Ma(dde)nning

Ralph Vacchiano on Manning

The crossroads of Atlanta

So now I have heard "trap game" used twice in as many weeks. To be fair, when the Giants were down by 10 pts in the 1st AND 2nd half vs the Jets, it sure looked like a trap. I feel that w/o Ross the Giants lose the game.. trap validated.

So is Atlanta a trap game? They are a 1-4 team with some lousy stats but very close losses (3 of them by a TD), which does imply that if anything goes right for them, they can win. But upon closer inspection (provided well by the media this week) the Falcons OL consists of two second string Tackles and even a rookie Guard too. So Alge Crumpler should have far more difficulty getting that deep route... who is left to protect the QB?

NO EXCUSES! WIN THE GAME! You are playing a garbage team in a garbage conference that is bigger garbage because they do not have an offensive line! Calling it a trap game is nothing more than an admission that we are not consistent enough to romp over a weaker opponent. And why would that be? Because once again we have the Eli Manning show, where each half we never know whether we have the poised leader or the deer in headlights.

If Manning shows up for 4 quarters this is NOT a contest, it is a demolition.

In telling fashion, 8 out of 10 NY Post geniuses have the Giants -3 1/2. Naturally Blezow is with them. But more alarming is the 'free' money that is evidence of SIX of them selecting the Giants as a best bet. That is scary because in all of my years of observing the geniuses I have NEVER seen SIX best bets on one team. Therein lies the trap. Maybe the Giants are up by 10 late and give up a scrub TD at the end to lose the cover. But if Manning 'plays' an entire game the masses are correct and the Giants do what they SHOULD--- manhandle this team.

INTERCEPTIONS!

Video Recap of the Giants win over the Jets

Video Recap of the 5 best interceptions of all time for the Giants

NYG 35 NYJ 24

BIG WIN!

1) Manning shows his inconsistent play, and the Giants as a result become inconsistent. We saw him play 4 Q's in G1-3, and in the last 2 games we have seen regression. Two quarters were good enough against a weaker opponent at home... as Manning goes so goes this team.
2) AARON ROSS!!!! Let's quickly say that he did not even start in the first half because he broke a team rule. Now that that is out of the way (and assuming it is non-issue going forward), THE GIANTS HAVE FOUND THEMSELVES A PLAYER! THIS DEVELOPMENT IS NOTHING SHORT OF HUGE. We have noticed the quiet impact this rookie having... that the defense has given up a total of THREE POINTS in EIGHT quarters that he has started. That is not an accident. He has been making plays and has been around the ball. And then today. I thought the first INT was huge. I thought the second INT was Sehorn-esque. If this guy can stay healthy and keep on improving, he is going to be a force. The Giants have not had an impact player in the secondary since 1997 with Sehorn before his ACL injury. And the last Giants defense to be dominant was in 1997. The ramifications of the Giants finding themselves a cornerback are enormous.
3) Wake me up from my Leon Washington nightmare.
4) Plaxico Burress continues to make impact plays.
5) I will defend Coughlin's decision to pass at the end of H1. I will not defend the pass by Manning into tight double coverage.
6) The Giants defense gave up 7 points this game. They are getting better. I was disappointed there were zero sacks, but they pressured Pennington enough to make it count.
7) Shockey must get more involved.
8) Jacobs made a startling admission in the post-game that he felt it was almost a foregone conclusion he would cough up the ball at some point, having been out for ~3+ games. Honest, but unacceptable. Both he and Ward did well otherwise.
9) Our kicker is not getting enough length on kickoffs. Our field position is a killer.
10) AARON ROSS!!!! Second mention for the impact he made on this game.

Jet game

The media did a good job this week of pointing out how Manning's QB rating has tapered off since the start of the season. I will stop there, cut thru the bs of the stat-chasing and say that Manning played well in the first 3 games and played like the Manning of 2006 against the Eagles. The point here is that if the Eagles had any health last weekend and we got that same Manning performance, we'd be 1-3 and woe is me. Manning better be more consistent than this or else we are once again screwed as he yet again becomes the weakest link. WE SHOULD HAVE WON 30-3 vs the Eagles. The score is incredibly misleading.

So now here come the 1-3 Jets. They will be 1-4 if the Giants are able to follow suit. That asks the Giants to put a death sentence on this season for the Jets. 1-4 is a huge hole. So we know the Jets will be ready to play. Will the Giants be ready? Some intelligent observers (Marvelous Monday, Carl Banks Friday) are calling this a 'trap' game. Makes sense. The Giants just won on the national Madden platform, they are no longer being told they s**k, and they are playing a weaker opponent. It comes down to the consistency we get from Manning. If he plays like weeks 1-3 we win, if he plays like Week 4 we will lose.

