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

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

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

NEW YORK GIANTS
vs.

San Francisco 49ers

Post ~ LEFT With Questions About Run Game

Post ~ California, Here We Come!

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

Perry Fewell is in Position to Place an Indelible Stamp on

a Whole New BIG BLUE Demolition Crew.

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



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



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



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


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



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



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



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



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



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



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


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







Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Defensive Synchronicity

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

2011

WILD CARD WEEKEND

PLAYOFFS

Atlanta Falcons

vs.

NEW YORK GIANTS

FROM

GIANTS STADIUM

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



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




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





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





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





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





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





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





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





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





Next up - The Offensive Plan





Let's Go Giants!





Mike.BTB

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

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

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


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



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




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




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




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




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




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



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




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




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




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




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




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




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




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




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




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




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




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




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




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




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




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




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




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




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




Naturally.








Mike.BTB

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

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE




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




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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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






Mike.BTB

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

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE




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


I said this after Week One :

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

 

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

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

I said this on October 18th:

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

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

Heading into the Saints game, I continued with this:

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

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

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



You know where to find me.






Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Secondary Issues a Primary Concern

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:

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




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




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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Snarred by a Trap Game

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE






NEW YORK FOOTBLL GIANTS:   Big Blue Blunders.

Previous:
Game Five Preview; The Birds, ACT III
Post-Game Summary; Big Blue Bird Droppings

Prior to the game with Seattle, I didn't believe any reasons existed to have a conversation discussing the importance of beating the Seahawks and looking good doing it.  Because Seattle had proven rather inept so far this season, I expanded on that and said than anything less than a convincing victory would be an embarrassment and a complete and utter disappointment, because frankly, this was the Seahawks we were talking about.  And a loss I believed, would open the door for all the criticisms levied against these Giants to rush back in and find a spot to occupy within this season-long discussion of ours.

There will be no talking about being early NFC East favorites now.  After Sunday, there is only shame.  Welcome to Tuesday, when a 3-2 record rings hollow in a division up for grabs.

The best aspect of New York's game Sunday was without a doubt, Steve Weatherford.  He had a booming day punting the ball.  But because he was punting from deep within Giant territory so often, Seattle enjoyed great field position virtually all afternoon.  However, when your punter ends up being the team's best player and your silver lining, in most cases you know things went horribly as a team.



DEFENSIVELY - The Giants allowed thirty-five points, and it should have been more.  Much blame falls on the Offense for that.  But Seattle did things to the Defense that opened up a lot of eyes; both good and bad.  In spite of Seattle's day long success with the no-huddle offense; a scoreboard reflecting thirty-five points allowed; and a forty-seven yard jaunt by Marshawn Lynch setting up Seattle touchdown number two; I think the Defense and Perry Fewell did very well over all.

However, Seattle's plethora of penalties and gift turnovers did play into how well the Defense actually performed.  And there was a tremendous breakdown in the Secondary that needs addressing.  Either way, they were pressed into bad field position and put in poor situations by the Offense for much of the day.

Seattle went No-Huddle for a great majority of the game.  The scheme was a huge Seahawk success.  On Seattle's first possession of the game they marched eighty yards for a touchdown.  Fair enough.  Perry Fewell needed a possession to think that through.

Blame Marshawn Lynch's forty-seven yard rush up the right side on......?  You pick.   Seattle was not in 'no huddle' for that play.  And for a moment, we made Lynch look like the second coming of Curt Warner.  The fact remains, minus Lynch's ponderous jaunt, the Seahawk running game gained +/- seventy-five yards on twenty one carries after you factor out the QB scrambles.  I'll take that.  In the grand scheme of things, I'd rate the play as unfortunate which gets magnified after a bad day.  However it does speak directly to our problems stopping the run over the last two weeks.  And it was Seattle's second legitimate score of the opening quarter.

