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

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

When GIANTS ruled the world...!

New York Football Giants: Gone are Scapegoat One and Scapegoat Two. Will the axe fall next on Who One or Who Two?

It should read like Dr. Seuss...!  Because somewhere between the Cat in the Hat and the Isle of Dr. Moreau lies my opening statement with regards to the upcoming season.

I watched pre-season game #1; three words ~ What a Mess!

Otherwise I have nothing constructive to offer regarding the game.  

In fact, the Football Giants should count their blessings,

 the Baseball Mets are presently doing well and have me distracted.

But I Got Your Pre-Season Right Here!

General manager Jerry Reese's window for winning a third Vince Lombardi trophy with Eli Manning is closing fast.  That would also suggest the window remains open.

Right?

In truth, all Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin can do is look at each other dismayed over what Jerry Reese has done to the House of Mara.

• Remember how proud Wellington was when his much maligned Giants won the 2000 NFC Championship Game on a field of green painted mud?  There's always that chance, which is exactly why I exhort the Giants to always DO IT FOR THE DUKE!

Unfortunately, the Giants have Big Blue issues my friends.  So, be afraid.  Be very afraid.

THIRD and LONG: If at first, second, or third you do not succeed, try, try and try again, and again, and again...

I'm being kind when declaring the New York Giants are at a crossroad.  According to Albert Einstein's definition, Big Blue is a team bordering on insanity for repeatedly facing the same fork in the road over the last 3 seasons, and veering toward the wayward path each time.

Subsequent to 2011, a series of unremarkable drafts and pedestrian free agent signings failed to effectively replace prominent retiring players.  In fact, center Shaun O'Hara still serves as a prime example of the inability to back fill positions with any type of quality, much less any continuity.

Moreover, Jerry Reese's reliance on free agency consequently reached its zenith over the last two seasons.  In my book, that's called straying from your core values.  But in terms of modern football economics, the salary cap ramifications have proven prohibitive.

That said, injuries continue sabotaging Reese's best laid plans as well.  He has spent several drafts exhausting numerous picks attempting to remedy the secondary, yet, at this very moment injuries continue ruling, if not ruining the day (see Bengals game).

Ironically, Tom Coughlin vehemently denounced injuries upon assuming head coaching duties back in 2004.  But mounting casualties at key positions already stand poised to compromise a fourth straight season, while also threatening to end Coughlin's Big Blue career on a sour note.

Make no mistake, Tom Coughlin is indeed winding down his career as head coach of the Giants.  He is 68-years old now, and his recent record will not allow a continuance unless something special happens at Giants Stadium this season.

To that I say, good luck.

As Bill Parcells used to say - You are what your record says you are.  Translated, that means the Giants are in regression.  They posted their second straight losing record last year, and failed to make the playoffs in each of Coughlin's last 3 seasons.

Moreover, the Giants have posted a 22-26 record since their last trip down Broadway's Canyon of Heroes after winning Super Bowl XLVI.

No one needs reminding, Tom Coughlin is an offensive minded coach.  But it was his friend, and former O.C. Kevin Gilbride that got scapegoated for the Giants 7-9 record and overall disappointing 2013 season.  Outwardly, we know the situation was made to appear as if Gilbride initiated his own retirement.  Our (my) better sense, however, says he paid the price in lieu of firing Coughlin.

And so the Giants moved forward last year with new Offensive Coordinator Ben McAdoo.

There is considerably less debate with regards to scapegoat number two.  Former defensive coordinator Perry Fewell earned his dismissal with honors.  Injuries took a heavy toll on Fewell's unit as well, but his philosophy and (secondary) schemes were overly confusing and wholly ineffective. Most disheartening and unbearable to watch was their absolute failure to stop the run.  That was an insult to the great history of this organization.  Perry Fewell's dismissal came years later than I had hoped, but it finally came nonetheless.

Perry Fewell is now out, and Steve Spagnuolo is back in.

The next bell, therefore, will toll for Tom Coughlin.  The Giants are not an organization that deals in lame duck coaching.  They treated Coughlin with dignity, extending him through the 2016 season.   They also provided him two new lieutenants with which to march forward.  Whether Tom Coughlin realizes the final year of his contract, however, will be decided this season.

That circles things back to Jerry Reese.

PUNT: If I'm thinking it, John Mara already knows it..!

If there's anyone within the Giants organization keenly adept at recognizing trends, whom understands the business and cyclical nature of football, that instinctively senses when proactive measures are in order, and likewise knows when to pounce, it would be the general manager's boss.

John Mara possesses what Jerry Reese does not - the ultimate bird's eye view, family DNA, a pigskin resume that dates back to the club's days at the Polo Grounds, and most importantly, the final say in all things Giants.

Jerry Reese has yet to hire a head coach during his tenure as general manager.  Tom Coughlin was Ernie Accorsi's doing.  In fact, much of what Ernie Accorsi left behind was what Reese smartly supplemented, and ultimately parlayed into a pair of Super Bowl victories... back then.

