New York Giants 23 – Philadelphia Eagles 17 (OT)
Overview: How appropriate was it that the Giants exorcised some haunting ghosts in Philadelphia on Halloween of all days? In what will be regarded as one of the franchise’s most memorable wins in its long and storied 75 year history, the Giants rose from the dead to steal a win against a team and in a city that has often broke the hearts of Giants fans.
Incredibly, the Giants stand at 5-3 (3-2 in the division) and are all alone in second place in the NFC East. But let’s not get too excited Giants’ fans. The 5-3 record is indeed misleading. The second half of the schedule is not filled with teams the likes of the Eagles and Saints, but the Redskins, Colts, Vikings, and Rams. The Giants have to get much better offensively quickly. If they don’t, a second half collapse is likely to result.
Defensive Line: I continue to start off the game reviews with the defense because this side of the ball is doing its job. However, it didn’t look like it would start out that way during the first half against the Eagles. Philly’s mediocre offensive line was controlling the line of scrimmage, opening up decent holes for HB Duce Staley (who gained nearly 100 yards in the game – mostly in the first half) and providing QB Doug Pederson with better than average pass protection. Most disturbing was that it looked as if the Eagles players were out-hustling the Giants. New York seemed to be going through the motions as evidenced by the numerous missed tackles and generally lackadaisical play. There wasn’t enough intensity and there certainly wasn’t enough gang-tackling as time and time again Duce gained significant yardage after contact. The linebackers were just as much to blame as the defensive line. Fortunately, the defensive line seemed to pick up their intensity and technique after intermission as the Giants held the Eagles scoreless in the second half of the game. DE Michael Strahan (4 tackles) was largely invisible against an opponent that he dominated only a few weeks ago. Yes, there were times when he faced double-teams, but I also spotted him locked up one-on-one against Lonnie Palelei in pass rush situations, yet he couldn’t get to Pederson. He did make one very nice play by running Staley down from behind on the backside for a loss. Of course, he combined with DT Christian Peter on the play of the game by intercepting a deflected pass in overtime and returning it 44 yards for the game-winning touchdown. DE Cedric Jones (1 tackle) was way too quiet. I did spot him doing a nice job of forcing running plays wide on occasion, but he just isn’t making enough noise on the pass rush. DT Keith Hamilton (5 tackles, 1 sack) was inconsistent. He too was kept too quiet for most of the contest, but late in the game, he forced the crucial fumble that set up the game-tying touchdown. DT Christian Peter (3 tackles) made two huge plays – he blocked a late field goal attempt that would have sealed the game for Philly and he is the one who deflected the pass that Strahan intercepted. DE Bernard Holsey (3 tackles) made a big play by nailing Staley for a loss on the play preceding the interception.
Linebackers: These guys have played better too. It seemed as if Philly was testing Jesse Armstead’s sore ribs early and often by running straight at him – often with good success. But Armstead gutted it out and finished the day with 7 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 interception. MLB Corey Widmer (3 tackles), SLB Ryan Phillips (4 tackles), and nickel backer Marcus Buckley (1 tackle) should have been much more active, along with the secondary, in making gang-tackles. Too often Duce was spotted breaking initial contact because the initial tackle was not made and no one was on the spot to clean up.
