N.Y. Giants ~ Big Blue Business

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:  A not so exact look into the off-season and Big Blue's needs.


In my opinion, the biggest move of the Giants' off-season, by far, remains placing the Franchise tag on punter; Steve Weatherford.  Go figure - a punter.?  I said on numerous occasions during the season, aside from Eli Manning, Weatherford was the Giants' MVP.  I said it in jest then.  But it's as close to absolute truth as you're going to get.  That man's right foot played an invaluable role for the Giants last season.  And it's our good fortune the Jets didn't think too much of him and let him walk away when they did.



The second biggest move of the off-season?  Eli Manning restructured his contract to give the Giants more cap maneuverability.  Some of last season's back lash to losing Kevin Boss and Steve Smith  was directed at Eli for not volunteering to restructure his deal just as Brandon Jacobs had in accepting a pay cut to facilitate Ahmad Bradshaw's resigning.  Eli answered those critics this past season with another Super Bowl MVP award, and has now reworked his deal.  So I ask you, - What more can he do?





OFFENSIVELY SPEAKING:


Super Bowl XLVI left the Giants with a huge hole at Tight End.  Thursday, they apparently signed their man.  It won't be Kevin Boss returning after being cut by Oakland.  It won't be Jeremy Shockey who seems to be begging for a Giant handout.  And not incidentally, he is making a fool of himself in the process, as he tried kicking-up some dirt on Amani Toomer Thursday on Twitter.  It should be noted however, that Shockey's comments came in reaction to initial statements made by Toomer.



Drama aside, the Giants instead found their man hidden behind Jason Witten in Dallas.  After four years as the Cowboy's back-up tight end, Martellus Bennett, will get his shot at starting with Big Blue next season.  He and GM Jerry Reese agreed on a one year deal.  The only thing I know about him is he's big; he's agile; and can catch.  That sounds good to me.  If he can run block, even better.  And if Jerry Reese likes him, I like him too.  Welcome to the Family!



Mario Manningham is no closer to signing with another team today than he was yesterday.  I think the League recognizes him for what he is; a very dependable third, or maybe even second-tier receiver.  The premium isn't too steep for those.  Perhaps his price range can fall into the Giants' lap unlike the Kevin Boss situation last season.  It would certainly be nice to have him back in the fold.  But I can understand if Jerry Reese doesn't meet his price.  The truth is, he's actually expendable as the Giants have created depth at the position since Plaxico Burress' departure.



The Giants also now need someone in the backfield to replace Brandon Jacobs and more importantly, give Ahmad Bradshaw's feet an occasional rest.  Brandon Jacobs was cut by the team.  They could not agree on a new reduced rate deal.



As goes the Giants' Offensive Line, so goes the running game.  Last season, Jerry Reese started it's reconstruction.  Center Shaun O'Hara and Guard, Rich Seubert, were both released prior to the season. That leaves David Diehl, Kareem McKenzie, and Chris Snee, remaining from the Giants' former record setting front five.  I think Kareem McKenzie had one on his best seasons as a pro.  And together with Chris Snee, the right side of the Line provided the Giants' running game with the most daylight.  David Diehl was to moved to Left Tackle again.  He was dependable enough for albeit short yet consistent yardage on the right side.  And as always, his pass protection was dependable.   But the three Linemen are getting up in age, and will soon be meeting the same fates of their former team mates.



The question is, how much attention will Jerry Reese pay to the Line this off-season?  In addition to eventually having to move on from Diehl, Snee, and McKenzie, and without knowing for sure if he will return, I believe the Giants should take a pass on Will Beatty moving forward.  He missed most all of last season with an eye injury.  Kevin Boothe suits me fine at Left Guard.  It's at Center where I'm concerned.  David Baas turned in a season that wound up a little less than advertised.  And I also think he's undersized for the position.  But he was last season's big free agent pick up.  And with him signed, I guess Jerry Reese will concentrate elsewhere. However, I would like Jerry Reese to re-explore acquiring more depth at Tackle-Guard for either side, or Guard-Center.  Mitch Petrus supplied some surprisingly inspired Line work last season and helped open up the running game somewhat when he received playing time in David Baas' absence.  But at the moment, he is all the depth we have.  And then there were none....





ON BRANDON JACOBS BEING RELEASED:


I have spent much time fending off Jacobs' detractors; not because I was any great fan of his, but because I thought he was being misused.  Because he absolutely abhorred the Media, I also knew he never quite knew how to deal with them.  They often flustered him, or just pissed him off.  Thus he was made to look bad and was vilified at times as a result.



But he was always a very good, supportive team mate, and always respected Tom Coughlin.  He always had respect for this organization.  And after winning his second Super Bowl with the only organization he's ever known, the man was humbled.



He gets it.  And we should too.  When it came to matters of Football, he was always a professional, so to speak.  He took over Tiki's job without any pomp or braggadocio on his part.  He just worked quietly and let Tiki Barber implode.  Then for a few years, he went on to become a Destroyer of Wills.  What criticisms he drew for holding out in a contract dispute, or say Helmet Gate, or some ill-spoken words directed at the fans, should have long been forgiven for giving back what he originally held out for, and helping the Giants financially in the age of non-guaranteed contracts.  Forgive him for accepting his secondary role behind Bradshaw.  And for doing so with not only class, but his dignity in tact, as he had nothing but encouragement for his team mate and friend, and never gave the Coach a problem about it.



Did you see him after the Super Bowl during the locker-room celebrations?  Did you see him in complete appreciation of the moment standing along side John Mara and his Mom?  Brandon Jacobs knows what it means to be a Giant.  He's relatively undeserving of the impression of him the Media has led many to adopt.



Instead, in saying goodbye, say thank you for chipping helmets, and for helping us win two Super Bowls.  Think and say, thank you, and we appreciate you for being the N.Y. Football Giants' All Time Rushing Touchdowns Leader.  Give him that, and let him run off to daylight with it.  Don't let him leave off on bad terms like Tiki did.  Remember him as the 2-time champ, and the BULLY!, that he was.  I defy a fellow Giant Fan to tell me he or she didn't appreciate how Brandon Jacobs responded to the Dallas Cowboys.  And tell me you weren't filled with a sense of vindication and satisfaction when he told Rex Ryan where he could go, or what he could do with his Big Green self.



In any event, his time is over now.  And for GM Jerry Reese, it was the right thing to do.





DEFENSIVELY SPEAKING:


Cornerback Terrell Thomas, sorely missing from action last season, was also re-signed by GM Jerry Reese.  I just hope he can finally stay on the field this time.  Aaron Ross still remains unsigned at Corner.  And as Aaron Ross and Corey Webster have indeed been playing together for some time now, Jerry Reese may need even more of an overhaul of the Secondary than initially meets the eye.  Injuries have hampered this unit extensively; not to mention stunting the overhaul Reese initiated, or thought he initiated, most recently with Amakumara.  Depending on the Aaron Ross outcome, this unit should still be able to put together one more solid season as is.  They deserve their fair share of credit for some of the complete break-downs in coverage last season.  But Coach Fewell deserved a chunk as well.  Once they ditched zone, things ironed out.  They always tackled well and coverage vastly improved as the weeks went by.



The Giants Safeties are a different matter.  Free agents have served to plug these holes in recent years.  And I guess I should be giving Antrel Rolle more credit than I have.  But the Giants clearly need reinforcements here, and are officially in need of at least one replacement.  My hope is Kenny Phillips comes back to have a stronger 2012-2013 season than this last campaign.  Overall, they played well enough against the run, and were sure tacklers.  But they lost too many receivers lined up in the slot.



Other areas the Giants need addressed, either during the free agency period, or in the coming Draft, are Linebacker; Linebacker; and Linebacker.  Linebacker has been an issue for two; near three; solid seasons now.  Michael Boley ended the season superbly.  But the differences in the Defense with and without him in the game and healthy, were like night and day.  Jacquian Williams had himself a fine rookie season.  And Mathias Kiwanuka remains The Hybrid.  But injuries depleted the Giants of any depth heading into the season and were forced to be overly reliant on their rookies.  The Giants were behind the 8-ball from go, as Jonathan Goff and Clint Sintim were both lost to season ending injuries before ever getting started.



I trust Jerry Reese will handle all these matters, and those regarding the salary cap, while still resigning some more of our own key players, smartly.



Let's Go Giants!




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ LEFT With Questions About Run Game

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

Kevin Gilbride and the Giants' Running Game:

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:   It's Back to the Old Drawing Board With Big Blue's Running Game.  The Super Genius Was at it Again.  Coach Gilbride Led Them Away from Daylight and LEFT Them in the Dark.




The next time a hot looking mechanical female rabbit blows up in your backyard, a guy named Mud will soon appear introducing himself as the cause.  A wise ol' Wabbit once reminded us, "...remember kids, Mud spelled backwards, is DUM!"




The New York Football Giants' offensive coordinator is the Wile E. Coyote of the NFL.  They are both egomaniacs and both are super smart; too smart for their own good.  One is engaged in a fruitless and constant chase for some road-runner or rabbit.  While the other is in constant search of the perfect pass play at the expense of common sense.  At the same time, they're the genesis of some of the most insidious yet befuddling schemes ever hatched from the minds of an idiot.  One uses ACME products to help facilitate his cunning yet disastrously humorous failures, as the other nefariously calls running plays for the New York Giants that sometimes work as well as those wacky overly complicated ACME products do.




