XFL Week Five: N.Y. Guardians Surge to Victory Over Dallas Renegades

From the desk of:  GOTHAM GARGOYLES OF THE GRIDIRON

WEEK FIVE

GUARDIANS   30

RENEGADES   12

Halfway through the XFL regular season, the New York Guardians have finally established an identity.  They're a feisty and undisciplined bunch, sometimes both at the same time, yet find themselves in a three way tie for first place of the XFL East.

The Gargoyles are a defensive oriented team first, with good special teams second.  They rank number two in the league with 13 sacks, and fourth with eight turnovers.  And when you take into account their week two (0-27) loss against the Defenders, followed by a (9-29) trouncing at St. Louis, New York still ranks second in average points against.

With starting quarterback Matt McGloin out nursing a rib injury, the Guardians offense has actually stabilized through better game management via back-up quarterback Luis Perez playing off a credible running game.  Through five games New York is 7th in average yards per game, and rank last with only 15.8 points per game.  However, they rank 5th in rushing averaging 98.6 yards per game.

Saturday against the Dallas Renegades the trio of Justin Stockton, Tim Cook, and Darius Victor, rushed 29 times for 125 yards.  Luis Perez was 16/30 for 229 yards, with a touchdown pass to Colby Pearson, and an INT.  The Guardians recorded three sacks, two by DT Cavon Walker.

After losing two straight, the Guardians are now winners of two straight.  They have allowed their opponents an average of 9.6 points in each of their three victories.

Shout out to Coach Gilbride.  He identified a problem three weeks into the season and took corrective action.  The last two games speak for themselves.

XFL Week Four: N.Y. Guardians Defend Their House

From the desk of:  GOTHAM'S GARGOYLES OF THE GRIDIRON

WEEK FOUR

L.A. Wildcats     14

N.Y. Guardians   17

Coach Gilbride Speaks, and Gotham Guardians Listen

During last week's fight marred and rather embarrassing defeat against the St. Louis BattleHawks, the Guardians for the viewing audience put on full display their lack of discipline, poor effort, and wide spread ineptness.  Beleaguered quarterback Matt McGloin incurred an early injury forcing him out of the game; performance at center continued being a major issue; otherwise everything that could go wrong did.  How bad did it get?  Coach Gilbride on the sideline was overheard suggesting in rather matter of fact manner (paraphrasing) how the team's leadership had effectively checked out.

After winning their inaugural game at home, the Guardians resounding 9-39 defeat at the St. Louis Battle Dome marked their second straight road loss.  And with the visiting Los Angeles Wildcats coming off their big week three victory over the D.C. Defenders, naturally I believed the Guardians troubles were sure to worsen Saturday at MetLife Stadium.  Instead, a resilient home effort against Los Angeles elevates the Guardians back to par with a 2-2 record.

New York's victory over the Wildcats very much resembles their week one victory against Tampa Bay.  A solid defensive effort highlighted by a couple of key sacks, and a game changing interception, complimented by a strong running game, and back-up quarterback Luis Perez' effective game management and overall performance, proved successful.         

Los Angeles quarterback Josh Johnson was 26/40 (63%) for 330 yards, with a pair a TD's and one pivotal INT.  Otherwise the Wildcats had no running game to speak of.  Their backfield was limited to just 38 yards on 12 rushing attempts.

The Guardians on the other hand were able to ride the backs Tim Cook and Darius Victor whom joined for 114 yards yards on 26 rushes. Victor carried the load with 18 rushes for 82 yards, and Cook followed with an effective 32 yards on eight attempts.

Making his first start for the Guardians, Luis Perez despite being sacked three times was an efficient 18/26 (69%) for a modest 150 yards, with a touchdown connection to Mekale McKay, and no interceptions.  It bears mentioning that with 5:40 left in the fourth quarter the two missed on a potential 32-yard connection when a well placed pass by Perez simply slipped through a wide open McKay's fingers.

Marquis Williams gets an honorable mention for his five yard QB sneak and successful two-point conversion, as does special teams whom also played a pivotal role in Saturday's victory.

After the game Coach Gilbride further elaborated about needing to adjust his team's attitude coming off last week's performance.  For now it seems to have worked.  They responded with a victory over the team whom dumfounded Cardale Jones and the previously undefeated D.C. Defenders.

The Guardians certainly dodged a third straight loss thanks to a Wildcats missed field.  But chalk one up for coaching and corrective mood management as well.

N.Y. Guardians: The Mad Mad World of Matt McGloin

From the desk of: GOTHAM's GARGOYLES OF THE GRIDIRON

XFL

WEEK TWO

Guardians     0

Defenders    27

At no point in time did I feel we were gonna be successful out there today ... No point in time did I feel comfortable ... One of the worst games I've ever been a part of  -  Matt McGloin

A noticeably perturbed Matt McGloin and his quarterback coach G.A. Mangus in the second quarter were observed along the sidelines engaged in an animated exchange.  Shortly thereafter on his way back to the locker room McGloin was asked by a sideline reporter what halftime adjustments did the Guardians need to make.  In what was an obvious jab directed at Coach Mangus, New York's quarterback rather defiantly and to an extent disrespectfully exclaimed the entire game plan needed to change.  Also adding (paraphrasing) there's some embarrassing things going on out there for us as an offense!  None of this escaped head coach Kevin Gilbride whom first imparted some words of wisdom upon his quarterback before benching him later in the second half in favor of back-up Marquise Williams.  However, Gilbride says not to overthink the switch since nothing else was working for them.  In any event McGloin is clearly a flustered quarterback whose game continued devolving throughout Saturday's contest.  His lack of composure and accountability were put on full display, both during and after the game.  McGloin's competency moving forward is sure to be brought into question throughout the upcoming work week leading up to game three, and he has only himself to blame.

All that being said the Guardians offense has more problems than a math book.  Through two weeks they're a futile 2/21 on third down conversions.  Therefore it's no wonder the Guardians sustain their first whitewashing of the season.  Playing minus two starting lineman and two receivers New York generated just 137 yards of offense against the D.C. Defenders.  That gives them just 363 total yards from scrimmage through their first two games.  Against the Defenders the Guardians rushed 16 times for 71 yards.  Through two weeks they have now gained just 115 yards on 32 rushing attempts.  And then there's mad Matt McGloin.  He was 8/19 for a mere 44 yards, with no TDs and two rather inexcusable interceptions.  Through two games he is now 23/48 (48%) for 226 yards, with one TD and two interceptions.

The Guardians defense was simply asked to do too much.  With nothing going on offensively they were made to stay on the field too long.  As a result Defenders quarterback Cardale Jones carved them up.  Jones was 23/37 (62%) for 276 yards with two touchdowns and a pick.  Two D.C. receivers topped 90-yards for the game, and two different receivers caught touchdowns.  New York generated no sacks and just two QB hits.  Meanwhile, the Defenders backfield rushed 27 times for 94 yards.  New York has now allowed 100-yards rushing in back to back games and to date have yielded 778 total yards from scrimmage.

N.Y. Giants: Big Blue Brass Pull Plug on Eli Manning's Swan Song

From the desk of: DO IT FOR THE DUKE

MANN vs. WORLD

The Continuing Saga of Eli's Swan Song

After Two Games Giants Announce Plan to Start Daniel Jones in Week Three

ELI MANNING:

• Two Games: 56 attempts/89 completions (63%) for 556 yards; two touchdowns; one INT; two sacks, 10 QB hits.

Cut the music!

After just two verses, Eli's swan song is over.

Manning is not the sole reason, or even a top three reason, why the 2018 Giants post a 3-13 record.  Nor is he a primary reason why the Giants are 47-67 over the last seven seasons.  They're certainly not off to an 0-2 start this season on account of Eli.  For that you must start with a novice defense which has so far allowed 60-plus points through two games with no hope of improvement in the foreseeable future.  Of course there's much more to this burgeoning nightmare.  But I digress ...

Eli is the last vestige of Ernie Accorsi's legacy as general manager of the New York Giants.  It is Accorsi who builds a Super Bowl contender with Eli being the final piece of the puzzle.  However those Giants first need to wait out Eli's maturation process.  By 2007 Eli Manning transforms before our very eyes into Mr. Freeze at Green Bay and goes on to win MVP of Super Bowl XLII.  By 2011 the Giants are squeezing the last bit of goodness out of Accorsi's creation en route to winning Super Bowl XLVI.  Eli Manning is again named game MVP.

