New York Jets 27 – New York Giants 24
Overview: Sorry for the delay in the game review, but the bar I was at couldn’t pick up the satellite feed. BBI contributor Ed A. was kind enough to send me a copy of the game.
Overall, I wasn’t as disappointed as I expected after watching the game. The offense was very impressive – both passing and running the ball. Special teams were very much improved. The big negatives were the play of the defense and the number of penalties.
The best news is that the Giants came out of the game with no major injuries.
Quarterback: I am so impressed with Kerry Collins and the Giants’ passing game that I can’t believe it. Let’s pray that Kerry and his offensive teammates stay healthy and focused, because if they do, they will put up some big time numbers this year. Physically, Collins is the most impressive quarterback I’ve ever seen play for the Giants (Y.A. was before my time). He has an incredibly strong arm and a quick release. He is accurate and he can maintain his accuracy even when under heavy pressure. Collins’ ability to deliver the ball on the numbers even when not using the best mechanics continues to amaze.
Right now, Collins throws the slant pass better than even Phil Simms. He really guns the ball in there even when the receiver is well-covered – he has to be a bit careful of this. There was one throw in the Jets’ game where he just fired it into Ike and the defense didn’t have a chance. He also did this again in the third quarter to Ike for a touchdown between two defenders. But the connection that really is a joy to watch is Kerry to Amani Toomer. Behind perfect pass protection, Collins cranked a 73-TD yard pass to Toomer, hitting him in full stride. A perfect throw. Later in the game, Collins again found Toomer for a long completion down the right sideline on 3rd-and-long. The look on the dazed Jets’ CB who had solid coverage said it all – how do I defend against that!?!
Collins’ best throw of the night? On 3rd-and-25 inside his own ten yard line, Kerry launched a perfect touch pass down the seam to Joe Jurevicius, who was surrounded by three defenders. Amazing! Collins also later rolled out and hit Joe on a sideline route that was thrown on a rope – again, the defender had no chance.
I thought Kerry’s worst throw of the night was a poor decision to try to hit Ike in the endzone when he was double-covered. He was lucky the pass was not picked off.
This was Jason Garrett’s best game of the preseason. He played the last quarter and did a good job moving the team with mostly short throws. He did hit Ron Dixon with a good-looking deep sideline pass however. It is obvious that Garrett just doesn’t have the tools to stretch the field. He’s a perfect back-up if he only has to play a game or two; more than that and the Giants may be in trouble.
Running Backs: I was very impressed with Tiki Barber’s running game against the Jets. This may have been his best all-around game as a pro. Tiki was a feature back at the University of Virginia carrying his offense on a quarterback-weak team. Against the Jets, it looked like the old UVA Barber tearing through the Jets defense on both inside and outside runs. He showed good vision, instincts, and acceleration on almost all of his runs. As for his work as a receiver – I still would like to see him look a little smoother trying to make a guy miss and getting up the field.
Ron Dayne’s stats may not show it, but this was his best game as a pro thus far. Yes, there was one 3rd-and-1 carry where he was stuffed (by three Jets in the backfield mind you), but he generally picked up good real estate in the middle of the defense between the tackles. They were not big runs (I think an 8 yard carry was his longest of the night), but he put the offense in a lot of manageable down-and-distance situations – a big change from last season. The best news is that the Giants started to finally run him more between the tackles – where I think he is most comfortable. Ron also showed his power by easily picking up another 3rd-and-short later in the game. Keep one thing in mind too – he’s so damn big and the defense is so focused on stopping him that he is already opening up lanes in the passing game.
FB Greg Comella had a mostly positive night. He got pushed back into Collins on a LB blitz that he should have handled better, but he did a nice job of lead blocking and made a big reception on 3rd-down to convert. Comella has very soft hands and better speed than people realize. The one time I spotted Joe Montgomery lead blocking, it was ugly. The play was well blocked except for Joe’s man who made the tackle. He also didn’t really stand out running or catching the ball – though this was with the scrubs in the 4th quarter.
Tight Ends/H-Backs: Collins threw twice to Howard Cross and he caught both – but Howard has the hardest time even picking up one yard after the catch. On the play before the Dayne stuff, he caught a very short pass on 3rd-and-2 or 3 and couldn’t run over the defender – a guy who he should have been able to bulldoze. The good news is that this will be a Pete Mitchell or Dan Campbell play when both are healthy.