Osi, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Mathias Kiwanuka stood out with very timely sacks and strips.  Deon Grant and Antrel Rolle both made key tackles on a pair of nicely timed blitz packages dialed up by Coach Fewell.  Tavaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst shouldn't have looked as good as we think they looked.  They only appeared that way as long as they stayed in 'no-huddle'.  I'd take that with a grain of salt.  There is an intended pun in saying that though.  Whitehurst was salt in our wounds either way you look at it.

Because the Defensive gaffe of the day was without a doubt, the play which put Seattle ahead 29-25 late in the fourth quarter.  The Seahawks were still in no huddle on a second and ten play from the Giants twenty-seven.  Osi jumped offside and created a free play for Seattle.  The Secondary blew coverage when Aaron Ross and Rolle both committed to the outside and completely lost the slot receiver leaving him WIDE OPEN for a touchdown.  It was a shame too, because it was Aaron Ross' interception which set up the Giants' game tying touchdown to Hakeem Nicks before the first half ended.

The play continued an alarming trend of giving up huge plays via the air.  Is this due to poor communication on the field?  Lack of talent?  Poor coaching?  In order - that particular play resulted from atrocious on-field communication.  Secondly, Ross; Rolle; Webster; (Phillips); and Grant aren't giving teams any reasons why they shouldn't throw the ball deep against them.  And thirdly, maybe not so much Perry Fewell, but what exactly is the Secondary's real two headed monster; Corners Coach Peter Giunta, and Safety Coach David Merritt; teaching these guys?  Or are those two the ones who aren't communicating well enough between each other?  It warrants questioning.

The bottom line on the afternoon, the Defense repeatedly was asked to bail out the Offense from all the trouble they kept putting the Giants in.  I'm going to give Coach Perry Fewell a huge pat on the back for this game.  But he needs to come up with a plan for future no-huddle schemes against us and talk to his Secondary coaches pronto.



OFFENSIVELY -  Yes; They were very offensive.  I was offended.  The Offensive Line was exceptionally abrasive Sunday.  Lets start with them.

But first......., I'm not going after Kevin Gilbride this time.  He let Ahmad Bradshaw rush the ball seventeen times Sunday.  Seattle was focused on stopping him and making Eli throw.  That's cool - I get that.  I know how it goes sometimes.  I just hope Gilbride doesn't lose patience with Sunday's results.  I did feel however, there was yardage for Bradshaw to be gained by bumping things outside more; pulling Guards; more pitches; and more screens.  But I have no gripes with Gilbride this week.  Actually, I thought our opening drive was very creative.

My gripes are solely on the players this week.  The O-Line was dreadful.  There was a fumbled snap the Giants self-recovered in the second quarter.  Two penalties with first down and goal to go, on two separate occasions used to be unheard of around these parts.  Now it happens with gaining frequency.  The penalty against Jake Ballard, while infuriating, is still understandable.  The Giants are still trying to piece together TE.  A penalty to David Diehl was uncommon and Will Beatty's killed.  And last week, reliable Chris Snee had two. 

The two point Safety against the Giants came as a direct result of a blown assignment by the Line; more specifically the Tight End again; Jake Ballard.  His missed block/no block/no show gave Seattle a clear shot at D.J. Ware and two points the other way.

Over all, there were no holes anywhere to be found for Ahmad Bradshaw to run through.  Most all attempts to run off-guard or off-tackle were stuffed.  And I'll pile on by saying I don't think the position of Fullback is up to snuff either.  Let's not mention names, OK?

But the O-Line was clearly compromised at Center.  There was the mentioned fumbled snap Blue managed to recover on a third down play just before half-time.  And Chris Snee was forced to leave the game late with one of the two possible concussions suffered by the front-line unit.  So moving forward, we now know the Line has stability and cohesion issues.  And as a result or not, I feel there's also a little lack of creativity on run blocking schemes and expanding the Line's repertoire.

Lastly, the Offensive Line is getting Eli sacked with Giant regularity.  They allowed three more Sunday. 

