Philadelphia Eagles 14 – New York Giants 10
Game Overview: The older fans know all too well; the younger ones will learn: despite winning two Super Bowls, being a fan of the New York Football Giants can be a very painful experience. Perhaps this pain is shared by fans of all teams, but since I am personally Giant-centric (as are Giant fans), our pain seems like a special pain.
And this pain is not endemic to Jim Fassel. After the 1956 Championship, the Giants were in five more Championship Games in 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, and 1963 – they lost them all. In the 1958 game, the officials stole the victory by improperly marking the football on Frank Gifford’s last carry. Had the ball been marked correctly, the Giants would have run out the clock and won their fifth Championship. In 1963, Y.A. Tittle, playing with an injured knee, threw five interceptions in a 14-10 loss. Then came NFL oblivion from 1964 to 1980. There were many terrible seasons – at the top of the list being 1964 (2-10-2), 1966 (1-12-1), 1973 (2-11-1), 1974 (2-12), and 1976 (3-11)…and we all know what happened in 1978…“The Fumble”.
Even after things starting getting good again in 1981, the pain was there. The Giants of 1982 (4-5) and 1983 (3-12-1) were supposed to contend. 1983 was Bill Parcells’ first season as head coach and he barely survived. I become a Giant fanatic at the start of the 1984 season…a reasonably good year for a team predicted to finish last place in its own division. But the heartache I suffered in 1985 from those two dreadful losses to the Cowboys still sticks with me (the botched center exchange between Phil Simms and Bart Oates when the Giants were running out the clock; the TD scored by DE Jim Jeffcoat off a deflected pass when the Giants were looking to put the game away). These losses cost New York the division. Then there were those four games against the Eagles in 1988 and 1989 – strange games where Philly found bizarre and painful ways to win (i.e., Randall Cunningham bouncing off of Carl Banks; the Giants blocking a punt in overtime that Clyde Simmons returned for a touchdown; the officials awarding the Eagles a touchdown despite the fact that the ball was resting on the 3-yard line; and Phil Simms turning the ball over for two defensive touchdowns, and a 92-yard punt by Cunningham).
The post-Superbowl 1987 team finished last in the NFC East (the strike gets too much blame for that year). Also, in 1988, the Giants could have won the division had they simply beat an inferior Jets team in the finale. The Giants trailed all day, took the lead late on perhaps Phil Simms’ greatest 2-minute drive, then the defense let the Jets move right down the field in seconds to score the game-winning touchdown (Al Toon over Tom Flynn). Earlier that year, who could forget another dramatic Simms’ last-minute TD drive wasted when Jerry Rice beat Mark Collins deep with only seconds left for the game winner?
The Giants won the NFC East in 1989 despite the two nightmare games against the Eagles, but let the Wild Card Los Angeles Rams hang around and win in overtime on “Flipper” Anderson’s long touchdown catch.
There is a lot of pain there during the Bill Parcells’ years, but much of that is forgotten because it was superceded by Super Bowl XXI and XXV.
The 1991 and 1992 Giants were coached by someone unmentionable. The 1993 Giants were a much worse team than the Dallas Cowboys, but Dan Reeves had a chance to win the division in the Meadowlands that year had he not played for overtime, instead of ending it all in regulation. 1994 was the transition from Phil Simms to Dave Brown. 1995 was full of heartbreak….the Giants lost seven games that were decided on the final drive of the game…in six of those games, the Giants were either tied or leading at some point in the 4th quarter. All you need to know about 1996 was that the Giants blew a 17-0 lead in the opener and a 22-0 lead in the finale.
Enter Jim Fassel. 1997 was a splendid year. The Giants were supposed to be a bad team that year, but Giants became the first team ever to go undefeated in the NFC East and won their first division title since 1990. Fassel won “Coach of the Year” honors. All this despite the fact that the Giants’ best offensive player was FB Charles Way. Of course, the meltdown against the Vikings ended the season on a down note. The Giants had a 9-point lead with less than two minutes in the game and lost it when Chris Calloway couldn’t field the onsides kick. 1998 and 1999 were mediocre years as the Giants struggled with Danny Kanell and Kent Graham at quarterback, as well as a slew of injuries.
2000 was a Cinderella year for the G-Men. The Redskins were being pencilled in as the NFC Champions, but it was the Giants went 12-4, won home field advantage in the NFC, and won their most lop-sided playoff game in their history in the NFC Championship Game (41-0 over the Vikings). Had the Giants won Super Bowl XXXV, Fassel would have been given the same breathing space as Parcells. But CB Jason Sehorn couldn’t cover Brandon Stokley, the officials called defensive holding on Keith Hamilton to wipe out a TD, and the offensive line couldn’t handle the Ravens’ front seven.
