Detroit Lions 31 – New York Giants 21
Game Overview: This team needs a mental enema. There are two ways to look at this game – one from a glass half full perspective, the other from a glass half empty perspective:
- Glass Half Full: There are always little twists and turns in every season that are unexpected and unexplainable. You lose to a team that you should beat and everyone says you’re toast, but then you later salvage your season by beating somebody no one expected you to defeat. The Giants were still suffering from a post-Rams game hangover while facing a team that is receiving a normal short-term boost from a mid-season coaching change. The Lions broke with their tendencies and completely fooled the Giants with their game plan. New York is no longer in first place, but they still control their own destiny.
- Glass Half Empty: This is third year in a row where the coaching staff seems unable to get a proper feel for the team’s psyche AND push the right buttons in order to get them to respond. The problem also rests with the players. They don’t seem to care. After this game, I heard from one source that most of the players were not really all that upset about the loss. “Just another game” was the attitude expressed. Most disheartening was that this was coming from some of the supposed “leaders” on the team. The team lacks heart, character, and pride. But there are also a number of talent questions.
The great thing about football is that, ultimately, you can not hide the TRUTH on the field. You may be able to create an illusion during a stretch of games, but the final results after a full 16-game season will tell you what you have to work with – both in terms of talent and coaching. The Giants are 7-4 and still have an excellent shot at the playoffs. If they do not make it and don’t do anything once they get there, then they don’t deserve any respect or job security. Personally, I have serious doubts about the ability of the coaching staff and the character/talent of the personnel. The Giants players and coaches have five games to prove fans like me wrong (and backing into the playoffs and exiting quickly doesn’t count).
Coaching: This team was not emotionally prepared to play this football game. The Lions played with a sense of urgency and the Giants did not – to use a common “Fassel-ism”. This lack of urgency was demonstrated by Detroit’s greater quickness at the snap, hustle, and fewer mental breakdowns. This has been a common occurrence during the Fassel administration. He really does not seem to have a feel for psyche of the team. Without that attribute, a coach will never be outstanding and it is doubtful that his team will ever excel.
After the Titans’ game, I went off on a diatribe condemning Fassel’s ability to instill fear in his troops. We all know the pattern. Giants win a few, then get humiliated, Fassel threatens jobs immediately after the game, but then calms down and does not make any significant changes during the week. Do you think the players don’t notice this tendency? Heck, if children notice when they can get away with things, you know adults will. There are no consequences for poor production on this team. If you do not execute, there is no punishment. The results are predictable. Now the counter charge would be that in the era of the salary cap there is no depth so you can’t bench your starters or you are certainly are giving yourself no chance to win. That may be true, but do you have any other option? Without fear, a general cannot lead.
Defensive Coordinator John Fox was out-coached in the game, plain and simple. The Giants expected the Lions to ram the ball down their throats, but Detroit came out throwing the ball with play-action and burned New York through the air. Most damning of all was getting burned by the 3rd-and-3 draw after the Giants had cut the lead to 28-14 and needed a defensive stop. The team had already been hurt by this very same play earlier in the game and to get exposed by it again in such a crucial situation is unforgivable. Fox was late to adjust his tactics. He also had his defensive backs play too far off the average receivers of the Lions. CB Jason Sehorn isn’t going to get burned deep by Johnnie Morton – so why was Jason playing so far off the ball? The Giants were especially hurt badly by the soft coverage on their big blitz on Morton’s TD. In such a blitz situation, you can’t give the receiver a big cushion off of the line – you have to jam him. The coverage had Sehorn playing back, Morton easily crossed the middle of the field, and sprinted to the endzone. Bad defensive scheme. Same story in the redzone. Dave Thomas is playing far off the line, Herman Moore has an easy release, cuts inside, and makes an uncontested reception. John Fox is an overrated coach.
Do I need to even talk about “Special” Teams Coach Larry MacDuff? Every Giants who knows anything about the team knew that it was only a matter of time before poor special teams cost the Giants bigtime. MacDuff hasn’t been able to turn around his unit for four years now. You can’t tell me that the Giants’ special teams personnel is that much poorer than the rest of the NFL. Is it really much worse than the Browns, Bengals, Chargers, etc.? Ironically, if Fassel does lose his job, then it will probably be because of the special teams situation. There’s no one there to blame but you Jim.
