Approach to the Game – New York Giants at Jacksonville Jaguars, August 11, 2000: As I said last week, the first preseason game is usually nothing more than an official-looking scrimmage. The second and third preseason games are far more serious. These are the two games where coaches want to see their team start putting things together. As evidence of this, Head Coach Jim Fassel intends his starters to play half the game. Keep in mind that fearing injury, starters rarely play long in the final game.
Playing on the road in Jacksonville, a Super Bowl contender, is a great test for the G-Men. The Jaguars usually rough up the Giants pretty good – both in the pre- and regular seasons. It will be interesting to see how well the Giants compete.
The biggest concern, of course, is coming out of the game with no injuries.
Giants on Offense: There is absolutely no love lost between QB Kerry Collins (former starter in Carolina) and Jaguar defensive coordinator Dom Capers (former head coach with the Panthers). It was Capers who accused Collins of quitting on the Panthers and his teammates – a statement that was the catalyst that led to a series of developments that found Kerry coming to New York. Consciously or subconsciously, Capers may blame Collins for his own ultimate demise as head coach. And since Capers is considered a “guru” of the blitz-happy zone defense, I honestly look for him to come after Collins hard and try to hurt him – both mentally and physically.
Regardless of the motivation, make no mistake about it, Jacksonville takes preseason games more seriously than most and will be bringing the blitz from a variety of angles. This game will be a great test for the new Giants’ offensive line. Can this group, with three new faces and a fourth playing at a new position, show enough cohesion this early to effectively pick up stunts and blitzes? However, if sacks do result, don’t immediately blame the offensive line. Often times it is the responsibility of the running back to pick up the blitz. Blitz pick-ups are usually very difficult for inexperienced players so it will be particularly interesting to see how Ron Dayne, Joe Montgomery, and Sean Bennett fare in this department. “I think we’ll get a heavy dose of dog and blitz and other things we need to handle,” Fassel said. “It’ll be interesting to see how we handle that.”
Also, often times blitzers come “hot” – that is, there is no man assigned to block him because there are more rushers than blockers. In this situation, it becomes the duty of the quarterback and the receivers to read the play correctly. The receivers normally have to break off their routes and the quarterback has to get rid of the ball very quickly. There is little time to act. Kerry Collins’ decision-making process will be put to the test. “I think it’s a great opportunity to work on a lot of things,” said Collins. “You just see so many more exotic blitzes these days. That’s just the way it’s going to be. We have to be prepared for everything and be ready when the opportunity presents itself to take advantage of the blitz. It will give me a chance to work on getting the right read. We have to work on it, because we’re going to see it.”
The other major focus offensively will be the competition between Dayne and Montgomery. I feel that Joe still has a legitimate shot at being the starter on opening day. Dayne is still learning and therefore may be more hesitant. Joe wants to prove to the world that he is the real deal. It would not surprise me at all if Montgomery did not out-perform Dayne in the short-term. Montgomery needs to demonstrate a feel for finding holes; Dayne needs to break off some big runs. Of course, regardless of who carries the ball, the men up front must create some holes. The starting offensive line was far sharper last week blocking for the pass than the run. The zone blitz can also be highly disruptive against the run as it can cause confusion among the offensive line, tight ends, and fullbacks on who to block. But if the play is executed properly, good running teams can hurt the zone blitz badly.
Offensive sideshows include the impact of the injury situation. With tight ends Pete Mitchell and Dan Campbell out of the game, Mark Thomas and Adam Young may get a big chance to make their mark. Joe Jurevicius and Greg Comella are also out – two guys who would normally help to alleviate the loss of Mitchell. Thus, we should see a lot of Sean Bennett. Then there is the battle for the fifth wide receiver spot. With Jurevicius sidelined, Brian Alford and Thabiti Davis could see a great deal of action in the second half. It will also be interesting to see how much action Ron Dixon gets with the first unit with the injury to Joe.
Giants on Defense: The Giants’ defense is still not at full strength due to injuries to DT Keith Hamilton, MLB Mike Barrow, and FS Shaun Williams. The big concern on defense right now is the situation in the secondary, especially at free safety. How long will Williams be out? That is not known for sure. His replacement, Lyle West, was not overly impressive last week. He needs to get better fast or the Giants need to find a veteran guy after roster cuts. CB Dave Thomas returns to his old stomping grounds and should be tested often by superb wideouts Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell. Depth is also an issue at corner and this will be another opportunity to gauge the progress of Emmanuel McDaniel, Reggie Stephens, Ralph Brown, and Andre Weathers.
Another area to focus on in pass defense is the play of the linebackers in coverage. SLB Ryan Phillips will be matched up on TE Kyle Brady for much of the first half. MLB Pete Monty must also show that he can provide quality coverage against top players. A good pass rush will help. Will Defensive Coordinator John Fox come after Mark Brunell as it is anticipated that Capers will come after Collins? If he does, watch out for blitzes from the defensive backs and linebackers. It’s too bad that Barrow isn’t playing because I think he’s going to have a good year dogging the quarterback.
Up front, with Hamilton out, impressive looking DT Cornelius Griffin should see quite a bit of action. It was reported in one of the papers this week that Griffin may see some time at defensive end too. Christian Peter is playing well, but the Giants need another defensive tackle to step it up. Ryan Hale and George Williams are the focus there. At end, Michael Strahan returns. Will he flash his excellent play of 1998 or disappointing play of 1999? Cedric Jones must get more heat on the passer. And the Giants really need Jomo Cousins to provide quality depth.
The Giants’ defense normally plays very well against the ground game, but they will be tested Friday night by superstud Fred Taylor.
As for the reserves, the guy I want to see step it up is LB Brandon Short.
Giants on Special Teams: The coverage units need to get a lot better soon or the Giants will be in deep trouble. Too many players were out of their lanes and no one showed that headhunter mentality of former Giant coverage greats such as Larry Flowers and Reyna Thompson. As Fassel said last week, jobs will be earned or lost by play on special teams. These young men had better understand that point right now. Ron Dixon also needs to stop dancing around on his kick returns and head straight up the field.