SB Nation - Kenny Phillips

New York Giants notes: Aaron Rouse may have found a home

Ed Valentine — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:00:21 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

New York Giants safety Aaron Rouse (26) sacks Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) in the first quarter of their NFL football game at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009.

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Here is some Friday afternoon reading material for you, New York Giants fans.

Aaron Rouse, acquired to take Kenny Phillips' roster spot after being let go by Green Bay earlier this season, has played exceptionally well the past couple of weeks. He even earned a game ball last week, with 12 tackles (10 solo) and his first career sack.

"He has been a big time pleasant guy for us in the last couple of weeks," defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan said. "He got a game ball the other day … and it was well-deserved. He is playing with a lot of confidence now that he is playing for a couple weeks. He is much more comfortable with the defensive calls and he plays super aggressive. He has a steady confidence about him, he tries to play physical. He made about a dozen tackles the other day and it looks like it, when you are on the sidelines watching it, he looks like he is in on a bunch of tackles. He has done an excellent job."

Rouse admits he endured an adjustment period, because changing teams and homes on the fly is difficult.

"As a young player, it is," Rouse said. "I had never experienced it; my first time was going from Green Bay to the Giants in the middle of the season. That was hard, but at the same time I have a great support system - my mom and my godfather were there. Basically, I know that being the good player that I am that I was optimistic about everything and never got down and was just waiting for the opportunity to play for another team. Mr. Reese (Jerry, the general manager) brought me in here and I am thankful for that and am just trying to make the best of this opportunity.

"This is my third year in the league, so anytime you go from a different team you try to think about things that have happened. But my main focus was to be optimistic. I know I am a good player, I know I am going to be a great player one day and when things happen you keep your head up and go forward."

My take: A couple of good games does not make a career. Rouse is just 25, though, and if he keeps playing as well as he has the past few weeks New York might just become a long-term home.

You would think Tom Coughlin has been reading Big Blue View when you look at his assessment of the key to beating Philadelphia Sunday.

"We have to try to keep them from making the big plays. It starts with us stopping the run. They ran the ball on us over there. They have made big plays. So we have to stop the run and try to prevent the big plays."

We agree, Tom. We agree.

Sheridan also knows stopping the big play is priority one Sunday.

"They have had their most success on big plays so that will be a huge emphasis for us. If we can just hang in there and keep the ball in front of us, we will have a chance to be competitive in the game. They get big plays, especially if they get them early, it is a big momentum swing for them."

We have talked a ton about the Giants seeming lack of use of tight end Kevin Boss. A few weeks ago, you might recall, I even penned an open letter to the Giants on Boss' behalf. Turns out offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride DOES know who Boss is. He even seems to like the guy.

Check out this exchange Thursday with reporters.

Q: Do you think as the weather changes that Kevin Boss – this time of year – needs to be more of a target?

A: I laugh sometimes when I hear that stuff. All it is is whoever gets open based on his scheme and what have you. What a lot of guys don’t realize is that the one that we threw deep down the field – that really was the primary guy was Boss on the ….route. He felt that he had a touchdown to Steve so he threw it there. The touchdown to Brandon Jacobs – that was designed to go to Kevin Boss. But they were so committed to knocking him, riding him in – that is what opened up, Brandon. So all I care is that when he has a chance to get open, that he does and he catches the ball. You know he is going to catch the ball. He has terrific hands. He has a great radius. His big thing is getting off the jams and stuff like that. And they made a commitment to bang on him a little bit. So we were able to capitalize on it on that one play for a big play, but a couple of other plays that were designed to go him – he has to do a better job of getting off being banged around. Because they know he is a big target; he is a good player. So they commit --- that is the way to slow him down and so that is the area that he knows that if he can get done. It is hard to run with him. He is a big, long-legged guy once he gets going.

Who knew? Gilbride does understand that the tight end is an eligible receiver.

On the injury front, Chris Snee's status remains uncertain.

Finally, a few nuggets about last week's victory over Dallas from Pro Football Focus.

Your eyes told you Kevin Boothe played pretty well after Snee went out with a knee injury. They did not deceive. Boothe was +1.2 in PFF's rating system. That, by the way, was the best overall rating of any offensive player.
Among the defenders, Rouse had a team-best +2.3 rating.
Mathias Kiwanuka played 80 of 82 snaps while starting in place of Osi Umenyiora. Kiwi lined up at defensive end, defensive tackle, outside linebacker and even middle linebacker. The Giants used an 'Amoeba' defense with a lot of guys standing up and moving around pre-snap. I loved it, and I want to see more of it.
Speaking of Osi, it appears he is now a pass-rush specialist. Thirty-three of the 38 snaps he played were passes.
Justin Tuck lined up at defensive tackle 30 times against the Cowboys. To protect his injured shoulder that is something Tuck has done little of this season.

(E-mail Ed at bigblueview@gmail.com)

New York Giants News & Notes: Kenny Phillips Tries to Put a Finger on it

cjmulrain — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 12:00:41 -0000

Kenny Phillips tries to put a finger on the Giants woes on his official blog, and for the most part he sounds just like any of us:

"I know this is a good team, I know how hard these guys work and how much they want to win, but for some reason it’s not showing and that’s the most frustrating thing. Sometimes I have to change the channel."

I don't like to blame injuries, but the defense hasn't been the same since Kenny went down. He looked like he was about to become a star this season, and his replacements have been nothing short of awful. Check out his blog post for an update on his rehab status.

Chris Canty talked about preparing for his first game against his former team this weekend (Canty missed the Giants first game against the Cowboys due to injury), and whether his knowledge of the Cowboys will give the Giants any advantages

"There is something special about this game. It’s an opportunity for us to compete as a football team. It’s a division game. This means a lot for us and we have taken notice of that. We are prepared as such and we are going to give ourselves the best opportunity to be successful on Sunday... I think both of teams know each other very well. I don’t think it has a lot to do with me at all. These teams play each other twice a year, a couple of years back where the Giants and Cowboys played each other three times a year, including the playoff game. These football teams know each other very well. There are not going to be a lot of surprises. Like I said, it is what it is."

Tom Coughlin sort of addressed the speculation that Osi Umenyiora has been demoted and won't be starting this weekend:

Q: There has been talk of Osi coming out on running downs - playing only passing downs. What can you tell us about that?

A: He will play run downs, too.

Q: Will he start?

A: We'll have to see on that. We will play everybody.

Cowboys vs. Giants Preview, Part Two: Gauging the Austin Effect

Rafael Vela — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:56:26 -0000

More photos » by Erich Schlegel - AP

New York's weak interior pass defense looks inviting to Jason Witten. (AP Photo/Erich Schlegel)

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When Dallas Has the Ball

The Giants spent heavily in the offseason to beef up their front seven, in response to their December '08 defensive breakdown. Teams ran very effectively on New York then, so the Giants jumped into free agency with a vengeance, signing DT Rocky Bernard from Seattle and DT Chris Canty from Dallas. They added Michael Boley fro Atlanta to add some athleticism to their linebacking corps.

The thinking was to bolster a line which already rushed pretty well, and give more speed to the back seven. The plan appeared to be working well early in the season. New DC Bill Sheridan did not blitz as much as his predecessor Steve Spagnuolo, working instead to strangle opposing passing attacks.

