New York Giants News & Notes: Giants Using Bye Week to Get Healthier & Better in Red Zone

by cjmulrain on Nov 14, 2009 7:00 AM EST

The best thing about having a bye week this late in the season is that it allows some players who have been banged up to get healthy, and hopefully minimize the risk of further injuries during the stretch run. We saw how the Giants ran out of gas last season after having an early bye. Hopefully this year will prove the opposite.

On that note, Ralph Vachianno reports that Aaron Ross is practicing and looks to be ready to return when the Giants play the Falcons next Sunday.

Still, Ross said, "I wasn't nervous at all" yesterday. "I felt really good to tell you the truth. I've got to get a little bit of the rust and cobwebs off, but a couple of more days of practice and I'll be all right."

Tom Rock writes that the return of Danny Ware might give the Giants the missing link they've been missing on offense this season. According to running backs coach Jerald Ingram:

"You've got your banger, your third-down back and your speed changeup guy, and away we go," Ingram said of Jacobs, Ware and Bradshaw, respectively. "We put it on our shoulders and we try to motivate the offense as well as the defense and get everybody happy."

Tom Coughlin has stated that the Giants will be working on both their red zone defense and "green zone" offense (I still hate calling it that, especially with the way the Giants have looked down there). This has been an issue for way too long now, and it's almost embarrassing that the Giants have been so bad inside the 20s.
The NFL has fined Ahmad Bradshaw (chop block), Kevin Dockery (unnecessary roughness on a fair catch), and Clint Sintim (roughing the passer) $5,000 each. The good news is that San Diego's Eric Weddle has been fined $7,500 for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Kevin Boss. You know, the one that didn't draw a yellow flag on the field.

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We'll see...

The Giants usually don’t play very well after their bye, but maybe this season it’ll be different. Maybe an on-field leader will emerge who will not tolerate teams coming into the Meadowlands and having their way. If the Giants can get the job done at home after the bye, and beat up on the lowly Skins away, then they’ll go 10-6 and be in the playoffs. We’ll see what they’re made of.

by buljos on Nov 14, 2009 8:38 AM EST reply actions

So the Atlanta head coach gets fined $20,000

For a heated exchange

And someone who practically takes boss’ head off doesn’t even get half that?

Someone needs to rethink the fining structure.

Its ridiculous.

The Cowboys are the France of the NFL
-thwalls

On 3rd down, throw it to Smith.

by Willgfass on Nov 14, 2009 8:49 AM EST reply actions

let's not forget the $20,000 fine for Ochostinko's bribe joke...

by Step up and make big plays on Nov 14, 2009 4:44 PM EST up reply actions

That was outrageous

Goodell should have fined him $1, and show a sense of humor. No way does the “integrity of the game” take precedence over the gamer’s health.

The Cowboys are the France of the NFL
-thwalls

On 3rd down, throw it to Smith.

by Willgfass on Nov 14, 2009 6:31 PM EST up reply actions

also, in the bears/cardinals game last weekend

jay cutler gets fined 20k for having words with referee ed hochuli (what he said we’ll never know, but damn) and tommie harris only gets fined 7500 for punching a guy in the head (although he did get ejected). explain to me how words cost more than fisticuffs in this league?? little kids watch this game who saw a guy yelling at a ref and a guy laying on the ground getting punched in the head, guess which had more of an effect on them.

by GiantsReignSupreme on Nov 14, 2009 7:37 PM EST up reply actions

Titans owner just received a $250,000 fine for flicking off the Bills yesterday...

…and amount equal to that slapped on the Patriots for the organizations involvement in the “spygate” scandal.

Meanwhile, our starting T is potentially having years shaved off his career blow after blow without even drawing a flag on the field.

Ridiculous.

by Step up and make big plays on Nov 16, 2009 6:19 PM EST up reply actions

WOW.

"It ain't over till its over"---

by FreeBradshaw on Nov 16, 2009 7:07 PM EST up reply actions

er, starting TE...

…but seriously, how is an eccentric 86 year-old man giving the bird to the opposing team’s fans tantamount to what the Patriots were getting away with?

by Step up and make big plays on Nov 16, 2009 7:15 PM EST up reply actions

It's an embarrasment

Yeah he should definitely be punished.

But 1/4 mil? Excessive, and I’m sure Goodel has a powerful enemy now

The Cowboys are the France of the NFL
-thwalls

On 3rd down, throw it to Smith.

by Willgfass on Nov 16, 2009 7:42 PM EST up reply actions

Osi

Not to get off topic, but I am always behind after DVRing my shows, but did anyone else see Osi on Inside The Nfl? It wasn’t a bad interview. I just hope some of the things he said about them being down but not out, are true.

by Mopey Dick on Nov 14, 2009 8:59 AM EST reply actions

This is at least the 2nd or even third

hit on Boss like this.

Its a joke. They want to crack down on helmet-to-helmet hits, yet they only fine the guy $2,500 than some anonymous roughing the passer “penalty” that didn’t happen?

"It ain't over till its over"---

by FreeBradshaw on Nov 14, 2009 9:00 AM EST reply actions

it's the 2nd straight week

a guy has been fined $7,500 for hitting Boss helmet-to-helmet, and neither of them were flagged on the field. Ridiculous

"[The Giants] beat us down. We were beat by a grown-man team, a team we want to be like one day. They came in here and took it to us. Out-manned us, out-gunned us. ... It wasn't even close." - Raheem Morris, 9/27/09

by cjmulrain on Nov 14, 2009 9:09 AM EST up reply actions

Whats more important, player happiness or team happiness?

