Giants vs. Eagles: 'Kudos & Wet Willies' preview
by Ed Valentine on Dec 13, 2009 7:00 AM EST
in New York Giants News
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PrintOur New York Giants look to turn the tables tonight on the Philadelphia Eagles, who have beaten them three straight times. A victory would stamp the Giants as a legitimate NFC playoff threat. A loss, and the playoffs will be possible but unlikely.
Here is a tradtional 'Kudos & Wet Willies' style preview of the keys to the game.
There will be lots of 'Kudos' Monday if ...
The big plays belong to the Giants. The Eagles live for the big play offensively. There's no grind-it-out and worry about the time of possession attitude in Andy Reid's offense. It's create a mismatch and go for the big play as often as you can. The Giants have given up too many of those types of plays this season, and they can't afford that tonight. Offensively, opportunities will be there if the Giants can block the blitz-happy Eagles defense. Gotta hit a couple of 'em, running or passing.
The Giants win the turnover battle. This is always true, but against the Eagles of late the Giants seem to have committed more than their share of silly turnovers. Obviously, you can't gift-wrap opportunities for good teams, and the Eagles are a good team.
The defensive resurgence continues. The Giants defense played its best game in about two months Sunday against Dallas. They played with energy, throttled Dallas' running game and despite giving up tons of passing yardage didn't blow assignments on deep balls and did not miss tackles. They need that same effort tonight.
There will be lots of 'Wet Willies' Monday if ...
The Giants can't, or won't, run the football. The December weather could turn ugly in East Rutherford tonight. I guess we could call this the Kevin Gilbride factor. The offensive coordinator has often been criticized for poor play-calling in bad weather. He knows it could be a factor tonight. Giants fans everywhere will be watching to see how he, and quarterback Eli Manning, handle the conditions.
Donovan McNabb is comfortable. McNabb has mostly been comfortable in the pocket against the Giants the past several seasons. I don't care how they do it, but the Giants have got to frustrate him, hit him, make him move. If they give him the opportunity, the streaky McNabb will eventually start ripping off completions for huge chunks of yardage. So, the Giants must do the thing they have largely been unable to do in recent years. Get to McNabb.
The Giants get whipped on special teams. Coughlin fears DeSean Jackson as a punt returner. And David Akers always seems to factor into Giants-Eagles matchups. The Giants have been spotty on special teams all season, and they need to at least get a draw with Philly in that department.
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A lot of "usual suspects" for the K&WW list ...
and all are valid for a big NFC East matchup. The one that rings truest to me is the “if McNabb is comfortable”. The team that gives their QB the most time and cleanest pocket on a potentially bad weather night could have a huge leg up here.
Usual suspects
What you realize when you start doing these is that the keys to any football game, regardless of opponent, are the same. Control the line of scrimmage, win the turnover battle, make big plays and don’t give up any, don’t get hurt on special teams.
by Ed Valentine on Dec 13, 2009 9:12 AM EST up reply actions
good point, Ed...
…in spite of its myriad complexities, at the end of the day football remains a very simple game. Execute better than your opponent (a.k.a., step up and make big plays) and you will win.
by Step up and make big plays on Dec 13, 2009 11:34 AM EST up reply actions
Reality is
in almost any football game you can look back at about a half-dozen plays one way or the other that determine the outcome.
by Ed Valentine on Dec 13, 2009 12:49 PM EST up reply actions
Parcell said
most games are determined by 4 or 5 plays. The team that wins more of those plays usually wins.
Where's
Step Up and Make Big Plays? He should be chiming in here.
by Ed Valentine on Dec 13, 2009 4:56 PM EST up reply actions
In the last few games with Philly
there is always that one drive the Giants put together, move down the feild and Eli throws a pick on a sideline pass and the corner jumps the route, if he can avoid this and we win the TO battle and keep their receivers in front of our DB’s, I think we have a descent shot at this game and a playoff birth.