I accused Eli of having happy feet over the first two or three games of the season.  The last two weeks, he has stood firmly in the pocket making good throws.  But Eli's first two turnovers against the Seahawks were dreadful.  They could have cost us dearly and somehow didn't.   He was sacked and fumbled early in the first quarter.  We've seen that before.  But Osi Umenyiora negated the turnover by causing one of his own on the ensuing Seattle possession.  In the second quarter, the Defense bailed Eli out again after he put up a pass that had "Intercept me!  - signed Eli Manning" branded on it.  That INT was all on Eli. -  It was the old, I never saw the Safety.  Then Jason Pierre Paul and the Defense wiped out that turnover as well by forcing Seattle into a three-and-out.

Like I said earlier, the first scoring drive of the game was a nicely crafted drive.  In my preview post, I asked for more passing to the Tight End and got it right off the bat.  There were two big catches by Jake Ballard; his second resulting in the touchdown.  And then there was the touchdown drive featuring Hakeem Nicks before the first half ended.  If anything, that reinforces why we have confidence in our ability to score.  Eli has always done exceptionally well with less than 2:00 over his entire career.  He was successful again Sunday before the first half expired.  And he almost pulled it off again with less that two minutes in the fourth quarter.


But with no running game going, we started the second half like this:

1) Four plays; Punt.
2) Three plays; Punt.
3) Safety - 2 pts.
4) Four plays; Punt.


While over that same time, the Defense sacked and blitzed Seattle and limited them to a field goal and just a 17-14 Seahawks' lead.



CRUZ  CONTROL:  HANDS ON THE PRIZE?  OR, FINGERTIPS OF MISFORTUNE?

That leads us to the moment when Mr. Feast or Famine himself; Victor Cruz; decided to "single-handed" take control of this game and make either the Giants or Seahawks a clear cut winner in what was to that point, a tight, if not frustrating contest.  Victor Cruz has rapidly earned a reputation for being a miracle maker, and at the same time, being the root cause of utterly bizarre catastrophe.  In the last two weeks he shown us why.  Sunday, he validated it.

From the Giants' own thirty-five yard line, Eli heaved up a Hail-Mary pass that was tipped and found it's way into the hands of Victor Cruz who scampered the rest of the way for a sixty-eight yard touchdown and a 22-19 lead after a successful two-point conversion.

On the Giants next possession, Victor Cruz fumbled a five yard catch at the Giants' own twenty-five yard line which the Defense did well to limit damage to a field goal and a 22-22 game.

Coach Gilbride then dialed-up another Tight End based drive that put us first and goal on the Seattle seven yard line.  Then.....Bam!  Ballard!  Flag!  -  First and goal from the twelve now.  Giants get held to a field goal and lead 25-22.

Seattle scored on the ROSS-N-ROLLE PLAY (see Defense).   It's now a 25-29 game.  Whatever!

The Giants had the ball with 2:37 left on their own twenty.  Fine.  This was OK by me.  This was just one of those games right?  Up the field we'd go and score the winning touchdown.  And off we went.

But this is when the O-Line troubles and questions really became an issue.  Chris Snee left the game, and Jim Cordle was now playing Center.  They pressed on.

Eli rolled right and lofted a pass to Victor Cruz who again made an amazing tipped ball reception.  The play took the Giants to Seattle's twenty-five yard line.  Another pass to Cruz gave the Giants first and goal from the five.  And....POW!  BAM!  FLAG!  -  Will Beatty.  First and goal from the ten now!

And then?   ....Eli dropped back, spotted Cruz again, and threw a well timed pass off Cruz' break.  The problem was, Cruz slipped on his route and could only manage to tip the ball.  The ball tipped off his outreaching hand, off one Seahawk, and into the arms of another who returned the ball ninety-four yards for a back-breaking touchdown.

