SB Nation - Kareem McKenzie

What do the Giants do now? Ideas for salvaging the season

Ed Valentine — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:00:19 -0000

OK, gang. We have spent the past few days commiserating about the problems our 6-5 New York Giants are having. The hated Dallas Cowboys come to East Rutherford this week, so it is time to turn the page and look forward.

The Giants MUST (is there anything bigger than capital letters for emphasis?) win this game if they hope to salvage the season. So, the question is, what -- if anything -- can be done over the next five games to get this team going again?

First and foremost, say your prayers for Eli's foot. If he goes down to a stress fracture, find something else to do with your Sunday afternoons. I doubt the Giants will be watchable.

Anyway, here are my thoughts on what the Giants can do in an effort to salvage the season.

Run Brandon, run! -- As we discussed Sunday, this is an obvious one. He probably isn't running as well as he did the past couple of years. And we know the line isn't blocking as well. But, the Giants have to have balance. And they have to let Jacobs try to wear defenses down. He is the guy opposing defensive players fear, and when the Giants don't make full use of him they do the defense a favor.
Turn the kids loose, Tom -- Rookies make mistakes, and coaches of contending teams don't like to play them if they have a choice. Giants coach Tom Coughlin is hardly alone there. But the season has reached a point where it has become pretty obvious that the Giants aren't really contenders. And that there are certain veterans whose warranty has expired. So, let the kids play.

-- Activate Ramses Barden -- Sure, wide receiver isn't really an issue. But, the Green Zone still is. And, yes, that probably means de-activating Derek Hagan, an idea which I hate. But, you know what? The coverage teams stink with Hagan, who might be the team's best cover guy. For now, they can stink without him. It's time to start finding out about Barden.

-- Same for Travis Beckum -- Every snap that Darcy Johnson is on the field is really a wasted play as far as the future of the Giants. He really is not a good blocker, so if it's a blocking situation use an extra offensive lineman. If it's a passing situation, get Beckum on the field. He will never turn into a weapon standing on the sidelines, and you know by now that Johnson is pretty much just taking up roster space.

-- Start William Beatty at right tackle. Maybe he is the future left tackle, we don't know that yet. But, continuing to play Kareem McKenzie at right tackle is going to get Eli Manning killed, Or David Carr, if Eli's 'stress reaction' turns into a fracture. It's pretty obvious that McKenzie is a pass-blocking liability, so get Beatty on the field full-time and let him begin to learn. At least you know that if he gets beat he will learn and get better.

-- More Clint Sintim. I have to qualify this one. I know that the Giants started getting Sintim more action several weeks ago. I also know that Antonio Pierce's injury has made playing Sintim difficult. Sintim admitted recently that he was relying on AP to get him lined up and to make sure he understood what his responsibilities were, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me that Sintim still needed help figuring out how to line up. But, it's really obvious that Danny Clark won't be a Giant next year, and that Clark's lack of athleticism hurts this defense. Let Sintiim make his mistakes now, in a season thatr appears to be quickly going down the drain, so that he can become the play maker we all want in 2010.

-- Give Jonathan Goff a chance -- We have seen one good game and one bad one from Chase Blackburn filling in at middle linebacker for Antonio Pierce. Blackburn is smart, and I love the guy. I'm not sure he is athletic enough, or physical enough, to be the long-term answer in the middle, though. We know Pierce needs to be replaced, quite possibly next season. Get Goff on the field enough to find out if the kid can play.
More Kiwi, less Osi. A lot less Osi -- If any Giants fan out there still thinks Osi Umenyiora is a great defensive end, all I can say is this. You are thinking with your heart, not your eyes or your brain. Osi is an atrocious run defender, and at this point in his career only a so-so pass rusher. He makes one great play every couple of games, that's about it. Mathias Kiwanuka played right defensive end all of 2008, and did a better job than Osi is doing this season. Especially against the run. Every offensive coordinator in the league knows at this point that if you need a couple of yards against the Giants, running right at Osi is the way to get it.

One more thing. How about no more Chris Canty at defensive end? The Giants are paying him $42 million to clog the middle, which he can't do playing right defensive end when Osi isn't there. What the heck is he doing out there? Get him in the middle where he is supposed to be, and let Kiwanuka play defensive end.
Boot Bill Sheridan upstairs. I know many of you would have been happy if I stopped at 'Boot Bill Sheridan.' That is not going to happen during the season, though, so I'm not even going to go there. Sheridan, though, obviously is not effective from the sideline. He is undoubtedly not a motivator. And, he can't seem to get a feel for calling the game, since so many of his calls seem to wind up leaving the Giants vulnerable. So, kick him upstairs where we know he originally wanted to be and see if he can do a better job from up there. If that doesn't work, well, then I think we know what needs to be done.

That's about all I have for now. I am curious to hear your ideas for the rest of the season. And, please, keep it to how to salvage the next five games. We have months to discuss the draft and what to do next season. It's not time to tackle that yet.

Run, Giants run! Or, why can't the Giants run anymore?

