N.Y. Giants: What The Fluker Was That?

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

SUNDAY

Seattle Seahawks

vs.

New York Giants

FROM

Jimmy Hoffa Grounds

New York Giants: Was Last Sunday Just a Fluker?

Seattle will be ready.  The Giants won't be able to pull a fast one over the Seahawks like they did against the Broncos in Denver.

It was painfully evident last week, offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan was not going to put Eli Manning in harms way.  Yes, the offensive line allowed another three sacks, but that's routine stuff at this point.  Instead, Coach Sullivan limited Eli to 19 passes, who completed 11 of them.  Only five receptions were made by four different fill-in receivers.  Rookie tight end Evan Engram accounted for another five receptions, and one toss went to Orleans Darkwa out of the backfield.

Denver is a good team with a top tier defense.  Yet, the Giants rushed 31 times for 148 yards; an average of 4.6 yards per carry.

Were the Broncos simply caught off guard?  Did they simply have a bad day at the office?

One now has to wonder about the impact D.J. Fluker played in Sunday's game.  He single-handed opened up swaths of daylight for Orleans Darkwa starting at center in place of Weston Richburg (concussion protocol).

Bart Oates was the Giants starting center from 1985 through 1993, during which time he appeared in three Pro Bowls.  He was their center in 1986, and went to the Pro Bowl during the Giants 1990 Super Bowl season.  He played out his final two season with San Francisco, making the Pro Bowl each time.

Shaun O'Hara was brought over from Cleveland in 2004, and became the Giants starting center for the next seven seasons.  He started for the 2007 Super Bowl champions, and appeared in three straight Pro Bowls between 2008 - 2010.

David Baas was signed as a free agent to replace O'Hara the following season.  Despite winning a Super Bowl in 2011 with Baas at center, he went on to become an expensive bust.  But then again, the 2011 season was the last bit of goodness Jerry Reese was able to squeeze out of that offensive line.

Since then, it's been all downhill.

Now in his fourth season, Weston Richburg, 25, was selected by the Giants in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2014 draft.  He has missed the last two games, placed in concussion protocol, which brings us to D.J. Fluker.

Now 29-years old, D.J. was selected in the first round (11th overall) of the 2013 draft by the Chargers.  Only problem is, he is used to playing right guard.

So what do we make of last Sunday?

The man is 6'5", and weighs 339 pounds.  Weston Richburg is 6'3", 298lbs.

Hmm.

Seattle will be expecting the Giants to run ... again.  I'm sure of it.

So, I'm going to reserve judgement until after Sunday's game against the Seahawks.

I have a saying: Once is an event; twice is a coincidence; and three times is a trend.

Nuff ced.

N.Y. Giants: Smash-Mouth Makes an Appearance in Denver

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

FINAL-LY!

GIANTS      23

BRONCOS  10

New York Giants: Big Blue Finds Daylight in Denver; Rumble to First Victory of Season.

I rest my case!

Limited throwing from Eli Manning;
a heavy dose of the ground game;
key tight end receptions;
and shut down defense.

That's Giants football where I come from.

Unfortunately, Sunday's game was the closest thing I've seen to traditional Big Blue smash-mouth football since Ben McAdoo arrived in town.

Considering the Giants defeated the Denver Broncos quite soundly, I'm forced to revisit a question I've been asking for years:

If the New York York Giants won two Super Bowls in 1986 and 1990 playing smash-mouth football, then won another pair of Lombardi trophies in 2007 and 2011 still playing smash-mouth football, and all four Super Bowl victories came against west coast styled offenses, then why on earth are the Giants so hell bent on transforming into a west coast offense?

My answer is obviously Ben McAdoo.

The Giants second year head coach gets credit points for self-reflection.  He surrendered play calling to his offensive coordinator, Mike Sullivan, and the results were in stark contrast to what McAdoo has been reconditioning us for. 

How is it that with Mike Sullivan calling plays Eli Manning's yards per completion average also rose by almost two full yards (versus previous three seasons with McAdoo calling plays)?

I'll wait ...

That being said, isn't it amazing the things you can accomplish without Odell Beckham Jr.?  Odell is the best wide receiver the Giants have ever had.  Right?  He's better than Phil McConkey, Bobby Johnson, Stephen "touchdown" Baker, Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer, you name it.

Problem is, Sunday's victory over the Denver Broncos was the Giants first of the season, and their first since last year's infamous trip to South Beach with Bieber. 

