N.Y. Giants: Linebacker; Jerry Reese Adds Another Weak Link In The Chain

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: Jerry Reese Adds A Questionable Linebacker To This Low Priority Unit.

The defense didn't play that badly last week.  For three quarters, they provided the offense with ample opportunity to score points.  But the offense wouldn't acquiesce.  The game then got away after a third quarter Kansas City punt return for a touchdown.  Two Alex Smith touchdown passes came with 5:00 minutes left in the game to make it a misleading 31-7 victory.

Collectively, the line backing unit had perhaps their best game of the season.  Mark Herzlich and  Spencer Paysinger led the team with seven solo tackles each.  Paysinger also recorded the Giants only sack.  Jacquian Williams made two tackles.  The ever disappointing Keith Rivers however, did not register a tackle Sunday and is only averaging two tackles a game.  Entering last season, the Giants  traded a fifth round selection to acquire Rivers, who has never performed up to expectations.

After offseason free agent acquisition Dan Conner was lost for the season in Week One, Jerry Reese picked up Allen Bradford, formerly of Tampa, off waivers.  Bradford made one tackle against the Chiefs.  Yesterday, Jerry Reese finalized a deal for another reinforcement.  He sent a late round 2014 draft pick to Carolina for linebacker Jon Beason.

Jon Beason, 28, was a rookie in 2007, and between 2008-2011 made three straight Pro Bowl appearances.  During the 2011 season, he tore his Achilles tendon.  Then last October, he underwent micro-fracture surgery on his knee.  Beason was benched this season after a series of poor performances.  Ironically, Chase Blackburn was signed by Carolina as a free agent during the offseason, and wound up outplaying and replacing Jon Beason on the field.

What good will Beason be to the Giants?  At a minimum, he'll keep a functioning unit on the field.  The Giants entered the season undermanned at linebacker, with a minimal number as it was.  They went into the Chiefs game with five.  Jerry Reese just increased their number to six.

Jon Beason is clearly struggling while returning from injuries.  He may need considerable time in order to become an impact Pro Bowl player again, if he ever does.  That's why nothing about this acquisition should make Giants fans any more hopeful heading into Week Five.  Time is just something the Giants can least afford.

On a side note, Jerry Reese's lack of attention, or concern over the years at linebacker is finally coming back to haunt him.  Without a pass rush, there is no Plan-B on defense.  Lets face it, the Giants totally lucked out when Chase Blackburn left his living room to make an impact.  Otherwise, massive salary cap problems prevented Jerry Reese from retaining Blackburn and the underwhelming Michael Boley.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants: Big Blue's Soft White Underbelly

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

 

Def. Coordinator Perry Fewell

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: Will Big Blue's Linebackers Please Report To The Field Please?

One of the many things I found difficult to watch last week was Denver's Knowshon Moreno rushing for ninety-three yards on just thirteen carries, and scoring two touchdowns.  His first TD in the second quarter was a romp-right, for twenty yards.  His second touchdown was a third quarter romp-right, this time good for twenty-five yards.

Where do we start, with the fact it's taken Moreno the better part of three seasons for even the Broncos to think of him seriously, and that last Sunday Moreno ran outside-Tackle with fury?  Or should we bring up the fact Justin Tuck got, not just sealed off, but wiped out on both TD plays?  How about the fact that not a single Giants linebacker touched Moreno during either romp down the right sideline.

Up the middle with Linval Joseph and Cullen Jenkins the Giants have been solid enough, but Justin Tuck is still yet to step up his game, while JPP is not yet fully recovered from off-season back surgery.  But even more concerning to me, is the lack of presence by the linebackers.  It is the team's soft white underbelly.  As if getting beat twice with the same play wasn't bad enough, on Knowshon's second touchdown, the Giants had a seven man front, with three linebackers on the field; Jacquian Williams, Keith Rivers and Mark Herzlich; and still not one touched him.  The Giants only had two linebackers on the field during his first touchdown.

If the Giants front does manage to break down the pocket this Sunday, the linebacker situation still makes it very easy for me to envision the middle of the field opening up for Cam Newton to take off running unmolested.