The Giants struggled in 2001 because QB Kerry Collins struggled. And the offensive line got old fast. The 9-11 tragedy affected the Giants and Jets more than anyone. The 1-point losses to the Rams and Eagles hurt early. The defense, under John Fox’s leadership, collapsed in the second game against the Eagles after the Giants looked to have it won.
2002 was a strange year. The team was inconsistent until a December roll put them into the playoffs as a Wild Card. Earlier in the year, there were heartbreaking defeats to the Cardinals (remember the interception for a TD right before halftime?), the Texans, and the late collapse against the Titans. But the offense had turned it around with Fassel taking over play-calling responsibilities. The Giants were on fire heading into San Francisco and took a 38-14 lead. Then came that gut-wrenching 25-point comeback by the 49ers, the botched snap, and second worst playoff collapse in NFL history.
That brings us to 2003. The Giants had question marks on their offensive line, but they looked as strong as anyone in the NFC on paper. The win against the Rams had everyone feeling good. An 18-point comeback on Monday Night Football against Bill Parcells was wasted when PK Matt Bryant kicked the ball out of bounds with 11 seconds left in regulation. The Cowboys tied the game and won in overtime. A devastating loss. The Giants beat the Redskins in Washington, but then lost two games to quality AFC East opponents as the offense turned the ball over a total of 9 times.
Then came last Sunday. The Giants were in a tight game that should not have been tight had the Giants not turned the ball over twice in Eagles’ territory. Still, New York was lead 10-7 with 1:34 remaining and punting from the Eagle-side of the field. Philadelphia had struggled to move the ball all day and was out of time outs. Fearing a block, Feagles was told to get rid of the ball quickly and to kick it high. He didn’t. The punt was only in the air 2.7 seconds. The Giants’ top special teams player, David Tyree, was blocked in the back; others overran the short kick; and the long snapper missed a tackle. 84-yards later, the Eagles have the lead and end up winning the game.
My wife used to think I was crazy when I would say a Giants game wasn’t over until the clock actually reached 0:00. She didn’t see Bart Oates and Phil Simms bobble that center exchange, she missed Jerry Rice’s touchdown reception over Mark Collins, and she didn’t see Al Toon’s catch over Tom Flynn. She certainly wasn’t there with me at a sports bar when Chris Calloway couldn’t field that onsides kicks. But she did witness the blown 24-point lead over the 49ers, Matt Bryant’s kick out of bounds against the Cowboys, and Jeff Feagles’ low, shallow punt against the Eagles. “What the hell is wrong with this team?” she demands to know. I merely respond, “It’s the Giants sweetie. It’s always been like this.”
Sadly, these games don’t upset me as much as they used to. There is too much scar tissue now. Sure I get upset and I am cranky much of the week, but it’s not that “end of the world” feeling that I used to get in the 1980’s. If you’re hurting now, take comfort in the knowledge that with experience the pain becomes less intense. That’s the only relief I can offer you.
Jim Fassel is in trouble. He didn’t win that Super Bowl in 2000. Much was expected from his 2003 team and it is terribly underachieving. Worse, he has been at the helm of some of the most infamous Giants’ collapses in their history…the 1997 playoff game against the Vikings…the 2002 playoff game against the 49ers…and this season’s contests against the Cowboys and Eagles. If it weren’t for the Yankees being in the World Series, the New York press would be relentlessly on Jim’s ass right now. The Giants are a terrible 1-3 at home and 1-2 in the NFC East. Four of their next five games are on the road. CB Will Peterson and LG Rich Seubert are out and they are two of the Giants’ very best players. Things could get ugly fast. If Fassel doesn’t get this team to the playoffs or produce a winning record, the public pressure to replace him may to too great.
Is it unfair? Perhaps. But he is the captain of the ship and EVERYTHING that happens to this team is ultimately his responsibility once the season starts. He’s not only the head coach, but the offensive coordinator. This is as talented an offensive football team the Giants have fielded since 1963, yet the Giants are only averaging 15 points per game (I’m not counting the two defensive scores). Excuses can be made…perhaps quite legitimate. But this is a no-excuse sport.
Giants on Offense: The same problems continue: (1) the Giants are turning the ball over; (2) the Giants are no longer making the big play in the passing game; and (3) not enough points are being scored. Points (1) and (2) combine to add up to point (3). The Giants “only” turned the ball over twice on Sunday, but both hurt. Both came on what looked to be scoring drives, including one at the Philly 5-yard line. And once again, QB Kerry Collins and the Giants’ receivers were unable to make big plays down the field. The longest pass play was 20 yards; the next longest was 14 yards. This is forcing the Giants to attempt to sustain long drives and play error-free football (no turnovers, no minus yardage plays, no penalties)…and the Giants have been unable to do this.
