N.Y. Giants: Jerry Reese Facing a Reality 'Chick

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

That was then...

I got news for ya...

Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, and Michael Strahan

aren't walking through that door!

NEW YORK GIANTS: This game is largely a referendum on Big Blue general manager Jerry Reese.  Everyone finds out where Big Blue really stands Sunday afternoon.

For a few years previous to 2014, I started reading and hearing varying accounts to the effect how Bill Belichick should have replaced himself as GM in New England.

So ponderous were they, I nearly died laughing!

Therefore, let's talk truth, right here, right now.

Very simply, Robert Kraft hired Bill Belichick not only to be his head coach, but to become the Patriots' entire front office.  Since then, the New England Patriots have posted exactly one losing season (their initial one together back in 2000).

Moreover, the Patriots have only missed the playoffs twice in the first 15 years under Belichick.

In 2007, his team posted the first undefeated regular season of the 16-game schedule era. They've played in six Super Bowls, won four of them, and are obviously this year's defending champion (exactly 15 years after Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick, and Tom Brady won their first together).

As we know, Belichick and Tom Coughlin both served together under Bill Parcells.  Four years after Bill Belichick's career ended with the Giants, Jerry Reese's started.  Ironically, the Patriots only two Super Bowl defeats during the Belichick era came at the hands of Jerry Reese, Tom Coughlin, Eli Manning, and the New York Giants.

Jerry Reese indeed owns two Lombardi trophies, both at Belichick's expense.  Yet, each has their respective organization headed in opposite directions since the day they last met for a championship.

• With regards to personnel, Jerry Reese has failed to sustain what Ernie Accorsi started.  His overall draft results have been pedestrian at best - his salary cap management, even worse. 

• Whereas defense and the running game were once the Giants primary strengths, they are now the Giants primary weaknesses.

• The Giants literally haven't fielded an impact linebacker in decades.  They have six guys that between them can not generate a single sack, and a secondary as fragile and shallow as Donald Trump's ego. 

• Tom Coughlin is first and foremost a pass oriented coach.  Kevin Gilbride loved going long, but always tried maintaining some sort of balance between pass and run.  Under Ben McAdoo, the passing game has gone from long to short, which has statistically improved Eli Manning's efficiency.  The run, however, has become a mere afterthought.  They have four running backs whom they all use extremely ineffectively, and disturbingly infrequently.

Giants fans should be very clear about a few things regarding this team, and those Super Bowl teams.

First, both Super Bowl winners rushed the ball extremely well with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw behind an exceptional offensive line.

Second, and more importantly, two huge reasons why the Giants twice beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl, (IMO), were Aaron Ross and Corey Webster.  They were shutdown corners for Steve Spagnuolo during the SB XLII run.  Then, many times during their XLVI season, former defensive coordinator Perry Fewell's system resulted in the secondary looking like Keystone Cops.  It wasn't until Fewell relented late in 2011 at the behest of his secondary, that Aaron Ross and Corey Webster were able to get back into man-coverage.  Once Fewell simplified his (stupid) plan, the pass rush helped the 9-7 Giants bull their way to another championship.

These guys couldn't bull there way through my tomato garden.

Old Rivals Meet Again

New England Patriots

vs.

New York Giants

FROM

Snoopy Stadium

THE SWAMP

I expect Tom Brady to relentlessly, and mercilessly attack the Giants linebackers all day long with crisscross patterns, wide receiver screens, and slant patterns.

Meanwhile, I expect Gronk to do anything he damn well pleases.  The Giants will be damned if they double or even triple cover him, and damned if they don't.  That said, Bill Belichick could just as easily have him line up, and help tenderize the Giants front seven with a strong running game - because they can - and Belichick would do it just to prove a point.

In any event, I expect the Patriots to dominate time of possession, and put up lots and lots of points.

In truth, I expect the Giants to play their worst game of the season.

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

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

*     *     *     *

 

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



Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants: California Dreamin' - May The More Desperate Team Win

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

 

Trading for Eli Manning turned out very well for the Giants.

Today however, Philip Rivers may get the best of the Giants.

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS:

Looking At Week Fourteen Through A 1,000 Mile Stare.

A decade after The Trade, the San Diego Chargers and New York Giants share identical 5-7 records, and head into today's game equally desperate for a win.  A victory by either team may however prove inconsequential, as they both have underachieved enough to separate themselves from the rest of their respective conferences in the wrong way.  So, I'm afraid today's game amounts to nothing more than an east coast vs. west coach match-up in the Futility Bowl.

That lends itself to refocusing visions of the future, doesn't it.........?

Today, Eli Manning faces Philip Rivers, the quarterback he was famously traded to the Giants for during the 2004 NFL draft.  So how did former GM Ernie Accorsi's decision pan out?

With any luck, Eli will complete a five yard pass, and surpass 3,000 passing yards for the ninth straight season, of his almost ten year career.  With 3,600+ yards this season, Rivers has now accomplished the feat eight straight times.  To date, Eli has made 147 starts, and passed for 34,522 yards.  In the same span of time, Phillip Rivers has started 124 games, and has thrown for 31,524 yards.  Rivers only made four appearances in his first two years in the league.  Eli was thrown into the fire as a rookie.

Philip Rivers has led the league in touchdowns and passing yards once in his career, while Eli has led the league in interceptions twice, and is on pace to eclipse 20 INT's for a third time.  Rivers managed 20+ INT's just once in his career.  Eli has thrown more touchdown passes however, by a 226-212 margin, and has twice earned Super Bowl MVP honors.