In the seasons following 2011 the shelf life of an elite defense, a record setting offensive line, and once formidable running game all expire.  But because Eli was the last piece of the puzzle, he is also the last to remain.  In the meantime, Jerry Reese presides over the complete and utter deterioration of the New York Giants.  His drafting over his last five seasons as general manager bear no fruit, thus fostering a failed if not ruinous over reliance on free agency.  The impact on the field is self evident: sub par records.

Former offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride together with his friend and Giants head coach Tom Coughlin are as aggressive as they come.  When the Giants still field a competent offensive line and formidable running game, Gilbride maintains effective balance between rushing and passing.  But when it comes to passing, the triumvirate of Gilbride, Coach Coughlin, and Eli Manning, are all about high risk and high reward.  As a result they routinely lead the league in most yards attempted per pass!  That partly explains why Eli appears prone to throwing interceptions.  But Coughlin effectively signs off on each and every INT.  They just didn't care.  However as the talent level deteriorates along the offensive line and the running game comes to a halt, Gilbride becomes Jerry Reese's first scapegoat.  The continuing deterioration of talent over the next two seasons likewise causes Tom Coughlin into coaching more desperately.  He then becomes Jerry Reese scapegoat number two.

In truth, Gilbride, Coughlin, or even Ben McAdoo, were never the problem, per se.  The primary factor causing the Giants spiraling into irrelevance is John Mara's unyielding support for Jerry Reese.

Sure, Eli deserves his fair share of blame.  His performance can be ponderous at times.  Everyone deserves their fair share for this mess.  Some just deserve more than others.

Upon accepting positions with the Giants Dave Gettleman and Pat Shurmur know they are being tasked with putting Eli out to pasture.  Indeed, an unenviable position to be in.  Yet the process continues to wreak of indecisiveness and lack of conviction.  I'm not sure what they're thinking.  But it needs to stop.  Because the less sense this makes the more I'm inclined to believe John Mara still has his fingerprints all over this.  And why would that be?  Because he completely botches Eli's benching in favor of Geno Smith.  What a slap in the face, made worse by how the front office continues mishandling the aftermath.  Moreover because I believe Archie Manning commands Mara's respect and attention.  And if I'm Archie, I'm on the phone to John Mara blaming him, Jerry Reese, and Dave Gettleman, for essentially ruining the second half of his son's career.

It appears push has finally come to shove.  Eli is facing one of three choices: retire a Giant; waive his no trade clause; or stay and tutor Daniel Jones.  Concerned parties had better reserve a large conference room because I'm sure John Mara, Dave Gettleman, Pat Shurmur, Eli Manning, his agent, and Archie Manning, will all have something to say about this.

N.Y. Giants: Coach McAdoo Earns Week Two Game Ball

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE..!

Game Ball Goes to Coach McAdoo 

for demanding the New York Football Giants take better care of

"THE DUKE"

WEEK TWO FINAL

Saints    13

Giants   16

New York Football Giants: Coach McAdoo's reinvestment in the run, and Doing It For The Duke will get him far.

After two games head coach Ben McAdoo is undefeated.

Make no mistake, there's great value starting 2-0 in a 16 game season.  After all, you can't win division titles in September, but you certainly can lose them.  So, give the man his due.

But what Coach McAdoo has actually accomplished in two short weeks as first time head coach of the Giants needs more context.

Passing Aggressive Personality Disorder: Eli, Gilbride, and Coughlin.

For better and for worse, Eli Manning and former offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride spent years routinely leading the NFL in most yards attempted per pass - all with Tom Coughlin's blessings, of course.

Their system was good enough to win a pair of Super Bowls.  But on a year-in-year-out basis, such high risk/high reward down field passing would certainly increase Manning's odds of getting intercepted.

Sure enough, in 2007 Eli led the league in interceptions during his first season under Gilbride.  In 2010, Eli attempted his most passes under Gilbride to that point of his career, and wound up topping the league for a second time with 25 interceptions.  By 2013, times grew considerably more dire for both Kevin Gilbride and Tom Coughlin. In his final season under Gilbride, Eli Manning led the league in interceptions for a third time in his career, which perhaps more than anything, spoke about the Giants depleted running capabilities, poor defense, and overall mounting desperation.

With the Giants disappointing 7-9 record requiring a sacrificial lamb, Kevin Gilbride took the hit for his friend Tom Coughlin by notifying the organization of his retirement from football.

Say what you will about Kevin Gilbride (I do), he still maintained a balanced attack. Although he often drew the ire of Giants fans (myself included) for what I called his endless search for the perfect pass play, he knew how and when, and did utilize his running game effectively (creativity withstanding) ... back when the Giants could.  But once center Shaun O'Hara retired, the rest of the offensive line and running game deteriorated in kind shortly thereafter.

That's a main reason why by 2014-15 Tom Coughlin had become an exponentially desperate head coach, who perhaps limited much of new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo's play calling autonomy.

Coughlin all but abandoned his already inconsequential running game that now featured an untenable, counter-productive four back rotation.  At the same time, Eli was setting career highs with 600+ pass attempts in consecutive seasons as the Giants began incorporating a more west coast style system.

But after two straight 6-10 seasons and 12 seasons overall as head coach of the New York Giants, Tom Coughlin unavoidably gave way last year for the promotion of Ben McAdoo.

Meet the New Boss

Jerry Reese arguably dealt Coughlin a losing hand in his latter years as head coach.  For the moment, that remains another matter.

Today, after just two weeks of play, there's little debating how much more head coach McAdoo is benefiting from better quality personnel, particularly on defense.

As offensive coordinator, he noticeably shortened up Manning's passing game, thus making him a more efficient quarterback. Eli limited himself to 14 INT's in each of his two seasons under OC McAdoo.

But the most welcome change from one regime to the next has been head coach McAdoo's reinvestment in the running game.

Last year, the Giants threw the ball 76 times, and only rushed 42 times through the first two games of the season against Dallas and Atlanta.  The Giants utilized four different backs against Dallas, while three rushed in week two against Atlanta.

This season, first year head coach McAdoo and first year offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan have elected to pass 69 times, and rush 52 times.  Rashad Jennings and Shane Vereen have been the lone ball carriers, with the exception of Orleans Darkwa making his first and only rush of the season against the Saints.

All this sort of confirms Tom Coughlin's operational level of desperation.  The change is proving refreshing.

All that being said, once is an event, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a trend.  So let's see how things play out in Week Three.

Tugging at Big Blue's Heartstrings

Ben McAdoo spent ten years working under Mike McCarthy in New Orleans, San Francisco, and of course in Green Bay, prior to his arrival in New York.  With a credible resume, hiring McAdoo as offensive coordinator in 2014 was viewed, then, as somewhat of a layup - easily chalked up to career progression.

Instead, the general apprehension lay in having a 39 year old head coach.

Anyone savvy enough to invoke The Duke is wise beyond his years.  Perhaps a calculated move on McAdoo's part, but one that should have some members of the media feeling embarrassed of themselves for not catching it.

Starting the season 2-0 is nice too.

I'm sure Wellington would approve.

N.Y. Giants: Eli Manning Continues To Re-Write Giants Record Books

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

 

I want to scream too!

 

Everyone Shares Blame For This Season.

The Giants Do Not Necessarily Suffer From A Coaching Problem,

Or An Eli Manning Problem.  Jerry Reese Had Personnel Issues.

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL: I've Been Here Before.  Others Need To Learn How To Deal With It.

Eli Manning continues to re-write the Giants record books.  I'm not old enough to have seen Charlie Connerly play.  I do perhaps remember every one of Phil Simms' interceptions though.  And I also remember Jeff Rutledge, the quarterback who formerly owned the Giants record for most INTs in a game all to himself.  With Sunday's performance, Eli eclipsed Charlie Connerly, and Rutledge now has company.

With five interceptions against the Seattle Seahawks, Eli tied Jeff Rutledge's mark, who first accomplished the dubious feat back during the 1987 strike season.  And now with 169, Eli Manning owns the Giants all-time record for interceptions, breaking the record of 167 formerly held by Charlie Connerly.