As a team, the Giants rank 15th in the NFL against the run, so, all is not lost.  But from Week One against Dallas, to their performance against Denver in Week Two, they took huge step backwards in respect to both stopping the run, and getting to the quarterback.  In Week One, the Giants allowed eighty-seven yards rushing.  Tony Romo dropped back to pass forty-nine times, got sacked two times, and got hit six more times.  In Week Two, the Giants allowed over 100 yards.  Peyton Manning dropped back forty-three times, didn't get sacked and only got hit twice all game.  The drop-off might be partially explained by the loss of linebacker Dan Conner, who was having a nice game against Dallas until suffering his season ending injury.

Granted, having been on the wrong end of ten turnovers committed by the offense, the defense has had their hands full.  And to be fair, the Giants played Denver tightly in the first half before things took a turn for the worse in the second half.  So far however, the numbers tell the story of a middle of the pack defense.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants: The Confounding Situation At Linebacker

From the desk of:   DO IT FORTHE DUKE

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: What's A Middle Aged Giants Fan Like Me To Think?  Long Gone Are The Days When Big Blue Dominated With Hall of Fame Linebackers And A Smash Mouth Running Game.

These Days, Giants Football Is About The Defensive Line And Eli Manning's Arm.  It Confounds Our Basic Programming From Twenty-Five Years Ago......

Big Blue's shortcomings at linebacker start with Jerry Reese's staunch commitment to maintaining depth on the defensive line, and his reluctance to spend a high draft pick on a linebacker.

Compounding the issue, Michael Boley didn't pan out exactly the way the Giants wanted, and were forced to cut his salary last off-season.  He was solid, but underwhelming.  Prior to signing MLB Allan Bradford earlier this week to replace Connor, the Giants were left with Mark Herzlich as their lone remaining middle line backer.  Keith Rivers, Spencer Paysinger and Jacquian Williams are the outside guys, who so far, are an unremarkable bunch.

Allan Bradford was originally Tampa Bay's sixth round pick of the 2011 draft, and was eventually cut.  He was then reclaimed by his old college coach from USC, Seattle's Pete Carroll, and entered the season as the Seahawks back-up MLB.  In a twist Giants fans should know, Pete Carroll switched him in college from linebacker into a running back.  Back playing linebacker, he came to the Giants  by clearing waivers, and will start right away.  That's a precarious situation to say the least, especially heading into a game against Peyton Manning.

Last week against Dallas, the Giants played a lot of nickel packages, which only meant two linebackers were on the field at any given time.  How well did that work?  Tony Romo was 36 of 49, for 263 yards and two touchdowns.  The middle of the field was available to the Cowboys all night, and the Giants, as usual had no answer for tight end Jason Witten - not at linebacker at least.  So what do you think Peyton Manning will do against a suspect line backing crew?




Mike.BTB

New York Giants: Philly Showdown - I

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL: Might As Well Play This Game In A School Yard.  Let's Get It On!


Uh.., yeah!  Remember us?  And why would you?  The schedule makers won't let us play at the same time everyone else does.  While we're at it, why even bother playing this game on a football field?  It's Philly - might as well play this game in a school yard.


Despite all the popular talk lately, I for one do not like relying on turnovers to win games.  I don't care how many times Philly has turned over the ball this season.  No - instead of sniffing around for turnovers, Philly/Giants games are usually more a matter of brute force, ignorance, seeing who can  deliver a bigger hit, who can withstand more pain, AND the obligatory freak occurrence.  It doesn't fall short on any Giants fan to know the damnedest things happen when these teams play each other.  So why plan?  But I'll take the turnovers when I can get them.


Last week's win over the Panthers was nice and flashy and all.., but lets get back to basics, shall we?  It is time to play football in the trenches again.  Here's why I think the Giants will win Sunday evening.  Big Blue's defensive line is healthy, and the Eagles offensive line is not.  Michael Vick is one or two big shots away from missing time this season.  Who better to get after him than the Giants?  Four games into the season...it is time they do.