Defensive Backs: CB Jason Sehorn (5 tackles) played one of his worst games of his career against the Eagles. Not only was he burned for a long touchdown very late in the first half against a journeyman wide receiver with no speed, but he was exploited at least on a couple more occasions for key first downs. Disturbingly, these were all against inferior receivers and a quarterback who was often hanging the ball. CB Phillippi Sparks (6 tackles) played better, especially when it came to his tackling. But he and Sehorn often played too far off the line of scrimmage in situations where tighter coverage would have been wiser. I don’t know if this is the fault of the players or the coaches. SS Sam Garnes’ stats (11 tackles, 1 sack) look good, but I didn’t think he played particularly well. He missed too many tackles – often times looking like he was trying to get on Sportscenter by making the highlight reel hit intead of the sure tackle. Too often, he was out of control when approaching the ball carrier, including the time when he almost sacked Pederson in the endzone for a safety. The guy who I thought played amazingly well given the fact that he just signed was FS Brandon Sanders (8 tackles). I’m sure Sanders made mistakes in coverage, but he was a rocket out there, laying the wood on anything that moved. And unlike Garnes, he was also making the sure tackle. Sanders was one of the few Giant defenders who played with the appropriate intensity throughout the entire game. CB Andre Weathers (1 tackle) saw quite a bit of playing time. He got burned early in the game, but seemed to settle down after that – although he was involved in a coverage mix-up with another defender later in the game. He recovered the Staley fumble inside the 10 yard line.
Quarterback: When an offense is on a roll, too much credit often goes to the quarterback. When an offense doesn’t click, too much blame is thrown in his direction. But let’s make one thing brutally clear – regardless of how much one likes Kent Graham as a person, he simply is not playing well at all. “Kent didn’t play well yesterday,” said Head Coach Jim Fassel. “He made some decisions you just can’t make.” No kidding. Most bothersome is Kent’s continued insistence on holding the ball for far too long. The Giants’ offensive line is not playing well, but too many of the sacks and hits that Kent is taking is because he is holding onto the ball far too long. Kent is a very bright guy, but he is not playing very smart right now. He probably would argue that it is better to be safe and sure and not make a big mistake, but a quarterback can’t afford to think like that and be successful. Graham is playing so cautiously that it seems as he is afraid to throw to a guy unless he is wide open. I simply refuse to believe that the Giants’ wideouts are being that blanketed down the field. It was blatantly obvious – and I do mean obvious – that almost everytime Graham went back to pass, he was hesitating to pull the trigger. He would then start to panic a bit as he felt the obvious pressure that would start to arrive. Indecision resulted on almost every passing play. Should I risk throwing it? Should I take off and run for the first down? Should I scramble for extra time? A quarterback in this league simply does not have the “luxury” of having that much time to debate the options. Most damning was the sack he took at the end of the half in a situation where a quarterback simply cannot afford to take a sack. Most comical – and indicative – of his day was the play where he started running for what would have been an easy first down, but he decided to throw the ball after his passed the line of scrimmage. It wasn’t even close. Dumb.
My plea to Kent would be this: Stop playing afraid. If you continue to do so, you are going to lose your job. The odds on the defense and special teams continually bailing you out are not likely. Play with the cocky attitude that you did at the end of 1998 and during the 1999 preseason. This is your chance; don’t blow it.
My plea to Fassel is this: If Kent keeps playing afraid, then you have to bench him. You, of all people, should know that a quarterback can’t succeed in this league without confidence.
Kent’s stats for the game (26 of 42 for 240 yards, 1 touchdown, and no interceptions) look very respectable on the surface. But Graham is not getting the ball into the hands of his big play men, namely Ike Hilliard and Amani Toomer. He was far too inaccurate on top of his indecisiveness.
Offensive Line: The offensive line is not playing well. But I don’t think matters are being helped by the play calling. I have a fraction of the experience and knowledge that the coaches in this league have – a miniscule fraction. I’ve never played or coached the game (other than intramural college football) and by no means do I consider myself an expert. But if you ask me and many other Giants fans who I watch the games with, the playing calling on running plays is just far too predictable.
First, let’s get a few random observations of mine out on the table. Very few teams in the league are running the ball well this year. Much of this has to do with the superior defense that is being by many teams. With all the chaotic blitzing and movement by opposing defenses, it is almost impossible to get plays well blocked. The Giants are not the only ones having trouble in this department. On top of that, the Giants have been hammered with injuries to their backs. They also have a rookie playing left guard who is struggling and apparently none of the reserves are any better. LT Roman Oben is having his worst year as a Giant. OC Brian Williams isn’t the same player he was.