But outside of Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning, Ernie Accorsi's New York Giants narrative is complete.  The Giants 22-26 record since 2012 largely falls on the shoulders of Jerry Reese.

Not only did Ernie Accorsi assemble one of the most formidable offensive lines in Giants history, they became an NFL record setting line at that.  The Giants became and remained one of the most feared rushing teams in football in the years prior to Eli's acquisition, through his rookie and early years, and right up until the winter of 2011/2012.

Under Jerry Reese, the focused then shifted towards providing a mature Eli Manning with more down field weapons.  Many receivers have come and gone, but Reese has largely remained successful in that respect.  However, he was slow to address the offensive line, which is now the team's most worrisome liability.  In turn, the Giants running game likewise became and remains among the worst in all the NFL.

Defensively, Jerry Reese continually ignored the position of linebacker by his own design.  He no longer boasts an elite pass rusher up front, while his efforts to upgrade the secondary have been constantly stymied by injury.

Put another way, when a punter (Steve Weatherford) becomes your team's MVP by default, that team is in big trouble.  If Wellington Mara were still around, he'd agree.  But I'm positive John Mara remembers well how Dave Jennings became a Big Blue MVP punting for his Pop's ponderously bad teams of the late 1970's and early 1980's.

Presently, Jerry Reese's primary focus is rebuilding the Giants into a Super Bowl contender one last time during Eli Manning's post-prime seasons.  Eli is now 34-years old; not old by any stretch.  In terms of rebuilding this football team, however, time is of the essence.

John Mara has never been one to act hastily.  Jerry Reese is still very well respected, but I'm starting to question whether John Mara will let Jerry Reese continue his mission beyond the 2015 season.

As a Giants fan, no running game, no linebackers, poor defense - that freaks me out.

I digress.

Free from the influence of Ernie Accorsi, Jerry Reese's record is what it is.  The Giants would have to post a 10-6 record this season in order to achieve .500 since winning XLVI.

Signed,

a staunch Reese supporter...

N.Y. Giants: Big Blue A No-Show In Philadelphia

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

3-3

SUNDAY FINAL

Giants         0

EAGLES  27

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL: Jon Beason makes inconsequential return; Victor Cruz likely out for season.

It was hard to piss off The Duke.  But, this game surely would have.  This game would have pissed off John's grandfather too.  It was the Eagles.

Sunday's loss puts the Giants 2 games behind both Philadelphia and Dallas (whom defeated the Seahawks in Seattle).  But we all know that's only scratching the surface.

This was a demoralizing straight up beat down.

The offensive line, starting their 6th straight game together, and seemingly improving, failed to get the running game going, and allowed an amateurish 8 sacks (6 Manning; 2 Nassib).  Justin Pugh was the culprit in 3 of those.

Steve Weatherford almost doubled the Giants offensive output with his foot.

And of course, there's the obvious bad news: It looks as if Victor Cruz is out for the remainder of the season.

The return of Jon Beason didn't help at all.  Defensively, they allowed 200+ yards on the ground (149 of that to LeSean McCoy), and another 248 yards through the air via 7 different receivers.

Demontre Moore recorded the only sack on Nick Foles, and was the only Giant to touch him all game.

Special teams have been absolutely atrocious since Week One.

This isn't my line - I heard it on TV, but it's true.  The Eagles looked faster than the Giants in every aspect of the game.

On Monday, it is clear they are not as good as 3 consecutive victories led us to believe.

Unless they rebound in Week 7 against the Cowboys, the Giants will sped their bye week listening to everyone list everything wrong with them.

The lists are long, but they'll get the benefit of one more week to figure this out.

I'll only say that the more Jerry Reese has relied on free agency, the worse this team has gotten.




Mike

N.Y. Giants: Mauled In Carolina By Panthers; 38-0

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS: A Bad Situation Just Got Worse.  In Just Three Short Weeks, Big Blue May Have Hit Bottom.

It's 1996 folks - you are there.  That was the last time the Giants started a season with an 0-3 record.  What we Giants fans witnessed Sunday was an embarrassment - a culmination of only three weeks of football, in which the Giants have gotten progressively, if not horrifically worse with each passing week, and each loss becoming more disastrous that the last.

On this Sunday, to say the Giants were overwhelmed is to be kind.  To say they got their asses kicked is still way too inadequate.  Instead, the Giants underwent a complete dismantling in Carolina, getting shut out 38-0 by the now 1-2 Panthers.  The Giants were broken - as in rendered inoperative; busted. All Jerry Reese's horses and all Jerry Reese's men have to figure out a way now, how to put the New York Football Giants back together again.