The approach certainly worked in week two. Sheridan saw how Tony Romo and his receivers had ripped up Tampa Bay's depleted secondary and game-planned to take away Romo's big plays. Sheridan didn't play Tampa Two, with two deep safeties, as other teams had done to Romo, but the general concepts were the same. New York kept S Kenny Phillips deep on nearly all downs; Phillips often started downs 15 to 25 yards behind the line.

Sheridan reasoned that Romo would not remain disciplined and would force passes into coverage. The Giants rolled up their coverages towards the Dallas wideouts Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton and dared Romo to play small ball. They picked him short, when nickel corner Bruce Johnson returned an overthrown Romo pass for six, and they picked Romo long, when he tried forcing a bomb to Sam Hurd at a critical point in the 3rd quarter, when Dallas was trying to build on a four point lead.

They also got some luck, when Jason Witten inadvertently back-heeled a ball into Kenny Phillips' hands. The pick gave the Giants a very short field which they navigated for a touchdown just before the half. When the game was over, Romo had a meager 127 passing yards and three turnovers.

The Giants smothered every passing attack they faced in their first five games; opposing QBs averaged just 105 yards per game through the air. Then, they were found out, with emphasis. Drew Brees bombed them in New Orleans, Donovan McNabb bombed them two games later, and Philip Rivers took his guys the length of the field in the last two minutes, capping a three TD pass day with an 18 yard game winner to Vincent Jackson in the final 20 seconds.

I pointed out yesterday that the current Giants offense resembles the '08 Cowboys in its injury pattern. This year's Giants defense reminds of the '06 Cowboys D, which collapsed when its safety corps wore away. New York's problems started immediately after the Cowboys win, when Phillips was diagnosed with arthritis in a knee. He has been inactive since and his injury claimed the one New York safety with range and ball sense:

Games 1-5 : 4 TD passes allowed
Games 6-11: 14 TD passes allowed

The Giants do have talent on the edges. Corey Webster is a blue-chipper and fellow wideout Terrell Thomas has been solid. Opponents have been able to ignore them, spreading the field and working the intermediate and deep middle. The problems have been compounded by MLB Antonio Pierce's injury, which landed him on I.R. this week. He called the Giants defensive signals.

New York's defense looks lost at the moment. Last week the Broncos repeatedly broke down New York's coverage with bunch packages. They would clot three receiving targets on one side of their line and hit the man who inevitably came open when the trio scattered. The Giants safeties did not know who to cover. Kyle Orton threw an easy touchdown to Brandon Stokely out of this package in the third quarter, where nobody bothered to cover the Broncos slot man.

Look for a game plan very similar to the one Dallas ran against Oakland, at least when the Cowboys pass. Jason Garrett opened by moving Miles Austin around, motioning him into the slot or starting him there. Austin ran a number of deep posts and short and medium crossing routes, to get matchups with the Raiders safeties and linebackers. When Austin got single coverage outside, he simply ran posts or combination routes which let him use his speed to run away from Nnamdi Asomugha.

I expect we'll see Austin test the New York middle in similar ways. He's the Cowboys receiving ace now and the Giants saw very little of him in September. I expect to see him moved inside again and matched against Thomas when he stays wide.

Also look for Dallas to feature more bunch packages than before. Bunch sets are a regular part of the Dallas passing game, but are used to varying degrees week-to-week. You might see Dallas use this set four of five times a game, but Garrett can make it a focal point of a game plan if he feels it can hurt a defense. Dallas was bunch heavy in last year's season opener against Cleveland, for instance, and got Jason Witten free a lot on deep seams off the scatter.

Look for a more controlled game from Romo. He had three picks against New York but has had just four in his last nine starts, with no more than one in a single game. He seems to have learned that he doesn't have to force the deep ball to move the team.

Romo also has the option of handing the ball off repeatedly. New York threw roadblocks in front of Romo's receivers the first time around, but they left open lanes up the middle for the Dallas runners. Marion Barber ran for 124 yards and Felix Jones added 96 more on just seven carries as Dallas romped for a season high 251 yards.

The running game veered off course in the Philadelphia and Packers games, but has come back strong; Dallas has 347 rushing yards the last two weeks. This coincides with Felix Jones' return to health. He has again given Dallas the big play ground option they lacked when he was rehabbing a knee injury. Dallas had great success with variations of its staple the lead draw, as the Giants linemen were more concerned with getting to Romo. There's no reason to think this and Dallas other staple the power-counter won't be called a lot Sunday.

Special Teams

A divisional rematch in a windy stadium could make field goals more important than they usually are. That's sobering news for Dallas fans who have watched Nick Folk struggle with intermediate-range field goals since the preseason. Hope the game does not hinge on his foot. On the other hand, Folk has been Mr. Clutch his first two years. Maybe a last-second challenge is what he needs to focus his mind. Let's all hope so.

This is a divisional game. Dallas first tour of the East produced a two point loss, a four point win and a one point win. I see little reason to expect a blowout. It's December in New Jersey, which will likely mean poor conditions. The Giants are desperate and they're playing their last game against the Cowboys in Giants Stadium.

Stock up on the maalox and spirits, folks.

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:00:20 -0000

Happy Tuesday, friends. It's a short week, with another game on Thursday night, so there's no time to mope or feel sorry for ourselves. In their scheduling wisdom, the NFL took away our right to do so - and I, for one, am glad. The Giants can be beaten, with sound play, but we'll get to that eventually. For now we'll put this week to bed and move on quickly. Ready.... BEGIN!!!!

1. I am approaching one full year as a staff contributor to MHR, having joined at the beginning of December 2008. It's been quite an interesting year, and my relationship to the team has kind of changed in an unexpected way during that time.

I first discovered MHR in April 2008, right before the draft. It, and SBNation, have come a long way since then, but the basics were the same; MHR is a respectful, knowledgeable community which discussed all things about their team. I was inspired to join such a community, and I started posting some FanPosts (which were still called Diaries only a year and a half ago).

Unlike a lot of staff members, I wasn't asked to fill a specific role, so I had to figure out what mine would be. I had always done some around the league stuff, but I wanted to find a delivery formula that would work well on a Broncos site. I debuted ST&NO on January 12, 2009, with the following opening:

As we enter the re-loading season, I felt like I needed to establish a fun new recurring feature. HT has MHR University, and Broncobear has the always excellent Tales from the Sunny Side. Styg is heading up some great draft coverage, which has a fun name, which you'll be hearing about very soon. Nick has some statistical analysis pieces which will be coming, and Zappa will continue to be Zappa, intermittently unleashing jolts of Broncos fan brilliance. And the Guru, when we form like Voltron, the Guru is the head.

So where does that leave me? Well, I was thinking a couple days ago, as I listened to Enter The Wu-Tang and shoveled a foot of snow, that two things I can consistently provide are shallow thoughts, and nearsighted observations. Since this is a Broncos blog, I'll focus on our team, but I'll also include some league-wide thoughts, for keeping-up-with- the-Jones purposes. Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. What else could be needed on top of that? Maybe just some more cowbell.... Did anybody bring a cowbell?

Well, ST&NO has grown, and I have too. As I was sitting on my couch Sunday, watching the debacle against the Chargers, I realized that I wasn't yelling and cursing as much as normal. I didn't get that excited, and I have to say, upon some reflection, that I have been less excitable about the Broncos this season than ever. For the first 6 games, I had a hard time finding new ways to express my pleasure with the situation, and for the last 4, I have had trouble doing the opposite thing.