Let’s also look at Fassel’s history with the Giants. I and others have mentioned that we don’t get the sense that he has a very good feel for the running game – of who to play and when and what type of plays to run at specific moments. I still wonder. But Fassel’s 1997 and 1998 Giants did run the ball well. The Giants did run a power running attack in the second half of 1998 – an attack that would have made Bill Parcells proud. So Fassel can do it.
I just do not understand this obsession with running to the left. The Giants rarely seem to run right. If you ask my novice opinion, the two best offensive linemen on the team right now are RG Ron Stone and RT Scott Gragg. If you throw in the run blocking of Howard Cross, the Giants should be able to grind out positive yardage in this direction. I also don’t understand the need for all the intricate movement up front. If you ask me, there is too much pulling and trapping. If the line is making so many mental mistakes (as seems to be implied by post-game interviews), then why not keep things simple and play things straight up? Maybe I’m just too naBBI contributor bw in dc said during the game, “I’d love to play Fassel in the game of Battleship.” Yes, it is that predictable. Plus, why run behind the weak side of your line? Oben is struggling; Luke is a rookie. “Stubborn and stupid,” as bw in dc also said.
Maybe Fassel knows something that we don’t. If he does, then we are in a lot of trouble.
As for the specifics in the game, LG Luke Petitgout struggled. “Luke Petitgout didn’t play well yesterday,” said Fassel. “He was out for awhile and he regressed. But he’s a tough kid and that’s what I like about him. He’ll be OK.” It just wasn’t Luke’s run blocking, but too often, Petitgout was being powered back into the pocket. He was flagged with holding and a false start. LT Roman Oben did not really shine either. He was flagged with a 15-yard face-mask penalty and did not sustain his blocks long enough. Inside, the Eagles gave the Giants a lot of problems with inside blitzes. Either Brian Williams or one of the guards wasn’t picking these up, or the backs were deficient in their responsibilities. Perhaps it was the design of the play too.
A key play in the game came when the Giants needed to pick up first down on 4th-and-1. Instead of running wide or running to the left as the Giants so often do, Fassel called a play where he had Charles Way carrying the ball right between Stone and Gragg and a first down resulted. Let’s see some more of this!
Running Backs: As honest as we were with Graham, let’s be honest about HB LeShon Johnson. LeShon is just not instinctive. It’s almost as if he is running with his eyes closed. He is not a patient runner and he certainly doesn’t read his blocks very well. Johnson’s idea of running the ball is running at full speed in a certain direction and it doesn’t matter who or what is in the way. Johnson carried the ball 14 times for 31 yards (a pathetic 2.2 yards-per-carry). Some of that was the blocking; some of it was the play calling; but some of it is Johnson too. On the positive side, LeShon does look much better catching the ball and finished the day with 4 catches for 35 yards. FB Charles Way (5 carries for 16 yards) made a heck of a block on Johnson’s lone impressive run – his touchdown. HB Tike Barber carried the ball once for 4 yards and caught 4 passes for 43 yards. Both Barber and Way also dropped a pass each.
The Giants don’t have a lot of options at running back. Gary Brown is out for the season. Joe Montgomery is out at least another 3 weeks and it will take him longer than that to get back into the flow again. Picking off someone from waivers is not an ideal option because they don’t know the system. HB Sean Bennett is not a strong inside runner. LeShon is not instinctive. Fassel might be forced to start using Tiki a lot more.
Tight Ends: The tight ends played well and had an important role in this game. Pete Mitchell caught 6 passes for 41 yards, including the game-tying touchdown. See Jim what happens when you use him in the red zone? I still find it unconscionable when he is pulled from the game in such situations or on third down – the latter was done often on Sunday. “Stubborn and stupid” rings in my ears. Surprisingly, Howard Cross was active in the passing game and made 3 catches for 31 yards, including a difficult diving catch between two defenders. He was flagged for holding on the very next play however. TE Dan Campbell continues to impress in the blocking department.