The Giants were limited to 150 total yards on offense, and just three total yards in the first quarter.  Carolina was playing minus one starting cornerback and starting safety, yet, Eli threw twenty-seven times for only ninety yards, and also rushed for fourteen more.  The backfield only yielded forty-six total yards.  The offense also turned the ball over three more times, for a grand total of thirteen in three weeks.  Eli threw his eighth (NYG 9th) interception of the season, while the Giants fumbled for the fourth time.  Eli Manning was sacked seven times (!) and hit another ten times.  Five sacks came from Carolina's defensive linemen.  It goes without saying then, the offensive line play this afternoon was absolutely deplorable.  They even took points off the board, when Will Beatty negated a touchdown with a holding penalty in the second quarter.  I'll have much, much more on the offensive line collapse later, trust me!

Defensively, the GMen allowed 402 yards of total offense, most notably 194 yards on the ground. Cam Newton only rushed for forty-five of those yards, which means someone else had a big day.  That person would be DeAngelo Williams, who ran for 120 yards, and averaged 5.2 yards per carry.  Take away his long run of twenty-seven yards, Williams still rushed for ninety-three yards on twenty-two carries.  Cam Newton threw three TD passes, but was really able to ride on the back of the running game.  In twenty-seven attempts, he threw for 223 yards.  Mathias Kiwanuka managed the only Giants sack, as well as the only other official hit registered of Cam Newton as well.

Even kicker Josh Brown missed his only field goal attempt.  The only redeeming quality about this entire game was the punting of Steve Weatheford.

Coach is gonna be pissed!  Rest assured, a very unpleasant week of practice looms ahead.  But at this point, will it make a difference?  In the mean time, start relying on continued Washington failures, Tony Romo's inevitable implosion, and hope the Eagles don't get away.




Mike.BTB

New York Jets: Please Clean Up After Your Dog

From the desk of:   A BLUE BLOODED GIANTS FAN

SNOOPY BOWL PREVIEW ~ Giants vs. Jets

NEW YORK JETS:  Oh No He Didn't?!

The Sanchise Calls Out His O-Line.

The Only Thing I Can Think Of, That Is Big, Green,

And Entertaining, Is GUMBY Damn It!

Did Marc Sanchez call out his Offensive Line on TV during the second half of Saturday's game against the Giants?  Upon further review, I think he did.

"....they gotta stop a four man rush.  It's that simple." - or something to that effect, is how he phrased it.

Those are biting words my friend, and an easy way to lose friends.  As a matter of fact, almost everything he said into the microphone Saturday night was directed at the Offensive Line.  The Giants sacked Jets quarterbacks seven times in last night's exhibition.  They got to Sanchez three times, and got hold of Tim Tebow another four times.

At least Sanchez got caught by the Giants' starters.  In the first half, he was greeted in the backfield by Jason Pierre Paul, Osi, and Justin Tuck, which is quite understandable.  But in the second half, the Offensive Line allowed the Giants to corral Tim Tebow another four times by guys named Adewale Ojomo, who had two sacks, William Hill, And Matt Broha.  To get run over by that line-up guarantees a week chock-full-o criticisms.  And the only way the criticisms will stop, is if the Jets take the field next week, and actually show they can play this game.

Poor guy.  Marc Sanchez is trying really, really hard to exert himself now that Tim Tebow is here, isn't he?  His words might carry some more weight if he hadn't thrown that pick-six though.  The Jets QB may have single-handed won a place on the Giants' roster for rookie, #38-Jayron Hosely, with that play.  Jayron Hosely took Sanchez, to-the-house.  He returned a Marc Sanchez INT seventy-seven yards for a touchdown in front of Gang Green's crowd.

Marc Sanchez had six offensive opportunities to matriculate the ball up the field.  Six times, the Jets failed to score points.  And on their way to halftime, Steve Weatherford reminded his old team just how huge of a mistake they committed by not signing the now Giants Punter.  In this Giants fan's eyes, Steve Weatherford was Big Blue's runner-up MVP of last season.  In the first half of Saturday's game, the Jets watched their punter, T.J. Conley, shank punt after punt after punt.

In the second half, at least Tim Tebow moved the Jets close enough to score a field goal.  And on the passes he did connect on, he looked a little crisper than Sanchez as well; just a little.  There was the obligatory interception, of course.  But at face value, there were a lot a cheers for Tebow when he took the field for the first time.  Like Sanchez, even Tebow had a word or two for his Linemen.  On one occasion after getting sacked, he popped up and got pretty animated, and seemed to be directing his ire towards his front guys.  The QB controversy only gets worse from here.

I put much of the blame for this mess on Mike Tannenbaum.  And if I'm ranking the one's most responsible, indeed Tannenbaum is number one.  But then comes his boss, Woody Johnson.  After the owner I start blaming players.  And at the bottom of my blame list, would be Head Coach Rex Ryan.

Since reaching back to back AFC Championship games, the Jets have done more to devolve back into the green primordial ooze of futility than assembling a squadron of qualified Jets.

Right now, I can only think of one thing that is Big, Green, and entertaining.  And that would be Gumby damn it!  I'm not a Jets fan, but even I was annoyed at Gang Green's play Saturday.  That goes for all of them.  The Jets have a potential disaster on their hands.  So buckle up, make sure your trays are in their upright positions.  When the oxygen masks drop on Opening Day, kiss your season good-bye and brace for impact.