Ed Valentine — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:00:13 -0000

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

What is wrong with the New York Giants running game? Plenty, but one big thing is that we just have not seen enough of this -- Brandon Jacobs with the football.

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What is wrong with the New York Giants' running game? Everyone seems to have an opinion, so here is mine.

I think the answer is two-fold.

The offensive line is not playing as well as it has the past couple of seasons.
Philosophically, the Giants are now a pass-first team and not a 'punish the defense with a physical ground game' first team.

First, let's lay out the numbers.

The Giants are averaging 126.8 yards rushing per game, ninth in the league. That is waaaay down from the league-leading 157.4 per game they averaged in 2008. It is also their worst rushing performance since they averaged just 119 yards per game in 2004. Not coincidentally, that is also the last time the Giants missed the playoffs.

On a per-carry basis, they average 4.3 yards. Respectable, but hardly the dominant 5.0 per carry they ripped off last season.

They have a paltry six rushing plays for 20 or more yards, none for 40 or more. In 2008, they had 24 runs of 20+ and three runs of 40+.

The Offensive Line

We have talked about the offensive line's troubles before. We need to do it again, though, because the disappointing work by the guys up front is a big part of why the Giants have been unable to run consistently. I turned to my newfound favorite stat site, Pro Football Focus, for data on the play of the Giants offensive linemen. As of Saturday, these numbers are still through only 10 games. Yet, good enough to give you an idea what is going on.

The chart below gives you PFF's run-blocking scores for each lineman for 2008 and 2009. I put Madison Hedgecock and Kevin Boss in there because they are key components of the run-blocking schemes.

Player	2008	2009
David Diehl	-4.5	-0.2
Rich Seubert	+18.3	-4.9
Shaun O'Hara	+7.5	+13.5
Chris Snee	+21.2	+14.0
Kareem McKenzie	+7.7	+9.7
Kevin Boss	+5.1	+12.9
Madison Hedgecock	+0.3	-0.9

Anyone else see what I see? Look at Rich Seubert's numbers. Using PFF's method of a zero for doing what is expected, gaining points for doing more than expected and losing points for doing less than expected, Seubert has dropped more than 23 points from last season. Is he hurt? I don't know. I do know Seubert has not been good.

David Diehl is slightly better in 2009 than 2008, but still in negative numbers. So, basically, that means the Giants cannot run to the left. Watch the clip below, and you will notice that Brandon Jacobs likes running left. If the Giants can't block that side, that is a huge problem.

Look a little deeper. I have had the impression that Hedgecock, the blocking fullback, has not been having a great year. PFF's numbers confirm it. When you have a blocking fullback whose numbers as a blocker are below average, that is another huge problem. Even Chris Snee, acknowledged as the best lineman, has good numbers. But, not as good as 2008.

So, the left side of the Giants line is below par in run blocking. And they are not getting good work from the blocking back. A pretty ugly combination.

The philosophy

After Thursday night's blowout loss to the Broncos coach Tom Coughlin had this to say.

"Football to me is that you have to run the ball and stop the run. Those are the first things you do have to do to put yourself in a position to be able to take advantage of the various aspects of your plans and your talent."

I think, overall, Coughlin is a terrific head coach. He has a Super Bowl ring, and I hope he coaches the Giants as long as he wants to. To be brutally honest, though, you have wonder sometimes if those are just words to the veteran head coach. At least in terms of how the Giants approach offense, that is.

I really hate to do this, but I can't help it. Because I can't stop thinking about it. Turn the clock all the way back to 2006, back to the days when Tiki Barber was openly challenging Coughlin and openly questioning the strategy being employed. What was Barber's chief complaint in those days, when John Hufnagel was calling the plays?

His chief complaint was that the Giants abandoned the run too quickly, failing to take full advantage of their best player. Which happened to be Barber.

Fast forward to 2009. What was O'Hara saying to reporters the other day? That he feels the Giants are abandoning the run too quickly.

"I think really as a unit we are probably frustrated with the run game. It has come so easy for us the last few years. Running the football has really been an afterthought. Yeah, we will get six, seven yards, no big deal. We’ll get 150 yards rushing without even blinking an eye. Things are a little bit tougher; it’s tougher sledding.

"The only way, in my eyes, to get back on track is to keep doing it and do it more. I think, as offensive linemen, we are always going to complain that we aren’t running the football enough. That is kind of our M.O. We want to run the ball more. Quarterbacks and receivers, we are going to have discussions with them every single day, they want to throw it, we want to run it. That is a constant battle. I am not going to be happy until we have 35-40 carries in a game."

I will bet you a nickel Tiki enjoyed reading that.

The overall stats leave little doubt that the Giants have gone from balanced to pass happy. They show that the Giants have run the ball an average of 29.8 times per game this season vs. 31.4 last season, a slight difference. Pass attempts, though, are up from 30.7 attempts per game last season to 34.4 per game in 2009. So, in 2009 the Giants are passing the ball 54 percent of the time. In 2008, they passed 49 percent of the time.

