One more week…
The Giants rekindled their fading playoff hopes with a must win over Dallas this past Sunday. As usual it wasn’t easy. The Giants did come out of the tunnel with some energy and enthusiasm for the first time in almost two months, however, still found themselves down 10-0 and spinning their wheels late into the first half. The Giants, though, showed some resiliency scoring twice in the final two minutes of the half to take the lead into the room and then countered every Dallas punch with a counterpunch of their own in the second half.
Here’s a quick review of some of the highs and lows from Sunday’s crucial win over the Cowboys …
Offense:
The good … Response time. The Giants needed just 5 plays TOTAL to put the ball in the end zone after the two Dallas TDs. YAC. WR Steve Smith is having a career year for the Giants, but he’s never been known as a threat with the ball after the catch, however, he had a pair of great runs against the Cowboys; in particular, #12 broke a couple of tackles and fought through a third to set up the Giants second TD at the end of the first half… A night as the Improv. QB Eli Manning is never going to make anyone forget Fran Tarkenton with his agility, but he perhaps saved the Giants season with a nifty bit of improvisation lateralling the ball off to TE Kevin Boss while in the grasp of a Dallas defender on the Giants‘ first TD drive; it was only first down, but still one doesn’t like the Giants chances to score at all before the break if Eli gets sacked at that point … Options. With the running game still stuck in neutral it was nice to see the Giants at least try to get the ball to their backs and TEs coming out of the backfield and were rewarded when Brandon Jacobs took one 74-yards for a TD. Neither Jacobs nor Ahmad Bradshaw have particularly great hands, however, both in their own way are very dangerous with the ball in their hands in the open field. And kudos to TE Darcy Johnson who stayed with a block 40-yards downfield to pave the way for Jacobs to get to the end zone. Same for WR Derek Hagen who made the final key block on Domenik Hixon’s TD punt return. In fact, the Giants’ downfield blocking was outstanding all game long.
The bad … Just maybe the worst kept secret in the NFL these days is that Eli Manning’s foot injury is affecting his play. Manning seems to be okay on the underneath stuff, but really can’t plant and deliver the deep ball. Indeed, Smith was wide open twice on go-routes down the middle of the field, but Manning under threw one and didn’t even get a second in the right postal code. Smith had 6 receptions for over 100 yards and is on pace to break both the Giants single season records for receptions and receiving yardage, but had a couple of drops, including one in the end zone that forced the Giants to settle for a FG. Brandon Jacobs ran hard against the Cowboys and Ahmad Bradshaw broke off a couple of nifty big gainers, however, the Giants running game is still stuck in neutral. Indeed, Jacobs, despite really pounding it up inside, still barely averaged 3 yards a carry as the holes just weren’t there. It also didn’t help that TE Kevin Boss missed a season’s worth of blocks. (As an aside we shall pass without comment on the efficacy of drafting a lean, former college basketball player because of his hands and athletic potential and then keeping him in to block all day, especially when the other guy‘s TE catches 14 passes … )
The ugly … Talk about a momentum killer. After the Giants scored twice in the waning moments of the first half, receive the 2nd half and immediately get a near 50-yard pass-and-run completion deep into Dallas territory, Eli throws one of his patented 35-yard hope and a prayer picks off his back foot while falling away from the play. As they say in that goofy pre-game show: ‘C’mon man!’ RB Ahmad Bradshaw carelessly put the ball on the ground on his first carry that provided the Cowboys with great field position and some gift points.
The prognosis … It hasn’t been quite the way the braintrust drew it up in training camp, but the Giants still have the weapons to put points on the board despite the fact the running game has never really come around. The Giants, though, may want to heed legendary college basketball coach John Wooden’s sage advice when he said: ‘Be quick, but don’t hurry!‘ With the weather starting to get nasty and the lingering questions about Eli’s foot and his inability to get the ball downfield with any accuracy, the Giants will have to be patient on offense. The theme has to be get the ball in the playmakers hand and let them make plays; at the same time, though, count us among those who think that the Giants could really benefit by picking up the pace on offense. On Sunday, for example, the Giants’ offense was downright plodding, predictable and pedestrian for long stretches, most notably the first 27 minutes, but for whatever reason found something of a groove when they spread the field and went to no-huddle look. In fact, it’s a mode that always seems to work for Eli and the Giants but for whatever reason the team’s braintrust won’t go that way unless it’s an emergency.
