'll have their work cut out for them trying to get a hold of an elusive guy.
Amid my confidence right now, I have one major concern. The Giants have not come up with an answer for the no-huddle offense. When teams speed up the game, the Giants Defense gets bogged down. And why not; no substitutions. I would imagine the Packers are fully aware of this flaw in the Giants game. As I trust Coach Fewell is aware of it as well. While Atlanta never had a chance in last week's game, Dallas employed hurry-up tactics in the third quarter in the season finale with great success until the Giants closed that game out.
I haven't hammered Perry Fewell nearly as much as I usually pound Coach Gilbride. Somehow, especially after last game, Gilbride has somehow managed to stay on my good side this season. In his second full season as Defensive Coordinator, Perry Fewell is still trying to win many people over even though the Giants already signed him to an extension.
I will say this much about Perry Fewell, on a week to week basis, he is very adaptable. When it comes to schemes and deception, he's no Spagnuolo. But that's fine. Defensively speaking, Jason Pierre Paul and Mathias Kiwanuka have carried this unit. But Perry Fewell's adaptability has gotten the Giants to within a game of playing for the Conference Championship. Somehow he kept it all together with band-aids and scotch-tape, and finished strong as we head into Sunday. With his side of the ball decimated by injuries this season, through sheer necessity we've witnessed Perry Fewell employ everything from Turtle Shell Mode at times, to watching him unleash fury upon three straight teams. So it's safe to say that adaptability and heavy doses of straight forward aggression are his strengths. Then, there's always a measure of individual effort that a Coach has no control over, nor can account for. For instance, no one coached Osi how to bend Offensive Linemen backwards (see Falcons game) and still bring both him and the quarterback down simultaneously.
Super-human feats of strength are one thing, but what the Giants need now more than ever, is for Perry Fewell to get this one right. Whether it's by brute force and ignorance, or through more scientific methods of planning and preparation, we are about to find out if Coach Fewell was worth the extension he signed, and if he can follow through this Sunday in the spirit and tradition of Giants Football; which in part is predicated upon a dominating Defense.
Mike.BTB
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