Week Three 2014: Giants vs Texans

The Giants set out on Sunday to get a win to end this early season slide before it gets out of hand. That’s exactly what they did when they defeated the Houston Texans quite handedly. I know it was only the third game of the season, but this was a big win for Big Blue.

It didn’t start off particularly well for the Giants. In fact, it was downright horrible. The first play that made me nervous was when tight end, Larry Donnell, got tackled at the Texans five yard line and the ball popped out of his arms like a greased watermelon. Of course this happened when the Giants offense looked like it was finally clicking.

At first I was like...

The other time that made me completely freak out was after a sixty-one yard Eli/Cruz hook up. The Giants had to settle for a field goal. Usually I wouldn’t care, but on this particular field goal attempt, things went awry. The Giants long snapper and longtime team captain, Zak DeOssie, botched the snap to Weatherford. Ultimately, the kick wasn’t even attempted. This is when I almost lost my damn mind.

Then I was like...

Despite the woes on offense, the Giants didn’t get discouraged. They settled down, made plays, and started to score. I haven’t seen the offense clicking that well since their latest Super Bowl run. Don’t worry, I’m not making any connections between the two, just yet.

With plays being made on all sides of the ball, the Giants walked away with a win, and a good deal of momentum heading forward. And Giant fans can breathe a sigh of relief that the team isn’t a complete failure.

Finally, I was like...

Apparently, the Giants made some changes this past week. Coach Coughlin decided to take a more relaxed approach to the weeks preparation. He allowed players to play rap music at practice, and he ended their last practice with a punt-catching competition... between the offensive and defensive linemen. Instead of getting on his guys about the mistakes they made and how to avoid mental mistakes, he kept their minds at ease.
Do you remember in D2: The Mighty Ducks, when Gordon Bombay lost sight of what was important? He put too much pressure on his team, and they didn’t play their best. He eventually realized that all of the grueling practices and the yelling weren’t the ways to get the best results. Coach Coughlin isn’t as bad as “Captain Blood”, but he realized that the best course was for the team to just go out there and play the game that they love.

Eli Manning completed seventy-five percent of his passes against the Texans. He was accurate, he made good decisions, he didn’t try to force anything, and he got rid of the ball in a hurry. Basically, he was the bizarro Eli. Maybe it was all the rap music he listened to during the practices that helped him find a rhythm with his receivers, or maybe it was just the offense finally clicking. Whatever it was, it was great to see and I hope it’s here to stay.
Before the game started I was concerned with how much J.J. Watt was going to dominate the offensive line and be an absolute nightmare for the offense. But the offensive line kept Watt out of the game. They gave Eli a lot of time in the pocket, and they made holes for the running game. They answered the call.

The receivers did a great job too. There weren’t as many drops this time around. This was especially true for Victor Cruz. People were yelling “CRUUUUUUUUZ!” instead of “BOOOOO!” this time around. He had a huge sixty-one yard reception and a twenty six yard touchdown catch. Preston Parker had a big drop on a third down, but later in the game he was a reliable target for Eli. Also, tight end Daniel Fells made an incredible catch that pretty much solidified the win.

(Here’s a new installment for the blog. It’s called “Buy This Guy a Beer”. Basically, it’s the drinkers equivalent to the game ball. It recognizes a player who went above and beyond to propel their team to victory. I’m only going to do it after wins, so let’s hope I give out a lot of these.)
Buy This Guy a Beer: Rashad Jennings
The running game was a huge reason why the offense was effective. Jennings averaged five yards per carry, ran for a career best one hundred and seventy-six yards, and scored one touchdown. He went bananas on the Texans.
But it wasn’t just his rushing numbers that made an impact. His rushing game was paramount in making J.J. Watt nearly obsolete in this game. He was basically the kryptonite for Watt. It made the offensive linemen’s jobs easier, which made Eli’s job easier.

"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"

The defense came out swinging today. Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Gandalf of quarterbacks, came into Metlife Stadium with an average QB rating of almost one hundred and twenty. He left Metlife Stadium with a rating of fifty-eight. The defense played like maniacs against Houston. They went after that ball like hysterical teenage girls running after The Beatles. Rolle, DRC, and the Fresh Prince all had interceptions. Those were the only picks Fitzy has thrown this season. Despite his lack of success in the air, he was able to run quite a bit against the Giants.
Alfred Blue put up seventy-eight yards against the Giants. This included a forty-nine yard run in the third quarter. Obviously, Blue isn’t at the same level as Arian Foster, but it’s still encouraging.

