N.Y. Giants: Rueben Randle's Rexual Encounter in Buffalo

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

Once is an event; Twice is a coincidence; Three times is a trend.

Buffalo's defense will provide a true measure of Big Blue's offense.

WEEK FOUR

New York Giants

vs. 

Buffalo Bills

FROM

The Empire State

NEW YORK GIANTS: Tom Coughlin's double-barreled, or even triple barreled offense will have to wait just a little while longer to fire.

ICYMI > DEFENSE: No Pass Rush Offers Pockets of Opportunity 

Unfortunately, Victor Cruz' troublesome left calf injury did not respond to a platelet-rich plasma injection well enough, or quickly enough for Sunday's game.

He has been listed as OUT for Week Four, officially scrubbing the first quarter of his season.

This will be Cruz' 14th straight regular season game missed due to injury.  He is fast approaching a full year off the NFL gridiron.  He last played a regular season game on October 13, 2014 during Week Six in Philadelphia.  Moreover, October 5th was the last time Giants fans saw him play at Met-Life Stadium.

Through the first two weeks of this season, the opposition found little reason not to double team Odell Beckham Jr. in Cruz' absence, largely because Preston Parker and Rueben Randle contributed little or nothing towards alleviating the situation.

That quickly developed into an untenable situation.  After barely making the roster out of camp, Preston Parker was subsequently cut by Jerry Reese after a woeful display of receiving skills in Week Two.

That in turn left Rueben Randle square in the cross hairs of Jerry Reese, the media, and fans alike.

Jerry Reese gambled and lost by taking a flyer on Preston Parker last season and again during the pres-season.  Rueben Randle, however, was no stab in the dark.  Jerry Reese utilized a 2nd round pick in the 2012 draft to secure him.

Rueben started just 4 games through his first 2 seasons, then made 13 starts last season and made 71 receptions for 938 yards with 3 touchdowns.

If Preston Parker's problem was failing to catch the ball, Randle's, then, was failing to provide Eli Manning with a viable target.  Eli only targeted him 7 times through the first two games against the Cowboys and Falcons, in which Rueben made 4 receptions for a total of 28 rather inconsequential yards.

But with the spotlight squarely on him in Week Three, Rueben Randle delivered a performance closer to what Jerry Reese had in mind when he selected Randle 63rd overall.

Both of Eli Manning's TD passes during last weeks' 32-21 victory over Washington came in the 4th quarter.  He first connected with OBJ, then with Randle to seal the game.  Eli targeted Rueben 7 times throughout the game, whom made all 7 receptions for 116 yards, while OBJ made 7 receptions for 79 seemingly supportive yards (but we know better...).

That said, without Victor Cruz the only way to take pressure off OBJ, then, is with performance.

That brings us to Sunday in Buffalo and Rex Ryan, whom knows a thing or two about orchestrating a defense.  Once Rex takes Odell Beckham Jr. away from Eli Manning (because that's what he'll aim to do), will the Giants be able to turn to their seemingly matured 4th year receiver for a second straight week and beyond?

We'll see...

In the meantime, it hasn't mattered if Kevin Gilbride or Ben McAdoo have been offensive coordinators in this small respect - Tom Coughlin wants balance.  Make no mistake, he's a chucker, but he usually asks for balance.

Last week the Giants ran 31 times and threw 32 times.  Weeks One and Two went similarly.  But they only rushed for 84 yards on a day the offense generated 30 points.  End of discussion, right?

C'mon, you know me better.  At some point this weekend, I heard the words - short controlled passing game - and they disturb me to my core.

On the bright side, the Giants were thought to have broken down a fairly solid Washington defense.   On the dimmer side, if Washington was able to restrict the Giants to just 84 rushing yards, what will Rex Ryan be able to do?

Remember how Ben McAdoo called on Rashad Jennings in what should have been the closing drive of Game One in Dallas?  Coach called Rashad's name 6 times, and asked him to run up the gut 5 times.  Rashad responded with a net 49 yards.

There's been no commitment to the run since, merely an effort to present balance.  That won't work against Rex.  In fact, everywhere I look I feel Ryan has an answer that perfectly defies what Coughlin tries to do.  Therefore, it's Coach who needs to find his own way of giving Buffalo's defense some pause.  That's a philosophical adjustment.