Is this proof it took Beckham's disappearance to finally open some eyes?  Does this prove, as I contend, Ben McAdoo's application of the west coast was flawed to begin with?

I don't know ...

But I do know Eli Manning only threw the ball 19 times, and connected 11 times for 128 yards.  And I know he threw a touchdown to his rookie tight end, Even Engram, who caught five huge passes for 82 yards.

With D.J. Fluker starting at center in place of Weston Richburg (concussion), the offensive line created loads of daylight for Orleans Darkwa, who rushed 21 times for 117 yards.  On three separate occasions, he rumbled for 47 yards, 17 yards, and 14 yards.

As John Madden would say ... BOOM!

But one game does not a running game make ... the line is still not without its problems. 

They allowed another three sacks.

Pfft ..!  Before the game, I was fearful Eli was going to get hurt.

The defense was shut-down.  The Giants limited the Broncos to just 46 yards rushing, sacked Trevor Siemian four times, with JPP recording three of them.  They intercepted Siemian twice, caused one fumble, and scored six points.

It was a nice day in Denver.

So, where do the Giants go from here?  After all, Sunday's victory only makes them 1-5 on the season.  There's still a lot of room to play with.

Is smash-mouth back to stay?  Will Mike Sullivan continue implementing this run-first philosophy, even though it flies in the face of Ben McAdoo? 

Or, will the head coach intercede, insisting upon some semblance of west coast?

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 is Now Beyond the Coach

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL ~ In the Age of Eli,

QB Coaches No Longer Need Apply.

It is easy to say now, but since the day Big Blue drafted Eli Manning, I have always been on his side. And I'm am proud to say I never wavered.  If you knew how badly I wanted the N.Y. Mets baseball team deconstructed five years ago, you'll believe me.  If you go back to the days when Ray Perkins coached the Giants, then I think there's no doubt you'll believe me.  Both were exercises in patience over extended periods of time.  So as a fan, I was practiced in the art of suffering through rebuilding years.


There was good reason to rally around the highly touted draft pick.  Former GM Ernie Accorsi said he was the real deal.  And if you thought Bill Parcells leaving the Giants was the end of the world like I did; and that the Giants would never ever be successful again like I did; then you knew there was reason to take Ernie Accorsi at his word.  He made the Giants good again.  With great relief, Giants fans started to see daylight on Sundays again by the time Jim Fassel, John Fox, and Ernie Accorsi were running things around here.


I had a great appreciation for what Accorsi built in Cleveland with the old Browns.  I speak of the team which came up short two consecutive times, victimized by last minute touchdown drives orchestrated by John Elway and the Broncos in dual AFC Championship games of the late 80's.


I agreed with pulling the plug on Kurt Warner and effectively sabotaging a good start to the 2004 Giants' season, and handing the ball off to Eli no matter how much the cry babies who played under Fassel didn't like it.  I'm not going to name names.  But the truth is, they were an immature and entitled bunch who made conditions hard for a kid QB to grow up in.


Eli's rookie season was rough.  There's no denying that.  But you must be willing to endure that sort of thing.  And besides, wholesale changes were at the Giants' door steps.  So why not let him get in some on-the-job training for nine games?  That 2004 team wasn't going to win a Super Bowl anyway.  That was the same team that quit on Jim Fassel, remember?  Tom Coughlin knew at once, Kurt Warner was useless to him, and that the sooner he got Eli uncorked, the sooner, and better his tenure, and the team would be.


In his first full season, Eli threw seventeen interceptions.  But he also threw twenty-four touchdowns, and passed for over 3,700 yards.  Maybe I'm just getting old.  But where I come from, that used to mean a lot.  Not only that, but Eli showed he was very adept at the two-minute drill, and late game management and comebacks, even then.  So there was much to feel optimistic about.  He just needed to develop.  The criticisms levied by some of his team mates were extremely misguided.  Just look at one of the messengers in particular, who had a habit of throwing anyone in his way under the bus.  Thing is, he spoke well into a microphone, and the media ate it up, and fed it right back to salivating fans.


In the Super Bowl season of 2007, Eli threw his highest interception total to that point in his four year career.  But if you ask me, the biggest difference in Eli Manning's play that season came when the Giants hired Chris Palmer to be their QB Coach.  The relationship between him and Eli took time to percolate as with any.  But after a near full season working together, by December and through the playoffs, I think the Chris Palmer Effect and how he influenced Eli's performance goes incredibly under spoken; if not unrecognized.  Chris Palmer previously worked together with Tom Coughlin in Jacksonville.  So you can call this correlation a coincidence if you like.  But I tend not to.  I do believe one had something to do with the other.


