...posted by Rich Resch...
How many times in one year can I say “this is the worst I’ve seen the Giants look in years.” Apparently at least four times.
The Giants continued their mid-season swoon, and have now dropped five of their last six. There’s really not much good to say about last week’s game, so I’ll just say that Lawrence Tynes gets this week’s game ball for going two for two on field goals. That alone should say all you need to know about the team’s performance.
Offense:
- One of the most important factors with an offensive line is experience. When an entire offensive line has played with each other for a long time, they become a cohesive unit that makes the whole stronger than the sum of its parts. Unfortunately, when the same unit is together for so long, they all age together as well.
It seems like the Giants offensive line has finally crossed that line between “experienced cohesive unit” to “group of aging veterans.” As sad as it is, the team’s offensive strength has turned into an area that needs to be re-tooled.
- The Giants set the tone for this game after one offensive play, when Eli Manning had to call a timeout. The offense looked feeble all game, and Eli looked nothing like the top paid quarterback in the league. He completed only 24 of 40 passes for 230 yards and an interception, good for a 65.6 QB rating. It is clear that his foot is bothering him, as he has not looked the same since he initially played on his injured foot in a win over the Raiders.
- Brandon Jacobs doesn’t look great, but it’s not all his fault. the offensive line’s fault. While he does often look tentative, much of that is because whenever he touches the ball, his running lanes are clogged up. Every time he gets the ball, he’s lucky to make it back to the line of scrimmage before the defense makes first contact.
In contrast, every time the Broncos ran the ball, it was a given that Moreno or Buckhalter would be able to fall forward for at least two or three yards. The Giants offensive line just isn’t getting any push, and Jacobs can’t do it all by himself. Whereas Ahmad Bradshaw can make some plays with his shiftiness, Jacobs needs the offensive line to get some kind of push.
People complain that he’s not running defenders over anymore, but this isn’t his fault either. Whenever Jacobs ran players over last year, it was always linebackers or defensive backs ten yards downfield. In order for Jacobs to run players over, he needs to have momentum, made possible by the offensive line opening up holes. Jacobs is a beast, but hes not strong enough to knock over an entire defensive line, especially without a running start.
Defense:
- They say the best defense is a good offense, but that ship has sailed. I’d settle for a defense that can sack a quarterback and cover a wide receiver. I guess that’s also too much to ask.
- The fact the Broncos went for it on 4th and Five just shows what an unintimidating group this Giants defense has become. After Danny Clark recorded a sack on the Broncos’ first drive, the Giants failed to sack the injured, immobile Kyle Orton again the rest of the game. That in itself is unacceptable. The fact that this has been a theme all season long is a fire-able offense. The sooner this happens, the sooner this defense can become great again.
- One of the problems is that Bill Sheridan just doesn’t know how to utilize the talent he has. There is no way a defense with players like Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora should be this bad. For most of the season, I was willing to give Sheridan a pass since this is his first year, but the defense has gotten worse as he has gained experience. I have been optimistic all season, but I don’t see a reason to believe this defense can suddenly turn it around. The loss of Steve Spagnuolo has turned one of our greatest strengths into a glaring weakness. It goes to show you just how important a good coach is in this league.
- How many times do we have to see defensive linemen look out of position in the passing game. Justin Tuck showed an inability to cover on a play in which he was badly fooled into rushing Kyle Orton, leaving Tony Scheffler wide open for a completion. Chris Canty also showed a lack of coverage skills, which brings me to wonder why Sheridan had a defensive tackle in coverage. It’s like he doesn’t want to
- Michael Boley is somewhere between good and very good, but he is not a great linebacker. I am very happy the Giants signed him, but he is not good enough to be the only above average linebacker on a team. He is solid in coverage, but he was unable to cover Tony Scheffler on a key 4th and five. As part of a linebacking core where he is not leaned upon so heavily to be THE guy, I could see him putting up pro bowl numbers.
Bottom line:
Is all hope lost? Depends on your definition of “all” and “hope.” If you are using standard English definitions, then the answer is “no.”
No, ALL hope is not lost. The team can still go 5-0 or 4-1 and make the playoffs. Stranger things have happened. But for this strange thing to happen, the team will have to fix four or five holes by Sunday.
The quarterback is injured, the offensive line doesn’t block, the secondary doesn’t cover receivers who can run fast and the defensive line thinks the opposing quarterback has cooties.
The dream is still alive, but it’s on life support.
If you want something sugar-coated, have a donut. Donuts can be delicious.
While fellow writer John Fennelly takes you down a half glass empty path, and then slaps your face and tells you to have a good sunday, I’m going give you the opposite, HOPE. Lets face it the NFC east just isn’t that good, in fact while I’m writing this post the Eagles are losing to the Redskins 7-3 and if the Giants beat the Cowboys at home on Sunday they will be one game out of the division lead, owning the tiebreaker. “Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.”
No Game Today Means No Pressure – For Now
In a report from Adam Schefter on ESPN.com, 
For a look back at Matt Millen’s 