He shows up and says he's not trying to sell us anything nor is he working his way through college.  He's simply someone of superior intellect with a pressure cooker who wants to rip our hearts out, stew it along with the Giants' running game, add diced celery, onions, carrots, and eat it.  So the next time someone unfolds a portable door on your front porch, rings the bell, and starts off by saying,  "Allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Wile E. Coyote Kevin Gilbride; Super Genius..." - Do me a favor and punch him in the face!  And don't worry.  He's used to it!




Yes; This is about Kevin Gilbride and the Running Game - Again.  If you're tired of hearing about it, I'm equally tired complaining about it.  But I need serious help grasping what Kevin Gilbride was trying to achieve Sunday night in Green Bay.  Because what he designed was either a work of genius with a hitch, or a serious failure of epic proportion on his part.  I've done a lot of kidding but you'll see I'm really trying to understand.




First - Eli, Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, Mario Manningham and the Defense were great Sunday.  As the passing game goes, Kevin Gilbride deserves his share of credit for their success.  And..., we won!  But once I'm done you'll see I'm not being nit-picky; nor am am I thrill-seeking negativity.  The following are just facts supported throughout DO IT FOR THE DUKE.  So with that out of the way, let's get on with this.




The Packers made little effort to run the ball.  Aaron Rodgers was their leading rusher with sixty-six yards on seven carries.  Yet, due to Aaron Rodgers' ground efforts, the Packers out-rushed the Giants.  The Packers also held a slight lead in time-of-possession.  Additionally, Green Bay ran-off more plays from scrimmage that the Giants; seventy-three versus sixty-one.




Now - the Giants rushed the ball twenty-seven times versus twenty-three for Green Bay.  Yet due to Aaron Rodgers mentioned above, the Packers out-rushed the Giants 147 yards versus 95 yards for Big Blue.  Twenty-seven rushing attempts by the Giants was only six less pass attempts by Eli.  As far as the number of rushing attempts and balance of plays, I'm content.  No issues there.  As a matter of fact, I commend Kevin Gilbride for sticking with the run all game long.  He rushed the ball twelve times in the first half, and eleven more times in the second half.  Even thought the Packers defended the run very well, and held the Giants to a 3.5 yards-per-rush average, Gilbride stayed with it.  There was a time he would have abandoned the run all-together.  So far I'm cool on all counts.




Here now is everything wrong with Kevin Gilbride's plan Sunday.  It has long been established, with new Center David Baas, there has been absolutely no running game up the middle to speak of.  The left side of the Offensive Line with Kevin Boothe and David Diehl only has slightly better results.  Although, they have run outside David Diehl at Right Tackle with more success that between the Guard.  Rushing didn't improve until Baas was forced to miss games and Boothe played Center, and Mitch Petrus played Guard.  With them in the game, the middle opened to the run.  Then the Giants reinserted Baas at Center again once he was cleared to play.  On the other side of the Offensive Line, the Giants have run with great effectiveness behind and between Chris Snee and Kareem McKenzie all season long.  There has been even more Daylight outside Right Tackle Kareem McKenzie.




The Atlanta Falcons game was the epitome of this season long trend.  The following stats were reasons for me to begrudgingly give Coach Gilbride a pat on the back after a season long beef regarding everything being discussed here-in.  The main issues I've had have been with Gilbride's play selection.  All season he's insisted on running up the middle and left where there were rarely holes to be found while knowing full well the Daylight was shining on the other side.  Then against the Jets and Cowboys, Gilbride opened up the gates and let the boys run right.

In playoff game one versus Atlanta....

* The Giants rushed LEFT nine times for thirty-one yards. 3.4 average gain.

* The Giants rushed UP THE MIDDLE eight times for thirty-one yards. 3.4 average gain.

* The Giants rushed RIGHT thirteen times for one hundred-one yards. 7.8 average gain.

Of the Giants' running plays that went for fives yards or more versus ATL, here is your break down:

* LEFT - Three Plays ~ eight yards; eight yards; fourteen yards.

* MIDDLE - Two Plays ~ ten yards; fifteen yards.

* RIGHT - Four Plays ~ thirty four yards; thirty yards; seven yards; nine yards. And they didn't need any help from Center.

To reiterate, the Giants have done their best running off Right Guard and Right Tackle all season long.  Kareem McKenzie in particular is having a tremendous season.  So this is what Kevin Gilbride chose to do this last Sunday:

*LEFT - Thirteen Plays ~ for net fifty-four yards.  Three plays combined for -9 yards.  In the first half, Ahmad Bradshaw started left, then changed course and went *right for +23 yards; setting up Eli's Hail Mary pass.  Ahmad Bradshaw broke another +24 yard gain running off Left Tackle.  And on the last N.Y. touchdown of the game, Brandon Jacobs once again started a play running left, then turned back *right for a fourteen yard touchdown run.

*MIDDLE - Six Plays ~ for fifteen yards, and one No Gain.  Two plays went for five yards; tops.

*RIGHT - THREE PLAYS!  One play negated by a Holding penalty.  Two plays for negative yardage.  Only one gain for +4 yards.

For fifty seven minutes of this game, I wanted to reach into the TV and strangle Gilbride.  Ahmad Bradshaw's +24 yard run just before the second half was successful by his own doing.  The play was designed left and Bradshaw busted it back.  That was not counter-motion.  Bradshaw reversed field.




Then in the third period it started to dawn on me.  I saw this before.  Mike Ditka used to do this all the time with the Bears.  He'd pound the ball incessantly.  Then when he lulled you in, he went over the top to Willie Gault.  I started thinking, maybe Gilbride was waiting till the end of the game to spring someone off the right side to seal the deal.  And for as long as the Giants were leading, I was a) - willing to let his plan play out and see, and b) - willing to give Kevin Gilbride the benefit of the doubt that he wouldn't have continued that course of action if the Giants were trailing.  If that were the case, I feel he would have changed sides.




Brandon Jacobs did just that; he popped one off the right side to put the nail in Green Bay's coffin.  And I'm willing to give Kevin Gilbride the benefit of the doubt again, and say that last touchdown play was designed to be a counter-motion play.  I know Gilbride knew our strength was running right and maybe he was trying to set Green Bay up by getting them to over pursue.  I'm willing to go with that.  But Gilbride really makes you scratch your head.




If I do not give him the benefit of the doubt in thinking that was his plan all along, the only conclusion I can come up with as a result of his game plan is that he's a complete idiot when it comes to the running game; of which I have no problem saying.  But if he was indeed trying to bait the Packers all game for something in the fourth quarter; and for as long as he was doing this with a lead; and I'll even say maybe he was looking towards next Sunday and trying to get the Left Side up to snuff, then I'll be glad to call his plan for what it was - ballsy.  After all, you have to have a lot of footballs to try some of the stunts Wile E. Coyote attempts in trying to capture a little bite to eat.




"Oh well, some people just have to learn the hard way."  -  quote, Wile E. Coyote.




But having said all that, you decide now. I said my piece.







Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Reintroduce Yourselves to Giants Football

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

OUR BIG BLUE HOME SWEET HOME

PLAYOFFS

WILD CARD ROUND:

Atlanta Falcons      2

New York Giants   29

FINAL

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:   Let The Pigeons Loose!Atlanta Falcons Get Feathers Ruffled In A Rout!

In Every Sense,

The Giants Were a BIG BLUE Wrecking Crew.

Ladies and Gentlemen; and Giant Fans of all ages - That was your reintroduction to Classic Giants' Football.  It's predicated on a dominant Defense, and a powerful Running Game.  First, let's please take a moment and thank Atlanta for attending Sunday School and helping out with today's demonstration.




Two games against the Jets and Cowboys to save the season and this Sunday's playoff win over the Falcons is plenty validation for the being a 9-7 NFC East title holder.  Additionally, there's your first playoff win outside of the 2007 season for Tom Coughlin.  So to ALL the members of the Media who called for Tom Coughlin's head with venom dripping from their mouths, humble yourselves.  Your behavior was incorrigible.




And Coach Perry Fewell showed he wants to keep his job too!  There IS a mean streak in Perry Fewell after all, and with all his men relatively healthy and on the field, he put it on full display.  He utilized his boys smartly and aggressively.  For the most part, they remained in man-coverage and blitzed often.  The Defense followed their coach's lead and pitched a shut-out in support of their embattled Defensive Coordinator.




The Defense allowed no touchdowns; no field goals; no points.  The deuce on the scoreboard came courtesy of the home team.  The Giants completely shut-down Michael Turner and Atlanta's running game.  And if you red any of my pre-game posts, you'll know I welcomed the opportunity to stop him. I knew we'd be better against the run.  I felt the Linebackers had it in them this week.  All Atlanta's feature back could muster was forty-one yards on fifteen rushes.  Additionally, the Giants held the Falcons to 4/14 on third-down conversions, and twice absolutely stuffed them on two crucial fourth down and inches attempts.




As expected, Big Blue delivered big time pressure upon Matt Ryan.  They sacked him twice, hit him another seven times, and harassed him all game long.  Osi Umenyiora bent all 308 pounds of Atlanta's LT-Will Svitek backwards like a pretzel, reached over him, and sacked both Matt Ryan and Atlanta's Tackle at the same time to close out the game with a formidable feat of power.  What a Herculean effort! - As was Sunday's entire Defensive effort.




