Big Blue View

Giants 7, Chargers 7: 2nd half Open Thread

2009-11-08T22:31:34Z

Tie game at the half. With more than 500 comments here is a new thread for the second half

Giants (5-3) vs. Chargers (4-3): Open Thread

2009-11-08T20:00:34Z

NEW YORK GIANTS (5-3)	Game #9	SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (4-3)
	VS .

Date:	Nov. 8, 2009	Location:	East Rutherford, N.J.
Time:	4:15 p.m. p.m. EDT	Stadium:	Giants Stadium
TV:	CBS	Radio:	WFAN (660-AM)
By The Numbers:	In past 5 against NFC, San Diego QB Philip Rivers has 11 TDs vs. 1 INT & 108.2 passer rating. On road in ’09, Rivers has 7 TDs vs. 1 INT & 104.0 passer rating ... Since ’02, Charger TE ANTONIO GATES leads NFL TEs with 53 TD receptions ... When Brandon Jacobs has 100+ rush yards, the Giants are 8-1 ... The Giants have lost three straight games for the first time since a four-game losing streak from Nov. 12- Dec. 3, 2006, when the defeats were to Chicago, Jacksonville, Tennessee and Dallas.

No bravado. No nonsense or predictions. The Giants need to win today. They know it. We know it. If you have game-day rituals you think bring the Giants luck (I know you do) then you better follow them today.

I will have my Giants Super Bowl shirt on. Jim, my man, you better have the wings going. Everybody else, do whatever you have to do.

Enjoy the game!

Giants vs. Chargers: 'Kudos & Wet Willies' style preview

2009-11-08T12:00:32Z

by David Zalubowski - AP

Maybe the Giants can get Ed Hochuli to referee today's game. That should help.

View full size photo »

Our New York Giants (5-3) need a win this afternoon against the San Diego Chargers (4-3). Personally, I don't care how they got one.

Maybe the defense will remember the idea is to stop the other guy, not watch them run by. Maybe Eli Manning will remember the ball is supposed to go to the guys with the 'ny' on their helmets. Maybe we can recruit Ed Hochuli to referee the game and screw the Chargers.

I really don't care. Whatever it takes. As long as the Giants finish with more points than San Diego today, life will be good.

Now, with that out of the way, let's preview the game 'Kudos & Wet Willies' style.

There will be lots of 'Kudos' if ...

The Giants defense actually does its job. How about some pass rush, gang? Maybe stop a running play before LaDainian Tomlinson or Darren Sproles is running free in the secondary? Make a tackle on the first try, instead of whiffing and giving up another 30 yards? Cover a deep ball once in a while? Maybe the return of Michael Boley and Chris Canty will help. Let's hope Aaron Rouse is at least a little better than C.C. Brown.
Brandon Jacobs has a big day. It's time for Jacobs, having a disappointing season thus far, to have a big game. The Chargers don't generally defend the run well, so this would be a great week for Kevin Gilbride to give San Diego a heavy dose of smash-mouth football. The Giants are 8-1 when Jacobs runs for more than 100 yards, and today would be a good day to make it 9-1.
The Giants stop turning the ball over. The Giants have twice as many turnovers right now as they did after eight games last season. That has to stop.
Eli plays better. This, of course, goes along with the turnovers. Manning has not been himself the past couple of weeks, and he needs to get that turned around. Settle down, stop forcing the ball. Stop letting the play clock run out as he frantically tries to align the blocking. Hit some of those open receivers he has missed the past couple of weeks.

There will be lots of 'Wet Willies' if ...

Aaron Rouse doesn't prove to be at least marginally better than C.C. Brown.
Bill Sheridan doesn't have a better plan. Yeah, the blitz is nice but not when it keeps coming from the wrong side. Or, the defense keeps running itself right out of plays. Sheridan needs to begin to show he is up to the job.
The special teams break down again. Each week it seems some part of the special teams has faltered, leaving the Giants in a hole. At the very least, the Giants have to be neutral with San Diego n the kicking game. And it sure would be nice to see Domenik Hixon or Danny Ware break a return.

New York Giants News & Notes: Aaron Rouse, Step On Up

2009-11-07T12:15:14Z

The big news in Giants land this weekend is that C.C. Brown has been benched. Whether you call him "Bad, Bad, CC Brown," "Can't Cover Brown," or my personal favorite: "The Guy I Wouldn't Let Start on my Flag Football Team," I think we can all agree that it's about time this move was made. Whether Aaron Rouse will be any better is anybody's guess, but I don't think he can be much worse. Rouse talked about the switch yesterday.

Coughlin: It's a One-Game Season

In a pretty uncharacteristic move, Coughlin has told the team that Sunday's game against the Chargers amounts to a "one-game season." Coughlin is usually a "one game at a time" kind of coach, and while this isn't exactly a "this team is going to the playoffs" moment, Coughlin's definitely putting his chips down on the table this week. I have a feeling Sunday's game will be a make or break one for the Giants. Win and they're 6-3 going into the bye and still in good shape for the playoffs. Lose and they're 5-4 and two games behind the division leader.

Coughlin spoke about Rouse yesterday, and let's just say he doesn't sound super-confident:

"No, I just think that – it is just the ability to play the ball in the air and we’ll see. It means that we are going to have to put him in the game to see how that is going to be"

Also in that link, Coughlin says that he may get fined because he was running late to a meeting. Funny stuff.

Other News

Ralph Vachianno hands out his midseason report card. He gives the offense mostly high scores, except for a C- to Eli. The defense is treated pretty harshly. Gotta say I agree with him for the most part, though I might bump Eli up to a C or even a B-. True, he's been awful the past 3 weeks, but he was also great the first 5 weeks, and he is playing through an injury.
File this one under "no duh": a Subway Super Bowl is looking less likely than it was a month ago. I think most of us expected the Jets to fall off, but the Giants mid-season collapse has certainly come out of nowhere.
Not really Giants news, but Matt Mosley speculates that DeSean Jackson and Austin Miles might be going to the Pro Bowl this year, and questions Steve Smith. I know it's easy to dump on the Giants right now, but Smith still leads the league in receptions and is fourth in receiving yards despite playing with a struggling QB. Pro Bowls don't mean anything in the long run, but I hope Smith gets the recognition he deserves - he's definitely emerged as one of the top receivers in the league.