Eli's subsequent interception on the next possession was inconsequential.  The damage was already done.  The Giants had beaten themselves.




How do you judge a game like this?  I'm still struggling with that.  They got hammered in field position all game, but the end result came about by some bad luck.  What is certain though, is the Giants blew a grand opportunity to flex a little muscle in the NFC Eastern Division with this loss.  Instead of separating themselves, they fell victim to the Trap Game, and today merely run with the pack.





Mike.BTB

N.Y Giants ~ Defensive Blues Color Game One

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE



NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:  Redskins Expose Big Blue Holes In Defense.  Secondary Shows Old Form.


Ya know, for a Defensive minded kind of guy, I've spent an extraordinarily long time these last two seasons talking about Offense and the Running Game.  That's because Kevin Gilbride drives me freakin' crazy.


But please; let's talk Defense.


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


That's our present condition; not necessarily our state of affairs.  Now that off-season talk and speculation have turned into real games, it's time to play through problems also.  As you well know, we have an epidemic of injuries on this side of the ball.  We just have to get through it.  There was no Justin Tuck; no Osi Umenyiora; Jonathan Goff; or Prince Amukamara.  How much did not having them available alter the defensive plan?  In a logical sense; a lot.  But in the NFL, you never know for sure until the game is over.


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


If Jerry Reese had spent any time (at all) trying to find some linebackers, perhaps many things change about this Defense.  Then we'd be able to escape this over-reliance on the D-Line getting sacks. 


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




Mike.BTB

N.Y. GIANTS ~ End Of Season - PART II

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS

"Finish 2010 Season, Ten and SICK"

Read:  THE AUTOPSY; PART ONE

* Coach Tom Coughlin

* Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride

* QB Coach Mike Sullivan

* Running Backs Coach Jerald Ingram

Click Here.

NOW PLAYING:

THE AUTOPSY;  PART II

III - THE DEFENSIVE COACHING

1 ~ DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR ~ PERRY FEWELL

Shortly after the Giants win over the Redskins Sunday, Perry Fewell's name came up as someone meriting an interview as a potential Head Coaching Candidate.  I myself do not see him being a Head Coach...yet.  Apparently the Browns might though.  And that's fine with me.  Fortunately for Fewell, Gilbride and our inability to gain ONE FIRST DOWN against Philly still dominates my nightmares BUT the fact we gave up a million points in 8 minutes then a million more the very next game to Aaron Rodgers, when those two games represented our most important games of the year still really rubs me the wrong way.

There was a time this season when it rubbed Coach Coughlin the wrong way also; against Dallas.., and our Head Coach let his displeasure with his Coordinator be known right on the sideline.

If JOHN FOX will come back to be our Defensive Coordinator whether Perry Fewell gets the Browns job or not, make the switch now while John Fox is an unrestricted free agent coach.

Outside of that!....I am not too cool about more disruption and having to break-in yet another Defensive Cord.  You do something like that for the right guy; like Fox.  Otherwise, Perry Fewell is good enough to proceed into next season with.

Perry Fewell is clearly much more dynamic in his Defensive Schemes than Bill Sheridan, the Coordinator he replaced was.  In that respect the Giants improved tremendously;  Exponentially even.

But let's be clear...; He is not as good as Coach Spagnuolo was even with a healthy Kenny Phillips, JPP, and Terrell Thomas.  Perry Fewell's Defense was lacking at Linebacker where-as Coach Spags had Antonio Pierce.  But know this and know it well....Coach Spags turned a virtual no-body into a Linebacking Crazed Animal with how Coach Spags deployed Kawika Mitchell.  Perry Fewell has done no such thing.  Antrel Rolle blew into the locker room and criticized te team early in the season.  Justin Tuck took matters into his own hands by speaking up and playing well.  But those two men were self motivated to do the things they did.  What player has Perry Fewell remolded to better fit the needs of his schemes?