It doesn't seem like a big difference, but in truth it is.

Here are the numbers during the last six games, in which we know the Giants have won just once.

Opponent	Passes	Runs
New Orleans	36	19
Arizona	37	26
Philadelphia	39	32
San Diego	33	28
Atlanta	39	26
Denver	40	16

Total them, and that is 224 pass plays, and just 147 running plays, or 60.3 percent passing plays. A far cry from the balance the Giants have always said they strive for in their offense.

Now, a small percentage of that can be explained by the Giants trailing big late in a couple of those games. Yet, that isn't the whole explanation.

During their five-game win streak at the beginning of the season, the Giants ran the ball 180 times and passed it 154, or 54% of the time. Yes, slightly skewed by the blowouts against Tampa Bay and Oakland in which the Giants were running out the clock at the end of the games. Yet, to me, clearly an indication that the Giants are better served when they remember to run the football.

It's plain to see that the Giants have become a team that uses the run to protect the lead, but not to go and get it. Coughlin and Kevin Gilbride quite obviously want to put the ball in the air when the game is in doubt.

What is the big problem with that? The NFL is clearly now a passing league, and analyst after analyst will tell you that you have to throw to score touchdowns.

Sure, except the one offensive player the Giants have who is feared by opposing defenses is the 6-foot-4, 270-pound Jacobs. The guy no one in the league likes to tackle.

During the past six games, Jacobs has averaged just 12.3 carries per game. Sorry, but whether he is running as well as last year or not, offensive line struggles or not, Jacobs cannot do what he is paid to do with that puny workload.

Jacobs' job is to wear out defenses. To set a physical tone and tire out defenders, making it easier for Ahmad Bradshaw or D.J. Ware to find holes late in the game. And for Eli Manning to throw without pass rushers draped all over him.

The Giants are not allowing him to do that. And failing to give Jacobs 18-20 carries per game means they are not playing to their strength, as much as I love Eli and the receiving corps. Remember, too, that Jacobs alone is doling out that physical punishment this season. Derrick Ward was 230 pounds and could also punish defenders. Bradshaw can make them miss, but he can't make them hurt.

TC has been talking a lot lately about winning the physical battle. Well, to do that TC and KG have got to remember to take full advantage of the Giants most physical player.

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

Ed Valentine — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:00:21 -0000

More photos » by Brian Blanco - AP

One of the subjects Ernie Palladino and I discuss this week is the future of the Giants offensive line, especially someone like Kareem McKenzie.

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Just because it's a bye week for the New York Giants, doesn't mean the real workers around here -- bloggers like Ernie Palladino and myself get to goof off. We still have to provide manna for readers hungry for Giants' stories. So, here is this week's swap of questions with Ernie P.

As always, his answers are below. Mine can be found over at Ernie's house, which he affectionately calls 'Giants Beat.'

1. Given the post-bye schedule, can the Giants fight their way into the postseason?

Ernie's Answer: Well, it's going to be a tough climb, but it's certainly possible. You can look at the need to go 5-2 to reach 10 wins, which would basically lock up a postseason berth and say, "No way. Not how this team is playing." And you'd be right. You could also look at the combined 34-22 mark of their seven remaining opponents, six of which are conference games, and be understandably pessimistic. But I always hearken back to the words Jim Fassel repeatedly used when talking about such matters: "It's not who you play, it's when you play them." Nobody can say how these teams are going to play two, three, six weeks from now. Look at Denver. They jumped off to a 6-0 start but just lost their second straight Monday night, and looked horrible doing it. Do you think Dallas is going to steamroll into the Super Bowl? Maybe. But the Giants did beat them at home and the Cowboys have been known to go into late-season swoons. You really think Washington is going to be all geeked up in Game 14 to save Zorn? I don't. Now, I'm not saying the Giants don't have a big hill to climb even to get to 8-8 (which, by the way, could get them into a wildcard if the wide-open NFC falls right). All I'm saying is the postseason is not beyond the realm of possibililty. Do I think they're capable of turning it around? Now that Aaron Ross is headed back and the team is getting healthier, yes I do. That said, watch them drop six of the last seven.

2. Is the short, controlled passing game Eli Manning exhibited in last week's loss to San Diego the way to go?

Ernie's Answer: Oh, yeah. Notice how much better the tempo was and how well they moved the ball for the most part. No more stupid home-run shots on third-and-2. Instead, a nice, steady movement down the gridiron. When you've got guys like Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks who can make hay out of the flanker screens and sideline out routes, it's better to use those elements than try to get it all at once. There's a reason Eli went 25-of-33 for 215 yards and two touchdowns, and it wasn't because he was constantly looking 40 yards downfield. If the Giants are smart, they'll limit his downfield shots to two or three per game, and only if they're in the lead. Otherwise, stick with the shorter passes and give me more cowbell, er, I mean, Brandon Jacobs.