All I can figure is that my role in writing for this site has subtly and gradually forced me to become more of an objective analyst, and less of a passionate fan. I think the change largely has to do with my relationship with and attitude toward reporters.

I like to beat up on NFL reporters, because I think that most of them only have a surface-level knowledge of what is going on in a football game. The Broncos have a couple of good reporters, in Lindsay Jones and Jeff Legwold, and I never take any shots at them. I actually have tended toward staying away from taking deserved shots at the Denver-area Woody Paige bloviator class, because I don't want to spend the site's goodwill with the Denver media; it's John's to spend, not mine, after all. (Woody going after Kyle at BroncoTalk made me briefly lift my moratorium in the comments section of Horse Tracks the other day.)

Here's a summary of my general attitude toward football reporting. I think there is relatively little value in the reporting of news, at the national level. When Lindsay Jones reports on what happened at the facility every day, there is value in that. When Chris Mortensen hears 10 minutes before Jay Glazer that Chris Simms will start, who cares? Everybody was going to find out soon enough anyway, so what's the difference who had it first?

The real value, to me, is in the analysis, which is why I devote my time and effort to being a good analyst. While I am not a journalist, I do admire the journalistic principle of objectivity, and I think that in reconciling my criticism of national NFL reporters with my long-held policy of non-hypocrisy, I have become more objective. If I am going to beat them up for not knowing the technical aspects of the game as well as me, I can't be less objective than them. Something like that.

I remember last spring sitting in a bar with some co-workers for a happy hour, and seeing Woody's face come on Around The Horn. I told this girl I work with, Trudy, that I competed with him in the marketplace of ideas, and that I kicked his butt, on the merits. Well, I really don't think of Woody as my competition anymore, for a lot of obvious reasons. (Like, for example, he can't compete with me.) Due to the established nature of my content, I feel like I am competing with national guys, like Peter King and Gregg Easterbrook, even if this platform is Broncos-specific.

So, the point of this is that I was struggling with what to say in a general way about Sunday's game, when I don't have the deep feelings that most of you do, and that I would have had a year ago. I feel like I imagine Tom Jackson to feel; I'm very disappointed at the result for my affiliated team, but at the end of the day, I have the rest of the football landscape to worry about, too, and I have to get on with the business of being an objective analyst. I am still coming to grips with this change, and I am not really sure what the ancillary implications are for me. This may be one of these existential crises like we're seeing with Team Edward or Team Jacob. (I have a lot of 20-something women among my Facebook friends, so, trust me, I know.) See here for a funny breakdown of that Twilight sitch-ee-ation.

(Big up my man Justin Dazet for finding that. Justin writes a blog that gets into gaming and other stuff, and a San Diego area column on Geek Culture. Check him out if you're into that sort of thing.)

Momentarily, I will get back to the business of breaking down the game details, like I always do, but I thought I should at least explain why there was no impassioned, emotional screed today about the Broncos.

2. Information From My Eyes - Chargers at Broncos

a. First things first. I am going to tell you why Kyle Orton didn't start the game. He couldn't take snaps from under center and drop back effectively. It's that simple. The injury that he has prevented it. If you can only play in the shotgun, your running game is severely limited, from the perspective of the direction you can run. Josh McDaniels said this without really getting detailed, but this is what he meant.

Orton took a few snaps under center, but he really labored with his footwork, and it hindered the timing of the running game, and the Broncos could only really run to the A and B gaps. When the QB is playing slow, it makes the whole offense play slow, unfortunately.

b. The Broncos came out running the ball like they meant business. They could do that with Chris Simms under center, but Simms obviously never held his end of the bargain as a passer. When Orton came into the game, it wasn't conducive to running the ball, and neither was Orton's ability to retreat from center.

c. Knowshon Moreno scored a Touchdown, and ~~Ron~~ Nuclear Winter's crew blew the call. When I saw who the referee was, right after kickoff, I tweeted;

I am sure Moreno's play was a TD by virtue of relative positioning. To wit, Russ Hochstein's knee was across the goal line, and if his knee caused the fumble, which it clearly did, then the ball had to be across the goal line. That play was an absolute killer, because with a TD at the end of the half, the Broncos are right back in the game at 13-7. The energy of the game had momentarily shifted to the Broncos, and just like that, it was gone.

d. I was very disappointed with the defensive scheme, as I have been the last several weeks. The Broncos have really changed from an aggressive defense to one which is reading and reacting, and I don't like it at all. In the game at San Diego, the Broncos had great success pressuring the A gaps, and I saw very little effort to do that Sunday. They also got Elvis Dumervil in favorable matchups against the terrible Jeromey Clary, and again, there was none of that. Clary was even injured, and they didn't seem like they wanted to go after him. The Broncos need to get back to what made them tough on defense.

e. A little noticed good thing about Sunday was kickoff and punt coverage. The Broncos never let Darren Sproles hurt them in the return game, and both Josh Barrett and David Bruton made outstanding plays in downfield coverage.

f. The Chargers defensive backs got away with playing through the bodies of Denver receivers several times. The Broncos were a lot sloppier than San Diego, but not to the point where the penalty disparity should have been as wide as it was. It seems to me that teams which have "physical" labels like San Diego, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore get away with mugging a lot of WRs, and not just with crappy officiating crews like Nuclear Winter. It's like how you might call a foul playing an indoor basketball game at the Y, but you wouldn't call the same thing playing streetball.

g. Speaking of penalties, I want to know what the unsportsmanlike conduct was against Marcus Thomas and Ronald Fields on those two kicking plays. It seemed to me that they just hit the long snapper, though it was hard to tell from the TV angles on the recorded Short Cut. Those seemed like Nuclear Winter ticky-tack calls.

h. Andre' Goodman had a hard time dealing with the size of Malcolm Floyd on Sunday. Chris Chambers has done very well in Kansas City, but Floyd is a much tougher matchup for a guy like Goodman.

i. I put a great deal of the Broncos' recent offensive struggles on the absence of Ryan Harris. They haven't been able to protect nearly as well as they did in the first six games. That's not exactly meant to be an indictment of Tyler Polumbus, who is fine as a backup OT and special teams player. It's just recognizing the fact that Harris is one of the best RTs in the game. The timing of the offensive struggles aren't coincidental. It looks like Harris is still hurt, but let's hope he can play on the other side of the Giants game.

j. Again, the gap discipline took a vacation in the second half of the football game. Peter King thinks the defense of the first six games was a mirage, which is dramatically oversimplifying the case. They have still been quick and active for big stretches during the losing streak. It's just been less common to see them sustain it for 60 minutes lately. D.J. Williams (again) and Andra Davis both had pretty bad days in the gap discipline department.

k. I was fine with the onsides kick call, even if it didn't work. It was a good situation for it, because the Broncos were going to lose anyway without a big play.