Some say Philip Rivers is the better QB, but I think the Giants did just fine.  Would the Giants have won two SB's will Rivers at the helm?  Who knows,, and who cares.  Eli is our guy.  Nothing else matters.

On that note, let's address this next game against the San Diego Chargers.

With four games left in the regular season, the Giants hope to overcome a two game division disparity.  Winning five of their last six games tells us that they haven't folded the tent yet.  So, I guess we should hang in there as well.

Defensively however, this game spells trouble.  The Giants secondary is in shambles, and JPP will continue missing action.  Why shouldn't Philip Rivers carve up Perry Fewell's defense?  It might be best if Jason just sits out the remainder of the season.  If he plans on being a self-proclaimed "Beast" next season, he better get a head start now, and just heal up.

Meanwhile, at the other defensive end, Justin Tuck may be playing to remain a Giant next season.  Four sacks last week did little to change many minds, as RG3 almost begs to get sacked.  Tuck has four more games to show Jerry Reese more than he has over the last two years.  That's a lot of making up to do.

Offensively, Victor Cruz needs 60 yards to reach 1,000 for the season.  While he has a new deal that will keep him a Giant beyond next season, Hakeem Nicks does not, and may be playing his way out of New York.  There was a strong whiff of malingering blowing through Giants camp these last few weeks that does not reflect well on the Giants receiver.  Without him, the Giants clearly lacked their usual big play potential. 

But as we know, a backfield decimated by injuries, and poor offensive line play contributed to most of this season's offensive troubles.  Nicks just made matters worse.

The offensive line has played considerably better though, and it comes as no surprise to me that their improvement came at the expense of center David Baas.  Although Jim Cordle also suffered a bad break, James Brewer will get the continued look he deserves.  The return of Andre Brown makes it a little more difficult to decipher how well the O-Line actually improved, because Brown makes them look measurably better.  The combination of both factors and subsequent results however, speaks for itself.



Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants: Monday Night Fewell

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: Perry Fewell Insists His Players Must Win Individual Battles With Little Help.  If Adrian Peterson Romps Tonight, The Defensive Coordinator Might As Well Start Packing His Bags.

Stop Adrian Peterson and you stop the Vikings, right?  The Giants beleaguered linebacking unit will be front and center tonight.  For those of us watching on TV, it would be nice to hear Spencer Paysinger's and Jon Beason's names mentioned repeatedly throughout the telecast.  In a perfect world, that would mean they are making frequent tackles and containing Peterson who rushed for over 2,000 yards last season.  Linval Joseph should be able to get some of that tonight as well.

Otherwise, what can be said at this point, that hasn't been said already?  From either defensive end, the Giants still haven't been able to turn up the sacks.  Justin Tuck continues to underperform, while JPP continues to lightfoot his way back from back surgery.  But that's a tough criticism to make.  It's not my back that underwent surgery.

In any scenario, every player on defense is on their own.  That's the way Perry Fewell rolls, and  reiterated that again last week.  He is still putting everything on the players to win their individual battles.  In a way, that's not wrong when you have no depth, and a bunch of under-performers.  But desperate times call for desperate measures, however Coach Fewell seems to not feel the heat of the fire.  You would think he'd like to go out in a blaze of glory, shooting all his guns, and coming up with schemes we haven't seen before.  We have gotten none of that, and he will be gone because of it.  I'm sure of that now.

There are so many things to point our fingers at for the predicament the Giants find themselves.  But tonight, because the Giants have allowed over 200 points in six weeks, I put Perry Fewell in tonight's national spotlight.



Mike.BTB

N.Y.Giants: Did The Chiefs Tomahawk Big Blue's Season?

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

 

Picking Up Reese's Pieces

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: With A Quarter Of The Season Wasted, Big Blue's Underlying Condition Must Be Realized And Dealt With. 

The Giants are off to their worst start in twenty-seven years.  The first four weeks of the season have been a recurring nightmare, and any playoff aspirations the team may have held entering the 2013 season are now all but ruined.  Tom Coughlin might be happy to see his worse ever month as Head Coach of the GMen finally end.  But make no mistake, there will be no joy in the land of Giants.  They've dug such a hole for themselves, that at this point, there is likely no way out.  At the moment, the only thing they have working for them is time, as twelve games remain in the regular season.  Outside of that, the Giants have invited rampant and wide ranging speculation upon themselves.

This may be a hard subject to broach, or seem like a knee-jerk reaction after only Week Four, but the truth of the matter is the Chiefs may very well have served GM Jerry Reese with rebuilding papers this afternoon.  Just look where the Kansas City Chiefs have been the last two seasons, and look at them now.  Ditto goes for Seattle.  The same thing happening to the Giants is also happening to Pittsburgh.

No GM can ever flip a roster in one week much less one season, but with Giants respectability hanging by a thread, desperate times call for desperate measures.  Jerry Reese has upwards of forty-five question marks on both offense and defense which demand considerable attention.  Therefore, the coming second quarter of the season, and the rest of the year for that matter, begs for a different kind of team evaluation.