And by the way, the Giants are upset the Jets didn't clean up after themselves after pooping in their house.

Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Coach Coughlin And Osi Have New Pacts

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:

What's New With Blue?

A Big Blue Peek at the Super Bowl Champions.

Shortly after not making the playoffs in 2010, Giants' owner John Mara said very matter of factly, "The Giants aren't in the habit of firing 10-6 coaches."  Tom Coughlin then rewarded the owner's  confidence and support for him, by winning his, and John Mara's second Lombardi Trophy under their watch together.  The two-time Super Bowl winning Head Coach of the New York Giants Football Club was recently offered, and has just signed a two year contract extension, that will keep him on Big Blue's sidelines through the 2014 season.

In other money matters, the formerly fiscally frustrated Osi Umenyiora, one of the Giants' premier  defensive ends, has also signed an upgraded one year contract.  Osi took the step of separating his agent from the negotiations for the sake of getting a deal done with Jerry Reese on amicable terms, which was something that wasn't happening prior to Osi interceding on his own behalf.  And if indeed that was reported correctly, then that was one hell of a move by Osi Umenyiora.


The Force! - Steve Weatherford was also resigned to a five year deal.  I wonder how the Jets feel about that?  Domenick Hixon and Terrell Thomas have been resigned as well.


But since lifting our most recent Lombardi Trophy, the Giants have bid farewell to even more Super Bowl heroes.  This season's most notable departures are Mario Manningham, Aaron Ross, and Brandon Jacobs.  Also gone is O-Lineman Dave Tollefson.




As defending Super Bowl Champions, the Giants picked last in each round during this year's
NFL Draft.  Jerry Reese and the Giants ultimately decided on this:
#1  RB ~ David Wilson
#2  WR ~ Rueben Randle
#3  CB ~ Jayron Hosley
#4  TE ~ Adrien Robinson
(#4 Comp) ~ OT/G - Brandon Mosley
#6  OT ~ Matt McCants
#7  DT ~ Markus Kuhn

All seven players are signed and under contract.


One of GM Jerry Reese's bigger transactions came prior to the draft, as he traded a #5 pick to the Bengals for LB-Kieth Rivers.  Many also believe Jerry Reese heisted TE-Martellus Bennett from the Cowboys.  But on closer inspection, Martellus Bennett looks like he heisted a 7-Eleven.  That man has a lot of pounds to shed.  Sean Locklear was also signed as a free agent to provide depth and, at 31 years old, a little experience on the Offensive Line.  Cornerback, Auntwan Molden, was signed away from New England.



2012 NEW YORK GIANTS SCHEDULE:

Sept. 5     DALLAS
Sept. 16   TAMPA BAY
Sept. 20   @ Carolina
Sept. 30   @ Philadelphia

Oct. 7     CLEVELAND
Oct. 14   @ San Francisco
Oct. 21   WASHINGTON
Oct. 28   @ Dallas

Nov. 4     PITTSBURGH
Nov. 11   @ Cincinnati
Nov. 18   *BYE-WEEK*
Nov. 25   GREEN BAY

Dec. 3     @ Washington
Dec. 9     NEW ORLEANS
Dec. 16   @ Atlanta
Dec. 23   @ Baltimore
Dec. 30   PHILADELPHIA




Mike.BTB

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 ~ Back To The Land of Giants

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

John Mara Leads Team Back To

THE LAND of GIANTS

Pre-Game Post: A Transcendental Championship Game

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:  "Did Ya See Us Last Night Pop?  I Told You I Got This.  And You Would Have Been Proud of Mom Too."




It wasn't freezing this time like on that night in Green Bay four years ago; just extremely wet.  The game wasn't played in the legendary frozen tundra of Lambeau Field either.  Although the Media chill Tom Coughlin suffered this season would have broken a lesser man.  But he, and we, have been there and done that.  Instead, Sunday night's setting was a blast from Big Blue's past.  The New York Giants went back to a place where they made history once before by willing their way through one of the most tightly contested upsets in NFC Championship Game history.



This Sunday's game was another classic played in one of today's grandfathers of football stadiums against the 49ers.  The contest evolved similarly to the game played twenty-one years ago replete with stout defense, fumbles, and field goals.  In 1991, Lawrence Taylor recovered a Roger Craig fumble.  Matt Bahr then nailed a 42 yard field goal sending the Giants to Super Bowl XXV.  Twenty-one years later, the Giants returned to a rain-soaked Candlestick Park this time; recovered a fumble; and kicked an NFC Championship winning field goal....again.  Only this time it was a new generation of Giants that broke the hearts of San Francisco and propelled them into another Super Bowl.  Unlike that team of twenty-one years ago, this edition needed overtime to finalize victory, which just made it sweeter; and colorfully more historic.  But for more than a dozen or so Giant players and the Head Coach, STILL HERE since the 2007 season, they are now trying to get Lombardi Trophy number two; just like that NFC Championship team of 1990-91 was.



