Off the Schneid
By Superfan
Wow, what a wild game. A little close for comfort, but a HUGE win nonetheless. As will be the case for every game we have left, that W saved our season. There are some very good aspects to take away from Sunday’s win over Atlanta, and some very troubling issues.
Let’s start with the good:
Over the past two games, Eli Manning’s looked as good as he has all season. Except for a first-half interception, he was nearly perfect on Sunday. Certainly looks as though the issue with his heel is no longer cause for concern. Most of all, his accuracy is back on track.
Of course, Eli couldn’t succeed unless his receivers performed well. And that they did. For the first time since the first few games of the season, I was confident that nearly every pass thrown within the vicinity of a receiver (including Kevin Boss) was going to be caught. Mario Manningham, Hakeem Nicks, Kevin Boss, Steve Smith, and Domenik Hixon all came up huge on Sunday. Big thumbs up to the receiving corps.
Our red zone play has finally turned into green zone performance. In five trips to the green zone against the Falcons, the Giants scored three touchdowns, made one field goal, and missed another. We’ll get to that miss later on. I guess the “powers that be” consider that going 3 for 5, although I always assumed a field goal in the red zone is still a red zone score. To each his own, I guess.
Now, on to the negatives:
I can’t seem to comprehend how our defense went from being so strong in the first half of Sunday’s game to being that much softer in the second. The Falcons came out of the locker room after halftime wanting to score, and they did just that. Seemingly at will.
Like the Eagles game, the opponent’s starting running back, and probably their best offensive weapon, didn’t play. Yet, with Michael Turner on the bench, Atlanta managed to run on our defense as they pleased with their back-up, Snelling. The defense has to get tougher against the run. Not being able to do so is what helped Matt Ryan, Tony Gonzalez, and company slash our defense late in the game to erase a fourteen-point deficit.
I don’t know if it’s exhaustion, bad schemes, blown coverages, or a combination thereof, but our defense hasn’t been playing Giants football for several weeks now. Something needs to change. Since I can remember, the Giants have been a defensively-led team. Trying to run against us always ended badly for those crazy enough to attempt it, with plenty of bruises left behind as reminders. Now, back-up running backs are tearing into the secondary. We used to be a sack machine, and despite the fact that all of our star pass rushers are healthy and active, we’ve had a severe recession in sacks this season. I simply don’t understand.
Speaking of absent aspects of Giants football, what happened to the running game? What’s happened to the holes that used to exist up front? It’s one thing for Jacobs to break the first tackle, then bust through more when he gets into the secondary. But he’s got several guys on him instantly every time he gets the ball. He can’t be expected to break eight tackles on every run! This ties directly into Ahmad as well, because he has the most success after Jacobs has worn a defense out. When this happens, he’s able to glide through exhausted defenders, breaking off huge gains. For reasons unknown, that’s all been sorely missed this year. We’re really going to need to get our rushing game going in a big way if we want to make a legitimate shot in these final six games. Eli can’t be expected to put up over 375 yards passing each week.
If I’m not mistaken, I think that Lawrence Tynes has a missed field goal in every game he’s kicked a game-winner. Even if they are game winners, they’re only necessary because of an earlier miss. This isn’t baseball – you can’t go .500 and be okay with it. Even one of the extra points barely went through! That kind of inconsistency in our kicker really worries me.
I know it seems like I’m spending a lot of time complaining about a game that we won, but that’s only because I have such high expectations for our Gmen. At the beginning of the season, this team was regarded as one of the best in the league. We all know they have the talent to be among the elite. So why should we expect anything less than excellence every week? I assume the coaches and players expect nothing less from themselves.
When you take into account the remaining schedule, the Gmen can’t afford anything less than 100% performance in every game left. This past Sunday was the first of our seven game season, and every game’s a playoff game. We’re 1-0. Time to take the next six.
The best news of all is that the division is very much in our reach, and we still get to play Dallas and Philadelphia at home. It’s all up to us. We have a very short week this week, then some rest before a huge game against the Cowboys. But, first thing’s first. We’re heading into very hostile territory this upcoming Turkey Day against a team that’s starving for a win. And nothing’s more dangerous than fifty-three hungry guys on Thanksgiving! But I have a sneaking suspicion we’ll be feasting on some Broncos this holiday season.
The rest of the year is officially off to the right start, Giants fans! Gotta keep the wins coming. This is a short week, so I’ll keep my comments short as well. If you want to contact me, my e-mail is gmensuperfan@gmail.com, and you can find me on Facebook under the name “Gmen Superfan.” Until next week, happy Thanksgiving, and GO GMEN!!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
SuperFan: BYE WEEK (11/17/09)
The Longest Week of the Year
By Superfan
Well, fans, we made it. The loneliest weekend of the year is behind us, and it’s nothing but Giants football from now until season’s end (hopefully that’ll be in January or February). What’s best, we didn’t even play and we gained ground in the division! Instead of having Dallas and Philadelphia pull farther ahead from us, with a loss each, they’re now just 6-3 and 5-4, respectively. And don’t forget, we won our first match-up with Dallas, which is huge.
As we round the corner into the second stretch of this season, our schedule puts us in a position to not only control our own fate, but that of the entire NFC (and some of the AFC) playoff picture. In case you don’t have a schedule nearby, or haven’t checked one recently, here’s our remaining schedule (with team’s current record in parentheses): vs. Atlanta (5-4), @ Denver (6-3), vs. Dallas (6-3), vs. Philadelphia (5-4), @ Washington (3-6), vs. Carolina (4-5), @ Minnesota (8-1). That’s a combined record of 38-26. Three of those teams currently lead their respective divisions, and the rest (except Washington) will most likely be vying for an NFC Wild Card spot. Needless to say, we’ve got our work cut out for us.
