Approach to the Game – New York Giants at Washington Redskins, December 8, 2002: This one is going to get ugly unless the Skins really screw up. The type of offense the Titans employed to such great success against the Giants last week, that is 4- and 5-receiver sets, is the bread-and-butter offense that Steve Spurrier likes to run. There was pressure on him when the Skins were in playoff contention to run the ball more but now with their season over too, look for Steve to go back to his roots and just let the ball fly down the field. If Will Peterson, Will Allen, and Michael Barrow were healthy, this wouldn’t be a problem, but they aren’t. Right now, the Giants don’t seem to have enough corners to even cover the Skins’ receivers. And the ones they do have suck. It is not improbable that the Skins could hang 30+ points on the Giants this weekend. And Fassel will get blamed for it.
The Skins are banged up on defense too, but not across the board like the Giants. Washington has very good corners and DT Daryl Gardner gave the Giants fits the last time these two teams played. New York is going to have to score a lot of points to win on Sunday.
Giants on Defense: Steve Spurrier is going to look like a genius against the Giants because the Skins are going to pass the ball up and down the field on New York. There will be little pass pressure from the front four (Strahan, a gimpy Griffin, Legree, and Holmes) and piss-poor pass coverage from the corners (Sehorn, Brown, and Stephens). In fact, if I’m Spurrier, I put a fourth and fifth receiver on the field. Who is going to cover them? Kato Serwanga? DeWayne Patmon? Give me a break!
New York has two options: die slowly or die quickly. If they choose the former, they will only rush four and drop more people back into coverage and hope the inconsistent Redskins’ quarterbacks make mistakes. If they don’t, they will march slowly down the field like the Titans did. If they choose the latter, the Giants come with the blitz and watch Ralph Brown or Reggie Stephens get beat for a quick score. Some choice! Obviously, New York will mix it up and try to confuse the opposition. I think the key for the Giants is to disguise their blitzes better than they have and just pray Sehorn, Brown, and Stephens some how come up with huge days. That’s most likely counting on too much.
The undercoverage will be ugly this week too. The weakness in Brandon Short’s game is his coverage skills (as evidenced by last week’s play). Nick Greisen is going to be a fine player, but he missed eight weeks of practice with a broken foot and admits he hasn’t returned to game shape. Kevin Lewis is a journeyman who struggles in coverage.
My focus? I’m treating this more like a preseason game. I want to see Greisen (albeit a rusty Greisen) on the field. I also want to make a determination if Omar Stoutmire is the kind of guy who I want starting for the Giants next season.
Giants on Offense: Offensively, the Giants should benefit with the subtraction of Dan Wilkinson and Jeremiah Trotter due to injuries. Also, unlike the first meeting, Ron Dixon will be in the line-up. But the Skins’ defense is in much better shape than New York’s right now because Washington has good cornerbacks.
Ideally, the Giants want to run the football. A key component in that will be the ability to block DT Daryl Gardner who gave LG Rich Seubert a lot of trouble the last time these two teams played. Carl Powell will replace Wilkinson at left defensive tackle, and the banged up RG Jason Whittle needs to play well there in order to control the middle of the line of scrimmage. The Giants also need Luke Petitgout to come up with a better run blocking effort than his last game. These last four games are very important in determining the future of Mike Rosenthal and Jason Whittle with the team.
Jeremy Shockey gouged the Skins in the first meeting for 11 catches and 111 yards. According to CB Fred Smoot, “(Defensive Coordinator) Marvin Lewis will come up with a game plan to limit Shockey (this time).” Dan Campbell will play, but is limited with a groin injury.
CB Champ Bailey is having a superb season and Smoot is solid. The Giants need quality performances from Amani Toomer and Ron Dixon (who is playing with a torn ligament in his knee). People know that I like Daryl Jones, but the guy hasn’t delivered thus far. I’m hoping he makes a play or two.
The microscope will remain on QB Kerry Collins. He played well last week after three sub-par performances. Before that, he was playing extremely well. Up-and-down, up-and-down. Let’s hope he is on this weekend and continues to improve. New York’s future depends on it.
Special Teams: Delvin Joyce is getting closer and closer to breaking one. Should Matt Bryant be the place kicker next year?