Switching Sides

By Michael Eisen - Giants.com 9/23/10

Titans prepare to see Keith Bulluck in different uniform for 1st time

Titans coach Jeff Fisher was Keith Bulluck's only NFL coach.

By Mike Garafolo - Star Ledger 9/23/10

InReeseWeTrust.com Week 2: New York Giants vs. Indianapolis Colts Recap

By Alex Lewin - InReeseWeTrust.com 9/23/10 

I almost did not write this recap because the Giants seemed to not care Sunday Night so in essence, why should I or anyone else for that matter care?  But you know what, I feel better venting then not writing anything at all.  We all know what happened Sunday Night, the Giants came out looking no better than what Don Bosco Prep would look like against the Colts, and rehashed memories of the 2009 team, remember, the team that gave up five 40 point games.  So 38-14 (Really should have been 38-0) was the final but the Giants lost a lot more than a game Sunday Night: They lost the confidence and faith the fans had in them.  Let’s take a closer look at this train wreck of a game:

QB:

I don’t care what Eli’s final numbers were (13-24 161 2 TD 1 INT 1,000,000,000,000,000 fumbles) he played like crap because he was protected by a disintegrating wall aka our offensive line (more on them in a bit).  Don’t get me wrong, Eli played like 2004 Eli, in other words he was flat out bad, but the line was worse.  He had no time to throw and when he did, he was hit and hit hard.  The game plan called by Walrus Gilbride was also a disaster, too many throws too early, and the wheels came off right from the get go.  Eli has four picks this season but in reality only one of them was his fault and even that can be debated.  Look, I am not an Eli apologist by any means, but people need to look beyond the numbers with this guy.  Is he worth $100 million?  Absolutely not, but who is?  Drew Brees, Peyton, Tom Brady that’s it.  Don’t get discouraged with Eli Giants fans, trust me you would rather have him behind center than that other New York QB who shall remain nameless.

RB:

Remember the days of earth, wind, and fire?  Doesn’t that seem decades ago?  In literally a year and a half the Giants went from having FAR AND AWAY the league’s best running game to a VERY average to below average running attack.  Still, they were not put in a good position to succeed on Sunday Night.  The Giants got away from their game, panicked and never ran the ball from the get go like they should have against a defense who just gave up 250 yards rushing.  Bradshaw is the only bright spot in this backfield and though he ended up with good numbers, still did not have a good game.  If Bradshaw had the ’08 offensive line this guy would put up 1,500 yards this season.  It’s a shame this line has completely deteriorated.  Now on to Brandon Jacobs.  If you did not hate him before I am sure you will hate him now.  I can remember back to draft day 2005, I said at that point that Brandon Jacobs would be a goner by 2011.  Why?  Because Jacobs runs like Earl Campbell did, a huge, bruising running back who looks for contact instead of avoiding it.  Runners like that have a shelf life of about 5-7 years, after that they get hurt, and they retire to the pasture.  The problem with Jacobs is that he thinks he is still good.  Jacobs has not been good since the first half of 2008.  Last year he was horrendous and blamed it on a bum knee which I believe but you also saw him lose about five steps in his game.  This year I would consider him the third best runner on the team behind Bradshaw and DJ Ware.  If he just stunk that would be one thing, but he is a whiner, shuns the media, and treats the fans like crap.  This guy is a bum and I will guarantee he will be off the team next year.  In my opinion the Giants should have erased their mistake and cut him during training camp especially considering the un-capped year.  The media hates him and now the fans are starting to hate him, good job Brandon Jacobs have fun trying to recoup that $25 million you’re going to lose when you get cut.  O, and by the way, to steal a line from Ralph Vacchiano, Brandon Jacobs’ helmet went more yards than he rushed Sunday night.

WR:

I would say they were underrated for how bad they were Sunday Night.  Everyone wanted to talk about the defense, the O-Line and Brandon Jacobs but nobody mentioned how the receivers could not get open.  Steve Smith looks like a one year wonder, Hakeem Nicks caught a garbage TD and Mario Manningham made one very nice play for that 51 yard TD.  That’s it.  When Eli actually had time to throw nobody was open, at least not many ball were dropped this week.  I guess that can be looked at as a positive.  By the way, I am giving Ramses Barden until the end of the year.  If he cannot even dress and its year 2 then we have a problem. 

O-Line:

The o-line handed in an absolutely BURTAL performance Sunday.  Thanks to the 2009 team, I can say this was their worst performance since the Carolina game to close out Giants Stadium.  If Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis had no arms they would still get by David Diehl and Kareem McKenzie.  To be fair, McKenzie should have been cut before the year started.  Maybe he actually was and nobody told him.  David Diehl has always been a tad bit overrated because he plays every game, plays hard, and Giants fans love him.  I have always liked Diehl and appreciate his toughness and his attitude but he is simply not a very good football player.  This is the reason why Coughlin was trying to move Beatty into the slot before the season started.  For the life of me I still don’t know why Rich Seuburt is starting over Shaun Andrews and Shaun O’Hara is in the twilight of his career.  He practically said so himself with his latest Achilles injury.  That leaves Chris Snee as literally the only good player on this line.  He is an excellent run blocker who becomes average on the pass.  I think the o-line aging caught even Jerry Reese and his staff off guard simply because nobody believed that the best o-line in football in 2008 would be this bad just two years later.  Giants better look to take an offensive lineman in the first round one who is ready to take the reins not another project such as William Beatty.