On the back end, the Secondary kept Atlanta's receivers covered.  Matt Ryan was forced to pump, and double pump many times because there was no one open down field.  The Giants forced their third consecutive quarterback to accept the underneath pass, then completed the play with sound tackling.  There have been no major gaffes or break downs in coverage ever since Coach Fewell ditched his zone-scheme.  The Giants had their way with their third consecutive QB indeed.  The  Defense limited Ryan to 24/41; good for a paltry 199 yards passing.  Atlanta's longest pass play of the day went for twenty yards.  And Tony Gonzalez was the recipient of nothing outside a mere four catches for forty-four yards.




On the Offensive side of the ball -   Look Out!  Bad Guys Coming Through!  The Giants' Running Game ran towards glorious Daylight and basked in it's sunshine all game long.  For a day, Smash-Mouth Football was back and as bad as ever.  Like our old mantra says to do, the Giants ran with power.  The Giants' backfield ran the ball twenty-nine times, for which Coach Gilbride deserves a lion's share of credit.   Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs rushed for 155 yards between them.  Both backs found beaming rays of Daylight off Right Tackle again and both uncorked big 30+ yard rumbles.  They also combined on seven catches for thirty yards.




Enter Eli - The Runner!  On one of the most crucial plays of the game, Eli scrambled for a huge first down.  It's the second game in a row Eli has saved a drive by scrambling up field.  And yes, we can finally talk about another three touchdown passes and no interceptions.  Two TD passes went to Hakeem Nicks and one to Mario Manningham.  With just two catches for twenty-eight yards, Victor Cruz averaged fourteen yards a catch.  That was still better than any of Atlanta's receivers!  With the  regular season done and after Sunday's game for sure, the Big Blue Ariel Crew must now be considered among the League's elite passing games.




Even punter-Steve Weatherford was brilliant once again during a first quarter in which the two teams were still feeling each other out.  There is a large role to be played in the battle for field position, and Steve was right on point.  Weatherford pitched a shut-out in his own right.  Atlanta had zero punt return yards the entire game.




This was by far Big Blue's best and most balanced performance of the season.  It was a great return of playoff football to Giants Stadium.  And for those of you who may have forgotten, or lost faith in the Giants' ability to succeed at it, THAT was your re-indoctrination to Giants Football.




Sunday's 24-2 win over Atlanta punches the Giants' ticket for another game.  See you in Green Bay.








Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Batted Down In San Francisco

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE







NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL ~ Aftermath; Week Ten:


Big Blue Travels Three Thousand Miles Only to Fall One Play Short.




That's a long flight back from San Francisco to have to sit and ponder the what-ifs of this game.  We were so close to tying Sunday's game only to have our last opportunity batted away.  But closer to the truth is this game literally slid off the Giants' fingertips.  Our receivers never could get a grip on that darn pigskin.  Victor Cruz dropped an easy pass and Mario Manningham had a sure touchdown slip away.  There was also a case of a receiver not completing his pass-route which led to an INT and another play where a receiver took a bad angle down field on a seam-pass.  It's all in a day's loss.


It's wrong to single them out though.  Overall the Giants didn't look very crisp yesterday.  A west coast trip can do that.  However no excuses here.  Ultimately a loss is a loss.  But regardless of how it looked to us on TV, they competed for sixty minutes and weren't outclassed at any point in the game.  What makes this game a little confounding though is that we had more first downs; converted more third downs; had more total plays; had more total yardage; had more passing yardage; believe it or not we had more rushing yardage; and possessed the ball for almost thirty-five minutes.


So what happened?  I'm not sure yet.  I'll try and figure that out Tuesday and Wednesday.  But it definitely involves going ice-cold in the red-zone.


In hindsight we know two fourth quarter 49er touchdowns scored within a minute of each other proved to be the difference in the game.  But no Giant Fan was sensing the end was near until the end finally came in the form of Eli's batted pass.  With under one minute left, we were right there.  As a result, it's a tough loss to swallow.


I have a problem with that last draw play called just before the batted pass.  The play was very predictable as Gilbride called for that same play several times over the course of Blue's final drive.  Everyone saw that coming.  So was the follow-up pass after Cruz' drop which resulted in one of Eli's INTs.  Coach Gilbride doubled-up on the same call.  Not there Coach!  But picking on Coach Gilbride would just be petty this week.  As futile as the Niners rendered Brandon Jacobs Sunday, Coach still did a decent job of sticking with the run.  Do I have issues with a few more play selections?  Sure I do.  But for the most part, no - I don't.  Coach Gilbride called a fair game.  The bottom line is this was a good, hard-fought, close game that we came out on the short end of.  As close as we came, Eli couldn't pull this one out for us; not this week; not this time; not again.  San Francisco was tough; very tough; tougher than I gave them credit for.  But the Giants had their chances; quite a few of them.


After matriculating the ball quite well, they kept having to settle for field goals.  Some games are like that.  Look no further than the Championship game between these two teams twenty years ago when Matt Bahr's five field goals kicked the Giants all the way to the Super Bowl.


But if I'm going to start anywhere regarding Sunday's loss, I'm going to pick up where I left off in my Game Preview regarding repeated miscommunication in the Secondary, and about employing man-coverage Sunday against the Niners



On a day we we were primarily playing man-coverage, Antrell Rolle and linebacker Greg Jones mis-communicated, and left TE-Vernon Davis all alone to score what proved to be the difference and winning touchdown.  This is not the first time miscommunication in the Secondary hurt us.  The difference this time was, it cost us.


I'll get deeper into last game in my next post.  My last word tonight is the loss of Michael Boley, yet another Giants' injury, had a lot to do with San Francisco final scoring play as well.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Big Blue Comes Through

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:  Big Blue Coaching Helps G-Men Get a Firm Grip on First Place.


We have till Wednesday to feel great about this team Giant Fans.  That's what regular seasons are all about.  They're filled with surprises and disappointments.  They are for savoring and celebrating the good, and grumbling about the bad things that happen week to week.  This last Sunday was a good thing in the grand scheme of things.  So, having started with Sunday night and lasting through tomorrow, let's let this last game glow as a defining moment in our season thus far, before we have to forget it and move on.



But first, this...



All the Media's babble about Eli being "elite" or not, was and still is completely comical.  How they (the Media) feed on each other's regurgitation I suspect even makes maggots want to puke sometimes.  So allow me to simplify this for them.  Eli is a damn good quarterback.  He's our QB.  He is a Giant.  I trust him with all my Big Blue being to lead this team through any situation and against any team.  I supported him as a rookie, through the years, and during all those interceptions last season.  I have never wavered once.  There is no conversation needed - much less one about whether Eli is elite or not.  He is the New York Giants quarterback whom I think is capable of great things just as other quarterbacks around the league are capable of accomplishing great things as well.  That's it.  The state of Eli being elite, and the author of the question who opened his valve spewing all this oral pollution into the airwaves in the first place mean absolutely nothing.  Elite quarterbacks can lose games too.  See Tom Brady.  See Tom Brady throw cups of water in disgust.




As I now step off my soap-box, I merely mean to say - You can't quantify everything.  That's why this is sport; based on competition and not about branding an "E" onto some athlete's buttock.  Elite indeed.  Pfff!  Shut up!



Back to the game...;   Eli wasn't exactly pretty Sunday.  In fact the game might have been a little bit of a regression of sorts.  He shied away from taking hits and as a result threw many times off his back foot again.  Old problem. -  After week one and two, Eli for the most part has stood tall in the pocket this season.  But in this game, there was a figurative step backwards in that respect considering the Patriots did not officially record a sack.  Oh, then there was the matter of an interception in the end zone.  I questioned the play selection before the snap.  I thought we should run the ball in that 3rd and goal situation.  But that's between Gilbride and me.  It actually took a fine play to intercept the pass though.  Manningham could also have perhaps closed the gap and come back for the ball.  It's really here nor there though.   We won, so unfortunate plays like this usually go over looked.



But Eli was great late, just like he's been since he was a rookie.  And Sunday, he was flat out awesome when the Giants needed him most (...again!).  In his nearly season-long recurring role as Captain Come Back, Eli orchestrated not one, but two 4th quarter come-backs to lead his team to victory.  That sort of thing is becoming old hat for Eli.  It seems as if most of the Giants wins this season have been of the 4th quarter come-back variety.  And while Eli's demeanor still remains conservative as usual, he's made it known loud and clear with his play, who's steering this ship.  Awe-Shucks nothin'.  Eli is in charge.



Sunday, with no Hakeem Nicks, Eli threw for 20/39; 250; 2TD; 1INT - to guys like Ramses Barden who made a much needed and very timely return to action; Victor Cruz; and Mario Manningham who for the moment, is thrust into playing big brother for the non-injured receiving youngsters still able to play.  More importantly, Eli is getting the Giants though sticky situations with the surprisingly sure hands of tight-end Jake Ballard.  The big man has come through big time in big situations making big plays for Big Blue this season.  None were bigger than a pair of 4th quarter catches including the game winning touchdown against the Patriots.



