Approach to the Game – New England Patriots at New York Giants, December 21, 1996: The season comes to end on Saturday for the Giants, and then a very interesting offseason begins for one of the league’s flagship franchises. The Giants are currently 6-9, and will probably be 6-10 after the game against the Patriots. Regardless, the Giants will finish last in their own division and will fire their head coach, probably as soon as Monday. But all is not negative. Many will say that only a one game improvement in the win column signifies that the Giants have not improved since last year. They will argue the Giants are mired in mediocrity and it will be a long time before the Giants ever contend for a playoff spot. However, there are real signs of growth on this team. The 1996 Giants are a better and younger team than the 1995 Giants. With added maturity and experience, as well as a strong coaching staff, the Giants may be ready to pull off some miracles in 1997. A playoff appearance may be only two years away.
Giants on Offense: It all begins up front and almost all the Giants’ poor offensive performances this year can be traced back to the poor performance of the offensive line. With the Giants starting a huge youth movement on the line in 1996, ups-and-downs were to be expected and that’s exactly what we got. At times, the line looked good and progress was made (i.e., games against the Lions, Vikings, Panthers, Cowboys, and Dolphins). At other times, the line was a horror show (both Eagles’ games, Saints, Bills). Brian Williams did not have as good a year as he is capable of (much of the time he had to help out with Zatechka and Stone) but he should rebound next year. The right side of the line, tackle Scott Gragg and guard Ron Stone, did not form the imposing combined behemoth as was hoped, but they gained critically important game experience and started to work together more and more as a team as the season progressed. For better or worse, they are the future on the right side. Both are in the 330 pound range and young. And for both, this was the first time they were regular NFL starters and had to play an entire 16 game schedule. They will be better next year. The left side of the line is more unsettled. For all the Greg Bishop-bashing, he has performed an admirable job as a first-time starter at the most difficult position on the line. He has had his rough spots against some talented guys such as Simeon Rice and Mike Mamula, but he has also played some very good games as well. The big question is can he get much better than he already is? If not, the Giants may already have their replacement for him in Roman Oben, a very athletic lineman who the Giant scouting staff was very high on. It looks like there will be a pretty good battle between Bishop and Oben in camp, and the loser should provide good depth. Where the Giants may have problems is at left guard. Lance Smith probably won’t be invited back because of salary cap considerations. That leaves Rob Zatechka (who did not perform well in 1996 and who may not have the quick feet necessary for the position) and Scott Davis (a guy who was the starter going into the 1995 season before he blew out his knee, but who the coaching staff strangely never called upon in 1996). The Giants probably will want to add one more body to the mix here at guard from the Draft (perhaps a very high selection). At tight end, things are pretty simple. With the abandonment of the H-Back system, a head-to-head competition between Aaron Pierce and Howard Cross for the starting tight end position will be expected in camp. Pierce has all the tools to become a consistent pass receiving threat but has never been used in that role on a regular basis. He missed much of this year with a knee injury. Cross is coming off a year where off-the-field problems (divorce) caused him some problems for him on-the-field. He proved against Miami that he can still be a factor in the offense. Brian Saxton should round out the TE corps. The Giants are set a fullback with Charles Way but may want to add some depth. Way blocks like a guard and is a nightmare to tackle in the open field. The Giants must get the ball more into his hands next year. Tyrone Wheatley will be the starting halfback and Rodney Hampton will back him up. Wheatley was once again hampered by injuries, but showed signs of becoming a real force in the league. Most impressive was his work in the Dallas game where he proved he could run with power between the tackles — a supposedly weak area of his game. Hampton has slowed down, but not as much as the media makes out. The poor run blocking contributed significantly to his declining numbers. Adding a credible 3rd-down back is a must. At wide receiver, Thomas Lewis had his most productive year, but still suffers from the injury bug and occasional lapses of concentration. When on his game, he showed fans what he is capable of — he scored a TD in each game during a 4-5 game stretch. Amani Toomer is tall, fast, graceful, and can jump. He needs better work habits and route running discipline, but should become a major factor in the Giants’ passing game next year. Chris Calloway is the epitome of a “clutch,” possession receiver and should be helped by a healthy Lewis and Toomer in the line-up. Kevin Alexander showed brief flashes that he can be an exciting role player. However, the Giants would be wise to add another “fast” receiver, who can also return punts and kicks, to the mix just in case the injury bug hits the receiving corps hard again next year. That brings us to the quarterback position — an area where we hoped to have some more conclusive answers this year. The problem with Dave Brown is that during some games, he is so bad that you are convinced he is not the answer, and then the next game, he will have a very good game. It’s enough to drive you (and the coaches) crazy. First the negative. With his line giving him little protection this year and the offensive game plans often allowing him to pass only in 3rd-and-long situations, Dave often looked like a deer in headlights with respect to the pass rush. We saw traits in him this year that we absolutely hate in a quarterback: focusing in on only the primary wide receiver (“birddogging”), dancing around in the pocket and paying more attention to the rush than the receivers down the field (“happy feet”), and continued inaccuracy. However, when given protection and a decent game plan, Brown was able to move the team and make some clutch throws. Was it the line, the game plans, fate…the excuses are running out and wearing thin. Brown will be challenged next year in camp by Danny Kanell, a rookie who quickly picked up the Giants’ system, has a good field sense, and has a quick release. Stan White is an able back-up. As for the game against the Patriots, don’t expect much. Wheatley and Hampton are hurt — Gary Downs will start. Brown hates Reeves and his system. Reeves knows he’s gone. The Patriots need the game to improve their playoff positioning with respect to Pittsburgh. The Giants just want to go home. The fans are ready to boo at anything. The Giants will be lucky to score ten points against a defense that doesn’t have a lot of big names, but which has a lot of players who do things well. Let’s just hope it doesn’t get as ugly as the San Diego “snowball” game last year.