CW please mug Jackson at the line, do not give him any breathing room, and if we are going to let Celek catch 12 balls then knock the snot out of him when he catches it and maybe we knock one free, this is it Gmen, your season is on the line, so remember this….“There is no tomorrow Gmen, there is no tomorrow”, if you blow it today
by BigBlueCrew_jfl on Dec 13, 2009 8:17 AM EST reply actions
knock the snot out of him when he catches it
this tactic is key. I can remember the Superbowl XXV team had that attitude on defense and it showed. They said that the opposing receiver might make a few catches but when they do we’ll hit them hard and make them hesitate for a split second the next time they go up for a ball. That hard hitting payed off and it’s a key deficiency in this team’s defense. Especially the corners and safeties.
Bloozer
Don't let McNabb catch his own throw
…
And don’t let the fullback have a big day
That’s all I ask.
Never assume skill at bouncing a ball makes you smarter than the guy who built the court.
"Osi is probably one of our worst db's but he did alright there"
If you have a hand on McNabb
please bring him down. No more him eluding a collapsing pocket and hitting 20 yard passes.
Homer: Aw, twenty dollars! I wanted a peanut!
Homer's Brain: Twenty dollars can buy many peanuts!
Homer: Explain how!
Homer's Brain: Money can be exchanged for goods and services!
Homer: Woo-hoo!
by bigbluethruandthru on Dec 13, 2009 9:00 AM EST reply actions
Yes.
Please, someone hit McNabb.
Delay Blitz or something, hopefully its a good call on a deeper route too.
"It ain't over till its over"---
How come no one covers Steve Smith?
by FreeBradshaw on Dec 13, 2009 9:11 AM EST up reply actions
McNabb
Problem is he is a big, strong, athletic guy. You can’t yank him down with one arm. Gotta get clean shot at the guy.
by Ed Valentine on Dec 13, 2009 9:13 AM EST up reply actions
he's elusive as hell
maybe the best in the business when the pocket breaks down. And ever since that 13 sack day, it seems like the Giants just haven’t been able to get to him at all.
"[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
Yeah
no bat down pass, almost intercept, than its deflected into his hands for a few yard gain please
Never assume skill at bouncing a ball makes you smarter than the guy who built the court.
"Osi is probably one of our worst db's but he did alright there"
RUN the BALL!
We’ve been saying it all year but if there is ever a time the Giants need to get the running game on track it’s tonight. Keep Philly’s O off the field.
My biggest concern is Eli. He has been awful against these guys recently and he’s had open WR’s the prevous losses. He needs to play good and he has looked pretty bad the last two weeks so I can’t say I’m to confident that he turns it around tonight. Philly’s D is good but it’s not great in fact it’s not as good as it was late last year both the Bears and Skins played well against them Eli just can’t stink it out if he takes care of the football and plays well the G-men will have a shot.
Defensively I’m just holding my breath, no big plays but I don’t think they can do it.
Like last week I’m expecting the worse and hoping for the best tonight.
Also, if we get down early ...
I would love to see a different kind of body language from Eli other than his “head down, shaking it slowly side to side, looking like my dog just died” demeanor as he walks off the field on 4th down or after a turn-over.
It just sends a defeatist vibe to his troops. He’ll never be the firebrand leader we’d all love to see (Peyton), but he’s gotta realize the other guys always look to the QB for leadership, no matter what your personality type.
I don't get that idea...
you think everyone on the team is focused on what Eli is doing after that?
If he’s sulking on the sideline, which I usually don’t see him do, then its a problem.
"It ain't over till its over"---
How come no one covers Steve Smith?
by FreeBradshaw on Dec 13, 2009 9:36 AM EST up reply actions
I'd like them to run the ball like they did against Dallas.
Just gotta see if its there.
That’s the problem. I’ve heard fool after fool ridicule the Cowboys last week for not running. But you don’t run the ball when you can’t run the ball, right?
The Giants, if they start running effectively, will run more. If they don’t, they’ll go back to the same game plan they’ve lived and died with.
On defense, I really think they’ll limit the big play. They gotta get off the field on third down. Tackling on third down is key, as simple as it sounds, but they didn’t do that in game 2 last year and the playoff game.
Eli may be the key of course. All the talk will be on how he is in cold, windy games (and of course…even if he does good..it still will be…).
I’m more worried about the WR in these games. Will they catch the damn ball when Eli is on with the throw?
Do we use Beckum finally like was said? As an H-Back for short throws in cold weather?
Does Goff improve? Can they finally stop a TE? Can they hit McNabb?