In the first game of the season, Eli threw four interceptions against the Dallas Cowboys.  He then went on to throw 16 more before Sunday's record setting fiasco.  Eli is now up to 25 INTs, his career high, with still two more weeks to go.  In fact, this is the second time Eli has thrown as many as 25, and the third time he eclipsed 20 in a season.  Eli is also in the midst of leading the NFL in INTs for a third time in the last seven years.

Most concerning of all, Eli has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns for only the second time in his career.  The first came during his rookie season, when he only started nine games, and threw 9 INTs, with 6 TD passes.  This season, Eli only has 16 TD passes in fourteen games.

Eli will be 33-years old in January, and already, lament of his demise has started.  Even I have to admit, Eli has endured a terrible season that still has not ended, but I can not rest all blame for the offensive woes, or his own misadventure, on him.  This disastrous season has largely been a sum of its parts.  Lest we forget, when Eli was a rookie, he played behind the best offensive line in football; a record setting offensive line in fact; and additionally handed the ball off to the number one backfield in football.  This season, ten years later, Eli had neither.

Where INTs are concerned, Eli throws for the most aggressive offensive coordinator in perhaps all of football.  Don't worry, we'll crush Gilbride in the off-season for not adapting this year's game plan.  For now, we know if the ball is not thrown deep down field, Gilbride feels the pass is not worth throwing.  With high risk, comes high reward, or the high potential for failure.  We've experienced the dark side of that equation this season.

Game wise, I expected two things from Seattle - to get their hands on Eli Manning, and for their corner backs to shut down Big Blue's receivers.  Why?  Because that's what they do!  Or, haven't you been paying attention?  Otherwise, it made perfect sense, because as we know, the Giants offensive line is a mess.  They allowed 4 sacks, and six other QB hits.  The Giants ran the ball 14 times, and only averaged 1.8 yards per carry, and only gained 25 yards on the day.  That means Seattle's defense dominated the line of scrimmage, and enjoyed way too much time in Big Blue's backfield.

Sunday, Eli could have also benefited from more effort by his receivers.  Rule one is to go up, and get the ball at its highest point.  His receivers made little effort towards that end, and were blanketed all afternoon.  That may come from knowing you have nothing to play for, which equates to an unprofessional effort.  Hey, defeatism is a bitch.

I get it.  The season effectively ended a week ago in California.  This last game essentially amounted to getting kicked while already down.  Unfortunately, I also remember the last time the Giants posted a losing record, and the last time they've been eliminated from playoff contention this early.

We'll live on life support for two more weeks before being able to pull the plug on this pig of a season.  I've been here before.  Others need to learn how to deal with it.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants: David Diehl Leads Smash Mouth Effort Over Oakland Raiders

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

 

WEEK TEN FINAL:

Raiders    20

GIANTS  24

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: Coach Kevin Gilbride Unleashes Smash Mouth Football Against Oakland Raiders.  Andre Brown Grinds Out 115 Yards In First Game Back from Fractured Leg.  But Make Sure You Give The Game Ball To David Diehl!

The Giants came out of their bye week running - literally.  For the first time all season, Coach Gilbride designed a game plan that incorporated more rushing, than passing the football.  In return, the Giants received a stellar effort from Andre Brown, an overall running effort that overcame yet another Eli Manning pick-six, and converted on third down to gain a crucial first down with 2:03 left in the fourth quarter to cement a 24-20 victory over the Oakland Raiders.

In Andre Brown's first game of the season back from a leg fracture, Coach Gilbride surprisingly dialed up an old-school smash mouth ground attack.  Coach called Brown's number thirty times, and in return Andre rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown.  Peyton Hillis rushed another five times for 21 yards.  That's 136 yards by the backfield on 35 carries, for an average of 3.9 yards per rush.  Hillis did fumble once however, but in the bigger picture, the running game helped the Giants convert 50% on third down, and rushed for eight first downs.  Big Blue also won time of possession by a 32-28 minute margin.

Eli Manning, on the other hand, was only 12/22, for 140 yards.  He threw one touchdown pass to Reuben Randal, and one (INT) TD pass to Oakland's Tracy Porter.  In a very real way this week, the running game bailed-out Eli Manning for a change.  More time will be spent this week talking about a resurgent running game, than dissecting Eli's performance and discussing how much he sucks this season.  I've definitely defended him over the weeks, but today was strictly his own folly.

The real conversation and rightful acclaim however should focus on right guard David Diehl.  He first deserves credit for being adaptable enough over the years to fill in at most offensive line positions.  He variously switched between left guard and tackle through the years, and with this year's season ending injury to Chris Snee, Diehl was asked to shift over and stabilize right guard.  It is far from coincidence that the Giants running game has demonstrated substantial improvement ever since David Diehl rejoined the offensive line after breaking his thumb.

This afternoon against Oakland, Coach Gilbride unleashed a ground attack that repeatedly rushed behind David Diehl's blocking.  Coach relied heavily on Diehl in the first and fourth quarters.  The Giants right guard responded by creating lanes and daylight worth 64 yards on 11 carries, for a 5.8 yards per rush average.  Coach Gilbride elected to run right 7 times out of 8 1st quarter rushes.  Then after going heavy left side in the 2nd quarter, Oakland held the ball for 13:16 in the 3rd quarter, and limited the Giants to just 3 rushing attempts.  But in the fourth, Coach Gilbride went heavy right again, calling for 9 of 13 rushes behind Diehl and Pugh.

Analysis shows the right side of Big Blue's O-Line played huge Sunday.  Coach Gilbride called for 9 plays to be run off right tackle Justin Pugh, and gained 31 yards.  Between both Pugh and David Diehl, the Giants rushed 20 times for 95 yards, good for a 4.7 average yards per carry.

On the other side, the Giants ran off left tackle Will Beatty 7 times, and gained 28 yards, for a 4-yard average per rush.  But when they dialed up Kevin Boothe at left guard, the Giants gained just 13 yards on 5 carries.  In total, the Giants ran left 12 times and gained only 41 yards, for a 3.4 average per carry.  Trying to force their way up the middle was an even less fruitful endeavor.  The Giants gained net zero yards on three rushes behind Jim Cordle at center, but Cordle's efforts playing to Diehl's left certainly also contributed to the Giants overall success running right.

The Giants running game had six plays go for -16 yards, only one play went for no-gain, while 28 plays resulted in positive yardage.

This came against the Oakland Raiders - not exactly a bad team, but not necessarily a very good one.  Nonetheless, the search for daylight continues.



Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants: Running In The Shadows Of Daylight

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS - With Andre Brown Returning To Rush Behind A Reconfigured Offensive Line, Is There Yet Hope For The Running Game?  Or, Will This Wind Up Being A Late Sunday Afternoon Shadow In Autumn's Fading Quest For Daylight?

The Giants are ranked 30th in the NFL rushing the football.  They average 69.9 total yards per game, but the effort rates even worse when you peel back the layers.

In eight games, the backfield has rushed the ball 166 times, for an average of 20.7 attempts per game, but even that is misleading.  In the first five games, they averaged sixteen rushes per game.  Over the last three games, they've averaged twenty-eight rushes per game.  Here's the breakdown:

Week One - 41 pass attempts; 12 rushes for 41 yards.
Week Two - 49 pass attempts; 19 rushes for 23 yards.
Week Three - 25 pass attempts; 15 rushes for 46 yards.
Week Four - 37 pass attempts; 19 rushes for 86 yards - (Wilson, Scott; 18/81, 4.5 avg.)
Week Five - 52 pass attempts; 17 rushes for 53 yards.
*
Week Six - 26 pass attempts; 26 rushes for 123 yards!
Week Seven - 39 pass attempts; 29 rushes for 59 yards.
Week Eight - 39 pass attempts; 29 rushes for 89 yards.

The Giants have gained a total of 520 real yards, which excludes Eli Manning's attempts to scramble. In nine attempts this season, Eli has gained thirty-eight yards, for a 4.2 average.  In jest, Eli Manning could technically qualify as the Giants best rusher, as the backfield has only averaged 3.1 yards per carry this season.  Without Manning, the Giants rush average drops to only 65 yards per game.

