This was easily one of the most embarrassing games of the decade. What was hyped up as part one in a great New York vs. Philadelphia doubleheader quickly turned into a stinker.
- Hey Giants defense, you realize Leonard Weaver is a fullback, right? Yes, the same Leonard Weaver that sprinted past the entire secondary in about one second on his way to a 41 yard touchdown. From the very first drive, it was apparent that these two teams were playing at different speeds.
- Even without Brian Westbrook, their best player, the Eagles managed to rack up 180 rush yards on 24 carries (7.5 yards per carry). But no play was more telling than Weaver’s 41 yard gallop, on only his fifth carry of the year. The Giants’ defensive backs (especially the lead-footed C.C. Brown) were out of position all day.
- The Giants’ defense had no answer for Donovan McNabb, who completed 17 of 23 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns. Aside from two sacks, the Giants rarely put any pressure on him (this is becoming a theme), and had no QB hits. McNabb had one of the easiest games of his career, as DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin ran uncovered through the Giants’ secondary all day. He threw long touchdown passes to both of the aforementioned receivers in less than a one minute span.
- Justin Tuck had a chance to pick off a tipped pass in the Eagles end zone in the first quarter, which would have put the Giants right back in the game. Instead, Tuck allowed McNabb to tip the ball away from his hands, catch the ball and run for a one yard completion to himself.
- What is going on with Eli Manning? He had his third poor performance in a row, completing only 20 of 39 for 222 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He constantly made poor decisions, missed open receivers and threw floating passes over the middle of the field. It was as bad as he’s looked in two years. On the bright side, he ran for 34 yards on three carries.
- Not that it mattered, but there was a phantom holding call on Rich Seubert at the end of the first half. There was also a bogus horse collar call on Jason Babin.
- The Giants won the time of possession battle 35:33 – 24:27. Yayyyyyy.
- The only game ball goes to Tight End Kevin Boss, for giving up his body game after game. Boss caught three passes for 70 yards and his first touchdown of the season. He was again destroyed by the opposing defense, and will not make it through the entire season if he is continually hung out to dry every time he makes a catch. I’ll bet he spends the entire bye week sitting in a bathtub filled with ice.
- I hate to say it, but if the Giants don’t get Chris Canty, Aaron Ross and Michael Boley back (or at least some combination), I only see two more wins on the schedule. How can I seriously expect them to beat teams like the Broncos, Falcons and Vikings with a midtown tunnel-sized hole in the middle of their defense? Starting their season off with a cupcake-laden schedule might have been the worst thing for the players, coaches and fans, as it gave everyone a false sense of comfort. This team better fix its problems quickly because aside from the Redskins and Panthers, the combined record of their remaining opponents is 31-11.
Bonehead of the Week: Giants Coaching
Of all the boneheaded coaching decisions, nothing in this game made me angrier than seeing Corey Webster in on punt returns.
Are you serious, Tom Coughlin? In the fourth quarter of a 40-17 game, you’re putting your #1 cornerback in on punt returns?? Did we learn nothing from Jason Sehorn’s injury?
I understand that Domenik Hixon and Sinorice Moss were both unavailable due to injuries, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to put one of your most valuable defensive players in as a punt returner in a game that had been decided by halftime.
With all of the holes in the Giants’ secondary, an injury to the team’s most reliable defensive back would have been a crushing blow. The fact that Coughlin put Webster in harm’s way in the meaningless moments of a 23 point game is an inexcusable gaffe.
Now if it had been C.C. Brown back there, that would be an entirely different story…
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Awful game. Had a few ideas though.
1. Is it just me or does Gilbride’s play-calling on 3rd downs and anything more than 4 yards just awful? Always seems to me like there is a quick little pass to the side that results in a gain of 1 or two yards. Never picks a play where the ball is in the receivers hands at least AT the LOS.
2. Could Eli’s mistakes be a result of that Heel injury? It seems like ever since the Oakland game he has just had no accuracy. Maybe hes not pushing off that heel as much and is instead using more arm strength, and since he’s not used to it he is overthrowing receivers.
I also think that Sheriden has no connection whatsoever with these players. hes the complete opposite of Spagnuolo. He doesnt wanna be around these guys (wanted to call plays from in the booth) and doesn’t get fired up, and doesn’t get the players fired up either. I think thats having an effect on the chemistry on defense, which is bad considering these backups are in there like CC Brown and Chase Blackburn, not to mention how Cofield must feel, being knocked down the Depth Chart after a good year thanks to Chris Canty. Just seems like Sheriden is the reason for no communication on defense.
I really just don’t know how much longer this team can go without Canty, Boley, and Ross. It’s really upsetting. And dont even get me started on Special Teams…
Giantmetfan I completely agree with you about Eli’s heel injury. Eli and Coughlin would NEVER blame it on this but it has to be effecting his play. I mean you do not go from being a top 5 QB in the beginning of the year to his in weeks 6 to 8. I know the competition has gotten better but honestly Eli’s play isn’t because he is a bad QB it is because he is missing receivers and plays he was hitting in the first 5 games. The receivers are as open as they were in those games he just has not been hitting them at all.
I would put having Eli in there for the last series as just as stupid, especially since he got sacked on the last play of the game.
Some kind of injury there and you can forget about even turning things around.
My concerns with the defense stem from the fact that guys seem to not be in the right place. The safeties don’t seem to know their job on certain plays, and it results in guys that are so wide open it is laughable.
Offensively, first real drive of the second half, if you’re going to go for it on 4th down from that position on the field, why do you throw the ball on 3rd and 4? If you’ve made up your mind to go on 4th, don’t you have to run the ball here and see if you pick up at least a couple of yards where the 4th down play puts some doubt in the mind of the defense (as to whether you will pass or run)?
Gilbride call’s some mind numblingly terrible plays. I agree with the previous comment (at least partially). On 3rd down passes you either get a 2 yard pass that is 5 yards short of the line of scrimmage, or a 30 yard pass that has about a 5% chance of being completed into double coverage. Now, some of that blame probably has to go on Eli since he’s making the reads, but I wonder if the routes just aren’t there for him to make the right throws.
And where are the screen plays to receivers and backs that have worked so well in the past? Is Bradshaw not as good out of the backfield as Ward was?
Finally, there’s no adjustment in this team. They play poorly for a quarter or a half, and then don’t try to do anything different. The announcers capture this best: the Giants are down four touchdowns with 20 minutes to play and there is no urgency on offense, no sign of a no-huddle, nothing. They’re still coming to the line, making 500 audibles/block adjustments, and snapping the ball with 1 second on the play clock. If Eli/Gilbride wants to run the offense where they make that many line adjustments, don’t they have to at least hurry to the line on most plays to have the time to do this properly without being rushed right up to the snap each time.
I think the reason why they are out of place is 2 reasons: Inexperience and miscommunication.