Faced with his own aggressive style, I'm sure Rex Ryan would say release the tight end, execute screens and draws, etc.  Sounds like good advice to me.  It's just not the Giants way under Coughlin.

In any event, Buffalo's defense will provide a true measure of Big Blue's offense.

Did I mention the tight end?

His name is Larry Donnell.  Use him.

PIGSKIN 2015: Week Four

PIGSKIN

FOOTBALL SUNDAY

Week Four

Results

Week One 

Week Two

Week Three

Scoreboard:

Week Three Record:  10-4

Overall Record:  27-15

Schmear of the Week:  2-1

Bagels in the Basket:  +15

1st and 10:

• Old Guys Gone Wild: After the Dallas Cowboys win a stunner over the Saints, look for Jerry Jones to flash his boobs in joyous celebration down Bourbon Street.

2nd and Long:

• From his days with the Jets to the present, Rex Ryan continues to write the greatest 2nd place narrative in all of football history.  If he gets the Bills to 3-1 Sunday, Buffalo just might appoint him deputy mayor.  Regardless of the Bills/Giants outcome, the idle and undefeated New England Patriots will remain in 1st place of the AFC East.  Remember, Buffalo lost 40-32 on Sept. 13th to the Patriots. That was a bitter pill for Rex to swallow.  Bill Belichick consumes him. They'll meet again for Thanksgiving.  Till then, 2nd place seemingly never felt more glorious.  Just ask the (9-7) Jets of 2009.

No Gain:

• The Saints have lost 6 straight in the Dome dating back to October 26th of last season.

• The NFC boast three teams without a win (N.O., DET, CHI); all AFC teams have won at least a game.

• Down goes Roethlisberger!

• No one will lose against the Patriots this week.

PUNT!

• The NFL should black-out the Raiders/Bears game in Chicago, for humanity sake.

• An NFL team in London?  Perhaps the Jaguars?  They can't even get a team in Los Angeles yet.  What free agent would want to sign overseas?  Utterly brutal travel aside, would players fall prey to England's infamous Tax Man?  And who would be responsible for providing players and their families with 2-ply toilet paper?

WEEK FOUR:

FRIDAY LINE ~ NYDN

BILLS -6 (Giants)

Defensively, I'm still feeling uneasy about the Giants victory over Washington.  Buffalo losing LeSean McCoy this week is a wash, as Tyrod Taylor and the Bills will not have Robert Ayers to contend with (as if the Giants had a pass rush to begin with).  Last week, the Hogs beat themselves due to turnovers.  Don't count on Buffalo doing the same.  Conversely, Rex will dare Eli Manning to beat him with Rueben Randle because he's going to eliminate Odell Beckham Jr. - bank on it.  Of course, I'd prefer to get this one wrong.
Loss; 24-10 Giants

Jets -1 1/2 (DOLPHINS) @ London ~ The Toilet Paper Bowl

How's the drinking water in England?  Wanna know why this spread is so close?  Fact: Flights of 4-hours or more dehydrate the body.  The team that hydrates best, wins.  London might be famous for its fish and chips, but not for these Fish.  In fact, Ndamukong Suh is playing exactly like a (former) Lion would near water - ineffectively.  Unlike last week's game against the Eagles, Ryan Fitzpatrick won't be forced into playing catch-up football this time. He'll manage a better game.  The Jets will also do a better job than last week of integrating Bilal Powell into the game.
WIN; 27-14 Jets

Jaguars +9 (COLTS)

Jags already posted one big upset this season, and they're about to score another.  Indy's offense has yet to click, and now Andrew Luck has a sore shoulder.  That, and Indy's porous defense, will keep the Jags in this game.
WIN; 16-13 Colts

FALCONS -6 1/2 (Texans)

This is admittedly my most questionable pick of the week.  The Falcons are on a magic carpet ride.   They're competent, and home.  But, all three of their victories came via 4th quarter comebacks.  You can only temp Fate so long before she gets annoyed.  I think this is going to be a very close game.   The Texans have no idea where they contracted their acute bout of stink from.  Just a 1/2 point more, and I would have leaned towards Houston.
WIN; 48-21 Falcons

Panthers -3 (BUCS)