Aside from the bad DeOssie snap, the special teams played well. The return game was smarter, all of Weatherford’s punts were inside the twenty yard line, and Damontre Moore blocked a punt. I have a feeling this won’t be the last blocked punt for Moore this season. He’s become a great asset in special teams.

This was a huge win, but this game was far from perfect. There are still plenty of things to improve on. Those two big blunders in the beginning of the game could become very costly against top tier opponents. But all in all, this was a very encouraging game. The team didn’t fold when they were knee deep in mistakes. They showed grit, and the persevered.

On to the Next One:
 For only being the four game of the season, the Giants play a game that could have a tremendous impact on the season. This Thursday, they go down to Washington D.C. to face the Redskins. The ‘Skins have a great offense, but a pedestrian defense. I’m not too concerned with how productive the Giants offense can be. I am curious to see if the G-Men’s defense can stifle the potent offense.

"Yes, Steve. You DID do that!"

The key to win is to get pressure on Kirk Cousins. He hasn’t been up against a decent pass rush yet this year. Let’s see how this former Spartan will handle it. Also, they have to contain DeSean Jackson. Right now he’s questionable, and I’d really prefer if he didn’t play. He has been a thorn in the Giants’ side, the Urkel to the Giants’ Carl Winslow, for years. If he plays, the speedy safety, Quintin Demps, will be in the secondary trying to keep Jackson in check.
If they can limit their mistakes, I like the Giants' chances to win this game and get back up to even on the season.

So what have I learned?

If this week was any indication, the Giants new offense can be deadly. The offense seems to be fitting together like a jigsaw puzzle. Piece by piece, the Giants are building a powerful offense.

It looks like JP2 is back to his original form. Despite getting hurt once every game, he seems to be healthy. And a healthy JP2 is a dangerous JP2.

Coach Coughlin knows his team well. The fact that he knew how to react to prevent the team from having a full on meltdown is a testament to how much he knows and how much the players trust him.

According to Eli, they were playing a lot of 90’s rap to get their collective mind right. The idea of Eli listening to Wu-Tang Clan while warming up is hilarious to me, and I hope it never stops.

"Hi. I'm Eli Manning and here are my new friends. Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, the RZA, Masta Killah, and Inspectah Deck."

Week Two 2014: Giants vs Cardinals

Week two is in the books. Somewhere in the middle of the carnage that is the NFL soap opera, the Giants got dealt their second loss. Even though last week's loss was a complete disaster, this one hurt a little bit more. It hurt more because the game was in the hands of Big Blue, but turnovers and mental mistakes lead to the game slipping through their fingers. I can’t say that I’m surprised that they lost, but I wouldn’t be shocked if they won either, kind of like Leonardo DiCaprio being nominated for an Academy Award.

This will be Leo when he finally wins his Oscar, and this will be me when the Giants finally win a game.

Now, I hate the adage, “We beat ourselves.” Even if you made mistakes that cause you to lose, the opponent deserves the credit for capitalizing on those mistakes. Having said that, the Giants really did beat themselves. Their first win was in their sights, but because of fumbles, interceptions, and poor punt coverage, the Cardinals won. That’s the only reason that the Cards won;  it had nothing to do with their ability as a professional football team.

I also hate the adage, “The refs cost them the game.” Refs make horrible calls all the time. Both sides experienced the wrath of the flag happy gang. But a good team rises above the calls and makes plays. Having said all that, the refs cost the Giants the game. There were some calls that were just terrible. Soft “illegal contact” calls, a malarkey roughing the passer call on the first possession, and some non-calls all lead to the loss of the Giants.

I’m kidding, of course. The Giants made mistakes when the Cardinals didn’t, and they both had to deal with bad calls.

The game was going well for the most part. The Cards jumped out to an early lead, but by the end of the third quarter, the Giants led fourteen to ten with the help of two Manning touchdown passes. But then in the fourth quarter, all hell broke loose.

The game started breaking down faster than the public’s perception of morality in the NFL. The game turned on its head in back to back plays. The first play was a forty-five yard punt from Weatherford that was fielded by Ted Ginn Jr., who apparently the Giants are afraid to tackle. With relative ease, Ginn housed that punt, and the momentum started to swing in the Cardinals favor.
But the final blow, the Bane backbreaker, was on the following kickoff to the Giants. Quintin Demps caught the kick halfway into the Giants’ endzone. Instead of kneeling the ball for a touchback, he decided to roll the dice and take the ball out of the endzone.

