Green Bay Packers 37 – New York Giants 3
Overview: The Giants were beaten soundly in all phases of the game. The offense is simply the laughing stock of the league. The defense started off strong early in the game, but seemed to finally have the air sucked out of it due to continued offensive incompetence. But that’s no excuse for quitting and that’s what the defense did on Sunday. Once again, the Giants lost the special teams battle too.
The biggest danger right now is that Head Coach Jim Fassel and his coaching staff may be losing their grip on this team. The Giants’ confidence is shattered and winning football is all about confidence and attitude. The Giants are not having fun right now. They are pressing and this is hurting their performance.
Quarterbacks: Terrible. Awful. Horrible. Not only is Danny (8 out of 20 for 88 yards) no longer making plays, but he is also turning the ball over (2 interceptions, 1 fumble). The tone for the day was set when he missed a wide open Chris Calloway on the first set of downs. Kanell now seems only capable of leading the Giants on one solid drive per game. That’s not enough. Kanell is not the future of this franchise. He doesn’t have a strong arm. He isn’t mobile. He isn’t accurate. And he isn’t very tough. There were a couple of plays where I felt he could have avoided a sack if he had stepped up into the pocket. His pocket presence isn’t very good.
It’s tough to judge Kent Graham (2 out of 5 for 12 yards) fairly because there was a jail break on his first series in the game (courtesy of Jerry Reynolds and Lonnie Palelei). By the time he got the ball again, Green Bay was playing prevent and the Giants had a lot of their second teamers in the game. The Giants would undoubtably move the ball better with Graham starting, but he really isn’t the long-term answer for the Giants either. He was terrible at camp and in the preseason and there is little reason to assume he would improve noticeably now.
It’s time to start Mike Cherry and get a read on him. My strategy for next year would be to dump Kanell and Graham, draft a quarterback high, keep Cherry, and sign a veteran to start in 1999. Guys who will be unrestricted free agents who I would look at include Rich Gannon, Doug Pederson, Trent Green, and Tony Banks. Bobby Hoying will be restricted.
Offensive Line: Not very good at all. Roman Oben may have had his worst performance as a Giant against DE Vonnie Holliday (7 tackles, 2 sacks). Scott Gragg had all kinds of trouble with DE Reggie White (3 tackles, 2 sacks). The Giants didn’t do a good job of protecting the quarterback or giving the running backs room to run. Once again, their attempt to run a screen pass looked like a joke.
The reserves weren’t very good either. Jerry Reynolds whiffed on White. I also saw Lonnie Palelei getting beat cleanly on his first play.
The Giants obviously need to upgrade this position. I still feel that Oben (a restricted free agent) and Ron Stone are keepers. Lance Scott (an unrestricted free agent) would make a good back-up due to his long-snapping ability. The Giants will look to draft some bodies, but they should also take a look at unrestricted free agents such as RT Orlando Brown, OC Wally Williams, OG/OT Jerry Ostroski, OG Adam Timmerman, OG/OT Brian DeMarco, LT Richmond Webb, RT Korey Stringer, OC Dave Wohlabaugh, and OG Matt O’Dwyer.
Wide Receivers: I hate to repeat myself, but how can you judge these guys when the quarterback can’t get them the ball? Ike Hilliard (3 catches for 48 yards) made a real nice grab along the left sideline while getting hit. Chris Calloway (2 catches for 20 yards) was pretty quiet. Amani Toomer (2 catches for 16 yards) and Joe Jurevicius (1 catch for 3 yards) made little impact.
It’s time for the Giants to get Joe Jurevicius and Brian Alford more playing time. These two, along with Ike Hilliard, should form the main base of the Giants’ passing attack in 1999. I’m not sure I’d keep Amani Toomer, who will be a restricted free agent.
Tight Ends: Terrible again. Howard Cross made one nice catch on Kanell roll-out, but was largely invisible. He didn’t have a strong game blocking. I saw Al Pupunu get run over trying to pass block late in the 4th quarter.
The Giants need to start from scratch here. They need to draft a tight end and sign one or two. Guys to look at include unrestricted free agents David Sloan, Jamie Asher, Mark Bruener, Kyle Brady, and Lonnie Johnson. I might take a look at restricted free agent Jason Dunn, who has been a disappointment to date, but who has the tools. Marco Battaglia is a restricted guy who interests me some too.
Halfbacks/Fullbacks: HB Gary Brown (8 carries for 21 yards, a 2.6 yard per carry average) and FB Charles Way (5 carries for 17 yards, a 3.4 yard per carry average) couldn’t break a big run. Strangely, the Giants ran to their left the entire game. I can’t even remember the Giants running to the right — very predictable. Tyrone Wheatley (5 carries for 20 yards, a 4.0 yard per carry average) looked very sharp on his first carry (for 15 yards), but could do little after that. Tiki Barber was a non-factor.
