Approach to the Game – New York Giants at Washington Redskins, November 23, 1997: Ahh, it seems like old times. Giants versus Redskins. Big game with playoff implications for both teams. And just like those old Giants-Redskins games, this one will come down to: (1) who can run the ball, (2) who can stop the run, (3) which team makes fewer turnovers, and (4) special teams play. While this is a very important game for the Giants, this is an absolute “must” game for the Redskins. Washington cannot afford to fall two games behind the Giants in the divisional race. They will be a desperate team, playing in their own stadium, and will hold nothing back. That makes for a dangerous scenario.
Due to their youth, most of the Giant players have never been in a game like this. The pressure will be intense. Will the players hold up and keep their poise or will they crack when things start to go wrong (and they always go wrong at some point of every contest)? The crowd will be loud and the emotional level will be high. The Giants need to keep their composure and play smart football. No mistakes, no turnovers, no dumb penalties. If they can do that, and force the Redskins to do the opposite, the Giants will win the game.
Giants on Offense: The Giants secret to success all year has been to play it fairly conservative on offense, minimize turnovers, and grind it out with the running game. Injuries, a lack of talent at some key skill positions, and inexperience in the new system has forced Head Coach Jim Fassel to shy away from taking as many chances as he would like. Against a quality opponent, playing on their home turf and in a must-win situation, will Fassel pull out all the stops and open things up? Or will he stick with what has brought him here thus far? A strong case can be made for both and against both approaches. The Redskins will expect the Giants to play it conservatively. They will put eight men up in the box and dare the Giants to pass on early downs. The Skins’ run defense has been shoddy this year and the Redskins must take this approach regardless. If the Giants are not able to move the ball on the ground on early downs, they will then face too many 3rd-and-long situations and this plays right into Washington’s hands. CB’s Darrell Green and Chris Dishman have routinely shut down wide receivers much more talented than Chris Calloway, Kevin Alexander, David Patten, and Amani Toomer all year. It will be very doubtful if ANY Giants’ wide receiver will have a positive impact in this game because of this. Thus, should the Giants try to catch the Skins off guard on first and second down by throwing the ball? The downside to this approach is that it doesn’t play into the Giants’ strength. The Giants’ receivers and tight ends are just not that good. Can scheme and surprise overcome talent?
After much thinking, we think Fassel will keep is conservative. Look for the Giants to run, run, and run and take their chances on 3rd down. That doesn’t mean we won’t see some surprises. For example, we haven’t seen that roll out pass to the fullback in some time. Don’t be surprised to see a trick play or two. But the Giants will most likely keep it on the ground with the running of Tyrone Wheatley, Tiki Barber, and most importantly, Charles Way. These guys absolutely must get 4+ yards on most of their rush attempts or the Giants will be in trouble.
The key to the ground attack, as always, will be the offensive line. This unit has been its own worst enemy this year. Too many holding penalties, too many false starts. These penalties are drive killers. The offensive line has to deal with the crowd noise and their opponents and not hurt their own cause. The Redskins can be run on. But they know the Giants will be bringing it and will be prepared for the best the Giants have to offer. Key guys to neutralize will be DT Marc Boutte, DE Rich Owens (who usually gives the Giants problems), MLB Marvcus Patton (the same guy who Dave Brown fought with last year), and OLB Ken Harvey. A lot of pressure will be on LT Roman Oben and RT Scott Gragg to deal with the crowd noise and keep their poise. Inside, the Giants need LG Greg Bishop to bounce back from a couple of sub-par performances in a row. OC Lance Scott must get out quickly and engage Patton on running plays. Smash-mouth football — just like the old days.
When the Giants run, HB Tyrone Wheatley needs to play his best game of the season. He has to hold onto the ball as Redskin Defensive Coordinator Mike Nolan will have his charges trying to rip it out. Bruising fullback Charles Way may be the man of the moment if Fassel decides to get real physical with the Skins. We’d keep things fairly simple and fairly basic when it comes to the running game. The simpler the play, the less likelihood for breakdowns and penalties. Pound the ball at the Skins — make them stop us, but don’t stop ourselves.
When the Giants do put it up, look for Fassel to call upon the running backs big time in the passing game. The Redskins know this too. It will simply come down to talent and who executes better. The Redskins will probably try to take away the flats from the Giants. Hopefully, Fassel’s offensive game plan and options will take this into account. Don’t be surprised to see the running backs in pass patterns further down field. This will be a big game for Tiki Barber. He must get open, catch the ball, and hold onto it. No mental mistakes, no dropped balls, no fumbles. The Redskin outside linebackers are better moving forward than backwards and they have a rookie playing on the strongside.
With the wide receivers likely to be shut down and the Skins focusing on the flats, this will be the most important game the tight ends have played all year. The Giants absolutely need Howard Cross and Aaron Pierce to make some big plays. Cross is one of the few Giants who has been in these wars before, but Pierce has a tendency to choke when things are on the line. We hope he proves us wrong.
