We have barely talked about this week's opponent, the Seattle Seahawks. Over at Field Gulls, our Seattle Seahawks blog, lead blogger John Morgan seems to be thinking plenty about the 3-0 New York Giants.
To be direct, Mr. Morgan does not seem terribly impressed by the defending Super Bowl champions.
Morgan has done some lengthy analysis of the Giants defense, offense and running backs. Reading what he has to say you would think the 1-2 Seahawks are coming to Giants Stadium as, oh, two-touchdown favorites instead of 7-point underdogs.
Here is part of what he had to say about New York's defense.
The truth is, the 2007 Giants badly declined after losing Tiki Barber. Winning has a way of washing away all sins, but the Giants were a below average offense minus Barber, dropping ten spots overall, from ninth in 2006 to 19th in 2007. Dropping exactly where an informed fan would expect: passing and on third downs. The Giants, minus Barber's 7.2 receiving DPAR and without an adequate replacement, suffered collaterally. Manning was significantly worse on third down than he was on first or second down and was terrible under pressure. Among quarterbacks with thirty or more attempts under "pressure" (as defined by Football Outsiders), Manning was the worst in the NFL.
The offense did decline. Given time, so will the defense. ...
My attitude is always trust talent. Though Justin Tuck looks primed for a series of dominant seasons and Fred Robbins continues his run as quiet badass in the interior, there's no losing a strong pass rushing linebacker in Kawika Mitchell, a top ten defensive end in Umenyiora, and a top ten all-time defensive end in Strahan, and avoiding decline. Much less improving.
Early impressions can be deceiving. I'm confident New York's defense, that has many a Seahawks fan quivering in their boots, is soon to show a softer side.
Ticked off yet? Well, there's more. Here is what he had to say about Brandon Jacobs.
Jacobs is a powerful, quick downhill rusher with incredible feet for his size, but his cuts become narrow and deliberate on the run. That's where I think Seattle's gang tackling, penetrative defense will shine. Jacobs is not strong at cutting laterally. His best cuts are up field. If Seattle should get early penetration, Jacobs is poorly fit to cut back away from defenders or scramble for daylight. Jacobs lack of elusiveness should allow Seattle to get bodies on him, and that should negate his power. I have all the respect in the world for Jacobs and think he's a top flight running back, but I see this matchup in Seattle's favor. Their run defense, already dominant, should turn Jacobs into a non-factor.
I should expect Morgan to look for reasons to feel good about Seattle's chances. About the nicest thing I can say about his analysis is he certainly isn't showing the Giants much respect.
Hopefully, come Sunday evening, he will regret that.