Why does Vegas continue disrespecting the Panthers?  Injuries?  Who isn't hurt?  After Carolina blows out the Bucs, perhaps they'll finally change their thinking.  Panthers -9 (!).
WIN; 37-23 Panthers

Raiders -3 (BEARS)

Three points?  Someone thinks this has Trap Game written all over it.  Of course, that depends on your opinion of the Black and Silver.  I get they aren't that good, but they're not that bad.  Oakland is feisty, which is a kind word for inconsistent.  For the moment, though, they're feeling fine after winning in Cleveland last week.  I get playing the Teddy Bears will make them look better than they actually are, but can someone at least throw them a bone? Chicago couldn't even score in a woman's prison waving a carton of cigarettes.  Locals would be better off skipping the game and getting some deep dish at Uno's instead.
Loss; 22-20 Bears

D.C. HOGS +3 (Eagles)

Apparently, I drew more from Kirk Cousins' WK 3 performance than others.  Then again, the Giants made Sam Bradford look like a star as well.  However, DeSean Jackson is out this week.  For the Eagles, DeMarco Murray's hamstring is barking at him.  Even Steven?  Take the points.
PUSH; 23-20 Hogs

BENGALS -4 (Chiefs)

Kansas City's offensive line couldn't push a refrigerator right now, and they have big troubles on defense to boot.  The Bengals are sky high right now.  Run with it.
WIN; 36-21 Bengals

Browns +7 1/2 (CHARGERS)

Stay away.  It's the Browns!  Besides, I'm still pissed off over last week's Chargers loss in Minnesota. I thought they'd be better.  San Diego's defense warrants taking a flyer on Cleveland this week.
WIN; 30-27 Chargers

Packers -9 (49ERS)

Smell that?  Neither do people in San Francisco....  Aaron Rogers is seeing everything in slow motion right now.  The Pack will zip by the Niners with ease.
WIN; 17-3 Packers

BRONCOS -6 1/2 (Vikings)

Adrian Peterson may not be enough.  The Broncos defense is healthy and intact.  The Vikes' defense, on the other hand is banged up.  Gotta love those 1/2 points!  Broncos will improve to 4-0.  Suck wind, Minnesota.
Loss; 23-20 Broncos

CARDINALS -6 1/2 (Rams)

Fool me once...  By now, we understand what the Rams defense is capable of, but their offense is an enigma.  Just close your eyes, keep toking on Carson Palmer and the Cardinals, and pass it along.
Loss; 24-20 Rams

Cowboys PK (SAINTS)

This line changed (Saints -3) since Friday.  The Saints defense will give Dallas' depleted offense every chance to win this game.  I'd love to get 3-points on this, but PK will do.
Loss; 26-20 Saints - o.t.


Schmear of the Week:
Panthers -3
WIN


Guten Appetit:

Blimey Breakfast (9:30am NYJ in London): I prefer El Pico coffee, cinnamon buns, and/or short stack of blueberry pancakes with quarter sized slices of chorizo, cantaloupe, glass of apple juice.

Good old fashioned fried chicken and baby back ribs, loaded baked potatoes, corn on the BBQ, garden salad, deviled eggs (haven't done those in a while).  Gonna wash that down with some Coney Island Brew...

What's on your football menu?


Good luck, and have a great Football Sunday everyone!


Post Game:
Week Four Record:  7-4-1
Overall Record:  34-19-1
Schmear of the Week:  3-1
Bagels in the Basket:  +20

N.Y. Giants: Big Blue Homecoming - Week Two

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

WEEK TWO

Atlanta Falcons

vs.

New York Giants

FROM

MET LIFE STADIUM

ICYMI: 

Steve Spagnuolo's Impact Immediately Noticeable 

A Rushing Mentality Must Flow Through Your Veins 

NEW YORK GIANTS: Correct Last Week's Mistake Before Too Late Comes Too Soon.

• I - Dancing Around the NFC East Fire

The Atlanta Falcons remind me how badly the Giants screwed up Week One.

In what's seemingly becoming a season opening ritual, the Giants did themselves a major injustice by losing an early division game to the Cowboys.  What made the loss particularly distressing was their acute loss of offensive acumen late in the 4th quarter.

