Time for this week's look at the Pro Football Focus review of the New York Giants performance in Sunday's 27-20 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. As always, I don't defend the PFF methodology or consider these grades to be gospel. There is always some subjectivity, so they are just for discussion.
That said, let's get started.
OFFENSE
Eli Manning (+5.6)
Danny Ware (+2.4) ... As I said Monday, this was Ware's best game as a pro.
Mario Manningham (+1.1) ... PFF likes what Manningham did Sunday more than I do.
Will Beatty (-1.1)
Chris Snee (-1.7)
David Baas (-3.3)
Kareem McKenzie (-4.1)
David Diehl (-6.2)
Obviously, PFF disagrees with my assessment in Monday's 'Kudos & Wet Willies' that this group had played pretty well overall. What I think is that PFF's grading system does not take into account the quality of the team the Giants played against. Here is what PFF said about the line play:
It wasn't long ago the Giants had one of the league's better offensive lines. Watching this game you would be hard pressed to imagine it, especially as three of those on this line were part of those impressive units. This line of William Beatty (-1.1), David Diehl (-6.2), David Baas (-3.3), Chris Snee (-1.7) and Kareem McKenzie (-4.1) combined to allow 16 pressures on the quarterback and two knockdowns. That goes some way to explaining their combined negative grade of -16.4, but they were all sub-par as run blockers too, making life difficult for the Giants on offense across the board. The offensive line for the Giants isn't this bad, but it has fallen a long way since it's heyday, and has become an issue that needs to be addressed. Worse than that, it is now capable of performances like this, which can torpedo their chances of a win in any given game.
At -16.3 for the season, Diehl is now 69th among 73 guards included in PFF's grades.
DEFENSE
Antrel Rolle (+3.1) ... A grade, in my mind, that was richly deserved
Jason Pierre-Paul (+2.5)
Kenny Phillips (+1.5)
Rocky Bernard (+1.4)
Corey Webster (+1.4)
Linval Joseph (+1.4) ... What was the name of that guy who went to the Washington Redskins?
Dave Tollefson (-1.3) ... Poor Tolly. As hard as he plays, PFF never likes the work that he does.
Greg Jones (-1.9)
SPECIAL TEAMS
Lawrence Tynes (+1.2)
Derrick Martin (-3.0) ... Can we give 'Penalty Machine' Martin a -1,000? That was a ridiculous display he put on Sunday.