Wait - it gets worse.  Take away Brandon Jacob's supreme Week Six effort against the Chicago Bears, and the Giants recalibrated totals read - 144 rushing attempts, 414 total yards, for an average of 2.8 yards per carry, and a likewise reduced 60 yards per game average.  Not unexpectedly, Brandon Jacobs suffered a strained hamstring during the Bears game, and has not factored since.

So what do we know?  Through eight weeks, the Giants featured a barren backfield, running behind a depleted offensive line incapable of run blocking.  The O-Line additionally allowed sacks, and drew penalties at an (un-Giant like) prolific rate.  And of course, over reliance on passing the ball has resulted in an absurd amount of interceptions.

Okay.

Lost in all this, offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride has quietly been out of sight and out of mind - if not lost upon our collective self-pity over starting 2-6 this season.  So, as necessity is the mother of all invention, Coughlin unleashed Simon Bar Sinister to be as crazy, wiley and as irresponsible as he wanted to be without fear of recriminations from me, you and most fans, nor the media, the NSA, the Russians, global warming and endangered polar bears.  He may not escape Jerry Reese at season's end, but that remains to be seen.

Let's not forget, in the Eli/ Coach Coughlin era, the Giants have been a highly aggressive, pass-first team.  This is not all on Gilbride.  He is Coughlin's enabler.  And so, through the first five weeks, in trying to play catch-up football, Air Gilbride reduced the running game into a mere smudge on his  play calling chart.  Yes, the running game indeed was a futile venture, but there was a minimalist attempt on his part to keep opposing defenses honest.  Many screamed for more controlled roll-outs and 3-step drops by Eli, employing double tight ends and utilizing pulling linemen, trying more screen passes and draw plays, and more overall swing catches by the backfield to offset the run.

Instead, we're presently at the midway point of the season, and Eli Manning has as many INT's (15) as he had all of last year, and yes, he leads the NFL this season in that category.  Kevin Gilbride's idea of situational play calling and lack of better creativity, in addition to receivers running incorrect routes, no tight end to speak of, the crumbling offensive line, and yes, Eli Manning's inconsistency and occasionally reverting back to old habits (like throwing off his back foot) all share equal blame for fifteen interceptions.  But in truth, without an effective running game, all semblance of play-action was, and still remains null and void.

Under those conditions, it is hard to decipher any measure of success or even promise, culpability, negligence, or singular blame.  The Giants do not have much to hang their helmets on outside of A) - a decently competitive game to open the season against Dallas, B) - a good first half against the Broncos, C) - a decent day against the Chiefs running the ball despite yet another loss, D) -  a throw-back game by Brandon Jacobs against the Bears, and E & F) -  two yawn inspiring victories over the Vikings and Eagles.

Make no mistake - the defense and special teams have more problems than a math book as well.  But you know what they say - an effective running game gets first downs, keeps possession of the football, keeps the punter off the field, takes time off the clock, keeps the opposing offense off the field, and minimizes the defense's exposure and limits their fatigue.

The demise of Brandon Jacobs, then Ahmad Bradshaw ushered in the era of Andre Brown and David Wilson?  That's the way Jerry Reese designed it, and the Giants paid a steep price. 

October 9, 2013 - The Long Successful Run To Daylight Is Over

Andre Brown went down before opening day, and David Wilson is still battling a neck condition.  Brandon Jacob's contribution this season has been chronicled and appreciated, while Da'rel Scott and Peyton Hillis did all they could.  None of this falls on them.

What now?

The season ending injuries to offensive linemen Chris Snee, but more specifically to David Baas, are perhaps addition by subtraction.  Jim Cordle has filled in at center, and will continue seeing steady playing time.  The center position is now bigger and healthier because of it.  David Diehl's return is not only timely, his ability to play multiple positions has allowed him to slide into Snee's spot.  Corresponding to the changes, the O-Line has demonstrated marked improvement over their first five weeks of the season.  The backfield in turn has benefited as well.  Will Beatty, Kevin Boothe, Jim Cordle, David Diehl and Justin Pugh, who has played quite well as a rookie, are now the starting front five, and should finish out the season together barring any further injury.

Coach Coughlin also put the brakes on Air Gilbride.  After failing to run the ball at least twenty times during the first five games, and averaging two passes for every one rush, Coach advised his long-time friend and coordinator to restrike a balance between passing and running the ball.  In Week Six, Kevin Gilbride struck total balance for his friend, and elected to pass and rush an equal twenty-six times each.  In both Weeks Seven and Eight, the Giants ran a season high twenty-nine times, and had finally rushed the ball in excess of twenty-five times in three straight games.

David Wilson recently went for a second MRI for a herniated disk in his neck, and will not be reevaluated for another few weeks.  But, finally some good news - Andre Brown appears back after sustaining a fractured leg in pre-season, and may finally play for the first time this Sunday against the Oakland Raiders.  How effective he'll be in his first few games back is obviously a highly questionable proposition.  Not to mention, regardless of the opposition, he'll be playing against defenses that are very literally in mid-season form.

With Andre Brown rushing again behind a reconfigured offensive line, perhaps there's hope for this running game yet.  I'm afraid however, the affect will be too little, too late, and wind up a mere late afternoon shadow in Autumn's fading quest for daylight.

Despite the pass-happiness of the Eli/Coughlin/Gilbride era, for nearly a full decade, the Giants featured one of the most fearsome running games in football, rushing behind a record setting offensive line.  Back then, Coach Gilbride took it upon himself to strike offensive balance, and had the resources to get it done.  Those days are officially long gone.  After Chris Snee went down, David Diehl became the lone surviving lineman from the previous era, and even his days are short.

There are no football miracles on the horizon for Big Blue.  Not this year.  Time and Football stand still for no one.  The Giants will not win out and finish with a 10-6 record.  They need to go 5-3 just to finish with a 7-9 mark.  Let's just get through the Raiders first.

I've never hesitated to criticize Kevin Gilbride.  I'm old school, remember - raised on Bill Parcells, smash mouth, and stuff like that.  So Gilbride has been a real assault on my sensibilities.  But I never wanted him fired.  Defensive coordinators?  Yes.  Him?  No.  This year, Gilbride is only guilty of doing what he's been told, and it feels weird defending him, but there you go.  I'm resigned to the fact that in this modern era of...whatever... Coughlin, Gilbride, and Eli Manning will go down as the most prolific offensive trio in Giants history, yet go down as perhaps the most criticized.  Ponderous, but true.

N.Y. Giants: On Tom Coughlin - Note To Fans, Remember Where You Came From

 

Too may of Jerry Reese's problems stem from the salary cap.  Above all else, he needs to get that in order.  The Giants entered the season with the most free agents on their roster and least amount of drafted players in the Jerry Reese era.  That is the inherent and inevitable peril when tasked with putting a previous era to bed, and trying to establish a new one on the fly in the parity stricken NFL.  So, money is a definite factor in future decision making.  Free agent acquisition David Baas woefully under-performed for the cash he was earning.  That mistake can not be repeated.  Will Beatty is making too much as well, but at least deserves further consideration.

Of the current members of the offensive line and backfield, I am only otherwise predisposed to move forward with Justin Pugh, David Wilson, Jim Cordle and Kevin Boothe.  The Giants need to reevaluate quickly this off-season and choose which direction they want to go.  Then move forward by making very hard, unpopular decisions and affect the necessary changes.

Next, Jerry Reese needs to reprioritize next year's draft.  Reese did not compromise himself by sending the Panthers a late pick for Jon Beason. 

We've know for a few years now, the offensive line needed a complete overhaul.  When Jerry Reese finally rebuilds the offensive line, only then will things fall into place again.  A grassroots effort is in order.  Assemble another young core of linemen, and let them grow together.  Selecting RT Justin Pugh last year was a needed step in the right direction.  Jerry Reese will need to expend another pick on an O-lineman, and hope he gets as good a player, if not better than Justin Pugh.  A trade and a smart free agent signing later, and perhaps one more rush for glorious daylight may resume in earnest again before Eli retires.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants: Offensive Line Must Create Daylight

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: Performance Anxiety By The Offensive Line Causing Running Game Impotence.

AIM HIGH - AIR FARCE:

No carpet bombing is worth the effort

unless followed up with an effective ground campaign.