This also means we’re really going to have to come out swinging, with no room for a slow start. Our invitation for January’s second-season is out there – we just have to go get it! And here’s (this fan’s opinion on) how we should go about doing that…
We can’t play from behind each week, especially not against the teams we have coming up. This disturbing trend can be helped twofold. First, and most obvious, is that our defense has to stop letting up the big plays. If the opposing team’s offense doesn’t constantly put points on the board, that’ll keep our offense from finding themselves in a shootout each game. Second, WE MUST ESTABLISH THE RUN! Each game starts strong for us on the ground, but never quite reaches the tipping point. By that, I mean that one clutch block, that one missed tackle, that one change of direction that breaks off a huge gainer. We’ve come close to one of those each week, but never quite got it. I have a strong feeling that if we can catch that one break for the running backs, it’ll blow our rushing attack wide open. When that happens, they won’t have the luxury of being able to sit back and wait for the pass every drive, and it’ll also hopefully mean Eli won’t be faced with constant 3rd and longs, where everyone knows we pretty much have to put the ball in the air. Here’s the thing – when you’re able to consistently pound the ball all game, and get positive yards with each run, it’s referred to as “dominating the line of scrimmage.” However, when it’s ineffective (as it has been the last few games), it’s referred to as being “too conservative.” We have two of the better backs in the league, and one of the toughest offensive lines. If we can get them to work together effectively, it’ll be just like the good ol’ days of last season.
When we drive the length of the field, it’s not okay to settle for field goals and hope our defense holds them. We have to be aggressive in the red zone, and turn it back into the green zone. One way to do that more effectively, I think, is to incorporate Ramses Barden into the lineup. I heard nothing but amazing things about him all off-season, yet I can’t remember seeing him since the season started. The guy’s 6-6! Just having the option to throw to that tall of a target in the red zone completely opens up the playbook. There must be some reason I don’t know about, but the way we’ve been playing down near the goal line, I don’t see how it could hurt to try with him out there. Plus, having a tall option means that Eli doesn’t always have to throw those “air-balls” to only Kevin Boss, which might make him less of a concussion risk every time he goes up to make a catch. The passing game has to get a little more creative, also. It seems like opposing defenses know exactly what’s coming each time we go to the air, and that has to stop.
The team unfortunately hasn’t been able to say much about the status of our injured defenders, but I think it’s mostly to keep the other teams in the dark (at least until they have to release the injury report). What I do know is that it’s been several weeks since the last major injury, and Ross finally got some limited time in practice recently. Sooner or later, our defense will be back to full health (minus Phillips, obviously). No excuses to continue playing the way we’ve been playing!
Steering away from the Gmen for a bit, I must talk a little about the Colts-Indy game this past Sunday night. I guess Belichik was thinking that Peyton would drive any distance to score the go-ahead touchdown, so he might as well try and let the offense run out the clock by converting on a fourth and two. That logic is completely illogical. I know by now it’s already been written about plenty, but there’s no excuse for going for it there, especially in your own territory. You have to trust your defense to make the stop, even if it is Peyton Manning. And don’t think Peyton’s gonna forget how afraid Coach Belichik was of him if they meet again in the playoffs. Of all the great decisions Bill’s made in his career, that was by far the worst.
On the other end of the spectrum, it’s unfathomable that the Browns are as bad as they are. The only good thing that’s happened to the franchise since they were re-conceived in 1999 is their stadium. They’ve been rebuilding for a decade. Even the Lions, Redskins, Chiefs, Raiders, Rams and Bucs have put up some surprising fight in some of their losses (and wins) this year. Cleveland, however, is just horrible. They need to change EVERYTHING.
Okay fans, that’s about it for the bye week. For the New York Giants, each of the next seven games has to be treated like a playoff game. If not, we won’t be playing in any come January – simple as that! We all know how quickly things can turn for a franchise in this league, and we need that to happen for us in a big way. This thing’s a LONG way from over! Time for the fearless underdogs to re-emerge out there in the meadowlands. GIANT DOMINANCE CAN STILL HAPPEN. All we can do is wait for this week’s game against the Falcons, and hope that the team made the necessary changes and lit that spark which will fuel their ferocious blue flame. The e-mail address is gmensuperfan@gmail.com, and I’m on facebook under the name “Gmen Superfan.” Until next week, GO GMEN!!
By Superfan
Well, fans, we made it. The loneliest weekend of the year is behind us, and it’s nothing but Giants football from now until season’s end (hopefully that’ll be in January or February). What’s best, we didn’t even play and we gained ground in the division! Instead of having Dallas and Philadelphia pull farther ahead from us, with a loss each, they’re now just 6-3 and 5-4, respectively. And don’t forget, we won our first match-up with Dallas, which is huge.
As we round the corner into the second stretch of this season, our schedule puts us in a position to not only control our own fate, but that of the entire NFC (and some of the AFC) playoff picture. In case you don’t have a schedule nearby, or haven’t checked one recently, here’s our remaining schedule (with team’s current record in parentheses): vs. Atlanta (5-4), @ Denver (6-3), vs. Dallas (6-3), vs. Philadelphia (5-4), @ Washington (3-6), vs. Carolina (4-5), @ Minnesota (8-1). That’s a combined record of 38-26. Three of those teams currently lead their respective divisions, and the rest (except Washington) will most likely be vying for an NFC Wild Card spot. Needless to say, we’ve got our work cut out for us.
