Giants vs. Eagles: 'Kudos & Wet Willies' preview
by Ed Valentine on Nov 1, 2009 7:00 AM EST
in New York Giants News
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PrintThere have been way too many 'Wet Willies' and far too few 'Kudos' around here the past couple of Mondays. That goes with the territory when our New York Giants don't win. I am, of course, hoping that changes this week.
Here is this week's totally meaningless preview of what might be today against the Philadelphia Eagles.
There will be lots of 'Kudos' Monday if ...
- The Giants make the blitzing Eagles pay. There has been a lot of talk about teams stacking the box and blitzing the Giants the past couple of weeks. Well, the blitz-happy Eagles do that more often -- and better -- than anyone. The Giants have to find a way to burn the blitzers. That does not mean by going deep every time they see what Eli calls 'single high,' or even no safety in the middle. Short throws for first downs. A well-timed screen pass occasionally. A run play into a hole vacated by an overzealous blitzer. Anything that results in a positive play and allows the Giants to keep the ball.
- Kevin Boss is a focal point. I think I was pretty clear earlier in the week that the Giants have under-utilized Boss. If you are going to pass more than run, you have to use all of your weapons. And Boss can be a weapon. Instead of Boss blocking against the blitz I want to see some quick throws to him that result in first downs. I will be disappointed if the Giants don't start making more of an effort to get the ball to the Bossman.
- The Giants get pressure on Donovan McNabb. Last season it seemed like the Giants rarely hit the Eagles quarterback. And we know this season the inconsistent pressure on quarterbacks from the Giant defense has been a source of debate. I'm not a 'blitz on every down' advocate, but the Giants cannot let the streaky McNabb get comfortable.
- Eliminate the turnovers. The Giants had four last week, and we know that is unusual for them. Turnovers also killed the Giants in a regular-season meeting against the Eagles last season. Efficient, mistake-free offense. Not a track meet. That's what I want to see.
- Special teams. Last week was not a good one for the Giants -- on returns or in the punt game. I would expect Jeff Feagles to look more like himself this week. And a big return or two from Domenik Hixon to change field position -- or the scoreboard -- would not hurt, either.
- Brandon Jacobs has a big day. The Beast has had just 20 carries total the past two weeks, even though he appeared to be running well. If the Giants can get him 20 carries on Sunday -- a huge game in which protecting him for the long haul has to go out the window -- it will be a great sign that they are playing their type of football. By the way, an interesting side note. Jacobs is actually averaging more carries per game this year (17.1) than he did last year (16.8).
There will be lots of 'Wet Willies' if ...
- The Giants continue to be 'home run happy.' Offensively, the Giants have resembled an Earl Weaver-style managed baseball team the past couple of weeks. Sit around and wait for the three-run homer. Well, what about the bunt, the hit-and-run, the stolen base, moving runners? As I said above, first downs and efficient, turnover-free offense win football games. That's what the Giants have done best the past few seasons. The home run is great when it comes, but sluggers don't always connect.
- Donovan McNabb gets hot. Again, pressure him, keep him out of rhythm. Don't give him chances to expose 'Bad, Bad C.C. Brown.'
- Eli gets hit more than McNabb. We know the Eagles are coming after Manning. If he is constantly on the ground the Giants won't win.
- The Giants give up the big play. The Eagles may not be a grind-it-out offense, but they have a ton of big-play threats. Brian Westbrook (if he plays), DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy. If the Giants can keep the Eagles from ripping off huge chunks of yardage they should be fine.
- The Red/Green Zone woes continue. The Giants are among the worst teams in the league at scoring inside the 20 when they have the ball, and at preventing touchdowns inside the 20 on defense. That's a bad combination that needs to change.
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Beating the heat will be key:
Slants, swing passes, WR bubble screens, some back shoulder throws up the side-line, etc.
But … we still need to take a number of those shots downfield. When the other team dares you to beat them deep by taking away everything else, by overplaying it, you have to execute. Eli needs to have a big day, and the WR’s need to catch the damn ball.
Well said
and I’d add one thing … don’t abandon the run because of that heat and because of a big play or two by Philly. I just heard a stat that the Saints run 61% of the time in the second half, the most of any football team. Let’s take that title away from them.
My guess
is that the Saints do it because by the second half they’ve got a good lead and want to run down the clock. It would be nice if the Giants had the same motive today. It would be nicer if they secured a comfortable lead by establishing the run.
BTW, did you marry that dynamite looking woman yet?
Do you think that play
where manning just throws it right at manningham when the CB isn’t looking will work again?
That play was great, but I wonder how often it could work
+1, re: the WR bubble screen
Hopefully we can mitigate Samuels’s ability to covering by throwing quick to Nicks or Manningham and enabling them to make a play by exposing Asante’s weaker tackling skills.