It is sad to be speaking about 2014 so soon, but the Giants condition must be realized and dealt with.  Offensively, I do not believe the return of a healthy David Diehl will make a difference.  He hardly made a difference last season.  Instead, the entire offensive line needs rebuilding - all five positions.  Eli Manning began as a rookie playing behind an established elite veteran offensive line, and was supplemented by an equally powerful backfield, and additionally always had a capable tight end at his disposal.  David Diehl, Chris Snee, Kareem McKenzie, Shaun O'Hara, Rich Seubert, Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw collectively had their last hurrah together in SBXLII.  Injuries, age and declining ability have since took their toll on the offense.  Naturally with the passage of time, the collective skills of the offensive line and backfield were diminishing just as Eli was entering his prime, but the overlap of careers was still good enough to win two titles.  However, inadequate replacements have hastened the Giants demise.  In spite of his performance against Carolina, Will Beatty is a good pass blocker, but the Giants won't be doing much running behind him.  Beatty also does not come cheaply, and that's a hindrance to forward progress, just as David Baas' price tag and lack of performance have likewise been a hindrance towards success.

Defensively, despite Corey Webster's and Aaron Ross' past ability to rise up to occasion, ruinous injuries have hampered Jerry Reese's ability to upgrade the secondary for years.  Since Antonio Pierce, and despite a failed sizable investment in Michael Boley, the position of linebacker has been largely ignored.  While it's true, the Giants were able to rise up and win two Super Bowls on the strength on their pass rush, they currently rank last in the league in sacks.  Justin Tuck recorded just two tackles last week versus Carolina.  This week against the Chiefs, he made just one tackle.  He has exactly one-half sack after four games.  While the defensive line is where Jerry Reese has focused most of his attention in recent years, the results are lacking.  Tackle Cullen Jenkins was brought in for big money, and now reports have it Jerry Reese is looking to extend Linval Joseph.

That said, the Giants have faced massive salary cap issues for several years now as well.  Will Beatty and David Baas were already mentioned.  Victor Cruz' money barely fit under the cap, while Hakeem Nicks will be looking to cash in next season.  None of this bodes well for the Giants, this year or next.  This era may have finally reached its Law of Diminished returns.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants: Underwhelming Defense Getting Overwhelmed

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

 

WEEK FOUR

New York Giants @ Kansas City Chiefs

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: The Defense Must Do More Than Offer Yet Another Yawn Inspiring Performance.

17th In NFL Against Pass

Watching Peyton Manning and Cam Newton dissect the secondary

makes it seem much worse.

 

27th In NFL Against Run

Denver and Carolina ran outside their Tackles at will,

and with great success.

 

In Week One, Dallas showed the Giants defense was flawed.  In Week two, Peyton Manning stripped them down and left the defense exposed.  Last Week, Cam Newton and the Panthers finished them off by thoroughly demoralizing them.  All told, the Giants got out-scored by a 115-54 margin in three games to date.  They will now face the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, where the defense can either put forth a formidable Big Blue effort for a change, or continue to devolve.

Adversity is supposed to reveal character, but in the Giants case they are facing something much more primitive - the instincts to fight or flee.  Game Four is the crucible of their season.  And so begins the conversation as to whether this assemblage of defensive players is finished.

If I were drafting a defense from the pool of current Giants players, my first two selections would be JPP and Prince Amukamara.  My next two picks would be Mathias Kiwanuka and Linval Joseph. Everyone else you can have.

Jason Pierre Paul is getting a little healthier by the week.  He made five tackles against the Panthers, but still can't generate a pass rush.  Mathias Kiwanuka has suffered from what I'm calling the Joba Treatment (as in the Yankees handling of Joba Chamberlain), which was failing to establish him at one position or another.  This season he is back to being a lineman.  Mathias wouldn't have had to be moved to linebacker in the first place if GM Jerry Reese had paid more attention to the position.  There is still a lot of potential in Prince Amukamara's game, and with the departure of Chris Canty, Linval Joseph has not embarrassed himself one bit.

We all know the Giants present linebacker situation can be described as pedestrian at best.  Jesse Armstead was the last linebacker of impact drafted by the Giants.  A long succession of superior linebackers ended with him.  Antonio Pierce was a very good acquisition along the way.  But outside of the recent surprise seasons provided by Kawika Mitchell and Chase Blackburn, the position on the whole has been impotent.  The Giants caught a bad break when Dan Conner went down for the season in Week One.  He was supposed to solidify the middle.  But his injury only magnified how thin the Giants already were to begin with.

In the secondary, Ryan Mundy continues to play well, while Antrel Rolle continues to talk-up a good game. Injured - Corey Webster will sit out Sunday's game.  Truth is, he has looked no better getting burnt on deep plays, than say Aaron Ross or Terrell Thomas have.  Speaking of which, Terrell Thomas' knees just may be two years past their usefulness.  That's just speculation on my part, but talk is he's already wearing down.  The Giants corners haven't gotten help from the defensive line this season either, and that's not about to change unless Justin Tuck starts to play elite football.

The naysayers have already lined-up against him, saying Justin Tuck can't.  After a supposedly superior off-season training program, Tuck led us to believe he would be playing rejuvenated and inspired football this season.  So far, he's been perpetrating a daydream and making Subway commercials.  He has exactly one-half sack this season, and last week only made two tackles all game, which ranked eleventh on the team!  His sub-par play is now bleeding into its third season.

As a whole, the Giants defense is understaffed, and the offense currently has them overburdened, as offensive time of possession has been terrible this season.  At the same time however, the defense is collectively underachieving and has been underwhelming to say the least.  The once mighty sack machine is now among the worst pass rushes in the league.

