N.Y. Giants: Head Coach Joe Judge is Now in Session

From the desk of: DO IT FOR THE DUKE

F-Bombs and First Downs, The Joe Judge Era Begins

The broader the view, the more Big Blue you see ...

Ray Perkins was a disciplinarian.  Hired in 1979, he gets the Giants back into the post-season in 1981 for the first time in eighteen years.

Bill Parcells follows.  He is also a disciplinarian and leads the Giants to Super Bowl victories in 1986 and 1990 and very well should have won another in 1989 were it not for Flipper Anderson.

I digress...

After realizing their mistake in handing over the reins to Ray Handley, George Young one day picks up his phone.  Hello?  Hey George, it me Dan Reeves, how bout giving me a crack at the Giants?  Okay you're hired.  To his credit, Dan Reeves in 1993 squeezes the last bit of goodness out of Lawrence Taylor, Phil Simms, Rodney Hampton and the smash mouth era with one last playoff push and victory over the Vikings.  Dan Reeves wasn't one to take much crap either.  He was a serious guy and remained instrumental over the next two seasons whilst George Young went about restocking talent.  It was Reeves who switched Michael Strahan from right to left defensive end.  Strahan was of course resistant at first, but the rest is football history.

Once the team is rebuilt to a satisfactory level, George Young tells Dan Reeves thank you and hires Jim Fassell who is nowhere near the disciplinarian his predecessors were.  It's actually an odd hire.  However, he benefits from good coordinators.  Fassell connects with his players and together they turn the Giants into a viable contender again.  In 1998, new general manager Ernie Accorsi picks up where retiring executive George Young leaves off.  Fassell marches forward to capture an NFC title and gets the Giants back into the Super Bowl.  But an underwhelming performance against the Baltimore Ravens is the line a demarcation.  For the fun stops there.  The Giants unyielding recklessness, undisciplined play and mounting losses, some ponderous, ultimately costs Fassell his job.

Ernie Accorsi reverts back to disciplinarian with the appointment of Tom Coughlin.  Two Super Bowls later new general manager Jerry Reese, unlike George Young, fails to draft well and rebuild the Giants (offensive line) in a timely manner.  In turn the Giants spend the last decade mired with futility, reactive faulty reasoning, bad cap economics, successive poor coaching hires, scapegoating, Mara's micromanagement and a mountain of losses.  The Giants are 55-77 since winning Super Bowl XLVI and have posted double-digit losses in five of the last six seasons.  That's a lot of stimulus for repeatedly making bad decisions.  The teams constructed by Jerry Reese during the latter years of Eli Manning's career were nothing short of a disservice to his legacy.  Matters compound when Gettlemen is derailed by Mara's insistence to win now while Eli is still under contract.  If sometimes Gettleman seemed in control of the situation and other times he seemed absolutely clueless, this is why.  It's part of being the front man.  Jerry Reese's hiring of Ben McAdoo and Gettleman's hiring of Pat Shurmur were specifically selected with Eli in mind.  Mara's fingerprints have since been uncovered everywhere.  Disciplinarians?  Don't make me laugh.

Years of giving it one more go for the Gipper are finally over.  With Eli Manning out of the picture, this finally becomes Dave Gettleman's team, albeit two years too late.  Take that with a grain of salt.  But he no longer must fret the owner derailing his best laid plans.  In fact, he moves forward with a new head coach and a quarterback and running back in place, and a first round offensive lineman selection that hints at the course Gettleman is setting.  Both sides of the ball are also collectively very young.  I'm not one to declare fresh starts for peace sake, but in Gettleman's case and the Giants present condition it may be warranted.

Hopefully Joe Judge brings law and order to the Giants.  They've clearly reverted back to hiring a disciplinarian.  The question is will players buy in?  Off the top of my head I say yes.  This is a very young team throughout the lineup, all seeking to establish themselves same as their rookie head coach.  There's every reason for them to come together as one.  It's called camaraderie on a rebuilding club.  But if you're a rookie coach looking to bully your way through the bingo parlor, you better know what you're doing.  If we've learned anything about him so far, it's that he's an F-bomber.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Lest we forget how winning trumps all.

Joe Judge was part of three New England Patriots Super Bowls.  But if his resume seems a little shy of experience, that's because it is.  His NFL career consists of eight years, all with the Patriots, as special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach.  That's it, and he's only 38-years old.

Once upon a time Tom Coughlin was a wide receivers coach with the Giants when Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick still ran the room.  Difference is he would go on to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars to back-to-back AFC title games prior to becoming head coach of the Giants.  Once upon a time Bill Belichick also started out as a special teams and wide receivers coach prior to his employment with the Giants.

Apparently Joe Judge has Bill Belichick's blessings.  That was not the case when Eric Mangini left the Patriots Trust to accept the New York Jets head coaching position.  He meets my approval as well.

Judge is going to be tough and structured, or so he thinks.  But I do believe he will be better than Ben McAdoo and Pat Shurmur put together.

So, let's be hopeful.

Improvement speaks louder than f-bombs.

Just saying ...

N.Y. Giants: Big Blue Brass Pull Plug on Eli Manning's Swan Song

From the desk of: DO IT FOR THE DUKE

MANN vs. WORLD

The Continuing Saga of Eli's Swan Song

After Two Games Giants Announce Plan to Start Daniel Jones in Week Three

ELI MANNING:

• Two Games: 56 attempts/89 completions (63%) for 556 yards; two touchdowns; one INT; two sacks, 10 QB hits.

Cut the music!

After just two verses, Eli's swan song is over.

Manning is not the sole reason, or even a top three reason, why the 2018 Giants post a 3-13 record.  Nor is he a primary reason why the Giants are 47-67 over the last seven seasons.  They're certainly not off to an 0-2 start this season on account of Eli.  For that you must start with a novice defense which has so far allowed 60-plus points through two games with no hope of improvement in the foreseeable future.  Of course there's much more to this burgeoning nightmare.  But I digress ...