But, as always, at the end of the day what we need to do on both sides of the ball is…
STEP UP AND MAKE BIG PLAYS.
by Step up and make big plays on Nov 1, 2009 10:45 AM EST up reply actions
Invade Philly-----
take home 3 wins.
1st mission: success.
2nd mission – 1:00 11/1.
Oh, and slap around McNabb while your at it fellas.
DO WHAT JERRY HAIRSTON DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You hit all the macros, Ed
Some optimistic crystal ball micros:
Ware has a big day. (He might not even play.)
Beatty and Nicks prove JR’s drafting genius once again
Eli surprises by no longer trying to take the count down to the last second.
Giants ease BBVer misgivings re how good they are. (We all know they’re good. How good?)
You're so right about JR ...
he is our MVP, and why it will be good to be a Giants fan for a decade or more (I love how the GM’s don’t “lose a step” as they age … and are never on the injury report !)
As for TC, KG and that defensive coordinator that hasn’t done enough for me to even remember his initials yet, a little more aggressive scheme on both sides of the ball will allow this team to unleash all that talent that JR has stockpiled, and then it’s up to the boys on the field … to execute.
I don't know
from everything I read this week the Giants are going to be bombs-a-way. Which to me is a recipe for faliure against Philly. I would love to see 3 step drops and quick slants to Manningham & Nicks to beat the blitz and see what they can do in the open field. Also a lot of Boss on third down and the red Zone.
The D needs to STEP UP! They have been a huge dissapontment this year and if they ever come out of this slump today would be the time.
Agreed on the D-Line ...
Didn’t you think we had a shot at being a really dominant D before this season started ? Injuries have hurt, but we’re healthy enough to start dictating the action. D-Coordinator needs to STEP UP !
Agreed Canty's injury has hurt but think about it
The Giants have Osi, Tuck, Kiwi, Robbins, Cofield, Bernard. It’s more than we had last year at this point so I’m not sure what’s going on with this group. I know the Giants lost Alford but we did bring in Bernard and Osi is back from injury. I think a big part of the Canty signing was not only depth and talent for this season but also to replace Robbins who will be 33 and a FA at the end of the season. I think the GIants feel they are close to the end of the line with him and that might be showing on the field this year because we are getting no push up the middle and I can’t remember when teams have ran the ball this well on the Giants. I’m also concerned that Bill Sheridan might be the next Jonny Lynn for Rod Rust, but we’ll see on that.
You have to give TC some of the responsibility ...
for Sheridan. If he doesn’t like the scheme, he should work with Sheridan to fix it. Personally, I wish the Giants were like the Packers, Steelers or Saints who hired Capers, LeBeau and Williams respectively to run their D’s. A veteran ex-head coach as a coordinator leads to stability as you’re not losing the hot young coordiator to other teams (Spags). Sheridan is decidedly cold, so no worries there …
Amazing how fast those veteran
coaches worked their magic
How about the Bronco's D-coordinator?
Everyone (including I) thought they would be as porous as last year. I sure was wrong
McDaniels has really impressed.
He took no crap from his QB and his first round draft pick and it worked out fine. He’s the only coach in the NFL to have never suffered a league defeat. Six games isn’t a lot, but…it could stiill be a record for rookie coaches. As for the D, who is the DC? Based on Landeta’s comment, I assume a former NFL HC.
Mike Nolan
HC of the 49er’s until mid-2008. Should have remembered him in that list, too.
Thats not the Giants way
for some odd reason they never make moves like that . . . bringing in an established quality coordinator. It’s always some unknown getting their big break. It’s worked with guys like Parcells, Belechick, Fox & Spags but it’s not going to work all of the time.
i agree, del
the ultimate responsibility is TC’s as I’ve been saying for weeks. if he doesn’t like the defensive scheme he should have it changed. same goes for the offensive scheme, of course. and i also agree with you that we still must take shots downfield when the opportunities present themselves. btw, while we’re in the predicting mode with this kudos/wet willies preview, i predict a wet willie to the giant offensive gameplan and execution when it comes to the seeing overabundance or over-reliance on quick screens and slants that everyone is calling for – i predict that with 7-8 even 9 in the box at times, the eagles, with the overloaded box, will at some point bat a quick screen or slant into the air and return it for a pick-six. having said that, GO BLUE!
by nybaseballgiants on Nov 1, 2009 9:42 AM EST up reply actions
You might be right about the quick slant
but the Giants have used that play in the past with Plax vs the Eagles when they are blitzing and it’s resulted in TD’s and big plays. Maybe Manningham & Nicks are not comfortable enough with those routes yet.
That would be nice..
I they could run a few of those the field is wide open for them to pick up extra yards and perhaps big plays.
Actually I think should put..
That deflection to Nick play in the book!..Just have Nicks run right up Ham’s butt and when the ball gets deflected he grabs it and runs to daylight!haha
Have a shot?