Fantasy Football Friday: Giants vs. Chargers Preview

2009-11-06T21:00:27Z

Before getting into the preview, I wanted to give a mid-season update of the Big Blue View Fantasy Football League. Right now posters hocke26 and XLII are in first place in their respective divisions at 6-2 each (fleaflicker divides the league into 2 divisions, though I don't think it makes any difference when it comes to the playoffs). Aceholioo, gobs56, MahmoodZaky, and myself round out the potential playoff teams, all with 5-3 records. Frequent poster Woogie526 has had a rough season so far, with a 1-7 record. I'll admit I was beginning to doubt my fantasy football credentials after a 1-3 start to the season, but with a 4 game winning streak, I feel competent enough to continue with these posts.

Anyway, onto the preview:

Start

Brandon Jacobs, RB, NYG - I swear, this is the week the Giants are going to remember they are a power-running team. They have to, right? Jacobs has actually been pretty darn good the last 3 weeks when he's been given the ball, averaging 4.9 YPC on 40 carries. Extend that back to week 4 and he's averaging 4.2 YPC over his last 82 carries. The past 3 weeks he's gotten 7, 13, and 20 carries, so I'd expect him to be over 20 again this week, especially if the defense can keep the Giants in the game.The Chargers run defense is also the 6th worst in the NFL, giving up 132 yards per game and 4.2 YPC. I expect Jacobs to have a "break-out" game this week.

LaDanian Tomlinson, RB, SD - This is definitely not the BLT of 2006, and at this point he's probably not even a top 20 fantasy running back. That said, he's facing a run defense that's in the bottom half of the league and would almost certainly be lower if it weren't for some of the awful teams they played to open the season. When Leonard Weaver runs for 75 yards and almost 10 YPC, you've gotta like BLT's chances.

Philip Rivers, QB, SD - CC Brown's not starting, but let's just say I don't have much faith in anyone in the Giants secondary right now. Rivers is one of the best fantasy QB's out there, and he's facing a team that has been lit up by Drew Brees and Donovan McNabb in recent weeks. Until the Giants D proves they can stop an elite QB, consider whoever they're facing to be a safe bet.

Vincent Jackson, WR, SD - Jackson has scored a TD in 3 straight games, has back-to-back 100 yard games, and is one of the better receivers in the league. He's a safe bet against the Giants secondary.

Antonio Gates, TE, SD - Noticing a trend here? To say that I'm down on the Giants defense right now would be a bigger understatement than saying Saddam Hussein probably didn't like the Bush family.

Steve Smith, WR, NYG - He hasn't had a huge game in 5 weeks, but he always ends up with a handful of catches and 60+ yards receiving. He's a solid #3 fantasy receiver even when he's not being targeted as much as we'd all like, and if the Giants ever get their O sorted out, I have no doubt he'll be amongst the top receivers in the league again.

Sit

Eli Manning, QB, NYG - I think his foot is more hurt than he's letting on (and it sounds like Jerry Reese does too). He has not looked good at all the past three weeks, playing more like pre-2007 playoffs Eli, which is not good enough to be a fantasy starter.

NYG Defense - They suck right now. Until they stop sucking, you probably shouldn't play them.

Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, NYG - Averaging 2.5 YPC over the past two weeks on 21 carries. He's clearly not at 100% strength right now. It's a shame, b/c he was having such a good season. Also, it's a bit of a travesty that someone as quick and explosive as Bradshaw has only caught 7 passes this season. I think Tiki Barber would struggle to get 1,500 total yards in this offense where wide receivers seem to be the only guys allowed to be targeted, with the occasional Madison Hedgecock pass thrown in. This applies to Kevin Boss, as well.

Friday afternoon New York Giants news and notes

2009-11-06T19:00:43Z

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.

Kevin Gilbride wants to see two things Sunday against San Diego.

1. Fewer turnovers.

"You have to be really conscious of how important that ball is. Right now we are doing so many good things, if you can just stop doing some of those bad things, we are going to be difficult to contend with," said Gilbride. "We are leading the league in big plays, big pass plays over twenty, we’re doing a lot of good things, now just be more consistent. Certainly that consistency expresses itself in cutting down on mistakes and the biggest mistake of all is when you turn it over."

2. Brandon Jacobs and the running game being established right away.

"Yeah, I think that is always critical. The better we can do in that it just helps set everything up. It establishes the tenor of the game. It gets everybody excited when they see him running the ball with physical force and the prowess that he has. It certainly sets up some opportunities for throwing the ball down the field for some big plays," Gilbride said. "We haven’t run the ball very well in the beginning. We have run the ball after we have started throwing it. That is really what has helped him. He has been a beneficiary of the throwing. What we would like to see is us to start off the game running the ball better."

I'm not sure I agree with KG on that one. I think sometimes the Giants have run the ball well, then gotten away from it too quickly. But, whatever. As long as we see a steady diet of Jacobs Sunday I will be happy.

So will Jacobs, who can't believe he does not have a 100-yard game heading into Week 9.

"I would never even imagine that. If you would have told me at the beginning of the year, I would have told them, ‘bury you.’ But it is what it is. I’ve been running hard, I’ve been doing the best that I can and taking what they have been giving me and working and trying to make something of it," Jacobs said. "if anybody is due for one, it is definitely me."

Phil Simms says Eli Manning's plantar fasciitis has "got to be a problem."

"Think about it. It’s the pain. It’s not being able to do things the same way. You lose a little confidence. You can’t practice as much. ... "I’m just saying when you have something wrong with your foot there are a lot of problems that can come about because of it."

Big Blue View got a mention this week from 'Cold, Hard Football Facts.' We'll take it, regardless of what it is in reference to.

This was mentioned in the comments, but it's worth pointing out. 'Bad, Bad C.C. Brown' is at least facing up to his mistakes. He spoke about DeSean Jackson's 54-yard TD last Sunday.

"Basically, the whole play was my fault," Brown said after practice Thursday. "My fault that I gave up the deep ball, and my fault that I checked into the wrong thing. It’s nobody else’s fault but mine."

More than just publicly acknowledging his mistakes, he has also owned up to his teammates.

"I had to, I’m man enough to realize that, and I’m man enough to accept it," Brown said, speaking specifically about the Jackson play. "They were a little bit disgusted at me, but that comes with the territory."

My take: For Brown, that's a good start. Whether we like it or not, this guy is going to be important to the Giants the rest of the way.

By the way, the Star-Ledger is reporting today that Aaron Rouse worked with the first team today at practice rather than Brown.