NYG 16 Eagles 3

There were a zillion takeaways from this game.

1) This was a very good win. You beat the Eagles and you take it any way you can get it.
2) Rob points out that Manning looked a little shell-shocked after the INT that was almost run back for a TD at the end of Q2. I agree. He was tentative in H2, the old Eli who is inconsistent and cannot play a full game. AND OUR POTENT OFFENSE SUFFERED.
3) I am not sure of this, but I think the Eagles intentionally rushed more to the side that Burress was on to block off Manning's vision and passing lanes on that side of the field. The Giants used this technique under Fox to stop opposing QBs from picking on Dave (swiss cheese burger) Thomas.
4) I am already having nightmares about Leon Washington running one back for a TD vs our specials.
5) The Giants defensive line scheme was great. They spread out their rushers, and then used Kiwanuka or Tuck or a stunting Umenyiora to create speed mismatches of our natural DEs vs their slower Guards/Center. Let's face facts... Tuck and Kiwanuka could start for most teams.
6) On the subject of Kiwanuka, he collected THREE sacks in a single game! Umenyiora's insanity of 6 overshadowed an otherwise stellar game by him. I still think back to that arrogant declaration a day after the draft how the Giants had 'fooled' the rest of the NFL into thinking we had to draft a LB when we had planned all a long to move Kiwanuka over there and no longer needed a LB. WHO FOOLED WHO?!!!! "KISS" = "Keep it simple, stupid." Find some sausage filler at LB and let Kiwanuka win you games at DE.
7) The Giants still need to handle the TE. We got lucky that LJ Smith was one of the five hurt, and this win does not hide the fact that we need another LB.
8) I like Ward more than Jacobs. Ward runs lower to the ground, cuts faster and sees the field better. Having Jacobs back helps us, but Ward has earned plenty of playing time.
9) Webster did not get beat at corner because Ross was there instead. The rookie looked decent and I was pleased to see him used on a corner blitz. Your corner needs speed to be used that way, so that is a good sign.
10) Illini Wek Diehl is holding up decently at LT. Cole was shut out- very big plus!
11) Our kicker is dreadful.
12) I think Umenyiora is healthy again.

Btw, in case you did not know, Jet fans are ugly and they cry like Red Sox fans. The Giants are -3. I hope Jets fans are still crying at 4pm Sunday.

This is a MUST WIN game now vs the Eagles

Westbrook is out. The Eagles are playing w/o 4-5 pro bowlers. We are at home. Now this becomes a must-win game because it is not who you play but when you play them, and the Eagles are decimated. WIN THIS GAME, no excuses.

Mixed Signals

Every week I like to track the NY Post sentiment as a negative indicator, and just as importantly the picks of Blezow. This week it is a mixed bag, with 7 out of 10 on the Eagles and (uncharacteristically) Blezow in the minority with the Giants. Those items by definition are mitigating. So why do I share this info when it is "confused?" Because you need to read the previous post to understand the same confusion we all have about this team. We wonder if we are going to get the team that lost the first 2 or won the third, the team from the first half last week or the second half? I am very interested in seeing what we get Sunday night. They will surely pick on Ross- I would. How effective is Westbrook? Burress? Ward? Those three have been a huge part of their team's offense and all of them are going to play hurt. Too many questions... let's sit back and enjoy the uncertainty.

1/3rd full or 2/3rds empty?

Well, to be fair the Giants have played two of only 4 teams in the league that are undefeated. The Cowboys and the Packers are both 3-0. I was not impressed by either team. But this past weekend these teams laid waste to the Bears and the Chargers... does this strengthen the Giants knowing they did not lose to also-rans? At this early stage I would have to give the team the benefit of the doubt. No, this does not absolve the pass coverage. But it does make us rethink our assessment. Can Ross provide an uptick over Webster (who was benched in the H2)? Can we see more of the pass rusher in Kiwanuka instead of the LB? Is this a bonafide renaissance for Manning? Before we get too excited, we will be quick to remember the first half gaffes and the special teams insanities of field position given to the opponent at the 50 seemingly every time. What I can say is that I have seen wins like the one on Sunday before, and they can turn around seasons at ANY juncture, be it W3, W13, week-whatever. Giants-Eagles. I predicted the Giants would not win either contest this season. I will stay with that prediction. But with the way Manning is playing, they are in every game, and that I did not know when I made that prediction before the season began. Sound like I am hedging? Yep.

