Giants hope to rev up the run

by Ed Valentine on Dec 11, 2008 7:30 AM EST in News Comment 21 comments

Run, Giants, run! Everybody -- including opposing teams, fans and New York Giants players themselves -- knows that this team's personality is built around its ability to run successfully.

While no one has completely shut down the Giants' run game, it has not been as dominant in recent weeks. Here is part of an excellent analysis by Jenny Vrentas of the Star-Ledger.

When the Giants faced the Cowboys in Week 9, (Brandon) Jacobs led a 200-yard effort on the ground, the first of three consecutive games with 200 or more rushing yards for the Giants.

But lately, the run game has been less productive: 87 yards against Arizona, 108 yards against Washington and 88 yards against Philadelphia.

Starting with the Baltimore game on Nov. 16, the eight-man fronts the Giants saw intermittently early in the season have become more regular, with opposing defenses making a commitment to stopping the run. Left tackle David Diehl said teams have also been shooting cornerbacks off the edge, which San Francisco laid the blueprint for in Week 7, and have tried to slant the line to try to get containment on the running backs.

Putting eight or more men in the box didn't work out so well for the Ravens, who still gave up 207 rushing yards, but it's a game plan that has hampered the Giants' backfield for the last three weeks -- and can be expected from the Cowboys.

"We are going to put 10 men up there if we can," said Cowboys coach Wade Phillips, who admitted before the teams' first meeting that they would double Plaxico Burress. "We are going to try to stop the running game. ... We didn't do that against them the last game, but we are pointed toward that this game."

The Giants have been practicing this week expecting an extra safety in the box and are making the necessary adjustments. Certain gap schemes are more effective when there are eight men in the box, or the offense may run the same play but out of a different formation or scheme than in their last meeting to throw off the Cowboys.

The way I look at it, it only takes popping one or two long runs during a game -- like Brian Westbrook did to the Giants last weekend -- to change the outcome. The Giants need to maintain balance on offense, even if the running game is somewhat less successful, and look for those couple of big plays from 'Earth, Wind & Fire.'

INJURY UPDATE: Of course, running the ball this weekend will be even tougher if Jacobs sits out with his bum knee. I'm OK with the Giants being cautious with Jacobs. They need the bruising beast healthy in the playoffs.

BURRESS UPDATE: The Giants have refused to pay Plaxico Burress a $1 million bonus, and that is going to create a fight with the NFL Players' Association.
ABOUT THOSE COWBOYS: The Giants would love to help keep Dallas out of the playoffs.
SEASON STATS: The Giants' season stats are below. I apologize for not running these in a while, but there have been some issues getting them up to date.

Passing

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
David Carr	2	127.1	1	1	100.0	5	2.5	5.0	1	0	5	-5	-2.5	-1.0	0	0	0
Eli Manning	13	90.1	243	398	61.1	2747	211.3	6.9	20	8	19	11	0.8	0.6	1	15	101

Rushing

		Rushing						Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD
Ahmad Bradshaw	12	54	319	26.6	5.9	77	1	3	28	2.3	9.3	18	1
David Carr	2	5	-5	-2.5	-1.0	-1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Domenik Hixon	13	2	26	2.0	13.0	15	0	29	403	31.0	13.9	41	1
Brandon Jacobs	12	195	1002	83.5	5.1	44	12	5	31	2.6	6.2	9	0
Eli Manning	13	19	11	0.8	0.6	13	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Mario Manningham	2	1	-12	-6.0	-12.0	0	0	1	6	3.0	6.0	6	0
Derrick Ward	13	138	669	51.5	4.8	22	2	37	373	28.7	10.1	48	0

Receiving

		Receiving
	G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	Lng	TD
Kevin Boss	10	27	315	31.5	11.7	28	5
Ahmad Bradshaw	12	3	28	2.3	9.3	18	1
Plaxico Burress	9	35	454	50.4	13.0	33	4
Domenik Hixon	13	29	403	31.0	13.9	41	1
Brandon Jacobs	12	5	31	2.6	6.2	9	0
Darcy Johnson	4	2	2	0.5	1.0	1	2
Mario Manningham	2	1	6	3.0	6.0	6	0
Michael Matthews	2	2	26	13.0	13.0	13	0
Sinorice Moss	6	10	110	18.3	11.0	23	2
Steve Smith	13	47	471	36.2	10.0	30	1
Amani Toomer	12	41	505	42.1	12.3	40	4
Derrick Ward	13	37	373	28.7	10.1	48	0