This also means we’re really going to have to come out swinging, with no room for a slow start. Our invitation for January’s second-season is out there – we just have to go get it! And here’s (this fan’s opinion on) how we should go about doing that…
We can’t play from behind each week, especially not against the teams we have coming up. This disturbing trend can be helped twofold. First, and most obvious, is that our defense has to stop letting up the big plays. If the opposing team’s offense doesn’t constantly put points on the board, that’ll keep our offense from finding themselves in a shootout each game. Second, WE MUST ESTABLISH THE RUN! Each game starts strong for us on the ground, but never quite reaches the tipping point. By that, I mean that one clutch block, that one missed tackle, that one change of direction that breaks off a huge gainer. We’ve come close to one of those each week, but never quite got it. I have a strong feeling that if we can catch that one break for the running backs, it’ll blow our rushing attack wide open. When that happens, they won’t have the luxury of being able to sit back and wait for the pass every drive, and it’ll also hopefully mean Eli won’t be faced with constant 3rd and longs, where everyone knows we pretty much have to put the ball in the air. Here’s the thing – when you’re able to consistently pound the ball all game, and get positive yards with each run, it’s referred to as “dominating the line of scrimmage.” However, when it’s ineffective (as it has been the last few games), it’s referred to as being “too conservative.” We have two of the better backs in the league, and one of the toughest offensive lines. If we can get them to work together effectively, it’ll be just like the good ol’ days of last season.
When we drive the length of the field, it’s not okay to settle for field goals and hope our defense holds them. We have to be aggressive in the red zone, and turn it back into the green zone. One way to do that more effectively, I think, is to incorporate Ramses Barden into the lineup. I heard nothing but amazing things about him all off-season, yet I can’t remember seeing him since the season started. The guy’s 6-6! Just having the option to throw to that tall of a target in the red zone completely opens up the playbook. There must be some reason I don’t know about, but the way we’ve been playing down near the goal line, I don’t see how it could hurt to try with him out there. Plus, having a tall option means that Eli doesn’t always have to throw those “air-balls” to only Kevin Boss, which might make him less of a concussion risk every time he goes up to make a catch. The passing game has to get a little more creative, also. It seems like opposing defenses know exactly what’s coming each time we go to the air, and that has to stop.
The team unfortunately hasn’t been able to say much about the status of our injured defenders, but I think it’s mostly to keep the other teams in the dark (at least until they have to release the injury report). What I do know is that it’s been several weeks since the last major injury, and Ross finally got some limited time in practice recently. Sooner or later, our defense will be back to full health (minus Phillips, obviously). No excuses to continue playing the way we’ve been playing!
Steering away from the Gmen for a bit, I must talk a little about the Colts-Indy game this past Sunday night. I guess Belichik was thinking that Peyton would drive any distance to score the go-ahead touchdown, so he might as well try and let the offense run out the clock by converting on a fourth and two. That logic is completely illogical. I know by now it’s already been written about plenty, but there’s no excuse for going for it there, especially in your own territory. You have to trust your defense to make the stop, even if it is Peyton Manning. And don’t think Peyton’s gonna forget how afraid Coach Belichik was of him if they meet again in the playoffs. Of all the great decisions Bill’s made in his career, that was by far the worst.
On the other end of the spectrum, it’s unfathomable that the Browns are as bad as they are. The only good thing that’s happened to the franchise since they were re-conceived in 1999 is their stadium. They’ve been rebuilding for a decade. Even the Lions, Redskins, Chiefs, Raiders, Rams and Bucs have put up some surprising fight in some of their losses (and wins) this year. Cleveland, however, is just horrible. They need to change EVERYTHING.
Okay fans, that’s about it for the bye week. For the New York Giants, each of the next seven games has to be treated like a playoff game. If not, we won’t be playing in any come January – simple as that! We all know how quickly things can turn for a franchise in this league, and we need that to happen for us in a big way. This thing’s a LONG way from over! Time for the fearless underdogs to re-emerge out there in the meadowlands. GIANT DOMINANCE CAN STILL HAPPEN. All we can do is wait for this week’s game against the Falcons, and hope that the team made the necessary changes and lit that spark which will fuel their ferocious blue flame. The e-mail address is gmensuperfan@gmail.com, and I’m on facebook under the name “Gmen Superfan.” Until next week, GO GMEN!!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
SuperFan: Giants vs. Chargers (11/10/09)
A Harsh Reality
By Superfan
I’m not going to be cute and use funny little euphemisms to describe just how hard it is to be a Giants fan now. I’m not going to sugarcoat anything and try to find what positives were taken away from Sunday’s loss. This team doesn’t deserve it, and quite honestly, I’m tired of it. It’s time for some bitter, harsh truths.
When you put all the “what ifs” and other excuses aside, the fact is that right now the New York Giants are nothing more than a mediocre 5-4 football team. They played dominantly against weaker competition and won in impressive fashion to start the season, but have done very poorly for four straight weeks and have been beaten by teams who were better prepared in each match-up.
No matter how optimistic a fan you might be, there is no glass-half-full scenario right now. In fact, the glass hasn’t had any water in it for nearly a month. Headed into the bye week, the Giants are a team lacking the toughness required to be successful in the NFL. There. I said it. Bottom line, if we don’t do something significant in this bye week, and start playing like a team that wants to win, we won’t make the playoffs.