You would probably pick one of the Safety's;  -   Deon Grant, Rolle or Phillips due to Jerry Reese leaving the Linebacker Corps as our Defensive soft white under-belly.  Phillips already was highly touted by the organization.  Antrel Rolle was already...Antrel Rolle.  So that leaves Deon Grant as the Perry Fewell trophy Kid.  Deon Grant was an NFL nomad just like Kawika Mitchell was.  But if you compare the "projects" - where Fewell barely buffed out a shine from Grant, Coach Spags had Mitchell shining bright and making big plays for him and the Giants.

Spags did with two linebackers what Perry Fewell could not do with three Safety sets;  CLOSE OUT GAMES!  If you want to put that on Jerry Reese and not Perry Fewell, that's fair.

But there are 8 games for sure we can point to where-in the Secondary looked amateurish.  That's half your schedule.  They have consistently given up The Huge Play.  Start back with Week Two and the Colts, followed by their imitation of Swiss Cheese against TENN.  Dallas really drubbed us twice and tore-up our Secondary.  The Jags did it for a while.  PHILLY did it, and Green Bay really really did it.  Washington almost did it to us in the end too.  What is a little mind boggling is that Perry Fewell used to be Tom Coughlin's Secondary Coach back in JAX for 5 years.  The Secondary is supposed to be his forte'...!  That's why he upsets me.  He failed at the very aspect of his expertise.  It's like Vince Lombardi's Packers not being able to execute a Sweep-Left Play.

And for that reason, Perry Fewell's Corner-Backs Coach and his Safety Coach are off the hook.

Jerry Reese will be getting my crap in-lieu of the Line-Backer Coach where they're concerned.  And that's a biggie!

The Front Four pretty much did their job this year, to include the emergence of Jason Pierre Paul.  The Blitz-Packages were not as well disguised as with Spags, but they were effective none the less.

IV - SPECIAL TEAMS

1 - SPECIAL TEAMS COACH ~ TOM QUINN

Tom Quinn has been in charge of the Special Teams Unit since 2007, our Super Bowl year.  It remained a respectable Unit for that one moment ONLY when he first took over.  It's just gotten progressively worse all the way through to last Sunday.  Quinn was hired when Mike Sweatman retired at the conclusion of the 2006 season.  From the second he took over, Special teams have been a complete nightmare for the Giants.  For Tom Quinn, after "Jeff" and "Feagles", there are no two other combinations of  kind-sounding words I can use to describe the job he's done.

To describe what an unmitigated failure he has been in this capacity is beyond my vocabulary.

Forget Matt Dodge..., No really, forget Matt Dodge!  Blame Quinn because he'd ruin Matt Bahr if given the chance.  He'd make Ray Guy break out in hives.  But this isn't about the Punter.

The Kick-Off coverage was horrendous all year long.  The Punt coverage was horrendous all year long.

The New York Giants lost the Battle of Field Position on every front as long as the Kicking game was involved.

THE ON-SIDE KICK:

Against Philadelphia, Tom Coughlin told his Special Teams Coach to be looking and be prepared for an On-Side kick.

STOP!

Once Coach Coughlin noticed he didn't have his "HANDS" personnel on the field, he himself could have interceded.

BACK!

Tom Quinn sent out a normal front-5 formation and they were all running back for blocking, assuming Philly would Kick-Off.  Without Tom Coughlin in the picture, as a Special Teams Coach, you MUST be living for that moment.  Everyone in the Milky Way knew Philly was forced to attempt an On-Side.  This play has already been regurgitated over and over again.  But because Tom Quinn is so bad at what he's been assigned to do, we never get that nasty taste out of our mouths.

Tom Quinn and his Special Teams Plague must be eradicated from Giants Football...post-haste!

A derisive dissertation of Tom Quinn can theoretically go on all night.  That's why I shall end this now.

STILL TO COME:

* The Offensive Line

* GM Jerry Reese and the Players

Mike.BTB