3. Many of the players say this four-game losing streak hasn't shaken their confidence. Do you believe them?

Ernie's Answer: Absolutely. Without a doubt. And tomorrow, I'm going to buy that piece of beachfront property Justin Tuck is trying to unload in Arizona. Gave me a good price on it. Are you kidding? I don't care what kind of bravado the players put up. It's all a facade. This is a team that has all but fiddled away a 5-0 start with four straight losses, looking horrible in three of them and then falling victim to their coaches during crunch time of the last one. Put yourself in their situation. Feel your head spinning? Getting a little queasy in the stomach? Guaranteed, that's how they feel. They're searching and self-checking, wondering where the hell it all went wrong. I've never been big on the bye, but I really believe this one comes at an ideal time. If ever a team needed a break, it's this one. Perhaps they'll come back for Atlanta mentally refreshed, having spent some time away from the Xs and Os that right now seem as elementary as hitting a Mariano Rivera cutter.

4. Has the offensive line finally gotten too old to get the job done?

Ernie's Answer: I really like those guys, all of them. But I'm starting to think that some spots may need changing in the near future. Maybe even this year, starting with right tackle Kareem McKenzie. Maybe it's time to put either Kevin Boothe or Will Beatty in there and see what they can do. Kareem just doesn't seem to have the ability to keep up anymore. Granted, he's still struggling some with the groin injury. But he's let up some pressure on his side, and the run-blocking hasn't quite been up to par. David Diehl has also had his problems on the other side. And Shaun O'Hara may be having his most inconsistent season since he arrived here in '04. Of course, I could be wrong. It could be the overall scheme, which now relies heavily on the pass, that is causing all this. Run blocking needs rhythm, and when you're constantly going away from the run, rhythm is hard to generate. These guys aren't consistently blocking downhill anymore, so naturally they don't look as effective. I do believe that if not this year, then certainly next year, the unit that has played together for 39 out of the last 40 games will need some new blood.

Arizona Cardinals vs. New York Giants: Injury Report

Hawkwind — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:42:52 -0000

More photos » by Paul Connors - AP

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin suffered a high ankle sprain last week against the Seahawks but will he suit up against the New York Giants? (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

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With Wednesday's being the big practice day of the NFL week and the first release of an injury report it's always interesting to see who's name pops up on the list. For the Arizona Cardinals the injury situation is pretty clear. Anquan Boldin has a high ankle sprain and didn't practice at all, although he and Ken Whisenhunt said that they were encouraged by his progress. Boldin told reporters after practice that he thought he'd be a 'game time decision' which doesn't sound promising considering that he normally overly optimistic early in the week. Stephen Spach is the only other player who missed practice entirely but with the return of Ben Patrick, Spach's absence is less of an issue. Steven Breaston (knee) and Beanie Wells (hip) were both limited in practice but neither of them are in jeopardy of missing the game.

For the Giants the injury situation is a much bleaker picture. Michael Boley, Chris Canty and Aaron Ross are all starters who missed practice and are not expected to suit up on Sunday. With this trio being out coupled with the loss of Kenny Phillips earlier in the year, the Giants defense is missing four starters. The Giants had several other players who were limited, including starters Eli Manning, Antonio Pierce, Kareem McKenzie, but none of them are in jeopardy of missing the game.

The big question for the Cardinals will be what to do if Boldin can't play. Will Early Doucet see his first significant action of the season? Will the game plan change to a more conservative approach? Will Breaston still return punts if he's the #2 wide out?

New York Giants News & Notes: No Need to Panic

cjmulrain — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:01:02 -0000

Tom Rock of Newsday throws some water on the fire, pointing out that the Giants have recovered from bad losses before and that one bad loss to the Saints won't define their season. I agree with him completely.

There's plenty of reason to think the Giants will be able to return to form on Sunday. They do it rather routinely. In 2007 they were beat up by the Vikings, 41-17, at home. Two-and-a-half months later they were Super Bowl champions. And last year they fell flat against the Browns. After that they won seven straight games and established themselves as the premier team in the NFL (even if it was a bit premature for their liking).

It's not about losing, it's about handling the loss. Linebacker Danny Clark compared it to hitting the refresh button on an Internet browser each week.

Hixon Sets Giants Record

In spite of the turmoil surrounding him, Domenik Hixon had a banner day in his first game back from injury, becoming the first Giant to gain 300 total yards in a single game. He was obviously helped by all the kickoff returns the Giants defense let him receive, but with a few long returns he definitely earned the distinction. Congrats, Domenik. Also noted in that article, Hakeem Nicks became the first Giants rookie to score a touchdown in 3 straight games since 1950.

McKenzie's Injury Not That Bad?

The Giants won't release the severity of right tackle Kareem McKenzie's injury, but indications are that it isn't as bad as originally feared, and McKenzie may be able to play again this Sunday against the Cardinals. That's good news. Also good news, it sounds like Chris Canty, Michael Boley, and Aaron Ross should all be available after the bye week, if not the week before for Canty. That must be especially welcome news for Canty, who has been frustrated by his inability to get on the field since the season opener.