Kevin Gilbride's "offense from above" is tops in the league.  And so here we go, over the top again - first because the Panthers' secondary is flaky, but mostly because the Giants running game ranks 32nd in the NFL.  I agree, this week's recipe calls for another day of carpet bombing.  As such, the Giants passing game is averaging 390 yards after two weeks.  But that much aerial bombardment hasn't generated any victories thus far.

Even though Eli will be facing a banged up secondary this Sunday, he and Gilbride would be smart to avoid being predictable.  Even in Coach Gilbride's greediest days, the Giants offense was still predicated on balance, with a strong running game that gained first downs on the ground, sustained long drives and consumed the clock.  In return, Coach Gilbride and Eli Manning consistently lead the league in most yards per pass attempt.

You can point to Eli's seven interceptions as the lead point of the Giants troubles, and how ten overall turnovers have put the defense on the field much more than necessary if you want.  After all, they have played two winnable games.  But without a decent running game and continued substandard  blocking by the offensive line, this sort of football will continue to be order of the day.

In the running game's present state, a lack of respect by opposing linebackers, safeties, and defenses in general is only natural.  But this week, the offensive line will potentially be working against a Carolina defense that may not be too interested in committing their depleted safeties to stopping any attempt at running the ball.  Therefore, it is time to give the back field upwards of twenty-five carries, featuring a fresh new unbiased look at David Wilson.  Kevin Gilbride will also have to incorporate catches out of the backfield as well, if only to keep the remaining healthy Carolina Panthers secondary honest.  That may sound simplistic, but the backfield has literally generated little to no offense.

The Giants transition away from the Shaun O'Hara, Ahmad Bradshaw and younger Brandon Jacobs era is not going well at all.  With David Diehl still out, they have few choices but to start maximizing their remaining options on the offensive line.  That means David Baas, working on a troubled knee, would cease to be a starter.  I know, I know, Brandon Jacobs scored a touchdown against the Broncos behind Baas' block.  But something must be done to improve the woeful play upfront.  Let Kevin Boothe, Jim Cordle and Chris Snee fill the space between the tackles, or slide Boothe over to play center while James Brewer starts at left guard.  I'm sorry, the Giants continue to be woeful running between the tackles, and as such, David Baas' free agent contract continues to be money ill spent.

Big Blue's obligatory two week grace period is over.  While only a game separates them from first place in what will turn out to be a parity riddled NFC East, time is already of the essence in Week Three.  Hard decisions need to be made regarding the offensive line, and by now, David Wilson must know how to securely handle the football, and how to effectively pick up a blitz.  It is time for him to perform - no questions asked, and Sunday's game is a good situation for him to take a major step in the right direction.  Heavy doses of a much healthier Henry Hynoski leading the way can also go a long way towards turning around Wilson's season.

If the Giants do not turn the ball over, the defense won't be as taxed, and should able to keep Cam Newton, Steve Smith and the Panthers somewhere between seventeen and twenty-three points.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants: No Running Game Is Kevin Gilbride's Happy Zone

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: Offensively Speaking, Everything Is Relative.  This Sunday However, Will Test Coach Kevin Gilbride's Creativity.

I'm not going to jump all over Eli for seven interceptions in two weeks, not when he, Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz have been a virtual three man wrecking crew.  Over the last two weeks, the three have been largely responsible for 804 yards of total offense.  Granted, interceptions are just another way of saying the Giants shot themselves in the foot - twice.  But they clearly have major issues that are affecting their greater game.

The more you ask Eli to throw the ball, the greater risk interceptions become.  Why is he being asked the throw this much?  Start with the backfield, of course.  An injury to Andre Brown left the Giants depleted while David Wilson took a major step backwards instead of rushing forward.  And if Brandon Jacobs was woefully ineffective in 2011, there was no reason to expect anything from him in Week Two. 

I spoke about balance heading into Week One.  Although Coach Coughlin imposed the situation after David Wilson's two fumbles, the offensive scales are all off.  In Game One, Eli threw forty-two passes, while the Giants only ran the ball twelve times.  In game Two, Eli threw the ball forty-nine times, while they ran the ball nineteen times.

The foot bone is connected to the ankle bone.  Right?  The running game can't get going because the offensive line has been pedestrian, if not unremarkable.  Due to their performance, or lack there of, the rushing game has been stopped at the point of attack.  I was surprised when the Giants started James Brewer in Week One over Jim Cordle.  As a unit, they allowed Dallas to sack Eli three times, and hit him another five.  On the ground, the O-Line opened up few holes for the beleaguered backfield, which resulted (minus Eli's eight yards)  in only forty-two yards rushing.  In Game Two, center David Baas returned to action, and the running game did even worse.  The running game barely averaged one yard per carry.  They gained twenty-three yards all game.  While pass protecting, Eli was sacked one time, but was hit an additional seven times throughout the game by Denver.

While I still feel David Baas is too small at center, he has good stretches.  Sunday wasn't one of them.  Otherwise, the Giants did manage add some size to the line this season, and can now potentially throw five guys out there who all weigh over 300 pounds.  Overall experience, health and technique are other matters.  Jim Cordle and James Brewer were never starters before.  Veteran David Diehl missed his second week.  Will Beatty is a better pass protector than run blocker.  I have no individual beefs with Chris Snee's or Kevin Boothe's play, and for now, Justin Pugh seems to be going about his business.  Perhaps there is hope for this very average bunch yet, as they have one of the best offensive line coaches in all the NFL - Pat Flaherty.  Once they improve, David Wilson's game will improve as well.

You know me, I love to blame Kevin Gilbride...for anything.  But he currently deserves none of it.  When he has the personnel to get back in offensive balance, I'll get back to criticizing play selection.  Right now, we happen to need Coach Gilbride's aggressive style.  Remember what Bill Parcells once told Phil Simms before a big game, and I paraphrase - If you don't throw two interceptions today, it's because you weren't being aggressive enough.  No one attempts more yardage per pass play than Simon Bar Sinister himself, Kevin Gilbride.  He must feel like a kid in Disney World right now with full run of the place.  The bottom line is, he still needs a viable running game, and after a decade together with Eli, Coach better insure his playbook stays creative enough to keep the league honest.

Moving forward, two people need to relax - David Wilson and Tom Coughlin.  David Wilson went to an extreme against Denver in trying to hold on to the ball.  He just needs to ease-up a bit, and get back to being an athlete instead of a robot.  Coach needs to work with Wilson, not against him, because very simply, Wilson is the only plan the Giants have.  It's fine for Coach to drill him in ball security, but he also needs to keep his inexperienced running back in a positive frame of mind too.  The hope here is three weeks will be all it takes for them to finally find common ground.



Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants: Big Blue Needs A Full Season From Hakeem Nicks

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: In Eli We Trust, But Hakeem Nicks Must Stay On The Field.  He Has Failed To Complete A Sixteen Game NFL Season In His Four Year Career.


One thing about the modern day NFL, there is never very much time to dwell.  There is only this season, this week, and right now.  As such, six years is an eternity in the NFL, if not the length of many careers.  And so Super Bowl XLII is fast becoming ancient history, which would then make Super Bowl XLVI something akin to a bygone golden era.  After Big Blue captured that second  Lombardi Trophy in four years, missing last year's playoffs was very disappointing to say the least. Then a seemingly endless off-season followed, which featured the departures of two more all-time Giants - two time Super Bowl champions Osi Umenyiora and Ahmad Bradshaw.  Time can be cruel.

The 2012 New York Giants either didn't defend very well, didn't score enough points, or both.  However, they were far from incapable, which made losing-out so frustrating.  Heading into this season, the only thing separating this year's team and last year's is the level of uncertainty.  I believe that measure has risen exponentially.  With much to prove, it's only appropriate that the 2013 regular season gets hot right away, as the journey to get back to the playoffs starts in big Texas this Sunday night against the rival Dallas Cowboys.  Ten wins can top the N.F.C. East this season.  The question is, can the New York Football Giants manage that?