NOTE FOR YANKEE FANS; Remember to stop by Pinstripe Alley to chat about today's parade down the Canyon on Heroes. Oh, and if you are looking for World Series merchandise you can get it right here. If you click on the Giants Fan Shop link here or in the left navigation bar you can get not only Giants' stuff, but Yankee items and any other team you like. I checked, and there is a full compliment of Yankee World Series stuff available. Full disclosure: I do get a slice of the profits if you buy your stuff from the store. So, help a struggling blogger survive, please.

CC Brown Out at Safety

2009-11-06T18:46:57Z

CC Brown Out at Safety

Our long national nightmare is over. At least until Aaron Rouse gets lit up like a Christmas tree on Sunday.

Can somebody communicate the problem to Bill Sheridan?

2009-11-06T15:30:22Z

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.

First, Sheridan said this in trying to find a reason for many of the big plays the Giants have given up.

"One guy is running one defense and some guy is running something else."

OK. So, that's a classic indication that there is confusion, or lack of communication.

Then, asked directly about communication Sheridan gave an answer I still can't believe. And I have read and re-read the exchange a bunch of times. Here it is.

Q. When people like Justin Tuck and Antonio Pierce say there is a problem with communication, what do they mean?

A. You have to ask them. I don’t know what they are talking about. They haven’t come to me regarding that. I am not trying to shut the question down but particularly I don’t know, you have to ask them. They could explain it to you, what they are referring to.

Q. You sense no problem in communication?

A. No, no. But, if there is, I would love to hear about it.

What? You'd love to hear about it? Hey, Bill, have you been watching the games? Do you have access to game films? I can show you the games on my DVR. Somebody actually has to tell you there are communication breakdowns? Good God!

What do you think it means when "one guy is running one defense and some guy (cough, cough, 'Bad, Bad C.C. Brown') is running something else?" Or when defensive backs start arguing with each other after plays? Or when your entire defensive line ends up on one side of the center? Or when Antonio Pierce is so frantically trying to get all the out-of-position players to line up properly that his back is turned when the ball is snapped?

Somebody get the man some glasses. Or binoculars. Or directions to the film room. Or a seat in the coaches box upstairs.

If the man can't see what we can plainly figure out on our television screens, and what Giants defenders are plainly admitting to, that worries me.

If he can't see the problem, how can he fix the problem?

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

2009-11-06T12:15:12Z

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?

Browse more photos »

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.

2. Would four losses in a row basically set this team on an irretrievable spiral after the bye?

Ernie's Answer: I asked that same question Wednesday to Tom Coughlin, and he didn't even want to think about the possibility. Wouldn't address it at all. I don't blame him. He knows what losing a fourth straight game would do to this team. It would utterly destroy what little of their confidence is left. You know, there's a big difference in an 0-8 team hitting a bye and one that was formerly 5-0. The winless team knows it's bad, and it can use the bye to reassess its dedication to the sport, hone up on fundamentals, whatever. The 5-0 team who drops four straight just before the bye is a tortured one, condemned now to wonder for two whole weeks how such a successful season started sinking into oblivion. The fact that they'll still be a game above .500 won't matter. It's the thought of, "Where the hell is rock bottom here," that will haunt the players. That could lead to all sorts of things, and self-doubt is the most mild manifestation. Finger-pointing, insurrection, summary execution of the coaching staff, the whole bit. Lose this game and things could get very, very ugly. And the coach knows it. No wonder Coughlin didn't want any part of the question.

3. What does Eli Manning have to do to fix his accuracy problems?

Ernie's Answer: A remedial reading course wouldn't hurt. You know, the kind where an assistant sits down with him and says, "See that guy in the different-colored uniform? If he's too close to your guy, don't throw there. Either throw it away or check down. And stop picking at that, you'll make it bleed!" Of course, convincing people like Mario Manningham to run a proper route wouldn't hurt, either. Whatever. Eli simply needs to settle down and start reading defenses like he was last season and at the beginning of this season. If he does that, and he's decisive in his throws, I believe the passes will find their marks more consistently.

4. Would a coaching change, ala John Hufnagel, help anything at this point?

Ernie's Answer: Nah. Everybody wants to put Kevin Gilbride's and Bill Sheridan's heads on pikes and display them at the Tower of London. Look, aside from Gilbride trying to call the spectacular play every third-and-short he comes across, these guys aren't calling such horrendous games. Sheridan blitzed a lot against Philadelphia. Is it his fault virtually none of them got home? As for Gilbride, yeah, he should probably use Kevin Boss more and commit to the run. But a little prodding from Coughlin should take care of that. So should a little play-action in the Red Zone, which will be effective only if the Giants establish the run first. Note the trend here. Run. And now that Boley is expected back, perhaps those blitzes Sheridan calls will have some effect. Oh, I know. Do something about C.C. Brown. And what would you like Sheridan to do? Aaron Rouse isn't the answer. Terrell Thomas or Aaron Ross might be, but he can't do anything until Ross is healthy. So he's hamstrung. Not his fault. So don't anticipate any changes. Do anticipate Coughlin getting on both their backs to alter their play calling a bit, however.

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

2009-11-05T18:00:34Z

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.

View full size photo »

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?

Make no mistake, this is a team in crisis. We have seen so many uncharacteristic things the past few weeks -- turnovers, atrocious defense, special teams mistakes -- it's hard to believe they can all be made to vanish quickly.

Yet, that is Coughlin's challenge because even he has admitted that Sunday is a 'one game season" for the Giants. Win it, they will be 6-3 and can feel OK about themselves heading into the bye. Lose it, the season could be headed down the drain.

Here is my question about those uncharacteristic things we have seen the past few weeks. Defensively, especially, is it just a matter of the Giants not having enough talent?

Or, have the players begun not to hear the things Coughlin and his coaches are preaching? Even terrific coaches have season where they simply don't get their message across to players.

TC has turned to his veteran players this week and put the onus on them.

"Leaders are lifters. What has to happen when a team does fight their way out of a problem, your best players have to show the way. They are the ones that show the way. The guys that are in the role of a foot soldier, they will play and they will work their tails off. But what ultimately shows is when the guys that are recognized as your quality football players – your better football players – they have to play themselves into a position where they are showing the way," Coughlin said.

So far, so good. Judging from the comments of a couple of those leaders they are accepting the challenge Coughlin has laid at their feet.

Here is Eli Manning, the leader on offense, addressing Coughlin's remarks.

"You always expect your leaders and the guys who expect to play well to go out there and do their job and play at a high level. That level motivates the other guys and gets everybody going. We have to do our job. Each individual has to do their job," Manning said. "I think the message is clear. I think we know what we’ve got to do and what’s at stake, how important this game is. We’ve got to turn this thing around and start playing better football. The message is clear, everybody knows it and now it’s a matter of just going out there and doing it."