Not to say that the season’s over. It’s just time for the players and coaches to stop making the same tired apologies after each loss and go out there and win. Yes, Kenny Phillips is out of the lineup on defense. But was he such a stellar safety last season that his coverage skills were the sole reason we managed to have such a successful pass rush? We haven’t lost anyone in, and have actually improved upon, our front seven, and yet Phillips not being back in coverage is supposed to be the reason we’re no longer able to sack the quarterback? I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT. The only significant change that’s lead to the downfall of our defense this season has nothing to do with anyone being injured. Someone has to get Bill Sheridan more tape from last season, and convince him to just copy what Spags did right last year. When we’ve faced legitimate offenses, Sheridan’s schemes haven’t really cut it.
For starters, how can we expect to have success against such a dominant passing attack when we’ve got defensive ends and linebackers playing man coverage against an all-pro tight end?! We got very lucky on a few drops he made, which would have made the final deficit far more than one point. Also, why does it seem like every time they ran a play-action or a misdirection screen, our entire defense would completely over-pursue to the wrong side of the field, leaving the underneath receiver completely open with plenty of field in front of him? Granted there was one reverse and one or two screens that we managed to sniff out, but they certainly didn’t make up for the plays they had tremendous success with.
And then there’s the final defensive series. You played well all game, kept a strong offense in check for nearly sixty minutes of football, and then completely abandoned what had been working all game long when it was most important? We’d been hitting Rivers all game long, and hadn’t let their running backs do anything up the middle. Then, when it mattered most, we stopped getting pressure on Rivers and let them walk down the field, doing pretty much whatever they wanted in the process. HOW CAN THAT BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN? I hope Sheridan and every defensive player watches those final 2 minutes on repeat every day for the next two weeks. Unbelievable. It’s like we only wanted to make it look like we could have won if we wanted to, but in the end decided we’d rather give them the W.
The other side of the ball is just as much of a concern. The worst part of all is that Eli had a pretty good game on Sunday, as did the rest of the offense (for the first 56 or so minutes, at least). I know it’s the aspect of the game that stands out the most for all Giants fans, and to repeat it would only pour salt on an open wound, but our final offensive possession in the red zone was a disgrace. The defense finally made a game-changing play late when Terrell Thomas picked off a Philip Rivers’ pass and ran it back to the FOUR YARD LINE, and WE ONLY GOT THREE!?!?! A holding penalty on the first play of the drive sets us back to about the 15, and we run the ball three times. Not only that, but we run Brandon Jacobs TO THE OUTSIDE. To have three plays inside your opponent’s 20-yard line, that late in the game, up by three points, you have to at least try for the end zone. To not even attempt a pass on three straight plays shows that they have no confidence in our offense to put the game away. Which is a shame, because we’ve all seen the potential our offense has to make those plays when it counts. They just have to be put in a position to make those plays happen, and they never will unless Gilbride decides to stop trying not to lose and instead tries to win!
I’m trying to think when the last time was that we went an entire game without a delay of game penalty. These are beyond ridiculous by now. This is a professional football team. To be getting the calls in so late that there’s less than ten seconds on the play clock by the time you get up to the line and start pointing out the blitzes is inexcusable. And it’s not like this is a new trend. The Kevin Gilbride era has been littered with bad clock management and play calling indecisions for years now, and it hasn’t looked like they’ve even made an effort to improve it. Am I the only person who thinks this a bad trend? Why hasn’t someone stepped in and fixed this by now??
I’m also starting to get worried about Jeff Feagles. No only have his punts been, well, far less than stellar over the last few games, but to bobble the snap during the field goal try on our opening drive of the game? Ouch. The loss of those three points came back to bite us badly. Of course, I had thought we should’ve gone for it there – opening drive, moving the ball well, want to start with a touchdown instead of settling for three against a high-powered offense like the Chargers. Just another example of why there’s no room for ultra-conservative football if you want to be a winner. You can’t win in this league if you aren’t willing to take risks – plain and simple.
JJ came over to watch the game this week, but obviously to no avail. We thought for sure the game was ours, but after we failed to score a touchdown with the great field position set up by Thomas, we gave each other “the look.” You know, the one that says, “this team isn’t willing to do what’s necessary to win this game, and it’s going to cost them.” And, we were right. When it was over, we could hardly speak. He just looked at me, shook his head, and said something that really had an impact on me. He said, “It’s not fair that I feel worse about this loss than they do,” and he pointed at TV, showing the team as it walked into the tunnel. And he was right. Watching this team these last few weeks, and again in their post-game press conferences, I really feel as though us fans are more upset about this skid than they are. I hope I’m wrong, and they’re just good at putting on an, “Oh, well” act, but that’s absolutely what it looks like.
So here we sit, heading into a bye week, with absolutely no sort of momentum to speak of. This means two of the longest weeks of the year filled with thoughts of “what should be”, instead of “what is.” What bothers me more than anything is that I know we should be at a much better record right now than 5-4. Also, 5-4 isn’t all that bad, but the way this team’s played the last few weeks, it seems insurmountable to bounce back from.
Let’s take this bye week and get our minds off of football for a bit. Let’s hope the coaches and players do a little of the same, and show up to the stadium as the New York Football Giants that we know and respect, not the scout-team impersonators that have disappointed us this past month. Dallas and Philly have picked up the pace, and if we don’t make some drastic improvements this bye week, AND WAKE UP, we’ll have no shot at catching up to either of them in this division. I don’t mean to sound cynical or pessimistic, only honest. Our schedule doesn’t hold any favors for us when we resume play, so we’ll have to do things the hard way.