"For the last time, Papa, I'm not gonna hang out with you!"

In football, the difference between a stupid play and a gutsy play is thinner than the veil of friendship between Peyton Manning and Papa John. It’s all about the result. If Demps got a touchdown on the play, or at least took the ball into Cardinals’ territory, it would have been gutsy. But Demps didn’t score, he didn’t have a big return. He fumbled. It was a stupid play. Throw in a fumble by Rashard Jennings that killed what looked to be a scoring, and possibly tying, drive, and you have a recipe for their second loss of the season.

For as painful as this game was, the Giants didn’t play that bad of a game. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of things that the G-Men need to fix quickly. But there were some positives to take away from this game too.

First of all, Eli played well for the most part. He had one terrible throw off of a defensive lineman’s shoulder pad which was picked off. But it wouldn’t be a Giants’ game without some Eli face. His second interception I’ll just chalk up to a last minute chuck downfield that found its way to a defender. His completion percentage was sixty-six. Sadly, for Eli, that’s stellar. He had time to throw, and, for the most part, his receivers seemed to be on the same page as him.

The defense played well. They only gave up one touchdown and there were a few questionable calls that kept that scoring drive alive. True, they were up against Drew Stanton, but still.

But the Giants’ biggest foe wasn’t a second string quarterback from Michigan State, it was mistakes at inopportune times. From Cruz dropping big passes after demanding the ball to Demps taking the kickoff out of his own endzone, these are mistakes that had an impact on the game. However, these can be corrected, and you can be sure that red-assed Tom Coughlin will make sure these get corrected.

"I'll just go home to my cats. Mr. Snuggle Tail loves me for me."

On to the next one: This week the Giants host the Houston Texans. This means J.J. Watt will be up against that sub-par offensive line. I’m scared about that match up. Like a contestant on The Bachelor scared about dying alone level of scared. But, if Pugh can get some help from the tight ends, running backs, and other lineman, and if Eli can work in the opposite side of the pocket, maybe they can avoid a J.J. Watt rampage.
Offensively, the Texans are strongest in the rushing attack. This is beneficial for the Giants, considering they are solid at run defense. The loss of Jon Beason is a big cause for concern though.
Like I said about Leo being nominated for an Oscar, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Giants won, but it wouldn’t be a shocker if they lost, either.

So what have I learned?

It’s nice to see the Special Teams coach, Tom Quinn, still doing a bang-up job with punt coverage. You’d think after last year he would have been thrown out with the rest of last year’s garbage, but he’s still around somehow.

Most fans would be excited to play a backup quarterback. However, this always seems to be a crux for the Giants. For whatever reason, it seems that Big Blue’s defense seems to struggle against backup quarterbacks.

I really hope Jon Beason can get back to a high level quickly. The defense is very different without him lining up behind the front four.

In recent years, the Giants success has been directly linked to their quarterback. If Eli continues to play like this, and ideally get better, the rest of the missing pieces could fall into place and lead to some success.

Week One 2014: Giants at Lions

The Giants on Monday Night Football picked-up right where they left off this preseason. I don’t mean going undefeated, I mean playing like absolute crap. Safe to say that this game against the Lions was a complete disaster. Wait, we might be better off saying that it was a nightmare. Like being trapped in an elevator only to be accompanied by Guy Fieri who’s real jacked-up about a new extreme hamburger he concocted.

"This burger is INTENSE, dude! Double bacon burger, smothered in a peach cobbler and hot sauce! I call it HOTLANTA!"

I don’t even know where to begin, to be honest with you. I mean, where do critics start when they review a Tyler Perry movie? I guess I’ll start with the defense given that it wasn’t as bad as the offense.

Shouldn't have messed with that sun, bro.

I know Calvin Johnson treated the Giants like great white sharks treat seals, but his two touchdowns, and a bulk of his one hundred and sixty-four yards, came before Big Blue’s defense got into a rhythm. Giants' corner back Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie said he was going to shadow Johnson for the entire game. DRC, with a little too much hubris, flew a little too close to the sun. Yes, I just referenced Icarus;  read a book. Also, on both of his touchdowns, Matthew Stafford did an amazing job avoiding pressure and made the play happen.