The touchdown to Ballard that put the Giants ahead 24-20 was a result of Coach Kevin Gilbride using the running game to keep the Patriots honest.  And I commend Coach for it.  The rush by Jacobs the play prior to the TD made the Pats bite on play-action on the ensuing play springing Ballard loose.  Gilbride stayed patient with the run all game and it paid off.  But earlier in the game, when Eli's pass resulted in an end-zone INT, I questioned why Coach Gilbride would risk jeopardizing the game-tying field goal by putting the ball in the air.  In his defense and in addition to comments I made above, there is also something to be said for killer instinct.  And for a full game, I think Coach Gilbride mapped out a fine plan.  And not just this game, which was commendable in itself; - Coach Gilbride is showing an adjusted approach to the running game overall (perhaps prodded by Coach Coughlin).  It's been a slight adjustment; but an adjustment none the less.  Between Brandon Jacobs and D.J. Ware, the Giants rushed the ball twenty-five times.  Brandon Jacobs had eighteen of those rushes.  Coach Gilbride remained very patient indeed considering the way the game played out.



The controversy between Jacobs/Gilbride is..., or better yet, never was; Period.  I told you Brandon Jacobs was fine in spite of some ill-advised comments he made.  After all, it was Brandon Jacobs who raised his Head Coach on his shoulders after the game inside a victorious Giant locker-room.  Above all things, he's a good team mate and his words were never an issue; only to the Media, but certainly not to me.



I told you last week, Brandon Jacobs did not have to rush for 100-yards Sunday in order to have an effective day.  And Sunday proved that out.  While he rushed for 18 times for 72 yards, he also had four catches for 28 more very important yards, which brought his game productivity up to an even 100-yard day.  And lest we forget his eleven yard scamper for the Giants' first touchdown of the game.  Was Brandon Jacobs an elite back Sunday?  Not nearly.  Did Brandon Jacobs step-up, put his money where his mouth was and come through for his team?  Yeah.  Absolutely.





Eli and Jacobs managed what they could behind a solid day by the Offensive Line.  They didn't get Eli sacked and still managed to help Jacobs and Ware squeak-out 95-yards on the ground.  Above all, they were disciplined over the length of an incredibly tight game.  They had no killer penalties called against them; something which plagued them over several games earlier this season.  While Kevin Boothe had one problem with a snap in the shot-gun, Eli said Boothe was filling in extremely well at center in place of injured David Baas.





Lately, the two biggest criticisms leveled against the Giants were they couldn't run the ball, and that they couldn't stop the run either.  Well, I think Jacobs, Coach Gilbride, and the Giants got what they needed from the running game Sunday.  Then there is the matter of criticisms leveled against Coach Perry Fewell for making every Johnnie-come-lately running back look like Barry Sanders this season.





That problem stems from the Giants' line-backers.  Tom Brady spilled the beans once and said N.E. prepares to exploit team's weaknesses; and why not....?  Who doesn't?   So naturally, who didn't think the Patriots would attempt to pound the ball and tight-end us to death all game long?  In New England's opening drive, they punched right through our gut for something like a 15-yard gain or so.  And I thought, uh-oh.  But after that, Michael Boley started to have an exceptional game. 



He's been charged with bringing along a trio of rookies.  Since Mathias Kiwanuka is being deployed multiple ways, Boley is responsible for the on-the-job training for the trio of rookies - Greg Jones, Spencer Paysinger, and Mark Herzlich.  And as a group Sunday, they all effectively shut-down New England's running game.  Coach Belichick opted to run the ball just 24-times out of 75-plays, and opted to throw the ball 49 times instead.  The Giants conversely, only threw 14-more times than they ran the ball in 68-plays for the game.  So again, that's a good job by Kevin Gilbride and a great job by Michael Boley's unit.



But back to Coach Fewell...,and with an understanding about what exactly ails this Defense, I think Perry Fewell is having a fine season and had himself an exceptional game against the Patriots in particular.  His unit has been bend but don't break for the most part this season.  And damn near every time the Offense put them into a precarious situation this season, the Defense usually stood firm and held opposing teams to field goals.  And besides, what more needs to be said other than a 0-0 score at half-time against the Patriots?  The Giants' front line kept an elite quarterback like Tom Brady out of his element all game and induced the mega-nova N.E. quarterback into four turnovers along the way. 



No doubt, a return to health to key defensive players couldn't have come at a better time for the Giants.  And the depth Jerry Reese has provided this team has gotten them through decimating injuries which have kept the Giants from fading away on crutches.  But in spite of getting victimized by big plays this season; and faced with ruinous injuries to the Secondary and at Linebacker, Coach Fewell has thus far done an outstanding job.  And this last Sunday, Michael Boley, Chris Canty, Mathias Kiwanuka, Michael Coe (!!), Antrel Rolle, and damn near everyone on defense played-up to their competition this time, and stopped the vaunted Patriots and Tom Brady cold...for the most part. 



What the Patriots also failed to win, was time of possession battle.  And that was very key to the Giants success as well.



If a punter is getting too much face time or print space in the locals, it's usually because he's doing something very wrong.  But NYG punter Steve Weatherford continues to have a booming season punting the football.  Far too many times for New England's tastes, they started possessions very deep within their own territory.  Weatherford's foot-work should not go under spoken.  The first half battle for field position was just as instrumental in this Giant victory as Eli's arm was.





While Weatherford's foot has been a tremendous bright spot on Special Teams, Aaron Ross' fumble on kick-return almost proved ruinous.  The Defense held N.E. to a field goal off the miscue.  And that's something the Giants' Defense has done very well this season; i.e.; - limiting opposing points off turnovers.  A second straight drop on kick-return happened again shortly, but NY recovered.  That's a position that's been begging for attention all season.



The Giants are now 6-2 and sitting somewhat comfortably on top of their division.  For that, much credit is due to Eli, Jacobs/Bradshaw, Cruz, Ballard, Barden, the pass rush, and other factors.  But know this; this game was a testament to the job Coach Coughlin does preparing his team.  Jim Fassell's Giants collapsed like a cheap poker table when decimated by injuries to his top players. Coach Coughlin has his injury ravaged team firmly in first place of the NFC Eastern Division. 



And this game was also a credit to Jerry Reese's talent evaluation and organization abilities, not to mention his shrewd decision making as GM of the Giants.  To all their critics after Week One - BoooYah!  Don't worry though.  I made the same (...Coughlin) mistake in 2006.





Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Big Blue Struggles To Net Fish

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

N.F.C.  EAST  DIVISION:

New York Giants...........5-2

Dallas Cowboys..............3-4

Philadelphia Eagles........3-4

Washington Redskins....3-4

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:  If Playing Ugly Gets You In First Place, Disgusting Is OK With Me.



I won't be taking time out to tell you how disgusted I am with Sunday's performance in this post.  I'll save that for the week.  There's other more positive things to ponder after Week Eight in light of the Herculean test the Giants are about to face starting next weekend.




Well..., they won, which is the only reason why I'd even consider this tact after an uninspiring performance against the Fish.  So let's start there.  The Giants improved to 5-2 and solidified their lead in the NFC Eastern Division.  The Redskins lost to Buffalo and the Eagles defeated the Cowboys in the Sunday night game.  All that factored into giving the Giants some separation between them, the second place team, and the rest of the pack.  Elsewhere, the Steelers rumbled over the Patriots in New England.  The Giants will be heading to Foxboro for next week's game against the Patriots.  So I'm sure there will be very careful attention paid to this week's film by Coach Coughlin and his staff.



There are two huge reasons why the Giants are in the position there are in today.  First, Eli Manning is continuing to have a stellar season throwing to a receiving corps who are proving more reliable by the week.  And secondly, the Giants consistently come up with huge sacks late in games.  As a matter of fact, the Giants ability to get to the QB in fourth quarters has been the biggest factor in the Giants' success this season by far.



Eli Manning is indeed having a "elite" type season.  And there are many reasons why.  First is his poise.  I don't ever remember seeing him more relaxed inside a crumbling pocket.  Long gone are the happy feet of Weeks One and Two this season, and many seasons prior to this.  He once was one of the least sacked QB's in the League behind a superior O-Line.  But these days he's getting hit far more than he used to behind a transitioning line and yet making better passes.  That comes with maturity.  He knows hits are coming but now the old mis-step of throwing off his back foot appears to be a thing of the past.  Hence, more accurate passes.  His throws are coming in lower and as a result we've seen little to no tipped passed this season; save the Seahawks game.  Overall, his INT's are no where near last season's rate.



While this game was a complete regression for Kevin Gilbride's implementation of the running game;  and I'll be ripping him up later about it; over-all this season, Gilbride has made subtle changes in his play calling.  As a result, the running game has been setting up the pass; which is contrary to Gilbride's usual ops.  This also contributes to bringing down Eli's interceptions because far too many times, Gilbride called for very unnecessary and risky passing when all that was needed was running the ball and better clock management when trying to protect late game leads.



Lastly, credit Eli for leading a consistently changing mix of receivers over the past recent years and turning them into a steady, reliable bunch.  A few years ago, Plaxico Burress was just the first shot in a seemingly on-going string of injuries to the Giants' receivers.  Yet, Eli never ignored an opportunity to throw the ball to whomever was filling the position.  At some point with individuals, games, and seasons, confidence building becomes as paramount to winning as matriculating the ball up the field.  Eli has helped boost the levels of Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham, Victor Cruz, and Jake Ballard most recently.  The hope here is that Eli and his Boys are ready to strike against some of the League's more elite teams now.  A quick note - Hakeem Nicks may have injured himself in Sunday's game.