On Sunday, the Giants only scored three points in the first half of the game. THREE!!! And those three points were generated by an offensive “drive” of 8 yards after a Philadelphia turnover. Had it not been for Will Allen’s interception, the Giants would have been shut out in the first half.
The Giants had five offensive possessions before the intermission:
- 1st Drive: Giants get excellent field position off a Philadelphia turnover…start at the Philly 49 yard line. The Giants pick up a first down, but the drive is sabotaged when Collins is hit as he attempts to hand off to Ike Hilliard on an end around. The resulting fumble loses 20 yards, causing a 2nd-and-30. On 3rd-and-16, Luke Petitgout jumps offsides. 3rd-and-21 is simply too much to overcome. The killer play was the fumble and it was caused by either poor play design or a mental mistake because DT Darwin Walker was not blocked on the play. Seven offensive plays and a punt.
- 2nd Drive: This drives starts at the Giants’ 23-yard line. The Giants run 11 offensive plays, but are forced to punt upon reaching the Eagles’ 39-yard line. The drive stalls when Shockey drops a pass (commentator also says Shockey misread the coverage on the play), Tiki Barber loses 2-yards on a sweep, and Collins gets happy feet on a 3rd-and-12 pass that is completed for only 3-yards. If a team runs 11 offensive plays in a drive, it should score.
- 3rd Drive: Giants get great field position again (Eagle 45-yard line) but still can’t manage to score. After picking up a first down, a pass to Toomer falls incomplete, Toomer false starts, Delvin Joyce picks up 3 yards, and a pass to Toomer is thrown too far behind him. Twice the Giants have started in Philly territory and they have NO points to show for it!
- 4th Drive: This is an impressive-looking 9-play drive that moves the ball from the New York 12-yard line to the Philly 28-yard line. However, the drive ends when Shockey fumbles the ball away. No points.
- 5th Drive: The defense once again sets up the Giants in Philly territory…this time on the Eagle 29-yard line. The 8-yard “drive” stalls when Collins gets nervous in the pocket again. Brett Conway’s 39-yard field goal barely makes it over the crossbar. Drive resulted in a FIELD GOAL.
Five possessions, three of them starting in Philadelphia territory, result in 3 points. Let’s look at the second half, where the Giants had seven drives:
- 1st Drive: Giants pick up two first downs, but the drive stalls when Collins is sacked, Tiki Barber drops a pass, and pass pressure forces Collins to dump the ball off short on 3rd-and-17. The problem here was pass protection. Seven offensive plays…no points.
- 2nd Drive: This is an excellent drive, but it took 12 plays to move 62 yards and score a touchdown…one of the few drives the Giants didn’t shoot themselves in the foot in recent weeks. The longest play on the drive was a 12-yard completion to Marcellus Rivers. Drive resulted in a TOUCHDOWN. This is the last time the Giants would score.
- 3rd Drive: Giants pick up one first down, but a 3rd-and-3 turns into a 3rd-and-8 because of a false start on RG David Diehl. On 3rd down, Shockey can’t get clear of CB Bobby Taylor. Seven plays and a punt.
- 4th Drive: Giants really blew it here as they could have put the game away. Giants move from their own 37-yard line to the Eagle 5-yard line in 11 plays. The running of Dorsey Levens is a big factor and Collins and Toomer hook up on a key 3rd-and-11 as Philly brings the kitchen sink on a blitz (great job by line and Levens to pick it up). However, on 3rd-and-goal, Diehl misses the blitzing linebacker who knocks the ball out of Collins’ right hand for a turnover. 12 plays…no points.
- 5th Drive: With 4:13 left in the game, the Fassel plays it conservatively and calls three runs for Levens that pick up 9 yards total. I don’t like the play-calling at this point. 4:13 is too much time with a 3-point lead. On 3rd-and-3, the Giants should have passed.
- 6th Drive: With 1:51 left in the game, Fassel calls for Levens three more times. I don’t have a problem with the play-calling here. Fassel is trying to get the Eagles to use their timeouts and a pass incompletion stops the clock. Worse, with the Giants’ shaky pass protection in this game, a turnover was not an unrealistic possibility. Giants punt and the punt is returned for the game-winning touchdown.
- 7th Drive: This drive really ticked me off. Here the offense could have saved the day. The Giants get good field position on the return and a 20-yard pass play to Toomer (the longest of the day for New York) puts the ball at the Philly 40-yard line with 1:05 left on the clock (plenty of time). But the pass protection really breaks down after that and Collins isn’t accurate at all on three of his next four passes. I really didn’t like the 4th-and-4 formation that had a tight run/pass look to it. Everyone knew the Giants were going to pass here and Collins should have been in the shotgun with his receivers spread out wide. Game over.