The Giants need to upgrade the halfback position. It is pretty clear that Tyrone Wheatley won’t be back in 1999. Gary Brown would make a better back-up and might not be back (he will be unrestricted). Tiki Barber has slumped horribly and may never develop into the player hoped for. At least the Giants are set at fullback with Charles Way and Greg Comella. The Giants will have to draft a back. They also may want to look at unrestricted guys like Errict Rhett and David Palmer.
Defensive Line: Started off strong, then quit. Where’s the leadership? The Packers ran successfully left all day at DE Chad Bratzke and WLB Jessie Armstead. Bratzke did pick up a sack however. DT Keith Hamilton made some plays, but has to be held accountable for this as well. DT Robert Harris played well early, but faded. DE Michael Strahan didn’t make much noise. He’s either slumping or his back injury is bothering him. Reserve Christian Peter made a nice run stuff and Bernard Holsey got some pass pressure. DE Cedric Jones was quiet.
The Giants do have one of the best defensive lines in the game, provided that Strahan can return to 100%. I’m a big fan of his. I also like Hamilton and Harris because both can play the run and get after the passer. Peter and Holsey (the latter being a restricted free agent) provide excellent depth inside. At RDE, Bratzke is only ordinary. He is not worth the money he is seeking. The Giants should commit to Cedric Jones there.
Linebackers: Pretty bad. Jessie’s ankle has never been anywhere close to 100%, despite what he’s telling the press. He had to leave the game, but was playing poorly before he left. SLB Marcus Buckley made a few plays early against the run and in pass coverage, but was exposed against the run as the game wore on. Scott Galyon played a lot, even before MLB Corey Widmer left the game with a concussion. He did not play well — I saw him getting handled on running plays all day (so much for the talk of moving him to the strongside). I should have paid more attention to Doug Colman. I saw him getting handled on one play.
The Packers ran for season-high yardage against the Giants. It was pretty obvious that a lot of the players on the defense weren’t playing with a lot of determination, hustle, or anger. The linebackers, line, and secondary must ALL share the blame. Very embarrassing. The Giants need to get angry, not joke around with the opposition and help them get up off the turf.
One has to assume that Jessie Armstead will come back strong in 1999. Scott Galyon (a restricted free agent) has not played well since his Achilles injury. It would be nice to bring him back however. On the strongside, Marcus Buckley makes a play here and there, but doesn’t stand out and can be run on. The Giants must make a determination if he or Ryan Phillips is the answer on that side. Inside, the Giants face a tough decision on whether to re-sign Corey Widmer (who brings leadership and experience to the table) or go with the younger Doug Colman (a restricted free agent) or Pete Monty. Signing a guy like Mark Fields, Bryan Schwartz, Todd Collins, or Rob Fredrickson might be the direction to go.
Defensive Backs: The cornerbacks played decently against two quality opponents, but the safeties were terrible again. The Packers knew what they were doing when they went after Tito Wooten and Percy Ellsworth. Tito’s failed diving attempt to break-up a Brett Favre pass to Tyrone Davis broke the Giants’ back. Percy Ellsworth failed to stop Davis on the same play, exposing his lack of speed and tackling-ability. Favre went after Ellsworth successfully quite a bit too. Ellsworth was responsible for Green Bay’s first TD, not Marcus Buckley. Percy got confused on the play and forgot to cover his man. Wooten and Ellsworth did not do a good job on TE Mark Chmura — once leaving him wide open in the redzone (a big no-no). Both safeties were too quiet against the run.
The Giants have some very good talent at cornerback. Conrad Hamilton and Phillippi Sparks are playing very well. Jason Sehorn will be back in 1999 (will he be the same, however?). I think re-signing Hamilton (a restricted free agent) is a priority. If not, the Giants need to keep Carlton Gray, who has been so-so. It’s the safety position that is a problem. I’d let Ellsworth (a restricted free agent) go and cut Wooten. Shaun Williams and Sam Garnes should start. The Giants may also want to look at unrestricted guys like Orlando Thomas, Carnell Lake, or Darren Perry.
Special Teams: Another breakdown covering kicks. Roell Preston ran back a kick for 66 yards. He also had a 22 yard punt return. Tiki Barber didn’t look bad returning kicks, but Toomer continues to dance too much on punts. Brad Maynard had a 54-yarder, but too many of his kicks were line-drives. Punt protection was poor as Maynard was under heavy pressure most of the game.
The Giants are set with the two Brad’s, but they need more kick-butt special teamers for the coverage units.