Giants vs. Jets: Snoopy Bowl VII

From the desks of:

DO IT FOR THE DUKE  and  WALT MICHAELS' REVENGE

FORTY-EIGHTH YEAR OF GIANTS/JETS PRE-SEASON FOOTBALL

THE TURF WARS

1969-2009

Jets lead the all-time pre-season series 25-21-1 over the Giants

SNOOPY BOWL

I -  NYG 31; NYJ 16       II - NYJ 17; NYG 3

III - NYG 26; NYJ 3        IV - NYJ 24; NYG 21

V - NYG 35; NYJ 24       VI - NYJ 28; NYG 18

VII

New York Giants

vs.

New York Jets

FROM

MetLife Stadium

If you derive satisfaction from gaining local bragging rights through this game, by all means have your fun.  I do not begrudge anyone for that.

I, however, view Saturday's game as nothing more than a scrimmage.  But if there ever was a meaningful pre-season game with actual implications, this would indeed be the one.  That said, my anticipation is sufficiently high.  For sake of team spirit then, lets go Giants!

Scrimmage Three is fairly straight forward - nothing fancy, just beat the man in front of you.  That makes this game a convenient way of gauging speed, instincts, and physicality, minus all the in-season brain work.  Therefore I'm not necessarily interested in winning Snoopy Bowl VII, but I will be keeping a very watchful and critical eye on certain aspects of Big Blue's game.

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: Lack of Offensive Balance Plagued the 2015 Giants.

The Giants last year demonstrated they can score points.  

This year should be no different, or will it?   

In 2015, their 420 total points ranked sixth in the NFL, for an average of 26.4 points per game.  In fact, Eli Manning and his receiving corp tied Tom Brady and his minions for the league's most touchdown receptions.

Rushing the ball, however, was a completely different matter.  The Giants rushed for a mere five touchdowns last season - easily last among the NFL's top ten scoring teams.  League wide, only San Diego rushed for less.  

That's called a one dimensional offense, and it needs to be corrected.

The offensive line's failure to create sufficient daylight certainly played a part in last year's overall rushing futility.  They're improving and slowly creating stability, but still have a ways to go, especially on the right side.  So I'll be paying particular attention to them come Saturday evening.

The running game's true phantom menace, however, were the coaches themselves, who ponderously employed a three, and sometimes four man backfield rotation.  Limiting their touches, hindering their ability to establish rhythm, and leaving them completely out of sync is not something they should repeat.

The Giants suffered lack of ball possession, plain and simple.  Sure the Giants can score, but they can not manage the game clock, much less dominate it, without an effective running game.  Last year was a perfect example.  The Giants failed to hold numerous 4th quarter leads because their lack of rushing prevented them from possessing the ball and killing the clock.

Dollar and a Prayer: Will Money Save Jerry Reese's Job?

Defensively speaking, Coach Spagnuolo and the players under him will ultimately determine whether Jerry Reese will still be serving in his present capacity this time next year.  The grace period earned for his part in securing the organization more Lombardy trophies is essentially over.  

Reese spent quite a Big Blue fortune this off-season revamping a woeful defense, and if this last ditch effort fails, I expect him to be relieved of his duties.

Here's what I'd like to know...

In each of the Giants four Super Bowl victories, they featured powerful running games.  Joe Morris, Otis Anderson, Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw all rushed behind superior offensive linemen.

Be it the old Washington Redskins or Denver Broncos, numerous clashes against the San Francisco 49ers, the Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers or New England Patriots, et al, the Giants wore their various opponents down to their preferred speed, managed the clock with defense and the running game, and generally put a stop to high powered spread formations, and west coast style offenses.

So ... if smash mouth football has been proven to work in any era, why then are the New York Football Giants so intent on becoming a west coast style offense - the very kind we used to defeat?

Just saying....

What tight end?

NEW YORK JETS: All Eyes On Ryan Fitzpatrick

Now that Ryan Fitzpatrick is back in the fold, the big question is can he duplicate last season's performance, in which he threw for career highs with 3,905 passing yards and 35 touchdowns.  

For the Jets sake, Fitz better ... because the situation surrounding Geno Smith is now bordering comical.  

Up front, the Jets offensive line will be as good as their center.  That's Nick Mangold's spot.  Nuf ced. With the expectation they'll will keep Ryan upright, Fitzpatrick will have plenty of weapons at his disposal.  Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker, Matt Forte, Bilal Powell, Kellen Davis, all should provide for a balanced attack.