The Falcons, however, did the Giants a huge favor last week by defeating the Eagles.

Between the Giants mental lapses in Dallas, the Cowboys own loss of Dez Bryant, and considering Philly's head coach spent the off-season getting branded a racist stemming from several unpopular roster alterations, then went on to lose his season opener, it's easy to see why the NFC East is already chock-full-o-drama after just one week of play.

The Giants will get to revisit their big misstep in big Texas once the Cowboys visit New York.  But, the immediate impact of last Sunday's loss, however, makes today's clash against Atlanta an unnecessarily vital game.

The last time the Giants started the season 0-2 with Steve Spagnuolo as defensive coordinator, they went on to win the Super Bowl.  While that's a comforting thought, the Giants can ill afford to put themselves in that position this season.  These G-Men are nowhere nearly as deep, nor talented as those guys.

• II - Air Coughlin Flight Two is Now Boarding

Look for the Giants to open things up with more down field attempts.  Coach said it, not me.

While it may only have been a pre-season game, they say the third one counts most.  That said, I watched an overly patient approach put forth a rather yawn inspiring effort against the Jets.  Sunday against Dallas, Eli went 20/36, and similarly only averaged 5.4 yards per completion.

If you subtract Shane Vereen's 4/46 performance (because I consider that an extension of the running game) Odell Beckham Jr. was targeted 8 times, and led Giant receivers with 5 catches for 44-yards.   Rueben Randall and Preston Parker however, were targeted 11 times but only completed 5 receptions.

This all might have been a result of Dallas forcing them to work underneath the majority of the game, but it's a big reason why Victor Cruz' return remains imperative.  For now improving connections with the latter two receivers is the only way to somewhat free up OBJ.

Tight end Larry Donnell was targeted 4 times and made 3 receptions for 21 yards.  More of that can only help.

One thing is glaringly clear, it took exactly one week for Coach Coughlin tiring of dink and dunk football.  His style has always been to go deep.  I went through that very issue - HERE.

They'll need to set up play-action first.  That means establishing the run.  The Giants rushed 23 times for 91 yards, averaging almost 4 yards per carry against a stout Dallas front.  Or did they?

In truth, the offensive line did a piss poor job of run blocking during a great majority of the game. Rashad Jennings gained 38 of the Giants overall 91 yards during that last fateful drive.  Otherwise, the Giants rushed 16 times for a mere 53-yards.

One would think the Giants can improve upon last week's effort against Atlanta, right?

• III - Somehow, the Corners and Devon Kennard Must Enable a Pass Rush

Jon Beason feels betrayed by the schedule makers, as he's likely to miss Thursday night's game against D.C. as well.  But in truth, he needs to come to grips that his own body is failing him.

In the mean time, it will be fun watching Devon Kennard evolve into a premium linebacker.

After a rather decent performance last week, Prince Amukamara and DRC will be tasked with shutting down Julio Jones (questionable) and Roddy White.  Their play will largely dictate the Giants ability to mount pressure on Matt Ryan, whom enjoyed as much unmolested time in the pocket against the Eagles, as Tony Romo did against the Giants.

The front four did well stopping the run, but got nowhere near touching Tony Romo.  Look for Devon Kennard to become that guy.  He's perhaps the one player Coach Spags will let loose from time to time.

N.Y. Giants: A Potentially Troublesome Season Kicks-Off in Dallas

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

WEEK ONE

New York Giants

vs.

Dallas Cowboys

FROM

JERRY'S HOUSE

Texas

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL: Fan favorite, Steve Weatherford recently became a salary cap casualty.  The fact a punter arguably became the team's MVP over the last two seasons was a leading indicator of just how far Big Blue has fallen.  For those fans old enough to remember Dave Jennings, you know exactly what I mean.

Sorry folks, this being the 25th anniversary of Super Bowl XXV will ultimately prove to be the best part of the 2015 season.

Recent history says the Giants have been a sub par team since winning SB XLVI.  This season, I fear the Giants will only continue their downward trend.

After paying more attention this pre-season than I have in a very long while, I did not like what I saw.

In fact, tonight's opening game in Dallas may very well end disastrously.  I'm consumed with the potential of a blowout.  I'd rather it not turn out that way, but as an aside, the Giants have lost their last 4 season openers, and two of those came against the Cowboys.