But if we can do something with this week off, turn on the right switch, and turn things around, what an amazing story it’ll be! It’s the coaches and players jobs to get our their and perform each week, and it’s our job as fans to support them through this horrific slide. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and let’s hope the gmen find it. Seven games left. Treat each one like a playoff game.
I’m a little to discouraged to worry about jotting down random thoughts this week, plus I’ll have little to write about after the bye week next week, so I might as well save it. Any questions, comments, or hysterical rants, you can e-mail me at gmensuperfan@gmail.com or find me on Facebook under the name “Gmen Superfan.” Being a Giants fan is never easy, but nothing worth such hardcore devotion never is. Keep your heads up, fans – the season’s not over yet. Until next week, GO GMEN!!
By Superfan
I’m not going to be cute and use funny little euphemisms to describe just how hard it is to be a Giants fan now. I’m not going to sugarcoat anything and try to find what positives were taken away from Sunday’s loss. This team doesn’t deserve it, and quite honestly, I’m tired of it. It’s time for some bitter, harsh truths.
When you put all the “what ifs” and other excuses aside, the fact is that right now the New York Giants are nothing more than a mediocre 5-4 football team. They played dominantly against weaker competition and won in impressive fashion to start the season, but have done very poorly for four straight weeks and have been beaten by teams who were better prepared in each match-up.
No matter how optimistic a fan you might be, there is no glass-half-full scenario right now. In fact, the glass hasn’t had any water in it for nearly a month. Headed into the bye week, the Giants are a team lacking the toughness required to be successful in the NFL. There. I said it. Bottom line, if we don’t do something significant in this bye week, and start playing like a team that wants to win, we won’t make the playoffs.
Not to say that the season’s over. It’s just time for the players and coaches to stop making the same tired apologies after each loss and go out there and win. Yes, Kenny Phillips is out of the lineup on defense. But was he such a stellar safety last season that his coverage skills were the sole reason we managed to have such a successful pass rush? We haven’t lost anyone in, and have actually improved upon, our front seven, and yet Phillips not being back in coverage is supposed to be the reason we’re no longer able to sack the quarterback? I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT. The only significant change that’s lead to the downfall of our defense this season has nothing to do with anyone being injured. Someone has to get Bill Sheridan more tape from last season, and convince him to just copy what Spags did right last year. When we’ve faced legitimate offenses, Sheridan’s schemes haven’t really cut it.
For starters, how can we expect to have success against such a dominant passing attack when we’ve got defensive ends and linebackers playing man coverage against an all-pro tight end?! We got very lucky on a few drops he made, which would have made the final deficit far more than one point. Also, why does it seem like every time they ran a play-action or a misdirection screen, our entire defense would completely over-pursue to the wrong side of the field, leaving the underneath receiver completely open with plenty of field in front of him? Granted there was one reverse and one or two screens that we managed to sniff out, but they certainly didn’t make up for the plays they had tremendous success with.
And then there’s the final defensive series. You played well all game, kept a strong offense in check for nearly sixty minutes of football, and then completely abandoned what had been working all game long when it was most important? We’d been hitting Rivers all game long, and hadn’t let their running backs do anything up the middle. Then, when it mattered most, we stopped getting pressure on Rivers and let them walk down the field, doing pretty much whatever they wanted in the process. HOW CAN THAT BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN? I hope Sheridan and every defensive player watches those final 2 minutes on repeat every day for the next two weeks. Unbelievable. It’s like we only wanted to make it look like we could have won if we wanted to, but in the end decided we’d rather give them the W.
The other side of the ball is just as much of a concern. The worst part of all is that Eli had a pretty good game on Sunday, as did the rest of the offense (for the first 56 or so minutes, at least). I know it’s the aspect of the game that stands out the most for all Giants fans, and to repeat it would only pour salt on an open wound, but our final offensive possession in the red zone was a disgrace. The defense finally made a game-changing play late when Terrell Thomas picked off a Philip Rivers’ pass and ran it back to the FOUR YARD LINE, and WE ONLY GOT THREE!?!?! A holding penalty on the first play of the drive sets us back to about the 15, and we run the ball three times. Not only that, but we run Brandon Jacobs TO THE OUTSIDE. To have three plays inside your opponent’s 20-yard line, that late in the game, up by three points, you have to at least try for the end zone. To not even attempt a pass on three straight plays shows that they have no confidence in our offense to put the game away. Which is a shame, because we’ve all seen the potential our offense has to make those plays when it counts. They just have to be put in a position to make those plays happen, and they never will unless Gilbride decides to stop trying not to lose and instead tries to win!
I’m trying to think when the last time was that we went an entire game without a delay of game penalty. These are beyond ridiculous by now. This is a professional football team. To be getting the calls in so late that there’s less than ten seconds on the play clock by the time you get up to the line and start pointing out the blitzes is inexcusable. And it’s not like this is a new trend. The Kevin Gilbride era has been littered with bad clock management and play calling indecisions for years now, and it hasn’t looked like they’ve even made an effort to improve it. Am I the only person who thinks this a bad trend? Why hasn’t someone stepped in and fixed this by now??
I’m also starting to get worried about Jeff Feagles. No only have his punts been, well, far less than stellar over the last few games, but to bobble the snap during the field goal try on our opening drive of the game? Ouch. The loss of those three points came back to bite us badly. Of course, I had thought we should’ve gone for it there – opening drive, moving the ball well, want to start with a touchdown instead of settling for three against a high-powered offense like the Chargers. Just another example of why there’s no room for ultra-conservative football if you want to be a winner. You can’t win in this league if you aren’t willing to take risks – plain and simple.