Looking Back & Looking Ahead

Mike Garafalo reviews rookie William Beatty's performance replacing Kareem McKenzie last week and looks ahead to the Giants matchup with another high-flying offense this weekend against the Arizona Cardinals.

New York Jets Run Offense vs. Miami Dolphins Run Defense

John B — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:54:44 -0000

More photos » by J. Pat Carter - AP

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Miami ranks second in the league against the run, only surrendering 61 yards per game. The average against them is 2.9 yards per rush. This is going to be a tough team to get the run game going against, but the Jets' offensive line needs to start living up to its potential. The Dolphins are one of the rare teams to operate primarily out of a traditional 2 gap 3-4 defense. Every coach with such a scheme is from the Parcells-Belichick school. In this system, the linemen are responsible for tying up defensive linemen, holding the point of attack, clogging 2 gaps, and freeing others up to make plays. Other teams with a base 3-4 like the Jets want their linemen to pick a gap, win a matchup, penetrate, and make a play.

Former Jet Jason Ferguson anchors the middle. Paul Solai is his backup at nose tackle. This will probably be the area to watch in the run game. It's up to Nick Mangold to win battles up front by himself. He's certainly capable of doing so. If that happens, the other linemen get freed to hit the second level. It comes down to whether Channing Crowder and Akin Ayodele can get off the blocks of Jets linemen. Advantage New York if that's the case. I'm sure we'll see plenty of 8 man fronts. Yeremiah Bell is strong in run support. If Mangold wins his battle, though, the Jets are going to be able to get the ground game going.

At end, Miami will rotate Randy Starks, Kendall Langford, Tony McDaniel, and Phillip Merling. Langford is the starter opposite the right side of New York's line, where the Jets like to run a lot. Damien Woody' status could be a key here. I know how much everybody loves Brandon Moore, but he's looked very ordinary when the man next to him hasn't been good. Moore has been something of a liability without a strong tackle like Kareem McKenzie or Woody. He hasn't been able to help compensate for weaker players like Adrien Jones and Anthony Clement.

It's also time for more Shonn Greene. Teams are stacking the box against the Jets. There hasn't been a ton of room to run. Get the physical rookie in there to grind out yardage.

Keeping an Eye on the Other Beasts in the East

Aaron Novinger — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 01:00:26 -0000

Only Washington's disappointing (disappointing for them-he, he) loss to Detroit spoiled a dominating week for the NFC East teams. The Eagles, Giants, and Cowboys all won their Week 3 games by two touchdowns or more.

This week the Eagles are on a bye, while the Giants and the Cowboys hit the road against AFC West opponents. The Redskins return home to try and regroup. At 1-2, they are two games behind the unbeaten Giants and a game behind both the Cowboys and Eagles - each with two wins a piece.

More Beasts in the East after the jump.

Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)

Last game: 34-14 Home Win vs. Kansas City

Next up: Bye

The bye week comes at a good time for the Eagles. Starting QB Donovan McNabb (ribs) and RB Brian Westbrook (ankle) both sat out of last week's game, while WR DeSean Jackson (groin) played through his injury.

Jackson still turned out a big game, catching six passes for 149 yards with a score. He also won the NFC's Special Teams Player of the Month award.

Jackson nabbed special teams honors thanks to a 22.2-yard punt-return average, including an 85-yard punt return for a touchdown, which helped the Eagles go 2-1 in the month. In addition, he had 12 catches for 259 yards and two scores, as well as five carries for 48 yards. Jackson recorded touchdowns of 85, 71 and 64 yards and became the first player in NFL history to record a 60-plus- yard touchdown in each of the first three games of the season. In his second year out of California, Jackson took his first monthly award.

In place of McNabb, QB Kevin Kolb grabbed himself the NFC's Offensive Player of the Week honors.

In last week's 34-14 win over Kansas City, Kolb became the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for 300 yards in each of his first two career starts. Against the Chiefs, he completed 24-of-34 passes for 327 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Here are the highlights of Philly's win over KC.

Washington Redskins (1-2)

Last game: 14-19 Loss @ Detroit

Next up: Home vs. Tampa Bay (0-3)

Washington will try to switch things up a little this week by replacing SS Chris Horton with Reed Doughty, says Redskins DC Greg Blache.

"Reed's actually played better the last couple of weeks," Blache said. "And Chris has struggled a little bit. He had a play last week with bad eyes; we got a big interference call. He had an incident the week before where it was not a good fit. And it's not that we're down on him, but the fact that you have a guy in Reed that's so close to him, gives him an opportunity, gives Chris a chance to catch his breath, refocus and come back strong."

Blache blames himself for the team's defensive struggles.

With a good deal of criticism heaped on the offense -- which has scored five touchdowns in three games and has been miserable inside the 10-yard line -- Blache said he felt like he has to take responsibility for the struggles of a unit that is supposed to be the Redskins' strength.