In the unlikeliest of manners, the Giants beat the 49ers with Special Teams.  San Francisco was supposed to be a superior team than us in that respect.  One the one hand, they were that good.  On the other, Giants' Special Teams have always had their problems.  And for portions of the game, it seemed as if the Niners held a huge advantage in that respect.  But in classic confrontations such as this one where mistakes were held to a minimum, the team who made the last mistake lost.



*Thank You - Steve Weatherford whom I've jokingly but routinely dubbed our pseudo-MVP this season, for continuing to have a great season punting the ball.  When it comes to matters of field position, he's been more than just a punter.  He's been a force.  Once upon a playoff era, Bill Parcells would have been proud of his kicker on a night like this.  This Sunday, Ol' Tom Coughlin was the beneficiary of his fine performance.  And glory be to Weatherford for getting that last snap down!

*Thank You - Devin Thomas for his effort to get down field after getting pushed out of bounds by two 49ers blockers, and for having the presence of mind to recover a live ball touched by the Niners.

*Thank You - Jacquian Williams, the rookie, similarly for his down field punt coverage, and for sticking his hand exactly where it needed to be when the Giants needed a big break most.

*Thank You - Lawrence Tynes for planting one sure foot into the soggy Candlestick turf and using the other foot to keep kicking Big Blue forward.



That 49ers' defense was as tough as advertised.  They completely dominated the Giants' Offensive Line all night long - (more about that later today!)  They totally took away the run right up until the very last few rushes by Ahmad Bradshaw which set up Tynes' field goal.  How good was the Niner Defense?  The Giants held the ball more than ten minutes longer than the 49ers and ran thirty-three more plays than San Francisco.  Yet we only out-gained them in total offense by twenty-four yards.



They beat, battered, pummelled, and pounded Eli Manning.  Sometimes Eli saw the rush coming.  Sometimes he didn't.  It didn't matter because he knew the rush was coming regardless, and that it was going to hit him; and that it was going to happen throughout the game.  Eli took hits; many hits; hard hits; and looked downright dishevelled at times.  He got sacked six times.  But he never fumbled.  Eli never even blinked with the Niners and the rain continually in his face.  He just kept staying tough and launching footballs into the heart of San Francisco.  Fifty-eight times Eli tried defying mother nature and the Niners.  Thirty-two passes found safety in the wet hands of his receivers.  By the end of the night, Eli Manning had thrown for 316 rain-drenched yards.  The Niners could have had interceptions, but missed their chances.  Instead, what they got were two more touchdown passes from The Aw-Shucks Kid.  In yet another great Championship Game, Eli stood out as the game's greatest player.



But none of this happens without another Herculean effort by the Defense.  The stats say San Francisco did so much more with their possessions than the Giants did with theirs.  With less time of possession and less plays from scrimmage, the Niners wracked-up almost as many yards as Big Blue.  The Giants may have given up over one-hundred yards rushing between Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter, and still more through catches out of the back field.  But they were controlled yards.  Instead, the Giants stymied San Francisco by dominating third down.  The Niners were held to one first down in thirteen tries.  And other than two TD passes to Vernon Davis, Alex Smith, the 49er offense, and Vernon Davis himself, could muster little else.



Chase Blackburn played huge.  JPP was a Wall of One.  And pass coverage was outstanding; save two plays.  Over the last few weeks, the Secondary has become a blanket.  In turn, the Secondary's success is coming from the Giants ability to maintain quarterback pressure with four guys.  Led by Justin Tuck, they flushed Alex Smith from the pocket, batted some passes, hit him often, and sacked him three times.  Together with overall good tackling, the Defensive effort was just enough to get the Giants through regulation, overtime, and off to Indianapolis to play in another Super Bowl.



The night ended perfectly as Terry Bradshaw was forced to look at winning coach Tom Coughlin in the eye yet again.  That was always Bill Parcell's favorite part; proving the naysayers- "The Commies" - "the subversives from within" ..., wrong.  But even before that, the re-education of Terry Bradshaw had begun.  The Family would have their say first.  Watching John Mara; the man who believed in Tom Coughlin; and his Mom; - Mrs. Duke - Mrs. Ann Mara - THE MATRIARCH - just destroy Terry Bradshaw and telling him Where to Stick It was the most satisfying part of the whole night.  Don't Worry Pop.  I Got This!



Now That's GIANTS FOOTBALL!!



YEeeeeeeeaAHH!







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 ~ Game Twelve PACKED With Tension

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:

PACK 'Em Up, or PACK It In.


Last Post; Defense - Life After the Monday Night Fiasco

Was last week's debacle against the Saints a Giant aberration?   No!   They deserved that shellacking. They've been steadily leading up to that game and received their due consequence.   But can they clamp down and play with, and even beat the Packers?   Sure.   For just as they deserved to lose Monday night, they can, and have, changed things up and rebounded to play very formidable games before.   There is still enough talent on the field despite a slate of ruinous injuries.   But logistically, things have gone awry.



