At the halfway point of the 2009 season, Brandon Jacobs hasn't yet broken 100 yards in a single game.
By Jenny Vrentas - Star Ledger 11/5/09
Thursday, November 5, 2009
NY Giants coach Tom Coughlin calling on team leaders to snap losing streak
Labels:
2009 Giants Season Articles,
Mike Garafolo
NY Giants coach Tom Coughlin watches the defensive backs work out at practice Wednesday in East Rutherford. The struggling Giants are searching for answers with a critical matchup against the San Diego Chargers looming.
By Mike Garafolo - Star Ledger 11/5/09
Chargers Scouting Report
Labels:
2009 Giants Season Articles,
Giants.com
By Michael Eisen - Giants.com 11/5/09
GREAT BLUE NORTH GIANTS DRAFT REPORT Vol 4, No 11 November 4, 2009
What the heck is going on…
For those who were out of the galaxy last weekend, the Giants lost for the third week in a row, falling 40-17 to the hated Philadelphia Eagles. In the process, the Giants fell out of first place in the NFC East for the first time this fall. In fact, at 5-3, the Giants are a half game back of both the Eagles and Dallas who play each other this week. All is not lost however. Indeed, if the season ended today the Giants would still be a wild card team in the NFC playoffs, although clearly they have to play much better than they have the past three weeks.
What is totally perplexing about the current ’slump’ isn’t that the Giants have lost three in a row after a dominating 5-0 start, but that for the third week in a row they came out flat without much in the way of energy or intensity. And that’s hard to figure. No team is going to bring its ‘A’ game every week, but teams, especially talented ones, coming off a bad loss like the one in New Orleans three weeks almost also play with a real intensity the following week which the Giants didn’t against the Cardinals. Its even harder to figure why the Giants would be so lifeless coming out of the gate in Philadelphia coming off two bad losses and playing a hated division rival with first place on the line.
But that’s sports in which the great equalizer is the internal motivations of players which can shift radically from week to week - and even within games - in ways that are often beyond explanation. What makes it all akin to herding cats is that players’ motivation, or at least the stuff that really counts, is all subconscious. The best we can figure right now is that the Giants got a little overconfident during the 5-0 run and now have gotten themselves into a mental state where the collective mantra is something along the lines of ‘no worries we’ll get this thing turned around next week!’ Indeed, one concern we have is that even if the Giants do win this Sunday against San Diego it will be almost impossible to avoid a second wave of complacency setting in during the bye week.
All that said doesn’t make it any less frustrating watching the Giants’ struggles over the past three weeks. Certainly, its been a team effort from top to bottom. The offense has moved the ball and put some points on the boards, but much of what the unit has accomplished has come with the Giants already well behind. Meanwhile, the defense has been close to a total meltdown with lousy tackling, missed assignments, little pass rush and sometimes non-existent coverage leading to a very un-Giant like 38 points against per game over the past three weeks. And while the players get most of the blame its also been hard to figure what the coaching staff is thinking at times.
Here’s a quick breakout of the killer plays against the Eagles this past Sunday:
Blocking FB lumbers for score on third play from scrimmage… Obviously, letting a blocking FB, who had 16 yards on 4 carries coming into the game, run untouched for a 41-yard score on the third play of the game was not part of the Giants’ game plan. It was a cut-back play of sorts that the Giants have been burned on repeatedly this season in which the offensive line slides left and the back cuts it back to the right. Off the snap the whole Giants’ defense starts to slide in the direction of the offensive line with the two DTs, RDE, MLB and WLB all in essence running themselves out of the play. Meanwhile, safety C.C. Brown also ran himself out of the play blitzing wide of DE Justin Tuck. Tuck did close down the line and was able to dive at the feet of the back but had his trailing arm locked up by a blocking TE and wasn’t able to wrap up. It appears that SSLB Danny Clark had the primary gap responsibility on the play but he was buried on the play by an OG and never got into the hole. And we hate to beat up on MLB Antonio Pierce, but #58 was lined up a step to the left of the hole at the Giants’ 40 when the ball was snapped, but was almost out of bounds back inside the Giants’ 30 when he finally got off his block long after the back had passed.