Wide Receivers: It was boom or bust for Ike Hilliard who made a number of nice plays including a touchdown, but also dropped at least three passes. Hilliard gets open – he just needs to hold onto the ball. Amani Toomer continues to dominate. He had well over 100 yards receiving including a 73-yard catch and run that looked just too easy. Both he and Joe Jurevicius benefitted from some incredible throws from Collins – all they had to do was catch the ball. Jurevicius was very active on Friday in the second half. He made a superb TD grab with the defensive back all over him. He also almost came down with another TD on a jump ball from Garrett. Joe showed a lot of guts on his 3rd-down conversion surrounded by three defenders. Perhaps this was the breakout game he needed.
Ron Dixon did a good job keeping his feet in-bounds on a deep sideline pass from Garrett for good yardage. He also demonstrated some clutch-ability by cleanly fielding a low throw on 4th-and-long and keeping the final TD drive alive. Brian Alford made a nice little move after one catch. Kevin Prentiss caught a slant and then dropped a wide-open pass.
Offensive Line: For the most part, very sharp. Luke Petitgout was cleanly beaten by Brian Cox, who used a swim move. Glenn Parker was also slow to pick up a delayed blitz. But Collins had decent protection, despite a lot of blitzes from the Jets. Of course, Collins makes his protection look better with his quick release too. The run blocking was also pretty good this week as the Giants were able to run both inside and outside. Lomas Brown is really starting to impress me. He just looks and plays very naturally in all phases of the game. OC Dusty Zeigler got pushed back into the pocket by the Jets’ nose tackle and the result was a failed 4th-and-inches QB sneak conversion. He also tackled his man on a reverse and was called for holding. But overall, I’m very comfortable with this starting line.
As for the reserves, the one thing that stood out to me was how bad LT Pita Elisara looked. He was simply awful in pass protection. Chris Ziemann does look like a stud and the inside guys certainly did not embarrass themselves.
Defensive Line: This was not a very good game for the front seven on the Giants defense. However, much of the credit has to go to QB Ray Lucas and HB Curtis Martin – both who made some simply wonderful plays of their own. There were times when the Giants’ played the run almost perfectly, but Curtis would cut back and find some small opening to dodge through. I was more mad at the linebackers for not cleaning up on these plays than I was with the line. The Jets did run quite a bit successfully at DE Michael Strahan (though one of these plays was a 3rd-and-long toss where Strahan was stunting inside). Michael will turn it up when the games actually count – bet on it. I did see him smack Lucas pretty good on one play. The Giants did not get a very good pass rush against the Jets either. Part of this was due to the fact that the Jets were running the ball effectively. Part of it had to do with the shorter drops Lucas was taking. Much of it looked like a general lack of intensity. It just looked like the game mattered more to the Jets. Christian Peter did a good job not getting faked out on play-action and pressured Lucas for an incompletion.
I was actually more disappointed by the reserves. Ryan Hale and Jeremiah Parker in particular were pushed off the ball too easily by back-up offensive linemen. Parker was also very susceptible to misdirection and was caught out of position on a few plays. Griffin certainly looks the part, but he didn’t flash to me this week. Jomo Cousins was very quiet.
Linebackers: Not a very good game for this unit at all. Jessie is simply in cruise control right now – saving his energy for when it matters. It is very obvious. Ryan Phillips has to start taking the bull by the horns and make some plays. Too often I see him wired to blocks. Much of Curtis Martin’s success was because the linebackers were getting handled. Mike Barrow had an up-and-down night. He was flagged twice – once for illegal contact down field and a second time for defensive holding. He also looked a step slow on some outside runs (not that he is slow – just that his timing wasn’t down yet). The good news is that he looks like a very strong blitzer. He sacked Lucas once and the Jets QB narrowly escaped a second sack from Barrow.
The reserves did not shine either. All bit on misdirection. Brandon Short certainly plays hard, but he (like Phillips) is not making any plays. Jack Golden made a couple of nice hits, but also got exposed in coverage for a TD (along with Tawambi Settles) by a tight end. O.J. Childress was flying around, but rarely getting to the ball carrier in time – he too got burned by the misdirection too often.
Defensive Backs: Jason Sehorn had a quiet night because Lucas went after Dave Thomas all night and for good reason – Thomas was atrocious. It didn’t matter who he was covering, the man beat him. When the Giants blitzed, Thomas was so afraid of getting burned deep that he gave up the easy reception in front of him – including a wounded duck that should have been easily defensed. Almost all the Jets’ passing yards seemed to come at Thomas’ expense. Hell, Thomas’ man dropped a couple of receptions on him or it could have been worse. Dave had better suck it up or he will be out of a job.
The safeties got burned badly on the flea flicker to Chrebet. That sh*t happens when you allow the opposing team to establish the ground game. I did think Lyle West looked a little steadier this week – he almost came up with an interception (something that Giant defensive backs seem to avoid like the plague now). The other reserve safeties are not good ball players.