Losing to the Packers is still not the end of the world for Big Blue.   It just means they're playing themselves into a situation where all they'll have left is hope to make the Wild Card.   So in essence, they can either PACK-up Green Bay and remain a strong viable division contender and make those two upcoming games against the Dallas Cowboys matter, or they can PACK it in, and start letting other teams dictate Big Blue's future.   Yes, a Giant task lays ahead of them Sunday afternoon.   But hey; that's football.   If you want to be the man, you have to beat the man.



So what's there to say?  What applied last week still applies this week.  And if anything, the undefeated Green Bay Packers have scored more, and have given up fewer points that the Saints.  Maybe a little bit of pride after two blows to their egos and playing on their home field can help spur the Giants Sunday afternoon to victory.  Maybe.  But you know you're in trouble when you need to delve into the abstract with things like hope and pride because the tangible results on the field haven't been cutting it.



I can't believe I'm saying this, but we need another solid game from Steve Weatherford punting the football.  We aren't going to march up and down the field on Green Bay, so the battle for field position is Key One.



Then we need to make third down stops on Defense and limit Green Bay's yards after catch.  That's Key Two.  What happened defensively against the Saints last week can not be repeated; Period.  There is no tip-toeing around the issue.  Without key two, the rest is pointless.  I dealt with some our defensive issues in my last posting.  Additionally, if Perry Fewell hasn't come up with a solution to the hurry-up offense increasingly being used against us, then he'll have a major grilling coming his way by the end of the night.  But the Defense indeed needs to perform considerably better than they have over the last two weeks and get drastically better than they were Monday.



Key Three obviously is the running game.  Ahmad Bradshaw will be suiting up but is he ready to play?  I don't know.  How do you recover from broken feet and rush the football after a month?  I'll say this much though; Ahmad Bradshaw is tough and has done it before.  But in truth, all we need is one big rush early in the game to give the Packers something to think about.  Then an occasional outburst from either Bradshaw and/or Jacobs along the way will keep Green Bay honest.  Obviously, the ground game needs to open up the play-action for Eli.  But it's critical all the same, that we get some first downs on the ground as well.  Because Key Four of this game, is doing just enough on offense to keep Aaron Rogers off the field.  If we minimize the times he has a ball in his hands, Eli just might get enough of an opportunity to get into shoot-out with Rogers, and actually come out on top.



It's plain and simple; the Giants are where they are because of Eli.  But in order to move forward, they need the rest of the team to catch up to his level of play.  Because even in their victories, the Offensive Line; the Running Game; Linebacking; and the Secondary; have all consistently under-performed this season.  Because of, or in spite of those factors, the Giants have struggled to win.



The Packers are giving up 21 points on average.  The Giants are scoring 24 points per game on average and sadly, have given up more points than they've scored this season as a result of Monday night's loss.  Otherwise, they were pretty much at par which isn't great either.  So you do the math.  Eli and the Offense will have to be a little better that their average Sunday.  Maybe Ahmad Bradshaw can help that along.



I said it before, and here I go again because this bares repeating; Gilbride must get the ball into the hands of Jacobs' and Bradshaw's more than by just rushing the ball.   They need to catch passes off screens and swings.   And if we are to sustain time consuming drives, it's crucial they create positive yardage if Eli's check-downs make it their way.   If the Offensive Line isn't surging forward or creating the holes to run through, then it's incumbent upon Coach Gilbride to figure out the next best way to get the desired production out of the backfield.



I can't help but remember Brandon Jacobs chipping the paint off a would-be Green Bay tackler's helmet when they met in a head-on collision during the frozen 2007 NFC Championship Game.  Those were the days when the O-Line were still surging forward and Jacobs rushed at linebackers and safeties with shoulder pads down and power in his thighs.  Maybe there's something similar to that left in the ol' guy before A) - this season is over, and B) - he and the organization part ways.



When you can run with power, you don't have to sweat all the other stuff as much.  - *sigh*



The bottom line here is the Giants must have more than just Eli dropping back and looking for Cruz and Nicks.  Jake Ballard must also rejoin the productive zone and figure heavily in this game.  And he needs to hold on to the ball this time; as do several other receivers.  With a few more catches and surer hands, the last two weeks could have been thought about a little differently than we view them today.



A win today would change a lot more than that.




Let's Go Giants! 





Mike.BTB

N.Y. Giants ~ Haunting Loss; No Exorcism for You

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE





NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:  Eagles Leave GIANT Droppings All Over Big Blue's Season....Again!




Do you know why I generally wait till Tuesday to do my Giants' post-games?  -  Well..., I work for a living..., But I wait so as to come down from the emotions of the game, and so I don't say something mindless like...they suck!  I like to get some separation and digest the game first.  The problem is right now I still want to run away somewhere and throw up.