D-Line:

What can you say that has not been said.  When you cannot rush the quarterback and cannot stop the run, you have ZERO chance of winning.  What happened to this “vaunted” Giants pass rush we were all hearing about coming into the season?  Tuck and Osi could not get anything going and the blitz, when they did blitz, did not touch Peyton.  Since Perry Fewell decided it was a good idea to play the pass despite the Colts rushing for eight yards per carry, the Giants never got a chance to show their full arsenal.  Bottom line, the defensive line look atrocious, and since we found out the Panthers are a five win team, I think this unit might not be very good. 

LB:

I mean, Michael Boley was the only linebacker who played.  Perry Fewell before mentioned scheme of one linebacker was the cause of this.  I can’t talk about a unit that frankly never got on the field

DB’s:

I would say they were in between “painfully bad” and “disgusting.”  Terrell Thomas looked like he should be play for USC not the Giants and Aaron Ross in his return did not do anything but look bad on slant routes.  The two headed monster of Antrel Rolle and Kenny Phillips did nothing either, and as for that 51 yard touchdown to Dallas Clark, that was all Michael Johnson’s fault.  Besides that everything was great for the secondary.

Special Teams:

                Could you believe that this was the bright spot on the Giants this week.  Matt Dodge did a solid job of putting the Colts in bad field position, but ultimately it did not mean anything since the Colts would drive down the field every drive. 

Coaching:

                Well, consider Antrel Rolle a critic of this staff.  Rolle ripped the coaches yesterday for a too “controlled environment.”  Normally I would tell the player to shut up, but you know what, he is right.  The Giants are WAAAAAAY too conservative and have been like this since Coughlin came here in 2004.  When they stick to a play they do not change course and that gets this team in trouble a lot as it did Sunday.  I do believe that if the Giants do not make the playoffs this season that you have to get rid of Coughlin.  Take a look at his tenure.  In 2004 he did a decent job, getting a terrible Giants team to six wins and getting Eli playing time.  By 2005 he had the Giants at 11-5 and division champs, the problem was the team collapsed late in the season (due to injury to be fair) and had one of the most embarrassing playoff losses in team history losing 23-0 to the Panthers.  After the loss, the coaches were called out by Shockey and Tiki.  The next year the team was a laughing stock, Tiki quit on the team after week 2, Strahan berating reporters, and Eli looking like a rookie QB.  Yes the team made the playoffs but was only 8-8, limped in, lost immediately to the hated Eagles, and was an embarrassment the whole year.  We all know the magical run Coughlin and the Giants had in ’07 which is the only reason why he is still here.  In ’08 the team was the best team in football until Plaxico shot himself, again not Coughlin’s fault but still under his regime.  You think Parcells or Belichick would have let a player shoot himself at a club? Of course the team collapsed and lost in the playoffs again to the Eagles.  Last year might have been the most disgusting season of football I have ever witnessed after a 5-0 start.  So if you are keeping track Coughlin’s teams collapsed in 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2009.  It’s been up and down for Coughlin but I believe if this team is not playoff bound then he is gone. 

                 As for next week, don’t be surprised if Chris Johnson runs for about 300 yards against this soft defensive line.  But then again, they did a good job against the Panthers rushing attack.  O wait, so did the Bucs.  The last time Giants fans panicked like this after a week 2 blowout was in 2007, a 35-13 loss at home to the Packers.  I believe there was even more turmoil going on back then, then there is now.   We all know in week 3 the Giants came out and won a defensive battled at Washington culminating in a HUGE defensive stand on the goal line to win the game.  Let us see if the Giants can weather the storm and come out with a win against the Titans.   

Leadership questions dog Giants for second straight season

In an interview with WFAN on Tuesday, Antrel Rolle, above, questioned Giants leadership and second-guessed some of coach Tom Coughlin’s policies and his scheduling for the trip to Indianapolis.

By Mike Garafolo - Star Ledger 9/23/10

Giants OT Kareem McKenzie vocal about dangers of drunk driving

'It’s a mistake that has been made time and again. There have been many examples of it, but we’re human beings,' says Giants OT Kareem McKenzie of driving drunk.

By Mike Garafolo - Star Ledger 9/23/10

Rolle apologizes, but sticks by comments about Giants

By Paul Schwartz - NY Post 9/23/10

Giants' Bulluck: How I left Titans 'stinks'

By Bart Hubbuch - NY Post 9/23/10

New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin disbands 11-player leadership council

New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin doesn't feel the leadership council was as effective during the 2009 season as it had been in the past.

By Ralph Vacchiano - NY Dailynews 9/23/10

Brandon Jacobs says New York Giants provide acceptable explanation for his backup role

New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs says, "I agree with the explanation 100%," after the Giants explain why Ahmad Bradshaw has earned the starting job.

By Ralph Vacchiano - NY Dailynews 9/23/10

New York Giants starting to question head coach Tom Coughlin

By George O'Gorman - The Trentonian 9/23/10