The Giants got to Miami's quarterback five times Sunday.  Four sacks came in the fourth quarter.  And each and every one of them was game critical.  All the usual suspects were involved.  Osi, Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka, and Jason Pierre Paul all registered sacks against the Dolphins.  This was Justin Tuck's first game back from a neck-stinger.  But the other three members of Blue Devastation have made it a habit this season of sealing Giant wins in the fourth quarter with a series of sacks.  And without getting too deeply into that aspect of this last game yet, Pierre Paul, Osi, and Kiwanuka have done more to secure the Giants first place position this season than any other aspect of the Giants' game.  Additionally, all that work up from has directly led to the type of season Corey Webster is enjoying so far.



This last game was a win.  It was nothing to be proud of.  But it's still a win.  Even Super Bowl seasons are speckled with games like this.  Did we have problems?  Hell yeah.



We had problems on Offense with the running game and the continued under-utilization of Brandon Jacobs.  The first signs of wear and tear showed up with Ahmad Bradshaw.  The Giants opening drive and giving the ball up on downs was a microcosm of everything that drives me crazy about Kevin Gilbride.  And Hakeem Nicks may be injured.  We also had problems Defensively as the Giants allowed yet another 100-yard rusher which is becoming quite routine now.  Miami rushed for almost 150-yards against the Giants.




Those problems with be dealt with in my next post as I start to examine next week's opponent a little more closely.  For now, it's suffice to say, without Eli carrying the Offense and the pass-rush carrying the Defense, the Giants would not be sitting in first place.





Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Big Blue Bye-Week Report

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE




NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL  ~  At The Break:

Thank you Michael Strahan and Antonio Pierce.  Their criticisms levelled against Justin Tuck and Brandon Jacobs have served to unify, not vilify.  And by injecting their opinions into their former team-mates' injury matters, they've served to keep the meddling Media's attention away from pecking away at the team's deficiencies, and instead have them covering more trivial, inconsequential matters that have no bearing on the Giants condition or situation.

Whatever grievances Osi Umenyiora has with the organization, he's taking it out on Strahan, Pierce, and opposing quarterbacks.  Strahan's and Pierce's comments have put Osi exactly right where we want him as Fans - and that's backing up his team-mates.  When it comes to signing him beyond this season; never say never.  But he's playing very good soldier with a big chip on his shoulder.  That's a good thing.  NFL QB's beware.

And that is the extent of controversy in the Land of Giants.  That's also good thing.



I.  TOM COUGHLIN and JERRY REESE:

When the Giants lost the first game of the season to Washington and were faced with potentially falling to 0-2 before heading to Philly for a showdown with the Eagles, the first two heads everyone called for were that of Jerry Reese and Coach Coughlin.  One opening loss was followed by a week of media, as well as fans, allowing their imaginations to run wild with them and had Coughlin and Reese all but stooped over positioned under a Big Blue guillotine.  Then a Week Two win over the Rams quieted down the more rabid knee-jerk Third Estate.  A Week Three win in Philly made everyone else just shut-up.  Even in the aftermath of that disgusting loss to Seattle, fire the Coach and GM talk did not resurface.

Say what you will - Tom the fossil Coughlin still runs a tight ship.  His methods still prove effective right up to the present.  All systems are different.  All can work.  It's how effective you are at implementing your system that determines one's success.  Tom Coughlin's way has worked for him his entire career.

What if Tiki Barber; Amani Toomer; and Michael Strahan had all been lost to injury in the same season?  And to start the same season, the Giants also lost Jeremy Shockey to free-agency?  How do you think a Giants team of that era would have fared?  Well, aided by players with lack of oral self-restrain and discipline the whole way down into the pits, the answer is poor enough to get Jim Fassell fired as Head Coach.  By Fassell's last season, the team's record was abysmal and so was their attitude.  Good thing for us is, these are not Jim Fassell's Giants nor are they Rex Ryan's Jets.  Both examples face(d) a lot of adversity and chaos is over-whelming their day.  Meanwhile here in Big Blue, these are Tom Coughlin's Giants and it's business as usual.

Fassell's units routinely bickered amongst each other and had no problem throwing their coaches under the bus.  Those guys....under Fassell and initially under Coughlin, complained after games to the Media and bickered in a locker-room where it wasn't traditionally appropriate.  Today we see D-Generation Rex and his flight crew laying down a consistent carpet bombing of idiocy.  They've now welcomed in-fighting into their locker room with open arms aside from continually getting caught in Media triple-aaa flack.  Jim Fassell's team tanked.  And just like Fassell,  Rex's team has a major problem on their hands right now.  Yet Coach Coughlin's team is 4-2 and in 1st place of the NFC East.  And ironically, the only ones doing any Big Blue yapping are former Giants who now work for the Media.

Coach Coughlin once resorted to introspective measures such as self-reflection and instituting a Leadership Counsel to better communicate his desires and soothe his relationship with the players.  That Counsel was created because Coughlin's discipline and old school ways were a literal shock to Fassell's frat boys.  Strahan don't forget, first came back to the Giants after Jerry Reese told him to beat it during his hold-out.  Then after clashing with Coughlin, the Counsel come about.  But Barber as well as Shockey routinely threw Coughlin under the bus also.

Tom Coughlin just re-instituted the Leadership Counsel again.  But this time, it's not being done to give Animal House some structure.  Which is my point.....Animal House does not exists here.  Shockey, Strahan, and Barber, were all dealt with rather swiftly by Jerry Reese.  Strahan was made to rethink his bravado and ultimately made to comply.  It won him a Super Bowl.  Tiki Barber?  He was the first to run to the media after his starting job was handed to Brandon Jacobs.  And Shockey was traded off for Goodness Sake, a draft pick, and a tackle dummy.  Outside of Osi Umenyiora and his contract drama, the land of Giants is relatively quiet.

Among the team cancers Coach Coughlin noted upon taking over the Giants were penalties and injuries.  Hinting that injuries were avoidable was ponderous.  Fine.  But in his introductory press conference, what or who Coach Coughlin probably wanted to single out were malingerers.  Today, not only is the media throwing that in his face, the Giants penalty rate is indeed escalating like the National Debt again; particularly the Offensive Line; which for a stretch under Coughlin was the most disciplined O-Line in Football. 

And today, the Giants are being ravaged by injuries to key players again.  Brandon Jacobs (Tiki), Domenik Hixon (Toomer), Justin Tuck (Strahan) are losing time to injury.  And to complete the parallel, Kevin Boss (Shockey) left as a free agent.  Such a situation in the Fassell years would have been ruinous.  And it was.  Yet Coach Coughlin has managed his team through those injuries; and still even more to Amukamara; Snee; Osi; Baas; Goff; Sintim; and Terrell Thomas.  And well, it's still business as usual.

All this directly speaks of Jerry Reese as well.  The Giants last Super Bowl was largely won due to a tremendous Rookie class that stepped up for this team.  They were drafted by a one - Jerry Reese.  In spite all the injuries listed above  -  two major blows at linebacker; two major blows to the secondary; two YEARS of major blows at wide receiver; and continuing blows to the D-Line; - somehow Jerry Reese has still maintained to sustain a quality of depth that, were it not for some bad breaks and a bullet to the leg, have kept the Giants very competitive.

Speaking of bullets, wide receiver after wide receiver has continually stepped in to fill a void left behind by the "latest recurring" injured receiver.  And right before our eyes, Hakeem Nicks is becoming a League Star.  Mario Manningham is steadily improving.  And whether your heart can take it or not, where would we be without Victor Cruz right now?  By the way, Steven Smith is doing nothing in Philly and Plaxico Buress is doing nothing to speak of for the Jets as well.  Weeks Four and Five had Giants Fans asking - Kevin Boss who? - after a handful of catches by Jake Ballard.

And while I'm at it, where would the Giants Defense be without Jason Pierre Paul this season!?  Or where would the linebacking be without Mathias Kiwanuka?  Jerry Reese tried addressing Linebacker.  But Goff and Sintim were injured and lost for the season leaving Michael Boley and Kiwanuka.

This season also ushered in renovations to the Offensive Line.  We all knew it was needed and just a matter of time before Jerry Reese was forced to address the matter.  Shaun O'Hara and Rich Seubert were great Giant Linemen.  However they remain unemployed/ineffective like the other Giant cast-offs.

So if you were one of those who were calling for the heads of Coach Coughlin and Jerry Reese earlier this season, now's the time for you to bow your head in shame.




II.  COACH KEVIN GILBRIDE:


If there is anyone who stands to get fired, Kevin Gilbride should be first before Coach Coughlin or Jerry Reese are even brought into the conversation.  Having said that, I don't want him fired...just yet.  Predictability, or lack of creativity if you will, his lack of willingness to stick with the running game, and his pass happy ways are all the most popular criticisms held against him.  Then we can talk about an inability to convert on third downs and turnovers.


After last season's disappointing end, Coach Coughlin made it known he wanted the ball in Brandon Jacob's hands more often.  And quite frankly, the whole implementation of the running game needed to be re-examined.