Returns

		Kickoff Returns					Punt Returns
	G	KR	YDS	AVG	Lng	TD	PR	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
Ahmad Bradshaw	12	30	630	21.0	35	0	0	0	0	0	0
Reuben Droughns	7	1	34	34.0	34	0	0	0	0	0	0
Domenik Hixon	13	3	180	60.0	83	0	24	242	10.1	50	0
Darcy Johnson	4	2	2	1.0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
R.W. McQuarters	3	0	0	0	0	0	7	59	8.4	15	0
Sinorice Moss	6	6	123	20.5	27	0	0	0	0	0	0
Derrick Ward	13	1	21	21.0	21	0	0	0	0	0	0
Corey Webster	13	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	3.0	3	0

Punting

	Punting
	G	Punts	Yds	AVG	Lng	In20	TB
Jeff Feagles	13	48	2083	43.4	61	18	5

Kicking

		Field Goals								PAT
	G	0-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50+	FGM	FGA	PCT	XPM	XPA	PCT	pts
John Carney	12	0 - 0	14 - 14	10 - 11	3 - 4	0 - 0	27	29	93.1%	35	35	100.0%	116
Lawrence Tynes	1	1 - 1	0 - 0	0 - 0	0 - 0	0 - 0	1	1	100.0%	3	3	100.0%	6

Defense

		Sacks		Interceptions			Tackles
	G	Sacks	YdsL	Int	Yds	IntTD	Solo	Ast	Total
Jay Alford	9	1.5	10.5	0	0	0	7	5	12
Chase Blackburn	12	1.0	13	0	0	0	22	12	34
Kevin Boothe	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
James Butler	12	0	0	2	15	0	38	13	51
Danny Clark	13	0	0	0	0	0	33	22	55
Jeremy Clark	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2
Barry Cofield	10	3.0	14	0	0	0	29	9	38
Zak DeOssie	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
David Diehl	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kevin Dockery	10	0	0	1	44	0	25	4	29
Jonathan Goff	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Madison Hedgecock	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Michael Johnson	13	0	0	2	18	0	30	24	54
Bryan Kehl	8	0	0	1	17	0	15	7	22
Mathias Kiwanuka	12	6.5	56	0	0	0	26	12	38
Sammy Knight	6	0	0	0	0	0	8	0	8
Sam Madison	4	0	0	1	21	0	3	1	4
Jerome McDougle	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
Kareem McKenzie	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
R.W. McQuarters	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2
Kenny Phillips	13	0	0	1	0	0	46	9	55
Antonio Pierce	12	1.5	9	0	0	0	62	19	81
Fred Robbins	12	5.5	34.5	0	0	0	25	5	30
Aaron Ross	12	0	0	3	58	0	43	6	49
Rich Seubert	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Chris Snee	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Terrell Thomas	9	0	0	1	13	0	19	2	21
Dave Tollefson	7	3.5	19.5	0	0	0	11	3	14
Justin Tuck	13	12.5	85.5	1	41	0	44	11	55
Corey Webster	13	1.0	3	3	65	0	38	1	39
Gerris Wilkinson	5	0	0	0	0	0	3	4	7
Renaldo Wynn	8	1.0	3	0	0	0	15	4	19

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Comments

Jacobs..

I say if he has any more complications.. shut him down for the regular season

It's not easy being Giants fan in Philly.. but it sure is satisfying

by Hoyadestroya85 on Dec 11, 2008 7:34 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Jacobs

I agree, to be honest. I want him 100% healthy for the playoffs. Actually, I would also like to see Justin Tuck get a little rest. He has also been talking about how worn down he is right now. It’s the first year he has ever faced all the double teams, and he is beat up.

by Ed Valentine on Dec 11, 2008 8:19 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Absolutely right with Tuck

The only game i want them to go all out in is the Carolina game

It's not easy being Giants fan in Philly.. but it sure is satisfying

by Hoyadestroya85 on Dec 11, 2008 8:28 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

and this one obviously

the bye is more important to me than home field

It's not easy being Giants fan in Philly.. but it sure is satisfying

by Hoyadestroya85 on Dec 11, 2008 8:29 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Pass rush

As good as Tuck and Kiwanuka are, the Giants are obviously missing Osi. The depth isn’t there, and at least Tuck is wearing out. The bye week is crucial. Personally, I want them to go all out every week — but they also have to find a little rest for a couple of these guys.

by Ed Valentine on Dec 11, 2008 8:35 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Osi

I read somewhere (here?) where Tuck talked about rotating out 3 top DEs and how much more rested they were.

You play to win the game!

by Simms-McConkey on Dec 11, 2008 8:55 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yea

That’s what they spoke about down the stretch last yr. Their ability to rotate ends and have the same results was awesome. Its also up to the D tackles to start helping out. Besides we still have young decent pass rushers in the wing. Tollefson, Alford… We’ll be fine. I say rest Tuck against the Vikes, that would be a 2 week bye and should keep him very fresh and allow his body to recoup. As for Jacobs, is anyone worried he hasn’t been himself since B more?

by ProudYankee on Dec 11, 2008 11:32 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Jacobs

needs to take whatever time he needs to get healthy for the playoffs. I love Ward and Bradshaw, but Jacobs is really the guy who sets the tone and makes the running attack feared. Besides, the Giants can’t keep losing weapons.

by Ed Valentine on Dec 11, 2008 12:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah.