Giants on Defense: The foundation has been laid here for a very good defense. Up front, the Giants are set at defensive end. No other team in the league has the depth the Giants do at this position with Michael Strahan, Jamal Duff, Cedric Jones, and Chad Bratzke. One of the most important developments was the fact that the Giants learned that Strahan can play the strongside and play it quite well. This will allow Jones, Duff, and Bratzke to compete more for the starting spot on the right side — a position the Giants need to get more sack production out of. Inside is more of a mess. If he can keep his nose clean, the signing of Christian Peter could prove to be huge. Peter was one of the most highly regarded defensive tackle prospects in the country last year. He’s not and will never become a top pass rusher, but he is a 300+ pound wide body who gives his all and who can stuff the run. Robert Harris played the run better as the season progressed but should make more plays based on his athletic tools, especially against the pass. He’s a sure starter next year, as the Giants aren’t likely to be able to re-sign Keith Hamilton due to the salary cap. Hamilton played his best year at tackle this year, but was still an inconsistent competitor. Ray Agnew had a horrible year. He was hurt early and didn’t play well on top of that. He was one of their most consistent performers against the run in 1995, and the Giants need him to rebound in a big way. Bernard Holsey has good quickness for a lineman, but he didn’t make many plays when given a chance in 1996. He will be challenged by Darnell Gilliard, Roman Okoli, and any prospects the Giants sign or draft this offseason. Upgrading the defensive tackle position should be a top priority. Along with Strahan’s ability to play the strongside, the emergence of weakside LB Jessie Armstead and middle LB Corey Widmer was a pleasant development for the Giants this year. Armstead is tough, fast, and instinctive. He can do most things well and is a cornerstone of the defense. Widmer, though not as impressive as Armstead, slowly but steadily got better as the year progressed. The big runs up the middle suffered by the Giants’ defense last year largely became a thing of the past as Widmer did a better job of disengaging from blocks inside than his predecessor Michael Brooks. He also wasn’t terrible in coverage. With added starting experience, Widmer should get better and better. The defense, and the linebacking corps in particular, was supposed to be a weak spot heading into this season. Armstead and Widmer were the reasons it was not. Reserves Scott Galyon and Doug Colman provide good depth behind these two. The weak link in the unit is now Corey Miller, who may play better in the Giants’ new defensive system next year. Miller’s strength has always been stuffing the run and rushing the passer. He didn’t do as well in the former and wasn’t allowed to do the latter (except for the very first game where he had two sacks). Marcus Buckley is a journeyman, so signing/drafting another strongside linebacker is a necessity. The strength of the entire team is the secondary. CB Phillippi Sparks missed two games with an injury and wasn’t as consistent as he was last year, but is still one of the very best at his position. The biggest surprise on the entire team was the fast development of Jason Sehorn. Sehorn is a tall CB who improved his toughness and coverage skills. He matches up well with some of the bigger receivers in the NFC East. Reserves Thomas Randolph and Conrad Hamilton would start for many teams. At safety, Tito Wooten made some of the mental errors that he is infamous for but also showed why the Giants were so high on him in the draft. He’s a tremendous athlete who likes to hit. He made some extremely big plays this season for the Giants and should only get better. Rookie free agent Percy Ellsworth is everything the Giants haven’t had in years at safety: an instinctive, ball-hawking center-fielder. His impressive performance in 1996 may cause the Giants to move Wooten to strong safety and spell the demise of Jesse Campbell, who had yet another solid, but unspectacular season. Campbell is one of the surest tacklers on the team. Reserve Rodney Young, ignored by the coaching staff in 1996, will become much more of a factor in 1997 if Campbell is released. As for the Patriots, they can run and pass the ball and are an extremely dangerous offensive football team if their quarterback Drew Bledsoe is playing well. When the Giants’ defenders have been motivated to play well, they have. However, there isn’t much to play for in this game and things could get ugly, especially if the Giants’ offense struggles once again. Regardless of what happens and how the defense performs in the game, the Giants are only a couple of players away from becoming a VERY good defensive football team.
Giants on Special Teams: Brad Daluiso and Olindo Mare will compete for the starting placekicking job. The Giants will need to come up with another punter and more returners. The Giants can’t afford to have Lewis, Toomer, and Wheatley returning kicks next year.
Outlook: Patriots 24 – Giants 10.