The Giants pass rush showed some promised a few times during the game. Even though Stafford was only sacked once, by Rolle, who isn’t even in the front seven, he was under pressure a couple of times. But Stafford, who’s primed to have a great year, wasn’t phased by the pass rush and still lit up the G-Men like one of Josh Gordon’s favorite blunts.

The run defense was solid with only giving up seventy-eight yards on the ground. Holding that rushing attack to under one hundred yards is no easy feat. Neither Bush nor Bell scored a rushing touchdown. So there’s one thing that they can hang their helmets on.

Now onto the offense. This horrible, horrible offense.

I’m trying to think of the right comparison with how poorly the Giants offense played on Monday. Honestly, a straight-to-video sequel to Gigli would probably be better than the Giants’ offense. The offensive line, which has basically become a turnstile with shoulder pads, didn’t give Eli the time he needed to make plays. This includes plays that only take a few seconds to develop. The line is especially bad with the two tackles, Will Beatty and Justin Pugh, who couldn’t establish the pocket. To be a little fair to the Giants offensive line, the Lions front seven might be one of the best in the league. So a dominant front seven rushing against an offensive line held together by duct tape, popsicle sticks, and rubber bands will surely give any quarterback fits.

I don’t want anyone to think Eli is off the hook, because he definitely shares the blame in this. With the offensive line as shaky as it is, when Eli has an opportunity to throw the ball, he cannot afford to throw the ball a little high, or throw it behind the receiver. He’s gotta be dead red on his target. That’s a tall order for this bumpkin, he’s about as accurate as a two dollar pregnancy test.

His receivers need work too. Even his most reliable target, Victor Cruz, dropped balls in big spots and is growing frustrated. “Wrong Page” Rueben Randle was invisible, Jerrel Jernigan is still raw, Corey Washington only saw goal line snaps, and their undrafted tight end, Larry Donnell, missed an audible a the line of scrimmage which led to Eli’s first pick. It was gutsy when the Giants threw three out of four times in their goal line offense, but I like that! I like that! It ended up paying off with a fade pass that to Donnell that resulted in a touchdown.

The running game wasn’t all that effective, but you could probably chalk that up to the bad match up.

Steve Weatherford, most likely the best player on the Giants, hobbled his ankle a bit when he got hit during a punt. He hopes to play next week against the Cardinals, so does every other Giants’ fan.

Overall, the Giants played a bad game against a playoff caliber team. It started off terribly, it evened out a bit halfway through the game (thanks to some stupid penalties by the Lions), but ultimately the turnovers drained every last ounce of momentum that the Giants had and the Lions ran away with the victory.

On to the next one:
The Giants have a tough matchup this coming Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals defense will be tough to overcome for the Giants’ offense. Oddly enough, I’d expect Larry Donnell to have a solid game, and for him to get another touchdown.
The key defensively is to pressure Carson Palmer and force him to make mistakes.

So what have I learned?

I know it’s week one, but I am concerned with the Giants. How concerned am I? Well, on a scale from one to ten, one being relaxing on a beach without a care in the world, and ten being the PR staff for the NFL, I’m at a seven and a half. But it’s only week one. Big Blue can turn it around, but it needs to be done quickly, and it won’t be easy.

If you don't turn this team around, it's open season on him, and you...

NFL Kickoff

Well, all of the summer beer has been replaced by a million different Oktoberfest and Pumpkin beers, Halloween stores are popping up all over the place, and the days are getting shorter. This could only mean one thing... the football season is upon us. So grab your old and ratty, but somehow “lucky,” Jason Sehorn jersey because Giants’ football starts on Monday night. It’s time to see how this team is coming together. Will they die like dogs, or will they fight like lions?

Sehorn is on the left. Next to the animatronic Bruce Jenner.

Now, if you read my previous post, I talked about how I was optimistic about this upcoming season. I explained how it can sometimes be a fool’s errand because success is so hard to achieve in the NFL. And judging by how Big Blue looked this pre-season, it looks like I was a bit foolish to be as optimistic as I was.

Here’s a list of why I was stupid to be optimistic:

The Offensive Line: It really doesn’t matter what system is in place if the quarterback is running for his life whenever he drops back to pass, he won't be that effective. Especially when the quarterback’s running is equivalent to a drunk girl in heels trying to catch a taxi. I thought the line would have made a big step forward, but it seems like they just stood still.