"Because I'm the leader, and quite honestly, if the calls aren't real good, that's my fault," Blache said. "If the players don't play with detail, that's my fault, because it all comes back to coaching. If we didn't have talent, then you'd say, 'Well, there's a talent issue.' We have talent. But in our league, the most talented teams don't always win. The teams that play the best win."

MLB London Fletcher says the players just aren't executing.

Earlier this week, Fletcher provided some perspective on the Redskins' performance in saying the organization hasn't a great season in a long, long time. As for this season and the problems on defense, "if a call is made defensively, let's go out and execute that call," Fletcher said. "You look at the film, we're not executing our calls. It's as simple as that."

"So I don't know about identity. If the call is made and you ain't executing, the identity is you ain't executing the call. Let's just get back to doing that."

On offense, Clinton Portis says he is due for a breakout game.

"It's only a matter of time before I have a 200-yard game," Portis said. "It's only a matter of time before I have a 150-yard game. It's only a matter of time before I get two or three touchdowns. It's just the fact, when's it coming? I know it's coming. But when?"

With an ineffective rushing attack through three games, the Redskins began installing their game plan for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday, taking the practice field without their starting backfield. Nursing a calf contusion, Portis was present but wasn't wearing pads and wasn't participating. Fullback Mike Sellers sat out with bruised quadriceps.

Against the Bucs this weekend, Portis should be able to bring back the Redskins' ground game.

Washington is averaging 91.7 rushing yards per game; Tampa Bay is allowing more than twice that. In fact, only one team in the NFL, Houston, has been worse than the Bucs against the run thus far. Last week against the Giants, Tampa Bay's defense allowed 226 rushing yards. Ahmad Bradshaw had 104 yards and Brandon Jacobs finished with 92. After the Cowboys ran for 118 yards in the season-opener against the Bucs, the Bills totaled 218 yards on the ground in Week 2, including 163 yards from Fred Jackson.

Aqib Talib vs. Santana Moss should be a key matchup to watch in this game.

Talib, the 20th overall choice of the 2008 NFL Draft, was the highest pick the Bucs have ever used on a cornerback. He starts at left corner and has very good ball skills. It's hard to throw over him because of his height. Talib had four interceptions in 2008. He likes to talk trash to opposing players. If Tampa is to win, Talib needs to back up the talk and hold Moss in check. Moss is coming off his best game of the season last week -- 10 catches for 178 yards and one TD vs. Detroit. He presents a tough matchup for teams because of his speed and ability to catch all types of passes.

Here is NFL.com's Bucs @ Redskins video preview.

New York Giants (3-0)

Last game: 24-0 Win @ Tampa Bay

Next up: @ Kansas City (0-3)

The Giants finish up their three-game road stretch this week against the winless Chiefs. Their offense will meet a K.C. defense that gives up an average of 362.3 yards and 28.3 points per game.

RB Brandon Jacobs will look to shutdown the recent criticism that he "tiptoes" to the line.

[A]fter Sunday’s win against the Buccaneers, during which the FOX broadcast team repeatedly critiqued Jacobs for "tiptoeing" and not running downhill, he’s heard about it all week. "I don’t care about analysts," Jacobs told reporters in the locker room Thursday. "They are analysts. They are going to say what they’ve got to say. I am here, we are 3-0, and that’s all I am focusing on."

Jacobs particularly did not want to focus on Tony Siragusa, who made the bulk of the tiptoeing comments throughout the broadcast. Later, he said if Siragusa approached him during pre-game warm-ups, Jacobs would "grab a hold of my ego and talk to him. It’s a mirage, but I’ll talk to him."

Ahmad Bradshaw (ankle) has missed practice time this week, but expects to play.

"I ran a toss play and ended up getting it fell on the wrong way," the Giants' running back said of the play that temporarily knocked him out of Sunday's victory over the Buccaneers. "It was a high ankle sprain ... and it just lingers." Bradshaw, who played through the pain of the injury on his way to 104 yards on the ground against Tampa, said he should be ready for the Chiefs this coming weekend.

"We fully expect that he'll be able to go, to play in the game," coach Tom Coughlin said. "But right now they are treating it with a boot and lots of extra time in the training room."

Also sitting out of practice this week were DT Justin Tuck (shoulder), DE Chris Canty, and RB Danny Ware. RT Kareem McKenzie (knee) should be ready to go against the Chiefs.

The only player listed as injured for the Chiefs is WR Dwayne Bowe (hamstring), who was limited in practice this week. Here is the rest of the injury report for the Giants.

For the Chiefs to even sniff at pulling off an upset, their offensive line has to play much, much better than it has.

In the debacle at Philadelphia, the Chiefs' line gave up three sacks and contributed heavily to the team's 10 penalties. Overall in three games, Chiefs quarterbacks have been sacked eight times, one of the biggest totals in the league. That's a scary stat considering the fast and physical defense the Giants will present on Sunday.

The problems have not been confined to the unsettled right side. Left tackle Branden Albert, after a terrific rookie year, has been inconsistent. He drew a holding call last week and has been beaten for two sacks.

