Key Players For Week 4 New York Giants vs. Arizona Cardinals Matchup

By Author of Mario Manningham Facebook Fan Page - InReeseWeTrust.com 9/28/11  

   The New York Football Giants touched up their record to 2-1 on Sunday September 25^th, 2011 with a win against the Philadelphia Eagles. Let’s all be honest, advancing into this game was probably one of the most nerve racking games on our schedule, for the simple fact that they were the team who ended our season (confidence wise).  A massive amount of pressure was on the Giants shoulders to snap the six game losing streak to these green birds and come out and play physical, even if they couldn’t get a victory.  Unexpectedly, Big Blue exploded on the field early and came out quick and fierce. With the absences of WR Mario Manningham & DE Osi Umenyiora, the G-Men yanked a ‘W,’ out of the bag anyways. On Sunday October 2^nd, we will travel to Arizona to play the (1-2) Cardinals. If the Giants want to begin a three game win streak, the following players have to stand out.

   Despite having 17 tackles this season so far, DB Deon Grant is our first victim this week. The 12^th year man out of Tennessee hasn’t been as aggressive as he normally is. Some fans and writers have diagnosed Grant with the “Deon Sanders Syndrome,” which means he tackles poorly and depends on his body and shoulder to do the work for him. New York Giants fans were extremely pleased when Deon re-signed before the season started because of his play making ability from the previous 2010 NFL Season. With 72 total tackles, 1 sack, 3 interceptions, and 3 fumble recoveries, the 32-year old still has gas left in the tank. Furthermore, our defensive backfield is decimated enough and we could really use a superstar performance.  This is why his presentation against the Cardinals must be effective.

   During this past offseason and NFL lock out, the Giants became bare at the linebacker position. As a result, in the 2011 NFL Draft, they picked up Greg Jones (Michigan State) and Jacquian Williams (South Florida).  Big Blue lost their primary LB Jonathon Goff to a season-ending injury (Torn ACL), which caused them to start Jones in the first week of the season against the Washington Redskins.  In three games and three starts, this rookie out of MSU has a total of 7 tackles. His main obstacle is scanning the opposing teams’ offense and becoming deceived on certain plays. Brainy teams will take advantage of the fact that he is still a rookie, and throw confusing audible plays at him. Greg Jones needs to step up this week against the Arizona Cardinals because only having one tackle in an entire game (week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles), is not acceptable for a starting LB. If Greg can’t handle the predicament he’s in at the moment, LB Jacquian Williams or LB Mark Herzlich will definitely eye some playing time alongside Michael Boley and Mathias Kiwanuka.

   On the offensive side of the ball, rookie FB Henry Hynoski is the last man remaining on the list of “Key Players,” for this week. The Giants signed this undrafted free agent to replace former FB Madison Hedgecock. With the NFL Lock Out and barely any practice or minicamp, Hynoski was immediately shoved into the Giants starting offense, having to block for RB’s Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. Although he lacks speed, agility, and running ability, Henry is excellent at picking up the blitz and doing the dirty work.  For a rookie, his effort has been tremendously helpful but, he needs to continue with this production if he wants to stick around the starting job.  The Arizona Cardinals are ranked 27^th against the run, so the Giants need Hynoski to block like never before. If RB’s Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs can run through the Cardinals defense, the game is in our hands.

    

  To sum up, week 4 of the 2011 NFL season is just around the corner and the Giants have a great opportunity to improve their record to 3-1 against the Cardinals. We will have the upper hand if DB Deon Grant, LB Greg Jones, and FB Henry Hynoski come into view this week. It is significant that the Giants come out the same exact way they did against the Philadelphia Eagles last week. Now that our confidence is up, injured players are returning, and coaching is improved, we have to take advantage of this simple time and win! Remember to keep your eyes open for these players and watch the Giants carve up the Cardinals at 4:05 PM! Amazingly, in the “Key Players,” article I wrote last week, the three Giants I touched on all had solid performances against the Eagles. Did they happen to read the article? GO G-MEN!