Approach to the Game – New York Giants at St. Louis Rams, September 21, 1997: Two young, desperate teams will be battling to reach the .500 mark on Sunday. One team will succeed, the other will be 1-3. In the words of Al Davis, “Just win baby.”
Giants on Offense: Dave Brown and the Giants’ offense made some real progress last week. The important thing now is to keep the momentum going. Head Coach Jim Fassel and his staff have decided to accelerate the learning process for the offensive team and so far they have responded. Key to this success is the continued development of the offensive line. However, while the pass blocking has come along, the run blocking is still a sore spot. The five men up front need to get more of a push. Strangely, Fassel hasn’t run much behind his two biggest linemen who also have the most experience playing together: RG Ron Stone and RT Scott Gragg. If we were Fassel, we’d issue a steady diet of running plays in this direction. The defensive line of the Rams is not quite as imposing as the last few the Giants have faced, though the Rams do have a trio of active linebackers in Mike Jones, Robert Jones, and the underrated Roman Phifer. However, this group can be run on if the guys up front get the job done. The Giants can’t afford any let-ups like the offensive line had against Jacksonville.
In terms of running the ball, starter Tiki Barber needs to hold onto the ball. Tiki has developed a bad case of “fumblitis.” If this continues, he will cost the Giants dearly. Tiki also needs to concentrate better at catching the ball first before running with it. We’d run more inside on the Rams than outside, but much of that will depend on the blocking success or failure of LG Greg Bishop, OC Brian Engler, RG Ron Stone, and FB Charles Way. It will also be interesting to see if Tyrone Wheatley receives as much playing time as he did last week, when he provided a real spark to the offense. Wheatley would probably aid his playing time situation immensely if he broke off a big run.
The Giants will face one of their old nemesis in Defensive Coordinator Bud Carson. Carson’s old tactics against the Giants were to stack up against the running game and force the Giants to beat his defense with the pass. That might not change on Sunday. If we were Fassel, we wouldn’t tinker with success. Keep the tempo and style of play going that the Giants started using against the Ravens — with the addition of a few new wrinkles of course. When the Giants get the ball into Charles Way’s hands, good things happen and we’d keep passing to him more. Thomas Lewis and Amani Toomer made some plays last week, but it’s time for them to make some big plays by getting deep and scoring or scoring with a run after the catch. CB Todd Lyght is St. Louis’ best coverman and he is usually lined up against the opposition’s best receiver (Chris Calloway?). Thus, much of the spotlight will be on Lewis and Toomer. Where oh where are the tight ends? Does Fassel really believe they are this bad or are they just not getting open? A deep seam pass to Pierce might help open things up outside for the receivers and keep the Rams’ safeties honest.
Giants on Defense: The Rams can be explosive offensively. The key, as always, is to first shut down the running game. The Rams are putting together a decent offensive line, but it is not in the same league with Jacksonville and Baltimore just yet. The Giants desperately need more production out of Chad Bratzke. The Rams have been phasing in LT Orlando Pace and Bratzke will only face him about half the game. Unfortunately, Pace outweights Bratzke by about 50 pounds and that could be a real mismatch in the running game. The Giants will have to be careful with runs to the left and Armstead will have to come up big by playing off blocks quickly and making the play. Same story with Corey Widmer. Keith Hamilton, Robert Harris, and Michael Strahan have played solidly, but can’t rest on any laurels. Lawrence Phillips has taken a lot of heat in the media, but he still is a workhorse who can break a game open. Shut him down and get him frustrated. Then get after the passer.
QB Tony Banks is an exciting, up-and-coming player, but like all young quarterbacks, he can be confused and encouraged to force the ball. The best way to rattle a young quarterback is with pressure up front. So far, the Giants have had only so-so success with their new blitz packages, but we wouldn’t give up just yet. Send a linebacker and/or defensive back on occasion. In obvious pass rush situations, the Giants don’t seem to be getting much heat with their base four. It might be more prudent to take Bratzke out of the line-up and bring in Ryan Phillips. Cedric Jones could possibly also help matters, but his knee is still ailing.
In pass defense, the Giants’ high-priced secondary is just not getting it done. Phillippi Sparks should have the rust off from missing a few weeks with hepatitis. He needs to start making plays like the Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback he is supposed to be. Same story with Jason Sehorn. Fortunately for the Giants, Ram WR Isaac Bruce will be out of the lineup. Unfortunately, Eddie Kennison will still play. Kennison is a big-time gamebreaker and the Giants should focus much of their defensive efforts on him and TE Ernie Conwell, who is Banks’ security blanket. The Giants (Miller?) need to jam Conwell at the line and the safeties need to do a much better job of covering the tight end than they did last week. Just as importantly, the secondary needs to start creating some more turnovers.
Giants on Special Teams: This phase of the game really cost the Giants last week. The Giants must get their kicking game in order. We know we keep harping on punt and kick coverage, but this is often where games are won and lost. The Giants have done a decent job in this department thus far in 1997, but the good special teams units play well throughout the year. No letups! On the other hand, a big punt or kick return by Toomer or Lewis would really help the Giants win a game. Ram rookie punter Will Brice has struggled and Toomer might have a chance if he runs UP the field.