I really hope I don't see this face too much this season.

Eli Manning: I know the offensive line is in trouble, but Eli hasn’t done himself any favors either. He was sacked five times, you could put some of the blame on the offensive line, but the fact that he lost fifty-seven yards on those sacks have to be blamed on the jelly-legged quarterback.
Sometimes he’s looked fine, other times he looked as sharp as a bean bag. It looks even worse when you look at how well his second year back-up, Ryan Nassib, played. Hell, the goofy bastard was even outplayed by Curtis Painter.

Rueben Randle: Ohh Rueben “Wrong Page,” you’re doing it again, aren’t you? Last year I thought the issue with Randle was his inability to understands Gilbride’s offense. I thought he would take to this new offense like Batman takes to vigilante justice, but instead he’s taking to this offense like Bruce Wayne takes to emotional stability. True, he did catch that one touchdown against the Jets, but he ran a few wrong routes at crucial times that have killed drives.

Odell Beckham Jr.: It’s almost impossible to find holes in Odell’s game. And that’s because he’s been more of a spectator than a participant since he’s been drafted. The hamstring pain for Odell has been a real pain in the ass for Tom Coughlin. We’ll have to see how long it’ll take for his hamstring to feel better. You can be damn sure they won’t force his recovery and risk another set back.

Here’s a list of why I was right to be optimistic:

Steve Weatherford: The pumped-up punter, Captain Leg Day, is having a terrific preseason. Out of his thirty-two punts, eleven landed inside the twenty yard line, and only one was a touchback. It’s good to know that if the offense stalls, which let’s face it, it’s likely to happen, the Giants have someone reliable to improve their field position.

The Running Game: Despite the issues with the offensive line, Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams have really been effective in their first years with the Giants. Thankfully, the running game can be used to give Eli more time in the pocket to make better decisions. Maybe this West Coast offense might have to turn into a ground and pound offense.

Cruz before CRUUUUUZZZ!

Corey Washington: This undrafted rookie wide receiver has set the world on fire this preseason. He was even named NFL.com’s “Preseason MVP”, so we might as well get him a gold jacket now. Washington, who is 6’4”, can become the tall receiver that Eli needs. My only issue is that Washington didn’t get first team looks this preseason. That leads me to believe that he won’t get much work this year. Who knows? Maybe McAdoo will fit Washington’s skill set into this under construction offense for some immediate help.
I know it’s kind of a stretch to think an undrafted rookie can just burst onto the scene and become an integral part of the offense, but it has been done before. See: Cruz, Victor.

Damontre Moore: Coming into his second season, Moore really needs to step up and be a cog in the Giants’ pass rushing machine. So far this preseason, he has been playing like one of those cogs racking up nine tackles and four sacks. Also, Michael Strahan has been helping to mold him during the offseason. If Strahan is the Yoda to Moore’s Luke, we could expect big things from this guy.

"Much to learn, you have. A huge gap in your teeth, you need."

The rest defense I’m not too sure about yet. Overall they looked okay this preseason. The G-Men’s defense really depends on three people; JPP, Jon Beason, and Stevie Brown. If the three of them play to their fullest ability, the D will be just fine. If not, it’s going to put even more pressure on this troublesome offense. And considering it’s harder to start this offense than an old lawnmower, they need the defense to play well.


So what have I learned?

If Jerry Reese had access to a time machine, I bet he’d definitely reconsider drafting Zack Martin over Odell Beckham Jr.. Especially since Beckham’s leg is the injury equivalent to the state of the offensive line.

The officiating really needs to get their act together. I know the penalty calling is so much softer in the preseason, but this is ridiculous. I’m hoping for this to change, because football really might become unwatchable.

It will probably take a few weeks for it to happen, but the offense will eventually click. There will be one game where all the pieces will fit together like a puzzle. I just hope that game comes early in the season. I mean, they can't start off 0-6 again. Can they?

Let’s face it. This is the NFL. Anything can happen. Could the Giants only win six games? Sure. Could they somehow make the playoffs and make a run? Sure. I mean they’ve done this whole thing before, right? Getting completely dismissed and then pulling a great season out of their asses.
In a league full of teams that are hard to peg, Big Blue is probably the most difficult to figure out. I wouldn’t be surprised if they die like dogs or fight like lions.