3. Information From My Eyes - Other Games

a. Again, Thursday seems like it was a long time ago. I was very impressed with the play of Ricky Williams in the absence of Ronnie Brown. I haven't liked the play of Williams so much, maybe ever. The Dolphins didn't do much of their Wild Cute Marine Mammal stuff, but they ran very well from traditional formations, against a Carolina defense which is usually stout against the run. The direct snap stuff is good because of Brown, who has a rare instinctiveness for the options it provides. The Dolphins were smart to go back to the handoff game with Williams.

b. I still don't like Chad Henne's tattoo, but he had a very steady game. He's improving as a player every week, and I give the Dolphins a lot of credit for taking it slow with him, and developing him in an intelligent way. Tony Sparano doesn't receive a lot of acclaim, but I have been very impressed with the coaching job his staff has done for two years now.

c. The Dolphins have started ST&NO Favorite Sean Smith at RCB all season, and are now starting Vontae Davis at LCB. They have done a great job, and they really more than held their own against Muhsin Muhammad and Steve Smith last Thursday. Both guys are very talented, but again, it's a testament to the coaching they are getting from Todd Bowles, the Dolphins Assistant Head Coach and Secondary coach. I fully expect Bowles to get a head coaching job this offseason, even though nobody in the reporter-o-sphere is talking about him.

d. I criticized Joey Porter's play last week, but the benching seems to have motivated him. He was dominant, with two sacks and two other tackles for losses. It helped that Jordan Gross was hurt, but Porter looked much better than I have seen him this season, regardless of the matchup.

e. I watched a great deal of the Green Bay-San Francisco game, and I came away thinking that Aaron Rodgers has it better than Alex Smith from a protection standpoint, which isn't saying much at all, obviously. San Francisco has a pretty good LT in Joe Staley, but he's been hurt for a few weeks now. Smith couldn't do anything at all for most of the game Sunday, because he was getting hit the second he got to the top of his drops.

In the second half, with the score getting lopsided, the Niners smartened up and just put Smith in the shotgun, where he is most comfortable. He responded with 3 TD passes and made the game look like it was closer than it was. I continue to think that Smith is more than good enough to win with, if he gets protection. When you evaluate what he does in a vacuum, he's doing the right things way more often than not.

f. I have heard a lot of criticism of Aaron Rodgers lately, but he continues to look like a top-notch passer to me. He is gaining 8.2 yards per pass attempt, with 19 TDs and 5 INTs this season. He has also run for more yards than any QB in the NFL, and 3 TDs. I also tend to think you have to evaluate Rodgers in a vacuum, and other than holding the ball a little too long sometimes, he doesn't do much wrong. The last couple weeks, he's been getting the ball out quicker, too.

g. The loss of Al Harris is really going to hurt the Packers badly. It severely limits their ability to use Charles Woodson in the wide variety of roles that they liked to use him in. Woodson has often covered TEs and is a great blitzer. He's played as well as any defensive player in the NFL this season, and now the Packers may need to use him more on the outside.

I actually think the loss of Aaron Kampman is pretty negligible for them, despite his big name. He hasn't adjusted well to playing OLB, and his tallness has hurt him. By coming from a standup position, Kampman hasn't gotten the leverage he used to play with. He needs to move on to a 4-3 team where he can play on the strongside again. He's about the best in the NFL at that, after Mario Williams.

h. I can't believe the Jaguars are 6-4, but they are. When they win, they have been getting good play from David Garrard and Mike Sims-Walker, which they did on Sunday against Buffalo. Garrard is an interesting guy, because he seems young, but he isn't. He's actually 31, and he's probably reached the prime of his career. He's good enough to take a team to the playoffs, obviously, but do you build around him? I kind of feel the same way about Garrard as I did about Jake Plummer at the end of 2005, though I think Garrard is a little better player than Plummer was.

i. A guy who has been an outstanding player for a few years, without getting any credit, is Kyle Williams for the Bills. He was dominant on Sunday. Williams is kind of a short, stout DT, who does a great job getting penetration from a 3-technique position. He's never been a big sack guy, but his ability to shoot gaps has disrupted a lot of running games.

j. It's funny how many ST&NO favorites become really good players in the NFL. Percy Harvin hasn't gotten a lot of credit, because the media is busy loving on Brett Favre, but he's become a good NFL receiver quickly. A lot of Mel Kiper's said Harvin didn't run a lot of routes at Florida, but he was always open when he did. It was clear to me that he'd be able to separate with quickness as he learned NFL technique. His technique is improving quickly, and he's a handful. Along with Sidney Rice and Bernard Berrian, he's part of a really dangerous receiving corps. I can't think of a lot of groups I'd take over them, actually.

k. Joseph Addai has never been a favorite of mine, but he's playing better than ever lately. I still think that Donald Brown is going to be the better player, but Addai seems to have found some confidence and toughness that I never perceived in him.

l. The AFC has had a lot of outstanding safety play this season, but if I had to pick two starters for the Pro Bowl, they'd be Melvin Bullitt and Bernard Pollard. Bullitt got some notice for stopping the 4th and 2 last week, but he has been terrific in replacing Bob Sanders. Tampa 2-teams need a quick safety who can get from a cover-2 shell to the box very quickly, and Bullitt has done it as well as Sanders ever did.

Pollard was cut by Kansas City, and I just didn't get it. Maybe Scott Pioli was paying him back for last season's hit on Tom Brady? Pollard has been spectacular at times for the Texans, and has really been the star on the back end that they've never had. (No, Dunta Robinson is not a star; he's only paid like one.)

Brian Dawkins, Ed Reed, Jairus Byrd, Antoine Bethea, Kerry Rhodes, Brandon Meriweather, and Reggie Nelson would be battling it out for the last Pro Bowl spot, but I am sure about the top 2, as of today.

m. Laurence Maroney is doing a decent job of re-establishing his reputation as a solid RB. He has had the knock of not being particularly tough, kind of like Addai, but Maroney has been picking up a lot of tough yards lately. Take away the goal-line fumble against he Colts, and he's been really good.

n. Mark Sanchez looked confused almost the whole game on Sunday, against a New England team that knows how to confuse a QB. Sanchez is a classic example of what happens when teams get some film on you and know what you're going to do. I don't think it's time to bench him, like the average Peter King is calling for, but it would definitely behoove the Jets to figure out what Sanchez is comfortable doing, and sticking to only that stuff.

o. I can tell you right now, the Lions had a fantastic draft in 2009. Matthew Stafford, Brandon Pettigrew, and Louis Delmas all look like future Pro Bowlers. MHR favorite Sammie Lee Hill has been a solid starter at DT, and DeAndre Levy has been solid starting at WLB, since Ernie Sims as lost for the season, too. The guy I might like best, actually, is sixth-rounder Aaron Brown, a RB from TCU. He caught a TD pass on Sunday, but where he looked really dangerous was on kickoff returns. He's very explosive looking. I think Derrick Williams will eventually be a useful player too, and that makes 7 hits in one draft class. It's exactly the kind of performance that their opponents from Sunday (the Browns) need.

p. Speaking of he Browns, I have some thoughts. It sucks to lose like that, on an untimed down, but if I was a Browns fan, I would feel a lot better than I did a week ago. Brady Quinn had his best day as a pro, with 4 TD passes, and a 5th one dropped. Sure, he wasn't pressured a lot, when Detroit didn't blitz, but he looked like he was in command, and the offensive game plan looked like Brian Daboll trusted Quinn, finally. Mohamed Massaquoi and Chansi Stuckey did a very nice job making plays down the field.

I mentioned that the Browns need a good draft; they have 11 picks as of right now, and they need to hit on the majority of them. If I were their new football czar, I wouldn't draft a QB in the first round. I would give Quinn a full year with better talent (and coaching), and see what I have. My target would be Russell Okung, an OT from Oklahoma State, who I'd play on the right side. The Browns' current right side is flat-out awful. I'd be bringing in 2 good RBs, since they have zero right now. They need a Correll Buckhalter-type of free agent, and a second-round pick like a Jonathan Dwyer from Georgia Tech. One of their 3rd-round picks would go for a TE who can catch, like Ed Dickson from Oregon. With 2 new RBs, a TE, and a RT, all of a sudden, you have a solid group of players on offense.