The defense:
The good … Unquestionably the most encouraging development in the Dallas game was the defense as a unit played with energy and intensity. Right across the board, guys were getting off blocks, running to the ball, and sticking their hats into tackles when they got there. As a result, the Cowboys who had run for what seemed like a gazillion yards in the first game between the two back in September, were held to just 45 yards on 23 carries. It all started with a solid game - maybe the first this year - from the DTs. Barry Cofield gets a game ball after posting a couple of tackles for loss as well as knocking down a pass, while Chris Canty did a nice job tying up blockers, while also getting into the backfield to disrupt things on occasion. Anther game ball to SS Aaron Rouse who was all over the field posting 12 tackles including a sack, while holding up nicely in coverage, although he may have been the guilty party on the Cowboys’ final coverage when it appeared he probably should have had the deep zone on that side of the field covered. Nobody epitomized the Giants hustle more on Sunday, though, than DE Mathias Kiwanuka also earned a game ball with 6 tackles and that huge forced fumble at the end of the first half that led to the second Giants’ TD. And LB Clint Sintim, who started the game as a rsh-end in passing situations and also played a lot at SSLB, got his first career sack on another huge play that stopped a Dallas drive deep in Giants territory and forced a FG attempt.
The bad … Despite the fact that the defense played hard for a full 60 minutes, Dallas still gouged them for 27 first downs and over 400 yards of total offense as QB Tony Romo was able to complete an almost ridiculous 41 of 55 pass attempts - almost all of them it seemed to TE Jason Witten - for 392 yards and 3 scores while converting 9 of 17 3rd downs. And while the Giants did have bodies flashing around Romo much of the day, the fact is the Giants regular pass rushers had all of 0 sacks on 57 total pass attempts by the Cowboys. We also recognize that trying to slow down Witten may have meant somebody else might have gotten open, its probably something we would have at least considered. The Giants also got burned 2-3 times when they tried to blitz a CB covering a slot receiver only to have Romo dump the ball off to the suddenly uncovered receiver who was able to waltz to a first down. CB Corey Webster gave up a couple of TD receptions to Roy Williams, although we’ll cut #23 just a little slack as they were 4- and 5-yard routes respectively.
The ugly … Rookie Bruce Johnson just has to intercept that deep ball that bounced off his hands and into the arms of Witten for a 32-yard gain. The Giants secondary has enough problems that they just can’t afford to be giving away big gainers.
The prognosis … It will certainly help if the Giants play at the pace they did against the Cowboys the rest of the season, however, even with the personnel changes, there are just too many spots that opposing offenses can exploit to mask. Whenever he is asked to figure in coverage, for example, safety C.C. Brown has to give up so much ground so as not to get beaten deep that there are almost acres of open space in front of him. Indeed, with Aaron Rouse at the other safety and new MLB Jon Goff still learning the ropes the middle zones are still very soft. Add in the fact that teams also appear to be able to exploit rookie free agent CB Bruce Johnson whenever they need a big conversion and there a lot of holes back there. The one way to mask those deficiencies is a strong pass rush but there really isn’t any indication that that is going to be much of a factor the rest of the way either.
The other thing that probably has to be recognized at this point is that the defense really has been ravaged by injuries this year. Indeed, of the 17 players the Giants likely would have figured to be core players in their rotation, 13 have had some kind of serious health issue and most of those haven’t really gone away. It doesn’t look, at least so far, for example, that DB Aaron Ross is anywhere near close to 100% after he missed the first half of the year with a hamstring issue. Same for CB Kevin Dockery who would normally be playing instead of Johnson if he were healthy. And so it goes.
That said, even though they trail Dallas and Philadelphia by a game in the NFC East and would not be in the playoffs if the post-season started today, the Giants for all intents and purposes still control their own destiny to a large degree. Beat the Eagles at home on Sunday, for example, and they get a huge leg up on a playoff spot because Dallas and Philadelphia have to play on the final weekend of the regular season meaning one is guaranteed another division loss.
In fact, for once this year, the Giants don’t have the most onerous schedule on the docket. Indeed, the team that has got to be feeling more than a little are the self-same Cowboys. Like the Giants, Dallas still has a home game with Philadelphia and a road date with Washington. The Cowboys, though, also still have to play at unbeaten New Orleans, as well as host San Diego, which has won 7 in a row and just may the NFL’s hottest team right now other than the Saints and Colts. Meanwhile, the Giants have a very winnable home game against imploding Carolina. The Giants also have to figure they have a chance to win their season finale in Minnesota as the Vikings are likely to play a lot of reserves if as expected they have already wrapped up a first-round playoff bye. At the same time, figure Philadelphia wins their two remaining home games against San Francisco and Denver, but still has those two NFC road games against the Giants and Dallas.