Players’ Attitude: Where is the pride on this team? Why don’t the players seem to care? Where is the professionalism? The post-game remarks from players both publicly and privately spoke volumes of this lack of pride, care, and professionalism. Is it the responsibility of the coaches to instill these characteristics into the players or must it come from the players themselves? Chicken or the egg? Whatever the answer, the Giants don’t have it. It may be the case fellow fans that the Giants’ players simply lack the will, heart, character, determination, and intensity to succeed – regardless of who coaches this team. If true, then management really needs to clean house because an expansion team will have a brighter future than a team with no heart. We’re talking major moves here since the heart of the team is Jessie Armstead, Michael Strahan, Jason Sehorn, and Kerry Collins. The team lacks competitors who care about winning.
And on a sidenote, fire Dr. Joel Goldberg. His personality testing has done nothing but fill this roster with fragile, leadership-less, inconsistent non-competitors who don’t deliver in the clutch. Of course, the scouting staff deserves much of the “credit” for this as well.
Quarterback: Kerry Collins’ numbers (29-of-51 for 350 yards, 2 touchdowns passing, 1 touchdown rushing, and 1 interception) look very respectable, but 271 of those yards and all three touchdowns came after the Giants fell behind 28-0. Is Collins just a tease that will never deliver on the goods? Or is it not wise to be too impatient with his progress at this point? It’s a tough question to answer. But ultimately, the future direction of the franchise rests on the ability of the organization to accurately answer this question. If Kerry is a tease, then the Giants need to get rid of him after the season and start all over with a new free agent. At the same time, there is a number of reclamation projects throughout the league – guys who were castoffs but later succeeded in a big way but who just needed time.
I’m biased towards guys like Phil Simms. He’s the kind of guy I grew up watching and who I judge other Giants’ quarterbacks by. Thus I am partial to tough guys who stand in the pocket and take the big hit, guys who responds positively to pressure-packed situations, and guys who deliver in the clutch. Kerry Collins hasn’t done any of this yet despite possessing superior tools than Phil had. Will it come? I’m starting to wonder.
In his defense, Kerry was placed in a difficult situation against the Lions. The Giants had absolutely no running game. This not only eliminated the play-action from the Kerry repertoire, but constantly put him in 3rd-and-long situations in the first half – this is not a situation conducive to success for any quarterback outside of St. Louis. Pass protection was shoddy at best and got worse as the game wore on. Nevertheless, Collins was not accurate for much of the day. Even on those receptions completed, many times receivers had to extend themselves to make difficult catches. He forced the ball on his interception – which was a critical turnover. Kerry also continues to overshoot on his deep passes. A perfect example of how his inaccuracy hurt was his poor throw to Pete Mitchell for what should have been a first down. New York was forced to punt and on the ensuing play, the punt was blocked. Collins did have two key scrambles – one for a much needed touchdown and another for a first down on 4th-and-10.
FoxSports game analyst Matt Millen said during the game that the book on Collins is to get into his face because he doesn’t deal with pressure well and will make mistakes. If true, then Kerry will never be a championship-caliber quarterback. These next five games will be very telling.
Wide Receivers: WR Amani Toomer (8 catches for 108 yards) had a big day, but also had a costly drop on 3rd down that stalled a drive; this came when the score was 21-0. These drops by Giant wide receivers are killing New York. He did make two outstanding catches – a one-handed effort and another juggling reception. Ike Hilliard (1 catch for 19 yards) was strangely quiet until he was forced to leave the contest with a serious chest injury in the third quarter. Joe Jurevicius (2 catches for 23 yards, 1 touchdown) made a circus catch in the endzone for a touchdown. His other reception was a 4th-and-7 reception that kept a drive alive. Joe was flagged with a pass interference penalty however. Thabiti Davis made a critical 27 yard reception on 2nd-and-26 on the Giants’ third touchdown drive despite getting hammered. He was however flagged with a holding penalty on the proceeding play that took a long Tiki Barber touchdown catch-and-run off the board.