Offense has to be the priority, because their 5 TDs on Sunday matched their previous total in 9 games. They aren't really that far away from being league-average, and I only used 3 of 11 picks in this hypothetical situation. The Browns could be 8-8 or 9-7 next season, if they make the most of their offseason opportunities. I can see it now; Todd Bowles wins coach of the year for them, after going from 2-14 to 9-7.

q. The Texans just continue to lose heartbreakers. Matt Schaub made plays, again, and gave his team a chance to win, again. And then Kris Brown blew it, again. I feel really bad for guys like Schaub, Andre Johnson and Mario Williams, who bring it every week. I'd hate to see these circumstances cost Gary Kubiak his job, but they just might.

r. I was going to talk about how everybody needs to slow down on the Vince Young hype train, but he justified the hype Monday night. Repeatedly, he picked up 3rd downs with his legs, and his throwing was pretty good too. He particularly threw a pretty ball that Nate Washington didn't come down with. He looked like he did at the University of Texas. You heard it here first; the Titans are going to beat San Diego by 2 TDs in a few weeks.

s. Trent Dilfer is a really terrible analyst, and I don't get the Steve Levy and Matt Winer combination with him. Usually, there's one anchor type to serve up softballs to the analyst. It's a weird setup. Back to Dilfer, I think the guy is just about always wrong.

t. Right after I typed that, ESPN went back to the Stuart Scott-Matt Millen-Steve Young set, and they proceeded to blame Matt Schaub for Kris Brown's missed field goal. Epic FAIL. All the guy could do was what he did. He moved his team down the field in 45 seconds, and set them up with a shot at a makeable kick. How in the world does that fall on the QB that they lost the game? That is just too idiotic for words

4. As promised, here is the rationale for why the Broncos can win on Thursday night. The Giants are extremely susceptible to getting beaten down the field, since they lost their starting Free Safety, Kenny Phillips. They are getting Aaron Ross back into the swing of things at CB, but he hadn't played all season, prior to this past Sunday.

With their shakiness on the back end, the Giants have blitzed a bit less than in past years, particularly in the A gaps. Tyler Polumbus will need some help on Justin Tuck, when they're matched up, but I expect the Broncos to be able to protect Kyle Orton reasonably well.

The Giants, meanwhile, aren't getting much from their running game lately. I also believe that their WRs don't pose a huge threat against Champ Bailey and Andre' Goodman. David Diehl will almost certainly struggle against Elvis Dumervil, because he's a natural LG playing LT. I feel pretty good about the defensive matchup, really.

This game is no lock, obviously, but it's one which the Broncos can win if they execute, stop taking bad penalties, and take care of the football. John Bena had it exactly right Sunday night. The Broncos can't beat good teams if they make mistakes, and the Giants are a good team. A victory is very plausible, though, if they do what they need to do.

5. I have cited several reasons lately for cutting ST&NO a little short, and I have another one. I got a bit sidetracked from writing, because of some big news in my family, which led to some calling, texting, and emailing, but not much writing.

On Monday night, my brother Chris911's wife Ana gave birth to their first child, Elizabeth Danielle Bartlett, at 7:36 Pacific Time, in Los Angeles, CA. Elizabeth weighed 5 pounds, 12.5 ounces, and was 17 1/4 inches long. Mother and baby are doing well. It occurred to me that I was in a good position to write the first birth announcement. Please join me in congratulating Chris and Ana on the birth of the newest little Broncos fan.

Since I am decidedly not in the having kids business, I took some time to live vicariously through them, and try to feel their excitement. Now, I am going to get back to living vicariously though myself, though. Y'all know how I do...

6. I am hitting the road for Connecticut on Tuesday, right after this story posts, to go eat some turkey, take a hellified tryptophan nap, and find a bar with NFL Network. My main reason for going, though, is to play in the 38th Annual Erb-Orsini Bowl in my hometown of Norwich, CT. I am only 32, so it predates me, but I have played in a number of them over the years. I said I would try to go back east for it last year, but it was snowing all across Pennsylvania, and I decided at the last minute to stay in Cleveland. I wasn't feeling 600 miles of driving in snow. This year, I wanted to show up and play, and the weather is cooperative. I have too much work to do to take the time, but I am going to work on Wednesday from a Tim Horton's restaurant.

The Erb-Orsini Bowl is a touch game, but it's been pretty physical and competitive in the past. The picture below is from the 2004 game. I am on the left. On the right is my brother John. He laid out for a pass early in the game, and was shaken up. His shoulder hurt, and he said that he didn't want to catch any more passes, and that he'd just stay in and pass-block, so he did just that. Thirty-six hours later, after not saying anything more about the topic, he decided to go to the hospital. Turned out, he had broken his shoulder. It's kind of the Bartlett way to suffer in silence, really, which is owed to being half Irish.

The keeper of the flame is the guy in the midde, my long-time friend Tony Orsini. Tony, as it happens, is a huge Giants fan. He's such a huge fan, actually, that he and his dad spent thousands of dollars to go to Arizona and get tickets for Super Bowl XLII against the mighty Patriots. Against that 16-0 team, i would have never spent that kind of coin, but he did, and he was rewarded. (To me, when I heard about it, it sounded like that time in 7th grade when I bet Pete Lacombe 5 bucks that Denver would beat San Francisco, straight-up, in Super Bowl XXIV, even though my allowance was $2 per week at that time. That was an all-time dumb call.)

On Thursday morning, I am hoping for a good Erb-Orsini Bowl, where I make some big plays, and on Thursday night, for our Broncos to beat Tony's Giants. Do any of y'all have good Turkey Bowls to play in? Let's hear some tangential Thanksgiving football stories. You might as well get with me on this meandering, because you never know where we might end up when the carousel stops.

7. Retired for John Elway.

8. The Buffalo coaching search is interesting. We know they've reached out to Mike Shanahan, and word materialized Monday night/Tuesday morning that Bill Cowher was contacted, and that he declined to be considered. Ralph Wilson is 91, and he wants to win now. Unfortunately for Buffalo, he is relatively cash-poor, and the team probably doesn't stay in his family when he dies, due to estate taxation. If it leaves his family, it almost certainly leaves Buffalo, which is a rapidly declining city.

If I were a coach looking for work, I would consider Buffalo unattractive for those reasons, as well as for the fact that they don't have a QB or any real quality on the O-Line. They have 2 good RBs, the fantastic Lee Evans, some good CBs and a good young safety in Jairus Byrd and pass rusher in Aaron Maybin. Paul Posluszny is solid, and Kyle Williams is very good, as I mentioned. The cupboard is not totally empty talent-wise, but it's a serious personnel challenge in a boring, economically depressed cold-weather town. The only thing they have on Cleveland, in terms of attracting free agents, is marginally better-looking uniforms. I expect that the Bills end up hiring a first time Head Coach, after being spurned by Shanahan and others.

That's all I have for this week, friends. I am off to get on the road for the East Coast. I won't see any comments until 10 or 11 hours from now, but I will check them out when I get where I am going, and will answer the ones that need answering. Have a great week, a great holiday, and a great Football Thursday. Go Broncos!