This season, there is a slight, but noticeable change.  Coach Gilbride has taken a step in the right direction, but he still has a long way to go before he masters patience with the running game.  Brandon Jacobs' recent knee injury has altered the plan somewhat.  But the fact Ahmad Bradshaw rushed twenty-six times last Sunday versus Buffalo was a very welcome practice in patience indeed.  Many times he and Jacobs barely rush twenty times combined.


As long as anyone is willing to lay equal blame on Kevin Gilbride for interceptions, I'm amicable to hammering Eli as well.  No Gilbride, and I will staunchly have to defend Eli for many an interception.  Both Eli and Coach have done well to limit interceptions this season versus last year's abysmal rate.


Coach Gilbride has actually dialed up some nice lengthy, varied drives this season in big moments.  He mustered enough trust to call Ballard's name recently and has been giving the running game a chance to establish itself, giving play-action a new life.  Piggy-backing the running game for a change, and not the other way around, Eli has managed to put up some impressive numbers ranking him among the League leaders.


Moving forward, if Coach Gilbride maintains patience in the running game, I like our ability to move the ball and score points.  Sometimes we score those points too quickly.  So Coach needs to work on his clock management as well.



1) - OFFENSIVE LINE - This unit is in flux and not all too healthy.  First off, Chris Snee passed his first round of concussion tests.  Snee, David Baas and Kevin Boothe will all benefit from having a bye-week to recover from their injuries.  If they can get healthy and play together, it can only improve our situation.   This is no longer the O-Line that set an NFL record for consecutive starts together.   So, there is a lot to be said for familiarity when it comes to Linemen.


Eli is getting sacked a lot more often than he is used to.  Several Giant fumbles this season have occurred when the pocket collapsed and Eli was stripped of the ball.  Obviously, better pass protection is needed. 


A once very disciplined unit, the O-Line has really been killing themselves with penalties.  That, and the fact they haven't exactly been opening up many holes to run through this season means this unit has a lot of work to do if the Giants want to be contenders in December.  Everything starts up front.


Struggles like this happen with change.  It's a period of adjustment.  They'll need to adapt and improve together by the time the Giants start facing stiffer competition later in the schedule which means they need to be healthy together.


David Diehl, Kareem McKenzie, and Will Beatty have had solid seasons so far.  But problems occurred at the Center position with Baas, Jim Cordle, and Snee which only a return to health will resolve.


1.A) - TIGHT END - Jake Ballard blew his assignment that resulted in a Safety in Week Five versus Seattle.  And for someone who was credited with being a good blocker, in my opinion he hasn't blocked very well overall.  However on the receiving end of things, Eli may have found himself a new Tight End to bail him out of trouble like Kevin Boss used to.  Ballard has shown good hands stamping a decent three week period.  And for Giant Fans, he's been a surprising and effective alternative from Travis Beckum.  Perhaps a few poor blocks and a couple of bad penalties called against him were just fluke occurrences.  Maybe his blocking is as good as advertised.  He's shown he can catch.  We just may have something here.




2) - RUNNING BACKS - Big Buddy and Little Buddy aren't running on all cylinders.  At least Jacobs' isn't.  And he said he won't either!  Meaning, he will not play through this knee injury...(again).  And you know what?  Who can blame him?  The Giants have done nothing but dump on this guy and worse, they have and still misuse him; - latest injury aside.  I still feel he can and will be a positive and necessary factor come December.  The Two weeks off will do him well.


Ahmad Bradshaw finally broke through to give the Giants their first 100-yard/game rusher of the season last week against Buffalo.  Unlike Jacobs, Ahamad Bradshaw seems to have shaken off any ill-effects from last season's nagging injuries.  Last game, Coach Gilbride rode him like a mule (..for Coach that is) to the tune of 26-carries.


Coach Gilbride should be incorporating more Draw Plays; Swings, and Screens into the backfield's repertoire.  It's not that Smash-Mouth has been quieted.  I just feel Fullback Henry Hynoski hasn't been as effective as fullbacks before him have.  That, the O-Line being in flux, and trying to incorporate a new TE, I think are the three biggest reasons why the running game has apparently come to a grinding halt at times.


I just beg for patience on Coach's part.  Even though the run was slow to develop last Sunday, it still proved safe, effective, and opened up Eli's game.




3) - WIDE RECEIVERS - As I said before, Hakeem Nicks is becoming a star receiver in the NFL.  Mario Manningham found his way as Eli's slot receiver before suffering a setback due to concussion symptoms.  He's back now and looking to continue improving and re-establishing a connection with Eli again.  And Victor Cruz?  The man is either a miracle maker or a complete disaster waiting to happen.  Tipped balls have gone his way and tipped balls have gone against him.  He's suffered brain cramps on the field and has fumbled.  And yet, most Fans are only talking about the good...so far.  But the man really does need to find the middle ground between two extremes.


Domenick Hixon was a big loss, which for the moment Cruz has filled in effectively for.  Ramses Barden's name has recently been named.  His situation remains undetermined.  The only way rookie Jerrel Jernigan will improve is with playing time.  He just may get more in the upcoming weeks.


Michael Clayton?  Stop it.  Which leaves the non-signees; - Plaxico Buress and Steven Smith.  One is doing Gats' and the other one is doin' Gul' for their respective teams.  The best move as it turns out, was not to sign them. 


The three Giant receivers on the field have given the Giants a proven deep and quick strike ability.  Much of their success will come however through the O-Line's ability to keep Eli upright, and Eli continuing to make the wise pass.  And of course, that requires Coach Gilbride to dial up the right call for the situation, and ensuring he's attacking defensive weaknesses.


It's all tied in people.




4) - QUARTERBACK - Eli is unequivocally "My Dude" - and always has been.  If a segment of my fellow Giant Fans does not like him and wants him replaced, all I ask is... - With Whom?  With someone available?  Another team's QB?  A yet undrafted QB from college?  A grocery store bagger?  Who is the unknown QB you speak of?  Until then, Eli hasn't necessarily been the root of our seasons past gone sour.  There's a game or two we can point to; like anyone else. 


Eli was suffering happy feet earlier in the season, and understandably so.  He was getting sacked more then ever.  Even though he's getting sacked just as often, it seems he's standing in the pocket with a lot of poise the last four games.


Many of Eli's interceptions last season came as a result of high throws and tipped passes.  Thus far, the passes are coming in lower and the interception rate has plummeted.  Although there was that one interception against the Seahawks that was a can of corn and strictly on Eli.  In addition, Coach Gilbride often passed unnecessarily during secure 4th quarter situations last season that merely required ball control through the run.  Instead, Coach dialed up many unnecessary passing that resulted in INT's and opportunities the other way.  And it is in that area, that Gilbride is yet to prove he's learned his lesson as the Giants have been playing catch-up Football lately.




III.  COACH PERRY FEWELL:


Coach Fewell is proving adept at damage control.  The Defense is almost Bend-Don't-Break but with a lethal pass rush.  As such, Coach Perry Fewell is also proving very adept at saving Coach Gilbride's and the Offense's posteriors.  Almost every Giant turnover has been committed in the worst parts of the field.  But the Defense has held many times to keep the opposition at a field goal, or better yet, caused a turnover.


But make no mistake, be it through the air or by ground, the Defense has been victimized by the big play on a weekly basis.  The Defense is not in sync.  When the Secondary does well, the Linebacking struggles.  When the Linebackers have a successful day, the Secondary struggles.  The only constant has been the Defensive front and the pressure they get on the QB.  Their pressure has been constant, and is largely responsible for keeping the Giants close late in games with timely sacks.

Perry Fewell's success is largely based on his timeliness this season.  I think he's dialed up some very timely and effective blitzes this year that were game changers.  But overall, there have been major communication issues that have resulted in big plays against us.  He needs that corrected.  But although the stats may not agree, I think Coach Fewell has put in some crafty work in as Def. Coordinator this season with all things considered, to include of course, the injuries that have taken a toll mostly on this side of the ball.




1) - DEFENSIVE LINE - What team wouldn't love to have just one of Jason Pierre Paul; Osi Umenyiora; or Justin Tuck; much less having all three.  This is the unqualified spear-head of the Giants defensive attack.  Want to know why we're really so thin at Linebacker?  His name is Jason Pierre Paul.  Depth at D-Line and pass rushing ability has served us well.  And for at least the rest of this season, we have a depth at this position unrivaled by any team in the League.


Osi, quite simply has been a beast since returning from his surgery.  And JPP has emerged as another dominant force unleashed upon the League by the Giants.  But Justin Tuck remains questionable with his neck injury.  Dave Tollefson and Rocky Bernard have served their roles very well.


The Line isn't just getting to the QB with regularity.  They are coming up with sacks and strips at most critical times.  But their ability to mount a pass rush on their own without sending in extra players is an asset the Secondary hasn't allowed Coach Fewell to fully taken advantage of yet.




2) - LINEBACKERS - Youngsters need to be led by the hand - just not in the NFL.  Welcome to the front lines rookie; i.e.; Jacquian Williams and Greg Jones.  That's what happens when you lose Clint Sintim and Jonathan Goff for the season.  Michael Boley has had ups and downs, but gets a favorable grade.


But were not for Mr. Hybrid; Mathias Kiwanuka; how bad would this unit really be?  He along with JPP and Osi have carried the Giants Defense and have gotten the Offense off the hook many times so far.