Manning has first pass picked… We have talked a number of times in the past that the key to moving the ball in the NFL is taking advantage of mismatches. However, whether it was a bad read or lousy design, throwing the ball to a rookie TE with 5 career receptions who is lined up opposite a Pro Bowl CB with help over the top wasn’t exactly what we had in mind! What’s odd about that play is that it appeared that the wideout at the top of the field who was Manning’s first on the play, was in single coverage by a DB and appeared to have been given plenty of cushion on the play.
McNabb to Jackson TD pass puts dagger in G-heart… After going down 16-0 early, the Giants got some hope when QB Eli Manning hit TE Kevin Boss with an 18-yard TD pass with just under 2 minutes to play in the first half. That hope lasted all of one play, though, as Eagles’ QB Donovan McNabb found a wide-open WR DeSean Jackson with a 54-yard TD pass. Again, its hard to know whether it was the scheme or just lousy execution, but the Giants’ secondary was nowhere to be found on the play. CB Corey Webster appeared to pass off Jackson presumably to safety C.C. Brown who was sort of in the area. Indeed, for whatever reason Brown and fellow safety Michael Johnson were close enough to reach out and hold hands the moment the ball was released without any other Eagles’ receiver anywhere near which just shouldn’t be.
The other head-scratching element on the play, the first play of a series on which the Giants needed a stop maybe more than any other series to date this year, was that BOTH of DEs Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora were dropped into coverage, while the Giants rushed DTs Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield and LBs Antonio Pierce and Danny Clark, a quartet which has combined on all of two sacks to date this fall. Not surprisingly, none of the four got off the line of scrimmage.
Shady turns out lights with 3rd down burst… There was a similar story late in the 3rd quarter when, after the Giants made it a two-score game, Eagles’ rookie RB LeSean McCoy made like long-time Giants’nemesis Brian Westbrook and raced through a gaping hole on the right of the defensive line and scampered 66 yards for another Eagles’ major on a 3rd and one play. Almost incredibly, despite the fact it was 3rd and short, the Giants appeared to be playing pass all the way. For starters, the Giants had 6 DBs on the field at the time and only had three defensive linemen with their hands on the ground, while DE Mathias Kiwanuka was moving around and ultimately rushed from a stand-up position. The Giants also had only one player lined up on the right side of the line - Umenyiora - who took a hard outside angle, while the rest of the front seven all went to their left. To make it worse, BOTH of safeties Brown and Johnson blitzed outside Umenyiora. Safety Aaron Rouse did come over late and had a late shot at McCoy but couldn’t make the tackle and it was off to the races for McCoy and the Eagles.
Jason Sehorn sighting… We probably weren’t the only ones about who had a flashback to one of the worst moments of the generally forgettable Jim Fassel era when CB Corey Webster was called on to return couple of punts with the game long decided. Okay so we get that Webster was the third PR on the depth chart Sunday and that both the #1 and 2 returners - Domenik Hixon and Sinorice Moss - were dinged and unavailable, however, surely with nothing on the line somebody should have told Webster just to fair catch the darn thing or let it bounce, just don’t try and run with it and risk injury for nothing. And was it really necessary to call time outs in the final two minutes down 23 in the hopes of running a couple more plays, the only impact of which would have been somebody else injured.
So where to from here… The temptation for a lot of fans would be for the coaches to blow the whole thing up and make major changes in time for Sunday’s game with San Diego which looms big in the overall evolution of the season. It ain’t gonna happen though. First, it would be totally out of character for head coach Tom Coughlin. Second, there just isn’t time. Third, the Chargers game is important, but even another loss Sunday wouldn’t be the end of the world. Indeed, if the Giants did lose to the Chargers, at worst they would be only a half game out of an NFC wild card spot with more important games coming up on the schedule.
There are a couple of things, though, that the Giants coaches have to get done this week. First, they have to figure out what is up with QB Eli Manning. After getting off to the best start of his career the first five weeks of the campaign, Manning has been grossly ineffective the past three weeks completing less than 50% of his pass attempts, while throwing 6 picks against just three TD passes. In particular Coughlin, Gilbride and company have to figure out whether Eli is just in a slump or whether that foot injury has thrown off his timing and mechanics.