In a game long on matters to discuss, what do you say we start with my pre-game post; EAGLES II - Fight or Flight.  Right off the bat I posed this following question; - The Knock-Out Punch; Do The Giants Have it in Them?  Today of course, the answer is , No.  They failed to deliver the big blow that would have effectively ended the Eagles' season.  More importantly, the Giants failed to protect their one game division lead over the Cowboys who took care of their business by defeating the Redskins.  A knockout punch?  The Giants didn't even have a decent jab Sunday.  It was the Giants who fought like a bunch of sloppy drunks and in every sense (...see late hit on Eli), got knocked on their Big Blue posteriors.  The question is now, can they get back up and straighten themselves out?  Unfortunately for us Giants Fans however, that warrants a second question.  Are they good enough?  .....Later.



First, here's what really crumbles my cookies - I said this in my last post:

Since my days watching Lawrence Taylor terrorize Ron Jaworski, the damnedest things happen during Giants/Eagles games.  It didn't matter if it was Randall Cunningham, Donovan McNabb, or these days, Michael Vick on the other side.  Guys like Reggie White and Harold Carmichael, to LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson, have all been part of some of the most incredulous games I've ever suffered through.  Look no further than at last year's disastrous final minutes the last time Philly came to Giants Stadium.  There's two things I know about Giants/Eagles games; they're never fun until the game is over, and then, only if you win.


Somehow, it doesn't matter who's on the field.  These games take on a life of their own. Philly will be without Michael Vick.  The Giants will be missing Michael Boley this week, and Ahmad Bradshaw will sit out again.  And so what... The only way I'll feel better about Sunday night prior to playing is if the Eagle's team bus breaks down on the Jersey Turnpike and they're not present for kick-off.  Otherwise, I'm not listening to that nonsense about the Eagles' 3-6 record and a Philly-Fade.  Talk to me about that on Monday morning.

Well, it wasn't fun, and we certainly didn't win.  And now you can add Vince Young's name to the list of Philadelphia Eagles' hair-pulling performances perpetrated against us.  So much for exorcising the demons of 2010.  The Eagles get to possess our Big Blue souls for another calendar year.  Not to mention, the current dilemma the G-Men find themselves in invites all the haunting memories of 2008 and 2009 as well.



There we were again - with an opportunity to pull out another late game comeback...or at least a tie in this case.  But it's called drawing from the well too many times and asking an awful lot from Eli to do alone.  Unlike the game versus San Francisco, there is no consolation after this last defeat to the Eagles.  For in that game versus San Francisco, the Giants competed. Against the Eagles, they were lethargic at best.  This game was a fail in every sense of the word; bar Steve Weatherford, who continues to have a brilliant season punting the pigskin.  And that in itself screams problems.




The Giants have officially made things hard for themselves.....again.  Adversity arrived Sunday night and threw a big brick through the beautiful new bay windows of Met-Life Stadium with a note attached.  It said, - "The Saints and Packers have combined to score 668 points this season. Unless they change the rule book and allow points based on punts, you better think of something quick!"



For us, The Great Conversation is officially no longer solely about the Giants.  We now must incorporate other teams into any discussion about the Giants' future because they made it so after Sunday's let down.  Now we have to talk about the Cowboys taking on the Dolphins next week, and how Miami just might be turning things around in time enough to give the Giants a helping hand in the division race next Sunday as we take on New Orleans on Monday night.



But the Giants still have this - Two game remaining against the Cowboys.  So their fate is still very much in their hands in spite of these next two tests against the Saints and Packers.



Back to my earlier question - Are the Giants good enough to win tough games down the stretch?  I think so.  But Coaching will determine everything.  What the Giants need are some hard thought out adjustments now.  How well will they adjust in light of what has transpired over the last two weeks moving forward?  We'll see. 



My next post will delve into all that.





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 Bird Droppings

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE





NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:   Bye-Bye Birdie!
Be Gone To Let Us Ponder This Monumental Failure.

Ninety-four yards doth fly the Seahawk the other way'eth.  How badly did the Giants suck'eth Sunday?  Let us count the ways.


The only thing that kept the Giants in this game in the first place was the Seahawks turning over the ball at the worst times; Seattle continually killing themselves with penalties; Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora, and a trio of timely blitzes.  Otherwise, by the time the game ended, the Seahawks made the field at Met-Life Stadium look like the bottom of a bird cage.  Outside of a booming day by punter Steve Weatherford, this game was a complete mess with Giant Bird Droppings everywhere!



THE  GAME:

The Giants troubles began shortly after kicking off to Seattle to start the game.  On their first possession, Seattle went no-huddle and Blue's Defense couldn't slow them down.  Two and a half minutes later, in spite of temporarily knocking Marshawn Lynch out of the game, the Seahawks were up 7-0 after an eighty yard drive.