Tight Ends: Finally, the tight ends were more involved in the passing offense. Dan Campbell came up with a clutch 2 yard TD reception to cut the lead to 28-14 in the third quarter (Collins did a nice job of delivering the ball despite dropping backwards due to pressure). Pete Mitchell (5 catches for 70 yards), however, made THE clutch play on the drive with his 16-yard reception on 4th-and-6. Even more impressive was the fact that Pete had to reach behind himself to catch the ball. Pete did have a costly drop however on a play that would have picked up a first down on 2nd-and-10. On the ensuing play the drive ended with Collins being sacked. All the tight ends must share a big part of the responsibility for the terrible run blocking.
Running Backs: The running game was non-existent. Ron Dayne (4 carries for 5 yards) carried very few times and when he did, there was nowhere to run. Tiki Barber (8 carries for 30 yards; 8 catches for 99 yards) had one nice-looking left side run, but that was about it in the rushing department. His fumble on the promising drive deep in Lions territory after the Giants’ fell behind 14-0 was very, very costly. Most of his receiving damage came on dump off passes when the Lions were playing prevent defense. Tiki also did a poor job of standing his ground on a linebacker blitz and was blasted back into Collins. He dropped a pass too. FB Greg Comella (2 catches for 5 yards) didn’t aid the running attack this week with his lead blocking.
Offensive Line: The worst performance of the year – by far. The run blocking was atrocious as the Lions’ defensive line dominated the line of scrimmage. Detroit was more physical and quicker to the punch. The pass blocking was almost as bad. RT Luke Petitgout had his roughest day of the year. He had problems with DE Robert Porcher and even his back-up (James Hall) and gave up a couple of sacks (one leading to a forced fumble) and a number of pressures. To make matters worse, he lost his composure in the second half with a variety of penalties (holding, tripping, personal foul). RG Mike Rosenthal played terribly too. On several occasions, the inside rusher (at times the Lions moved Porcher inside) simply ran by Mike en route to Collins. Detroit finished with four sacks and countless hits and pressures on Collins; Porcher accounted for three sacks by himself. RG Ron Stone was flagged for holding and also had problems picking up one stunt.
Defensive Line: The Giants were completely suckered by the Lions. Expecting run, run, run; Detroit came out throwing the ball from the get-go. Time-and-time again, play-action fooled the Giants. To make matter worse, once again there was little pressure. Just like in the Titans game what hurt was the inability of the defense to get off the field on third down. Over and over again, the Giants could have stopped drives and prevented touchdowns if they had risen to the occasion on third down. With the notable exception of the goalline stand (when it was a matter of too little too late), the Giants came up short. Look at Detroit’s first TD drive: they faced 3rd-and-1, 3rd-and-7, and 3rd-and-9 and every time they converted. Money players make plays on third down. And when the defense had a chance to help the offense get back into the game, they allowed a 61-yard drive that resulted in a field goal to put the game out of reach. Not only was it the 3 points that hurt, but the seven and a half minutes the Lions were able to take off the clock. Once again, Detroit converted a couple of times on 3rd down on this drive.
In the pass rush department, at times, DE Michael Strahan got close. I spotted him getting mugged and double-teamed on a few occasions. But he did not provide consistent pressure and received no help from his teammates. DT Keith Hamilton took the day off. DE Cedric Jones is a mediocre player who was dominated by a rookie. DT Christian Peter is a one-dimensional run stopper (though he did have one impressive looking pass rush). DT Cornelius Griffin who has a world of talent is still learning and hasn’t arrived yet. The Lions’ offensive line, despite being revamped this week, controlled the line of scrimmage in the passing game. Most costly was the lack of alertness on QB Charlie Batch’s draws on third down. The run defense numbers are misleading. The Lions didn’t put up big numbers, but they consistently picked up positive yardage and this kept down and distance situations manageable. Hamilton and Peter didn’t play particularly stout inside. Griffin made one nice play on the goalline on 3rd-and-goal.
Linebackers: Last week, I said Jessie Armstead wasn’t slowing down. This week, I’m not so sure. Jessie played an uninspired game and didn’t seem particularly bothered by it after the game was over. In many ways, Jessie is the heart of this team, but he is not producing big plays on the field or delivering the emotional impetus the team needs to succeed on Sunday. He has got to realize that being a captain carries with it a big responsibility to make sure his teammates are ready to play on Sunday. If he does not want that responsibility, then it is time for him and the Giants to part ways.