There are many fans who would agree the Giants have enjoyed success in spite of Perry Fewell.  He continues to assemble yawn inspiring defensive game plans.  Coach Fewell believes in winning individual battles up front that the Giants defensive line have been increasingly less able to do over the last two seasons.  Don't expect any creativity on his part to compensate for depleted or compromised ability.  Coach Fewell has never been that "wiley" before.




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: Week Two; Manning Versus Manning

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

 

Week Two:

Denver Broncos @ NEW YORK GIANTS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants: Defense Still Panning For Fewell's Gold

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: Still Panning Around In Fewell's Gold.  Jerry Reese and Defense May Need a New Direction.

The Giants allowed 129 rushing yards per game last season, which ranked 25th in all the NFL.  The 254 passing yards they allowed per game ranked 28th in the league.  The 383 total yards they allowed opponents per game ranked 31st, second to last in the NFL and ahead of only New Orleans.  Yet, they only allowed 21.5 points per game, which rated them 13th best in the league. Which also says, they give up an awful lot of yardage, but quite often held their opponents to field goals.

Somehow related to that is the fact Big Blue led the entire NFL in tackles made - like I said, somehow.  On that note, Chase Blackburn, Antrel Rolle and Michael Boley led the team in tackles, but only one of them is returning this season.  And while I'm at it, regarding their supposed forte' - they ranked 22nd last season with only thirty-three QB sacks.  To combat these numbers somewhat, the Giants ranked fourth in fumbles recovered and third in interceptions, but don't be misled.  Panning through the Giants 2012 regular season, time and again only turns up (Perry) Fewell's Gold.

Now what?

The Defensive Line:

The strength of the defense is still the front four, but they are evolving, or devolving.  Whether for better or worse is still to be determined.  At one point this squad had so much depth, they needed an unwelcomed, coach imposed rotation.  Of course that was by design, but the days of Osi Umenyiora, JPP, and Justin Tuck going full tilt together are done.  As per the contentious gentleman's agreement reached between Jerry Reese and Osi last year, Umenyiora chose to leave New York to spread his remaining feathers in Atlanta for one last big contract.  Meanwhile back in the land of Giants, Jason Pierre Paul is still on the mend after back surgery.  The Giants and fans are praying to their respective football deities and offering them sacrifices of burnt buffalo wings in hopes JPP can return to his rookie season form.  Even if he plays Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, his performance will still be a questionable proposition.  Until JPP is fully healthy again, Mathias Kiwanuka is once again entering a season as the x-factor.  He will be moved back on the defensive line this season.  That leads us to Justin Tuck, who is entering his tenth season with a lot to prove.  He is coming off two injurious and rather sub-par seasons.  If the Giants are to get back to the playoffs this season, Justin needs to become not just a major component towards that effort, but a feared force in the NFL once again.  Bottom line is Tuck needs to play an elite defensive end this season.  There is just no getting around that.

At defensive tackle and entering his fifth season, Linval Joseph has a fan in me, while former Eagle and eleven year veteran Cullen Jenkins was brought in to round-out and solidify the line.  He is a  respectable acquisition.  Jerry Reese used his second pick in April's draft to select Jonathan Hankins, a DT from Ohio State, and he used his third selection to take DE-Demontre Moore out of Texas A&M.  It would stand to reason then, the defensive line was of obvious concern to Reese.  That said, in the new NFL, having a formidable defensive line has served the Giants well.

Linebackers:

The Giants lost two of their top three leading tacklers from a year ago, both linebackers.  Michael Boley was released after failing to impress.  That's not to say he wasn't a solid player.  But he was expensive, and that factored into the decision.  Most of all, Michael just didn't have the presence in the middle that was expected of him.  Chase Blackburn parlayed his commendable play last season  into a contract with Carolina, that the Giants had no intentions of matching.  Good luck to him.

Linebacker is by far the thinnest, most untalented, and questionable squad of the entire Giants defense.  These are the guys charged with stuffing the run, covering tight ends and wandering mischievous fourth receivers, spearheading the blitz, and setting the overall defense.  Right....  Jerry Reese failed to select a linebacker with his first seven picks, and somehow continues to stick it out with Keith Rivers.  That situation is getting a little frustrating for me.  Entering his fourth season, Spencer Paysinger now gets to be a starter, while Dan Conner, formerly of Dallas and Carolina, suddenly finds himself in a starting role as well.  Jacquian Williams is entering his fourth season, and it would be nice if he too started making more of an impact.  That's the line-backing corps, and boy aren't they most unintimidating and yawn inspiring.

Secondary:

After Blackburn and Boley, safety Antrel Rolle was the team's leading tackler, and he continues to be an important team leader.  I never thought so before, but he has proven that out over his years here.  For those of us who fretted when Kenny Phillips left for the Eagles..., they cut him.  Tyler Sash played surprisingly well last season.  Can he do it again?  I'm still scratching my head over the Giants 2013 fourth round pick (a QB), but with their fifth pick, they selected a safety, Cooper Taylor out of Richmond.  He is 6'4" and 228 pounds - I like his size at safety.  He is big with speed which can take a measure of pressure off the linebackers forced into covering tight ends.  Who's Ryan Mundy?  He's a fourth year free-safety formerly of the Steelers who managed to start just five games for Pittsburgh in four seasons.  Suddenly, he is forced into a starting role here - it's ponderous actually.