There is no hiding the fact however, the middle of our Defense is spacious.  It's becoming a weekly affair where rushers go for one-hundred yards plus on the ground with the Defense often giving up lengthy gallops in the process.


Perry Fewell's blitzes have mainly come from the Safeties off the outside because the truth is, we're not effective coming through the gaps.  That's a tremendous knock against the Linebacking unit.  But if Coach Fewell dips into his Safety scheme too often because it's already becoming too recognizable, we are sure to get burned.




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


On the bright side, Aaron Ross and Corey Webster both have multi-INT games each now.


Deon Grant and Antrell Rolle have been disruptive in the backfield and have played the run fairly well.  But they keep losing that darned slot-receiver.  Slot receiver today; Tight End tomorrow.  You get my drift.


Kenny Phillips is nursing sore ribs and like the others will benefit from the bye week.  And the Giants are one week closer to the return on Prince Amukamara.




IV. SPECIAL TEAMS:

All I want to say is Steve Weatherford is having a damn good season punting the pigskin.





Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Week Two Recap; Defeat Rams

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

Time to get RAM Tough  Week Two Preview.




NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:  We Actually Ran the Ball More Times Than We Passed!  Alleluia.

IF SAM BRADFORD THREW FOR 300 YARDS, PERRY FEWELL BETTER THINK OF SOMETHING QUICK.


Faking injuries?  Really?  Is that how to slow down another team's offense?  Is that what Perry Fewell had his unit practicing all week?  I forgot at what point they tried that bush-league move.  But the fact is, aside from the points the Giants were putting on the scoreboard, St. Louis was outplaying the Giants in the first half.


The score after the first quarter was 7-6 Giants.  After the first half of Football, the score was 21-6 Giants.  So why am I about to get so down on Big Blue?  Because a lot of what I saw over the first two quarters were rather inept; marred with Giant recurrences of what ails us.





FIRST QUARTER:


Take our first offensive possession.  I don't care about balance!  And I told you that's part of Gilbride's simple-minded tricknology.  Here's the sequence:
PASS  1st play ~  15 yds. Eli to Manningham.
RUN  2nd play ~ Bradshaw, 7 yard rush.
RUN  3rd play ~ Bradshaw, 6 yard rush.
PASS  4th play ~ Incomplete; Eli attempt to TE.
RUN  5th play ~ Bradshaw, 15 yard rush.
It's now 1st and 10 at the Rams 37 yard line.  Eli is 1-2 so far, and Bradshaw is 3 for 28 yards rushing.  Instead of continuing to just pound the ball, Coach Gilbride chose this moment to strike.  From the Rams 37; OK....fine enough.  That said, there's no hind-sight at work here.  But you know I preach throwing the ball is very risky and most of the time in Gilbride's case, unnecessary.  Rushing netted 28 yards on three plays.  I say stay with what works until the Rams proved they can stop it.  Establish the run, by running the damn ball. 
PASS  6th play ~ Eli attempt; Interception.
Coach Gilbride chose to go the predictable 50/50 method and dialed up Eli to Manningham.  Eli lost sight of the safety and also under threw the play.  Result? - INT.  This one was purely on Eli though.  The play was still there if Eli had gotten that pass over the top and in stride.


On the Rams first possession, Sam Bradford found an abundance of wide open receivers and got the Rams all the way from their own 14 yard line down to the Giants' 1 yard line.  The Giants held with a goal line stand and St. Louis settled for three.


The Giants second possession was basically a three and out; except that Rams fumbled the punt and Big Blue recovered.  It almost didn't matter because the Giants put themselves into a 4th and 4 situation, and went for it.  If not for a defensive interference penalty on St. Louis, the Giants don't wind up scoring seven on a catch by Hakeem Nicks.


Next time on the field, Sam Bradford did it again.  He shredded our secondary like they were junk mail and got the Rams all the way to the Giants 17 yard line; result - defense holds again and Rams settle for another field goal.


Giants 7; Rams 6




SECOND QUARTER


Brandon Jacobs finally touches the ball.  But Giants go three and out on their first possession of the quarter; another non-conversion on third down.  Eli got blitzed; we punt.  That's fine.


Next; Rams ball - Sam Bradford continues to find receivers between the trees called the Giants Secondary.  Then St. Louis suffers a brain lock and lose a lateral fumble.  Michael Boley was smart enough to recover the football and run it in for a Giant touchdown.


Score ~ Giants Offense 7;  Giants Defense 7;  Rams 6.


Midway through the second quarter, Coach Gilbride started ignoring the running game again.  We were like 0 for 6 on third down conversions, and Special Teams was doing their typically bad job.  But somehow during that, Gilbride; Eli; Manningham; and Hixon, called; threw; and made some very interesting bobbling and tipping riddled receptions.  Dominick Hixon's TD catch made the score 21-6 Giants, as they went in for half-time.


So, at what point would you consider the Giants to have been in control of this game thus far?  Sam Bradford and the Rams were going through the defense like saloon doors in Dodge City.  Their problem is they are still a rebuilding team.  Yet they were making the Giants afternoon difficult.  The defense bent; but didn't break.  So there's some consolation with that.




THIRD QUARTER


Sam Bradford picked up where he left off.  But again, the defense held the Rams to three points.


Giants 21;  Rams 9.


The Giants mounted a ten play drive that made the score 28-9 Giants.  Happy right?  Well..., no.  There were 6 pass plays called with two incompletions.  They ran three times.  Then the scoring play was Brandon Jacob's 9 yard rumble; the fourth rush of a ten play drive.  Ten plays only took 5:30 off the clock.


Why did that matter?  Because Sam Bradford was still throwing for over 300 yards in this game and threw a late touchdown to make it a 28-16 game before the third quarter ended.  He pretty much moved the ball at will against our secondary.  Their problem is they couldn't run the ball against us.  But the Rams are having a hellish time getting the ball in the end zone to begin with.  Their failure to score has been more about their shortcomings than it was our ability to hold them to three field goals.  It's sad but true.  And our vaunted Defensive Line? - Two sacks (Tuck and JPP).




The was no scoring in the FOURTH QUARTER.


The Giants running game wound up rushing the ball 35 times for 131 yards and a touchdown.  Eli Manning took away from that total with some negative yardage on four runs of his own.  For his part, Eli passed the ball 29 times and connected on 18 for 200 yards; 2 TD; 1 INT.


Take away Michael Boley's touchdown return, and say St. Louis converts one of those field goals into a touchdown.  It's a different game isn't it?  Sam Bradford proved to be a problem for the Giants.  The Rams actually amassed more offensive yardage than the Giants did.  And as I said, the Rams couldn't run.  Two turnovers didn't help their cause either.


In the end, a win is a win, no matter how ugly they are.  We've avoided the dreaded 0-2 tar pit from which there was no saving our selves from.  But I'd hardly call this game; and this showing against the Rams, impressive.  The fact that Coach Gilbride ran as much as he did is promising.  Coach Perry Fewell has a lot of work ahead of him before we get to Philadelphia.

#  Brandon Jacobs rushed for his 50th career touchdown; ranking him second all time in Big Blue history.



Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Defections Continue To Alter Team

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:  Steve Smith is just the latest player from the Super Bowl Champs no longer on the roster.

A befuddling pre-season just got more intriguing as defections from Big Blue keep mounting.  Another important piece of the 2007 Super Bowl Champions has left to find greener pastures elsewhere.  Now Steve Smith has signed with the hated Philadelphia Eagles which reunites him with former Giant and fellow wide-out, Plaxico Burress.  Eli Manning's two surest go-to-guys are now gone.


It appeared as if Steve Smith and the Giants were just about to strike a deal; just as it appeared the Giants and Kevin Boss were about to strike a deal to resign.  But in both instances, a second team stepped in with more guaranteed money.


All is not lost though.  Jerry Reese has stock-piled some depth at Wide Receiver.  Injuries plagued the receivers last season.  With better health this season, the Receiving Corps. should be alright.  Domenick Hixon and Mario Manningham return and while they've proven themselves capable, they need to be better now.  Hakeem Nicks is coming into his own and in my opinion should reach "force" status this season...if he can stay healthy that is.  That's what the Giants seem to be banking on too.  Second year receiver; Victor Cruz; is the x-factor of the bunch and is the one who made Steven Smith expendable.  And maybe second year receiver; Duke Calhoon; can find a way to put his 6'2" 200lbs. body to some effective use this season with Smith gone.  Losing Kevin Boss is a bigger loss than Steven Smith.  So this news isn't devastating to me.  It struck me as a surprise though.


However, I'm looking for the Giants to stick with the running game a lot more this season.  Coach Coughlin admitted at the conclusion of last season, that perhaps they didn't run Brandon Jacobs as much as they should have, and said they will look to stick with the run attack more consistently in 2011.  I think Coach Coughlin and Jerry Reese; along with me; want Coach Gilbride reigned in first and foremost and get him to ease up on the passing game.  If that doesn't work, my guess is he gets replaced after the season.


Jerry Reese made resigning Ahmad Bradshaw a priority and asked Brandon Jacobs to restructure his deal so the Giants could get a deal done for Brandon's Little Buddy.  Now signed and reunited, they'll have to run behind a rebuilding Offensive Line already encountering troubles.  But the Line incurred  debilitating injuries last season and still ran effectively and incidentally only permitted Eli to get sacked sixteen times.  I think transitioning the O-Line may go smoother than we fear but there's no way a season like Rich Seubert's can be replaced prior to him getting hurt last year.