Eli is the last vestige of Ernie Accorsi's legacy as general manager of the New York Giants.  It is Accorsi who builds a Super Bowl contender with Eli being the final piece of the puzzle.  However those Giants first need to wait out Eli's maturation process.  By 2007 Eli Manning transforms before our very eyes into Mr. Freeze at Green Bay and goes on to win MVP of Super Bowl XLII.  By 2011 the Giants are squeezing the last bit of goodness out of Accorsi's creation en route to winning Super Bowl XLVI.  Eli Manning is again named game MVP.

In the seasons following 2011 the shelf life of an elite defense, a record setting offensive line, and once formidable running game all expire.  But because Eli was the last piece of the puzzle, he is also the last to remain.  In the meantime, Jerry Reese presides over the complete and utter deterioration of the New York Giants.  His drafting over his last five seasons as general manager bear no fruit, thus fostering a failed if not ruinous over reliance on free agency.  The impact on the field is self evident: sub par records.

Former offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride together with his friend and Giants head coach Tom Coughlin are as aggressive as they come.  When the Giants still field a competent offensive line and formidable running game, Gilbride maintains effective balance between rushing and passing.  But when it comes to passing, the triumvirate of Gilbride, Coach Coughlin, and Eli Manning, are all about high risk and high reward.  As a result they routinely lead the league in most yards attempted per pass!  That partly explains why Eli appears prone to throwing interceptions.  But Coughlin effectively signs off on each and every INT.  They just didn't care.  However as the talent level deteriorates along the offensive line and the running game comes to a halt, Gilbride becomes Jerry Reese's first scapegoat.  The continuing deterioration of talent over the next two seasons likewise causes Tom Coughlin into coaching more desperately.  He then becomes Jerry Reese scapegoat number two.

In truth, Gilbride, Coughlin, or even Ben McAdoo, were never the problem, per se.  The primary factor causing the Giants spiraling into irrelevance is John Mara's unyielding support for Jerry Reese.

Sure, Eli deserves his fair share of blame.  His performance can be ponderous at times.  Everyone deserves their fair share for this mess.  Some just deserve more than others.

Upon accepting positions with the Giants Dave Gettleman and Pat Shurmur know they are being tasked with putting Eli out to pasture.  Indeed, an unenviable position to be in.  Yet the process continues to wreak of indecisiveness and lack of conviction.  I'm not sure what they're thinking.  But it needs to stop.  Because the less sense this makes the more I'm inclined to believe John Mara still has his fingerprints all over this.  And why would that be?  Because he completely botches Eli's benching in favor of Geno Smith.  What a slap in the face, made worse by how the front office continues mishandling the aftermath.  Moreover because I believe Archie Manning commands Mara's respect and attention.  And if I'm Archie, I'm on the phone to John Mara blaming him, Jerry Reese, and Dave Gettleman, for essentially ruining the second half of his son's career.

It appears push has finally come to shove.  Eli is facing one of three choices: retire a Giant; waive his no trade clause; or stay and tutor Daniel Jones.  Concerned parties had better reserve a large conference room because I'm sure John Mara, Dave Gettleman, Pat Shurmur, Eli Manning, his agent, and Archie Manning, will all have something to say about this.

N.Y. Giants: Because Stone Cold Coach Pat Shurmur Said So

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

A GIANT STEP FORWARD

New York Giants: Pat Shurmur named the 18th head coach in team history.

He becomes the team's seventh during my years as a fan.  But outside of what I've read, heard on radio, or seen on TV, I know little else about the man.

Therefore, I guess a quick bio is in order.

After spending 11 years at Michigan State and Stanford, Shurmur joined the NFL ranks in 1999 with the Philadelphia Eagles where he served as tight ends and offensive line coach through the 2001 season.  He then served as Philadelphia's quarterback coach - working with Donovan McNabb -  through the 2008 season.  During his decade long association with the Eagles, they made the playoffs seven times, appeared in five conference championships, and one Super Bowl.

Shurmur spent 2009 and 2010 as offensive coordinator of the (St. Louis) Rams under then head coach, and former Giants defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo.  In 2009, his starting quarterback was Marc Bulger (not a bad QB) who was playing out his final NFL season.  The Rams went 1-15 that year, but parleyed that into quarterback Sam Bradford, selected with the first overall pick of the 2010 NFL draft.  With Shurmur calling plays, Bradford threw for 3,512 yards as a rookie.

By season's end, the Cleveland Browns set their sights on Pat Shurmur, naming him their head coach entering the 2011 season.  Shurmur posted records of 4-12 and 5-11 during his two seasons at the helm.  But I won't hold that against him.  Since his departure after 2012, the Browns have exceeded five wins in a season just once.  In fact, the Browns are just 4-44 over the last three seasons.  Not even Bill Belichik could turn that organization around.  Since guiding them to the playoffs in 1994, the Browns have qualified for post-season play just one other time.

In 2003, Pat Shurmer returned for a second stint with the Eagles this time as offensive coordinator.  Prior to this year's run to the Super Bowl, Philadelphia last qualified for the playoffs in 2013 with Shurmur calling plays for Nick Foles.  In 2014, the Eagles posted a second straight 10-6 record but missed out on the playoffs.  A 6-9 record the following season resulted in head coach Chip Kelly's release after Week Sixteen.  Pat Shurmur would then coach the Eagles to victory in the season finale.

He has spent the last two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.  In 2016, he split time being tight ends coach and offensive coordinator, and again served as offensive coordinator this season.  Reunited with Pat Shurmur in 2016, Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford led the NFL with a 71.6 completion percentage.  This season, the oft injured Bradford was out of action again after Week Two.  Enter back-up Case Keenun - a veteran in his own right.  With Shurmur calling plays, Keenum threw 3,547 yards over 15 games, with 22 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.