Of course, ’winnable’ only go in the ’W’ column if one plays well and the pressure is obviously on the Giants to match their effort this past Sunday against the Cowboys when the Eagles come calling Sunday night. Certainly, the Giants have to play better Sunday than they did against the Eagles earlier in the season where they were pasted 40-17 as a result of a dismal effort that was eerily reminiscent of what happened in Denver on Thanksgiving Day. Indeed, the big issue on Sunday could very well come down to whether either team is able to muster its ’A’ game. Both teams are coming off emotional wins - the Eagles routed the Falcons 34-7 in a game they clearly wanted to win marking QB Michael Vick‘s return to Atlanta - but its often tough in pro sports to play with that kind of intensity.
The other issue is exactly who is able to play as both teams are banged up. The Giants, for example, could be without two more key cogs in LG Chris Snee and SS Michael Johnson. Ironically, while Snee is the anchor of the offensive line, Johnson may be the more important guy to have back on Sunday as he is such an upgrade over C.C. Brown who would have to start if Johnson can’t go. On the other hand, Kevin Boothe is no Chris Snee, but is a steady enough replacement. For the record, both have been limited at practice so far this week, but at least have been able to get in some work and culd ultimately be game time decisions. Meanwhile, the Giants hope to have a full complement in the offensive backfield as Ahmad Bradshaw (foot, ankle), who was able to practice on Wednesday for the first time in many weeks, while D.J. Ware has been cleared to play after missing the Dallas game with a concussion.
The key question for the Eagles is whether star WR DeSean Jackson, who sat out last week with a concussion of his own, is able to play. Jackson reportedly has been able to practice fully so far this week without symptoms, but still has yet to take a real hit. Meanwhile, fellow wideout Jeremy Maclin has been in a walking boot all week with a case of planter fasciitis of his own and likely will be a game time decision. So may LT Jason Peters, who bruised a shoulder Sunday in Atlanta and also has been dealing with some concussion-like symptoms. On the other hand, it does not appear as if RB Brian Westbrook will play meaning rookie Shady McCoy will get most of the carries for the Eagles.
Playing the Eagles will be another early test for new Giants’ MLB Jon Goff who made his first career start Sunday against the Cowboys and played very well. Goff had 8 tackles and was around the ball most of the night. Goff is very light on his feet, changes direction easily and has good lateral speed and range. He also showed excellent instincts and was very decisive and aggressive attacking the line of scrimmage. Goff also showed the ability to take on and stuff a lead blocker in the hole; he also has good balance and gets good arm extension and does a good job keeping offensive linemen off his legs. Goff, though, has a tendency to give up a little too much ground when engaged by a big offnesive linemen. The jury is still out on Goff’s ability in coverage. He looked a little lost at times in zone, but actually played Jason Witten pretty tight when matched up in man coverage. Indeed, he actually got a hand on one pass intended for Witten, although the latter was still able to make a circus like catch. All in all it was a pretty solid outing for Goff and while it may still be a tad early to anoint him the MLB of the future (and presumably free up the Giants to look at other positions in the draft and free agency) the early returns suggest that the Giants at least would like to see more.
Say what? … Responding to a question about the continuing development of rookie WR Hakeem Nicks at one of his daily pressers, head coach Tom Coughlin commented “he was very good on the sideline the other day (against Dallas) expressing the fact that - encouraging others, feeling like it was a game that we could win - that type of thing.” Here’s a thought though. Maybe the guy, who leads the team in average yards per catch, and is tied for the team lead in TD receptions despite not starting, would be an even bigger help if he were actually on the field. Again, just a thought.
Say what II? The Giants make their co-ordinators available for interviews on Thursday and in the wake of Jason Witten’s 14-catch outing against the Giants on Sunday, DC Bill Sheridan was asked why the Giants have had such trouble containing opposing TEs. Sheridan put it quite succinctly saying: “That is a good question (it actually is). I know there has been some of that this year. One, we have played some good tight ends. We try not to have too much of a mismatch, you know maybe having a linebacker cover them that really isn't as able as some of the safeties are. We take that into account when we put the game plan together and try to put the best available guys. You have such good quality receivers that you are playing against, as well, and normally from a size standpoint you are not going to put corner type of guys on tight ends. You are also mixing up your coverage. You are not just playing man coverage every single time. So sometimes in zone coverage those guys are very capable of getting open. They work away from the leverage of the coverage and that stuff. I know a couple guys, Witten alone, had a Pro Bowl performance against us a week ago. Just different things; you try to attack it and contain it.” Let us translate. “We ain’t got no one who can cover them!”
Maybe these guys should talk! … At his presser offensive co-ordinator was asked why the Giants hadn’t gone more to TE Kevin Boss against the Cowboys. The answer was that the Cowboys ‘made a commitment to bang on him a little bit; that is the way to slow him down.’ Anybody got DC Sheridan’s number?
Fearless prediction: The Giants finally get some turnovers going their way and win 27-16!
Have a great weekend!
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