After putting a couple of good games together, MLB Mike Barrow seems to be regressing. He too has not made many plays during the past two losses. Jessie and Mike flashed against Detroit – each made a stop on the back in the hole – but these two are being counted (and paid) to deliver on a regular basis. Mike is playing hard and he is playing aggressively – ironically it is his aggressiveness that sometimes causes him problems and takes him out of the play. Both he and Jessie did make a nice stop on the goalline (that Shaun Williams helped to create by taking out the lead blocker). Jessie also sniffed out a draw. SLB Ryan Phillips got close to the quarterback on a couple of dogs, but couldn’t close the deal. He also got beat down the seam by TE David Sloan despite having good coverage because he didn’t turn back to look for the ball – this was a big play on Detroit’s last TD scoring drive.
Defensive Backs: Awful. CB Dave Thomas and CB Jason Sehorn played far too soft most of the day. Detroit went after Thomas quite a bit and Thomas did not respond. He gave up one touchdown, a few other short receptions, and was flagged with a holding and a pass interference penalty. Many will probably disagree with me, but Jason Sehorn is nothing special. He’s solid, but he is not a shut-down cornerback and I wonder how competitive he is. Against his old USC teammate Johnnie Morton, Jason acted like he had never covered the guy before and played far too off the line. The result was easy completions in front of Jason (such as the 3rd-and-8 completion on the first TD drive) as well as the 32-yard TD pass on the short crossing route. Jason did make a nice play on his CB blitz where he tackled the receiver for a loss on an end around. SS Sam Garnes was invisible in pass coverage once again except for his dropped interception (yet another by the hands of stone secondary). He did get to batch on a blitz and forced a fumble (along with DT Keith Hamilton) that was recovered by Strahan. FS Shaun Williams intercepted a pass late in the endzone.
Special Teams: Freaking pathetic. Punt coverage was amateurish as no one stayed in their lanes. Desmond Howard had returns of 50 yards and 30 yards. The latter happened after Greg Comella was flagged for holding and the Giants were forced to re-kick. Tiki Barber returned a punt for 67 yards to the Lions’ 18 yard line, but Bashir Levinston was called for holding. Long-snapper Jason Whittle let his man run right by him and block a punt which was recovered at the Giants’ nine yard line. Levingston fumbled the ball away on a kickoff return. Omar Stoutmire fumbled the ball (but recovered). Barber did have a 31-yard punt return that helped to set up one touchdown for the Giants.
AND THE BAND PLAYED ON
by David Oliver
Today’s Washington Post carried the announcement that Maryland has fired Coach Ron Vanderlinden, after 4 years of no win, no show ball and empty seats. In his time, the team was outscored by ranked opponents by over 350 points and beat up only even weaker sisters Wake Forest and Duke. Two weeks ago, Coach Bobby Ross quit, saying he had lost the fire, blah, blah, blah. His team has been on a tear since, the Giants being the latest victim. Last week Coach Jim Fassel said he didn’t care what people thought, he didn’t want to hear it, that all he knew was that his team was getting better. This week the story line is the coaches don’t fumble, don’t miss blocks, blah, blah, blah.
To date, I have been a Fassel supporter. He is a sincere man, appears to have a grasp of the game, but he is proving to be an uninspiring motivator, leading a lackluster group of players into mediocrity, much like Coach Vanderlinden, believing next year’s team will be really good and needing just a little more time. It is with great reluctance that I write this, but I think it is time for Coach Fassel to step aside. After viewing yesterday’s dismal performance I am in a 180 degree spin. That chump Chad – what a fitting name – may be right; this is, right now, the worst 7-and-4 team in football, unless, of course, the Redskins win tonight, notwithstanding which, they will be the worst 7-and-4 team in football.
I’ll detail the reasons for my change in opinion a little later, but those of you who saw the game already know them, those of you who were actually in the Stadium know even better. I wanted to start this review talking about the fabled Lions and Thanksgiving and what that game meant to us. Bobby Layne and Tobin Rote, later Alex Karras and Jim Taylor, the Lions and the Packers, the not so good Lions always rallying on Turkey Day and pulling off impossible wins. The family gatherings, with 6 or 7 family units and 20 cousins, throwing the ball around in the morning, sitting for an afternoon meal, starting with a huge antipasto, then pasta, then turkey, then a break while the women did the dishes and the men stretched or played cards, then dessert, coffee, 5 or 6 different pies, cookies, then a nap and the game, then dinner, which was sandwiches of the leftover turkey, and finally home at 9 or 10 o’clock at night.