Of course, Eli has never been known as a deadly accurate a passer, however, he usually at least gets it to the right area code. In the past three games, though, he has missed so many wide open receivers - and almost all high - that one has to wonder if there really isn’t something physical going on there. And while Eli actually ran the ball as well as he ever has Sunday against the Eagles, Coughlin mentioned that he’s noticed a couple of missteps in practice. As well, that TD pass to Boss was one of the odder looking throws we’ve seen any QB, pro or college, throw in awhile.
If it turns out Eli is just in his annual slump, the Giants will almost certainly let him work his way through it. However, if there is a continuing physical problem that likely isn’t going to go away until the off-season, then the Giants just may have to start to at least think the unthinkable and consider bringing in David Carr because 49% and 2 picks per game just isn’t going to get it done.
The one thing the Giants do have to and do it this week is solve the problem at FS. C.C. Brown is doing the best he can, but he’s a natural SS who lacks the instincts and range to play centerfield and is a long completion waiting to happen either in man or zone coverage. Unfortunately, at this time of the year there aren’t going to be a lot of options at the position. Certainly one just isn’t going to find a starting quality player on the free agent market these days. Meanwhile, Aaron Ross is still at least several weeks from being fit to step in, while back-up safety Aaron Rouse, who is really just a bulked LB, isn’t the answer. CB Terrell Thomas would be another option, however, he hasn’t played much FS in his career and doesn’t tackle very well at all.
But the Giants just have to do something to have any hope of qualifying for the post-season this fall. They could also consider moving SS Michael Johnson to free and Brown up to his more natural SS role. Johnson isn‘t very fast, but at least he has decent instincts and keeps generally doesn‘t make a lot of mistakes. Otherwise, if Brown stays at FS, at least until Ross returns hopefully against Atlanta after the bye, the Giants have to scheme to hide him. That means that the Giants literally can’t play any zones. Indeed, with Brown dropping as much as 25-30 yards off the line of scrimmage and MLB Antonio Pierce limited underneath, the Giants are left with something of a Bermuda Triangle 15-20 yards over the middle that is almost totally wide open. In the end, the Giants best odds if Brown stays at FS is to get 3-4 CBs on the field and let Brown help out where he can as they did with some success against Arizona.
Moving up on draft day… One result of the loss to the Eagles on Sunday was that the Giants made a big drop in the projected selection order for the 2010 draft. Indeed, if the draft were held today, the Giants would have the 23rd pick overall in the opening round, whereas they had been hovering around the very high 20s, if not the 30s all season until this week. And there are some intriguing players to check out in this weekend’s big college game when 3rd ranked Alabama hosts LSU on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 PM ET on CBS. Certainly, the Giants will take a long look at Alabama DT Terrence ‘Mount’ Cody (#62, 6-4, 365), the 350-pound plus DT who takes up a ton of space along the defensive front although the Giants may ultimately want a DT who is a little quicker. Meanwhile, Tide junior MLB Rolando McClain (#25, 6-3, 255) could be the first middle backer off the board this coming April if he opts to enter this year’s draft.
The most intriguing prospect for the Giants in this game, though, could be LSU junior safety Chad Jones (#3, 6-2, 215). In fact, while Alabama is favored, LSU probably has the better pro prospects including OT Ciron Black (#70, 6-3, 325), WR Brandon LaFell (#1, 6-2, 210), TE Richard Dickson (#82, 6-2, 250), DE Rahim Alem (#84, 6-2, 255), DTs Charles Alexander (#91, 6-2, 310) and Al Wood (#97, 6-4, 325), LBs Perry Riley (#56, 6-0, 240) and Jacob Cutera (#54, 6-3, 240) and DB Harry Coleman (#24, 6-1, 205). Meanwhile, other Crimson Tide players to watch include OG Mike Johnson (#78, 6-5, 300), FS Justin Woodall (#27, 6-1, 220) and CB/KR Javier Arenas (#28, 5-9, 195). And yes as noted earlier, star Alabama sophomore RB Mark Ingram (#22, 5-9, 210), who is generating some legitimate Heisman Trophy chatter, is the son of the former Giants’ WR of the same name.
