Approach to the Game – Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants, October 18, 1998: It’s time to circle the wagons. With the national and local media, their fans, and even the pollyannas at BBI already abandoning them, it’s time for the Giant players to screw what everyone else thinks and just get the job done. Their first challenge in righting their own ship starts on Sunday against a rapidly improving Cardinal team.
The Giants are too tight emotionally. The players, especially on offense, need to relax and have some fun out there on the playing field. The looser they are, the better they most likely will play. What do they have to lose? Everyone already thinks they are out of it already. Their own fans have turned home field advantage into a disadvantage — booing at the first opportunity. Go out and lay it all on the line for 60 minutes, but play with some enthusiasm and attitude. And have some fun while doing. If they do those things, a win will result.
Giants on Offense: The key to this entire game is the play of the Giants’ offensive line. The Giants may lack some talent up front, but they are nowhere near as bad as they have shown thus far in 1998. It is time to get things turned around. But they will have to do it against arguably the best defensive front four in the game. Believe it or not, the Giants’ offensive line can do it. LT Roman Oben played very well against RDE Simeon Rice last year and RG Ron Stone has done a great job against DT Eric Swann for the last two seasons (4 games). To me, the equally huge match-ups will really be LG Greg Bishop against the very underrated DT Mark Smith and RT Scott Gragg against rookie phenom LDE Andre Wadsworth. I’d advice maximum protection schemes for QB Danny Kanell when he goes back to pass. Keep Howard Cross in to help Gragg out with Wadsworth. Keep FB Charles Way in the backfield to help out on whoever breaks lose or on the blitz. But there is only so much the extra guys can do. If the war is to be won, the Giants’ offensive line has to accept this challenge and win their individual battles. Everyone thinks the Giants will be killed up front, but this could end up being their finest hour and the beginning of a turnaround.
But the problems for the Giants aren’t just dealing with the Cardinal defensive line. MLB Ronald McKinnon was a holy terror on wheels last week, picking up 5 tackles, 3 interceptions, 3 passes defensed, and forcing one fumble. He had more than adequately replaced Eric Hill, although he is not as big and stout as Hill against the run. McKinnon has the advantage of playing behind those two excellent defensive tackles. OLB Jamir Miller is no slouch either, although he is banged up some.
The secondary, once an area of weakness for the Cardinals, is improving. CB Aeneas Williams is one of the best in the business and CB Tom Knight, a former first round pick, plays opposite of him. Williams last year returned a Kanell pass for touchdown. Knight is currently listed as questionable for the game. If he doesn’t play, that could be a big advantage for the Giants. The Cardinal safeties, rookie FS Pat Tillman and SS Tommy Bennett, are very ordinary, though I am high on back-up S Corey Chavous. When the Giants attack the secondary, I suggest using 3-WR sets as much as possible. 4-WR sets would be great, but I am real wary of sacrificing the added blocking against the Cardinals.
One thing is clear, the Cardinal defenders must be licking their chops about facing the Giants’ offense. Jim Fassel may be able to use this eagerness on the part of the Card defenders against them. The Cards’ front seven will be looking to add to their sack totals. Draws and screen passes would be wise. We would keep everything quick — quick slants, quick hitters to the running back up the middle. We would run at Simeon Rice’s side most of the day as well. FB Charles Way or OC Lance Scott needs to get a helmet on McKinnon inside. The Giants might also be able to burn over-aggressive defensive backs with double-move routes, if the offensive line can buy some time for QB Danny Kanell.
This is a big game not only for the offensive line, but QB Danny Kanell, who has not played well the last two weeks. If he starts out real slow, back-up Kent Graham may replace him. Danny has to do a much better job with reading defenses quickly and accurately firing the ball. He has to make defenses pay for bunching up against the run. I’d like to see Danny improve his play fakes too, especially when setting up screen and swing passes.
All that being said, I think the Giants can run on the Cardinals. I would be very tempted to run my power game early and often, utilizing Gary Brown and Charles Way mostly. Don’t be surprised if the Giants start to turn things around in that area this week.
Giants on Defense: The Giants defense did not play well last week and must turn things around against the Cardinals if the team is to win. Unfortunately, the Giants’ secondary right now is in disorder with all the injuries. But the team can’t use that as an excuse. CB’s Conrad Hamilton and Carlton Gray, and S’s Percy Ellsworth and Tito Wooten are talented ball players. They can get things done and make a difference. But they face a tough quarterback in Jake Plummer and talented receivers in Rob Moore and Frank Sanders — the latter two very much underrated by many fans.
But to be able to focus on shutting down those guys completely, the Giants must first shut down the running attack, something the Giants didn’t do very well last week against Atlanta. The Giants have the players up front to dominate the Cardinal offensive line if they play at the top of their game. They, along with the linebackers, must stuff HB’s Adrian Murrell and Mario Bates. If the Cards can’t run, they will become much easier to defend and Plummer will be under much more pressure to deliver.
I feel a big key in this game is the ability of the Giant linebackers to cover FB Larry Centers, WR/3rd down back Eric Metcalf, and TE Johnny McWilliams. Plummer may be looking to dump the ball off to these guys quite a bit and Centers and Metcalf in particular can do a lot of damage after the catch. Because of that, I wouldn’t blitz too much. The corners will need help from the safeties and the linebackers need to keep an eye on the underneath receivers. Guys like Scott Galyon and Jeremy Lincoln will need to come up big in nickel packages. Everything will be made much easier if our front four on defense can generate a pass rush on its own.
Aside from all that, I suggest varying coverages to a great degree. Plummer is still relatively inexperienced. If the Giants can confuse him and get a pass rush on him, he may make some costly mistakes. It would also be wise to maintain pass rush lanes so Plummer doesn’t take off and beat you with his feet. He is a mobile guy with a fierce competitive streak.
Giants on Special Teams: The Giants’ special teams played relatively well last week. Hopefully, that will continue. The big worry is defending punt/kick returner Eric Metcalf, one of the best in the business. The punt and kick coverage units of the Giants will be critically important this week. It’s time for David Patten to break one.