Just saying...

For all the talk of the Giants offensive potential, I feel they will will struggle to score 20 points.  I'll be paying particular attention to how many three-and-outs they commit.  Moreover, I defy the Giants offensive line to spearhead long, time consuming drives.

Dallas, however, will do just that.  Their offensive line is equipped to control the clock, and possession.  They'll get off more plays from scrimmage and face little resistance putting up points against an already depleted Giants defense.

If the offense does not optimize their limited possessions, the Giants are as good as done.

ICYMI:

A Big Blue Crucible Built For Two

1st Down and a Long Season to Go:

For starters, Steve Weatherford is gone - a salary cap casualty.  I get that, because you can't spend small fortunes on punters in the cap era.  But, I'm no less sorry to see him go.  He was effectively the team's MVP these last 2 seasons - which is an alarming indictment against Jerry Reese!

Damn right I'm feeling glum...


Last year's bad defense stands poised to become this year's worse nightmare.

• The JPP situation is so ponderous, that I haven't a clue where to start.  What I do know, is the Giants enter the season without a legitimate pass rusher.

• Linebacker remains in its usual state of neglect - again, thank you Jerry Reese.  Jon Beason is hurt again, leaving Devon Kennard as the team's lone inspiring talent at the position.

• The secondary, meanwhile, reads like an intensive care unit.  The departure of Antrel Rolle additionally created a major void in leadership.  He was the traffic cop on the field.  Outside of Prince Amukamara, we now have a bunch of Keystone candidates.

Offensively, Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. can't carry the Giants by themselves.

• During the pre-season, there was much talk regarding how Odell Beckham now wears a target on his back.  That situation will clearly be worth monitoring.  He won't get relief anytime soon though, as Victor Cruz is not yet ready for game action.  Therefore, this would be a fine time (as well as being about time..) for Rueben Randal to finally up his game.

• My opinion of tight end Larry Donnell is favorable, but still incomplete.  Over the past 2 seasons, the Giants haven't exactly utilized tight end to my satisfaction.  That stems from the position having to compensate, and assist a poor offensive line....

• Everything starts up front.  Rashad Jennings is a fine back, but what good is he if the offensive line can't create any daylight?  How well, then, will the Shane Vereen acquisition turn out?   What good is having Beckham if Eli Manning can't get him the ball, or worse, Eli gets repeatedly slammed to the deck?  Keep your eyes peeled on Justin Pugh, who is now the starting left guard.  Ultimately, the front five pose one Giant question mark.  As this offensive line goes, so goes Big Blue.

Whichever way you shake it, the Giants are about to embark on a long troublesome season, again.  I could be wrong about everything, but I doubt it.

And so goes my opening post....

Consider me punched in.  The DO IT FOR THE DUKE portion of this blog is now in session.

N.Y. Giants: Clueless In Seattle

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

No Defense For Lack Of Basic Understanding

New York Giants Football: Seattle Weather and Seahawks Rain Down On G-Men.

What would a strong second half prove anyway?  That the Giants are a grossly inconsistent team?   Didn't we finally arrive at that conclusion last season?

It's hard to write about the Giants when all I do is repeat myself.

The Giants now have allowed 30+ points in 3 straight games, and twice since the Bye.

If the secondary earned the ire of fans previously, the front seven certainly deserves crap this week.

Jason Pierre Paul had a god awful game.  He failed to stay in his lane.  He failed to provide containment.  He over-pursued plays, and fell victim to cut-backs all day long.  The linebackers were equally guilty.

In what has to be one of the most indicting resultants in recent Giants memory, Seattle's Russell Wilson rushed 21 times for 140 yards, while Marshawn Lynch only rushed 14 times for another 107 yards.  When was the last time you recall a QB attempting more rushes than his premier running back, and out-gaining him by over 30 yards?  What's more, Christine Michael rushed for another 71 yards on just 4 carries.  The total damage was 350 yards allowed on the ground ALONE!  Russell Wilson only attempted 17 passes.

Maelstroms are no stranger to Perry Fewell.

Remember how Michael Vick victimized the Giants for 100+ yards on the ground, and another 300+ through the air while still with the Eagles?  This buffoonery happens routinely under Perry Fewell.