Here is NFL.com's preview video for the Giants @ Chiefs.

Giants Injury Report is Full But Most Won't Miss Sunday

Chris Thorman — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:52:27 -0000

More photos » by Mike Groll - AP

3 months ago: FILE - In this Aug. 4, 2009, file photo, New York Giants cornerback Aaron Ross looks on during NFL football training camp in Albany, N.Y. The New York Giants ended training camp with new concerns about starting cornerback Aaron Ross. Ross re-injured his left hamstring on the second play of an 11-on-11 drill on Tuesday morning, Aug. 25, 2009, when he turned quickly to cover Steve Smith going deep for an Eli Manning pass. (AP Photo/Mike Groll, File)

Browse more photos »

A nice, relaxing Friday night. I can't wait.

It's my one week wedding anniversary (Sweet Jesus, did I just type that?) and I still feel like it was yesterday. This weekend should be a lot of fun around here, because I'm blogging which means less analysis and news like Joel and more jokes, Caption This posts and one liners. Kidding...sort of.

Joel talked about Dwayne Bowe's injury earlier today and I'm here to give you the Giants injury report. Via Ernie Palladino's Giants blog:

OUT:
DT Chris Canty (calf), WR Domenik Hixon (knee), CB Aaron Ross (hamstring) and RB Danny Ware (elbow).

QUESTIONABLE:
LB Clint Sintim (groin).

PROBABLE:
WR Hakeem Nicks (foot), CB Kevin Dockery (hamstring), RB Ahmad Bradshaw (foot and ankle), T Kareem McKenzie (knee), T Adam Koets (ankle) and DE Justin Tuck (shoulder)

Anyone on that Out list make you feel relieved? Are you glad Domenik Hixon won't be making Maurice Leggett look worse than he is?

Land of the Giants: Nicks is feeling fine

Ed Valentine — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:00:13 -0000

As I mentioned Monday evening, the work done by No. 1 pick Hakeem Nicks in the afternoon session had everyone buzzing. Well, Giants.com managed to catch up with Nicks after practice.

"It was fun," he said. "Every day is fun, this is football. A lot earlier in the practices, the hamstring (injury) came and that was a setback. It's just a football injury, but it was a lot to think about. I was thinking too much at the beginning and now I feel like I'm playing within the team and within the system and playing my game.

"I know what I'm doing and I'm good with the sight adjustments. I'm good on every play now, so I am just me out there now. It's a lot off me now; I feel like I can play within the team and just contribute the best way possible."

"I wouldn't say that I had been frustrated, because I knew that it was going to come sooner or later," Nicks said. "It's just a matter of me getting comfortable. The hamstring set me back awhile and I just had to work my way back. It affected me on the depth chart and I got mental reps, but I couldn't do it physically so therefore the plays weren't really sticking with me. They were moving a lot faster and I'm a type to learn by getting reps. It was just a matter of me being patient and waiting until this passed by and the man upstairs has got a plan for me. Now I feel like I'm right where I need to be, so I'm ready to go."

Quarterback Andre Woodson could not believe the catch Nicks made when Woodson tossed him a fade route in the end zone.

"Oh man, remarkable catch," Woodson said. "That was amazing. I think that shows right there why he was the first pick for us in the first round. He has a lot of potential, he really does. The big thing for him is learning the playbook, finding the hot (reads) and adjustments and he'll be fine. But he's pretty nice to watch. To see him go up there one-handed and the defensive back really doesn't know where the ball is, he just did a wonderful job of going up there and getting it at its highest point."

Plaxico Burress has spoken for the first time about what happened the night he shot himself. Ralph Vacchiano has the sad details.

"It wasn’t like I was trying to hide (the gun) or go into this place and go through security," Burress said. "They knew I had it, they pat me down and they said OK. They let me in, with it.

"I’m there for maybe five minutes. It was getting so crowded, everybody coming over, so the VIPs, they said ‘I’ll take you upstairs so you can relax and no one will bother you.’ I’m walking up the stairs and I miss a step, and my gun slides down my pants. So, it’s getting ready to hit the ground. I don’t want it to hit the ground, when it slides down my jeans, and I go to stop it from hitting the ground.

"I don’t think you could do it a million times. Through your pants you can try to stop it from hitting the ground and my finger hit right on the trigger. What are the odds in that happening?"

The offensive line has been the foundation of the Giants' offense the past several seasons. Yahoo! Sports is wondering if that foundation is beginning to crack.

There are signs that indicate the group is faltering.

For instance, left tackle David Diehl, a more natural guard, has held on to the position for two seasons because the Giants like to run the ball, and he is nothing if not a world-class road-grader as a run-blocker. But he lacks quick feet and a sense of awareness of the on-rushing defensive end to be a truly proficient left tackle. Despite the team’s denials, there has been effort to find one.

The right tackle, Kareem McKenzie, is an "old" 30, a man troubled by recurring back spasms. Whether he lasts the entire season is argumentative, but even more disturbing is the fact that there isn’t much depth behind the two tackles.