I thought so. I even felt there was a possibility that that the D could mentioned in the same breath of those awesome D’s during the prime days of LT and SH. I still think with the personnel they have and some shoring up at LB and DB it could happen (but not this year.)
I'll give you an old Hank Stram quote:
“Negotiate the Ball down field boys”!!…and TC should probably should replace the modern plastic playsheet with Stram’s scrolled up paper that he used…because then he could beat Sheridan and Gilbride over the head with it..Here is an old Jerry Glanville quote for those two coaches: "This is the NFL Son..and that stands for “Not For Long if keep making calls like that!!!”..
Stram quotes are great
“AHH you marked it good . . . .you marked it good . . . , these officails are doing a hell of a job”
let's give hairpiece hank stram his due
“matriculate” the ball downfield. “matriculate”. and what i wouldn’t give for even half a bobby bell or willie lanier at linebacker for the giants. even at their ages!
by nybaseballgiants on Nov 1, 2009 9:32 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah..lol
That guy was get…I loved when he’d signal-in a play, and when it was successful he rumble up and down the sideline bragging about it..haha..nad that was one heck of a “Toupe”..they didn’t ’Hairclub for Men" back then!
65 Toss power trap!
“Look for 65 toss power trap! It might bust wide open here! 65 Toss power trap! Hey Len, Lenny, Lenard 65 Toss power trap! There it is what I tell you 65 Toss power trap!”
Nicks is the one
Nicks is the only receiver who is a deep threat at this point. I think he could really hurt a blitzing team. If I’m Manning, I just can’t be comfortable throwing the ball downfield to Manningham or Hixon. They just don’t make the catches. That first interception in the end zone against AZ wouldn’t have happened if Nicks had been the intended receiver, because he would have been going for the ball, just like the DB was. Might have been an imcompletion, but at least there would have been competition for the ball. Manningham has had a lot of drops. If he doesn’t improve, I can’t see him continuing to be a regular part of the rotation. How can the quarterback feel confident throwing to a guy who drops great passes? Truthfully, I’d rather see him throwing to Moss. I don’t remember Moss ever dropping any of the few passes thrown his way.
by hopeforthefuture3 on Nov 1, 2009 9:23 AM EST reply actions
I have the feeling that
today’s the day Nicks will supplant Manningham as the starter. Anyway, he should get more than the usual number of balls thrown his way. I hope it proves to be the case with Boss as well.
That could very well be.
But I think he’ll takeover from Hixon..I think ham still starts..
Makes more sense that way.
I was thinking of Mario’s injury, which could..well, he says he can play so that renders my crystal ball cloudy.
Aren't you forgetting Steve Smith?
Only two starting WRs. Smith & Manningham. Hixon is already No. 4. Nicks will eventually supplant Manningham.
by Ed Valentine on Nov 1, 2009 10:38 AM EST up reply actions
Right as usual, Ed.
Time for me to throw away my crystal ball and go rake leaves before the game starts. I’ve been putting it off and putting it off by hacking away with BBV posts
Hey Blue..
Leaves..god I don’t miss that crap!!..I also retired my snow-shovel..I just look at my palm trees and think this is clean living!!..Whenever one of those palm branches drop of you just pick it up and throw to the curb…Some Mexican on the back of a garbage truck picks it up!..I still have my leaf rake, but it just hangs in the garage unused..I glance at it once in awhile just to remind myself: "Oh the changing colors of the leaves!!..How beautiful!!..Then I see that rake and say to myself My ass!!..I telll friends up there to send pictures of the pretty leaves and have fun raking!haha
Yes that's right!!
I am banging my head against the wall as I write this for forgetting Smitty..Shame on me..
Does anybody else have the feeling that
With Westbrook out, the Eagles are going to use Vick and D. Jackson in the wildcat and Vick’s finally going to do something. The Giants said they’ll be ready for this during the week but for some reason no matter who coaches or plays for the Giants this sort of stuff always kills them.
Well they have been trying the wildcat..
They haven’t gotten it down like Miami…I hope they don’t perfect it today against us!!
This is such an interesting match up
Both QBs are struggling
Both are relying on young talent on offense
The Giants D-line is struggling but the Eagles D hasn’t really played an offensive juggernaut except NO which didn’t work out so well.
Both have mediocre LB corp play.
Both have dinged up RBs
Westbrook is OUT but there’s pros and cons for you guys there. The pros is our arleady weak blitz pick up just got worse but the con is McCoy looks as fast and shifty as the Westbrook as old.
E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!
No HAM apparently today....
Looks like a good time for Nicks to Wally-Pip him?
DO WHAT JERRY HAIRSTON DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hixon will probabbly start though
instead of Nicks. Get ready for lots of deep balls to Hixon that he drops or are overthrown.
aiight...
BUT!, Hixon’s catching em this time.