In January of 2010, Chris Palmer retired.  Tom Coughlin selected Mike Sullivan to be his next QB coach.  In 2004, he served as Tom Coughlin's Wide Receivers coach, and now he was the QB coach?  No, sorry.  Not a good move here.  Needless to say, Eli immediately proceeded to set his new career high for interceptions in a season with twenty-five.  The grumblings and uneasiness between Eli and Sullivan did not go unnoticed either.


I believe many factors played into Eli's outrageous twenty-five pics during the 2010 season.   Eli  deserves a share of blame for throwing many passes too high.  Kevin Gilbride deserves a handsome share of blame for countless bouts of extremely unnecessary pass play selection.  And then a chunk of blame goes to the receivers for tipping a slew of passes into the air and putting the ball up for grabs.


But for the second consecutive season and the first time with Mike Sullivan, Eli cracked the 4,000 yard passing mark, after four straight seasons breaking 3,000 yards with Palmer around.  Additionally, for the first time, Eli exceeded thirty touchdown passes in a season.


Aggravated as both Eli and Coach Sullivan were with the 2010 season, Eli was out-growing the need for a mentor anyway.  Wasn't he?  Eli is now the teacher.  His receivers are the grasshoppers.  Over the last two and three seasons, a preponderance of injuries have plagued the Giants Wide Receiver and Tight End positions.  Eli has taken each and every player tasked with stepping in, and made them all productive.  By the 2011 season, Eli's interceptions were back down to a more manageable sixteen.  Oh, and he won his second Super Bowl MVP award.


Moving forward, I honestly believe Eli's best days are ahead of him.  Aw Shucks Eli is the freakin' Mann now!  Quarterback coaches need not apply.





Mike.BTB

N.Y. GIANTS ~ Lack of Plax Was Never Really Eli's Problem

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS:  Eli and Plaxico Burress Flourished Together.  But Eli's Struggles Were Never Due To Plaxico's Absence from The Team.



The fact that Coach Tom Coughlin and Plaxico Burress didn't get along all that well is not new.  We knew that while Plax was still here and getting fined on a weekly basis.  And now that Plaxico Burress has completed his judge ordered time-out from Football, all speculation as to what team he'll wind up with have begun in earnest.



As a Giants fan, would I welcome him back?  Sure.  But I don't think he'd be our best receiver anymore.  I don't think we have a terrible need at receiver that we should go in hot pursuit of Plax.  We have talent there.  The Club has said they're open minded to whatever makes the team better.  But if Coach Coughlin has a say, he'll most likely wind up playing somewhere else.  And good luck to him.



Here's the part of the Plaxico Burress discussion that compelled me to jump in with my two cents today.  Many are saying Eli Manning has never been better than when he and Plax joined forces.  They point to that 2007 Super Bowl and the way Eli and Plax dominated the Packers in the Championship Game.



That's fair; very fair.



Arguments making a direct correlation between Plaxico's ability to haul-in less than stellar passes from Eli because of his height; then his absence from the team; followed by Eli's dramatic spike in interceptions have been attempted and have many in the Media and fans convinced of it.


I'll agree with that observation only to a point; and to a limited point at that. 


Chris Palmer was hired to be the New York Giants Quarterback Coach in January of 2007.  He and Tom Coughlin worked together in Jacksonville.  And I believe he more than Plaxico, was highly instrumental in Eli's surge in improvement during that Super Bowl season.


Due to not having Plax on the roster, Jerry Reese quickly rebuilt the wide receiver corps.  But last season, although the unit as a whole remained remained effective, they suffered through the season in a state of constant injury.  Coincidentally, prior to last season, in January of 2010, Chris Palmer retired from the Giants three years after being hired.


It was later reported Chris Palmer left the Giants in a contract dispute over clauses allowing him to interview for Offensive Coordinator positions in the League.  So, he left the Giants to pursue other career paths.  The Giants promoted their Wide Recievers' Coach; Mike Sullivan to the position of Quarterbacks Coach as a result.  And Eli's troubles began. 


Not having Plaxico Burress around was a small to minimal part of Eli's problems last season.



Mike.BTB