For those who were out of the galaxy last weekend, the Giants lost for the third week in a row, falling 40-17 to the hated Philadelphia Eagles. In the process, the Giants fell out of first place in the NFC East for the first time this fall. In fact, at 5-3, the Giants are a half game back of both the Eagles and Dallas who play each other this week. All is not lost however. Indeed, if the season ended today the Giants would still be a wild card team in the NFC playoffs, although clearly they have to play much better than they have the past three weeks.
What is totally perplexing about the current ’slump’ isn’t that the Giants have lost three in a row after a dominating 5-0 start, but that for the third week in a row they came out flat without much in the way of energy or intensity. And that’s hard to figure. No team is going to bring its ‘A’ game every week, but teams, especially talented ones, coming off a bad loss like the one in New Orleans three weeks almost also play with a real intensity the following week which the Giants didn’t against the Cardinals. Its even harder to figure why the Giants would be so lifeless coming out of the gate in Philadelphia coming off two bad losses and playing a hated division rival with first place on the line.
But that’s sports in which the great equalizer is the internal motivations of players which can shift radically from week to week - and even within games - in ways that are often beyond explanation. What makes it all akin to herding cats is that players’ motivation, or at least the stuff that really counts, is all subconscious. The best we can figure right now is that the Giants got a little overconfident during the 5-0 run and now have gotten themselves into a mental state where the collective mantra is something along the lines of ‘no worries we’ll get this thing turned around next week!’ Indeed, one concern we have is that even if the Giants do win this Sunday against San Diego it will be almost impossible to avoid a second wave of complacency setting in during the bye week.
All that said doesn’t make it any less frustrating watching the Giants’ struggles over the past three weeks. Certainly, its been a team effort from top to bottom. The offense has moved the ball and put some points on the boards, but much of what the unit has accomplished has come with the Giants already well behind. Meanwhile, the defense has been close to a total meltdown with lousy tackling, missed assignments, little pass rush and sometimes non-existent coverage leading to a very un-Giant like 38 points against per game over the past three weeks. And while the players get most of the blame its also been hard to figure what the coaching staff is thinking at times.
Here’s a quick breakout of the killer plays against the Eagles this past Sunday:
Blocking FB lumbers for score on third play from scrimmage… Obviously, letting a blocking FB, who had 16 yards on 4 carries coming into the game, run untouched for a 41-yard score on the third play of the game was not part of the Giants’ game plan. It was a cut-back play of sorts that the Giants have been burned on repeatedly this season in which the offensive line slides left and the back cuts it back to the right. Off the snap the whole Giants’ defense starts to slide in the direction of the offensive line with the two DTs, RDE, MLB and WLB all in essence running themselves out of the play. Meanwhile, safety C.C. Brown also ran himself out of the play blitzing wide of DE Justin Tuck. Tuck did close down the line and was able to dive at the feet of the back but had his trailing arm locked up by a blocking TE and wasn’t able to wrap up. It appears that SSLB Danny Clark had the primary gap responsibility on the play but he was buried on the play by an OG and never got into the hole. And we hate to beat up on MLB Antonio Pierce, but #58 was lined up a step to the left of the hole at the Giants’ 40 when the ball was snapped, but was almost out of bounds back inside the Giants’ 30 when he finally got off his block long after the back had passed.
Manning has first pass picked… We have talked a number of times in the past that the key to moving the ball in the NFL is taking advantage of mismatches. However, whether it was a bad read or lousy design, throwing the ball to a rookie TE with 5 career receptions who is lined up opposite a Pro Bowl CB with help over the top wasn’t exactly what we had in mind! What’s odd about that play is that it appeared that the wideout at the top of the field who was Manning’s first on the play, was in single coverage by a DB and appeared to have been given plenty of cushion on the play.