The Giants have had trouble when plays bounce outside.  Otherwise, the Giants have stayed resilient up the middle.  Linval Joseph and Rocky Bernard stabilized Tackle in Chris Canty's absence.  Michael Boley and Jacquian Williams continue to play well together.  If Keith Rivers can ever rejoin Mathias Kiwanuka, Boley, and Williams, what a fine linebacker unit this could be; and depth with Chase Blackburn to spare.  At Safety, Antrell Rolle and Kenny Phillips have been solid.  Rolle's knee should be fine.  And Kenny Phillips is slowly putting together the type of season we've been waiting for.  So if the defense can collectively can keep Michael Vick in the middle of the field, that would create ideal conditions for the pass rushers.  That in turn minimizes the exposure of the Corners.  It's all relative.


The key here is Michael Boley.  As the team's corner backs disintegrate behind him, Boley's responsibility of directing traffic and setting the defense increase exponentially.  At Corner, Corey Webster's hand is in a cast, and Jayron Hosely is out.  Webster will still play, but then again, he's been getting burnt like toast in two of three games.  Prince Amukamara and Michael Coe are still trying to get off the carpet as well.


So it falls back on Michael Boley and his unit to ensure the front seven pose major problems for Michael Vick.  If the G-Men keep Vick contained inside the numbers, and make him wait for something to open up down field, the pass rush will come.  If the Eagles O-Line is as banged up as advertised, the G-Men should be upon Vick quickly.


Why is this game going to come down to a field goal?  The Eagles are going to defend the run a lot better than the Panthers did.  Be sure of that.  So look for a one week down tick in Andre Brown's performance.  Ahmad Bradshaw will play.  He has always bounced back well.  We'll see how he bounces back this game.


As well as the Giants reconfigured Offensive Line has played these last two games, Philly's defensive front line is no joke.  For Sean Locklear, this is like getting thrown into the fire.  He's in, and David Diehl is out.  Some will even argue the O-Line has played better in Diehl's absence.  To that I say show me against the Eagles.  Odds are Eli gets to talk with some of Philly's defensive players up close this Sunday evening.  If recent history repeats itself, Eli might even throw an INT.  He'll be going it without Hakeem Nicks.  But Eli, and the rest of the available receivers should do just enough to squeeze out a close win in Philly.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants: Big Blue "D - FENCE" Preview

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

 

Justin Tuck Salutes The Crowd

 

 

2012 OFFENSIVE PREVIEW:

Eli Manning Is Now Beyond The Coach

On Kevin Gilbride, And An Offensive Line Preview

Running Game Taking On New Persona

Wide Recievers: Life After Plaxico

 

 

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:  Coach Perry Fewell Has A Greater Challenge On His Hands This Season.  And Of Course, The Defense Must Stay Healthy.

We pick up where we left off.  The Secondary is in trouble.  Coach Perry Fewell will have to be just a tad bit more creative this season than last.  From bad to worse, Prince Amukamara has a high ankle sprain.  Aaron Ross left town taking some very valuable experience and leadership with him.  And Terrell Thomas is out for the season...again.


Last season, Perry Fewell switched the Secondary off, then back on again.  If it seemed the Giants were routinely giving up thirty-plus points through the air, that because they were.  Then word leaked out through the Air Defense Corp themselves that Coach's newly implemented zone schemes confused the hell out of them.  When Coach scrubbed his idea and went back to more conventional methods, Corey Webster and Aaron Ross played shutdown football the rest of the way.  Those two had a great run together.  But that is now officially the past.


While Prince Amukamara heals, the Giants have a choice.  Do they go with an experienced Michael Coe?  Or was rookie Jeyron Hosely's pre-season good enough to warrant a few games at corner?  There is always Justin Tyron.  But if pressed to pick someone, I'd kindly ask Michael Coe to please stand up.


Expect teams to pick on the corners right away.  That means others need to pick up the slack.  Antrel Rolle never really found favor with me before.  But I admit now, he proved me wrong.  With the Secondary in its current state, Antrel Rolle is now invaluable.  He not only played hurt last season, he  demanded his team mates put their injuries aside, and get their posteriors on the field as well.  That turned out to be a bigger moment in the season than we initially thought.  Something about that clicked in Justin Tuck's head too, and away the Giants went.  Additionally, Antrel stepped in, and covered the slot receivers of the league, while never feeling comfortable doing it.  If Antrel's partner, Kenny Phillips, is going to be All Pro like some once projected him to be, this would be the season to step up and get it done.  He is a fifth year player now.  So with that, come higher expectations for him.