Of course, the Vikings fell well short in last week's NFC championship game against Nick Foles and the Eagles.  Shurmur's team was on the losing end of a 38-7 defeat.  One could ask what happened with the offense?  But Mike Zimmer is head coach of the Vikings, and therefore, he had to answer most of the questions and second-guessing.

But what about Pat Shurmur?

He entered that game with his fingerprints on both starting quarterbacks.  Case Keenum was 28/48 for 271 yards, one touchdown and one interception, in a losing effort.  Nick Foles, though, was better, throwing 26/33 for 352 yards, and three touchdowns.

So What Does All This Mean For The Giants?

There's something to be said for his twenty-years of practical experience.

Aside from his two year stint at Cleveland, his career work has primarily focused on the offensive side of the ball - no different than Ray Handley, Dan Reeves, Jim Fassel, Tom Coughlin, or Ben McAdoo.  As we see, the Giants have hired a string of offensive minded coaches ever since the departure of defensive minded Bill Parcells.  Four of them took the Giants to the playoffs, and two of them got the Giants to three more Super Bowls.

General manager Dave Gettleman says Shurmur will be working with Eli Manning for the remainder of his Giants career.  Then there's Davis Webb whom still needs extensive development.  And of course, there's continuing speculation as to whether the Giants will utilize their up-coming number one draft pick on another quarterback.

Where it concerns quarterbacks, Shurmur's resume suggests successful involvement with Donovan McNabb, Marc Bulger, Sam Bradford, Nick Foles, and Case Keenum.  Moreover, while head coach in Cleveland, he somehow extracted 3,355 yards and 14 touchdowns out of rookie Brandon Weeden. It's worth noting because Brandon Weeden was out of the league within another three seasons.

But like Ben McAdoo, Shurmur is a proponent of west coast style offense.  I have my issues with that.  Shurmur also said he will be calling plays on offense.  I'm somewhat less concerned with that.

Shurmur did say that moving forward he understands Giants football which allows me to think he won't make the same mistake as McAdoo with regards to Eli Manning - which was trying to turn him into Aaron Rogers.  Dave Gettleman also said reconstructing the offensive line and reestablishing the run is a main priority.  I'm confident in Gettleman's vision, and so my west coast anxieties are tempered.

Pat Shurmur has otherwise contributed to highly competitive and successful situations in Philadelphia and Minnesota.

He also has no doubt faced adversity in St. Louis and Cleveland.

The Giants locker room was clearly fractured this past season.  Dave Gettleman wasted no time removing a few malcontents from the locker room.  And Shurmur's presser left little doubt he and Gettleman are on the same page where it concerns discipline.  Having participated in both winning locker rooms and losing locker rooms could turn out being a valuable experience from which Shurmur will draw upon during his upcoming seasons with the Giants.

The duo of Gettleman and Shurmur essentially means the days of enabling Odell Beckham Jr. are over.  Sure, Shurmur says he's getting a clean slate.  But without saying it, Odell already is being forced to clean up his act and grow up.  In other words, if Beckham wants premium money from the Giants, he'll need to compromise his so called personal brand.

Discipline, however, and disposition, can be slippery slopes.  Former NFL head coach Mike Holmgren recently chimed-in on Pat Shurmer, accusing him of having rabbit ears - meaning he pays too much attention to the media.  Said another way, he may be wound too tightly.  That can certainly become a problem in New York.  However, he nailed the presser - I mean nailed it.  He was direct, and succinct as one could be.  Shurmur left no doubt where he stands regarding a great many things.  In fact, he not only acknowledged his reputation for being too serious, he owned it - just like Tom Coughlin once did, and Bill Parcells did way back when.

Then again, those guys won Super Bowls.

Bill Belichick gets away with being a schmuck because he wins Super Bowls.

Pat Shumur said he couldn't help but notice the Giants four Vince Lombardi trophies on display in the lobby at MetLife Stadium.

The Giants have many holes to fill.  In fact, they may need a rebuild instead of just a retool.  So, let's be pragmatic about the situation.  Bill Parcells went 2-13-1 in his first season as head coach.  But despite being a schmuck, players rallied behind Parcells.  Ben McAdoo also went 3-13, but clearly didn't survive.  Ironically, he got fired in part due to his failed disciplinary policies and how that resulted in a fractured locker room.  McAdoo lost his players respect and they essentially threw him to the wolves.

Therefore, Pat Shurmur can be a schmuck all he wants.  He just needs the skill and tact for making players believe it comes from the heart.

Would the Giants have been better off with either Josh McDaniels or Matt Patricia?

Who knows.  We'll find out over the next five years or so.

But for now, Pat Shurmur's press conference makes this the right choice.

Bill Belichick's minions historically do not fare very well once they venture out on their own.  Think about it - because of their success since 2000, Belichick has gone through countless coordinators on both sides of the ball.  Yet, the Patriots seemingly continue mission without a hitch.

Why?

Bill Belichick is brilliant at making in-game adjustments.  He's been the one constant in New England for 18 seasons.  He possesses a mastery of the game his coordinators simply can not bottle-up and take with them.  The man has a uniquely superior mind for either side of the ball.

Therefore, the Giants could very well be better off with Shurmur.  The question then, is how good will he be at making in-game adjustments?

N.Y. Giants: Coach McAdoo Earns Week Two Game Ball

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE..!

Game Ball Goes to Coach McAdoo 

for demanding the New York Football Giants take better care of

"THE DUKE"

WEEK TWO FINAL

Saints    13

Giants   16

New York Football Giants: Coach McAdoo's reinvestment in the run, and Doing It For The Duke will get him far.

After two games head coach Ben McAdoo is undefeated.

Make no mistake, there's great value starting 2-0 in a 16 game season.  After all, you can't win division titles in September, but you certainly can lose them.  So, give the man his due.

But what Coach McAdoo has actually accomplished in two short weeks as first time head coach of the Giants needs more context.