So there you have it. The defense handed the special teams three points and the Giants had only one scoring drive in 11 other chances. That’s not going to get it done. Here are some quick positional thoughts:
Offensive Line: The loss of LG Rich Seubert is huge and I really doubt he will ever be the same player again. Pass protection in this game was a real problem as LG Jeff Roehl struggled with DT Darwin Walker and RG David Diehl struggled with DT Corey Simon. And there were times when OC Wayne Lucier got bull-rushed like he was on roller skates by both of these two defensive tackles. LT Luke Petitgout had his rough moments with N.D. Kalu, as did Chris Bober with his opponent in pass protection. Philly accrued 3 sacks and numerous pressures, none bigger than Diehl missing the LB blitz that caused the turnover on the 5-yard line. Run blocking was better as the Giants rushed for 180 yards against the top ranked rush defense in the league. However, there were some mistakes here as well. Despite running for a lot of yardage between the tackles, both guards did have problems with the defensive tackles too when run blocking. There was one pull by Roehl where he made a key block, but there were a few other pulls where Roehl’s pulling efforts were too deep and actually disrupted the rhythm of the play. Penalties were also a problem with Petitgout (false start) and Diehl (false start and holding).
Quarterback: Not a very good game by Collins (22-of-36 for 174 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions). For the first time in a long, long time, Collins looked very uncomfortable in the pocket. It was pretty obvious that he didn’t have a lot of confidence in the blockers in front of him as he was rushing throws and scrambling away from phantom pressure even when the pass protection was acceptable. This affected his accuracy and helped prevent the Giants from making big plays down the field (as did the actual pass pressure and the defensive secondary coverage of the Eagles). And there were passes he just missed such as the 3rd-and-12 throw to Toomer that was well behind the receiver. Collins had Barber deep for what should have been a touchdown on the play preceding the field goal, but Collins threw the ball up lazily off his back foot instead of stepping into the throw more and taking a shot from the oncoming rusher. Even on the TD drive, Collins didn’t see a wide open Toomer over the middle on one play, and then threw behind Toomer on another. Two plays before Collins’ fumble, a quicker throw on a rollout probably would have resulted in a touchdown to a wide open Ike Hilliard. Kerry also deserves blame for two false start penalties. The only throw that I was actually proud of him was his 11-yard strike to Toomer on 3rd-and-10 on the drive that resulted in a turnover at the 5-yard line. Amazingly, Collins’ scrambling was a real asset (4 carries for 28 yards, including a lunging 11-yard effort on 3rd-and-10 that kept the TD scoring drive alive). Kerry and the offense had a chance to be the heros with over a minute left at the Eagle 44-yard line. But the pass protection was shoddy and Collins’ passes were terribly inaccurate.
Wide Receivers: Perhaps it is Collins, perhaps it is the pass protection, perhaps it is the play-calling, perhaps the receivers simply are not playing very well and getting open. Maybe it’s a combination of all four possibilities. But for whatever reason, once again, Amani Toomer (4 catches for 54 yards; long of 20), Ike Hilliard (1 catch for 11 yards), and Tim Carter (1 catch for 11 yards) are not making big plays down the field. And, as I have said for two weeks, this is killing the Giants’ offense. Big plays (as Jaws is fond of saying) come out of the passing game and big plays are required to score touchdowns in this league. If you have to drive the length of the field in 10-14 play drives, you are likely to make a mistake that will stall the drive. This is what is happening to the Giants. Toomer was flagged with a false start.
Tight Ends: Jeremy Shockey (5 catches for a paltry 23 yards and 1 touchdown) had problems getting open from CB Bobby Taylor (unfortunately for the Giants, this was Taylor’s first game back from injury). Shockey dropped a pass and also fumbled the ball away on an impressive drive where it looked like the Giants would score a field goal or touchdown.
The tight end who is taking advantage of the fact that opposing defenses are focusing their attention elsewhere is Marcellus Rivers (4 catches for 31 yards). Marcellus had a few key catches including a 2-yard reception on 3rd-and-2 and a 12-yard screen on 2nd-and-10.
Blocking by the tight ends was serviceable though there was one play where Rivers gave up two much penetration and Barber lost two yards and another when Shockey couldn’t sustain his block and Dorsey Levens lost a yard.
Running Backs: Tiki Barber (19 carries for 79 yards; 5 catches for 34 yards) had a decent day, but I thought he had a few runs where he could have made a better decision and been more decisive. For example, two plays before Shockey’s TD reception, Barber for some reason didn’t follow his lead blocker into what developed into a pretty big hole. Instead he cut it back to the left into a morass of blockers and defenders. Tiki also dropped a pass. On the positive side, I liked his effort on a 7-yard catch-and-run on 3rd-and-5 at the start of the second quarter. He also looked sharp on a 14-yard reception later in the quarter when he cut back against the grain of the defense. On the next play, Tiki had his best-looking run where he squeezed through a very small opening and then leaped over a defender for an 11-yard gain.