On the next defensive front, if the Giants linebackers stay healthier than last season; namely Michael Boley; the Giants should hold up much better during the meat portion of their schedule.  Those are the games Boley missed last season; see the 49ers game.  Right out of the box, Jonathan Goff and Clint Sintim both went belly up and never contributed.


This year, I have high hopes however, for second year Jacquian Williams.  I liked him a lot last season.  With Michael Boley on the field mentoring him, he played very well for a rookie.  And where the hell would the Giants have been without Chase Blackburn last season?  But having him, also shows the G-Men are a little thin at this position.  All the same, it's nice to see him back.  Greg Jones and Spencer Paysinger, like J-Will, are second year players, but in my opinion, have a little more to prove.  I believe Keith Rivers will surprise a lot of Giants fans, and quickly move up the depth charts if he can adapt to playing left, middle, as well as right.  I think there is still an ongoing tryout for middle linebacker.  It will take much on Rivers part to convince Coach Coughlin to start him over Blackburn.  I wouldn't rule it out though..., just not to begin the season.


Somewhere between being a linebacker and a defensive lineman is the Hybrid; Mathias Kiwanuka.  The guy is a freak isn't he?  And he finally seems to have injuries under control.  I want you to say this out loud - Matthias Kiwanuka - JPP - Osi Umenyiora - Justin Tuck.  They are like the Four Blue Men of the Apocalypse.  Chilling..., isn't it?


If anyone is going to help make the Secondary better, it's going to be these guys.  Where would the Giants have been had Jason Pierre Paul not carried the defense on his back for a significant portion of the regular season?  Your answer is - with the Jets.  He kept things going while Osi and Tucks ailed and required time to heal.  The Jets game and Dallas game wouldn't have even mattered if not for JPP.  It is only appropriate then, JPP blocked Dallas' last ditch field goal attempt in last year's regular season finale.  It goes without saying, as Osi and Tuck go, so go the Giants.  When they are hurt, the Giants suffer greatly.  Lastly, please, please - I can't allow myself to get excited about rookie Adewale Ojomo yet.


But while I'm at it, defensive tackle has suffered ever since Barry Cofield left.  Chris Canty going down is a big blow.  Linval Joseph is a three year guy now.  And for the moment, left tackle is his to keep or lose.  I'm not sure about him.  Just as I believe teams will pick on our corners, I also believe teams will try to run right up the middle on us.  Teams figured that out about the Giants too late last season.  Once Michael Boley returned healthy to plug the gaps, that notion kind of went away.  After a decade-plus of service, Rocky Bernard is also being depended upon to plug the tackle spot.  I do not like the Giants depth at tackle at all.  Although Marvin Austin can change my mind.


Let's wrap this up with Coach Perry Fewell.  Did he prove anything last season?  Do you like him now?  Are we collectively over Steve Spagnuolo now?  I'll say this about Perry Fewell regarding last season.  He contended with a lot of injuries to his unit, and proved himself to be very adaptable.  He was deceptive in his packages, but clearly not as devious as Spags was.  But Perry is his own man, and overall he ran a tight ship.  Bottom line, Perry was deceptive enough to win a Super Bowl.  But he had veteran leadership from Tuck, Osi, Webster, and Aaron Ross to help get it done.  Coach Fewell will have a greater challenge on his hands this season.





Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Back To The Land of Giants

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

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

N.Y. Giants ~ Defensive Synchronicity

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

2011

WILD CARD WEEKEND

PLAYOFFS

Atlanta Falcons

vs.

NEW YORK GIANTS

FROM

GIANTS STADIUM

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



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




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





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





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





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





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





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





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





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





Next up - The Offensive Plan





Let's Go Giants!





Mike.BTB

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

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

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


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



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



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





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





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





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





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





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





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





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





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





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

*     *     *     *

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





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





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





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





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





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





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





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





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







Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ TEXAS SHOWDOWN

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:

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

Big Blue's Season Boils Down to a Showdown Against

Our Old Nemesis, the Dallas Cowboys.

WEEK FOURTEEN PICKS

POST:  Secondary Issues a Primary Concern

GIANTS  vs.  COWBOYS:

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

"Battle for the NFC East"

NEW YORK GIANTS
vs.

Dallas Cowboys

From

The Double J Ranch

Texas

Mike.BTB