The Giants finally may be the strongest they've been at corner in a few years now.  Corey Webster and Aaron Ross are reunited but will likely not be the starting corners together.  Prince Amukamara looks to have finally graduated to full time starter.  Jayron Hosely turned a lot of heads last season and garnered a lot of attention with his play.  Lastly, Terrell Thomas is determined to not be forgotten about.

The Defensive Coordinator:

Quite simply, he needs to get it together - and he needs to do it aggressively.  His read-and-react schemes are a 31st rate failure.  The Giants gave up an obscene number of huge yardage plays last season, both via the air and ground, and the year before for that matter.  Not because they lacked talent, but due to Fewell making his secondary reads too layered, and an overall inability to stop the run.  When there isn't a Giant player within fifteen yards of a receiver, something went terribly wrong, and that happened to them far too often.

When speaking of Perry Fewell's blitz packages, one is always forced into asking - what blitz packages?  There aren't many stunts going on within the front four either.  He puts it on his front line to play straight up, win individual battles and stay disciplined to their lanes.  Perry calls for safety blitzes with the frequency of a lunar eclipse.  Overall, there isn't much deception you're going to encounter playing against Perry Fewell's defensive game plan.

The defensive personnel was always capable of that shut-down, dominant performance.  They still have it in them.  I just think sometimes their coaching gets in the way of better defensive results and overall performances.  With this linebacking unit, I admit Perry Fewell has his work cut out for him.  I'd suggest more aggression and deception, and less reading and reacting.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants Wrap-Up: The Defense

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE


NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL ~ The Defense That Wasn't.


No Super Bowl title defense for you...  So what happened?  For me, the failures were equally on both offense and defense.  I am also inclined to agree with the coaching staff's general consensus that there was a tremendous lack of execution this past season.  After Hurricane Sandy, I didn't get to watch many games on TV.  In hindsight, perhaps that was best.  But I certainly didn't like what I heard on radio.


I will start this post season assessment with the Defense, and coordinator Perry Fewell.  His victory parade is over.  It's time for him to get back to the drawing board.  I'll let him slide for throwing his players under the bus at season's end regarding their overall performance.  But next season, his defense must yield far better results.  There is much change that needs to emanate from the top, meaning from Mr. Fewell.  He doesn't exactly fit the mold of Giants offensive coordinators and their strategies of the past.  Bill Belichick, John Fox, Steve Spagnuolo - they were very good coordinators here.  Perry Fewell's Read and React schemes however drive me batty.  His defenses are not terribly aggressive.  But that's as far as I'll criticize Perry Fewell.  Many other factors contributed to an overall poor defensive effort.  As a unit, the Giants Defense couldn't stop the run. They couldn't stop the pass.  And they couldn't stop themselves from looking downright amateurish at times.


At Cornerback, year one in the post-Aaron Ross era was a disaster.  For starters, the secondary was ravaged by injuries for a second consecutive season.  On that note, for the second consecutive season Terrell Thomas was lost for the year.  Michael Coe was lost for the season as well.  Prince Amukamara is still yet to play like a #1 draft pick but showed improvement.  And Coery Webster had perhaps the worst season of his career.  Rookie Jayron Hosely had his moments.  But he is too short for the position I believe, and is easily picked on.


At Safety, I feel yet another injury to Kenny Phillips was also a huge blow to the defense.  He was turning into an impact safety until sidelined....again.  On the bright side however, Antrel Rolle had a stellar season.  Will Hill and the amazin' Stevie Brown filled in tremendously.


Next, there are two ways I would describe the Giants situation at Linebacker - average and without impact.  Chase Blackburn, we hardly knew ya.  Where would the Giants have been without him?  Because truth be told, Michael Boley, Keith Rivers, Jacquian Williams, Mark Herzlich, and Spencer Paysinger put forth rather inconsequential seasons.


Up front, it's like the Defensive Line kept bumping into each other in the fun house.  No one ever adequately explained what happened to the Giants pass rush last season.  Osi was his own worst enemy, constantly playing his way out of a sack or tackle.  The league made adjustments against JPP.  He will now be taking lessons from Michael Strahan on how to deal with getting double-teamed.  That's not a bad idea.  But Justin Tuck remains a bit mystifying.  I was satisfied with Chris Canty when he managed to stay on the field.  He only played nine games.


Staying on the field - what a task.  With regard to injuries, the Giants have questions that need answers.  How long should the Giants stick it out with Terrell Thomas before cutting the cord?  As mentioned, he has missed the last two seasons with the same injury.  Kenny Phillips can be viewed  similarly.  We also need to consider Chris Canty missed almost half the season.  And Keith Rivers, dealing with his fair share of injuries, also has not fulfilled his potential here.


On the free agent front, GM Jerry Reese has his hands full.  Osi's situation is well known to us by now.  He has most likely played his last game as a New York Giant.  Kenny Phillips is also an unrestricted free agent.  I do not want to see him leave.  But since he first hit the field as a rookie, he's had troubles staying on it.  When Chris Canty went down with an injury, Rocky Bernard teamed up with Linval Joseph and plugged the Tackle position well.  Rocky Bernard is also now an unrestricted free agent.  Some very fine play at linebacker just might have earned Chase Blackburn a handsome little raise for him and his family.  It just won't be with the G-Men.  I can't see them paying-up for Chase.  The Giants cap situation is too restrictive for that.