The bottom line entering this season; and if last season is indeed sticking in Coach Coughlin's mind; is the Giants do not want Eli throwing 25 interceptions again.




Mike.BTB

PIGSKIN ~ WEEK 13 ~ NYG: Hail To December!! Hail Victory!!

Last week I lost my second SHMEAR of the year making me 8-2 this season.  I followed two very strong weeks on the Sunday games with a mediocre 6-6 record in WEEK 12.  A .500 record for the day was salvaged by the last game of the day and S.D.'s win.  On Thanksgiving I went 1-2.

I'm a +19 BAGELS for the season.
Sunday games worth One Bagel: Shmear of the Week pick is worth 3 Bagels.


BAGEL ADVISORY!! I have been wrong about the Cleveland Browns every game this season.  That makes me perfect in a way.  Use the pick at your own discretion.


WEEK 13 WARM-UP:
* Are the K.C. Chiefs for real? The Chiefs and the Chargers can make the Raiders disappear this week.
* Week 13 is a virtual NFC WEST mini-playoff round with two "Battles in Futility".
    The 1st Toilet Bowl features the (5-6) SEAHAWKS vs. (1-10) Panthers.
    The 2nd Toilet Bowl features the (5-6) Rams vs. (3-8) CARDINALS.
* PhilaEAGLES already played and won Thursday night.  The GIANTS must win.
* Jets vs. Patriots might be the biggest game of the week, but Falcons vs. Bucs is the most interesting!
* The Vikings are still wiggling.  They ain't dead yet?



The WEEK 13 Big BAGEL Roll-Out:
(Saturday's NYDN Line)



GIANTS -7 (Redskins)
The Giants must win to keep pace with the Eagles.  Somehow we always play well against the Redskins.  McNabb is a different story.  The Giants will win despite offensive injuries and Donovan McNabb's winning record against us.  I think we're going to get a very complete game and convincing victory from Big Blue; See below.
WIN ~ 31-7 Giants

Bills +6 (VIKINGS)
I just like the number.  Buffalo has been scoring loads of points lately just for fun!  The Bills are the 3rd most porous defense in Football but the Vikings couldn't score even if you put them in a Nordic woman's prison with a few cartons of cigarettes.  Brett the Wrecker sacked this Vikings' village all by himself.
LOSS ~ 38-14 Vikings

DOLPHINS -4 1/2 (Browns)
..not because I can't pick the Browns, but because I think The 'Fins are ready to wreck some seasons and piss teams off.
LOSS ~ 13-10 Browns

TITANS -3 (Jaguars)
..only because the number is low.  I don't have much faith in the Titans' QB situation but I like Jeff Fisher.  TENN should be better and JAX should be worse than their records indicate.
LOSS ~ 17-6 Jaguars

CHIEFS -8 1/2 (Broncos)
The Chiefs are on the War-Path.  Broncos on the road with no thin-air; No chance on the plains of K.C.  The Broncos are ready for the glue factory and the Chiefs are high on AFC West(ern) peyote.
LOSS ~ 10-6 Chiefs

Bears -4 1/2 (LIONS)
I'm respecting the Bears and their defense in a division game.  They are 3-0 with-in their division and know the Packers have a gift game against the 49ers.  There will be no let-down on the road.
LOSS ~ 24-20 Bears

Saints -7 (BENGALS)
This game is only seven?  Is Vegas chewing on the same (western) peyote as the Chiefs?  Saints can gain on the Falcons who have a tough game vs. Tampa Bay.  Are you kidding me?  Saints are going to March ALL Over the Kitties!  This game should have been -11 1/2.  The Bengals can score some, they just won't stop N.O.
LOSS ~ 34-30 Saints

BUCS +3 (Falcons)
The Bucs are so close they can taste it, even though it's fool's gold they taste.  The Falcons being a bad road team is very old news.  It's been like that for years.  The Falcons appear to be the most complete team in the NFC "this week".  This is where parity rears it's ugly head again.  Vegas' three points isn't a great vote of confidence for ATL either.
LOSS ~ 28-24 Falcons

Raiders +13 (CHARGERS)
Thirteen points seems like a lot.  The Chargers have one more hiccup in them before they have a furious finish with a 10-6 record.  But this will be the Raiders last hurrah before they fade away.  I'm going with a sentimental upset but certainly the Raiders cover.
WIN ~ 28-13 Raiders

SEAHAWKS -6 (Panthers)
Jim Zorn can comeback and QB the Seahawks for this one.  I think this number is low.  This game has tremendous implications in the pathetic NFC West.  And the Panthers just don't want to play anymore.  But I've been very wrong about the Panthers this season also.
WIN ~ 31-14 Seahawks

Cowboys +6 (COLTS)
I like the Cowboys to cover, but not much else.  They can afford to play very loose and reckless, if you will.  Nothing has come easy for Peyton Manning this year.  Why should this game be any different?
WIN ~ 38-35 Cowboys  o.t.

Rams -3 1/2 (CARDS)
That 1/2 point is pure evil.  Sink or swim with this game.  No push here.
WIN ~ 19-6 Rams

RAVENS -3 (Steelers)
These teams are almost mirror images of each other.  Vegas issued the standard home team permit.  Big Ben is hobbling on the road which might mean Ravens win by 5.  Roger Goodell is going to collect a lot of fine money after this game.
LOSS ~ 13-10 Steelers



*Bagel SHMEAR OF THE WEEK: (8-2)
Saints -7 (BENGALS) is too tempting.

Happy Football Sunday Everyone!


POST GAME COMMENTS:
* I'm a loser!  I am 1-7 in the early games.  I lost The SHMEAR.
* Who cares...The Giants Won!!!
* The Vikings need to stop annoying me.
* Poor Peyton Manning.
* This was an all-around bad day if you were picking favorites.
* At least I went 4-1 in the afternoon games to save a little face.

New York Football GIANTS: Welcome to December!

The weather gets a little raw and games become more desperate matters this time of year. 

Welcome to December Football when cold and weak teams lag behind and perish.  Those teams resourceful enough to generate heat down the stretch survive to play in January.  Now, a BIG BLUE storm-front is needed to make Sunday's game down right inclement and nasty for the visiting Washington Redskins.

I did say the time for this Giants' season to be great has passed; And it did.  But there no reason the Giants can't come out tomorrow and dominate this game.

And that's exactly what I think will happen.  The Eagles already took care of their business winning Thursday night and I don't believe the Giants will disappoint as I think they will keep pace with a Big Blue performance against the 'Skins tomorrow.

We know the Offensive Line is lacking with David Diehl and Shaun O'Hara still out.  But last week the reserve unit had a solid day of run-blocking and protected Eli extremely well while minimizing penalties and eliminating turn-overs.  They had the Giants moving forward consistently last week even during that bad first half they had versus JAX.  But the Offense repeatedly stalled in the red-zone settling for field goals.  With Brandon Jacobs named as the starting back again and the offensive-line establishing a patched-up synchronicity over the last three weeks, I think maintaining continuity as a unit through another week of practice will serve us tremendously tomorrow.  I feel those field goals last week will be touchdowns this time around.

Eli and Coach Gilbride will maximize the passing game as best they can with Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith still out.  Mario Manningham will be the feature receiver again and will find himself open against Washington.  I'm thinking a steady diet of Ahmad Bradshaw catching passes out of the backfield and screen passes along with clever Kevin Boss releases will be enough of a passing game to keep the Skins' average defense honest.

But let's not get far from what should be the mission this week.  The Giants should try and pound the ball right down the Redskins' throats.  Run with power and often.  If there was ever a game on the schedule that screams for the 20-20-20 plan, it's this one.

The 20-20-20 Plan is:
Twenty pounding carries for Brandon Jacobs ~ Twenty thrill carries for Ahmad Bradshaw ~ Twenty pass attempts for Eli Manning.

Where is this confidence against the Redskins coming from?  The Skins never scare me; never have.  There is something about a Giants/Redskins game that I have always felt confident about.  Donovan McNabb on the Skins changes nothing for me.  I expect the Giants' Defense to pounce on him all day long.

I'm expecting Coach Fewell's Defense to dominate all day tomorrow.  From kick-off to the final tick of the clock, I'm expecting the G-Men to be relentless and extremely physical.  And points; I sense the Giants' D will finally score points tomorrow.

Maybe it's the coldness in the air that excites me, but I do believe this is where the Giants are, heading into a game against Washington on December 5th.  This doesn't speak to Week 14 and beyond.  But for this week, I think the Giants are poised to have a statement game against an old division rival.  The match-ups strike me as idealy suited for this very type of a game.

The short version ~ I believe the Giants will play their most complete sixty minutes of the season tomorrow.  Don't bring Special Teams into this.  I don't want to ruin the moment.

"Hail To The Redskins!!  Hail Victory!! "

FINAL

Washington Redskins  7

NEW YORK GIANTS  31

Sunday night post:  JETS VERSUS PATRIOTS...next.

WEEK 13 Posts:
http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/2010/12/ny-giants-brandon-jacobs-started-this.html
http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/2010/11/ny-giants-powder-blue-start-big-blue.html

Mike.BTB