"It ain't over till its over"---
How come no one covers Steve Smith?
Getting off the field on 3rd down ...
has been a consistent issue. I’d rather see them play the secondary coverage to be tightest around that little “yellow line”, looking like they may even jump a route or two. Sure they might give up two longer passes on 2 of 3 third-and-longs, but I rather that if the other one forces the punt. Constantly letting the O get just enough for the 1st down is maddening !!
I think that would've been better served against Dallas tho.
The don’t throw over the top to speedy WR. Austin and Williams and Witten are more content to do damage over the middle.
The Eagles WR like to go deep.
"It ain't over till its over"---
How come no one covers Steve Smith?
by FreeBradshaw on Dec 13, 2009 9:50 AM EST up reply actions
Perhaps bring the extra man on the rush ...
to limit how deep an option McNabb has, needs to be part of the plan.
Granted, it does increase the risk of a big play, but to me a 10-play drive or a deep pass TD adds up to the same points given up.
I'd rather them merely bring 5 at the most.
I want Boley and even Goff in coverage against the TE and LB.
The blitz, no matter if its 5 men or 9, has been a step late all year.
Put people in coverage.
The Broncos did it to us, they sent 3 or 4 many times (and dialed it up every now and then too) and hat 7-8 players in coverage, over the middle (for Steve Smith…) and deep routes too.
"It ain't over till its over"---
How come no one covers Steve Smith?
by FreeBradshaw on Dec 13, 2009 10:51 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah
the cowboys and eagles use their wide receivers differently
Austin is a yac receiver, make some guys miss their tackles, or break some tackles, and run down the rest
Jackson and Maclin are the more prototypical deep threats, where they use their speed to beat coverage and get deep.
It was a good sign last week that we were tackling people, which would have killed us against the cowboys if we didn’t. Lets hope we take away the deep route and frustrate them
Never assume skill at bouncing a ball makes you smarter than the guy who built the court.
"Osi is probably one of our worst db's but he did alright there"
We didn't run all that well against Dallas.
We stopped the run. But didn’t really run special in any way.
In this weather, Eli is almost guaranteed more ducks than arrows (why can’t he master his own stadium? Hmmmmm.) But there will be the big play pass on target, at least two, and those MUST be caught. Last year, Eli was off most of the time, but there were two TD’s undone by drops.
Catch the ball when it’s there. Because it may not be there often.
game planning.
If a guy can;t throw deep in the wind, why are we throwing deep?
Kinda like the whole year no matter the weather, short passes to Smith, maybe some fade stops to Ham/Nicks.
And also, on that last point, no doubt.
The WR catching the damn ball has always been more the problem to me then Eli himself ( so I disagree that he was off most of the time…he’s not).
He’s usually good with the pass, and no less on than many other QB’s (no one is 100% every time…)
The WR has to catch it.
"It ain't over till its over"---
How come no one covers Steve Smith?
by FreeBradshaw on Dec 13, 2009 10:49 AM EST up reply actions
Good news
I have a bad feeling about this game. Just like I had a bad feeling last week and against the Falcons. I was also very confident the Giants would beat the Saints, the Broncos, the Cardinals, & the Eagles the first time. So, clearly my gut is just completely wrong.
"[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
man! Get you some Maalox in a hurry!
Football can definitely eat a hole in your gut, can’t it?
I actually have a good feeling about this game. The only thing that concerns me is that the Giants are favored by one. Playing as underdogs has always stoked the Giants to good efforts. Well, not always, hehe! The past always looks rosier in the rearview than it was at the time.
Bloozer
Im confused
So is this Ross move to safety permanent or just out of necessity?
Okay, just so I understand it... in your wildest fantasy, you are in hell. And you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.
Probably a little of both..Johnson is still hampered by the groin pull..and Ross has been
Studying and practicing back there..That obviously has been our weakest link in the secondary..I’d also like to see them blitz Rouse and Brown tonight..We need to force McNabb into one of his patented “Fell asleep at the wheel” games..He can look and play horrible when you rattle his cage, or like an All-pro if you don’t.