JJ came over to watch the game this week, but obviously to no avail. We thought for sure the game was ours, but after we failed to score a touchdown with the great field position set up by Thomas, we gave each other “the look.” You know, the one that says, “this team isn’t willing to do what’s necessary to win this game, and it’s going to cost them.” And, we were right. When it was over, we could hardly speak. He just looked at me, shook his head, and said something that really had an impact on me. He said, “It’s not fair that I feel worse about this loss than they do,” and he pointed at TV, showing the team as it walked into the tunnel. And he was right. Watching this team these last few weeks, and again in their post-game press conferences, I really feel as though us fans are more upset about this skid than they are. I hope I’m wrong, and they’re just good at putting on an, “Oh, well” act, but that’s absolutely what it looks like.
So here we sit, heading into a bye week, with absolutely no sort of momentum to speak of. This means two of the longest weeks of the year filled with thoughts of “what should be”, instead of “what is.” What bothers me more than anything is that I know we should be at a much better record right now than 5-4. Also, 5-4 isn’t all that bad, but the way this team’s played the last few weeks, it seems insurmountable to bounce back from.
Let’s take this bye week and get our minds off of football for a bit. Let’s hope the coaches and players do a little of the same, and show up to the stadium as the New York Football Giants that we know and respect, not the scout-team impersonators that have disappointed us this past month. Dallas and Philly have picked up the pace, and if we don’t make some drastic improvements this bye week, AND WAKE UP, we’ll have no shot at catching up to either of them in this division. I don’t mean to sound cynical or pessimistic, only honest. Our schedule doesn’t hold any favors for us when we resume play, so we’ll have to do things the hard way.
But if we can do something with this week off, turn on the right switch, and turn things around, what an amazing story it’ll be! It’s the coaches and players jobs to get our their and perform each week, and it’s our job as fans to support them through this horrific slide. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and let’s hope the gmen find it. Seven games left. Treat each one like a playoff game.
I’m a little to discouraged to worry about jotting down random thoughts this week, plus I’ll have little to write about after the bye week next week, so I might as well save it. Any questions, comments, or hysterical rants, you can e-mail me at gmensuperfan@gmail.com or find me on Facebook under the name “Gmen Superfan.” Being a Giants fan is never easy, but nothing worth such hardcore devotion never is. Keep your heads up, fans – the season’s not over yet. Until next week, GO GMEN!!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
SuperFan: Giants vs. Eagles (11/3/09)
This Joke Stopped Being Funny a Long Time Ago
By Superfan
I’d like to consider myself an optimist. Stay positive each week, win or lose. Heck, it’s a long season. And I especially don’t like to feel as though it’s time to panic before the bye week even occurs! But after three miserable losses, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. It’s like the saying goes, “Once is a mistake, twice is a problem, three times is a trend.”
Now it’s time to get worried. I don’t think embarrassing is a fair enough term to describe the Giants’ performance last Sunday in Philly. Abhorrent would be more appropriate. There’s absolutely no excuse to play the way the Gmen did, and every fan out there has every right in the world to feel a sense of panic begin to creep in. Where do I even begin…
How about the play calling and personnel? In the fourth quarter, it seemed liked the Giants couldn’t decide whether they wanted to throw in the towel or try for a miraculous comeback. They kept Eli in the game, yet they had no sense of urgency (the play clock seemed like it had less than 10 seconds left every time they approached the line of scrimmage), and ran mostly runs and screens! Of course, that was also the case earlier in the game. In the third quarter, it took the Giants over four minutes of game clock (nearly to the end of the quarter) to drive 28 yards. Not to take away from Ahmad’s touchdown run, but when you’re down 33-10 in the third quarter of a football game, you can’t waste over FOUR MINUTES to go 28 yards! Inexcusable.
Going back to the end of the game, it took until the final four minutes (beyond us having a chance) to finally go into the no-huddle. Then, when we did, we ran the ball! Gilbride – you have to at least call plays that give the offense a chance.
I refuse to believe Eli’s heel injury is the reason he’s been playing so poorly the last few weeks, but it just might be. How does a quarterback go from playing so well to start the season that he’s in everyone’s “potential MVP” list, then suddenly start overthrowing passes to wide open receivers as bad as Dave Brown used to. The plantar fasciitis is only supposed to cause pain in the heel, which is something I figured could be toughened out by Eli, or at least aided with the help of pain relievers. Maybe its affecting him more than we all thought. Or, maybe his heel has nothing to do with it. Perhaps there’s something else going on that we don’t know about. There’s also the possibility that he’s just having a really bad slump. Regardless, with the way the rest of the NFC contenders are looking, something has to be done. We can’t expect to win many games given the schedule we have coming up when our quarterback can’t get the ball to wide open receivers.
Let’s move on to the secondary. I knew it was a big loss when Kenny Phillips went down, but I didn’t realize how big. Yes, we’ll improve when we get Aaron Ross back in the lineup, but Terrell Thomas has played pretty well in his place. I hate to do this, but I have to call out C.C. Brown. One of the main reasons we’ve had such big deficits to battle back from during the last three weeks is because nearly every deep ball that’s been thrown against us has been completed. They’re burning the safeties week after week, and you can’t win in this league if the secondary Can’t Cover! Not to mention the myriad of missed tackles.
