New York Giants: Wide Receivers - Life After Plaxico

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

 

N.Y. GIANTS OFFENSE

Eli Manning Is Now Beyond The Coach

On Kevin Gilbride, And An Offensive Line Preview

Running Game Taking On New Persona

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:  Jerry Reese And Eli Manning Resuscitated The Position Of Wide Receiver After Plaxico's Gun Shot It.


The Giants signed Martellus Bennett right from under Jerry Jones' nose, and the tight end couldn't be happier about it.  Quite frankly, neither can I.  At present, it appears as if Dallas' All Pro tight end Jason Witten might be out for the season, or miss significant time anyway.  Too bad the Giants are now in possession of the Cowboys' next best thing.  Sweet!  Lets just hope he can stay healthier than the last few tight ends. Otherwise, I can't wait to see Martellus Bennett in action.  If Eli likes him, that's good enough for me.


Bear Pascoe is back for another season.  And I say good.  He is a gamer who has a good nose for football.  More importantly, in my opinion he is a capable blocker on the line.  I have no idea if Martellus Bennett will be a good two-way tight end.  His blocking ability is still yet to be revealed.


Why start with the tight ends?  As receivers go, tight end has been the most pressing position; not wide receiver.  The day Plaxico Burress busted a cap in his own leg, was the day Jerry Reese set out to never get shot again; not by a receiver anyway.  The after affects of that bullet bled into the 2009 season.  No pun intended.  But if there is one thing Jerry Reese has provided the Giants since then, it is depth at receiver.  I rarely hear him receive his due credit though.


At the time of the shooting, Eli was younger, and Plaxico was a player the Giants were dependent on.  Jerry Reese and Eli Manning changed all that.  Eli is older now, and his own man.  It took roughly a whole season for the Giants to fully really recover from Plaxico's wound.  Jerry Reese has since  supplied Eli with a steady flow of receivers since 2009, on.  With Plaxico gone, the position has also become more interchangeable as well.  Between 2009 and 2011, Giants fans moved on from dreading everything regarding wide receiver, to having confidence in anyone the G-Men threw out there.


Sinorice Moss and Steve Smith came in and out of the picture.  Fans were still lamenting Dominick Hixon's career.  Hakeem Nicks was a known commodity coming out of college.  But who the hell saw Victor Cruz coming?  In the widely touted era of quarterbacks, Jerry Reese does not get enough credit for keeping the position going after Plax.


Add Mario Manningham's name to the list of former Giants.  Eli trusted him.  Mario Manningham left for San Francisco and took a large degree of Giants depth with him.  That's where Domenick Hixon re-enters the picture.  This is also the season Ramses Barden needs to step up as well.  And whether Jerrel Jernigan impresses anybody remains to be seen.


As far as the two returning starters, A) - what the hell was Hakeem Nicks doing on the field recently against the Patriots?  And B) - will Victor Cruz suffer through the sophomore blues?  Remember how he started out as an all or nothing receiver?  He was either a heart attack or a touchdown waiting to happen.  He then learned how to control the ball and left defenders in his wake.  The big question is, can he do it again?


I have no concerns about a healthy Hakeem Nicks.  So I guess everything depends on how he comes back.






Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Week Three is for THE BIRDS

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

WEEK THREE

NEW YORK GIANTS

vs.

Philadelphia Eagles

From

Home of the Worst Cheese Steaks!

Previous Posts:

PIGSKIN; Week Three Picks - BTB
Off to Philly on Big Blue Crutches;  -  BTB






I. - OFFENSE:

   1) - Receiver Corps.

The Giants signed recent living room resident; WR-Michael Clayton.  What do you want me to say?  Michael Clayton played a couple of games for us last season and was cut from the roster in camp this season.  Hey man, thanks for answering the phone?


With Domenik Hixon gone for the season, and Mario Manningham most likely sitting out Sunday, Eli will be left with Hakeem Nicks; Victor Cruz; R-Jerrel Jernigan; Devin Thomas; Brandon Stokley; and now Michael Clayton.  And I hope the pecking order remains just as I named them.  Really!  Tight End Travis Beckum might be back, but he's not an option.  Option?  He should be flat out ignored.  He just better pass block well if he's on Eli's left side.  That's all I'll say about him.


None the less, those are the receivers left at Eli's disposal.  Now let's speak briefly about which one of those receivers will disappear from Sunday's game at roughly 1:05 pm.  Once Philly's Nnamdi Asomugha takes the field, in all likelihood, there goes Hakeem Nicks too.  And if I turn out to be very wrong about that match-up, then that means Hakeem has officially joined the ranks of the League's elite receivers.  ..."Perchance to Dream."


But the slings and arrows await Victor Cruz and rookie-Jerrel Jernigan.  Welcome to the New York Receiver Corps; Boot Camp Philly Style.  A huge game against the top division rival just showed up on their front steps.  What are they gonna do when Game Time breaks down the door and shines the bright lights on them?  It's called stepping up Boys.


   2) - Eli Manning

Eli needs to trust that his revamped O-Line will give him time to find these tertiary receivers of ours.  And new Center; David Bass; might have an injury that will be a last minute game time call.  Will Beatty is probably in for his biggest test as a Left Tackle this week. 


But even then,  Eli needs to bear down and be more accurate than he's been (like always).  And I hope he and his patchwork of receivers communicated like hell this week in practice, because we can't afford blown assignments and errant passes to nowhere; and especially the dreaded INT's.