It's hard to boil the entire 2013 season down to three guys, but here I go anyway.  Not just offensively speaking, the Giants best chances for returning to the playoffs lies in the arm of Eli Manning, getting sustained health out of Hakeem Nicks, and no lingering effects from a foot injury to Victor Cruz.  Until we learn more about our competing tight ends, which include the returning Bear Pascoe, Eli won't have that consistent check down option available to him.  Eli successfully introduced several relatively anonymous tight ends to the NFL over the last several seasons, but with Martellus Bennett not sticking around, receiver wise, the G-Men may be lacking here.   In the backfield, it is David Wilson's time to show what he can do, but he is as yet untested over the course of an NFL season, and we still do not know if he can effectively pick up a blitz.  Regardless, with Andre Brown going down, the backfield is severely compromised.  After Wilson, Eli looks to be handing the ball off to a bunch of question marks.  That's why it is imperative these three stay healthy all season.  The probability of that happening?  Hakeem Nicks has failed to complete a full season in four years with the Giants.

When Eli, Nicks and Cruz are on the field together, the Giants can light up the scoreboard with any team.  If Nicks succumbs to another injury, teams will zero-in on Cruz - too easy.  Otherwise, I've had my differences with Coach Gilbride over the years, but he remains one of the most aggressive offensive coordinators in the game.  To keep teams honest, he may need a new wrinkle or two up his sleeve, being as he and Eli have been together for ten seasons now.  The bottom line is, when the four men are operating on the same wave length, they make things happen.

Both Nicks and Cruz failed to do much practicing this summer.  But Week One looks to pose a problem for a great many more reasons than just the passing game.

Coming this week:

The Offensive Line and Running Game
The Defense




Mike.BTB

New York Giants: Gilbride - Simon Bar Sinister Strikes Again

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:  In The Case Between Ahmad Bradshaw And Coach Coughlin, All You Need Is Love.


You know what to call that exchange between Ahmad Bradshaw and Coach Coughlin?  I call it love.  The two have been through a lot of battles together.  The Giants feature back was no doubt relying on the equity he has built with his head coach over the last five-plus years.  The Tom Coughlin of six and seven years ago wouldn't have let that fly.  Then again, this wasn't exactly Tiki Barber accusing his coach of being horribly out coached.  This was a case of a running back wanting the Giants to run the ball more so than they did against the Redskins to that point.  So no harm no foul.  And that's the way everyone on the team treated the situation too.


Granted, Ahmad did act as if not rushing for 100 yards was going to lose him a side bet or something. But let us remember for a second, Big Buddy is no longer here to keep Little Buddy's emotions under wraps.  Brandon Jacobs did that well.  In fact, they served each other very well in that regard.  So this is in effect Ahmad Bradshaw's first season unplugged.  Demanding more from his team mates is something a two time Super Bowl champion should be doing.  It just happened to manifest itself in slapping Victor Cruz upside the helmet, and losing his bearing with Coach.  Hey.....


Ahmad Bradshaw is far from being problematic.  So why should we, or I, take issue with Sunday's incident.  As long as Coach remains alpha-male in the room, it's all good.  What was problematic, were the Washington Redskins.


Coming off two weeks in which Ahmad rushed for over 300 yards, I get Bradshaw's point.  Fact is, the Washington Redskins forced the Giants into abandoning the run.  Subtract Eli's two scrambles for four yards, and Big Blue only rushed the ball seventeen times all game; eight times in the first half, and nine times in second.  Meanwhile, in an otherwise horrible effort, Eli put up forty passes in trying to keep Big Blue in the game.  In the process, he threw two interceptions.  Coach Gilbride was already calling a short passing game anyway.  So yeah, why not run more?


I do not know if the Giants anticipated that kind of defensive effort against the run.  In fairness to Coach Gilbride however, I get what he was doing too.  This game was actually right out of the old Mike Ditka era Bears play book - keep it short, keep it short, keep it short.  Once Ditka suckered the defense in, he then had Jim McMahon unleash a bomb to Willie Gault late in the game.  Whether by the run or short pass, I guess the result is all that matters.


Coach Gilbride did not resort to throwing hey makers early in the game like I though he might. But nor did he try establishing the run early.  Instead he loaded up on a short passing game in the first half.  He left the hey maker for the very last.  Simon Bar Sinister strikes again.



Other Stuff:  David Wilson did not get to run the ball from scrimmage.  Ahmad Bradshaw rushed the ball twelve times.  Andre Brown carried five times.  I thought this last game would have been a good week to get Wilson a nice package of reps.  Coach thought otherwise.  In four kick returns, he totaled 106 yards with a long of thirty two.




Mike.BTB

New York Giants: Is Offensive Line Better Without David Diehl?

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:

Big Blue Has A Giant Decision To Make On Offensive Line.

 

This Is A Good Week To Let David Wilson Be The Feature Back.

Kevin Gilbride Versus Redskins - Bombs Away?

 

Mission: Take Advantage Of Back-To-Back Division Games!

While Big Blue sports an overall 4-2 record this season, they are 0-2 within the division.  The Giants will have to wait for later in the season to square up with Philly.  Next week, they'll get their chance to even up against the Cowboys in Dallas.  First, there is the matter of RG3 and the Redskins.  If you do not remember, Washington swept the Giants last year and damn nearly pulled the rug out from under their season.  This year, the Redskins along with Philly both sport 3-3 records.  The Giants can either win this week and next, and by virtue of righting some wrongs, take a mid-season strangle hold on the division.  Or, they can lose to the Skins again, and make things very complicated for themselves.  For if you're a Giants fan, you know success makes the team break out in a rash.  For what ever reason, they do not handle prosperity very well.  Making things difficult has become a way of life around here.


The biggest question I have heading into Sunday is not how the Giants plan on stopping RG3.  Instead, I'm curious to see if Kevin Gilbride will open the game with hey makers down field, or try and establish the run early.  Based on the last few games, the running game has been working very well behind good blocking by the offensive line.  Last week for the first time this season, the Giants ran the ball more times than Eli passed.  It would stand to reason Coach Gilbride would continue letting his offensive line build confidence and momentum.


This is precisely why I think Kevin Gilbride is going deep, and going deep often.  Based on the division scenario described above, and because the Giants did indeed lose twice to Washington last season, and because Kevin Gilbride smells win number five like blood in the water, he will be going for the kill early.  Quick points and an early lead means the defensive line can then tee-off on RG3 and all that stuff he does.  Then, the Giants can turn to the run and play ball possession.  Those would be two ways to minimize Washington's offense.  Coach Fewell can take care of the rest.


Of course, I could be wrong.


There is no question Ahmad Bradshaw is tough, and plays hurt.  He's had bad feet for years.  Ahmad did not practice Friday, and is listed as questionable for Sunday, which means he will most likely play.  But perhaps David Wilson should finally get a majority of snaps this week, not necessarily because Bradshaw is a little banged up, but because Wilson has worked hard to earn a shot. And then, yea, Ahmad could use the break.  Besides, Wilson's type of speed may be just what the doctor ordered against Washington.  Forget what he has done on kick returns.  Since his infamous fumble in Week One, David Wilson is averaging over five yards per carry rushing the ball.  In the last two weeks he has gained seventy nine yards on seven carries.


Can it be the offensive line is better without David Diehl?  I'm not trying to slight him or anything.  Consider the Giants allowed three sacks to (Dallas) Demarcus Ware in Week One, David Diehl went down in Week Two, they allowed two more sacks against Carolina in Week Three, then nothing since.  In Week One, the Giants rushed for eighty two yards.  In Week Two, they rushed for ninety six yards.  After David Diehl went down, the Giants broke 100 yards rushing three times, highlighted by Ahmad Bradshaw's 200 yard day against the Browns.  In the last four games, the Giants have racked up 572 yards rushing.  From left to right, Will Beatty, Kevin Boothe, David Baas, Chris Snee, and Sean Locklear have flat out been getting the job done.  David Diehl does not appear to be resuming his starting role this week.  He only saw light action against the Niners.  But when he is healthy enough to start again, Big Blue has a Giant decision to make.





Mike.BTB

New York Giants: The Return Of Smash Mouth Football

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:  G-Men Find Their Smash Mouth In San Francisco.  Offensive Line And

Running Game Rumble In The Bay Area.

Post: G-Men Send Tremors Through Frisco

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR KEVIN GILBRIDE GOES OLD SCHOOL ON NINERS.