For the first time in a long time, I fear for the worst every time the opposing offense tries anything up the middle. The linebacking core (another huge issue that for some reason people don’t think to talk about) has really softened up. Boley can’t get back soon enough.
Another worry is both lines regarding the rushing game. Our rushing defense has been letting absurd gains that they never used to (like the first down run on THIRD AND 11 in the first quarter, or letting a fullback run all over you the entire game), and our rushing offense has been pretty non-existent, with the exception of a few big gainers, which came from broken tackles and tough running more than anything. I suppose this could help explain part of Eli’s passing issues, since it’s hard to keep a defense honest when you’re unable to establish the run against them.
Even our kickoff coverage was incredibly lousy. How can any team lead a successful comeback when the opposition gets incredible field position each time we kick it off to them?
Not that it excused our performance in any way last Sunday, but that “forward pass” call from the replay official was completely bogus. You could clearly see Fred Robbins making an extra effort to turn his right shoulder backwards in an effort to make sure his lateral went behind him. That would have made the score 33-14, instead of 33-10, and could have been a huge momentum shifter. Of course, “could” doesn’t mean a thing in professional sports, and for the Eagles to have 33 points on the board that early in the third quarter is inexcusable.
Well, that was all very unpleasant. Kind of like my experience watching the game. For starters, my buddy JJ wasn’t around on Sunday to watch the game with me. On a weekend featuring Halloween, two huge world series’ games and a crucial divisional match-up for the gmen on the road against their arch-rival Philadelphia, he’d somehow gotten himself forced into having to go to Las Vegas with the girlfriend (since all her friends were there), leaving his boys in the dust. Ouch. Bros before, err, women, dude! At least he was around for the Yankees game Sunday night, but still. Very uncool.
Also, for whatever reason, my roommate decided to move all the furniture around to sweep and mop the floor IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME!!! I have no qualms about cleaning the place (it was especially dirty), nor do I mind helping, but during the game?? Seriously – what’s that about?
Needless to say, it was a pretty miserable experience in front of the TV, that is until game 3 of the World Series began that night. But even that incredible victory didn’t help my spirits as much as it should have. That was, without question, one of the ugliest Giants’ losses I’ve seen. On a magical fall weekend that should have consisted of a clean New York sweep of Philadelphia, the Giants spoiled the party.
All this negativity is really bringing me down, so I’m just gonna cut it short there for now. Let’s move on to some random thoughts from around the world of sports:
• I realize I’ve spent a lot of time in these articles the last several weeks talking about the Yankees, but that’s only because, well, it’s the post season! Hopefully, by the time this goes up, the Yankees will have secured World Championship #27!!! How great it’d be to win the World Series at home in the first year of the new ballpark. GO YANKEES!
• I understand it was a big deal for Favre to be playing as a Viking in Green Bay for the first time, but there’s got to be some sort of limit as to just how overboard TV analysts are allowed to go. For example, here’s how Terry Bradshaw recapped highlights at halftime of the Vikings-Packers game: “Favre hands off to Peterson here for the TD, and it’s 7-3, Favre over the Packers.” Really? FAVRE over the Packers?? You just recapped a RUSHING touchdown, Terry. I suppose the other 21 guys on the field shouldn’t have bothered to put on their uniforms on Sunday. Ridiculous.
• I’ve come to the conclusion that Halloween is the most successful social experiment of all time. It’s amazing how something as simple as wearing a costume (creating a new identity) can make even the most introverted people extremely outgoing. Eat your heart out, Carl Jung.
Thus concludes another week of Superfan. The Gmen’s schedule doesn’t get any easier from here, but at least we get a bye week after this week’s match-up against the Chargers. Our secondary better get some serious conditioning work in before facing Rivers, Jackson, and company. But hey, we’re 5-3, and one can only hope that the chip on our shoulder has been wedged deeper, causing a reaction to finally take place. If you want to rant on the Gmen’s issues, share some awesome Halloween stories, or whatever, e-mail me at gmensuperfan@gmail.com. You can also contact me on Facebook, under the name “Gmen Superfan.” Until next week, GO GMEN!!
By Superfan
I’d like to consider myself an optimist. Stay positive each week, win or lose. Heck, it’s a long season. And I especially don’t like to feel as though it’s time to panic before the bye week even occurs! But after three miserable losses, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. It’s like the saying goes, “Once is a mistake, twice is a problem, three times is a trend.”
Now it’s time to get worried. I don’t think embarrassing is a fair enough term to describe the Giants’ performance last Sunday in Philly. Abhorrent would be more appropriate. There’s absolutely no excuse to play the way the Gmen did, and every fan out there has every right in the world to feel a sense of panic begin to creep in. Where do I even begin…
How about the play calling and personnel? In the fourth quarter, it seemed liked the Giants couldn’t decide whether they wanted to throw in the towel or try for a miraculous comeback. They kept Eli in the game, yet they had no sense of urgency (the play clock seemed like it had less than 10 seconds left every time they approached the line of scrimmage), and ran mostly runs and screens! Of course, that was also the case earlier in the game. In the third quarter, it took the Giants over four minutes of game clock (nearly to the end of the quarter) to drive 28 yards. Not to take away from Ahmad’s touchdown run, but when you’re down 33-10 in the third quarter of a football game, you can’t waste over FOUR MINUTES to go 28 yards! Inexcusable.
Going back to the end of the game, it took until the final four minutes (beyond us having a chance) to finally go into the no-huddle. Then, when we did, we ran the ball! Gilbride – you have to at least call plays that give the offense a chance.