What now?  If I had my druthers, I'd have Jerry Reese address the linebacker situation.  The Giants need more impact from that position.  While Boley is still a fine player, and Rivers is worth a further look, the rest of the corps perhaps needs fresh meat.  Unfortunately, I do not believe there is any money in the budget to spend quality dollars here.  If Osi has indeed played his last game as a Giant, then Mathias Kiwanuka seems certain of returning to the defensive line.


In spite of the injury to Kenny Phillips, I'm hoping he can be re-signed to an extension.  In his absence however, Stevie Brown was able to show what he's capable of.  And it was good.  With Antrel Rolle, the Giants are looking pretty good at Safety.  It is the Cornerback situation they need to fix.  Jerry Reese faces a quandary as to how, be it holding out hope for a healthier Thomas, revamping the position, or throwing money at it.  And we know the latter suggestion is simply not the Giants way.  That said, Jerry Reese also has a very hard decision to make regarding Corey Webster as well.  After two very sub par seasons, Webster comes with a mighty hefty price tag next season.  He could very well get cut.


On the defensive line, my concern is at Tackle.  The Giants might be forced to take a closer look here.  While Chris Canty has an ally in me, the position has not been right since Barry Cofield left.  Linval Joseph played okay.  No major gripes.  But overall, the Giants ability to stop the run must improve.  Improvements to the linebacker and tackle positions would be my way to go about that.  As far as stopping the pass, give me less Jayron Hosely and give me more size at the corners.




Mike.BTB

New York Giants: Bending Steel

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL: The Giants Can Do What The League Hasn't Been Able To; Drop Big Ben.


Pittsburgh and the busted play - they thrive on it.  Big Ben is never more lethal than when he is scrambling about.  He is additionally highly accurate on the run.  And what his receivers do better than most is come back for the ball when Ben breaks the pocket.

Here's the thing.  The Giants can do what few teams have been able to do.  Justin Tuck, Osi, JPP, Chris Canty, and Kiwanuka are all big enough to drop him.  If the Giants keep containment, like JPP did last week, and manage to get their hands on him, Big Ben will come down.  Without containment, I feel the Giants Secondary won't be able to contend with the relationship Ben has with his receivers lest we forget Dallas had three receivers total over three hundred yards each.  But if the Ends can prevent Ben from getting outside, I think Chris Canty and Linval Joseph can limit his movement inside.

The Steelers defense will be without Safety Troy Polamalu.  But Pittsburgh is still very well stocked.  So what does that mean for the Giants?  I don't know.  But look what they did to the 49ers.  Here is something I do know.  The Giants have scored the second most points in the league behind only behind New England.

So I guess that means you know which way I'm leaning?  That was my pressed for time, post-Hurricane Sandy abbreviated pre-game posting.

Let's Go Giants.




Mike.BTB

New York Giants: Will The Real Defensive Line Please Stand Up

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:

Big Blue Needs Their Four Linemen Of The Apocalypse,

Not The Four Ponies Of Mediocrity.

N.Y. Giants - Their Best Defense Was A Good Second Half Offense

The schedule makers are clearly no fans of the Giants.  Big Blue started the season on a Wednesday night, then waited ten days before playing in Week Two.  They've since had to prepare for this quick four day turn-around and a Thursday night road game in Carolina.  Meanwhile, the Panthers are coming off a Week Two home game and have had nothing to do but sleep in their beds and practice for the Giants.


Among the waiting will be Cam Newton.  He must be salivating at the chance to take his turn lighting up the Giants Secondary.  In Week One, Tampa intercepted Newton the same way they intercepted Eli.  To a lesser extent than Eli, Cam Newton still lit-up Tampa Bay for three hundred-plus yards, albeit in a losing effort.  But with an old nemesis; Steve Smith; as his top receiver, and playing against the current state of Big Blue's Secondary, the odds of Newton having a fine day increase immeasurably.  Fully expect Cam Newton to target the Giants Corners early, often, and being successful all game long.  The trend continues....


Look for Cam Newton to run like hell also.  The Giants haven't been able to stop that either.  Newton is actually Carolina's top rusher so far.  DeAngelo Williams will surely have say over that shortly.  With the way the Giants have played against the run these first two weeks, DeAngelo just might get righted against the Giants.  He had a decent game running the ball in Week Two after getting shut down in Game One.


I'm not exactly sure where the Giants are going wrong against the run.  I think it might have to do more with a lack of discipline than other factors.  I do not see them, as they say, sealing the edges. Tampa and Dallas didn't exactly run the ball up the gut.  The Giants have given up big yardage when runners bounce outside, where the containment has been lacking.  Actually, the middle has played surprisingly solid defense.  If anything, the Giants have been strong against the pass up the middle as well.  Save for JPP, Giants sacks have predominantly come from the Tackles in Week One, and from middle linebacker last week.


This is another one of those match ups that riddles me with anxiety.  The Panthers have given the G-Men fits over the years.  This is perhaps Carolina's best edition.  And as we speak, the Giants Offense is being decimated by injuries.  Hakeem Nicks is now listed as out for Thursday's game.  He will join David Diehl, Domenick Hixon, and Ahmad Bradshaw as non participants.