For the tongue lashing Jim Harbaugh directed Kevin Gilbride's way,

the Giants offensive coordinator got the final say.

And here is the lesson he planned for the 49er's coach...

Forget balance.  Coach Kevin Gilbride is bucking trends.  Against the Niners and for the first time all season, Coach decided to run the ball more times than he elected to pass.  All praise him!  Eli attempted twenty eight passes.  Between Ahmad Bradshaw and David Wilson, the Giants rushed thirty four times and gained 151 yards.


It was the third time this season a Giants back rushed for over one hundred yards in a game.  When Bradshaw missed Game Three with an injury, Andre Brown stepped in and rushed for 113 yards. Ahmad returned in Week Four and rushed thirteen times for thirty nine yards.  Then came the explosion.  In the last two weeks and behind fullback Henry Hynoski, Ahmad Bradshaw has gained 316 yards on the ground.  Two hundred yards came against the Browns.


Last season's worst rushing offense now ranks 9th in the NFL.  Minus Eli Manning scrambling around, the Giants have run the ball 153 times this season for a net 750 yards.  That works out to 4.90 yards per attempt.  Eli Manning has attempted 225 passes this season.   So basically, Coach Gilbride is running the ball twice versus every three pass attempts.


David Wilson is also building momentum.  Since suffering through a not so nifty start, and a stint in the dog house, the rookie has rebounded well, if not impressively.  He has rushed the ball fifteen times this season for eighty eight yards, and one touchdown.  Thanks to seventy nine yards on seven carries over the last two weeks, he is sporting a 5.87 yards per carry average so far this season.


His work on special teams has been exceptional.  In six games and nineteen kick returns, David Wilson has amassed 540 yards.  That's nearly a 28.5 yards per return average.  Four times his game long return eclipsed thirty yards or better.  He gained his season best against the 49ers with a sixty six yard return.  Most impressive of all, he continues to blow by people with incredible bursts of speed.


As much speed as Wilson brings, and as elusive Ahmad Bradshaw is, none of this success could be possible without stellar play by the offensive line.  They took a cue from their offensive coordinator and delivered upon the 49ers and old fashioned package of smash mouth football; Giants style.  So far, only the Eagles have brought the running game to a halt back in Week Four.  Whenever the Giants have rushed twenty five times or more in a game, they eclipsed one hundred yards and won.  In the Giants two losses this season against Philly and Dallas, they only ran the ball nineteen times in each game and failed to gain ninety yards.


Despite Demarcus Ware and the Cowboys sacking Eli three times in the season opener, and two sacks surrendered to Carolina during a win, the offensive line has also pitched four shutouts.  They haven't allowed a sack since Week Three.


Center Davis Baas is far removed from issues that affected his early to mid 2011 regular season.  By December and certainly in the playoffs, Jerry Reese's free agent Line acquisition was proving his worth.  This season with Chris Snee to his right, and Kevin Boothe to his left, the three have re-formed into a solid core.  Ninth year Sean Locklear continued his surprisingly formidable play in place of David Diehl.  Will Beatty continues to effectively protect Eli's blind side.  Overall, the offensive line has every reason to feel highly confident about themselves.


This reconfigured line has pass protection seemingly down pat.  If Coach Gilbride keeps dialing up the run, so far the trend says the more they run, the better they get.




Mike.BTB

New York Giants: Ahmad Bradshaw Romps

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:  Big Blue Takes Giant Strides Towards Daylight.

WEEK FIVE FINAL

Browns  27

Giants    41

Hush your mouth!  Who's talking about the demise of Ahmad Bradshaw now?  It has been a long time since a Giants back pounded the ball like that.  Coach Kevin Gilbride called Ahmad Bradshaw's number thirty times in Sunday's game.  He only charged Eli to throw the ball five more times than the Giants rushed.  Ahmad Bradshaw responded by rushing for two hundred yards.  He averaged over six yards per carry.  Throw in another twenty nine yards on four catches, and I would just like to thank both Ahmad, and the offensive coordinator for a job very well done.  I'll take it a step further.  Kevin Gilbride should be applauded.  How often have I said that?


In fact, Kevin Gilbride made multiple in-game adjustments during the first half that caught my attention.  And one of them was indeed throwing to Bradshaw out of the backfield early while the Brown still had a lot of spirit against the run.  The few change-ups out of the backfield sort of unlocked the overall running game for the rest of the afternoon.  The Giants actually ran for more first downs (14 versus 12) than they achieved via the pass.  But of course, no one, particularly Coach Coughlin, was all too pleased with Bradshaw's first quarter fumble.


If anything, Bradshaw's fumble could serve to lessen the severity of Tom Coughlin's punishment of David Wilson.  The rookie was allotted two rushes all day.  In the second half, he unleashed one for forty yards, and a touchdown.  He busted through Cleveland's front seven unmolested.  But his speed was once again impressive.  On this particular rush, he ran by defenders like they were standing still.  Does this finally get David Wilson out of Coach Coughlin's dog house?  While a fumble, a dropped pass, and a botched shovel pass landed him in Coach's kennel, David Wilson is racking up yardage in the meantime at a hefty pace.  He is bouncing back from adversity well.  The way coaches think, Coach Coughlin just might want to keep the pressure on him.


Don't forget, somewhere in this, save credit for the offensive line.  After just four games heading into Sunday, the unit is already battered, bruised, and depleted.  Together, they kept Eli Manning untouched yet again.  They corrected costly penalties from last week, drawing no penalties against the Browns.  Most comforting to me, they helped the Giants possess the ball for over thirty five minutes by opening large swaths of field for Bradshaw (and Wilson) to run through.  David Baas and Kevin Boothe blocked particularly well together.


When the Giants fell behind early in the first quarter, Kevin Gilbride went old school to dig the Giants out of their predicament.  He then stuck with his horse for the rest of the game.  That, above all else except the final outcome of the game that is, made me happiest.  Ahmad Bradshaw needed a game like that.  His performance comforted and reassured a lot of Giants fans.  Me included.




Mike.BTB

New York Giants: Giants Loss Deeper Than Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:

Missed It by THAT Much

 

WEEK FOUR FINAL:

GIANTS   17

EAGLES  19

First things first - The fact Lawrence Tynes missed what could have been the game winning field goal doesn't bother me in the slightest.  He's got a good foot and is not why the Giants lost to the Eagles.


Next item - I do not mind that Kevin Gilbride and Coach Coughlin stayed ultra aggressive towards the end of Sunday night's game.  There was a time (as recently as last season) when I would have ripped into the Offensive Coordinator.  I guess two Super Bowls and Eli Manning have altered my thinking somewhat.  Sure I would have ran the ball on second down with under 0:30 seconds left.  But such as life.  Let's not be hypocrites...okay?  The old adage is you play for the win on the road, and for the tie at home.  Could the coaches have considered a different way to matriculate the ball into field goal range?  Yes, but again, I'm not concerned.  Remember what they say about hindsight and apply it here.


Third on my list -  I do not mind Eli's earlier interception in the end zone.  Although that was perhaps one of the worse he has ever thrown.  The fact is, offensively, Eli and whatever receivers on the field at any given time are the only components functioning well.  With regards to Eli heroics, this is just the way this game played out.  We fans can do a better job tempering ourselves when we start demanding perfection.


If Eli is indeed functioning well, let's give the Offensive Line some credit before I start a different tact.  The Offensive Line has indeed provided Eli enough time to throw the ball.  Eli suffered no sacks Sunday evening.  They got help blocking from Martellus Bennett and Ahmad Bradshaw.  But through a quarter season thus far, the group has pass protected well with or without David Diehl in the line-up.


Here is where I am concerned.  First, I do not mind Aaron Brown only rushed the ball four times considering he was coming off two very productive weeks leading into Sunday.  While Eli suffered no sacks Sunday evening, the O-Line created no holes to run through.  The Giants rushed for a pathetic fifty seven yards.  Low production out of the backfield is more than just a pattern.  That concerns me.  And that's why I give the way Sunday night's game ended, a pass.


Lastly, I was even more perturbed by costly holding penalties committed by the Offensive Line; i.e. - Will Beatty and Sean Locklear in particular.