Talking Giants With Big Blue View

Dave the Falconer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:15:09 -0000

by Tim Roske - AP

Tom Coughlin would like the Falcons to kick their own butts, thank you very much. (AP Photo/Tim Roske)

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Those of you who tuned in for my chats with Saintsational from Canal Street Chronicles will have a basic idea of how this goes. A couple nights ago I sat down to talk with Ed Valentine, the head blogger over at Big Blue View, our network's Giants blog, in an effort to find our more about our erstwhile opponents.

Strictly football for this dialogue, which features two grown men transformed into statues of negativity. Will we each pick against our own team because of the recent woes of the Falcons and Giants? You'll just have to read through to find it, so join me after the jump.

Dave the Falconer: I guess the most obvious question is what exactly happened over the last four weeks to the Giants? Can you pin it on any one thing?

Ed Valentine: How did I know that would be the first question? What happened to them? They are missing in action? If they turn up somewhere down South, please let me know. Actually, it has probably been a combination of factors. Through five games they only played one good team (Dallas). The last four weeks have all been against very good teams, and they have exposed the flaws in the Giants defense.
Also, it is entirely possible that this team is not as good as we thought it was going to be. The defense has not been dominant, although Sunday will be the healthiest they have been all season.

DTF: That makes sense. With the Falcons also struggling, how concerned are you about our ability to hang some points on that defense?

EV: I'd be concerned about Notre Dame being able to hang some points on that defense, to tell you the truth. This team was supposed to be built around a dominant defense and it just hasn't worked out that way.

EV: Injuries (Kenny Phillips, Chris Canty, Aaron Ross, Michael Boley, Justin Tuck) have really hurt this team. They get Ross back for the first time all season on Sunday and will be as close to full strength as they have been all season. Maybe, just maybe, we start to see the defense the Giants thought they had.

EV: So, summarize the Falcons season for me. They have an identical record to the Giants at 5-4. Are they as inconsistent as that record indicates?

DTF: Inconsistency might be a light word for what's going here.

DTF: Some weeks, they have had excellent passing performances, other weeks the ground game has been superb, and other games every single phase of the offense and defense is terrible. The game against the Panthers last week was one of the worst I've seen in a long time, and we also lost Michael Turner. I'd say he's got less than a 25% chance of playing against you guys.

EV: The Giants are always proud of their running back depth. Explain to me how big of a loss Turner would be to the Falcons?

DTF: The way he's been playing in recent weeks, it's a tremendous blow. Jason Snelling is a capable replacement in the short-term, but there's no depth behind him unless speedy back Jerious Norwood comes back from injury, and he's not 100% yet. Our only other option would appear to be Aaron Stecker, who really isn't much more than a special teamer at this point.

EV: I look at this Sunday as a HUGE game. To me, it determines whether or not the Giants are true playoff contenders, or if they are just pretenders playing out the string until next season. Do you feel the same way from an Atlanta perspective?
DTF: If we lose this game, I'm calling it: We're basically out of the playoff hunt. It's absolutely critical that we try to put you away, considering that you're one of the top threats in the wild card hunt. I agree it's critical.

DTF: Will the Giants look to attack the Falcons through the air with their new-found plethora of receiving options, or will they stick to the run?

EV: Well, every time I try to figure out what game plan offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride will employ, or that I think he should employ, I end up giving myself a headache. I support the guy, but around here folks love to rip him. Anyway, that's a long-winded way of saying I have no idea what Gilbride will actually decide to do.

DTF: I think your best bet is to pass, honestly.

EV: Here, though, is what I hope he does. I hope he gives you guys a steady dose, as in 25 carries or so, of Brandon Jacobs. The big fella has hardly been utilized at all during the losing streak (51 carries in 4 games) and it's time for them to start riding him.

EV: As for the pass, I just hope they stay with the short and intermediate stuff. One problem they had for a few games is falling in love with trying for the deep ball. Great when it works, but it leaves you wanting to throw the remote through the TV when it fails on 3rd and 2.

EV: The Giants always strive for balance. I just think failing to use Jacobs enough is leaving your best weapon on the shelf.

DTF: I'd tend to agree.

DTF: But I think the Falcons have had a fundamental problem generating a pass rush in recent weeks, which leaves a medicore secondary out to dry.

EV: Actually, that sounds a lot like the Giants. With Kenny Phillips out for the year, and Ross not having played yet, the secondary has been exposed.

EV: Tell me a little about Matt Ryan. Seems like he has been more inconsistent this season than he was as a rookie?

DTF: Remarkable the extent to which our teams' struggles have mirrored each other, really. Says something about the weight of expectations.

EV: Tell me a little about Matt Ryan. Seems like he has been more inconsistent this season than he was as a rookie?

DTF: He actually had a great start to the year. And it's gone downhill rapidly in recent weeks.

DTF: I think he's looked shakier in the pocket, and at least part of that can be attributed to better pass rushes he's been facing. But something he's been doing with maddening regularity is sailing passes over receivers' heads, often with disastrous consequences. Ryan's still got a very bright future, but the coaching staff has to help him sort out his mental struggles.

EV: OK. Here is a question I always ask. If you could take one player off the Giants roster and put him in your lineup, who would it be? Why?

DTF: Without a doubt, Osi Umenyiora. Dude's a beast and we need the pass rushing help he could provide desperately. There are a lot of worthy candidates on the Giants, but he's the first name that comes to mind.

DTF: How about you? Same questions, but with the Falcons?

EV: So, here comes the part of that question I hate. I'm not an expert on your roster, but I would say this. We could use help at linebacker, and if you have a playmaker you would like to give us we would take him.

DTF: That would be Curtis Lofton. Extremely tough middle linebacker, league leader in tackles and a guy who you can count on to be involved in every play. Hits hard enough to jar the football loose, too.

DTF: Rapid fire questions, here.

DTF: Predictions for the game? What do you expect from Elisha Manning? Can Jacobs rack up over 100 yards? Do you have a score prediction?

EV: Giants, 27-24; I expect a huge game from Eli; Jacobs and 100 yards depends on whether he gets enough carries.

EV: Here are a couple for you. Can the Falcons run without Turner? A prediction?

DTF: I expect Jason Snelling to pick up at least 75 yards without Turner, and I'm predicting a 21-17 Falcons win, crazily enough.

A big thanks to Ed Valentine for taking the time to do this. Here's to a good game on Sunday.

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

Ed Valentine — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:00:20 -0000

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.

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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.

'Kudos & Wet Willies:' Forget the 'Kudos' edition

Ed Valentine — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:00:36 -0000

More photos » by Carolyn Kaster - AP

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning sits on the ground after being knocked down during the second quarter Sunday. This pretty much sums up the kind of day the Giants had.

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Let me start with an admission. This is probably the first 'Kudos & Wet Willies' in Big Blue View history that is being written without my having watched the entire game either live or via the DVR. When LeSean McCoy went 66 yards for a score to make it 40-17 I packed it in. I had seen all I could stomach, and all I needed to see to write this edition of 'K&WW.' I'm not going back and watching any of it again, either.

How bad was it? I actually spent the fourth quarter out in my back yard cleaning up leaves. That was more fun than watching that embarrassment.

After the game Tom Coughlin sounded pretty much the way I felt. He didn't want to watch the carnage, either.

"We didn't tackle well, our secondary didn't tackle well," said Coughlin. "We had created holes in the line of scrimmage, we didn't cover kicks well; we again threw interceptions...that's not the kind of football we teach. We definitely put ourselves in this funk -- whatever you want to call it."