I refuse to believe Eli’s heel injury is the reason he’s been playing so poorly the last few weeks, but it just might be. How does a quarterback go from playing so well to start the season that he’s in everyone’s “potential MVP” list, then suddenly start overthrowing passes to wide open receivers as bad as Dave Brown used to. The plantar fasciitis is only supposed to cause pain in the heel, which is something I figured could be toughened out by Eli, or at least aided with the help of pain relievers. Maybe its affecting him more than we all thought. Or, maybe his heel has nothing to do with it. Perhaps there’s something else going on that we don’t know about. There’s also the possibility that he’s just having a really bad slump. Regardless, with the way the rest of the NFC contenders are looking, something has to be done. We can’t expect to win many games given the schedule we have coming up when our quarterback can’t get the ball to wide open receivers.
Let’s move on to the secondary. I knew it was a big loss when Kenny Phillips went down, but I didn’t realize how big. Yes, we’ll improve when we get Aaron Ross back in the lineup, but Terrell Thomas has played pretty well in his place. I hate to do this, but I have to call out C.C. Brown. One of the main reasons we’ve had such big deficits to battle back from during the last three weeks is because nearly every deep ball that’s been thrown against us has been completed. They’re burning the safeties week after week, and you can’t win in this league if the secondary Can’t Cover! Not to mention the myriad of missed tackles.
For the first time in a long time, I fear for the worst every time the opposing offense tries anything up the middle. The linebacking core (another huge issue that for some reason people don’t think to talk about) has really softened up. Boley can’t get back soon enough.
Another worry is both lines regarding the rushing game. Our rushing defense has been letting absurd gains that they never used to (like the first down run on THIRD AND 11 in the first quarter, or letting a fullback run all over you the entire game), and our rushing offense has been pretty non-existent, with the exception of a few big gainers, which came from broken tackles and tough running more than anything. I suppose this could help explain part of Eli’s passing issues, since it’s hard to keep a defense honest when you’re unable to establish the run against them.
Even our kickoff coverage was incredibly lousy. How can any team lead a successful comeback when the opposition gets incredible field position each time we kick it off to them?
Not that it excused our performance in any way last Sunday, but that “forward pass” call from the replay official was completely bogus. You could clearly see Fred Robbins making an extra effort to turn his right shoulder backwards in an effort to make sure his lateral went behind him. That would have made the score 33-14, instead of 33-10, and could have been a huge momentum shifter. Of course, “could” doesn’t mean a thing in professional sports, and for the Eagles to have 33 points on the board that early in the third quarter is inexcusable.
Well, that was all very unpleasant. Kind of like my experience watching the game. For starters, my buddy JJ wasn’t around on Sunday to watch the game with me. On a weekend featuring Halloween, two huge world series’ games and a crucial divisional match-up for the gmen on the road against their arch-rival Philadelphia, he’d somehow gotten himself forced into having to go to Las Vegas with the girlfriend (since all her friends were there), leaving his boys in the dust. Ouch. Bros before, err, women, dude! At least he was around for the Yankees game Sunday night, but still. Very uncool.
Also, for whatever reason, my roommate decided to move all the furniture around to sweep and mop the floor IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME!!! I have no qualms about cleaning the place (it was especially dirty), nor do I mind helping, but during the game?? Seriously – what’s that about?
Needless to say, it was a pretty miserable experience in front of the TV, that is until game 3 of the World Series began that night. But even that incredible victory didn’t help my spirits as much as it should have. That was, without question, one of the ugliest Giants’ losses I’ve seen. On a magical fall weekend that should have consisted of a clean New York sweep of Philadelphia, the Giants spoiled the party.
All this negativity is really bringing me down, so I’m just gonna cut it short there for now. Let’s move on to some random thoughts from around the world of sports:
• I realize I’ve spent a lot of time in these articles the last several weeks talking about the Yankees, but that’s only because, well, it’s the post season! Hopefully, by the time this goes up, the Yankees will have secured World Championship #27!!! How great it’d be to win the World Series at home in the first year of the new ballpark. GO YANKEES!
• I understand it was a big deal for Favre to be playing as a Viking in Green Bay for the first time, but there’s got to be some sort of limit as to just how overboard TV analysts are allowed to go. For example, here’s how Terry Bradshaw recapped highlights at halftime of the Vikings-Packers game: “Favre hands off to Peterson here for the TD, and it’s 7-3, Favre over the Packers.” Really? FAVRE over the Packers?? You just recapped a RUSHING touchdown, Terry. I suppose the other 21 guys on the field shouldn’t have bothered to put on their uniforms on Sunday. Ridiculous.
• I’ve come to the conclusion that Halloween is the most successful social experiment of all time. It’s amazing how something as simple as wearing a costume (creating a new identity) can make even the most introverted people extremely outgoing. Eat your heart out, Carl Jung.
Thus concludes another week of Superfan. The Gmen’s schedule doesn’t get any easier from here, but at least we get a bye week after this week’s match-up against the Chargers. Our secondary better get some serious conditioning work in before facing Rivers, Jackson, and company. But hey, we’re 5-3, and one can only hope that the chip on our shoulder has been wedged deeper, causing a reaction to finally take place. If you want to rant on the Gmen’s issues, share some awesome Halloween stories, or whatever, e-mail me at gmensuperfan@gmail.com. You can also contact me on Facebook, under the name “Gmen Superfan.” Until next week, GO GMEN!!
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