Here is Antonio Pierce, the quarterback of the defense, discussing his unit.

"I’ve probably the biggest culprit of everything," Pierce said after Wednesday's practice. "If I’m the guy they call the leader of the defense or the captain of the defense, which I am, I need to do a better job. And I plan on doing it this week."

What he likely means is that, in addition to his physical mistakes, he also hasn't done a good enough job of keeping the players focused throughout the course of the game because, when asked what's happened to this defense lately, Pierce replied, "You always hear coaches say to a corner, 'Forget the last play and move on.' Well, I think we've got to do a better job of doing that. Sometimes, we're still trying to figure out what happened to us in the first quarter or the first play and it's in the fourth quarter and we're getting our butts whupped."

Like coach Tom Coughlin, Pierce indicated the recovery will start with the team's leaders.

"Our star players, the guys that are considered stars, need to play like stars," Pierce said. "The guys that are solid and contribute need to contribute more. Everybody needs to do a little bit more right now. Obviously, what we’re doing is not working.

"It has nothing to do with Xs and Os. Sometimes it does, but for the most part sometimes you have to go above Xs and Os and just play a little harder, do a little extra things, run to the ball more, have energy, show some kind of spirit that you want to really enjoy playing this game and be passionate about the game because it passes you by really quick and we don’t want to see our season pass us by."

So, it would seem that the Giants' leadership is still on the same page with its head coach. The question now is whether or not they can turn those words into actions.

If they can, Coughlin will have rescued another season that appears to be on the brink.

New York Giants News and Notes: Thursday Edition

2009-11-05T14:15:21Z

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.

A chat with 'Bolts From The Blue'

2009-11-05T12:13:53Z

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.

View full size photo »

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.

Big Blue View: OK. here is a question. I suppose we have to debate Philip Rivers vs. Eli Manning. I hate the whole 'who is better?' thing because I think it is pointless. Would you agree, though, that both teams should be happy with the guy they ended up with?

Bolts From The Blue: Absolutely. While I'll argue all day that Philip Rivers is a better QB, I don't think Philip makes that play to escape the tackle and get the ball to Tyree. Each team got a young franchise QB to build around, and I honestly don't think Rivers would've liked the NYC spotlight very much.

Even the dim San Diego media spotlight seems too much for him. If the NFL could play the games without having them televised, I'm sure that'd be OK with Philip.

Bolts From The Blue: Here's a question. I like to look at matchups going into each game. Specifically, if I see small starting CBs I can usually predict a huge game for Vincent Jackson. In the same light, I always like to ask how good the team is at covering opposing TEs. Antonio Gates doesn't really have huge statistical games anymore, but if he's able to get open on third downs it usually turns into a good offensive day for the Chargers.

Big Blue View: I will answer that by saying this. Forget the matchups, outside of Corey Webster the Giants secondary has not been good at covering anyone lately. All your game plan needs to be is this -- find 'Bad, Bad C.C. Brown' at safety and throw the ball to whoever he should be responsible for. Should work every time. As for covering tight ends, if Boley plays he can do that.

OK, question for you. I love to ask this one. If you could take one player off the Giants' roster and put him in your lineup, who would it be?

Bolts From The Blue: Probably Justin Tuck. I think he'd be a very effective 3-4 DE. Same question to you.

Big Blue View: Well, considering the Giants defensive needs I would go one of two ways. I know Shawne Merriman may not be the player he used to be, but he is probably still better than Pierce or the other Giants LBs. As bad as our safeties have been if you want to lend us Eric Weddle for the rest of the season we would like that, too.

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

2009-11-04T17:06:56Z

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.

You know what, I really don't care about this debate. I used to go over and over in my mind whether I thought the Giants did the right thing by making the deal for Eli instead of just picking Roethlisberger. I really don't care to think about it any more.

I think it's pointless to try and figure out which guy is better. Rivers' career stats in terms of completion percentage and quarterback rating are clearly better than Eli's. For that matter, so are Roethlisberger's. It's hardly a fair fight, though, since Rivers is piling up number in sunny California where he rarely has to worry about wind, rain or cold.

My point is this. All three teams have darn good quarterbacks they should be thrilled with. Roethlisberger's numbers are up and down, but he has two rings. Eli has struggled the past couple of weeks, but he has a ring, has gotten better each NFL season and could well end up as the best quarterback the Giants franchise has ever had. Rivers has no rings, but he has already proven to be a gutsy, winning quarterback. If the Chargers ever put a good enough team around him he will get them a ring.

As far as I am concerned, the whole thing has worked out well for everybody. I like the guy the Giants have, and that's good enough for me.

By the way, we have always considered Eli a 'clutch' quarterback. Well, Forbes.com of all places has finally come up with a statistical way of finding out just who the best 'comeback quarterbacks' are. It's a fascinating read, a fascinating though flawed method, and I think you will be surprised at how well Eli fares by this measurement. In fact, all three quarterbacks we are talking about here fare well.

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

2009-11-04T15:02:50Z

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.

The Giants have been 5-3 or better in the first half of each of Tom Coughlin's six seasons as head coach. The current 5-3 mark has improved their record to 35-13 (.729) in the first eight games since Coughlin arrived in 2004.

The Giants are fifth in the league with an average of 386.9 yards a game, or 15.5 more than they were gaining halfway through the 2008 season. For the first time under Coughlin, they have gained more than 3,000 yards in half a season. They are on pace to finish with 6,190 yards, which would shatter the franchise record of 5,884 yards, set in 1985.

The Giants are averaging 26.5 points a game, which is ninth in the league and down slightly from the 28.3 they averaged at this point last season. They have scored 23 touchdowns (seven rushing, 14 passing and two returns), one less than they had last year (when the breakdown was 10 rushing, 13 passing and one return).

Their average time of possession of 33:57 is 56 seconds more than last year, a Coughlin-era high and second in the NFL, behind New England's 34:22.

But this year, the Giants rely on their passing attack to control the ball much more than they did last year. Their rushing output has dropped by more than 20 yards a game, from 162.6 last year to the current figure of 141.8. Brandon Jacobs has run for 550 yards and a 3.9-yard average after finishing the first half with 680 yards and a 5.2-yard average in 2008. The team average has slipped from 5.2 to 4.4 yards a carry. The passing game has picked up the slack, averaging 245.1 yards a game, 36.3 more than last year and 29 more than the Giants' best first half under Coughlin, set in 2006.