As I promised last night, there will be no 'Kudos' today. After three straight losses, including two games in which they were embarrassingly un-competitive, I can't find a good reason to give out 'Kudos' to anyone.

About the best I will do is exempt a handful of players from the team-wide 'Wet Willies' I am getting ready to hand out.

On offense, I will exempt Kevin Boss, Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks and Brandon Jacobs. The three receivers made some plays when Eli Manning actually remembered to throw the ball to the guys in the white jerseys, and Jacobs ran better than he had all season . Too bad the efforts of those four were pretty much meaningless.

On defense, I will exempt Fred Robbins and Osi Umenyiora. Robbins at least batted down a few passes and recovered a fumble. As for Osi, a sack and a forced fumble. At least it looked like those two guys were trying out there.

To be honest, 'Wet Willies' for everyone else. Players -- and coaches -- included.

There is no way I can hand out these 'Wet Willies' one player at a time. I would be writing for hours -- and you guys are already sickened enough by what you saw Sunday that I know you don't want to read it. So, I will do it in broad strokes.

The Defense

Slice it any way you want, and I know there is a lot to complain about today. The problems with the Giants start with the defense. Bluntly, they are not a very good defensive football team right now. Maybe they never really were. Maybe they will be later on in the year, maybe they won't. Right now, though, they are terrible.

The Giants secondary cannot cover anyone. Even Corey Webster got all turned around on a touchdown pass to rookie Jeremy Maclin Sunday.

The 17-yard first-quarter touchdown pass to Eagles' tight end Brett Celek? Right in-between 'Bad, Bad C.C. Brown' and 'Just as Bad Aaron Rouse.' Inexcusable to give up a touchdown on third-and-goal from the 17. We had no idea how much the Giants would miss Kenny Phillips. In fact, on crutches he might be a better cover guy than either of those two buffoons.

The back-breaking 54-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson right before halftime? Webster passed him off to 'Bad, Bad,' who never even got within the same area code as Jackson. Again, horrible.

The Giants missed more tackles Sunday than we are used to seeing them miss in a whole season. Rouse came from Green Bay with the reputation of a guy who played hard but couldn't cover and took bad angles in run support. On the 66-yard run by McCoy he proved the latter part of his rep, running right by the play and whiffing on the tackle.

Rouse wasn't the only guy in the secondary missing tackles. Terrell Thomas missed a bunch of tackles. Webster, Brown, pretty much all the DBs tackled like Deion Sanders most of the day. In other words, like they wanted nothing to do with it.

Pass rush? The Giants front four tried to generate some pressure, but couldn't quite get it done. They tried to be aggressive and blitz, but even that tactic was rarely successful. It only succeeded in exposing the bystanders marauding as defensive backs.

Run defense? Umm, the Giants gave up a 66-yard touchdown run to McCoy and a 41-yard touchdown run to a FULLBACK, Leonard Weaver. Both of those plays were right up the gut.

I have said this before, but the Giants defensive tackles are not getting the job done against the run in the middle. Osi consistently runs himself out of position against the run. And the next big play Antonio Pierce makes will be the first one I can remember in 2009. Pierce is smart, but he has to take a hit when teams keep running the ball right up the middle -- right at him -- and busting off huge plays.

Pierce, though, isn't the only linebacker worthy of a 'Wet Willie.' Did you see any Giants linebackers actually get off a block and make a play Sunday? I didn't. When the linebackers blitzed, they got stoned. When they tried to play run support, they were no help.

Unfortunately, Sunday was not the first time this season we have seen any of those things. Bad defense is becoming a regular occurrence for this team -- which was built around defense.

The Offense

Manning's numbers (20-of-39, 222 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions) don't begin to tell the story of how bad he was on Sunday. The Eagles dropped at least two easy interceptions. They had another taken away on a penalty. Manning missed open receivers several times. He threw up a couple of prayer passes, as well, where receivers like Nicks and Boss bailed him out.

I love Eli, and I truly believe he is an upper echelon quarterback in the NFL. But, he has been in the league too long and played quite often at too high of a level to make some of the pitiful decisions and poor throws he can occasionally make. And he made a slew of each on Sunday. Way more bad throws than good ones.

Remember last season when he started off so well some pundits were wondering if he had surpassed his brother and become the best Manning? We know he faded at the end. This season Eli again started off great, weak competition or not. The past couple of weeks, though, we have seen the return of the 'Bad Eli.' The one we thought was gone for good.

Of course, it's not all on Eli. The Giants offensive line does not appear to be its old, dominant, self. Manning was only sacked twice, but he was hit a bunch of times and went running for his life a lot more often than we are used to seeing. This line has always blocked the run better than the pass, and if they are going to be playing from behind all the time Eli is going to get hammered.

The Special Teams

Seems like the Giants had a flashback to 2008 Sunday with a complete inability to cover kickoffs. When they briefly threatened to make a game of it at 16-7 with less than two minutes left in the half, the Giants immediately allowed a kickoff return close to midfield. That, of course, emboldened the Eagles and led to Jackson's long TD. Which then led to the Giants feeling pressured on offense and making another mistake that cost them seven more points. So, indirectly, that one kickoff return cost them 14 points.

Domenik Hixon was also a big dud on kick returns. We have screamed from the rooftops for two seasons now for Hixon to be the primary return guy. The last two weeks he has had that opportunity and done nothing with it. Added to the inability to make a big return was his inexplicable drop -- not fumble, drop -- of the second-half kickoff. I should have gone out to clean up leaves right then.

The Coaching

When a team supposedly as good as the Giants plays this ineptly for three consecutive weeks the coaching staff has to take a hit.

I love Coughlin. I think he is a marvelous coach, and he has had a great run with four straight playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title. Twice in three weeks, however, the Giants have fallen behind by huge margins early and gotten blown out. In the other game, at home, they turned the ball over, looked rattled at times and did not play the way we are accustomed to seeing the Giants play. Are the Giants just not very good? Or, are they a good team that is coming into games not ready to play, or without a good plan? If it's the latter -- and it MIGHT be -- that is on the head coach.

It seems I am always defending Kevin Gilbride from criticism for something. Let's just say Gilbride can't throw the ball for Eli. He can't make him choose the right receiver. He can't pick up blitzing linebackers, or chip defensive ends before going out on pass routes. He can't catch the ball. He can't do the physical things it seems the Giants are failing to do.

He can, however, come up with a better plan. At least this week there was an effort to get the ball to Boss. There was an effort to stay with the running game. There were a few play-action passes, though those are useless when you are down by three scores.

There was, however, too much predictability. On the field, FOX sideline reporter Tony Siragusa said repeatedly that it was obvious the Eagles knew when running plays were coming. Time and time again, it was obvious from the reactions of the Philly defensive backs that they could read -- from formation, personnel package or whatever -- what pass routes were coming.

There was also, still, a lot of risky vertical passing. Very little underneath stuff. No movement of the pocket. What happened to three-step drop and get the ball out quick?

Oh, and the excruciatingly slow pace of the Giants offense. When you're down three or four scores how about a no-huddle? Or, at least your quarterback get to the line of scrimmage and get some plays off without using the entire clock.

I will often defend Gilbride because, like him or not, the Giants have had a lot of offensive success during his tenure. Right now, though, his group is not playing efficient football. The offense looks like run a little bit, drop back, chuck the ball down the field and pray. He needs to figure out what is going on, and give his offense a better plan to work with.

Defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan will spend much of this week getting killed by fans and questioned by the media. That is what happens when a highly-touted defensive gets torched for 40 or more points twice in three weeks.

I won't kill Sheridan over the 'blitz or don't blitz' thing. He is, quite obviously, caught between a rock and a hard place right now. He was given a team built around a supposedly ferocious front four that would allow him to cover and protect weak spots in the secondary. The front four is, vastly, under-achieving. Can't pressure on its own, is not holding up against the run.

Sheridan has been trying to bring more pressure, but with Michael Boley hurt the Giants do not have athletic linebackers on the field who can shed blocks and make plays. When the blitz doesn't get home, this defense has no chance. The Eagles burned the blitz, which we have all screamed for, repeatedly. The fact that Brown and Rouse couldn't cover me is not Sheridan's fault. It is what he has to work with.

There are plenty of other things I have to put on Sheridan, though. The incredibly poor tackling. The epidemic of missed assignments in the secondary. The constant state of confusion the defense seems to be in, with guys running all over the place not certain how to line up. The fact that the Giants seem to have no clue how to play the run.

Special teams coach Tom Quinn has to take a hit, too. It seems like every week some part of his unit springs a leak. This week the Giants could not cover kickoffs. They couldn't return them, either.

Final thoughts

I know I am usually the optimist around here, the guy who always tells you folks to step back from the ledge. I am hardly throwing in the towel on this season, and no one should be up on the ledge. There is too much football yet to be played, too much time to get things right.

No way, however, you can feel good about this team after what we have seen the past three weeks.

As the week progresses, I will share some thoughts on changes I would like to see made. That's about all I can stand for now, though.

Five questions with the Giants

JasonB — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:00:51 -0000

This week I traded questions with Ed over at the Giants blog, Big Blue View. Ed also happens to be a contributor to our Yankees site, Pinstripe Alley... So, suffice to say Ed is truly the epitome of all that's evil and wrong.

At least for this week... ;)

So check out his responses after the jump and keep an eye out on Big Blue View for my answers to his queries.

BGN - 3 weeks ago the Giants were riding high as everyone's prohibitive favorite to not only win the NFC east, but probably the whole NFC... Fast forward to today and you're on a 2 game losing streak and everyone is wondering if they're early season success was due to a weak schedule. What is behind the Giants' recent struggles?

BBV - Well, the Saints and the Cardinals are behind the struggles. Two good teams. Actually, in the Saints game the Giants' secondary -- weakened without Kenny Phillips and Aaron Ross -- got exposed. Last week was really a poor offensive performance, probably the first bad one of the season. So, it's been a combination of things. In reality, they just haven't looked like the Giants the past couple of weeks -- not dominant defensively or efficient offensively.

This question may very well be part of the answer to the last question... but the Giants are ranked dead last in the NFL in red zone defense. How is that possible for a unit that's been so good for all these years?

It's really an interesting question. I know Tom Coughlin talked about it this week, and he doesn't have an answer. It really comes down to this -- the Giants are No. 1 in the league on defense in terms of yards allowed per game at 262. But, they really have not been that good. The better teams have been able to exploit the Giants weaknesses. First and foremost that means finding safety C.C. Brown -- Phillips' replacement -- and throwing the ball at him. He is horrific in coverage, if you can call what he does coverage. Of more concern, though, is the defensive line. The Giants are trying to pressure with four quite often, and that group is under-achieving. So, I don't think the problem is specific to the red zone. I think the red zone numbers show you that this defense has not been as dominant as its reputation, and ranking, might lead you to believe.

Let's stick with that Red Zone theme... The Giants offense is 27th in the league in red zone efficiency. It seems like all too often they settle for 3 points when they get inside the 20. What do you put that on?

A combination of things, I think. The wide receivers are still young and inexperienced. I think there have probably been a couple of miscommunications. The Giants also have more of a finesse offensive line that likes to pull and lead block, not go straight ahead. That's tough on the goal line. Thirdly, most Giants fans will answer this question by screaming that offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride is an idiot. I will say that I think the Giants need to make better use of some of their weapons on the goal line, like big receivers Kevin Boss and Hakeem Nicks, and The Beast, Brandon Jacobs.

With all the injuries in the Giants secondary and the Eagles offense relying almost entirely on big plays through the air this year, do you see that as a mismatch?

Not necessarily a mismatch. There is really only one weak spot in the secondary -- injuries or no injuries. That weak spot, as I mentioned before, is C.C. Brown. He is a huge hitter who tackles well and plays the run well. He couldn't cover me, though, and I'm 49 years old and I've torn by Achilles tendon twice. The key for the Giants is to protect him by getting pressure. Unfortunately, they really haven't been getting to the quarterback enough the past couple of weeks.

This week we learned that Ahmad Bradshaw, who has been great for the Giants this year, has a cracked bone in his foot but is going to continue to try and play. Brandon Jacobs just hasn't been himself this year. Are you worried about Bradshaw's ability to finish this year and is there a reason Jacobs hasn't been the kind of player we've come to expect yet this year?

Sure. I seriously doubt Bradshaw will make it to the end of the year. As hard as he runs and as violently as he cuts and struggles once he is hit, sooner or later that bone is going to give out. Sadly, rest won't heal it. It looks like only surgery will. So, we just watch him and see how long he lasts. Fortunately, we have all been dying to see Danny Ware get a chance to play for the past couple of years. If and when he is called upon to help carry the load we feel confident he can do it. As for Jacobs, I don't think there is anything wrong with him. The past couple of weeks he has run very well (13 carries, 76 yards last week), he just has not had enough opportunities. As the Eagles will, teams have been stuffing eight and nine guys at the line of scrimmage -- and blitzing consistently. Jacobs popped a couple of good runs last week, and hopefully that will continue. Often, though, the Giants are seeing that look at the line of scrimmage and checking to pass.

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)

Browse more photos »

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?

KP: 'Chemistry and communication you need just weren’t there'

Ed Valentine — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:05:17 -0000

We can talk about the New York Giants' safety position all we want. We all know the real answer is on IR recovering from knee surgery. That, of course, is Kenny Phillips.

Well, just because KP isn't playing doesn't mean he lacks for opinions about the play of his secondary. Here is Phillips, posting on his blog.

Against the Saints we were out of sync and didn’t look good at all. It was just a bad game for us. I don’t want to take anything away from the Saints, they went out and executed. But I’ve seen the things our secondary can do in practice. We don’t even allow guys to catch passes on us in practice. Guys stay after practice working so hard.

For us to be out of sync like that, it was just a bad day, I guess. They’re going to happen.

There are a lot of new guys in the system, like Aaron Rouse and C.C. Brown, and Dockery was just coming back from an injury. The chemistry and communication you need just weren’t there. It takes time to build that chemistry and we just didn’t really look ready.

Watching that game without getting to play killed me, it really did. Especially because this was a game I really wanted to play. I knew Drew Brees was going to go out there like a gunslinger. If I was out there I think I could have made a difference. It just really hurts as a safety to see the quarterback having his way like that. When the team loses, it hurts.

I’m sure we’re going to bounce back. This is still a good football team. The Saints were a tough challenge and we’re going to build from this.

Let's just hope the arthritic condition in Phillips' knee does not prevent him from returning and becoming the outstanding player we think he can be. We can plainly see that the Giants need him.