Passing Aggressive Personality Disorder: Eli, Gilbride, and Coughlin.

For better and for worse, Eli Manning and former offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride spent years routinely leading the NFL in most yards attempted per pass - all with Tom Coughlin's blessings, of course.

Their system was good enough to win a pair of Super Bowls.  But on a year-in-year-out basis, such high risk/high reward down field passing would certainly increase Manning's odds of getting intercepted.

Sure enough, in 2007 Eli led the league in interceptions during his first season under Gilbride.  In 2010, Eli attempted his most passes under Gilbride to that point of his career, and wound up topping the league for a second time with 25 interceptions.  By 2013, times grew considerably more dire for both Kevin Gilbride and Tom Coughlin. In his final season under Gilbride, Eli Manning led the league in interceptions for a third time in his career, which perhaps more than anything, spoke about the Giants depleted running capabilities, poor defense, and overall mounting desperation.

With the Giants disappointing 7-9 record requiring a sacrificial lamb, Kevin Gilbride took the hit for his friend Tom Coughlin by notifying the organization of his retirement from football.

Say what you will about Kevin Gilbride (I do), he still maintained a balanced attack. Although he often drew the ire of Giants fans (myself included) for what I called his endless search for the perfect pass play, he knew how and when, and did utilize his running game effectively (creativity withstanding) ... back when the Giants could.  But once center Shaun O'Hara retired, the rest of the offensive line and running game deteriorated in kind shortly thereafter.

That's a main reason why by 2014-15 Tom Coughlin had become an exponentially desperate head coach, who perhaps limited much of new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo's play calling autonomy.

Coughlin all but abandoned his already inconsequential running game that now featured an untenable, counter-productive four back rotation.  At the same time, Eli was setting career highs with 600+ pass attempts in consecutive seasons as the Giants began incorporating a more west coast style system.

But after two straight 6-10 seasons and 12 seasons overall as head coach of the New York Giants, Tom Coughlin unavoidably gave way last year for the promotion of Ben McAdoo.

Meet the New Boss

Jerry Reese arguably dealt Coughlin a losing hand in his latter years as head coach.  For the moment, that remains another matter.

Today, after just two weeks of play, there's little debating how much more head coach McAdoo is benefiting from better quality personnel, particularly on defense.

As offensive coordinator, he noticeably shortened up Manning's passing game, thus making him a more efficient quarterback. Eli limited himself to 14 INT's in each of his two seasons under OC McAdoo.

But the most welcome change from one regime to the next has been head coach McAdoo's reinvestment in the running game.

Last year, the Giants threw the ball 76 times, and only rushed 42 times through the first two games of the season against Dallas and Atlanta.  The Giants utilized four different backs against Dallas, while three rushed in week two against Atlanta.

This season, first year head coach McAdoo and first year offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan have elected to pass 69 times, and rush 52 times.  Rashad Jennings and Shane Vereen have been the lone ball carriers, with the exception of Orleans Darkwa making his first and only rush of the season against the Saints.

All this sort of confirms Tom Coughlin's operational level of desperation.  The change is proving refreshing.

All that being said, once is an event, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a trend.  So let's see how things play out in Week Three.

Tugging at Big Blue's Heartstrings

Ben McAdoo spent ten years working under Mike McCarthy in New Orleans, San Francisco, and of course in Green Bay, prior to his arrival in New York.  With a credible resume, hiring McAdoo as offensive coordinator in 2014 was viewed, then, as somewhat of a layup - easily chalked up to career progression.

Instead, the general apprehension lay in having a 39 year old head coach.

Anyone savvy enough to invoke The Duke is wise beyond his years.  Perhaps a calculated move on McAdoo's part, but one that should have some members of the media feeling embarrassed of themselves for not catching it.

Starting the season 2-0 is nice too.

I'm sure Wellington would approve.

N.Y. Giants: Dean Coughlin Cleaned Up Animal House

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

The man who put down a Giant insurrection...

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL: Thank you, Tom Coughlin, for all you've done as Head Coach of Big Blue.

I remember John McVay's last season as head coach in 1976, then grew into my Giants fandom under the stern guidance of Ray Perkins.

Years later, the Giants won Super Bowl XXV, I turned 24-years old, Bill Parcells left, in turn leaving me despondent, and thinking the Giants would never win ever again.

It's true.

Then Ray Handley happened, making Dan Reeves a necessary, and welcome sight for sore eyes.   Thankfully, the 1993 season served as somewhat of a healer.  Despite the departures and respective retirements of many former Big Blue champions, Reeves helped me move on with life.

Then came Jim Fassel, and what I dub the Delta House years (lots of fun, but riddled with typical frat house consequences).

What a bunch of knuckleheads - really - the whole lot of 'em.  For better or worse, guys like Jesse Armstead, Amani Toomer, Jason Sehorn, Jeremy Shockey, Keith Hamilton, Kerry Collins, Michael Strahan and Tiki Barker made Giants football exciting again, but in the most undisciplined manner conceivable.

Wellington Mara, however, was getting on in years, and so the renewed success of the Giants under Jim Fassel, and winning the 2000 NFC championship became perhaps one of the happiest moments of his life.

In truth, that Giants edition was extremely likable.  It took me nearly 10 years, but I was finally over the departure of Bill Parcells (kinda) because of these guys.

Make no mistake, however, Fassel was the ultimate player's coach.  Allowing the inmates to run the asylum ultimately cost the Giants greater glories, that sometimes were lost in quite embarrassing fashion.  Jim Fassel earned his dismissal.  There's little debate there.  Change was clearly needed.

Enter Tom Coughlin - chewing barbed wire and spitting napalm at reporters during his introductory presser.

The unruly Giants didn't take too well to their new commander and controller.