The Giants have 15 takeaways and 14 turnovers, a plus one differential. At midseason last year, they had 13 takeaways and seven turnovers (on their way to a league record-tying 13), for a plus-six differential.

Defensively, the Giants are third in the NFL in yards allowed per game (278.1) but 22^nd in points allowed (22.9). That is 17.7 more yards and 6.8 more points than the Giants were giving up at this time last year. Their opponents have scored 24 touchdowns (12 rushing and 12 passing) - 10 more than at this time last year.

The opponents' biggest improvement has been on the ground. The Giants are allowing 113.1 rushing yards a game, a sharp rise from the 85.4 they were giving up a year ago. At the same time, opposing passing yardage is down, dropping from 175.0 to 165.0 a game.

That last figure is perhaps surprising, given that the Giants have five fewer interceptions (11-6) and 12 fewer sacks (30-18) than they did at the midpoint of the 2008 season. The Giants also had 30 sacks halfway through the 2007 season.

Giants opponents are averaging 5.2 yards per play, compared to 4.6 last year.

In 2008, Justin Tuck was the Giants' midseason sack leader with 8.5. Mathias Kiwanuka was second with 6.0. This year, Osi Umenyiora leads with 4.0, followed by Tuck with 3.5.

Opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 86.3, or 16.1 points higher than last year's 70.2.

Last year at this time, the Giants had shown significant improvement in their red zone defense. They had allowed only five touchdowns on 14 opposing trips inside their 20-yard line, a touchdown percentage of 35.7. This season, the arrow is pointing in the other direction. The Giants have allowed 19 touchdowns in 26 opposition trips inside the 20-yard line, a 73.1 percent rate that has the Giants at the bottom of the NFL.

Here are the up-to-date stats for the Giants at the halfway point of the season.

Passing

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
David Carr	4	97.9	15	24	62.5	172	43	7.2	1	0	7	29	7.3	4.1	1	2	11
Eli Manning	8	86.4	140	242	57.9	1855	231.9	7.7	13	8	10	40	5	4	0	8	55

Rushing

		Rushing						Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	TD
Ahmad Bradshaw	8	89	476	59.5	5.3	38	4	7	69	8.6	9.9	55	0
David Carr	4	7	29	7.3	4.1	12	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Brandon Jacobs	8	140	550	68.8	3.9	31	2	9	55	6.9	6.1	22	0
Gartrell Johnson	2	11	39	19.5	3.5	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Eli Manning	8	10	40	5	4	13	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Receiving

		Receiving
	G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	Lng	TD
Travis Beckum	5	5	35	7	7	15	0
Kevin Boss	7	17	266	38	15.6	30	1
Ahmad Bradshaw	8	7	69	8.6	9.9	55	0
Derek Hagan	6	4	26	4.3	6.5	12	0
Domenik Hixon	5	7	54	10.8	7.7	13	0
Brandon Jacobs	8	9	55	6.9	6.1	22	0
Darcy Johnson	1	3	26	26	8.7	13	0
Mario Manningham	7	28	439	62.7	15.7	49	4
Sinorice Moss	4	1	18	4.5	18	18	1
Hakeem Nicks	6	20	368	61.3	18.4	62	4
Steve Smith	8	53	662	82.8	12.5	43	4

Returns

		Kickoff Returns					Punt Returns
	G	KR	YDS	AVG	Lng	TD	PR	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
William Beatty	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Chase Blackburn	6	1	3	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ahmad Bradshaw	8	0	0	0	0	0	6	55	9.2	20	0
Kevin Dockery	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Madison Hedgecock	2	1	8	8	8	0	0	0	0	0	0
Domenik Hixon	5	17	450	26.5	68	0	7	85	12.1	27	0
Sinorice Moss	4	6	109	18.2	29	0	11	74	6.7	16	0
Hakeem Nicks	6	1	16	16	16	0	0	0	0	0	0
Danny Ware	2	2	37	18.5	20	0	0	0	0	0	0
Corey Webster	8	0	0	0	0	0	1	8	8	8	0

Punting

	Punting
	G	Punts	Yds	AVG	Lng	In20	TB
Jeff Feagles	8	31	1238	39.9	59	14	2

Kicking

		Field Goals								PAT
	G	0-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50+	FGM	FGA	PCT	XPM	XPA	PCT	pts
Lawrence Tynes	8	0 - 0	7 - 9	6 - 7	4 - 5	0 - 0	17	21	80.0%	23	23	100.0%	74

Defense

		Sacks		Interceptions			Tackles
	G	Sacks	YdsL	Int	Yds	IntTD	Solo	Ast	Total
Rocky Bernard	7	1	11	0	0	0	9	3	12
Chase Blackburn	6	.500	5.5	0	0	0	21	13	34
Michael Boley	3	0	0	0	0	0	12	2	14
C.C. Brown	8	0	0	0	0	0	37	4	41
Chris Canty	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2
Danny Clark	7	1	8	0	0	0	15	10	25
Barry Cofield	6	0	0	0	0	0	9	3	12
Zak DeOssie	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kevin Dockery	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2
Jonathan Goff	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
Bruce Johnson	7	1	12	1	34	0	8	3	11
Michael Johnson	8	1	6	0	0	0	25	6	31
Bryan Kehl	5	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
Mathias Kiwanuka	8	3	14	0	0	0	16	4	20
Kenny Phillips	2	0	0	2	22	0	9	4	13
Antonio Pierce	8	1	4	0	0	0	37	15	52
Fred Robbins	7	0	0	0	0	0	15	0	15
Aaron Rouse	6	0	0	0	0	0	3	1	4
Rich Seubert	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Clint Sintim	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2
Chris Snee	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Terrell Thomas	8	1	9	2	16	0	25	7	32
Dave Tollefson	7	1	9	0	0	0	3	0	3
Justin Tuck	7	3.5	17.5	0	0	0	21	5	26
Osi Umenyiora	8	4	47	0	0	0	12	5	17
Corey Webster	8	0	0	1	0	0	23	3	26
Gerris Wilkinson	5	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1

New York Giants News & Notes: 3-Game Losing Streak

2009-11-04T12:07:34Z

You may have noticed that I haven't been posting too many comments the past couple of days - mostly it's because I just don't know what to say about what has happened to the Giants over the past three weeks. I know a lot of people are ready to write them off as a team that feasted on an easy schedule and really isn't that good, but I'm not ready to do that yet. I don't think a team that looked so good for 5 weeks, regardless of who it was against, can really be this bad, especially when you consider the way they destroyed a Raiders team that made the Eagles look silly. Football's a funny game.