One way the Giants may be able to get the ball to their wide receivers is to use formation and motion to create better match-ups. Motioning Chris Calloway to the slot in a 3-WR set might get Calloway on the Skins’ nickel back. Taking advantage of SS Jesse Campbell in coverage is another option. Regardless, someone else besides Calloway needs to step forward — be it Toomer, Patton, or Alexander. Will these guys be heros or goats?
This conservative approach will not generate a lot of points. The Giants will try to control the tempo of the game and the clock with their running game. But the key to the entire game will be the success rate on 3rd down. The line has to block, the receivers have to get open and catch, and Danny Kanell has to deliver the ball. Kanell has a chance to outperform his counterpart Gus Frerotte because of Kanell’s poise and confidence level. However, for this conservative strategy to work, Danny must not force the ball into double coverage and/or turn the ball over. There will be little margin for error.
Lastly, the Giants must be prepared for the unexpected. Nolan used to coach the Giants and he knows both our offensive and defensive personnel. He also would like nothing better than to show the Giants up. The Giants need to be wary of blitzes from any direction. Nolan likes to blitz the linebackers and defensive backs. The line and backs must pick these up, and Kanell and the receivers must adjust the play accordingly.
Giants on Defense: Because the Giants’ offense won’t generate many points, the defense must shut down the Skins. Force three-and-outs. Force turnovers and provide our own offense with excellent field position. These things haven’t been happening much lately for the Giants’ defense. The Skins will be without WR’s Leslie Sheppard and Alvin Harper, but rookie WR Albert Connell was very impressive in the preseason. TE Jamie Asher, the Skins’ leading receiver, is Frerotte’s security blanket — he plays the same role that Jay Novacek played for Norv Turner in Dallas. The Skins have also surprised teams by throwing to TE James Jenkins in key situations. A telling stat — Jenkins only has three catches all year, but he also has three touchdown receptions. WR Henry Ellard is a savvy veteran who runs great routes and gets open. He has given the Giants’ fits in the past. WR Michael Westbrook has it all. When he wants to, he can dominate a game.
However, the key to the entire game will be the Giants’ ability to shut down HB Terry Allen. Everything the Redskins do revolves around him. He is their emotional leader on offense. Stop him and you put doubt into the rest of their offense. Let him get untracked, and it will be a long night. Allen is a power runner who can also cut back. The Skins are a power offensive line with massive size. Just like the Giants, they will try to run the ball down their opponents’ throats. This is a huge game for everyone in the front seven. DT Robert Harris, DT Keith Hamilton, and MLB Corey Widmer must jam things up in the middle where the Skins are powerful. Washington will undoubtably run left to test DE Cedric Jones and the light OLB Jessie Armstead, and run right to test OLB Marcus Buckley, who historically has been killed by power running teams. Once Turner has the Redskin running game going, he kills opponents with play-action passing. Everything the Giants do must be geared to shutting down the running game. Also, when HB Brian Mitchell comes into the contest, the Giants must do the same. Mitchell is a strong pass receiver too.
Against the pass, CB Jason Sehorn will most likely be matched up against Westbrook. Both are tall and fast. Jason needs to out-hustle Westbrook on jump balls. CB Phillippi Sparks has a chance to redeem himself if he can control Ellard. The Skins will also try to take advantage of nickel back CB Conrad Hamilton who hasn’t played as well as hoped this year. Where the Giants must concentrate a lot of their efforts is on Asher. Sam Garnes and the linebackers need to keep him in check. He’s the guy that keeps their drives alive. We hope all the defensive backs play tighter and more aggressive coverage this week. They made things too easy for Jake Plummer last week. But also watch out for the unexpected. As we mentioned, Turner likes to surprise people with Jenkins, but he also usually has a number of tricks in his bag. He has run the option play with Brian Mitchell in the past. He also likes WR reverses (remember the double-reverse he used on us last year for a TD?) and throwing to the fullback. Don’t be surprised by a flea-flicker!
Much will also depend on the pass rush. It seems like the Skins always have a quality offensive line and this year is no exception. The Giants will make things much easier on themselves if the front four of Michael Strahan, Robert Harris, Keith Hamilton, and Cedric Jones can get to the passer. Unfortunately, our two best pass rushers, Strahan and Hamilton, face their two best linemen, Ed Simmons and Tre Johnson, respectively. Here’s the time to earn some respect guys! Beat a quality opponent on a consistent basis! Gus can be rattled, but you need to get to him first.
Giants on Special Teams: We have a sneaky suspicion that the game comes down to the match-ups here. Brian Mitchell is as good of a returner as you will find in all of football, especially at returning kick-offs. To make matters worse, kick-off coverage has been one of our weak spots all year. The coverage teams can’t rely on Daluiso to nail the ball into the endzone — Mitchell will probably bring it out anyway. Get down the field, maintain proper lanes, and make sure, crisp tackles. P Brad Maynard needs to continue to get good hangtime, but some better directional and coffin-corner punting would help matters. The Giants also need punt returner Amani Toomer to come up big because we know that Erric Pegram won’t on kick returns. Be very careful of fake field goals and punts from the Redskins — Washington killed the Giants in the Meadowlands last year with a fake that went for a touchdown. Lastly, PK Brad Daluiso needs to come through in the clutch. No misses!