Foolish me sided with the players in those first two years - all but Tiki Barber that is.  I did not appreciate Barber's unrepentant, open defiance and denunciation of Coughlin.  That's not how I want my team's players behaving.  Therefore, in Tiki's case I was totally on board with the head coach.   Otherwise, my son chastised me for my initial lack of Coughlin acceptance.  Then by 2010, I was the one staunchly defending him against naysayers calling for his firing.

Jerry Reese was made to deal with Michael Strahan, and I applauded Reese's dismissive treatment of Strahan at the time.  But, what has transpired over the last few years falls mainly on him, not Coughlin.

Did the Giants suffer from poor coaching decisions this season?  Yes, but, that would necessitate expanding this conversation to include Eli Manning's play changing at the line within this new west coast system.

Sure, there's more to this than just that.  That said, somewhere between the seemingly ceaseless litany of criticisms levied upon Tom Coughlin by Tiki Barber, and the two Lombardi trophies added to the Giants collection under Tom Coughlin, lies the truth regarding his long tenure as head coach.

Do I think Tom Coughlin quit ... because it was right for the Giants?

No.  The Giants resorted to replacing both their offensive and defensive coordinators first.  Naturally, the head coach is next in line for modification.  I think Coughlin was respectfully squeezed out, and given the opportunity to leave under his own terms with class, and his dignity in tact.

Steve Tisch quietly wanted Coughlin gone last season.  If you remember, Steve Tisch publicly lashed out again midway through this season.  Suffice to say, he has not been happy.  Then again, we all know John Mara is the real shot caller, and even he couldn't be dissuaded from enacting reform - not this time.

Tom Coughlin restored order to Giants football.  Looking back on the Jim Fassel years, I say that with confidence.

Now, the time is right for change.

My lasting images of Tom Coughlin are three: his frostbitten face during the 2007 NFC championship game in the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, and the two times his float passed me by during the Super Bowl victory parades down the Canyon of Heroes.

I've had my issues with Tom Coughlin.  I stated them clearly to open the season.

Tiki Barber still disparages his former coach till this day, recently saying Coughlin took the will to continue playing football from him.  To that I say, the Giants wound up better for it.

That's life in the NFL, Tiki.  Get over it.

Tom Coughlin was a great coach.

He'll be difficult to replace.

N.Y. Giants: Jerry Reese Facing a Reality 'Chick

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

That was then...

I got news for ya...

Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, and Michael Strahan

aren't walking through that door!

NEW YORK GIANTS: This game is largely a referendum on Big Blue general manager Jerry Reese.  Everyone finds out where Big Blue really stands Sunday afternoon.

For a few years previous to 2014, I started reading and hearing varying accounts to the effect how Bill Belichick should have replaced himself as GM in New England.

So ponderous were they, I nearly died laughing!

Therefore, let's talk truth, right here, right now.

Very simply, Robert Kraft hired Bill Belichick not only to be his head coach, but to become the Patriots' entire front office.  Since then, the New England Patriots have posted exactly one losing season (their initial one together back in 2000).

Moreover, the Patriots have only missed the playoffs twice in the first 15 years under Belichick.

In 2007, his team posted the first undefeated regular season of the 16-game schedule era. They've played in six Super Bowls, won four of them, and are obviously this year's defending champion (exactly 15 years after Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick, and Tom Brady won their first together).

As we know, Belichick and Tom Coughlin both served together under Bill Parcells.  Four years after Bill Belichick's career ended with the Giants, Jerry Reese's started.  Ironically, the Patriots only two Super Bowl defeats during the Belichick era came at the hands of Jerry Reese, Tom Coughlin, Eli Manning, and the New York Giants.

Jerry Reese indeed owns two Lombardi trophies, both at Belichick's expense.  Yet, each has their respective organization headed in opposite directions since the day they last met for a championship.

• With regards to personnel, Jerry Reese has failed to sustain what Ernie Accorsi started.  His overall draft results have been pedestrian at best - his salary cap management, even worse. 

• Whereas defense and the running game were once the Giants primary strengths, they are now the Giants primary weaknesses.

• The Giants literally haven't fielded an impact linebacker in decades.  They have six guys that between them can not generate a single sack, and a secondary as fragile and shallow as Donald Trump's ego. 

• Tom Coughlin is first and foremost a pass oriented coach.  Kevin Gilbride loved going long, but always tried maintaining some sort of balance between pass and run.  Under Ben McAdoo, the passing game has gone from long to short, which has statistically improved Eli Manning's efficiency.  The run, however, has become a mere afterthought.  They have four running backs whom they all use extremely ineffectively, and disturbingly infrequently.

Giants fans should be very clear about a few things regarding this team, and those Super Bowl teams.

First, both Super Bowl winners rushed the ball extremely well with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw behind an exceptional offensive line.

Second, and more importantly, two huge reasons why the Giants twice beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl, (IMO), were Aaron Ross and Corey Webster.  They were shutdown corners for Steve Spagnuolo during the SB XLII run.  Then, many times during their XLVI season, former defensive coordinator Perry Fewell's system resulted in the secondary looking like Keystone Cops.  It wasn't until Fewell relented late in 2011 at the behest of his secondary, that Aaron Ross and Corey Webster were able to get back into man-coverage.  Once Fewell simplified his (stupid) plan, the pass rush helped the 9-7 Giants bull their way to another championship.

These guys couldn't bull there way through my tomato garden.

Old Rivals Meet Again

New England Patriots

vs.

New York Giants

FROM

Snoopy Stadium

THE SWAMP

I expect Tom Brady to relentlessly, and mercilessly attack the Giants linebackers all day long with crisscross patterns, wide receiver screens, and slant patterns.

Meanwhile, I expect Gronk to do anything he damn well pleases.  The Giants will be damned if they double or even triple cover him, and damned if they don't.  That said, Bill Belichick could just as easily have him line up, and help tenderize the Giants front seven with a strong running game - because they can - and Belichick would do it just to prove a point.