If a team runs the ball well, and defends against the run well, that team will win a preponderance of their games.  There in lies the reason why the Giants lost.  Against the Eagles, they did neither well. Sunday night's contest was one of those very winnable games the Giants let slip by.  But make no mistake, this game wasn't lost because Tynes missed the last second field goal, or Eli's INT in the end zone, or the Giants inability to run the ball.  The Giants lost that game because they couldn't for the life of them stop Philadelphia's running game.  All told, the Eagles gained 191 yards rushing.   Michael Vick sprung free for forty nine yards on six carries.  And LeSean McCoy ran buck wild around Osi Umenyiora, and figuratively over Big Blue, rushing twenty three times for 123 yards.  Most disheartening, the majority of his yardage came in the second half.


Once again, the Giants got sliced and diced off the edges, and generally everything bounced to the outside.  Carved and served would be a more accurate portrayal of the feast enjoyed by the Eagles running game.  All containment has left the building.  Sunday's effort was as undisciplined a performance as they've had on the field together.  And as coach, if I am stressing anything this week in practice, it would be that.


Meanwhile, the deterioration of Corey Webster's play continues.  DeSean Jackson had Webster twisted like a pretzel when he received a second quarter touchdown pass from Michael Vick.  That's why Webster was no where to be found on the play.  He was heading somewhere else.  Nothing about that play has anything to do with Corey's hand being in a cast.  For the fourth consecutive week now, Corey Webster has played a very suspect game.


My two greatest two concerns after Sunday's loss to the Eagles however, are the health and status of Kenny Phillips.  His season was off to a tremendous start.  The Secondary just can not withstand any more injuries.  Losing Phillips, I believe would be major, major blow.  And secondly, the Giants are now 0-2 within the division.




Mike.BTB

New York Giants: Eli And Kevin Gilbride Rewriting Giants History

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:  Over The Last Three Seasons, The Offensive Line Has Deteriorated, The Running Game Has Declined, While Wide Receiver Needed Healing After A Shot To The Leg.  The More Giant Conditions Worsened Around Eli, The Greater Big Blue's Quarterback Became.


During Eli Manning's rookie season of 2004, he appeared in nine games and started seven.  He completed 95 of 197 pass attempts for 1,043 yards.  Eli finished his first season with six touchdowns and nine interceptions.  Nine years later, just three games into the 2012 season, Eli Manning has completed 79 of 118 pass attempts for 1,011 yards.  He has thrown five touchdowns and has been intercepted three times.


Since the day Eli threw his first pass in the NFL, through last Thursday's game against the Carolina Panthers, Eli has thrown for 28,590 yards, which now ranks #43 all-time.  If all goes well against the Eagles next Sunday, Eli will pass Len Dawson and Rich Gannon, and move up to #41 all-time behind Brad Johnson.  If two of the three QB's I just mentioned sound pedestrian to you, it is because they were.  But while Gannon's and Johnson's careers are closed books, Eli doesn't turn thirty two years old until January.  With continued health, the names on the all-time list Eli closes on will surely become more elite.


Within the Land of Giants, Phil Simms tops the G-Men with 33,462 yards passing.  Eli is now just 4,872 yards away.  It might take the final two minutes in Week Sixteen to get it done, but Eli Manning can pass Phil Simms this season.  If Eli keeps throwing at this current pace, there is a slight chance he can accumulate another 4,000+ yards passing this season.  Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying...., Eli is on his way towards a 5,000 yard season.  It would be the organization's first.


Phil Simms topped 4,000 yards passing one time in his career.  That came in 1984 when he attempted a career high 533 passes.  That also marked the only time Simms ever attempted 500+ passes in a season.  Phil Simms had five other seasons in which he eclipsed 3,000 yards passing.  And four times in his career, he threw twenty or more touchdowns.


Phil Simms battled many injuries throughout his career.  Were it not for injury, his career numbers would surely appear to the average fan far superior than they do.  And if you're a Giants fan of that era like I am, you know Phil played for Bill Parcells within an entirely different system of football than we are currently playing today.  Everything the Giants did back then was predicated off the running game.  Phil Simms was charged with game management, and on occasion, greatness.  Smash mouth football limited Phil Simms to a career average twenty eight pass attempts per game.


Giants fans will never hesitate calling Phil Simms a great quarterback.  In Super Bowl XXI, he lived the dream and authored the most efficient day a quarterback could ever have in the biggest game of his career.  While not organization's first NFL championship, Phil Simms did deliver Giants fans their first ever Lombardi Trophy.  He was also largely responsible for putting the Giants in position for a second trophy.


Life is different for a certain age of Giants fan now.  Not drastically though, for defense still rules the day.  Instead of dominating with linebackers as the Giants did back then, today they do it with defensive linemen.  Offensively however, guys like me are still a little astonished with the new pass first regime.


Holding the leash of this modern Blue monster is Simon Bar Sinister; Kevin Gilbride.  Since 2006, he is the Offensive Coordinator who routinely leads the league in most yards attempted per pass.  He and Eli Manning have now collaborated on two Super Bowl winning drives.  Kevin Gilbride was Eli's quarterback coach for his first two seasons in the league.  That set the foundation for what the two would accomplish together after Kevin Gilbride's promotion to Offensive Coordinator seven years ago.


Interestingly, before the 2011 season, Eli attempted his most passes in 2005 under former Coordinator John Hufnagel.  It wasn't until Eli's sixth season under Gilbride that he re-established his new career high with 589 pass attempts last season.  Not coincidentally, Eli set a new career single season high with 4,933 yards.  Some of that was born out of having the worst rushing game in the league.  But it is still easy to see 5,000 yards being the next logical step for them both.


Save for his rookie season, Eli has never thrown less than twenty touchdowns.  Under Kevin Gilbride, Eli has averaged thirty two pass attempts per game.  He has topped 500+ attempts in six of the last seven seasons.  In every season except his rookie year, Eli has surpassed 3,000 yards passing.  For the past three consecutive seasons, he surpassed 4,000 yards passing.  Last season he threw for roughly nine hundred more yards than he did in 2009 and 2010, and fell just sixty seven yards short of his first 5,000 yard campaign.  But then again, he won his second Super Bowl MVP, didn't he?  Together, Eli and Coach Gilbride are re-writing the Giants record books and cementing themselves a place in all-time Giants history with a body of work unrivaled within the organization.  And they do not seem nearly through.


Over the last three seasons Kevin Gilbride's and Eli's attempts have risen commensurate with the decline of the once formidable Giants running game, and specifically the decline of Brandon Jacobs.  As is the case today regarding Ahmad Bradshaw, the Giants back is often compromised by injury rather than being in decline.  Also consider, three seasons ago the Giants record setting Offensive Line was ravaged by injuries.  In 2011, Jerry Reese began reconstruction of the Offensive Line in earnest with the releasing of Shaun O'Hara and Rich Seubert, and the free agent acquisition of David Baas.


Over the last three seasons, that wasn't all that was seemingly collapsing around Eli Manning.  In 2008, Plaxico Burress put a bullet into the Giants chance at yet another Super Bowl.  But more lasting, he blasted a wound into the position of wide receiver that took the Giants almost two seasons to heel from.


Since 2009, Jerry Reese selected a number of receivers that Eli Manning is now currently in the process of turning into stars.  And entering this season, Jerry Reese continued revamping the line with the release of Kareem McKenzie.  If David Diehl isn't already compromised by a recent injury, he is surely next to get replaced.  In the backfield, as noted, Ahmad Bradshaw missed the last two games after an early Week Two injury.  And rookie David Wilson is doing everything possible to stay in Coach Coughlin's dog house.  Something unexpected happened on the way to Week Three however.  The Offensive Line has been back-up effectively by Sean Locklear and the return of Will Beatty.  And the rushing game has also been refortified by third year Aaron Brown, who as Bill Parcells used to say, is running with power.


We shall see how Kevin Gilbride proceeds forward with a resurgent offensive line, and a reborn running game which now relies on a third year back getting his first crack at starting.  However, in spite of a few revelations during Week Two, the worse conditions and situations get around Eli, the better he becomes.  Since the 2009 season, in the face of a deteriorating running game, the decline of a once formidable offensive line, and left with a gaping wound at wide receiver, Eli Manning's heroics have multiplied exponentially, and his greatness revealed.


Bring on the Eagles!





Mike.BTB