0-7


Big Blue answered with what I thought was a pretty crafty drive called by Coach Gilbride.  Seven plays, eighty yards, and three and a half minutes later, Eli connected with TE-Jake Ballard on a twelve yard touchdown.


7-7


I thought - Chalk one up for Coach Gilbride for digging his Defensive Coordinator out of a hole.


Seattle stayed no huddle.  But JPP and Osi were figuring out ways to get closer to Tavaris Jackson now.  Then right on time, Osi got a hold of him on a speed rush for a sack inducing punt.  That sack by the way, places Umenyiora fourth all-time on the Giants career list.


The Giants got the ball back and three plays later, Eli fumbled under Seahawk pressure.  Seattle recovered on our eleven yard line. 


But here came Osi again.  After a tipped incompletion, Osi stripped forced a fumble making it N.Y. ball again at the Giants' thirteen yard line.  But in spite of being beneficiaries to a good break, all we could do was punt and give Seattle the ball back at our forty-seven yard line.


Big Blue's afternoon literally went downhill from this moment like a Mount St. Helen landslide.  On Seattle's first play from scrimmage, Marshawn Lynch rumbled down the right side for forty-seven yards down to the NYG one.  He might as well have scored.  One play and a yard later he was in for Seattle's second touchdown of the first quarter.


7-14


Meanwhile, the Giants running game was looking like it was rushing in a tar pit.  And when we punted to give Seattle their first possession of the second quarter, they stayed no huddle and proceeded to drive eighty-five yards on eleven plays.  Amazingly with first down and goal to go, Seattle fumbled again giving Blue the ball at the two.


To this point in the season, Eli had gone ninety-nine pass attempts without being intercepted.  Off Seattle's fumble and on pass-attempt number one-hundred, he lofted a dreadful -  Oooops! I didn't see the Safety -  pass that got intercepted.  That one was all on Eli.  But the Defense prevented any ramifications.  However, what had been true thus far was the Offense being futile after their opening drive. 


Then the Defense gave the Giants their biggest break of the half; an interception and the ball back at the Giants' own forty-seven yard line and 0:51 left on the clock.   Eli converted the turnover when he connected with Hakeem Nicks three times and the game tying touchdown.


14-14  Half-Time


The third quarter was just dumb-founding, highlighted by a Seattle Safety when they tackled D. J. Ware in the end zone.  That came from a blown assignment on the O-Line.  I know who, but I'm not into dissecting yet. 


14-16


Meanwhile, Osi was still doing his best to keep the game close with very timely sacks.  However the no huddle Seattle employed kept the Giants in trouble all game.  If it were not for Seattle consistently killing themselves with penalties and horrible turnovers, the Giants would have been done by now.


To start the fourth quarter and Seattle already at the Giants' twenty-eight yard line, Perry Fewell dialed up a dynamite and timely third down blitz package that held the Seahawks to a field goal.


14-19


They say luck is the residue of design.  Let's hope so.  Because when the Giants got the ball back after the field goal, they weren't just trying to avoid going three and out.  They faced a third down and thirteen from their own thirty-two.  Then with nothing opening up, Eli launched the quintessential Hail Mary pass into double-coverage.  With help of a Big Blue miracle, Victor Cruz found himself in possession of a tipped ball, then ran down the right sideline like he stole something - i.e., a touchdown.  The Giants followed that with a successful two point conversion.


22-19


But Victor Cruz gives.  And Victor Cruz takes as well.  We are learning there is a pattern developing here.  After the Giants held Seattle to a five-and-out, the Giants were facing their own three-and-out.  Cruz fumbled a reception which gave Seattle the ball at our twenty-five yard line.  After two incompletions, Perry Fewell dialed up another well timed blitz on third and ten to hold the Seahawks to a field goal.


22-22


The Giants then went on a Tight-End based, ten play seventy-seven yard drive but were held to a field goal with a little less than five minutes left in the game.


25-22


What happened next was absolutely incredulous.  The Seahawks were still in no huddle as they had been most of the game.  On a second and ten play from the Giants twenty-seven, Osi jumped offside and created a free play for Seattle.  But the Secondary completely blew coverage and lost the slot receiver leaving him WIDE OPEN!!!  ... for a touchdown.


25-29


Wait!  It gets worse.  The Giants started on their twenty with 2:37 left.  Two plays later, something happened to Chris Snee which forced him to leave the game.  On a second and ten, Eli rolled and lofted a pass that Victor Cruz made another great fingertip reception on.  Yet another pass to Cruz put the Giants at the Seattle five yard line.


A flag on the O-Line made it first and goal at the Seahawks' nine yard line.  On the next play, Eli's pass attempt was tipped by Victor Cruz who initially slipped on his route.  The ball was intercepted and returned for a ninety-four yard touchdown.


25-36   1:06 ~ 4th QTR


Another Eli Manning interception, and the Giants day was over.


FINAL.


My next post will cover how embarrassing this was and include all they deserve to have said.  But everything! ...in my LAST POST!  ....applies.





Mike.BTB