McNabb to Jackson TD pass puts dagger in G-heart… After going down 16-0 early, the Giants got some hope when QB Eli Manning hit TE Kevin Boss with an 18-yard TD pass with just under 2 minutes to play in the first half. That hope lasted all of one play, though, as Eagles’ QB Donovan McNabb found a wide-open WR DeSean Jackson with a 54-yard TD pass. Again, its hard to know whether it was the scheme or just lousy execution, but the Giants’ secondary was nowhere to be found on the play. CB Corey Webster appeared to pass off Jackson presumably to safety C.C. Brown who was sort of in the area. Indeed, for whatever reason Brown and fellow safety Michael Johnson were close enough to reach out and hold hands the moment the ball was released without any other Eagles’ receiver anywhere near which just shouldn’t be.
The other head-scratching element on the play, the first play of a series on which the Giants needed a stop maybe more than any other series to date this year, was that BOTH of DEs Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora were dropped into coverage, while the Giants rushed DTs Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield and LBs Antonio Pierce and Danny Clark, a quartet which has combined on all of two sacks to date this fall. Not surprisingly, none of the four got off the line of scrimmage.
Shady turns out lights with 3rd down burst… There was a similar story late in the 3rd quarter when, after the Giants made it a two-score game, Eagles’ rookie RB LeSean McCoy made like long-time Giants’nemesis Brian Westbrook and raced through a gaping hole on the right of the defensive line and scampered 66 yards for another Eagles’ major on a 3rd and one play. Almost incredibly, despite the fact it was 3rd and short, the Giants appeared to be playing pass all the way. For starters, the Giants had 6 DBs on the field at the time and only had three defensive linemen with their hands on the ground, while DE Mathias Kiwanuka was moving around and ultimately rushed from a stand-up position. The Giants also had only one player lined up on the right side of the line - Umenyiora - who took a hard outside angle, while the rest of the front seven all went to their left. To make it worse, BOTH of safeties Brown and Johnson blitzed outside Umenyiora. Safety Aaron Rouse did come over late and had a late shot at McCoy but couldn’t make the tackle and it was off to the races for McCoy and the Eagles.
Jason Sehorn sighting… We probably weren’t the only ones about who had a flashback to one of the worst moments of the generally forgettable Jim Fassel era when CB Corey Webster was called on to return couple of punts with the game long decided. Okay so we get that Webster was the third PR on the depth chart Sunday and that both the #1 and 2 returners - Domenik Hixon and Sinorice Moss - were dinged and unavailable, however, surely with nothing on the line somebody should have told Webster just to fair catch the darn thing or let it bounce, just don’t try and run with it and risk injury for nothing. And was it really necessary to call time outs in the final two minutes down 23 in the hopes of running a couple more plays, the only impact of which would have been somebody else injured.
So where to from here… The temptation for a lot of fans would be for the coaches to blow the whole thing up and make major changes in time for Sunday’s game with San Diego which looms big in the overall evolution of the season. It ain’t gonna happen though. First, it would be totally out of character for head coach Tom Coughlin. Second, there just isn’t time. Third, the Chargers game is important, but even another loss Sunday wouldn’t be the end of the world. Indeed, if the Giants did lose to the Chargers, at worst they would be only a half game out of an NFC wild card spot with more important games coming up on the schedule.
There are a couple of things, though, that the Giants coaches have to get done this week. First, they have to figure out what is up with QB Eli Manning. After getting off to the best start of his career the first five weeks of the campaign, Manning has been grossly ineffective the past three weeks completing less than 50% of his pass attempts, while throwing 6 picks against just three TD passes. In particular Coughlin, Gilbride and company have to figure out whether Eli is just in a slump or whether that foot injury has thrown off his timing and mechanics.
Of course, Eli has never been known as a deadly accurate a passer, however, he usually at least gets it to the right area code. In the past three games, though, he has missed so many wide open receivers - and almost all high - that one has to wonder if there really isn’t something physical going on there. And while Eli actually ran the ball as well as he ever has Sunday against the Eagles, Coughlin mentioned that he’s noticed a couple of missteps in practice. As well, that TD pass to Boss was one of the odder looking throws we’ve seen any QB, pro or college, throw in awhile.