Under Steve Spagnuolo the defense was disciplined, and had TWO very competent linebackers (attention Jerry Reese).  Under Bill Sheridan, the defense played like simpletons.   Under Fewell, they've been nothing short of confounding, confusing, bemusing, and just plain bad.

Debating a lack of talent or diminished depth weighs little when players are poorly coached.

Offensively, Eli's receivers put forth a productive, bounce-back effort.  After dropping numerous passes and generally under-performing in Week Nine, Odell Beckham Jr., Preston Parker and Rueben Randall were very sure-handed.

Once again, the running game was non-existent.  Four Giants combined to rush for a total of 54 yards, or, 1/7'th of Seattle's rushing yardage.

I always say - once is an occurrence; twice is a coincidence, but three times is a trend.

The Giants are now 2-5 within the conference.  Thus far, they've managed victories over the hapless D.C. Hogs and the unimpressive Falcons.  Otherwise, they have lost to the Lions, Cardinals, Cowboys, Eagles, and Seahawks.

They can't compete within their division; they can't compete within the conference.

In other words, the Giants are not competitive.




Mike

N.Y. Giants: Perry Fewell'd Rage

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

House of Blues

Monday Night Failure:

Colts   40

Giants 24

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL: Big Blue's season is bleeding blood red after taking a horseshoe to the jaw.

Giants Battling The Law Of Diminished Returns.  Tom Coughlin has never been this subdued. The talent hasn't been this thin since Dan Reeves was coach.  Not coincidentally, that was the last rebuilding period.  It's now time for the next rebuilding.

On the heels of Sunday's Cowboys loss (vs. Arizona), the only ones who didn't see Monday night's debacle coming were love blind Giants fans.

Sorry, but it's over Johnny.  The weeks and recent seasons of denial are done.  Monday night was not just a supremely poor performance.  Instead, Monday night's game was an indictment.

The Giants were losing 37-10 after three quarters en route to a 40-24 final score.

There were three main reasons for that: the offensive line allowed 3 sacks and failed to create even the faintest glimmer of daylight for Andre Williams; Eli Manning's receivers were flat out amateurish, if not incompetent, and Perry Fewell's defense is an ongoing joke.

Perry Fewell's defense allowed over 40 points, and over 400 yards of offense.  The MNF crew informed us that the Giants hadn't allowed 40/400 at home since 1948 against the (then) Chicago Cardinals.

The fault is not necessarily attributable to the talent at his disposal.  Far tooooo often, the defense looks completely lost.  THAT is an old, recurring problem under Perry Fewell since the days of Corey Webster and Aaron Ross (again, no knock against them).

The major fault is with Fewell's damn systems.  The Giants recovered in time to win Super Bowl XLVI because he had no choice but to simplify an unnecessarily layered and overly reactive system.   After that, the secondary played shutdown football.  Fewell has not learned his lesson though.

Yes, the secondary can only cover receivers so long - a pass rush would be nice.  I know.  But that does not explain the complete breakdown we witness time and again.  The depth Michael Strahan, Osi, Justin Tuck, and even Chris Canty provided is gone.  Jason Pierre Paul is alone in that respect.   Strahan at least had Keith Hamilton by his side during his early years.

You do not have to respect Ray Lewis, but, he was a great linebacker and someone who knows defensive philosophy, scheming, application and execution.  After the game, he lambasted the Giants defense, and it was well deserved.  And Lewis may not be the best ("FREAKIN") guy behind a microphone either, but it was high time someone told it the way it needed to be said.

Wanting Perry Fewell fired is hardly a knee jerk reaction to last night's game, last week, or this season.  It's an accumulated opinion formed throughout his body of work as Giants DefCo.  That said, it's time to fire Perry Fewell.

That's a first for this blog with regards to any coach or coordinator.

Moving on....

You can thank much of the positives regarding Monday's game to Eli Manning - yes.

Among the offensive highlights:

• An equal number of 1st downs; more total plays than the Colts; an equal number of drives; relatively equal yardage (443 vs. 438) gained; Eli throwing for slightly more yardage (349 vs. 345) than Luck; just 9 less yards rushing than the Colts.

We get it.  But hey, Big Ben and the Steelers scored 51 points against the Colts (and won).  Just saying....