As we got older, it was the High School football games in the morning, followed by the aforementioned ritual feast and the Lions. But the mornings were East Orange and Barringer or Seton Hall Prep and East Side or St. Benedicts. Yesterday, I was fortunate to have two throwback experiences. There was a large family tailgate party right next to my usual parking spot. I looked over and there were Lions jerseys and Giants jackets, then I noticed Coach Larry Peccatiello among them. When I came out, long after the game, they were still there. One of the family called me over and graciously offered me something to eat or drink. I declined, telling him I had a 5 hour drive and he asked me where. I told him Virginia and he called, “Hey, Larry, come over here. Here’s a guy from Virginia.” Coach Peccatiello walked over and asked me where I lived and told him. For those of you who don’t remember Coach spent some time with the Redskins as a Special Teams Coach and defensive assistant. He is the Defensive Coordinator for the Lions. We talked a little and he asked if I was originally from here and I told him yes, I was born in Newark. Well, turns out his whole family is also from Newark and they are Barringer High grads, so we talked about the old Barringer/East Orange games, fabled for tough play and good fights before, during and afterwards. Then I mentioned I had graduated from Seton Hall Prep and one of Larry’s brothers told me two of his sons also went to the Prep. Giants Stadium parking lot, a microcosm of life and legend surrounding the Giants, Newark, coming of age. A Lions Coach who lives in Virginia, a fan and reporter who lives in Virginia and the remaining family, all still in “Jersey”, sharing tales of the old days. You gotta love it.
Before the game I talked a little with the Honor guard, all Vietnam Vets, looking sharp with their black berets and although aging now still looking good in their uniforms. We got to talking about those times and lo and behold there was a Seton Hall U man, graduated 2 years behind me. And there was a fellow Federal employee, 11 months to go before retirement, leaving for pretty much the same reason I left. We talked about respect for the flag, the fire fights, the draft board and how none of them wanted to be heroes, how they tried to beat the draft, and how eventually they went, they served, they are happy to have survived, and how they respect that flag and this Country. We talked of the first Seton Hall man who lost his life, a classmate named Brian Conlon, and of our days at the Hall. They asked if I would take a photo of them on the field and I arranged for the team photographer to get them actually at midfield. We shook hands, and walked a little taller, they knowing there was a civilian who remembered, me proud of them, great guys and all heroes.
Unfortunately, the kickoff came next and that time between the Honor guard and the Peccatiello family gathering was a disaster, a blur, a waste of 3 good hours. Last week Coach said he would find a way to get this team to start better. Well, Diogenes, keep the lamp lit. Lot had a better chance of finding 10 honest men in Sodom than JF of finding 10 guys to play Special Teams like football players – I think there is 1 out there now. But don’t just blame Specials. NO ONE showed up in the first half. NO ONE. The Coaching sucked, the offense was a disaster and the defense gave up real estate, notwithstanding the short fields it was dealt. A prominent NY newscaster was on the field and I talked to him for a while. We say hello in the locker, acknowledge each other, he is one of the more likeable guys in the business. I asked him if he had been observing the Giants “a long time” and he said yes, a long, long time. Then I asked him to confirm what I was feeling, had he ever seen a performance this dismal in his tenure. He looked at me and said “the first half, no, never, it was about the worst football he had ever seen.” I felt the same way; this was football worse even than the 70s. I guess 20,000 fans all agreed because they left at half time.