For the Giants to have a successful passing game.  It should be quick drops; three steps and pop.  That cuts down your odds of getting sacked, and it takes defense off their plan.  Ever hear of crossing patterns..., or something along the lines of "Run and Shoot" - to shake it up?  Draw them in, then maybe they'll give us chances over the top.


The bottom line is, the Eagles are going to have the Giants well covered.  But how many of them can they cover?  That's where Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw come in.  They'll have to be taken out of their comfort zone and catch many more passes out of the back field this game.  They should be busy with swing passes; screens; and Ahmad Bradshaw in scat patterns.  That's what I'm thinking.


All that is going to be needed in order to keep the Eagles honest if the Giants want any chance of running the ball with power.  I realize that's coming from me.  But the fact is, if Asomugha and the Eagles' secondary shut down Eli and the passing game, Philly will be stacking the box with eight and nine at a time to make sure Eli is throwing, and the Giants' Jacobs and Bradshaw aren't rushing.  You don't think Philly will go man-coverage most of the game?  They are dying for Eli to throw the ball.


   3) - Kevin Gilbride and the Running Game

There are indeed two games I can refer to from last season, where Kevin Gilbride devised offensive plans that kept us right in the mix; up until we ran into that dreadful Eagles game.  They came at times when our receivers; not the Defense; were being crippled by injuries.  That's the kind of plan that the Offensive Coordinator needs to come up with this week.  We need something original and creative; which for the most part, are the largest criticisms levied against him today.


But nothing will work unless the Giants run the football.  Of course.  And how can Gilbride help them run the ball if the Eagles' plan is to flood the box and force Eli to throw?  Spread their defense out with the old "run and shoot style" and make the defense be accountable for catches out of the back field.  Then leave it to the O-Line to create some holes and pound em.  Schemes like that demand a lot from a cohesive O-Line.  Let's hope ours is up to snuff.


It's Kevin Gilbride's job to devise something that will keep Philadelphia from teeing off on Eli or the run.  Keep them honest, and something can be done.  And please, make it something which involves Brandon Jacobs a little more?  There is still plenty to be said for; and plenty of room in today's game for; if not cause to implement; power football.  If Gilbride plans this right and we execute, the Giants can score 24 or 27 points against Philly.


There are roster problems.  And then there are execution problems.  The latter can be corrected.



II.  DEFENSIVE SIDE:

Michael Vick practiced this week.  But he's dealing with the mysterious concussion; or post;  symptoms.  Mysterious; because there is so much we don't know about them.  But what we do know about them, is everything to be taken seriously.  So without jokes, one unfortunate hit on Vick could effectively remove him from the game.  And Vick's style, or propensity to run, also presents a precarious situation for him.  Ironically, he was injured standing in the pocket.


But should Michael Vick play an incident free game against us; our Secondary I fear, will be made to look feeble for a third consecutive week.  Bend But Don't Break won't work against Philadelphia like it did against the Rams last week; whom the Giants held to mostly field goals.  The fact remains; the Secondary is giving up huge yardage plays on a regular basis.


Rex Grossman and Sam Bradford both threw for +300 yard games against our Secondary in the first two weeks of the season.  Michael Vick will be, by far the best they've faced so far; and with so many speedy weapons at his disposal, I smell toast.  We haven't seen an ounce of improvement from the unit yet.


That brings me back to this team's over reliance on the defensive line and getting sacks.  You can't let Vick get outside on you.  So you need discipline to seal the outside.  And if you contain him, and get to him; say four or five times; what's he doing for the rest of the game is my point?


The Eagles O-Line isn't that great; so I think the Giants will defend Philly's running game quite effectively.  And the Giants D-Line will certainly have their chances to get at Vick.  But what will be the cumulative effect of that, and will it be enough before he tears up the secondary?


No Linebackers; our team's soft white under belly. -  After taking all the injuries away that have decimated the Giants defense this season; the fact remains; Jerry Reese never adequately addressed the linebacker position.  And I don't mean any offense towards Michael Boley.


The bottom line is, if the Giants get behind in this game, there is little come-back in them; not in their current state.  If the Giants are to win this game, they will need stellar Special Teams play; maybe a score on Defense; stay away from penalties and turnovers; but most of all, they need to be able to hang around.  Hanging around is the key to this game for the Giants.  Games between us and Philly are never pretty.  So don't expect a ballet in this game either.  But the game needs to be within a score in the fourth quarter in order for the Giants to be able to steal one on the road.


And lastly, Perry Fewell; or should I saw; Perry Fool?  What the hell were you thinking?  Stop talking to the media or say nothing when questioned by them.  Got it?  That was embarrassing.  Instead, figure out a way to sure-up two-thirds of your defense instead of teaching your unit how to roll over and play dead.  Better yet; Surprise us Sunday with turnovers and some blitz packages worthy of Sports Center.  A one time Giant great once said, "...go out there like a bunch of crazed dogs!"




PREDICTION:  35-17; Eagles

It pains me to say, but it's not looking good my fellow Brothers in Blue.  Not this week.  There are too many injuries which will compromise a representative game on our part.  It's just bad timing.  Thoughts of revenge for last year's meltdown will likely have to wait till we get the Eagles at home.  Way too many things have to go right for us Sunday and fortune hasn't been one of our stronger suites this year.  But unlike if we had gone down 0-2 after a loss last week; a loss this week may not be as catastrophic to the big picture even though it's a division game.  That is unless you think Washington is running away with this division.  Stop that.





Mike.BTB