Defensively however, aside from Terrell Thomas and Chris Canty, the Giants still have most of their key personnel on the field.  Eli bailed the Giants out last week and will be without the NFC Offensive Player of the Week Thursday evening.  Therefore against the Panthers, victory is dependent upon the Four Blue Linemen of the Apocalypse.  It is their turn to rise like Giants, and enough of this playing like the four inconsequential ponies of mediocrity.  The only unit with no excuse for under performing is the Defensive Line.  They are all healthy.  As I'll include Mathias Kiwanuka in this,  Justin Tuck, Osi, and JPP, need to get their hands on the quarterback far more than they have and dictate this game.  Maybe they are getting held, or double teamed, or have underperformed, or are getting outplayed.  What ever the case, all that needs to change Thursday night.  The Secondary may not survive without them.


Two time Super Bowl winner, Corey Webster, is starting to remind retro Giants fans of Elvis Patterson.  In the first two home games of the season, the old familiar waft of burnt toast has returned to fill the air of East Rutherford.  Corey Webster is flat out getting lit up.  Last season, the Giants ultimately got to the bottom of their coverage problems.  But unlike the first half of last season, this year's dilemma is not a system issue.  Corey just looks bad.  Thursday night he will be tasked with covering Steve Smith.  Good luck with that.


Meanwhile, it was right cornerback other teams were supposed to exploit.  Go figure.  Prince Amukamara will most likely play tomorrow evening.  But in my eyes, he officially has re-prove himself; not that he ever has before.  He is still a former #1 draft pick.  So he needs to finally step up and play like one.  Although that might be a little difficult to achieve this week.  He is still a compromised player.  But for Thursday night's game at least, he may be the lesser of two evils.  Reason being, Michael Coe is also leaving a lot to be desired.  And Jayron Hosely........  Basically, the Secondary is, as it was, and will continue to be - they are in trouble.  I think the only real chance they have of improving is to just play, and try to grow together over the next three games before the Giants face the Niners.


Maybe the first road trip of the season is a good thing.  There is a lot of quality time and bonding that takes place flying between cities.  Maybe the Secondary can talk and find some common ground to move forward with.  Perhaps over a game of cards or something, Tuck, JPP, and Osi decide it is time for them to wreak havoc again.  Lord knows there is much Eli needs to discuss with Ramses Barden and Jerrel Jernigan about the game.  But overall, the first road trip gets everyone moving together in the same direction after two weeks of going home in their own cars.





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

New York Jets: Please Clean Up After Your Dog

From the desk of:   A BLUE BLOODED GIANTS FAN

SNOOPY BOWL PREVIEW ~ Giants vs. Jets

NEW YORK JETS:  Oh No He Didn't?!

The Sanchise Calls Out His O-Line.

The Only Thing I Can Think Of, That Is Big, Green,

And Entertaining, Is GUMBY Damn It!

Did Marc Sanchez call out his Offensive Line on TV during the second half of Saturday's game against the Giants?  Upon further review, I think he did.

"....they gotta stop a four man rush.  It's that simple." - or something to that effect, is how he phrased it.

Those are biting words my friend, and an easy way to lose friends.  As a matter of fact, almost everything he said into the microphone Saturday night was directed at the Offensive Line.  The Giants sacked Jets quarterbacks seven times in last night's exhibition.  They got to Sanchez three times, and got hold of Tim Tebow another four times.

At least Sanchez got caught by the Giants' starters.  In the first half, he was greeted in the backfield by Jason Pierre Paul, Osi, and Justin Tuck, which is quite understandable.  But in the second half, the Offensive Line allowed the Giants to corral Tim Tebow another four times by guys named Adewale Ojomo, who had two sacks, William Hill, And Matt Broha.  To get run over by that line-up guarantees a week chock-full-o criticisms.  And the only way the criticisms will stop, is if the Jets take the field next week, and actually show they can play this game.

Poor guy.  Marc Sanchez is trying really, really hard to exert himself now that Tim Tebow is here, isn't he?  His words might carry some more weight if he hadn't thrown that pick-six though.  The Jets QB may have single-handed won a place on the Giants' roster for rookie, #38-Jayron Hosely, with that play.  Jayron Hosely took Sanchez, to-the-house.  He returned a Marc Sanchez INT seventy-seven yards for a touchdown in front of Gang Green's crowd.

Marc Sanchez had six offensive opportunities to matriculate the ball up the field.  Six times, the Jets failed to score points.  And on their way to halftime, Steve Weatherford reminded his old team just how huge of a mistake they committed by not signing the now Giants Punter.  In this Giants fan's eyes, Steve Weatherford was Big Blue's runner-up MVP of last season.  In the first half of Saturday's game, the Jets watched their punter, T.J. Conley, shank punt after punt after punt.

In the second half, at least Tim Tebow moved the Jets close enough to score a field goal.  And on the passes he did connect on, he looked a little crisper than Sanchez as well; just a little.  There was the obligatory interception, of course.  But at face value, there were a lot a cheers for Tebow when he took the field for the first time.  Like Sanchez, even Tebow had a word or two for his Linemen.  On one occasion after getting sacked, he popped up and got pretty animated, and seemed to be directing his ire towards his front guys.  The QB controversy only gets worse from here.

I put much of the blame for this mess on Mike Tannenbaum.  And if I'm ranking the one's most responsible, indeed Tannenbaum is number one.  But then comes his boss, Woody Johnson.  After the owner I start blaming players.  And at the bottom of my blame list, would be Head Coach Rex Ryan.

Since reaching back to back AFC Championship games, the Jets have done more to devolve back into the green primordial ooze of futility than assembling a squadron of qualified Jets.