In any event, I expect the Patriots to dominate time of possession, and put up lots and lots of points.

In truth, I expect the Giants to play their worst game of the season.

N.Y. Giants: Big Easy Hangover

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

Giants continue throwing rocks through their windows of opportunity

NEW YORK GIANTS: Yes, Eli really is an elite quarterback!

Eli Manning took over sole possession of 10th place on the NFL's all-time career touchdowns list by throwing six TD passes during Sunday's 52-49 loss against the Saints in his home town of New Orleans.

His fourth TD pass against the Saints pushed him passed Joe Montana.  Eli's sixth and final TD pass was the 276th for his career, moving him ahead of Vinny Testaverde.  Next on the career ladder is Johnny Unitas with 291 touchdown passes.

Eli now has 17 touchdowns with just 4 INTs at the halfway point of the season.  He was 30/41 for 350 yards against the Saints, putting him over 2,000 yards for the season, and keeping him on pace for the fifth 4K season of his 12-year career.

But, what's the sense if...

I know love is blind, but who didn't see this debacle coming?

These Giants do not handle success very well to begin with.  In my PIGSKIN picks, I warned everyone to look back at what Tony Romo, Matt Ryan, Sam Bradford, Kirk Cousins, and Colin Kaepernick all did to the Giants secondary.  Even Matt Cassel had his moments during the Giants second game against Dallas.

Did you really think Brees would do any less?

Not only was Drew Brees the best quarterback the Giants have faced this season to date, he established a new career high with 511 passing yards, and tied an NFL record with seven touchdown passes.

Dominque Rogers-Cromartie recorded the game's lone interception on a day which saw Eli Manning and Drew Brees combine for 91 pass attempts and 13 touchdown passes.  And while that was DRC's third INT in the last two games, Sunday's was just another indictment added to a long list of many levied against the Giants' overall secondary play.

Naturally, lack of a professional grade pass rush is equally to blame.  In the 50 times Drew Brees dropped back to pass, the Giants managed no sacks and just three QB hits all game.

Despite the Giants securing two New Orleans turnovers, the Saints still controlled the ball for 34:59 and posted 614 total yards (versus 416 for the Giants).

Otherwise, some things have not changed...

The Giants rushed 21 times for 87 yards:

• Rashad Jennings 10 rushes for 54 yards.
• After opening eyes last week, Orleans Darkwa was limited to just 4 carries for 23 yards.
• Andre Williams rushed 5 time for 7 yards.
• Shane Vereen rushed twice for 3 yards.

New Orleans Mark Ingram rushed 16 times for 80 yards by himself.  All told, the Saints rushed 25 times for 102 total yards.

And the moral of the story is...

Once upon a time, Tom Coughlin was handed a great defense, and a powerful running game.  He in turn handed the starting quarterback job to Eli Manning in 2004, whom together added another dimension to a Giants team primarily constructed by Ernie Accorsi.

Today, there's no longer a defense to speak of, and certainly no running game worth mentioning.  All that's left of those days are Coughlin and Eli, with Jerry Reese providing them a never ending flow of wide receivers.  

These days Big Blue lives to throw, and throws to live.

It's so flawed.

N.Y. Giants: Running To Daylight With Sunglasses On

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

GAME FIVE

San Francisco 49ers

vs.

New York Giants

FROM

The Snoopy Bowl

NEW YORK GIANTS: There are no such things as dire circumstances in the NFC East, only chance and opportunity.

Part I of IV

COWBOYS 27; Giants 26

Falcons 24; GIANTS 20

GIANTS 32; D.C. Hogs 21

Giants 24; BILLS 10

The road to an NFC East title has remarkably been detoured through East Rutherford, proving time and again that one team's misfortune and/or dysfunction are another team's opportunity.

Ever mounting injuries continue taking a heavy toll on the Dallas Cowboys, and will do so for several weeks to come.  Elsewhere, the D.C. Hogs remain locked in an eternal struggle against themselves, while the Eagles are safely chained in the division basement until further notice.

In a tumultuous first quarter season, the Giants recovered from their 0-2 start to even their record with consecutive victories over Washington and a particularly convincing one over Buffalo.

Last week's game was certainly an attitude adjuster, causing fans to seriously rethink a great many things.  For instance, the Giants have effectively controlled roughly 235 of a possible 240 minutes played over four games and 16 quarters of football.  It's just that those two gaffes late in games One and Two were so self-destructive, and completely unnecessary.

The second quarter of the season begins with the NFC East locked in a three way tie.  Big Blue is seemingly in the best shape to seize control of a leaderless pack.

Part II of IV

49ERS

@ Eagles

COWBOYS

@ Saints

GAME FIVE: Niners @ Giants

ICYMI: Running of the Bills; Applied SPAGnology

Some of the Niners cast members might still be the same, but San Francisco's performance is far from what we grew accustomed to under Jim Harbaugh.  

The familiar Colin Kaepernick, Anquan Bolden, Vernon Davis, and the 49ers offense are last in total yards per game, and total points scored.  San Francisco's ground game is another matter.  Despite no longer having Frank Gore in the loop, the Niners have nevertheless accumulated the most rushing yards to date, and rank 5th in average yards rushed per game.  All told, however, the Niners are only averaging a mere 12 ppg after four weeks of play.

Defensively, the Niners have allowed the league's 6th most total points, and 10th most total yardage per game.

GIANTS DEFENSE

20.5 points allowed per game

386 yards allowed per game

The Giants, meanwhile, have allowed the NFL's 7th most overall yards.  They have allowed the second most yards through the air, and have averaged the most passing yards allowed per game.  But, they're number one against the run.  They've allowed opponents the 10th most time of possession, allowed the 13th fewest points, and average the 8th least points allowed per game.