But the overall key will be the running attack..We have not done well the past several weeks, and as I have said, the weather is going to force the run more than the pass..and the short pass game will be a telling factor as well..We need to smack Jackson at the LOS and keep him off balance, after all..He only just started remembering the last 7 digits of his phone number and is still working on remembering the area code..Corey will most likely face another challenge, but I’m sure he’s learned alot from covering Williams last week
I don't know
If he continues to play well there, I would think the Giants might just leave him there. Why not?
by Ed Valentine on Dec 13, 2009 12:50 PM EST up reply actions
I agree Ed..If we keep Ross back there..then we in effect solved the problems at safety..
When KP gets back (and I hope he will) then Safety play may very well be less of a worry going into the draft then I thought it would be
Absolutely.
It would be great to see Ross play well enough to push Rouse or Johnson to the bench. He’s a better athlete than both. Then if KP DOES come back healthy…so many options.
Bad weather?
Is that true. Anyone know any other bad-weather games where he went wrong? The only one I can think of is the conference championship in 2007 and the London game that year.
"Son, Nobody is half as good as Mickey Mantle"
The only guy I ever saw master the winds at the Meadowlands was Phil Simms. Eli tends to sail the
Ball..even on warm calm days…In ‘86 Simms tore up the air while Jay Schroeder threw ’dying ducks’..all game..It is all driven by how tight a spiral you can throw and the trajectory of the pass…Simms mastered it..I haven’t seen another QB who could throw as accurate in the wind as he did.
Tittle was damn good in the Polo Grounds winds,
which were as bad, if not worse than the Meadowlands. Damn good, until he ran into gale force blasts in two championship games. Since Tittle, the Giants have been run first teams and have relied on the wind and cold to give them an edge at this time of year. Aside from the cost, i think that’s why the new stadium won’t be domed.
Of course, this year, they’ve reverted to the Allie Sherman pass first mode. We all know it ain’t workin’ out too well.
Y.A. was something else..Actually Simms reminded me of him..tough as nails..
Plus he had created the most memorable portait of our misery back then..Kneeling down with his head bleeding..
We lost to the Redskins at home in 2007 in a cold, windy Meadowlands game...
…we got beat by Todd Collins that day, for Crissakes! As I recall the wind wreaked havoc in that game, and upon further review, both QBs apparently only completed 34% of their pass attempts.
by Step up and make big plays on Dec 13, 2009 12:55 PM EST up reply actions
KG
should have been fired 5 minutes after that game ended. In horrible windy conditions the Giants threw the ball 52 times vs. 28 runs. Eli was 18 of 52. The only positive from that game. Shockey was injured and lost for the season. lol
That's right Step..That is also my point..QBs have fits in there with that wind..
That’s why I don’t see any long balls being launched tonight..Running will be the key..and please, keep Tynes off the field!..I am also worried about his lousy kick-offs..that is an area where we could get bit by Jackson, however if he has to kick-off 15-20 times that would be great..
Jackson is also deadly on end arounds...
…and let’s just say our RDE position has not been keeping containment well all season. It won’t surprise me if he gets 3+ carries tonight.
by Step up and make big plays on Dec 13, 2009 1:41 PM EST up reply actions
Akers
This game is at the Meadowlands.. he’s always been horrific against big bliue at the Meadowlands.
President of the Ramses Barden Fan Club
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
30-17 at the half, wtf are we doing on defense and special teams???? WEEEEEEE SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by BigBlueCrew_jfl on Dec 13, 2009 10:07 PM EST reply actions
urgh
Do they have a pass rush? Or a pass defense…? And are Hixon’s hands made of butter?
OHHH MY GODDDD!!!!!!!!!
after years of the likes of LT, Micheal Straghan an such I never thought I’d ever say The Giants Defense sucks, but after this abysmal 1st half I have to admit They Suck!!!!!!!
Once the ball is snapped no one on defense appears to have any idea what to do or where they’re supposed to be, or whose supposed to cover who………
Fire
Sheridan, who ever the special teams coach is, like right now, pathetic pass defense, our coverage teams blow, its so frustrating watching this team put up 500+ yards and lose!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and no pass rush, we used the amoeba like once at the end of the half???? rediculous coaching.
Eli was great, receivers were hot n cold but Eli was on all night, ashame his performance was wasted.
by BigBlueCrew_jfl on Dec 14, 2009 12:10 AM EST reply actions
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