As for the reserve DB’s, it was hard to get a feel for them. The second string Jets’ offense ran the ball most of the time and when they did pass, they mostly went after the linebackers.
Special Teams: Very much improved. Punt and kick coverage was very solid with Jack Golden and Thabiti Davis standing out to me. Emmanuel McDaniel had a very strong return with some excellent blocking. Ron Dixon almost took it the distance on a 51-yard kick return where he did most of the damage on his own. Both Tiki Barber and Kevin Prentiss looked sharp returning punts and both almost broke long returns. Jason Whittle made a very bad snap over the head of Brad Maynard but Maynard did a fantastic job of keeping his composure, running the ball down, and still getting it off. He does need to work on his coffin corner punting however. Brad Daluiso missed another 40-49 yarder – it might have cost the Giants the game. Cedric Jones blocked a field goal attempt.
Wide Receiver Breakdown
by Emil Thomann
Although this review of the WRs in the Jets game is a week late, the play of the WRs we saw against the Jets paints a very telling picture of things to come.
First of all Amani Toomer, what can I say, the man is up there with the top WRs in the league in my opinion. He has the physical tools, and now he has the consistency. During the Jets game he repeatedly made sideline catch exhibiting great footwork. He has shown this ability consistently all preseason. There is no reason to think that he cannot do it in the regular season.
Believe it or not Toomer has a hidden asset. He has very deceptive speed because he is a strider. If you see Ike run you would think that he is faster than Toomer, but that is the deceptive part of this phenomenon. Ike looks faster because he is not a smooth strider. Ike’s running style allows him to make quick cuts and ankle breaking moves. Toomer lulls his man into a false sense of security with his strides and then before the defender knows it he is by him. Toomer displayed this ability on the 73 TD catch. Toomer has developed into a multi-dimensional starting WR that will help this offense get over the hump.
Ike Hilliard, well Ike had a game that can be best described as THE GOOD, THE BAD, and THE UGLY. First the Ugly: Ike had a ridiculous drop in the flat where it looked like he was fighting the ball the whole way. It looks like Ike is getting concerned with what he going to do once he catches it than before he catches it. The Bad: Collins put a perfect pass on Ike’s numbers and Ike lets it hit his numbers and it bounces off. He needs to extend his hands like Toomer. The Good: Ike caught a few clutch passes, displayed good run after the catch ability as usual, handled blitz reads very well, and looks great on slants, especially that one for the TD. The defender never had a chance. It is true what they say. Ike is always open, lets just hope he catches the ball.
Jurevicius had a great game. In fact it was the most consistent game I had seen out of him. The man amazes me because he does not having blazing speed, but he avg about 17yds a reception against that Jets. He also used his body well to shield the ball in some situations and caught balls in Traffic. One good thing to see was that the QBs were throwing the ball to only where JJ could get it, up high. JJ showed no fear and went up for it. His huge 3rd down conversion was a thing of beauty, and that TD catch was spectacular. If he plays like this in the regular season there is no reason why he is not the 3rd WR all season.
Ron Dixon rebounded well from the Jacksonville game. He showed good concentration and footwork on a key sideline grab, and was consistent presence in the offense. He also looked better on KO returns. He is raw but his physical talents will help this offense. When he is on the field defenses will have to account for him.
In my eyes Davis has moved ahead of Alford based on Special Teams play. Davis has shown an ability to be a gunner (great tackle against the Jets) punt blocker, and he blocks very well for a WR. TO me this spells the end of Alford. Alford again made no impact and I agree with Eric, your 5wr needs to play specials and play them well. Which ALford cannot do. He is fast but not physical and when you are a WR and can’t catch you better be physical. I think Alford could still rebound and if the team keeps 6WRs they will keep him, but I feel Fassel would like to use that roster spot on the DBs, LB, or OL
Going into the season these WRs will proved Collins with his playmakers down the field. I am confident that the top 4 WRs can carve up most Defenses, and Toomer could be a pro-bowler, Ike should catch over 1000 yards. Even though the offense had some ugly moments against the Jets, the overall reaction is a good one. I am glad that Fassel got on the team for their performance, they need to stay sharp. Aside from Ike’s drops the WRs were dominating a Jets secondary that has some solid corners. When I look at this offense on paper I can compare this team to the Jacksonville Jaguars. If Dayne comes through we have 2 solid RBs, dangerous WRs, and a solid TE in Mitchell. We have weapons at every option and that will only make the WRs better as less attention can be focused on them.
I don’t know about you guys but I can’t wait for September 3.