The Giants stand at 5-4 after nine games.  Four of their five victories came against some of the NFL’s worst clubs.

In their losses in New Orleans and Philadelphia, they were blown right off the field. In the home losses to Arizona and San Diego, the Giants squandered golden opportunities that may end up costing them a fifth consecutive trip to the post season.

Here are some changes that should be made in order to prevent being sent home in early January:

Offense

Getting Back to Basics

The key to the Giants’ offense in recent years has been their “Earth, Wind and Fire” rushing attack.  The departure of “Wind” (Derrick Ward) and the injuries to his replacement (Danny Ware) has left the running game a gear short.

Ahmad Bradshaw (“Fire”) has tried to step up into Ward’s spot, but the contrast between him and Brandon Jacobs (“Earth”) has not been as stark as it was in the three-pronged attack.  The short yardage game has been awful and defenses have had less to prepare for.  The solution is to reinsert Ware into the Ward role and move Bradshaw back to third gear.

In an interview this week, OC Kevin Gilbride has vowed to make Ware a more vital cog in the offense, especially on first and second down.

Beckum and Barden

It’s time to get these two on the field.  Starting TE Kevin Boss is still smarting from some recent helmet-to-helmet hits, so it might be wise to limit his snaps. But in order to do that, the Giants will need to establish their two big, young receivers.

Travis Beckum should be used a slot receiver and Ramses Barden has to be in the huddle in the red zone. Beckum will draw coverage from a safety at the least and Barden will have to addressed by the defense in the end zone. The Giants should get them receptions early in games, so defenses cannot discount them.  This way, they will help clear the box and open up other possibilities.

There is little downside to Beckum. Everyone knows he is a receiving TE, not a blocker.  No use in hiding it by lining him up as a TE or H-back. The downside to Barden is his inability to play on special teams. The Giants insist they need their WRs to all play special teams.  You mean, like Plaxico did? Make another exception for Barden.

Defense

The Giants have been in need of an impact player and playmaker on defense for some time now. They finally found one in safety Kenny Phillips, who has been out for the season since Week Two. Since then, the defense has been disjointed and vulnerable.

The Pass Rush Has Left The Building

The defensive line has not delivered the pressure anticipated at the outset of the season.  DEs Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck have been getting blocked and have made very few plays. Mathias Kiwanuka has not seen enough snaps to add much assistance.

DC Bill Sheridan must rethink his philosophy of a straight-on, four-man rush. He needs to make this group more difficult for defenses to prepare for and handle.

He can help them by shuffling them around and finding mismatches along the offensive line during the game (it’s called making adjustments). He will also serve the team best by getting all three on the field on passing downs and dialing up more blitzes.

More Speed, More Power

Those two usually generate at linebacker, where the Giants are a bit undermanned these days.  Outside of OLB Michael Boley, no one has distinguished themselves this season. But he’s missed five games.

MLB Antonio Pierce is either having an off year, or his skills are declining fast. Yes, he leads the team in tackles, but he has not made the impact the team needs.

OLB Danny Clark is nice depth player and a nice guy, but should he be a starter on a defense the caliber of the Giants?  Chase Blackburn is tough, but slow. Gerris Wilkinson is out for the year. Zak DeOssie is basically a special teamer.

That leaves Bryan Kehl, Jonathan Goff and Clint Sintim. All three were drafted by Jerry Reese for a reason. Would it kill the coaches to play these guys a little more?

Perhaps a rotation at LB would keep things fresh.  As a fan, the player that intrigues me the most is Sintim.

At least get him on the field more often.

Safety Tips

Phillips’ injury and CB Aaron Ross’ long absence has left this group in a shambles. Sheridan has had few options but to play the backups.

At safety, C.C. Brown and Aaron Rouse have been terrible on passing downs. They have rendered the usually reliable Michael Johnson helpless trying to cover up their mistakes. CBs Corey Webster and Terrell Thomas have played well considering the lack of safety help.

The solutions are as follows………Ross needs to come back.  Brown and Rouse should not be inbounds on passing downs.  The Giants must find a replacement for them at safety on third down, possibly the newly acquired D.J. Johnson. If that does not work. they will have to go with MJ and four corners.

Special Teams

Not much needs to be done here…….

P Jeff Feagles is beginning to show the signs of advanced age. He is having difficulty punting deep out of the Giants’ end.  He tries to make make up for length with savvy, but his kicks are getting shorter and shorter.  He can, however, still hit the corners on his short, placement kicks. Solution: no change until 2010.

K Lawrence Tynes is an enigma. The Giants should use that to their advantage.  Instead of Tynes booming kicks to ten and having them returned, they should let him kick line drives.

Every time he does this, the returners have difficulty handling his knuckleball offerings.  Heck, they may even get a turnover or two. Oh, and he can also kick the ball further this way. Go figure…..