GIANTS OFFENSE

25.5 points scored per game

335 yards gained per game

The Giants have rushed for the 8th fewest yards in the NFL, and average the 9th least rushing yards per game.  Through the air, the Giants have only thrown for the 18th most yards in the NFL, and are yet to surpass 1,000 passing yards through 4 games played. They're 19th in average passing yards per game.

Crossed Connections:

Eli Manning's first INT of the season came part and parcel with this whole perverted pass doctrine under Coughlin.  Just saying...

Moose Johnston was covering the game on FOX and pointed out that Rueben Randle should have fought harder to make that particular reception, and I couldn't have agreed more.  He was targeted 6 times but only made 3 receptions for 31 yards (and a touchdown).

The man is slow off the line, telegraphs his cuts, and as Moose pointed out, doesn't place himself between the defender and the ball well enough.  His ineffectiveness has done little to relieve OBJ of double teams.

Eli, meanwhile, has limited his INTs this season, but his in-game management has seemingly gone to pot.  The same spirits that possessed Eli in the latter stages of games One and Two, returned with about 4:00 left in Game Four.  Fortunately they were exorcised in time to stave off yet another 4th quarter disaster.  He must suffer occasional spells of voodoo from growing up in New Orleans  I guess....

If Eli does not audible, Rashad Jennings does not score a 51-yards touchdown on a play that should have been limited to a few yards at most.  I get that.  But running the clock down to zero and wasting time outs still seems routine.

In No Particular Rush:

The Giants stick with the run for sake of maintaining balance.  They certainly do not stick with it long enough to let it wear opponents down or dictate a game.  In previous seasons, the reasons were glaringly evident as to why.  This season, however, there's little excuse not to run more.

Ereck Flowers - Justin Pugh - Weston Richburg - Geoff Schwartz - Marshall Newhouse

The offensive line is coalescing into an effective unit.  They have protected Eli very well, allowing the NFL's 3rd fewest sacks (4) this season.  They have also executed strong run blocking.  Scheme-wise, however, the Giants continue running towards daylight with their sunglasses on.

Minus any yardage gained by Eli Manning, the combination of Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams and Shane Vereen, have rushed 100 times for 343 yards, for an average of 25 rushes for 85.7 yards per game.

While not great, they've been reliable.  The manner in which they've run, however, has been impressive at times.  Rashad and Andre have moved the chains with power, but only as the play calling allows.

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.

N.Y. Giants: Attack Washington's Defense With Power, Please!

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

The running game is presently the only aspect of Giants Football functioning properly.

Why not feature it Thursday Night against Washington?

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

D.C. Hogs

vs.

New York Giants

FROM

Snoopy Stadium

NEW YORK GIANTS: The choreography of well executed passing is a sight to behold; true art in motion.  But, when throwing the pigskin short circuits, one must revert to more traditional methods.  It is time, then, to get this season turned around by utilizing brute force and ignorance.  After all, football is still football!  In fact, yet another 0-2 start demands a return to basics, if not a change in tactics.  Attack Washington's defense head on with power.  Please!

What happens when your corners aren't covering, your safeties make you feel unsafe, your linebackers aren't backing, and your pass rushers aren't pass rushing (mainly because the best one destroyed his hand prior to camp)?

For starters, you spend 68:45 on the field, yield 836 total yards, surrender 51 points over your first two games of the season, and play particularly poorly in 4th quarters.

Or, you could have just asked the Giants.

As fans, we fret over what can potentially come next.  Not RGIII or his replacement QB Kirk Cousins; here come D.C. running backs Alfred Morris and Matt Jones.  Stop those two, and perhaps the Giants can avoid a ponderous 0-3 start.

Washington only managed 34 points over their first two games.  Last week they put up 24 points against the Rams (whom surprisingly upset the Seahawks in Week One).  They otherwise lost 17-10 to the Fish in the season's opener.  The Dolphins have an inferior coach, but they're a tough team to play.  The Rams thing is tougher to explain.

In any event, tonight's game has less to do with the D.C. Hogs than it does the Giants.

Big Blue has no one to blame for their 0-2 start but themselves.  They led each of their first two games in the 4th quarter, and were poised to increase their lead each time.  Instead, they sabotaged potential victories with gross mental lapses in the closing minutes.

So, what does one do when one's wide receivers aren't receiving, and the quarterback is regressing?

ICYMI:  Bad Eli Routine Is No Laughing Matter

For starters, you release sub-standard performers such as Preston Parker.  In the absence of Victor Cruz, the Giants needed someone to help take pressure (i.e. double coverage) off OBJ.  Parker couldn't catch the ball, much less lend a hand.  After last week's pitiful display Jerry Reese cut him, post-haste.

Rueben Randle is next.  I know he's had some sort of lingering ailment, but one can plainly see he is not contributing much either.  Randle has been given every opportunity here, and has yet to take a second step forward.  According to NYC codes, that's called loitering.  In football speak, he's...

I digress.

I recently went through Tom Coughlin's non-committal relationship with the run.  With yet another 0-2 start, he is now bordering on Einstein's definition of insanity.

After two games this season, the rush is the only aspect of the entire New York Giants team performing well.  Overall, however, the offense has possessed the ball a mere 52:45 out of a possible 120 minutes thus far.

An intensive night of running just might help keep the defense off the field for a change, lest we forget Dominique Rogers Cromartie will be a non-participant, while Jon Beason is entering real game action for the first time this season.

Easier said than done - I know.  Washington enters Met Life Stadium featuring a top rated defense coached by Joe Barry, whom is making a big difference.

That said, one must try for the sake of getting the Giants pointed in the right direction again. There's nothing to lose but another game, the division, the season, a head coach, and a general manager....

Now you get the idea - be adaptable.  It may be the only way out of this mess.

There's a Big Blue difference between being a sleeping Giant, and just being sleepy Giants. For now, they just need to wake up and rejoin a pathetically weak NFC East division race. The sleepy part falls on Jerry Reese.

Otherwise, those who want to run the ball, do.