If it turns out Eli is just in his annual slump, the Giants will almost certainly let him work his way through it. However, if there is a continuing physical problem that likely isn’t going to go away until the off-season, then the Giants just may have to start to at least think the unthinkable and consider bringing in David Carr because 49% and 2 picks per game just isn’t going to get it done.
The one thing the Giants do have to and do it this week is solve the problem at FS. C.C. Brown is doing the best he can, but he’s a natural SS who lacks the instincts and range to play centerfield and is a long completion waiting to happen either in man or zone coverage. Unfortunately, at this time of the year there aren’t going to be a lot of options at the position. Certainly one just isn’t going to find a starting quality player on the free agent market these days. Meanwhile, Aaron Ross is still at least several weeks from being fit to step in, while back-up safety Aaron Rouse, who is really just a bulked LB, isn’t the answer. CB Terrell Thomas would be another option, however, he hasn’t played much FS in his career and doesn’t tackle very well at all.
But the Giants just have to do something to have any hope of qualifying for the post-season this fall. They could also consider moving SS Michael Johnson to free and Brown up to his more natural SS role. Johnson isn‘t very fast, but at least he has decent instincts and keeps generally doesn‘t make a lot of mistakes. Otherwise, if Brown stays at FS, at least until Ross returns hopefully against Atlanta after the bye, the Giants have to scheme to hide him. That means that the Giants literally can’t play any zones. Indeed, with Brown dropping as much as 25-30 yards off the line of scrimmage and MLB Antonio Pierce limited underneath, the Giants are left with something of a Bermuda Triangle 15-20 yards over the middle that is almost totally wide open. In the end, the Giants best odds if Brown stays at FS is to get 3-4 CBs on the field and let Brown help out where he can as they did with some success against Arizona.
Moving up on draft day… One result of the loss to the Eagles on Sunday was that the Giants made a big drop in the projected selection order for the 2010 draft. Indeed, if the draft were held today, the Giants would have the 23rd pick overall in the opening round, whereas they had been hovering around the very high 20s, if not the 30s all season until this week. And there are some intriguing players to check out in this weekend’s big college game when 3rd ranked Alabama hosts LSU on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 PM ET on CBS. Certainly, the Giants will take a long look at Alabama DT Terrence ‘Mount’ Cody (#62, 6-4, 365), the 350-pound plus DT who takes up a ton of space along the defensive front although the Giants may ultimately want a DT who is a little quicker. Meanwhile, Tide junior MLB Rolando McClain (#25, 6-3, 255) could be the first middle backer off the board this coming April if he opts to enter this year’s draft.
The most intriguing prospect for the Giants in this game, though, could be LSU junior safety Chad Jones (#3, 6-2, 215). In fact, while Alabama is favored, LSU probably has the better pro prospects including OT Ciron Black (#70, 6-3, 325), WR Brandon LaFell (#1, 6-2, 210), TE Richard Dickson (#82, 6-2, 250), DE Rahim Alem (#84, 6-2, 255), DTs Charles Alexander (#91, 6-2, 310) and Al Wood (#97, 6-4, 325), LBs Perry Riley (#56, 6-0, 240) and Jacob Cutera (#54, 6-3, 240) and DB Harry Coleman (#24, 6-1, 205). Meanwhile, other Crimson Tide players to watch include OG Mike Johnson (#78, 6-5, 300), FS Justin Woodall (#27, 6-1, 220) and CB/KR Javier Arenas (#28, 5-9, 195). And yes as noted earlier, star Alabama sophomore RB Mark Ingram (#22, 5-9, 210), who is generating some legitimate Heisman Trophy chatter, is the son of the former Giants’ WR of the same name.
New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin tells players it's a '1-game season'
By Ralph Vacchiano - NY Dailynews 11/5/09
NY Giants coach Tom Coughlin calling on team leaders to snap losing streak
Labels:
Mike Garafolo
NY Giants coach Tom Coughlin watches the defensive backs work out at practice Wednesday in East Rutherford. The struggling Giants are searching for answers with a critical matchup against the San Diego Chargers looming.
By Mike Garafolo - Star Ledger 11/5/09
Coughlin challenges Giants' big guns
Labels:
2009 Giants Season Articles
By Paul Schwartz - NY Post 11/5/09
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