If you're like me and desperately searching for a ray of light in this stretch, here's something: two teams have had 3 game losing streaks and gone on to win the Super Bowl: the 2005 Steelers & the 2000 Ravens (and technically, the 2007 Giants lost 3 in a row, if you count the 2006 playoff loss to the Eagles). Onto some links:

Ian O'Connor says the Giants can't hide behind the Yankees any longer. His analogy to the '96-'98 Yankees makes me sad, because that's exactly what I thought was happening up until the Saints game. Instead, I'm feeling very similar to how I felt in August & September, 2007 - when it became apparent that the Mets, who had been the best team in the NL since opening day '06 were all of a sudden not very good. Luckily the Giants aren't waiting until the end of the season to have some kind of epic collapse.
Chris Canty & Michael Boley are returning to practice this week. They can't get back on the field soon enough - it's obvious to everyone that the Giants don't have enough athletes on defense right now.
This Sunday's game will be the first time that Eli Manning and Phillip Rivers will play against one another since they were traded for each other on draft day, 2004. Manning played against the Chargers back in 2005, but Drew Brees was still the Chargers QB then.
Paul Schwartz writes that the Giants cannot wait for a big turnaround. Well, at least we have something in common with them.
The NY Times Fifth Down blog continues its look at the top 10 moments in Giants Stadium history with Rodney Hampton's 51-yard TD runn against the Vikings in the 1994 playoffs. Interestingly enough, that game served as the last win in the careers of Lawrence Taylor and Phil Simms, but it was also the first playoff win for Michael Strahan.

Kill Bill?

2009-11-03T19:00:55Z

Since many of you might be in this kind of mood, and since we can always use a little light-hearted relief, here is something you might enjoy. By the way, the Giants defense could use a little of this kind of attitude.

Panic? What panic? Hey ... get down off that bridge!

2009-11-03T16:00:47Z

Panic? Not members of Big Blue View Nation. Not New York Giants fans everywhere. Not New York sports fans in general. Never happen. Fuhgeddaboudit!

Eli Manning was asked about the panic-stricken fan base following three straight stunning losses by Eli's team.

"Fans can get in panic mode and that is alright. We can’t have the players get in panic mode, and that is the most important thing," Manning said. "We just have to get back to where we are making some of those plays. There is no secret ingredient. There is no ‘we have to change our philosophy.’ There is none of that. We are not in panic mode right now. But we do need to get better and we do need to play better than what we are playing right now."

Thanks, Eli. But, I will actually feel better when you and your receivers stop talking about it and actually start making some of those plays again.

File this is the 'you know things are bad when' category

When even the folks over at Giants.com are pointing out the negatives you know things are not going well for the boys in blue.

The three turnovers in Philadelphia increased their total to 15 in half a season. Last year, the Giants (and Miami Dolphins) set an NFL record with 13 turnovers in a 16-game schedule. The Giants lost three fumbles all last year; they have lost nine this season.

"I think the most important thing right now for this football team is that it's not about our record, it's about the way we are playing football," center Shaun O'Hara said. "We are not playing New York Giants football; we are turning the ball over, which is something we don't do. We talk about not doing it, we practice not doing it. But you can look at the last three games and it's happened. I think that is the first thing that we can correct and it's hard to win football games when you turn the football over. That's really been our formula for success. When you look at the five games that we did win, we took care of the football. We played New York Giants football."

Manning, who threw 10 interceptions in 479 attempts last year, has eight in 242 throws this season. Of course, the picks go on his stat line but they are not always his fault. And Manning is optimistic the passing game will improve in the second half of the season, as Steve Smith, Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks continue to grow.

"I think we are fine," Manning said. "Speaking of the offense, we have some young receivers and we knew that this wasn't going to be automatic. There was going to be a transition. I know we got off to a fast start, but these guys are still learning some things and getting better. You see more defenses and more complex defenses, there are going to be some mistakes, but that is where they learn. This will make us better down the road, down the stretch when we need these young guys to step up and play great for us. Going through some of these learning experiences will make us stronger later on."

Gary Myers of the Daily News writes today that the burden of righting the Giants ship falls on the struggling Manning.

This is why I love Mike Garafolo

No offense to Ernie Palladino, who is gracious enough to visit with us every week. Or Giants beat writers Ralph Vacchiano and Tom Rock, who have both been great to yours truly. But, Garafolo is the king of the Giants beat writers.

Why? Because he constantly picks up nuances that are both informative and right to the point of why things are happening. Here is MG discussing Bill Sheridan.

Here are my concerns about Sheridan and the defense:

*They’re often blitzing from a zip code away. Brown starts to creep forward on a third-and-6 in the first quarter and is five yards off the ball and outside the tackle at the snap. Third … and 6! How can he be expected to get there in the time it takes the Eagles to throw a short pass. Two plays later, Brown is blitzing from 10 yards off the ball on a second-and-6. These were not the first two times I’ve seen plays like this. And if it’s Brown’s fault and he should be closer, well that’s more fuel on his fire then.

*They’re guessing wrong. As I mentioned, on Weaver’s run, the Giants blitzed hard off their left side and the Eagles ran the other way. Again, not the first time this has happened.

*He said in the off-season he wouldn’t drop his DEs into coverage. Guess what he’s doing plenty of lately.

*No attitude. Remember the Giants’ defense under Steve Spagnuolo? The unit had a swagger. Now, I see none. That’s partly because of the players, but I also think it trickles down from the top.

My take: MG raises a great point. The blitz always seems to be coming from the wrong side. Or from somewhere off your TV screen. One other thing I will say. The Giants keep talking about 'gap discipline' against the run. Well, if they don't have any, and they have guys running around and doing what they want or what they aren't supposed to do, who is at fault for that? The coordinator.

The cavalry might be coming

Ralph Vacchiano says Chris Canty and Michael Boley are expected to practice this week.

The Giants are broken ... Now, how can they be fixed?

2009-11-03T12:00:20Z

by Michael Perez - AP

Philadelphia Eagles' LeSean McCoy (29) rushes past New York Giants' Aaron Rouse (26) in the second half during an NFL football game Sunday. This type of thing has been happening to the Giants defense on a regular basis.

View full size photo »

We spent Monday complaining about all of the things that have gone wrong with our long-ago 5-0 New York Giants. Today, let's turn the page and think about what Tom Coughlin and Co. can do fix some of the things that have gone wrong the past three weeks.