Forget the edge in time of possession for the Lions of 33:53 to 26:07, also forget the 25 Giants’ first downs and 350 yards passing for KC. But do keep in mind 10 penalties for 103 yards against the Giants, the blocked punt, the 80 yards on 2 punt returns for the Lions, the meager 53 yards rushing from the Giants vaunted ground game, the 5 yards gained by Ron Dayne, although his one very good run was nullified by a holding penalty, as was Tiki’s good punt return, as was, as was. This Lions team is a team which has had a harder time finding the end zone than the Giants, it’s QB had the lowest rating in the League. He completed a very efficient 20 of 32 for 225 yards, more telling he often had as many as 7 seconds available to find a receiver. And he had a tidy 30 yards running the ball on 4 carries. OK, so the Lions were held to less than 100 yards rushing, and their passing game wasn’t overwhelming, it didn’t need to be. Yes, the Giants’ D was dealt bad field position again, but it was beaten, time and again. As Michael Barrow told us after the game, it seemed as if “the Lions coaches talked to the Tennessee coaches” because they employed a similar game plan, effectively. Dave Thomas had his worst game as a Giant, Morton ate Jason Sehorn’s lunch on a play in which the Giants blitzed, but Batch hit Morton on a slant and he took off across the field like a gazelle, leaving Jason in his wake. Desmond Howard had a nice 50 yard punt return and a 29 yard KO return. Yes, that’s his speciality, yes he burns a lot of teams, but, come on guys, put together one complete effort.
Now before the KC fan club gets all over me as being too harsh, I’ll give you the positives. For the first time, in the second half, I noticed some embers glowing. He actually ran for a first down. Afterwards even he said the Giants had better start playing with some intensity. And he did complete 29 passes, many of them sharp, crisp on the money throws, including the TD to Campbell, throwing while backing up under pressure – a perfect throw. And there were too many dropped balls, including the first 2 thrown to Pete Mitchell. Add to that a porous line, particularly when KC needed time. But, the good part of KC was all in the second half when the game was out of reach. His start was woeful, as he often missed targets, threw bizarre passes and continually looked to the flare or short pass without even glancing down field. I will repeat it again, I don’t believe KC is comfortable starting games with this dink, dunk and punt offense; if that is the case, my apologies to him. The offensive game planning is not suited to these players. The Giants running game will not get untracked if the coaches continue to call the game this way because these are not drive blockers. There are no behemoth road graders with a mean streak along the Giants’ front. Therefore, I believe the Giants need to come out up tempo and firing 15 to 20 yards down field to Amani, Ike and JJ. Then look to Pete and Tiki. This will open up the trenches and make room for the Great Dayne. There is no surprise in the Giants’opening O and execution is just not possible. These guys don’t match up against the likes of Porcher and Ellis or Stubblefield and Bruce Smith. Heck, they had trouble making space against the likes of Ray Agnew. But they can set up quickly and pass block in an up tempo offense. We keep hearing about this up tempo O, but the Giants tempo is up tempo Molasses. At one point KC was almost pleading for the play. As an aside, there was also one defensive series where Barrow was screaming at John Fox that there were only 10 men on the field, please send in an 11th.
Bottom line here, I don’t think the Giants’ coaching staff should lay all the blame on the players. There have been enough coaching lapses and breakdowns in the big games to fill an unemployment line, if performance really mattered.
Amani Toomer and Tiki played their butts off. Amani, incidentally, told me after the game that there were no residual affects from the concussion, that he felt fine. I asked about the hits he and Ike were taking, often getting whacked by 2 or 3 guys and he told me “we could slide, or go down, but we want to compete, to make plays.” Amani had 8 catches for 108 yards with a long of 21. Tiki chipped in 8 for 99 with a 22 yarder, most of his coming after the catch. He had one unfortunate fumble and had one nice run back called for a holding call. It was that kind of day. Pete caught 5 for 70, mostly late, but dropped 2 early ones which could have made some difference. JJ had 2 for 23, Comella 2 for 5, Thabiti Davis, 1 beauty for 27, Ike only 1 for 19 Campbell 1 for 2 (TD) and Howard Cross 1 for a 3 yard loss. Three tight ends don’t cut it. If the Giants are going to insist on running this modified WCO, then a big, mobile pass catching tight end is an essential for the off season. That may be the #1 priority in the draft and could even be the first choice.
