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Friday afternoon New York Giants news and notes

by Ed Valentine on Nov 6, 2009 2:00 PM EST in News Comment 22 comments

A few quick notes for you on a Friday afternoon, just in case you don't already have enough New York Giants reading material.

First, a site update. If any of you ever look at the masthead, you may have already noticed that regular commenter 'brisulph' has been added as a moderator. He has always done a great job of bringing objectionable stuff to my attention. So, when 'bri' comments and tells you to knock it off, or e-mails you a warning, he has my full support. Same with Jim or CJ. I am seeing a contentious tone lately in some of the comments, and I don't like it. BBV has always been a classy place, and I am determined to keep it that way.

Now, some football notes.

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Can somebody communicate the problem to Bill Sheridan?

by Ed Valentine on Nov 6, 2009 10:30 AM EST in News Comment 39 comments

I really want to believe Bill Sheridan is up to the task of being defensive coordinator for our New York Giants. I have to believe it. If I allow myself to admit Sheridan can't do the job then I have to admit this season is doomed to be a flop. I can't -- I won't -- start thinking that way yet.

Sheridan isn't making it easy, though. We all know his defense has been inexplicably terrible the past three weeks -- even he knows it. Watching teams basically have their way with the Giants defense the past few weeks has been hard enough.

Then Sheridan makes it even tougher -- at least for me -- by giving what I find to be some incredibly bizarre answers about apparent defensive communication issues during his meeting with reporters Thursday.

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Do you know what time it is? It's Ernie P. time

by Ed Valentine on Nov 6, 2009 7:15 AM EST in News Comment 21 comments

More photos » by Carolyn Kaster - AP

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and his team have fallen the past three weeks. The question now is, can they get back up?

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Time for my weekly swap of questions with long-time Giants beat writer Ernie Palladino, which we do every Friday. My answers to these same questions will be found some time today at Ernie's Giants beat.

1. How important is it that Michael Boley and Chris Canty get back into the lineup this week?

Ernie's Answer: I've totally changed my thinking on this. I never expected the Giants to drop three straight after that start. But since they have, this game with San Diego has become as close to a must-win game as one gets at this time of year. A lot of my readers have coined it an "All hands on deck" game, and I agree. Any available swinging...well, you know, has to be out there. Now, considering the dismal showing of the linebackers and the apparent lack of speed in the unit, Boley's presence is a must. If he can move at all, it's still an upgrade over Chase Blackburn. And who knows, Boley might even be able to get home on the blitz. As for Canty, the middle of that line needs a big, tall guy to hinder Rivers' field of vision. If he can come in on just the passing downs, get those 747 wings up, and bat a couple of balls, it will have been worth rushing him back. This defense needs something, and the Giants are paying both Boley and Canty a lot of money. Ideally, I'd have liked them to sit out until Atlanta, after the bye, but the season has reached too critical a stage to hold off on using them.

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Can Tom Coughlin rescue another Giants' season on the brink?

by Ed Valentine on Nov 5, 2009 1:00 PM EST in News Comment 54 comments

by Carolyn Kaster - AP

New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin looks at the scoreboard during the fourth quarter an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

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Tom Coughlin is in his sixth season as New York Giants head coach. One of the reasons the Giants have been so successful during that time -- and maybe the primary reason Coughlin is still here -- has been his ability to handle crisis.

It began back in 2004 when he was handed a completely broken team that had fallen apart under Jim Fassel. By his second season, TC had the Giants back in the playoffs and had the franchise pointed back on the right path.
There was his willingness, with his season and maybe his job on the line in 2006, to sack play-caller John Hufnagel for the final regular-season game. Maybe it was belated, but it was still bold.
There was his battle for control of the locker room, and to create an atmosphere where players cared more about winning than themselves. That took until Tiki Barber retired and Michael Strahan finally decided to get on board, but it did happen.
There was, of course, 2007. The Super Bowl year. Remember how badly the Giants started, 0-2 and looking awful? Not qualifying for the playoffs until the 15th game of the season? TC managed his team through that sometimes rocky regular season, and we ended up with a magical run no one expected.
Last season, of course, there was the Plaxico Burress fiasco. No, the Giants did not finish the season well. Coughlin did, however, maintain his grip on the team and not allow Burress to fracture the locker room.

Now the question is, can Coughlin do it again?

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New York Giants News and Notes: Thursday Edition

by Jim Schmiedeberg on Nov 5, 2009 9:15 AM EST in News Comment 22 comments

Now that baseball season has FINALLY come to an end, (November? Really? Great job MLB, why not just add
another 30 games to the already too long regular season, add another round of playoffs and play all year?) everyone's full focus will turn to football, and for those of you just joining us this season, welcome, and yes, the Giants have problems. Big problems.

So let's run down the latest news and notes this Thursday morning:

Tom Coughlin talked about how the Giants are getting back to the fundamentals. There is also some interesting stuff in there about the Giants leadership council, and how they are handling the slump the Giants are in.
Antonio Pierce spoke to Mike Garafolo yesterday, and says that as the leader on defense, he is the "biggest culprit" of everything that has gone wrong on defense. He says the Giants need to get back to flying around and playing defense as a team.
Also in the article above, Aaron Ross is targeting November 22^nd against the Falcons for his return to action.
Ralph Vacchiano says the Giants defense is getting healthier, and Chris Canty may be close to returning. Since the Yankees are the World Champions again, I am going to give Michael Boley a little advice from Yogi Berra, "It gets late early". Read Boley's comments on his urgency to return and you will see what I mean. Week 9, the season's not so young anymore, Mike.
Philip Rivers spoke with the media yesterday, and he recounted what Draft Day was like for him back in 2004.
On the Rivers-Manning thing, as I've scoured the nets reading up on some of the latest on the Bolts, I've found that Eli Manning hatred is still alive and well in San Diego. Some have been able to let go, but I saw some truly venomous statements about Eli that really surprised me. It might be time to let it go. As memory serves Charger fans, you guys did pretty well in that trade.
On the subject of that 2004 draft, the man who engineered it for the Giants is on the radar for the Cleveland Browns to come to the rescue and save their hapless franchise.