Let’s conclude now that Jerald Ingram is responsible for what RB plays on any given down or series. Is this really a good idea, i don’t think so. Ingram in this instance seems to be playing to the idea of being Mr. Nice Guy…

“You’ve got your banger, your third-down back and your speed changeup guy, and away we go,” Ingram said of Jacobs, Ware and Bradshaw, respectively. “We put it on our shoulders and we try to motivate the offense as well as the defense and get everybody happy.”

There has to be a line drawn for individual happiness and team happiness. It seems like it’s self gratifying to a coach that all players are happy because of how they use them? What ever happened to preaching self sacrifice for the betterment of the team?

You can see the pattern of keeping the RB’s happy, regardless of how (in)effective they are. In a perfect world, if all of our RB’s were healthy and one would emerge as being the most effective runner, the flow of this success will be dammed because Ingram wants to keep everyone happy?!

If this may be the case, i think a RB would be more than happy to win with no carries, rather than 10 carries for 25 yards while another had 15 for 80 and a TD in a lost!

by Hootman on Nov 14, 2009 9:16 AM EST reply actions

Penalties

I want to hear from the coaches that they’re taking this bye week to address the penalty situation. Also, I haven’t heard much talk about the non-calls (i.e., the helmet-to-helmet hit on Boss), and I don’t believe in making excuses, but there really does seem to be some kind of bias. Or maybe we’re just unlucky with the refs lately? What do y’all think?

by B-B-BLUE on Nov 14, 2009 12:37 PM EST reply actions

As opposed to others who might think this here

the refs calling penalties or ignoring them is a huge problem, and these calls or no-calls impact the teams, and they sometimes affect the outcome. It’s not “making excuses”, it is what it is. It’s THERE and it DOES affect more than just a play.
I say that because of this: If you watch our game vs. the Chargers, there are several plays where our defensive guys were BLATANLY held, even to the ground by the jerseys, with no call. Then the refs decide to get cute when the game is potentially on the line.
There should be more CONSISTENCY with the reffing. Currently, the only thing that is consistent is that they SUCK.

We didn't even have a chance for the "perfect season", but we did have the perfect ending.

by GAgiantfan on Nov 14, 2009 5:29 PM EST up reply actions

True

The only thing the refs can be consistent in is sucking.

It takes a way a ton of the fun of the game.

That’s partly why I’m opposed to having the refs wear a helmet, or move to the other side of the field.

The Cowboys are the France of the NFL
-thwalls

On 3rd down, throw it to Smith.

by Willgfass on Nov 14, 2009 6:32 PM EST up reply actions

What about the calls and no-calls in Dallas and New Orleans???

In dallas…Flozel Adams repeatedly tripped Justin Tuck and who ever else he had to line up against in that game. The refs didn’t throw a flag until Tuck got hurt from one of those trips and the league turned around and fined Adams for the aforementioned tripping DAYS afer the fact. I just chalked up that whole incident as being a case of the cowboys fighting for dear life and struggling to get a win in the first game in their brand new stadium. Despite having to play against the cowgirls AND the referees…we won.

Fast forward to our game in the Super Dome. On one instance, one of the new orleans’ WRs was running a route, tripped over his OWN feet and fell to the ground. A whistle was blown, a flag was thrown, and a call of defensive pass interference was made. In the next instant, Mario Manningham was running a route and ever so slightly brushed shoulders with whoever was covering him. The play was blown dead before a pass was even thrown. Why? Offensive pass interference on Manningham.

Referees make or break games more often than anybody in the league and/or media will admit. I just hope this issue inconsistency gets addressed

by GiantfaninVA on Nov 16, 2009 4:15 PM EST up reply actions

Yeh I hear ya VA

I was just thinking of that particular game, but, like I said, they consistently SUCK.

We didn't even have a chance for the "perfect season", but we did have the perfect ending.

by GAgiantfan on Nov 16, 2009 7:58 PM EST up reply actions

AMEN, AMEN, AMEN

Every time an NFL official changes the outcome of the game with a bad call, an angel LOSES its wings. And let me tell you, that’s usually about 2 wingless angels every Sunday. It’s unbelievably atrocious, it cheats teams, entire cities, and millions of fans of the correct history of the league. Say it’s only 1 game a week. How can you accept that 7.5% of your Win-Loss outcomes are WRONGFUL?!?! For God’s sakes you money’hungry bastards, hire FULL TIME OFFICIALS.

You play to win the game!

by Simms-McConkey on Nov 17, 2009 10:21 AM EST up reply actions

Officiating

The officiating in the NFL is a f*cking disgrace. With the popularity of the sport and the multi-billion dollars of revenue it’s inexcusable. The NFL needs to hire full time refs. Athletes in their 30s and early 40s with year round training. These 60+ year old refs are too old, too slow to effectively officiate NFL games. The players are too big and too fast.

by FrankB0318 on Nov 15, 2009 4:34 PM EST up reply actions

could we also hope

that C.C. Brown gets unhealthy during the bye week?

by SBakerTheTouchdownMaker on Nov 14, 2009 1:22 PM EST reply actions

i never wish injuries upon any player

i would like to see him released though (and i did enjoy watching a tom brady-less NFL last year)

by GiantsReignSupreme on Nov 14, 2009 7:38 PM EST up reply actions

really?

I understand disliking players, but the NFL is never better when great players are hurt, and Brady’s a great player. I can’t wait to watch Brady vs. Manning tomorrow (or later today, technically) – the two best QB’s of this generation. It’s not gonna last forever, so we might as well enjoy it while it lasts.

It’s like how I feel about Kobe – I love to hate him, but I also love to watch him, b/c he’s an awesome basketball player.

by cjmulrain on Nov 15, 2009 3:28 AM EST up reply actions

Zones

Red, Green or what ever you want to call it, All winning teams must be good at it.
and it’s not the players who constantly failed at those zones, maybe sometimes, but not constantly.

by Olddiehard on Nov 16, 2009 6:29 AM EST reply actions