How the three man rush saved the Giants season

by BigBlue84 on Feb 10, 2012 2:24 PM EST

At various times throughout the season Perry Fewell went to a three man rush, which was met with almost universal scorn from Giants fans. However, I'm here to tell you that with the defense teetering on the brink in the Super Bowl, Fewell fearlessly dialed up the three man rush which may have saved the game and the season.

The situation: Giants 12, Patriots 17, 6:37 left in the 3rd Q, Patriots ball at their own 17 yard line.

You all remember that after the Giants jumped out to a 9-0 lead, the Patriots scored 17 unanswered points, including consecutive touchdowns on each side of halftime. Needing points to quell the momentum, the Giants managed a Lawrence Tynes squeaker to cut it to 17-12. But then the Patriots took over once again. Tom Brady had completed 16 straight passes, and the Giants D looked a heavyweight starting to wobble. Reasonable football fans had every reason to think that the score would soon be 24-12 and the Giants would be stuck playing catchup for the rest of the game.

On first down the Patriots pitched it right for Green Ellis, who gains two yards. By the way, Chase Blackburn made a great tackle here, and you also may remember this play because JPP got shaken up and was slow to rise, terrifying Giants fans.

On second down, everyone knew the Pats were going to throw:

2nd and 8, 19 yard line, 6:17 left in the 3rd: Giants send Umenyiora, Canty, and Bernard, dropping Justin Tuck into coverage. Brady fakes a handoff to Green-Ellis, and then looks downfield to his right. Hernandez and Gronk are both blanketed. Brady then looks to dump it to Green-Ellis in the flat, but guess who's all over him 5 yards down the field: Justin Tuck. Brady has nowhere to go, and with Canty chasing him down he wisely dumps the ball into the turf.

3rd and 8: Brady in shotgun. Giants send Umenyiora, Tollefson, and Kiwanuka. Tuck, standing up, shows like he's going to rush before dropping back and eliminating the hot route to Welker. Brady looks left, looks middle, looks right. Nobody is open, at least nobody that will get him a first down. Brady begins to panick, runs into Tollefson, and spins away before Tuck finally rushes the pocket and takes down Brady, possibly re-injuring his left shoulder. Patriots are forced to punt.

We all know the rest. There were huge plays to come and a lot of drama in an eventual 4 point win. But the Patriots never scored again. With a championship on the line and the defense teetering, it was the three man rush that Fewell dialed up twice in a row to get the big stop when they needed it most.

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Comments

Look at the TD to Woodhead

another 3 man rush. w/ JPP dropping back….right into the zone between Boley and KP. He was like a fish outta water. Got lost in space and ran right outta the zone he shoulda been in.

look at the TD to Driver in GB…..3 man rush. Rodgers had 6 seconds to throw the ball and found Driver sprinting back to the ball.

Hey, sometimes it works. Most times it doesn’t.

but I refuse to beleive that it saved the season or won that game.

Fire Fewell

by andiamo708 on Feb 10, 2012 3:05 PM EST reply actions

Fair counter

and thanks for reading.

Here’s the thing: in 2011 in the NFL, the league average completion rate was 60%. So it seems that on defense, every strategy will fail more than half the time. When the 3 man rush fails we’ll blame it on the 3 man rush, but when the 4 man rush fails we’ll blame the failure on something else.

It bothered me all year when people would say “Fewell’s an idiot, get rid of the 3 man rush” as if he hadn’t considered that or he didn’t have all the same information we had (plus a lot more). So I was happy to see it work to perfection in an huge spot.

by BigBlue84 on Feb 10, 2012 3:51 PM EST up reply actions

to call Fewell an idiot for one specific thing is wrong and short sighted

and yes, we know that the 3 man rush is just simply a part of almost every teams Defensive scheme.

However….when it comes to the Giants they do have issues IMO when rushing 3, especially when it involved dropping a Dlineman back into coverage.

I’m not saying it should never ever happen b/c that’s wrong. but I think the frequency in which were were seeing it earlier on was just too much.

heck, Spags used to drop DEs back into coverage when he was here. Osi and Stray did it.

I really don’t like seeing DT’s do it though. JPP while he’s a friggin’ monster is really lost in space, but he’s just so big and fast and gifted that down the line I wouldn’t be surprised to see him pick one and take it too the house. Doesn’t’ mean i’m an advocate of this.

but my issues with Fewell are more on the backend than w/ the front 7 or even Dline.

I actually give the guy credit for being able to get Tuck, JPP, and Osi their snaps during this stretch when they were all healthy.

Fire Fewell

by andiamo708 on Feb 10, 2012 7:22 PM EST up reply actions

I am also waiting for JPP to get a pick

On one of TB’s passes that he batted down, he really could have tried for it as the ball hit him pretty much in the helmet. Still, reacting at a speed fast enough to make the catch that close to the QB is really tough. But it would still be awesome, I hope the coaches are encouraging him to try to catch the ball instead of just batting it down.

