Approach to the Game – New York Jets at New York Giants, August 16, 1997: Coaches usually consider the third preseason game the most important and it seems as this will also be the case with Head Coach Jim Fassel. Fassel has indicated that his starters, including QB Dave Brown, will play into the third quarter. Given the fact that the Jets are not on the Giants’ schedule in the regular season this year, it is also more likely that we’ll see more of the Giants’ regular playbook on both offense and defense. Fassel obviously would like to see fewer turnovers, penalties, and mental mistakes as well as more scoring.
Giants on Offense: The focus of most Giants’ fans will continue to be on Dave Brown, who has played well in his first two preseason games. However, throughout his career, Brown’s major problem has been a lack of consistency. Brown needs to continue to play well and win ball games in order to start turning those fickle New York fans around. In particular for the game against the Jets, fans should focus on (1) Brown’s comfort level and presence in the pocket; (2) the timing between himself and his receivers, particularly the backs; (3) his ability to make clutch throws on 3rd down; and (4) his ability to get his team into the end zone. It will also be interesting to see how he responds to the pressure involved in a Giants-Jets media circus.
It would be prudent for the Giants to begin working on some of those tough timing plays that they will use in the regular season such as slants and screens. As for the receivers, Amani Toomer has been strangely quiet as of late. Fassel should go out of his way to Toomer the ball in order to see him in action and give him some game experience. It is also important for Dave Brown and Ike Hilliard to start playing together more frequently — something Fassel says he will do against the Jets. There’s also a 5th WR spot to be won and with Omar Douglas out of the picture, the battle will come down to Kevin Alexander and David Patten. This is a VERY important game for both of these two players.
The ordinary fan will be watching the quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs; the real die hards will be watching the offensive line. Thus far, there have been few problems on the right side of the line as Ron Stone has really stepped it up and looks set for a breakout season. Scott Gragg, while still learning and still needing to improve in his pass protection, does look much smoother this year with a third camp under his belt. Center is a mess and while Derek Engler is a nice story, it is very important for Jerry Reynolds to get back next week and get some work in with the starting unit. The left side, as expected, are where most of the question marks remain. Roman Oben played well against the Ravens and had his moments against the Jaguars. However, in far too many plays against Jacksonville, Oben struggled to maintain contact with his man. Oben will receive another tough test this week against DE Hugh Douglas of the Jets. Oben IS the Giants’ future at left tackle and it is good that he is getting tested early and often in the preseason against some quality players. Finally, the Giants’ biggest question mark on the line remains left guard where Greg Bishop (the embattled incumbent), Lance Smith (the aging, savvy veteran), and Rob Zatechka (the longshot) are all competing for the starting position. As a unit, the spotlight will not only remain on their pass blocking, but their ability to effectively run block, especially in short yardage situations — a sore spot since last year.
At running back, an interesting battle is brewing at halfback. Fassel still has not declared a starter. Rodney Hampton missed the game against the Ravens, but looked good against the Jaguars. Tyrone Wheatley looked good against the Ravens, but not sharp against the Jaguars. Tiki Barber looked very good against the Ravens until he was injured and then missed the Jacksonville game. Fassel has promised to give Barber a lot of playing time this week in order to give him more experience in real game situations. Barber is coming off a hamstring injury that he has already re-injured once — let’s hope he doesn’t do it again. Look for Charles Way, arguably the best player on the team, to get more work in short yardage situations. All four of these backs should be involved in the passing game too. Round three of the back-up fullback battle (Eric Lane versus Matt Calhoun) continues.
Tight end — a spot we haven’t talked about much this preseason. Right now, time is rapidly running out on Aaron Pierce if he wants to steal away Howard Cross’ starting job. Cross has had a very solid camp, with Pierce, as he has been throughout his Giant career, remaining frustratingly inconsistent. Pierce needs to start making some plays now.
Giants on Defense: While the offense has progressed from last year, the defense has seemingly regressed. The starting front seven did play well last week. The same can not be said of the secondary and all the back-ups. Phillippi Sparks has played two poor games in a row and needs to get his act together. Jason Sehorn needs to remember how to tackle. Maurice Douglass looks like the journeyman he most likely is at strong safety. Tito Wooten was praised last week by Fassel, but was burned for a long score. Questions are beginning to mount about Defensive Coordinator John Fox’s new schemes. To be fair, things have been kept simple and there is a learning curve involved. Nevertheless, it would be much more reassuring to us fans if the Giants’ defense put in an all-around solid performance this week. As for specific players, it would be nice to see more from Robert Harris, Christian Peter, Bernard Holsey, Jamal Duff, Cedric Jones, and Ryan Phillips — all who have not done much thus far. There also seems to be a real opportunity for either Rodney Young or Sam Garnes to take the starting spot away from Douglass — but one of these two really needs to make a statement starting Saturday. The Jets have some very talented players at the skill positions and have not had problems putting points on the board this preseason. This game should be a good test for everyone on the defense.
Giants on Special Teams: First and foremost, the Giants need to correct their deficiencies covering kick-offs. Secondly, the kick return game is still not clicking and it doesn’t appear as if David Patten is the answer there. Of course, it would help if he actually got some blocking. Tiki Barber will return punts against the Jets, but with Toomer not starting on offense, look for Amani to keep that role for the Giants this year. Would love to see Daluiso be put on the spot to hit a game-winner — he needs more pressure situations.
Outlook: The most important thing is to come out of this game with no injuries. The season starts in two weeks — let’s keep everyone healthy. Other than that, obviously, further progress on offense and dramatic improvement on defense is needed. Anything else will be disappointing. However, keep in mind that Fassel did expect to take two steps forward and one step backward in the preseason and early on in the regular season. This game will be the Giants’ main dress rehearsal going into the season. The starters probably won’t get as much work next week. Will this game be the step backward?