The kickoff return teams are now featuring a 3 headed dragon of Bashir, Reggie and Omar Stoutmire. Is there some contract positioning going on here? Bashir is a specialist. He should be returning every KO. Reggie Stephens is a speed guy who is as much an offensive threat as anything and he should be out there with Bashir. Adding Stoutmire to the mix is a dilution not an addition. It says only that Bashir may not be in the long term plans because he is a specialist, and this staff loves guys who can perform 5 functions, even if they can’t do any of them well. Teams have realized Desmond Howard’s value as a specialist, Alan Rossum still carries them back – get the ball in Bashir’s hands and he will get yards. If not Bashir, Reggie can develop into a prolific return man. But 2 men, 2 men, 2 men only should be in this position. I asked each of them what was going on and the answer “dunno”, “coaching decision” – something they are not going near.
On defense it was Jessie and Barrow. Jessie had 15 combined tackles, 9 solo and Mike had 13 combined, 8 solo. They turned in solid efforts, but Jessie is so frustrated he was not in the locker long post-game. Mike was his usually composed, generous self and spent a lot of time with anyone who wanted him. I had a nice conversation with him and asked him how he was handling the frustration. He told me he was “praying to Jesus and looking to him and playing my game.” He told me the veterans would step up, that “we are a very professional team. We always hold each other accountable. It’s no ‘Big I, little t’ on our team, we set standards, our coach does an excellent job of giving us enough rope to hang ourselves and he’s always telling us ‘come back, come back’, he’s always keeping us in check, because it’s hard to deal with success. He’s real good with always giving us a gut check, always checking us as to where we’re at as a team…the leaders on this team, we respond to that well. He puts a lot on us and we’re not going to let him down.” I asked him about frustration and some of the comments of guys on offense and specials and he thought for a moment and told me “the only thing I’m frustrated about is losing, because I expect to win. I’m not frustrated with any players, any part of our game, well, I may be frustrated because I know we can play better, I know we’re a better team than what we’re showing the last two weeks. I’m frustrated because we’re right there, one step away from greatness, you look at all the great teams in the past, San Francisco, the New York Giants, it’s always that one moment that turns this thing around, it’s always scratching at success.” I asked him, then, what was that one thing that he felt was needed. I told him I couldn’t put a finger on it and he answered in kind, saying, “I can’t put a finger on it, I’m just praying about it (laughingly), just taking Jesus with me, Lord give me a revelation, what is that one step, knocking at the door of success, yet not opening it, not kicking it down, it’s just something, like people talking about a boxer not finishing, we’ve got the talent to do it, and we’re going to do it, it’s just, just (searching for the thought), it’s going to something that you can’t mark, you can’t anticipate it…it’s like the Stock Market, you can do all the research, come with all the figures, but one day, that stock you bought just skyrockets, I don’t know what it is…”
Michael Strahan had 7 combined, 5 solo with a fumble recovery; Sean Williams also had 7 combined with 1 INT and a pass defensed; Thomas had 6 solos, but gave huge cushions and was beaten all day. Garnes had a combined 6 with a pass defensed and a forced fumble, Jason Sehorn had 4 solo with a pass defensed, but was beaten by Morton on the TD run and gave up others. Peter had combined 4, then Phillips, Griffin, Hamilton had 3 and Hale, Jones, Emac 2 each. Hamilton had a solid hit on Batch. On specials, Bashir had a tackle and assist as did West, Reggie Stephens had 2 tackles, JJ, Comella and Monty each had a tackle For the Lions, Porcher had 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery and 5 solos.
The game started badly for the Giants on their first possession, following a 3 and out by the Lions. Tiki no gain, Dayne for 3, incomplete to JJ (penalty on Lions), Tiki for no gain, incomplete to Mitchell (dropped the ball), sack by Porcher, punt. Already the fans were restless. The second possession set the tone, after the D had once again held. Tiki lost 2, then a pass to Ike for 19, Toomer for 17, Dayne for 1, Toomer for 13, Cross lost 3, Dayne no gain, shotgun, interception. The Lions took over, marched down field and scored. The Giants then went into the vacuum. No gain to Tiki, Dayne for 1, incomplete to Mitchell, punt, Desmond Howard returned it 50 yards, the fans were not happy. The Lions only had to go 28 yards and they did so in 6 plays.
Another lackluster Giants offensive series, a decent punt, a penalty, a re punt and a Howard return for 30 yards. Another short field . The Giants’ D got angry and Garnes sacked Batch, who fumbled, Strahan recovered. The Giants started ok, with Tiki for 12, Toomer for 21, then Tiki went 10 and fumbled back to the Lions.