I thought Dorsey Levens (16 carries for 64 yards) was very impressive. What a damning indictment on Jim Fassel for not getting this guy on the field sooner than the sixth game of the season! Levens is much more a north-south runner than Barber and thus complements him very well. And to be honest, it is a bit refreshing to see a runner on this team be able to run north-south in an aggressive fashion. But Levens does have a little wiggle to his game still and demonstrated that he has enough shakes to make someone miss in the hole. His 17-yard burst up the gut in the 4th quarter really fired up the team. He picked up 8 yards off right tackle in the next play. On the play right after that, he juked a would-be-tackler in the backfield to pick up 4 more yards. Later in the drive, he picked up 12-yards around left end as the Eagles gambled on a blitz up the middle. In all, on what should have been the drive that put the game away, Levens accrued 49 yards on 7 carries (7.0 yards-per-carry). Levens also did a good job of picking up the blitz.
Brian Mitchell played the role of 3rd down back on a few plays, but Collins didn’t throw to him. The Giants should not forget that he is an able receiver out of the backfield.
I didn’t think FB Jim Finn played too well this week in the blocking department. He missed hitting the linebacker at the point-of-attack on two runs, including the 2nd-and-goal run on the play right before Collins’ fumbled. Finn caught two passes for 10 yards.
Defensive Line: Michael Strahan is back. Strahan once again provided problems for his old foe Jon Ruynan. Not only did Strahan accrue 2 sacks and 5 tackles, but he was a disruptive presence on a number of other plays both in terms of pass pressure and penetration into the backfield on running plays. However, there were a couple of successful runs to Strahan’s side in the 1st quarter, including the 6-yard touchdown run. Strahan almost caused an interception right before halftime. On the next play, he sacked the Donovan McNabb and forced a fumble. He also amazingly stuffed a quarterback sneak on 3rd-and-inches. In the 4th quarter, he got a good pass rush on the play where McNabb scrambled out of the pocket and was hit and forced to fumble.
DE Kenny Holmes (4 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble) started weak, but finished strong. Much of the Eagles’ early success on the ground was in his direction on plays where he was manhandled. But there were also a few plays where Holmes really stood his ground and there was one play where both he and DT William Joseph did a superb job of maintain disciplined pass rush lanes and prevented McNabb from running on a designed scramble (this play shows that Joseph is learning as Joseph was guilty of leaving his gap in previous games). Holmes got blocked on an 18-yard run in the 2nd quarter. On the Giants’ last defensive series of the game, Holmes’ penetration disrupted a Brian Westbrook run for no gain. On the next play, he sacked McNabb on 3rd-and-10.
The reserve who has not been playing well in recent weeks is Keith Washington. Keith got crushed on two Westbrook runs of 6 and 14 yards in the 2nd quarter.
Most of the Eagle ground success came on the edges, not up the gut (except for Correll Buckhalter’s 11-yard gain on 3rd-and-1). DT Cornelius Griffin (2 tackles) continues to hustle on plays away from him and is starting to see the double-teams that Keith Hamilton received inside. Hamilton (3 tackles) did have one good quarterback pressure that forced an incompletion.
Linebackers: I thought this was Dhani Jones’ worst game of the season thus far. There were quite a few outside Westbrook runs where the end (usually Holmes or Washington) got blocked as did Jones. In fact, it seemed on almost every big run, Jones was one of the blocking victims. TE Chad Lewis also beat Jones on an 8-yard reception. There were some good plays…such was when Jones penetrated into the backfield to disrupt an end around to WR James Thrash, and then made the tackle. In the 3rd quarter, his outside pursuit led to a 3-yard loss on a Westbrook run.
Mike Barrow (6 tackles) forced two fumbles in this game with huge hits…one on Buckhalter, the other on McNabb.
Brandon Short (4 tackles) got beat by TE Lonnie Smith for 25 yards on 2nd-and-18 down to the Giants’ 6-yard line. Two plays later, the Eagles scored their only offensive touchdown of the game. Short did make two nice plays on the following series when he combined with Holmes to stuff one run and then supplied good coverage on HB Duce Staley.
Defensive Backs: It’s tough to tell if the Giants’ coverage was that good, the Eagles’ receivers were that bad, or McNabb’s passing was that off. But the Eagle wide receivers were non-factors in this football game (1 catch for six yards). That’s absolutely incredible and I doubt we’ll ever see anything like that again.
Will Allen dominated a receiver (James Thrash) who historically has given the Giants fits. Thrash didn’t have a catch. Allen picked off one pass and almost picked off another. The former set up a field goal. He closed very quickly on one slant to knock the ball away.