I am starting with this premise. The biggest problem on this football team -- without any doubt in my mind -- is the underwhelming defense. This team was built to dominate defensively while the offense found its way as the young group of wide receivers grew into its responsibilities.

There have been weeks when the offense has not played well, which he realistically had to expect entering the season. Or when various aspects of the special teams have not played well. The one constant, though, has been that against good teams the defense has been completely overmatched.

When we weren't talking about Plaxico Burress during the off-season, we were talking about the devastating defense we thought General Manager Jerry Reese had assembled. So far this season, the only things the defense is devastating is the Giants' chance to be a good football team.

In the last three weeks the Giants have given up 112 points (37.3 per game) and been riddled by too many huge plays for me to even think about. Forget being a dominant defense. Bill Sheridan's unit is not even close to being a competent one right now.

So, what can be done to improve the situation? I am going to break this down into four categories -- defensive line, linebackers, secondary and philosophy.

via i391.photobucket.com

The defensive line

Remember back in the pre-season when we were wondering how defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan was going to find roster space -- and snaps -- for all the talented defensive linemen the Giants had collected?

Well, now the question is can anyone on that front four make a play?

The Giants are tied for seventh in the league with 18 sacks, but it is obvious that the front four cannot consistently pressure quarterbacks by itself -- which was the plan with this group. Osi is not the dominant force of yesteryear. Justin Tuck must still be nursing the Week 2 shoulder injury. Mathias Kiwanuka has been mostly a non-factor in recent weeks. The defensive tackles are non-existent in the pass rush.

The run defense has been horrible. Philadelphia ran for 180 yards, including 66 and 41-yard touchdown runs. Arizona, which is a bad running team, consistently got solid runs. New Orleans did what it wanted on the ground as well as in the air. All the way back to the Dallas game the run defense was a problem. In that game the Giants gave up runs of 56, 35 and 20 yards.

Way too often, running backs are hitting the second and third level of the Giants defense without being touched.

Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield are not holding up inside. Neither is Rocky Bernard, brought in from Seattle specifically to help the run defense. Jay Alford is gone for the year.

The solution? Inside I think all the Giants can hope for is that Chris Canty can make some plays if he ever comes back healthy. That is no guarantee, though, even if the Giants are paying him $42 million. He has never been a defensive tackle, and he has missed so much time there is no way of knowing how effective he can be. In all honesty, I have never been a big Cofield fan. As for Robbins and Bernard, I am wondering if both of these mammoth guys have just gotten old.

Outside, I think the only change the Giants can make is to start getting second-round pick Clint Sintim on the line in passing situations. Sintim and Osi at the ends, with Tuck and Kiwi at the tackles is the best pass-rush group the Giants can put on the field.

Other than that, all we can hope for is that Tuck and Umenyiora get healthier, and start making the plays they are being counted on to make.

via i268.photobucket.com

The linebackers

Ah, the linebackers. Ugh! There isn't much nice to say here. Without the injured Michael Boley this is an un-athletic, un-inspiring, un-imposing group.

Danny Clark? Nice guy, great character, Tom Coughlin loves him and DC will do great things off the field once his playing days are done. On the field, though, Clark should not be a starting linebacker in the NFL. The guy is old, slow and hardly ever makes a play. Pretty much, he is just out there.

Chase Blackburn? Again, great character guy. Great special teams player. Smart, can play multiple positions and is a good tackler. But, slow, not and doesn't get off his blocks very well. Not a play-making, starting caliber linebacker.

Antonio Pierce? We knew he is smart. We know he is the 'quarterback' of the defense. We also know he is slow in pass coverage, not very imposing in the middle of the defense and has been getting abused by offenses for the past two seasons. Who do you think teams are running at over and over and over when they gash the Giants up the middle? Sorry, but AP's best football is clearly behind him.

The solution? Clearly, some personnel changes are needed here. And this is an area of the defense where the Giants DO have some options. Those begin, again, with Sintim. I know the second-round pick from Virginia has clearly missed a lot of time on the practice field due to his leg injury earlier this season. He showed in the pre-season that he is an athlete, and a playmaker. It might be time to let Sintim learn on the field, replacing Clark. Sintim will make some mistakes, but he will also make some plays against the run simply with his athleticism. Against the pass? Put him at defensive end let him do what he does best -- get after quarterbacks.

On the other side, the Giants obviously miss Boley. In the couple of games he played before going down with a knee injury, he showed athleticism and cover skills the Giants have not had in an outside linebacker for a while. He will, of course, help when he returns. Until then? Sorry, Chase, but let's get Bryan Kehl on the field and see if he can help. Again, he is more athletic and maybe he can make a difference. Maybe he can't, but it's worth a shot to find out.

In the middle? The Giants are not moving Pierce out of there, as much as some of us might like them to. Blackburn is not the answer long-term in the middle, either. If the season spirals out of control (and Lord knows I am not wishing for that) I would like to see Jonathan Goff get a chance in the middle. He was impressive in pre-season and I want to know what he can do.

By the way, Clark, Blackburn and Gerris Wilkinson are free agents after this season. This group is headed for an off-season makeover.

The secondary

We have been over the issues with this group so many times I won't belabor them. The Giants miss Kenny Phillips so much I hate to even think about it. They miss Aaron Ross because at least he would provide them with some options. Have you noticed how often the Giants are playing 'nickel' with Michael Johnson, 'Bad, Bad C.C. Brown' and 'Just as Bad Aaron Rouse' on the field together? That's three safeties on the field in obvious passing situations -- none of whom can cover. A recipe for disaster.

There are no easy solutions here, though getting Ross back in some semblance of playing condition is probably the best the Giants can hope for. At least then in some of those passing situations they can get Brown off the field.

We would all love to see Brown get his pink slip. Yesterday. There is, truthfully, no help out there right now, however. If Reese could have done better than Rouse when KP went down he would have. But, teams don't jettison players mid-season without a good reason.

Maybe the Giants bring Sha'reef Rashad or Vince Anderson off the practice squad. It sure can't hurt, but it is no guarantee to help. Those guys are on the practice squad because the Giants didn't think they were ready to play at the NFL level yet.

Mostly, we just have to hope that Brown and Rouse learn from their mistakes, and get on the same page with the rest of the secondary. Oh, and that somebody back there remembers tackling is part of the job.