Recall how Giants veterans were made to endure Eli Manning's first few years.  Eli is now being made to survive what should have been his most formidable years.  He went from playing behind what was arguably the best offensive line in the NFL, to what is arguably one of the NFL's worst.

Eli once had reliable receivers like Steve Smith, Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer, Hakeen Nicks, and even Domenik Hixon, Mario Manningham, etc., and of course, the injured Victor Cruz.  But it's been a far more harrowing world throwing to the likes of Ramses Barden, Jerrel Jernigan, Preston Parker, Rueben Randal, Odel Beckham Jr. etc., etc.

The revolving door of tight ends has been equally frustrating, and debilitating.

I've said it a bunch of times already - the Giants suffer personnel issues.  We squeezed out a 2nd Super Bowl with the old crew.  Since then, the roster around Eli has deteriorated.  Injuries have taken their toll on the Giants, for sure, but as much as Jerry Reese tried, the draft has failed to satisfactorily or consistently back fill team needs.

In the last five seasons, the Giants either won the SB, or failed to make the playoffs.  Now consider the overall consistency of the Packers, 49ers, and Patriots; the three main opponents during Big Blue's 2 Super Bowl seasons, and the measure of Giants success or failures.

The overall condition falls on Jerry Reese.  This is his mess to fix, or rebuild, if John Mara lets him.




Mike

N.Y. Giants: Look Out, McAdoo's Blue Crew Coming Through

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

3-2

3rd place NFC East

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL: Wins and Losses Follow a Common Theme.

What do you know - three in a row!

After 2 opening losses, the Giants followed with 3 consecutive victories.  That means it's time to play our favorite game - WTF!

Here's the gist:

In each loss the Giants allowed 25 points or more, and only averaged 14 points themselves.  They lost the turnover battle, and failed to rush for 100 yards.

• Game One against the Lions was obviously an ugly affair, especially defensively.  However, it bears noting they only managed to rush for 53 yards on 22 carries, and turned the ball over twice.

• In Game Two's loss to the Cardinals, they rushed for 81 yards on 27 carries, and turned the ball over an inexcusable 4 times.

In each of their 3 consecutive victories, the Giants limited their opponent to 20 points or less, won the turnover battle, and rushed the ball well over 100 yards each time.

• Game Three vs. Houston - 193 yards in 42 rushing attempts.  The Texans turned the ball over 3 times.

• Game Four vs. Washington - 154 yards on 38 rushing attempts.  The Hogs turned the ball over 6 times.

• Game Five vs. Atlanta - 124 yards on 34 rushing attempts.  The Falcons turned the ball over once (but the Giants twice).

Throughout the 5 games, Coach McAdoo's shorter passing scheme has been a definite departure from Kevin Gilbride's style, which consistently led the league in most attempted yards per pass play - and to his credit, it's working.

In truth, ever since Eli turned things around midway through Week Two against the Cardinals, he's been stellar,  When Eli is on, he usually makes his receivers better - just ask Odell Beckham Jr., Rueben Randal, Preston Parker, and Larry Donnell (and the litany of tight ends that preceded him).

In the last 3 games, Eli has thrown 8 TD passes, with just 1 interception.

The scoreboard has reflected their recent offensive proficiency.  The Giants have scored at least 30 points in each of their last 3 games.

Of course, everything starts up front.  So far, the offensive line has done admirable work.  They've created enough daylight for Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams, and limited the opposition to a manageable 7 sacks in 5 games.  They've already proven themselves to be a better unit than last year's version.  So, the hope is they continue to improve and gel together.

In fact, over the next 2 weeks, we'll get to see how good this team really is.

The true battle for the NFC East starts Sunday night in Philadelphia, and continues the following week in Dallas.

Prior to the Giants facing the Eagles in Sunday night's game, the Cowboys will have already faced off against the Legion of Boom in Seattle.

If Big Blue takes care of business against the Eagles, and the Cowboys oblige with a crushing defeat in Seattle, we'll have a 3-way tie for the division lead by Monday.

Then with a Week 7 victory in Dallas, the Giants can conceivably tilt the division in their favor in time for their Bye - pending the Eagles outcome in Arizona that is.

Perchance to dream.....



Mike