The fear was that Ralph Brown would be victimized all day, but Brown played pretty well. The only thing that makes me a bit nervous about him outside is that he doesn’t seem to be very fast. The Eagles threw at him deep twice, and WR Todd Pinkston had a step on him both times. On the first, Brown bit on an inside fake and was burned for what should have been a long touchdown. However, the ball was underthrown and Brown ran into the receiver for a 41-yard pass interference penalty (yes, this was pass interference…you can’t run into the receiver even if you are looking back for the ball). This was the only big pass play to a wide receiver in the game. On the second deep pass at Brown, Ralph was close to Pinkston, but the receiver still had a step and Brown felt compelled to pull at the receiver’s right arm (he was lucky pass interference wasn’t called here).
My biggest complaint on Allen and Brown was that they didn’t defend the Westbrook TD run very well.
Shaun Williams (3 tackles, 1 fumble recovery) and Omar Stoutmire (6 tackles) deserve credit for the stifling pass coverage too. There were plays where Williams was lined up one-on-one with an Eagles’ wide receiver out of a spread formation, but he stuck to his man like glue. However, there was one errant throw by McNabb that Williams should have picked off had he been playing the ball rather than the receiver. Stoutmire knocked away a 3rd-and-9 pass intended for Westbrook. Stoutmire also had good coverage on a 3-yard pass to FB Jon Ritchie. In the 4th quarter, he combined with Holmes to stuff a Westbrook run for a 1-yard loss.
Special Teams: I hate to say this because I like the guy and he has been playing extremely well for the Giants, but Jeff Feagles lost this game for New York (just like Matt Bryant lost the Dallas game). Regardless of what Feagles is told to do with his punt, he needs to hit it higher (he had a 2.7 yard hang-time) and longer (30 yards – on a bounce no less) than he did on the one that was returned for a touchdown. At the same time, and although I understand the rationale for not angling the kick out of bounds due to the fear of a punt block (and the Eagles had come close a couple of times in the game, including this punt), you kick the ball out of bounds in this situation. Don’t even provide the chance for a fuck up (just like the Giants should have run another play before the field goal in the Dallas game). Before this disaster, Feagles was having an OK day. He only averaged 36 yards on 7 punts, but three of those punts landed inside the 20-yard line. His other punts could have been better. David Tyree continues to be the first guy down on punt coverage (though Kato Serwanga is often not far behind). It’s unfortunate that the officials didn’t call the clip on Tyree on the TD return…it was pretty obvious. Long snapper Carson Dach also missed a tackle on the play.
Brett Conway doesn’t look like he has a strong leg. His 39-yard field goal barely got over the crossbar. His kickoffs weren’t very good: fielded at 16, 20 (squib), and 10. Kickoff coverage was OK with returns of 16 (David Tyree making tackle), 20 (Marcellus Rivers), and 25 yards (Kevin Lewis).
The biggest problem on kick and punt returns for the Giants remains the shoddy blocking. Brian Mitchell isn’t very quick or fast, but when he does return a ball, it always seems as if there is a wall of tacklers in his face. For example on Mitchell’s first kick return, both Wes Mallard and Delvin Joyce let a coverage man run right by them and this was the guy who tackled Mitchell. Disgusting! This return went for 16 yards; the other went for only 9 yards and Mitchell muffed the catch. Delvin Joyce had a return of 17 yards.
The punter for the Eagles was awful and many of his punts landed well in front of Mitchell, but Mitchell (and the coaching staff) have to make sure that Brian fields these as the ensuing bounces lost the Giants valuable field position. Mitchell was able to return 3 punts, but for only 19 yards. Again, the guy needs some room to operate on his returns.
Something to keep looking for guys and gals is that David Tyree is getting damn close to blocking a punt.
He Went Down the Sidelines and That’s All She Wrote
by BBI Reporter/Photographer David Oliver
That’s just one of the headers for Sunday’s story. It could easily have been “It sucked all the wind out of us” (Levens), or “we’re finding a way to lose now instead of a way to win” (Bober), or “It’s disheartening” (Brown). A loss like that is mind numbing for the fans, and it is also for the players. The Coach is going back into his catatonic expressionistic state. He’s not befuddled, he’s transcendental. He has said publicly something to the effect that he has a thick skull (of course, even that is a Berraism), he’s going to fight, yadda, yadda, yadda. In reality, he may just be one of those personalities that perform best under extreme pressure. It seems that every year, he needs a catastrophe or debacle or shameful breakdown to light a fire under his coaching ass, which then somehow transmits itself to his floundering team, which then begins to play up to its potential. Which is what Chris Bober was saying when he said, “We’ve got a lot of football to be played. We’re not giving up.”