Tourism Up on Revis Island

On the other side of the ball, Gang Green is still in search of a legitimate pass rush.  It's a situation that's hurt them before, and is bound to haunt them again.  And of course, Derrelle Revis still has as much to do with the Jets pass rush as anybody.  Their scheme will still be contingent on deception, and coverage.  Revis Island, however, is not the isolated paradise it once was.

Snoopy Bowl 2015: Gang Green Leaves Giants Feeling Blue

From the desks of:  

DO IT FOR THE DUKE  and  WALT MICHAELS' REVENGE

* * 2015 * *

SNOOPY BOWL

FINAL

N.Y. Jets        28

N.Y. Giants    18

Let's face it, the only thing worth talking about is the first half.  The rest was a matter of deciding whom gets cut when rosters get paired down to 75 on September 1st.

On the Giants side of the ball, much of today's talk centers around how the offense took important steps forward.  If one very effective scoring drive does a pre-season game make, then I guess Big Blue indeed did well.

After a listless 1st quarter, the Giants put forth a far more comforting effort in the 2nd.

Starting at their own 20-yard line, the Giants mounted a 14-play, 85-yard scoring drive that consumed 8:09 of the clock.  Including penalties, the Giants rushed 9 times during the drive, while Eli put 8 balls in the air.

...and If I may, I found the acute running effort very pleasing.

But, despite being a spectator at last night's game I must have missed all the other positive offensive steps forward being spoken of today.

In the all important 1st quarter, the Jets made 7 first downs against the Giants one.

The Giants were unable to capitalize on a rash of early Jets penalties.  They displayed an overall inability to sustain the run, leading to many impotent three-and-outs.  Rashad Jennings had 9 rushes for 28-yards, or, 3.1 yards per carry, and a touchdown.  Akeem Hunt performed better against the B-squads, rushing 5 times for 25-yards, with a long of 15-yards.  They combined on 14 rushes for 53-yards, averaging 3.8 yards per carry.

Meanwhile, Eli chipped away throwing 10/11 passes for 71 rather inconsequential yards just prior to surrendering a pick-six.  He ended up 12/16 for 91 yards, or, 5.7 yard per pass.  Overall, Eli and Coach McAdoo showed little interest in throwing down field.

At times the pocket just proved too dangerous for making reads.... as if.  The offensive line allowed a pair of sacks and a whole bunch of touches.  Add that to a poor night of run blocking, and that spells trouble ahead.

On a more positive note, I watched Odell Beckham Jr. having a wonderful time on Revis Island.  He was targeted 6 times and completed 5 receptions, highlighted by another one of those remarkable one-handed catches, albeit with one foot out of bounds.

Subtract Eli's pick-six, and the defense still allowed 21 points depending on your personal accounting methods.  

To be fair, Ryan Fitzpatrick should have connected on that 1st quarter post to Eric Decker for a touchdown.  The Giants secondary presently has more problems than a math book.  And besides, all teams usually score on that play - it's just a matter of shading the safety and timing.

Good job by Fitzpatrick...

However, a high school team would have handled the Jets screen pass to Zac Stacy that went for a 24-yard touchdown.

Why did that play work so well?  

Answer: The play itself was well set-up.  Once the Giants began over-pursuing the run, calling a screen pass was a lay-up.  So obvious in fact, it bordered sickening if not for being a pre-season contest.  The Jets had spent the majority of their previous plays pounding the ball on the ground.   Overall, Zac Stacy and Chris Ivory combined on 19 rushes for 98 yards.  And just so you know, Tommy Bohanon put the Jets well over 100-yards for the game.

If you're a Jets fan, take everything I said as Giants fan, convert it, and be happy.

You can't help but be satisfied with Ryan Fitzpatrick's efficient performance.  He completed 9/14 passes for 127 yards (9.1 ypp) and threw a pair of touchdowns.  And as noted, the ground game had its way against the Giants defense, rushing behind a good offensive line led by Nick Mangold.

Why couldn't they do that for me? - something Rex Ryan might say...

If you're a Giants fan, stop scratching your head.  You're just gonna make it bleed.

ICYMI:

N.Y. Giants: A Big Blue Crucible Built For Two 

N.Y. Jets: Sucker Punch Was A Slap Of Reality