Its nearing the end of the half and the Giants are down by 14 but within reach. Toomer for 11, incomplete, Tiki for 5, incomplete, then Maynard has one blocked. You could see the Lions massing for the charge and the whole damn team broke through. As Boomer said last night at halftime, Maynard looked like Maynard G. Krebs. Eight yards, 42 seconds, incomplete, 1 yard run, then Batch to Moore beating Thomas and as Bob Papa said on the post game show, how can you drop 4 yards into the end zone and get beat on a slant pattern. Thank God for halftime. What, not yet, you say. Oh, the kickoff, which unfortunately was fumbled after a nice run back. However, no points resulted as the field goal attempt hit the upright. Now, thank God for halftime.
In the second half, the Giants got nothing started, the Lions scored very quickly on a 4 play drive, with Morton beating Sehorn and the blitz and carried it in from the 32. The Giants finally scored on KC’s arm. Mitchell caught one for 17, Toomer for 16, incomplete, scramble for 2, Barber for 22, Toomer for 10, no gain, inc., the KC’s legs – a 4 yard scamper for the TD. On the next Giant series, it looked like 3 and out but there was an unnecessary roughness call on Schultz as he met Ike helmet to helmet and Ike was injured. I was right there and the crack of helmet on helmet was scary. Ike gets hit a lot like that because he’s full out and wide open. Following the penalty, KC hit Toomer, Dayne had a nice run, called back for holding on Stone, then 7 to Comella, incomplete to JJ, making a nice effort in the end zone, then Mitchell for 16 and Campbell for 2 and the TD.
The fourth quarter was a study in frustration. The Lions kicked a field goal. On the next possession, KC was sacked and fumbled. Detroit recovered. The Giants D made a nice stand. There was a holding penalty, a 2 yard gain, a 2 yard gain, then S. Williams made an interception in the end zone on one of Batch’s few poor throws. The Giants put together another drive starting with a sack by Porcher (KC in the shotgun), Tiki for 12, incomplete to Tiki, JJ for 10, Mitchell for 22, incomplete-spike, incomplete., incomplete, KC around end for 12, penalty on Giants, Mitchell for 7, incomplete, Mitchell for 8, spike, incomplete, penalty on Luke for tripping, Tiki for 13, penalty on Luke for unnecessary roughness, 48 yard TD to Tiki, called back, penalty on Davis for holding, pass to Davis for 27, incomplete, JJ 13 yard TD. Finally, with 41 seconds left the Giants got the ball one last time and the game ended on another sack.
The Giants had 13 possessions. They gave the ball up on a punt, an interception, a punt, a punt, a fumble, a blocked punt, a fumble, a punt, then a TD, TD, fumble, TD, end of game. They had two 8-play drives, 1 nine-play drive and a bizarre 17 play drive on which they actually gained 120 yards, with a minus 40 on penalties. Talk about the little House of horrors. Can you imagine a 17 play, 120 yard drive, and all that in 3:39 seconds? What an offensive juggernaut.
I have more to tell you, some of which you will have already read in other places, but I talked to Lomas Brown and to Jack Golden in addition to Michael Barrow. I can’t wait for the offensive line analysis because performance was not good. Is there any element of the game on which I could be positive? When the team lights up, the offense can move. The defense is solid if put in a position where it doesn’t have to continually defend a short field. But in the final analysis, no one should be smug about this one. Everything broke down. JF promised he would find a way to get the team to start faster. He didn’t. Sean Payton is still having problems selecting plays and getting them in, McDuff may be working hard, but something is amiss in the schemes, the running back coaches are doing nothing with Ron Dayne. At one point in the second half, some of JF’s fire started to show through as the guys are spending a lot of time sitting on the bench, a thousand miles away. JF had enough of this and started screaming “get off your asses” which was such a beautiful thing to hear. Older veterans like Lomas are getting angry. Maybe there will be that epiphany that Michael Barrow is praying for, and maybe it will be this week. If not, this will be the worst 7-and-5 team in football and everyone will be home for the holidays.
To everyone, may you have a Happy Thanksgiving. Remember those less fortunate than yourselves, and notwithstanding the plight of our Giants right now, give thanks for all our blessings to be living in this place at this time.