PIGSKIN

Football Sunday

Week Three

Thursday Line ~ NYDN

Redskins +3 1/2 (GIANTS)

In truth, I think the line should be NYG -2 (Hogs).

I looked at that 1/2 point and was immediately intimidated.

I'm leaning towards a Giants win, but D.C. covers.

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 Rushing Mentality Must Flow Through Your Veins

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

Skip the game film, reopen the history books,

go directly to the chapter titled: 

Run With Power!

WEEK ONE

New York Giants  26

Dallas Cowboys    27

FINAL

NEW YORK GIANTS: Ben McAdoo, Tom Coughlin, and Eli Manning, were in perfect sync.  They couldn't have been more wrong, but make no mistake, they were all operating on the same page.

Entering Sunday night's opener, I did not think the Giants could rush for 100 yards against the Dallas Cowboys front seven.

They damn near pulled it off though:

• Rashad Jennings - 13 rushes for 52 yards.
• Shane Vereen - 3 rushes for 14 yards.
• Andre Williams - 6 rushes for 14 yards.
• Dwayne Harris - 1 rush for 11 yards.

Combined, they rushed 23 times for 91 yards, for an average 3.9 yards per carry.

These days, that's a solid effort against anybody much less the Cowboys - not ideal, but solid nonetheless.  

Or, maybe it's me.  Maybe I'm simply getting older and fixed in my ways.  Maybe I was overly spoiled (indoctrinated) by Bill Parcells and Smash Mouth football.

Maybe...

But, Bill Parcells always told his men to Run With Power!  

Sunday night, the Giants were seemingly doing just that.  Leading 23-20 with 5:08 left in the game, the Giants were zeroing in for the kill.  They marched 79 yards on 12 plays.

Offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo called on Rashad Jennings 7 times during the drive, and specifically targeted the Cowboys' middle 5 times.  In return Jennings produced 38-net yards.

• middle > 3 yds.
• middle > 27 yds.
• middle > 7 yds.
• middle > 2 yds.
• left < minus 4 yds.
• middle > 2 yds.
• left > 1 yd.

Rashad Jennings and the Giants arrived at 3rd down on the Cowboys 1-yard line with 1:43 still left on the clock, which brings us to that fateful 13th play of the drive.

Offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo inexplicably called for a pass in that situation.

At that very instant I'm sure everyone thought, WTF!  I mean, what learned football man functioning in his right mind would call for a pass in that situation?  Football-101 clearly dictates you pound it in from the one.

"This is why you lift all those weights!" - Bill Parcells

Rushing doesn't just happen.  It needs to be established.  It requires commitment, choreography, and flow.  Running the ball early also paves the way towards bigger gains later.

Smash Mouth Football was designed to wear opponents down, and grind them into a fine powder.

Running the ball is about control, controlling possession, controlling the clock, and ultimately controlling the game.  When you control that stuff, you control your opponent's ability to field their offense against you.

That Is Why You Run!

Run early, run late, and intensify the run when you have the lead.

Eli said he was guilty of bad thought management.  Okay, I agree.

But, as a veteran quarterback and 2-time Super Bowl MVP, Eli should have known exactly what his exit strategy was.  A potential breakdown should have already played out in his mind.  He needed to instinctively run the ball himself, take a sack, or just take a knee.  At the very least, he should have glared at the sideline and given Coach McAdoo the screw face for calling such a play.

But, he didn't.

Coach Coughlin said that was the wrong call, and that they should have run the ball in that situation.   Once again, I agree, but I think he was merely doctoring the room.

Hell, I say he was in on the fix.  Coughlin heard McAdoo make the call.  He's not listening to Bobby Darin on those headsets.  Tom Coughlin could have squashed the play right then and there.

But, he didn't.

It's not my intention to criticize Tom Coughlin.  After all, the man is a 2-time Super Bowl champion - just like Bill Parcells.  Same goes for Eli.  He and Coach Coughlin merely did things their way.

With regards to Sunday, though, Phil Simms would not have compromised that situation by stopping the clock with an incomplete pass.  Coach Parcells wouldn't have allowed it.  He detested players whom did not understand situational football.

And as for Tom Coughlin, he should have known better.  He remembers Smash Mouth.  He was part of Bill Parcells' staff.

And there's the rub.

Coughlin served as Giants wide receivers coach under Parcells from 1988 through the 1990 Super Bowl season.  He previously served in the same capacity for Philadelphia and Green Bay.  At the collegiate level, he was QB coach at Boston College, and served as QB coach/offensive coordinator at Syracuse.

In other words, Tom Coughlin is an offensive Wile E. Coyote.  He's a chucker.  Bill Parcells was defense first, and conservative offense second.  He wanted Phil Simms to manage his system, nothing more.

Tom Coughlin and Mark Brunell, however, were registered with air traffic control in Jacksonville.   Through the years, Coughlin and Eli have behaved the same way.  Eli, by the way, was the same way at Ole Miss.

Just saying...

Former offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride paid a stiff price so as to allow Wile E. Coughlin to keep his job.  We (I) gave Kevin (Kill Drive) a lot of crap over the years.  But make no mistake, that was Coughlin's guy.  Together, they routinely led the NFL in most yards attempted per pass play.

This is not an echo - Coughlin and Gilbride routinely led the NFL in most yards attempted per pass play.  That means Ben McAdoo's play selection entered Tom Coughlin's left ear speaker and exited his right ear speaker approved for Eli's immediate execution.

That play was over 25 years in the making!

Running the ball is just not in Coughlin's blood the way it flowed through Parcells.

Don't give me that crap that time has changed this into a passing man's game.  That's what they said about the AFL 50 years ago.  Yet, the era was dominated by Vince Lombardi's supreme Run to Daylight.

Football, particularly rushing, is a simple matter of being stronger, smarter, and better.

Those that want to run the ball, do.

Happy Anniversary SB XXV.

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...