Right now, I can only think of one thing that is Big, Green, and entertaining.  And that would be Gumby damn it!  I'm not a Jets fan, but even I was annoyed at Gang Green's play Saturday.  That goes for all of them.  The Jets have a potential disaster on their hands.  So buckle up, make sure your trays are in their upright positions.  When the oxygen masks drop on Opening Day, kiss your season good-bye and brace for impact.

And by the way, the Giants are upset the Jets didn't clean up after themselves after pooping in their house.

Mike.BTB

N.Y.Mets ~ Terry's Kids Complete Sweep of Phillies

From the desk of:   HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

NEW YORK METS:  Ike Davis Sends Philly Crowd Scattering!


Look what injuries have done to the Mets...again.  It just never stops, does it?


Rob Johnson was behind the plate in place of Josh Thole, who is now officially on the seven day DL; and who by the way, Sandy Alderson already stated would miss more games than just seven.  Rob Johnson was also behind the plate due to that pitch Mike Nickeas took on the elbow in Tuesday's game.  No one is saying that - that's just me.


Then after Coach Collins decided to sit Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Lucas Duda against Cliff Lee, the Mets went with the law firm of Rottino, Torres, and Hairston in the outfield.


At least Justin Turner has grown on us by now.  But at shortstop?  They do say necessity is the mother of all invention however.


Dillon Gee did his damnedest to keep the Mets close through the first five innings Wednesday against Cliff Lee.  Heading into the top of the sixth inning, the Phils led 2-1 largely based on Cliff Lee's own infield RBI single in the second.


Andres Torres; of the law firm Rottino, Torres, and Hairston; led off the top of the sixth with a triple off Lee which Shane Victorino misplayed.  Lee then baffled Daniel Murphy with a pair of curve balls for the first out.  David Wright backed up his mate with a flair base hit to tie the game at two all.


Dillon Gee took his turn in the sixth.  And wouldn't you know, Justin Turner turned assists to first for the first two outs of the inning.  But a bloop and a blast so to say, gave Philly the lead again.  Brian Schneider flared a ball to left for a two out single.  Freddie Galvis then blasted a double to score Schneider.  Laynce Nix pinch hit for Lee, and made it a 4-2 game.  For Galvis, it was his second RBI of the night.


But back came the Mets.  AGAIN!  With Cliff Lee out of the game in the top of the seventh, in came Kirk Nieuwenhuis to pinch hit for Rottino, and immediately drew a walk.  Justin Turner drove him home with a double to center.  Turner then had trouble gauging Ike Davis' liner to right field, and got held at third base on Davis' double.  Rob Johnson drew a walk to load the bases with no outs.  In the game came Lucas Duda to pinch hit.  Kyle Kendrick then hit him with a pitch to force home a run.  The Mets pushed across another run on a fielder's choice.


The Mets scored three times in the seventh of Kyle Kendrick to take a 5-4 lead in the game, and came back like they have in every game of this series.


After Tim Byrdak relieved Gee back in the sixth, into the hands of the rest of the Mets bullpen the game went.  Manny Acosta was first.  He posted a scoreless inning, highlighted by a double play and a Hunter Pence strikeout.


In the visitor's half of the eighth, the Mets picked up insurance, and even more runs against Kyle Kendrick, on back-to-back doubles by David Wright and Scott Hairston.  Out came Mr. Manuel, and off went Kendrick.  Too late though.  The second the Phils took out Cliff Lee spelled their doom.


In came El Fossil - Jose Contrearas, who put Nieuwenhuis down swinging.  Justin Turner then lofted a fly to right that Hunter Pence just dropped with Hairston threatening to tag at second.  And up came Ike Davis who made Philly pay dearly for that misplay.  He unleashed a bomb off the second deck facade in right to give the Mets a 9-4 lead.  With the rain falling out of the sky, the fans in Philly needed no more reason to start scattering for the exits.


Next out of the Mets' bullpen was John Rauch for the bottom of the eighth.  He gave up a run.  No details needed.  On to the ninth.


Andres Torres smacked his first home run of the season off Brian Sanchez to lead-off the final frame.  Daniel Murphy followed with a single.  But Sanchez would retire the next three.


Next out of the Mets pen was the yawn inspiring D.J. Carrasco to pitch Philly's last licks in a 10-6 game.  Daniel Murphy threw away an attempt to first base on Jimmy Rollins' grounder.  Carrasco then struck out Juan Pierre.  Shane Victorino popped up to Justin Turner.  Then up came Hunter Pence who jolted one off the right-center field wall to drive in Rollins with a triple.  Placido Polanco stepped up to record the third and final out of the game.


That's what you call a five game winning streak folks.  Not to mention a three game sweep of the rival Phillies ball club in Philadelphia.  And we thought we had troubles!  No Geno's for me thank you.  They make 'em better in Brooklyn.


There you go.  That's how the little engine that could did it on Wednesday night.  And that's pretty much how they swept the Phillies.


Terry's Kids!  How ya' like 'em now?





Mike.BTB

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

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

Wild Card Round

ATLANTA FALCONS

Divisional Round

GREEN BAY PACKERS

NFC Championship

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

SUPER BOWL XLVI

NEW YORK GIANTS

vs.

New England Patriots

From,

Indianapolis

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:   Play Like Giants!

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



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



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



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



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

*     *

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

Only Coach Gilbride Can RIGHT the Running Game

SUPER SIZING the Offensive Line

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



*     *     *

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Let's go Giants!



PREVIOUS POST:   Coughlin and Parcells; Parallel Eras.







Mike.BTB