I’ve been at wakes that had more life than the Giants’ locker room after the Eagles once again pulled the old hot shoe trick on them. One of the threads over in The Corner Forum was titled THE CURSE OF THE FASSOLINO; it’s not that at all, as this curse predates the Fassel era and any of the players: it is associated with The Fumble. Even EA (Ernie Accorsi) can’t be blamed for the curse. But the collective leadership of this team must bear the responsibility for the up and down, erratic performance that we are witnessing on the field. This is their team. Theirs being the GM, the Coaches, the Director of Player Personnel, the Salary Cap guru, and of course, the ownership. All fingers must point inward. It’s just not excuse, or explanation enough to say the players aren’t performing. The simple reason for this is that they are your players, and, frankly, most of them are playing damn hard, with a lot of emotion. You don’t have Bashir Levingston to kick out the door this year, BUT, I keep hearing about playing with a lack of discipline, repeated mistakes. Quiet talk without names. YOU in the head shed must know who is undisciplined, who keeps making the mistakes. It is time to kick the cows out of the barn and go get some bulls.
It started under Dan Reeves when he booted Pepper Johnson and it continued on through the Kent Graham “malcontent” faction in the locker, on through the sorry treatment of Jessie Armstead. If there is no rah-rah spirit in the locker, blame yourselves because every time someone has the balls to say ‘this sucks’, he’s unceremoniously booted. The result is plain to see – undisciplined play, a team that finds ways to lose instead of ways to win. Now the NY anti-Giant know it alls want to lay the blame at the feet of Michael Strahan and Jeremy Shockey, the last of the leaders on the team. Obviously, there are a number of knowledgeable sports commentators in this town who are more comfortable with the hapless NY Titans, or the the Mets team of the Dr. Strangelove era, or maybe even the Jets of the Richie Kotite era. You can’t make hay out of a team playing well and winning.
I don’t know where to start with a review of the game. In truth, I fully expected another typical Giants-Eagles game, that is 53 minutes of boredom, 6 minutes of excitement and 1 minute of terror. That’s pretty much what it was, except there weren’t quite 6 minutes of excitement. I expected the Giants to win, to find the formula from the Rams game and to go on a streak, BECAUSE they have the talent to do so, because they have inched closer to it every game, because there is no rational explanation for losing the way that they are losing. Unfortunately, they didn’t do it this week. In my view, there are a few simple reasons, and hundreds of complicated reasons. Here are some of them:
- As the defense has improved, the play-calling has gotten more conservative. I have never been a fan of Head Coaches who are their own offensive coordinators and play callers. Coach Fassel showed us once that he was not very good at all three. He is showing us once again. I cannot understand why the GM is allowing this farce to continue. It is time to bring in an offensive Assistant Head Coach NOW. I don’t believe Tom Coughlin is the right man for the Head Coach position, but he may be the tonic for Assistant Head Coach Offense. Sean Payton was too cerebral for the group assembled in the Meadowlands and they never did go out and get the players to fit his offense. Who do you think is designing the plays for Carter, Glenn and the other speedster? Who do you think designed the offense that JF used so masterfully to close out last season? The difference between a legend and a good Coach is that one has found a way to utilize the strategic genius of Payton and at the same time groom a future head coach in Maurice Carthon, while the other thinks he is all three wrapped in one, NOT. Coach Fassel’s play-calling is predictable; execution is near impossible when the defense knows what is coming – the NFL is too good anymore to fall victim to Vince Lombardi’s Classic Sweep offense.
- Case in point is the use of Tiki Barber, and now Dorsey Levens. All year, I, along with others have been calling for relief for Tiki. Coach did finally give him some relief last game, at the most critical juncture of the game. This week, Coach has listened to the critics and taken Dorsey Levens out of the cryogenic chamber. Dorsey looked good, as we all expected. But when Dorsey went in, Coach called his number play after play after play. The last 3 times, the Eagles finally had it figured out and didn’t even bother with deep coverage. I noticed a few plays where the Giants wideouts were not even covered until the ball was almost snapped. I walked up the sideline and asked both Eagle and Giants people on the lines, ‘quick, call the next 4 plays’. Then I said, “Levens, Levens, Levens, punt.” And I looked up at the clock. I’ve seen too many of these games not to know what was coming. And so have most of you. And if you didn’t feel it in your bones, you’re kidding yourself. The Giants almost pulled one off with the Lambuth Special and did pull one off when Akers blew a chippie, giving Matt Bryant a chance to boot home a win. The Giants crushed the Eagles’ hopes and hearts the year of the Strahan TD return and the year of Jason Sehorn’s one-man gang show in the playoffs. That’s how it is in these games, and whichever team loses must carry the stigmata for a long time. Had the Giants won Sunday, Andy Reid’s name would have been replacing Jim Fassel’s.