These guys could use a little R&R. Maybe a trip to Mexico with Tony Homo before the game. Okay, so I know the 2007 blueprint of going all-out isn’t universal. Nor is the Gruden blueprint of taking the last 2 weeks off and sucking in the wild card round. They both have their pros and cons. Seriously, these guys could use some recuperation. But what I’m thinking is, if they totally sit some of these guys and go ahead and lose 2 of 3, all their momentum will be shot. Playoffs are often about hot streaks — whenever I fill out an NCAA bracket I make sure to know who just won their conference tourney. They can more afford to rest The Jake (it’s what I call Brandon, he’s my boy, we sit on the stoop) and split runs between D-dub and Ahmad “Rashad” Bradshaw. They’re not getting by in these games without Justin “Don’t pull that” Tuck “rule BS with me.”
From the sense I get of Coughlin, it’s full steam ahead with all due deference to injuries that dictate time off. Remember, the playoff bye is virtually assured, unless we lose out and Minnestoa wins out, including beating us in week 17. So they’ll probably just press on and hope to heal up from Dec. 29 to Jan. 9.

You play to win the game!

by Simms-McConkey on Dec 11, 2008 8:54 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Eerily quiet around here ...

very little trash talking from the Cowboys fans this week. I guess they need to be the favorites to come over and tell us how great they are.

Anyway, I hope the Giants can get the run game going like it was, but I fear that the loss of Plax is going to keep allowing teams to add the extra defender in the box and we’ll never get there. I still think our run game is still effective in this way because Eli & Co can burn them in the passing game if they play up, but I think our 200+ rushing yard games against top defenses might be over. The great thing about this offense is it’ll take what it can get.

by potroast on Dec 11, 2008 11:00 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

underdogs

The Cowgirls are 3 point favorites and I love it.

I actually went over there to follow the Bush Doctrine of fighting’em on their turf or they’ll be coming here.

You play to win the game!

by Simms-McConkey on Dec 11, 2008 11:03 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry Charles, I am not familiar with the Bush Doctrine

by Cody K on Dec 11, 2008 12:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It is likely that bad collapse in Pittsburgh

that has them sticking close to home. I watched the game and felt respectfully disgusted about how well they were playing, and then it all fell apart like a Smart car hitting a transport. I would be a little shy to run my mouth after that as well.

Not to say we have much to crow about after the Eagles game.

by brisulph on Dec 11, 2008 12:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think that hit the nail on the head

both teams suffered pretty embarrassing losses last week. Doesn’t make much sense to run your mouth after that

by cjmulrain on Dec 11, 2008 2:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Rushing against 8

in the box is very difficult to do consistently without really nice threats on the outside. Look at the Titans. They’ve been putting up big rushing numbers less frequently lately, just like the Giants.

Until Plax shot himself, I thought this set you guys apart from the Titans. I still think you have more weapons passing and a better QB than Tennessee, but your situations are much more similar now.

John 14:6

by DMorgan on Dec 11, 2008 4:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

fair point

by cjmulrain on Dec 11, 2008 5:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Bradshaw and others

I know Bradshaw was banged up a few weeks ago – Is he 100% Maybe also time to play Ware a little

Also, I agree about Tollefson and Alford – rotate them in.

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by NYERinSF on Dec 11, 2008 3:52 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Forget Ware

The only carries he is going to get, if any, will be just to rest guys as the season winds down. If BJ is out, it will be all Ward & Bradshaw. Tollefson and Alford are playing a lot already, it’s just those two guys as backups aren’t as good as bringing in Tuck off the bench was last year.

by Ed Valentine on Dec 11, 2008 4:15 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

JT

was an all pro last year who got snubbed

It's not easy being Giants fan in Philly.. but it sure is satisfying

by Hoyadestroya85 on Dec 11, 2008 4:25 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I saw Jacobs

after the game on sunday and he was walking around fine, singing autographs and in a really good mood.

Thats him with my mother – he looks pretty upbeat.

by ryanwk628 on Dec 12, 2008 9:40 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

If the secondary

is run blitzing to contain our sweeps and off tackle runs, the WRs have to break out, now would be great time for Santana or Manningham to take a step up, a couple of deep catches should slow down the corners enthusiasm for playing the run.

by The Pale Scot on Dec 12, 2008 11:04 AM EST reply actions 0 recs