NYG 24 Skins 17

The ugly: special teams, the first half, Corey Webster.
The bad: ill-advised INT by Manning, Diehl beaten on speed rush for turnover, ~6 dropped catch-able balls.
The good: a nice win, a tremendous second half, Kiwanuka going forward as a DE vs the QB (2 sacks) as opposed to backward in LB coverage, Eli Manning showing yet more consistency, Burress w some huge catches and a tremendous TD run (after catch) to win the game.

Repeat after me, Coughlin and Reese: Kiwanuka is a DE.

I still feel we are on course for a 6-10 season, but if Manning can play like this for 16 games we are going to be a force to be reckoned with with a new head coach.

skins game

Last week the Blezow indicator worked to perfection again (he has taken the Gmen twice and we have gone down in flames). This week he has taken the ... Skins! There is hope! Well, okay, not that much hope, because we only have 5 geniuses out of 10 on the Skins, so it is less than perfect. Plus we all know the Skins can win and not cover. So the Giants have a number of ways of still losing this game.

For those out there betting, we have a lock for you this weekend! All 10 out of 10 Post geniuses have the Jets over the Dolphins. Admit it! You like the Jets to get their first win too this weekend, beating up on the hapless Fins. Yet you also liked the Eagles on Monday night vs the Skins, so fess up! Take the fins.

how ugly?

In yesterday's Star Ledger they had a scout (I cannot find the link, sorry) who dissected the defense. The scout concluded that Spagnuolo was not the problem, that the personnel could not stay with the opposition given whatever coverage they were in. So it really boiled down to LBs/CBs/Safeties in coverage not getting it done. The scout politely implied that this problem is not going away.

Yesterday and today we had a number of armchair head coaches who offered their advice on how to fix at least some of the problems. I will offer one piece of advice which I offered last year. Fire Coughlin.

While we are on the topic of adminstration.... Reese is going to get his share of the blame. (1) He is already getting the heat for his post-draft boasting of how he faked everybody out with the LB need, because the Kiwanuka move is killing them. They needed a LB. You do not take #1 draft pick impact players and change their position. (2) Wait until one or two OLinemen get hurt and we find out that not only did we lose a LT when Petitgout got cut, but that we also lost depth. (3) The secondary mess he inherits we will give him the pass on. He knew he had a problem there and went out and got a #1. But what about free agency? (4) Strahan should have been fined the max. They rolled back ~half of the fine, so that Strahan could spend the first few games getting into football shape. Very nice.

All of these items were mentioned on this blog BEFORE the season started.

Two bagger: Pack 35 Gmen 13

You need two bags for this one... the first is to vomit into and the second one is to put over your head in embarrassment. Do you know how bad this is getting folks? Charles W., the eternal optimist, is not sure if we are going to win a(nother) game this year. In truth, we have two pro bowl pass rushers who have been silent, and our secondary and linebackers are making too many mistakes. OUR DEFENSE IS TERRIBLE. And once again our discipline crumbled like a house of cards. There were rumors of a Bob Whitfield sighting out there. The only thing missing was one of his trademark headbutts, because we had personal fouls, delay of games, unnecessary roughness, you name it. The 2006 Coughlin disease is alive and well, Mr. Mara. And this is all in GAME TWO! It gets late early around here. Usually I would go into deep analysis of what is working and what is not, but I'll save you a lot of time- Manning and the offensive line are working, and everything else is one large stench. At this point I would be happy if our record tanked, Manning was the bright spot for our future, we got the top pick in the draft and Cowher came in and straightened out this mess. I'll be going to 4 more games, so if my math is correct that means I will need 8 bags.

Packers Home Opener

The Giants are pick'em this weekend. Eight of the 10 NY Post geniuses (including Blezow, ALWAYS in the majority) have the Gmen, and to make matters worse 4 of them have them with the best bet. GROAN. What did these people see that I did not see? They have hope. They hope (1) Manning will play (2) the secondary can play better, since it is hard to imagine them playing worse (3) Kiwanuka will go back to the defensive line because with Joseph gone and Umenyiora out (?) Coughlin will have no choice but to end this experiment (4) homefield is the tonic for victory.

I hope for a pass rush. That is where we have the skill players to make the impact, and that will be the way we can cover up the multitude of sins in the secondary/strong side LB.

Goodell's punishment

Belichick was fined $500,000. The team loses a 2 and 3 if it does not make the playoffs and it loses a 1 if it does. The punishment on the team should have been greater to get the attention of everyone in the league. By the way, note how Belichick did a faux mea culpa: "..our use of sideline video had no impact on the outcome of last week's game. We have never used sideline video to obtain a competitive advantage while the game was in progress." Translation- the Jets were onto us too early for us to get much video, and we use the video to pick off signals in future games after we finish studying it and cataloging it. The guy is a snake and does not have any class.