Go Giants!
Arguing on the internet is like running in the Special Olympics. Even if you win, you're still retarded.

by rich316 on Feb 12, 2012 2:27 AM EST up reply actions

Yes that would be sweet. Once he figures out to INT then that would be a bonus.

This is not the 2007 team.
2011 NYG will have their own legacy.

by BB1156 on Feb 12, 2012 2:40 AM EST up reply actions

JPP wasnt supposed to drop

PF yelled at him on the sideline for giving up on the rush too soon.

"I got a ring! He got one too! I got a ring! He got one too!" ---Andre Brown
Talk is Cheap! Play the Game!
You can't spell Elite without ELI.

by 1giantlion on Feb 11, 2012 1:42 PM EST up reply actions

I thought the same after watching but...

I didn’t see PF yelling at him for it, I just assumed he did it on his own because he looked awkward.

He has courage and poise. In my opinion, most of all, he has that quality you can't define. Call it magic. … I honestly give this guy a chance to be better than his brother." - Ernie Accorsi scouting report of Eli Manning

by bleedblue12 on Feb 12, 2012 3:24 PM EST via Android app up reply actions

I didn't see PF yell at him

but i’ve never really seen a DLineman just drop back into coverage on his own accord unless he feels like it’s gonna be a screen pass.

I think JPP was supposed to drop by design.

and if PF was yelling at him on the sidelines, it’s likely b/c of what I pointed out above. He dropped right back into the zone that he was supposed to be in…and than panicked and ran outta it. but can you blame him?

Fire Fewell

by andiamo708 on Feb 12, 2012 10:39 PM EST up reply actions

not that it's inaccurate

But it’s kinda funny that your second example of the 3 man rush involves a 4th rusher eventually getting the sack, albeit a delayed rusher.

by dannymac56 on Feb 10, 2012 3:29 PM EST reply actions

On that play Tuck didn't come up until it looked like Brady was going to run

It was a great individual play by Tuck. I don’t think it was designed for him to rush.

"Sometimes you make a mistake and you get hit in the head." - Eli Manning
Crunked and Swagged out since 2011
"Let’s go out there like a bunch of crazed dogs and have some fun!" - The one and only LT

by blains2000 on Feb 10, 2012 4:31 PM EST up reply actions

hmmm good defense of the strategy

You PLAY to WIN the GAME.
Dear Tebow, please let the Giants beat the Patriots.

by Simms-McConkey on Feb 10, 2012 4:25 PM EST reply actions

i have always defended the 3 man rush

it can be very useful .the problem I had was sending JPP up the middle in said formation. he would routinely get washed out .Finally PF put a stop to it..that man should always be on the edge.

I may not be the most noble of men but in a town of lepers, im the one with the most fingers.

Finally we get to see J Lin!!! Giant LB'zz

by Troy O on Feb 10, 2012 4:36 PM EST reply actions

another time i was pulling my hair out was when they would send a DT (Bernard) off the edge..

it can be affective but the right personnel needs to be in place.

I may not be the most noble of men but in a town of lepers, im the one with the most fingers.

Finally we get to see J Lin!!! Giant LB'zz

by Troy O on Feb 10, 2012 4:40 PM EST up reply actions

I looked bac over the game

and the Giants never seemed to blitz thruout the game. send 3, send 4. that was it. no all out blitz, no corner blitzes. GB was the last game I saw PF send more than 4 people. did I miss something?

by kayess on Feb 10, 2012 5:50 PM EST reply actions

it was a different game plan

in fact since the Jets game the Defensive game plan flat out changed.

but in the Super Bowl Fewell actually went back to more of a “pre Jets game” approach.

at times, IMO, and I know some will disagree, but I thought NE just had a lot of answers for said Defensive game plan.

JPP’s pd’s, Tuck’s sacks, and Webster’s play on 3rd downs is what actually saved us IMO.

Those instances where the Giants players just willed themselves to make plays was what won it.

it was not the scheme at all. But that’s just me.

NE moved the ball well, and I think if the Giants didn’t eat up so much clock it could be a different end result. Giants had the ball for 37 minutes compared to 23 for NE.

Fire Fewell

by andiamo708 on Feb 10, 2012 7:32 PM EST up reply actions

Don't forget the Blackburn INT, that saved the game too.

This is not the 2007 team.
2011 NYG will have their own legacy.

by BB1156 on Feb 12, 2012 2:42 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

actually

we blitzed a couple times but TB kept beating. & he sent Aaron Ross on a few occasions. specifically on the Pats 2nd to last drive, 3rd & 5 from the NE 13 & we sent 3 guys from Bradys left side. He flipped it out to Woodhead in the right flat who took it 19 yards. The blitz wasnt working so im glad we avoided it for the most part.

"I got a ring! He got one too! I got a ring! He got one too!" ---Andre Brown
Talk is Cheap! Play the Game!
You can't spell Elite without ELI.

by 1giantlion on Feb 11, 2012 1:58 PM EST up reply actions