The philosophy

New defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan is under fire from every direction. Blitz more, Bill!. Don't blitz so much, Bill! How come your team can't play the run, Bill? Your guys can't cover, Bill! You can't carry Steve Spagnuolo's jock strap, Bill! Hey, Bill, we would have re-hired Tim Lewis or Johnnie Lynn if we wanted to watch this crap!

I have said it before -- I won't kill Sheridan over how much he blitzes or doesn't blitz. This team was built to pressure with four. It's not happening. They aren't getting home with the blitz, either. Because they just don't have the athletes.

That, really, is the crux of it. Right now the Giants simply don't have the athletes to be a dominant defense.

That said, it would be nice if Sheridan would remind his defensive backs that making a tackle once in a while would be nice.

Final word

I truly believe that better defense would solve a lot of the other problems the Giants are having. Inconsistent offense (which we expected entering the season), erratic special teams (which seems like a Giants trademark), the occasional incomprehensible Kevin Gilbride play call (yes, they do happen) would all be much less of an issue if the Giants could simply stop somebody once in a while.

We will see if Coughlin, Sheridan and Co. can figure out a way to make that happen. If they can't, the last eight games will be torture to watch.

What others are saying about the Giants' implosion

2009-11-02T16:00:50Z

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

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We know how we all feel about the pitiful state of the football team currently marauding as the once-proud New York Giants. Let's sample a little of the reaction from around the Inter-Google following Sunday's 40-17 slaughter at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Oh, Eli

In the middle of a column is which he accurately states that the Giants put on a "staggering show of ineptitude," Ian O'Connor of NorthJersey.com addresses the elephant in the room for the Giants offense. Meaning, how badly injured is Eli Manning? Eli will, and has, said he is fine. Coach Tom Coughlin won't talk about Eli's plantar fasciitis. O'Connor went to General Manager Jerry Reese for thoughts on that, and Reese did not skirt the subject.

"I think Eli’s foot is bothering him some," said Giants GM Jerry Reese, "but he’s out there and he’s giving it his best. Obviously he’s not 100 percent, but I don’t know if anybody’s 100 percent at this point of the season.

"I have confidence Eli will pull out of it."

If Manning shares Reese’s faith, his body language said otherwise. Eli had no zip on the ball, and almost no willingness to step into a throw.

SI.com's Peter King this morning named Eli his 'Goat of the Week.' King, by the way also dropped the Giants out of his 'Fine Fifteen' for the first time this season.

For the first five weeks of the year, Eli looked like Peyton. For the past three weeks, he's looked like Danny Kanell -- inaccurate, unnecessarily risky and unsure of himself. Totally bizarre. Like the throw he made to Asante Samuel on the Giants' first series; at least it appeared to be intended for Samuel, who stepped in front of tight end Travis Beckum and picked it off, leading to the second touchdown for Philly. Manning threw another one just before the half, setting up another touchdown, and by then it was over. The Giants have to hope it's just a minor slump, because if Manning keeps throwing to the other team like this, and completing balls at a rate lower than 50-percent (which he's doing the past three weeks), New York's going to be out of the pennant race by Thanksgiving weekend.

Don Banks, also of SI.com, also discussed Eli's injury.

Manning seems to be sailing a lot of his passes high over his receivers' heads, and that's probably an indication he not's real comfortable planting his feet and following through on his throws.

My take: I have to agree with the sentiment that Eli is just not right. He is tough, and he will never admit being affected. The incredibly high number of off-target throws are reminiscent of the player Eli was at the beginning of his career, not the player he is now. He is better than this, and we have to hope he finds a way to deal with the foot problem and gets back to making the throws that need to be made.

Coughlin again staring at huge challenge - - NJ.com

Coughlin is facing a crisis now, maybe his worst one since the 0-2 start in 2007. Yes, there was the Plaxico Burress mess, but that was an off-the-field disaster largely beyond his control.

This? His Giants are imploding and Coughlin doesn’t seem to have the foggiest why it is happening. They have fallen from 5-0 to 5-3, fallen from the NFC’s elite to third place in their division, and the pratfall is magnified by how poorly they are playing.

They were noncompetitive in this 40-17 loss to the Eagles yesterday, outclassed in all phases. The defense gave up plays of 66, 54 and 41 yards, all for touchdowns. The quarterback threw two killer interceptions in the first half and overthrew a half dozen open receivers.

The coach, asked for answers, had none.

"I’m just as frustrated as the next guy," Coughlin said. "We’ve found our way out of these situations in the past."

Coughlin has done some of his best coaching when the Giants are facing a crisis, and he has one on his hands now. They play four of their next five games at home, but all five are against teams with winning records.

Are the Giants arrogant? ProFootballTalk.com
The root cause could be a level of arrogance that the talent level on the team doesn't justify.

"We keep talking about 'Well, that team ain't better than us. We just didn't play good,'" defensive end Justin Tuck said. "After three weeks in a row, something is not clicking the way it needs to be. We've got to look ourselves in the mirror and get this ship right. Now."

it appears that the 5-0 start was influenced in large part by the fact that the Giants primarily played bad teams (Redskins, Bucs, Chiefs, Raiders). Their only impressive victory came at Dallas, but it arguably wasn't a game the Giants won as much as it was a game the Cowboys lost.

So the reality could be that the Giants haven't lost their magic. The reality could be that, this year, they simply don't have any -- and that they're going to be the last ones to figure it out.

My take: This is a good point. We have said it over and over, but it is pretty obvious the Giants are not as good as they think they are. It's time for them to stop talking and start playing.

New York Giants defense lays egg
The Giants have lost their way. It happens to good NFL teams sometimes during the course of a long season, and it isn't necessarily fatal when the record still says five wins and three losses at the midway point. But this peculiar form of amnesia usually doesn't afflict the Giants, who have an institutional memory for conventional power football on both sides of the ball.

Unlike the Jets, the Giants always are supposed to know who they are. But now Tom Coughlin's team has dropped three straight against strong opponents in very disturbing fashion, doing things that Giants just don't do.

They are missing tackles, giving the football away, flubbing assignments. Five different Eagles either caught passes or rushed in plays that gained 20 or more yards from scrimmage.

"We're a complete embarrassment," Antonio Pierce said, after the 40-17 loss to the Eagles. "We're just a bad defense right now. We went from a team that was very disciplined to a team not doing the right things. ... It's mind-boggling. Twenty-one days. ... Three weeks."

My take: That is about the most insightful, and accurate, thing Pierce has said to the media all season.

"Told you so......."

2009-11-02T15:10:03Z

"Told you so......."

"Dave from Asheville"