- Another case in point is Kerry Collins. At the beginning of the year, I really believed that KC had come of age, that he was on the verge of becoming one of the premier quarterbacks in the League. Now he is struggling, he is bird-dogging his receivers again, he is trying to make the impossible throw. The Giants did go for the jugular twice in the second half Sunday. Both times failed miserably. One was a play that also failed in the Miami game. They sent Ike Hilliard on a diagonal slant over the middle – a long slant, which I guess is designed to force linebacker coverage. What I saw in the Miami game was a safety coming over to close on the route, a high, hard pass from KC, and a slight hesitation by Ike. Same play in the Eagles game, same result. KC never took his eyes off the center of the field, the safety saw Ike’s route and closed. It wasn’t even close. It is a pattern which depends on absolutely perfect timing, an absolutely perfect throw, and something to hold the safety. If they ever connect, it will be a TD. They will never connect because there is nothing to take the safety out of the play once KC locks on.
- The second reason is special teams. Coach Fassel has gone through three special teams coaches, now, and I can’t even estimate how many special teams players. The results are the same. The question is WHY? This year they invested heavily in a snapper, two kickers, and a returner. The snapper and one kicker are on the IR, the returner has returned nothing and the kicker has let down at the most critical juncture of a game – not much different than Matt Allen’s whoopees last year. In the San Franciso game we hear that the special teams coach gave no instructions to his kicking unit before the season ending gaffe. This year we hear that he told the kick-off man to “shade” his squib kick to the left and now we hear that he left the direction of the ultimate punt up to his kicker. OK, Bashir is gone. Next best candidate is Bruce Read. The Giants could have kept Larry MacDuff because the results are the same. There are two 2 ingredients necessary to really be successful on special teams, blockers and tacklers. The Giants appear to have skill players, but somebody is not setting this thing up correctly.
Those are just two of the most obvious areas. The defense appears to be working itself into a pretty solid unit. I have to say once again that I do not like the use of the linebackers. In the KC-Oakland game, I had to laugh when Oakland stacked it’s three linebackers in the middle of the field, deep on a 3rd-and-long for KC, and Priest Holmes just zipped and skipped for 16 yards. This NEW AGE linebacker theory is a joke. LINEBACKER by its very name indicates a player who backs up the defensive line; not a player who runs with a 4.3 gazelle for 30 yards. If the game has changed, change the position, change the name, but don’t try to fit square pegs into round holes. Nevertheless, the Giants defensive unit is now playing the way Coach Lynn designed it. The front four hit Donovan McNabb so hard, so many times on Sunday that I was sore from just watching it. The cover men did the job. I didn’t even notice that many blitzes. One of the reasons for this is the improved play of Kenny Holmes and Cornelius Griffin. They may not be showing up statistically, but they terrorized the Eagles offense. Mike Barrow was laying the Lord’s timber to anyone dumb enough to come into his zone. On one hit, where McNabb was forced to scramble, Barrow hit him so hard that not only did the ball come loose, but one of the Eagles photographers, a friend from car racing venues, showed me his sequence shot in his digital camera. Barrow hit McNabb so hard that he knocked him out of the frame on two of the shots. That my friends is hard hitting.
In the end, it comes down to Dorsey Levens’ comment that, “If you don’t win, it doesn’t really matter.” The more I see and hear this guy, the more likeable he becomes. But there is another side of the coin. As Chris Bober said, “We’re a good team. We’re losing by turning the ball over, turning the ball over and giving up the big play. We’re a talented team. We should be winning games; we’re killing ourselves.” Chris mentioned undisciplined play and how that is translating into losses. I asked Ralph Brown what he was thinking as he stood on the sidelines during the runback. Ralph told me, “When I saw him break through that first little hole, I looked up and didn’t see anyone over there. I said please somebody get the guy. He’s fast. He went down the sidelines and that’s all she wrote.” Both Chris and Ralph have no explanation. Both just can’t figure out why the Giants can’t get all three aspects together and finish a game. Maybe its karma, maybe it’s the Meadowlands, but it is always a truism, as Chris Bober said, “We’re finding a way to lose now, instead of finding a way to win. AND THE GOOD TEAMS (my emphasis), the teams that win Championships, find a way to win. We’re not doing that.”
Coach, now is the time to get that Assistant Head Coach for offense; now is the time to go get whatever VETERAN offensive lineman is available – have EA call Glenn Parker’s agent – maybe he’s got a good shelf product; now is the time to get someone in to turn around special teams; and finally, now is the time to turn the offense loose. If you hold a pat hand now Coach, soon it will be, as Andrea Bocelli sings, TIME TO SAY GOODBYE.