DO WHAT JERRY HAIRSTON DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by FreeBradshaw on Nov 1, 2009 11:52 AM EST up reply actions
Lets hope so
I just don’t think Nicks is totally up to speed yet thats why they’ll play Hixon more. Nicks is bigger and more physical than Hixon and matches up better against aggresive corners that Philly has but I don’t thik Eli or the coaching staff think he can handle the entire O just yet.
of course..
I mean, looking at Nicks play, its kind of hard to remember that he’s a rookie isn’t it? What he’s done ALREADY is more than many rookie WR who went on to have great careers.
DO WHAT JERRY HAIRSTON DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by FreeBradshaw on Nov 1, 2009 12:49 PM EST up reply actions
juggernaut
The Giants D-line is struggling but the Eagles D hasn’t really played an offensive juggernaut except NO
i thought you played the raiders?
Willie's decision was correct. It will always be the correct decision. He who has the power will always be correct. Don't ever forget that
their D actually played fine.
the offense was inept tho.
DO WHAT JERRY HAIRSTON DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by FreeBradshaw on Nov 1, 2009 12:00 PM EST up reply actions
Well guys..Get ready
For the wet willies!!!..We stink..across the board..Stink
Well update..
We totally suck on both sides of the ball…They suck..and Tynes just pushed another one..They Suck..
I think the only one that deserves kudos
is Hakeem Nicks.
Other than that, not a single player played well. Jacobs wasn’t bad, Steve Smith was OK too….
just a horrible game in every facet.
This team needs to figure something out
DO WHAT JERRY HAIRSTON DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree Nicks showed up..and deserves credit...The rest of the team just plain sucked..It has been awhile since I witnessed a beating like this one..
This pales to the Saints game..They need to fire Gilbride and Sheridan they stink..The players stunk..This team is way too talented to let this happen to them..They were outcoached and outplayed…Congratulations Eagles fans your team beat a talented team that has no idea how to use their talent..Your team does..and I am now all for pulling Eli out..You have to be the “Jolly Green Giant” to catch that high crap he throws..He was horrible..He couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with a shovel..and another thing that drove me nuts..they were non-chalantly walking back to the huddle and calling a play and waltzing up to the line of scrimmage like they were winning and calling stupid ass rushing plays…like they had all day..to comeback and make it close!!..Those idiots should have been in a two-minute drill when the second half started..What the hell is going on with this play calling?..I was looking at Gilbride today, and I concluded that he looks like W.C. Fields..plus he could play the phoney wizard in the OZ film..That Sheridan?..did you see him?..He looked like he was looking around for his poodle!..and I have grown tired of the expressions on Coughlins face..maybe he has lost it too..It will be yet another long week..but we’ve been there before..Another thing that pisses me off..I am watching a 40 year old Brett Favre throw BBs to his recievers..Unreal..our team stinks the coaches stink, I guess we just have to deal with it..Go Yankees!
Yup.
they do.
The only thing to find solice in is that the season’s young, There’s also a lot of players coming back and this
And the bye, while this week would be better, couldn’t come at a better time.
I still feel that if they somehow beat the Chargers, I don’t care how, that the past 3 weeks were for naught.
I think this team has completely lost their identity right now. I don’t know what they are thinking during the week, but its not working.
I don’t know if firing the coordinators is the right thing to do, at least right now.
If this team maintains this sort of play the rest of the season, they yea, they’re both gone.
But its 3 games. We should kiss the ground that they were 5-0 before this and this really isn’t the end of the world.
I want them to win next week, but I sure as hell am not picking them to win.
DO WHAT JERRY HAIRSTON DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah Free but if they..
Don’t do something very quick, the glass is going to look half empty versus half full..and if you noticed AB’s running..he did good but you could see that foot and how he was trying his darnedist to keep off of it..He isn’t going to last with the plays they call, but he is one tough guy..kudos to him..Also Bossman..that guy is an animal..He got hurt twice and came right back in..and of course Nicks..I thought he played well..That Manningham played his usual juggling act..He belongs in a Circus act..Bumbled a pass, finally caught it and ran forty yards for a seven yard gain Special teams..stunk..and of course our favorite kicker Tynes stunk..Our secondary?..What secondary?..Their guys were so wide open that you could hardly see our guys out there..Just awful..Our Giants are the most talented lousy coached team in the NFL..Offense and Defense..but your right you can’t start firing these bums calling the plays now at this stage of the season..About the only two things I enjoyed today was watching Brett Favre kick ass in Green Bay..The boos quickly became cheers..and I was glad to see Spags win his first game as a head coach..Man do I miss that guy..He brings motivation to every game he coaches..The team gave him the game ball..and he told them that everybody’s name was going to be on it…Ah hell like I said I’ve as alot of you guys have..seen this act before for years, but I’ve never witnessed this with a Giants team of this talented caliber…ever..
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