That's all for now. Congratulations to the New York Yankees on their 27^th World Series victory. Make sure you check out Ed's coverage over at Pinstripe Alley. Plus, don't forget we're talking Ranger puck all day long at Blueshirt Banter.

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A chat with 'Bolts From The Blue'

by Ed Valentine on Nov 5, 2009 7:13 AM EST in News Comment 43 comments

via prod.static.chargers.clubs.nfl.com The Charger girls may be the NFL's most beautiful cheerleadering squad. See more of them here and here.

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Our New York Giants are desperately in need of a victory this weekend. It just so happens that the San Diego Chargers are the team standing in the way. So, I reached out to 'Bolts From The Blue,' SB Nation's Chargers blog or a little chat about Philip Rivers and his team.

Big Blue View: I will be honest. I have been mired in the mess the giants have been the past few weeks. I know some of the names on San Diego roster, but I really don't know much about the team. Give me some strengths, weaknesses and an assemssment at this point in the season?

Bolts From The Blue: Strengths - the passing game and the secondary. Weaknesses - running the ball and stopping the run. The pass rush is a mystery. it could be a strength or a weakness, but it's hard to tell because the team has grown, changed and called a different game against the Chiefs and Raiders. we'll see if it works against the Giants. A general assessment is hard. The Bolts have changed seemingly every week. Philip Rivers and Vincent Jackson have really been the only consistent threats on offense, although statistically Gates is having a good year. This is a team filled with spare parts and young guys trying to fill in holes left by big injuries. You can see talent, but it's inconsistent.

My question to you is the same, but I'd like to also know what has changed for the Giants from the beginning of the season (when they were one of the league's best) to now.

Big Blue View: Well ... none of that is easy to answer. Everything is all turned around from what the Giants were supposed to be, what they were the first five weeks, and what they are now. Right now they have no identity, and no one is sure if they are actually any good.

The Giants were built to be a dominant defensive team, only it has turned out in recent weeks that awful defensive play has been the biggest problem. The defensive line is not getting pressure, or playing the run well. The linebackers are so-so. The secondary, outside of Corey Webster, has been atrocious. The rookie defensive coordinator, Bill Sheridan, has looked overmatched.

Offensively, turnovers, missed opportunities and a propensity to forget about grinding it out and go for the home run have hurt the Giants.

Bolts From The Blue: The funny thing is that most Chargers fans would trade lines with the Giants in a second. Due to injuries, the Chargers are busy plugging holes on both offensive and defensive lines where the Giants have proven talent on both. What has happened to the D-line that there's no pass rush and no ability to stop the run anymore?

Big Blue View: Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck have not been dominant. Osi, I think, is not the same player he was a few years ago. Tuck tore his labrum in Week 2 and has been trying to play thru it, but he hasn't been dominant. Inside, Fred Robbins is coming off microcracture knee surgery and isn't what he used to be. The Giants might get Chris Canty back this week, and that has to help some. As for the run defense, here is my thought. robbins is not the player he used to be, same for Antonio Pierce. So, they aren't physically imposing in the middle any more. Also, there has been an astounding lack of discipline, with guys seemingly freelance and not handling their responsibilities. That is very un-Giants like, and very much on the head of the defensive coordinator.

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Eli Manning vs. Philip Rivers: Who's better? Who really cares?

by Ed Valentine on Nov 4, 2009 12:06 PM EST in News Comment 68 comments

More photos » by Denis Poroy - AP

San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers.

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Philip Rivers vs. Eli Manning. I really wanted to avoid a 'which guy is better' debate this week, but I guess I can't. At least not completely. Not now that our friends over at Bolts From The Blue have brought it up. And, not since you guys are talking about it some in Fanposts here and at BTFB.

These two will be forever linked by the 2004 trade that brought Eli to the Giants and landed Rivers in San Diego. And their careers will always be compared with Ben Roethlisberger, the other big-time quarterback drafted in 2004. My guess is this might still be a topic of discussion long after all three are done playing.

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For the Giants, the numbers tell the story of the season

by Ed Valentine on Nov 4, 2009 10:02 AM EST in News Comment 36 comments

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs has seen his production drop this season as the Giants have relied more on the passing game.

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Our New York Giants are halfway through the 2009 season. Normally, that is the perfect time to issue some mid-season grades, or 'Kudos & Wet Willies,' or something along those lines.

The Giants have their bye after this weekend's game with San Diego, however, and I think we will know a lot more about the direction of the season after Sunday. So, I will hold off on that 'report card' type post until then.

If you need mid-season grades, Ralph Vacchiano offers up a must-read. Ernie Palladino also offers his grades.

For now, read the numbers below carefully. They come from Giants.com, and they tell the story of the Giants season very accurately. Starkly, they support my position that as much as complaining about Kevin Gilbride in the favorite pastime of many Giants fans the problems on this team are first and foremost with the defense -- not the offense.

And yes, I say that knowing Eli Manning has to stop turning the ball over for the Giants to win. Anyway, on with the numbers.

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