We have talked a lot about how jittery backup quarterback David Carr has been throughout training camp. Well, when asked about him Monday quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer was unusually candid in his assessment of Carr's camp performance.

I’m not pleased with David right now. I think he’s got to be more consistent. He’s a quarterback, he’s got to prove he’s a winning quarterback and I think there are certain things that he has to improve on, and I’ve told him that. He has the ability to play in this league, he’s a very, very talented player, but he’s got to do the things the way we want them done.

Zak DeOssie will now handle all of the special teams snapping duties with Jay Alford injured. DeOssie told the Star-Ledger's Jenny Vrentas that he expects a 'smooth transition.'

"There was some question there whether or not I was going to do it or Jay, because Jay is a really good D-tackle" DeOssie said. "But now the decision is easy for the coaches because unfortunately Jay got hurt, and I've got to step in there."

DeOssie did both snaps at Brown. He also got experience at the pro level during February's Pro Bowl, when he was selected as the NFC's "need" player to short snap for John Carney's field goals/extra points and long snap for Jeff Feagles' punts.

DeOssie is right-handed, while Alford is left-handed, but Feagles -- who is the holder for field goals -- said that just changes the spin on the ball. Feagles is used to that spin from DeOssie's snaps on punts. The only other difference is that DeOssie (6-4, 249) is smaller than Alford (6-3, 304), which can easily be adjusted for.

"He's not as big as Jay, but he's certainly as good as Jay," Feagles said. "We just have to give him a little bit more protection in the middle because of his size. But that shouldn't be a problem. As far as our operation and stuff goes, we've been working pretty diligently with both of them."

DeOssie has practiced short snaps daily for the past two seasons in case Alford got injured. Feagles said center Shaun O'Hara is the emergency snapper, and tight end Lee Vickers has also been working as a backup to DeOssie on the punt unit.

"I'm sure it will be a smooth transition," DeOssie said. "We won't miss a step."

New York Giants training camp: Monday afternoon practice report

Ed Valentine — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:42:51 -0000

Here is your Monday afternoon practice report from New York Giants training camp at UAlbany.

Let's just say it was brutally obvious that the intensity was ratcheted up a few notches this afternoon, the first full practice since Saturday's embarrassing pre-season loss to Chicago. There was heavy hitting, and more pad-popping than at any time in camp.

Oh, and two fights. Or near fights. The first involved cornerback Bruce Johnson and wide receiver Shaun Bodiford when they got tangled up, went to the ground and came up mauling each other WWE style.

The second also involved Bruce Johnson. I didn't see what started it, but I did see tight end Darcy Johnson take a couple of swings at him, which drew a lot of players before Brandon Jacobs stepped in to play peacemaker.

Bruce Johnson, who is fighting for a roster spot, was obviously testy today. After the two fights, he knocked a pass away from David Tyree and gave the 'throat-slash' sign, which immediately drew the ire of the offense -- and the coaching staff.

Here are some other highlights of Monday's practice.

No 1 pick Hakeem Nicks has had a mostly quiet camp, fighting through a hamstring issue. Nothing quiet about Nicks' work Monday, though. He was, quite simply, the most dominant player on the field. Nicks made two leaping, one-handed catches Monday. One on a long ball down the right sideline from Rhett Bomar when he was well-covered by, who else, Bruce Johnson. The second was a red zone fade from Andre Woodson when he hauled in a pass in the corner of the end zone. Nicks also caught a long ball down the left sideline from Woodson when he ran by DeAndre Wright. Pretty obvious the coaches noticed Nicks' work. He ran with the first team in three-wide sets during the two-minute drill near the end of practice.
Mathias Kiwanuka made what is probably the defensive play of camp during 11-on-11 work. Lined up at left end, Kiwanuka picked off a bubble screen for Mario Manningham for what would have been a touchdown. Kiwanuka practically took the ball out of Eli Manning's hands. I don't know if Kiwi made a fabulous move, or Kareem McKenzie made a horrendous block, but it was an awesome athletic play.
Eli had three passes picked off today, incidentally. Oh, and there was a fumble on a handoff from Eli to Ahmad Bradshaw. Yuck! Not what you want to see this far into camp.
Derek Hagan, the Giants' practice superstar, made several nice grabs today. Now if he could only translate that to a game he might actually make the team.
Very few opportunities for Rhett Bomar, but he threw a few nice balls. A good sideline out to Taye Biddle was probably his best throw.
Rocky Bernard provided some good news on the defensive tackle front, making a couple of nice stops, including getting into the backfield to drop Danny Ware for a loss.
Dave Tollefson had what would have been a sack of David Carr when he beat William Beatty.
INJURY NOTES: Kenny Phillips, Aaron Ross, Chris Snee and Rich Seubert all worked today. Ross was limitied a bit, but the rest went fully. Antonio Pierce, Michael Boley and Danny Clark just did a few individual drills.

Today's Transcripts

Antonio Pierce
Running backs coach Jerald ingram
Quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer