Run, Giants, run! Everybody -- including opposing teams, fans and New York Giants players themselves -- knows that this team's personality is built around its ability to run successfully.
While no one has completely shut down the Giants' run game, it has not been as dominant in recent weeks. Here is part of an excellent analysis by Jenny Vrentas of the Star-Ledger.
When the Giants faced the Cowboys in Week 9, (Brandon) Jacobs led a 200-yard effort on the ground, the first of three consecutive games with 200 or more rushing yards for the Giants.
But lately, the run game has been less productive: 87 yards against Arizona, 108 yards against Washington and 88 yards against Philadelphia.
Starting with the Baltimore game on Nov. 16, the eight-man fronts the Giants saw intermittently early in the season have become more regular, with opposing defenses making a commitment to stopping the run. Left tackle David Diehl said teams have also been shooting cornerbacks off the edge, which San Francisco laid the blueprint for in Week 7, and have tried to slant the line to try to get containment on the running backs.
Putting eight or more men in the box didn't work out so well for the Ravens, who still gave up 207 rushing yards, but it's a game plan that has hampered the Giants' backfield for the last three weeks -- and can be expected from the Cowboys.
"We are going to put 10 men up there if we can," said Cowboys coach Wade Phillips, who admitted before the teams' first meeting that they would double Plaxico Burress. "We are going to try to stop the running game. ... We didn't do that against them the last game, but we are pointed toward that this game."
The Giants have been practicing this week expecting an extra safety in the box and are making the necessary adjustments. Certain gap schemes are more effective when there are eight men in the box, or the offense may run the same play but out of a different formation or scheme than in their last meeting to throw off the Cowboys.
The way I look at it, it only takes popping one or two long runs during a game -- like Brian Westbrook did to the Giants last weekend -- to change the outcome. The Giants need to maintain balance on offense, even if the running game is somewhat less successful, and look for those couple of big plays from 'Earth, Wind & Fire.'
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INJURY UPDATE: Of course, running the ball this weekend will be even tougher if Jacobs sits out with his bum knee. I'm OK with the Giants being cautious with Jacobs. They need the bruising beast healthy in the playoffs.
- BURRESS UPDATE: The Giants have refused to pay Plaxico Burress a $1 million bonus, and that is going to create a fight with the NFL Players' Association.
- ABOUT THOSE COWBOYS: The Giants would love to help keep Dallas out of the playoffs.
- SEASON STATS: The Giants' season stats are below. I apologize for not running these in a while, but there have been some issues getting them up to date.