Wide Receivers: Ike Hilliard (3 catches for 33 yards) and Amani Toomer (1 catch for 25 yards) are simply not being involved in the offense enough. I tend to blame Graham more for this as he seems to be reluctant to fire the ball down the field unless someone is open. The announcers keep saying the receivers are covered, but when cameras are placed on the receivers down the field, they look open to me. “Open” in the NFL is not “wide open.” All a receiver needs is a step in this league in order to considered “open.” Graham badly overthrew a “wide open” Toomer for a long touchdown. Prior to this regular season, Graham’s strength seemed to be his deep passing game. But too often now his deep passes are off target (including far too many that don’t even land within the playing field). Joe Jurevicius had one catch for 12 yards – the Giants should use him more on out patterns – something he seems to becoming more comfortable with. David Patten remains invisible despite extended playing time.
Special Teams: PK Cary Blanchard missed what could have been a very costly 34-yard field goal. His kickoffs are terrible and are not helped by poor kick coverage. The Giants gave up too much quality field position on their kickoffs on Sunday. P Brad Maynard remains inconsistent. It always seems like one of his early punts are shanked and then he settles down and does well. Punt coverage was only so-so. The Giants gave up a big return to Rossum (where Maynard saved a touchdown), but otherwise did well. Tiki Barber rarely had a chance to return a punt as the blocking on the gunners was poor. Bashir Levingston looks real explosive on his kick returns, but he thus far shows LeShon Johnson-like instincts when running the ball – in other words, he needs to make a move or two. But he is decisive and a kick returner needs that attribute. David Patten had a nice 26-yard return and it seems as if a healthy competition might be developing between these two. Christian Peter saved the day with his block of a field goal – his second of the year.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — GIANTS, Graham 4-40, L.Johnson 14-31, Way 5-16, Barber 1-4. Philadelphia, Staley 26-97, Turner 2-7, Pederson 2-6, Bostic 1-2.
PASSING — GIANTS, Graham 26-42-0-240. Philadelphia, Pederson 18-28-2-256, McNabb 1-2-0-0.
RECEIVING — GIANTS, Mitchell 6-41, Barber 4-43, L.Johnson 4-35, Hilliard 3-33, Cross 3-31, Way 3-21, Toomer 1-25, Jurevicius 1-12, Graham 1-(minus 1). Philadelphia, C.Johnson 8-84, Small 4-119, Staley 3-32, Broughton 2-8, Jells 1-8, Turner 1-5.
PUNT RETURNS — GIANTS, Barber 2-10. Philadelphia, Rossum 4-38.
KICKOFF RETURNS — GIANTS, Levingston 3-79, Patten 1-26. Philadelphia, Bieniemy 3-72, Rossum 1-21.
TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS — GIANTS, Garnes 8-3-1, Sanders 4-4-0, Armstead 5-2-1, Sparks 6-0-0, Sehorn 5-0-0, Hamilton 2-3-1, Strahan 3-1-0, Phillips 2-2-0, Holsey 2-1-0, Peter 2-1-0, Widmer 0-3-0, Jones 1-0-0, Monty 2-0-0, Bennett 1-0-0, Buckley 1-0-0, Comella 1-0-0, Gaylon 1-0-0, Maynard 1-0-0, Way 1-0-0, Weathers 1-0-0. Philadelphia, W.Thomas 8-2-1, Darling 5-3-0, Dawkins 5-2-1, Trotter 2-5-0, Hauck 1-4-0, Jefferson 3-1-1, Martin 1-3-1, Caldwell 4-0-0, Taylor 3-0-0, Harris 2-1-0, H.Thomas 2-1-0, Whiting 2-0-0, B.Johnson 1-0-0, Moore 2-0-0, Reese 1-0-1, Rossum 3-0-0, Bieniemy 2-0-0, Palelei 1-0-0.
INTERCEPTIONS — GIANTS, Armstead 1-4, Strahan 1-44. Philadelphia, None.
MISSED FIELD GOALS — GIANTS, Blanchard 34 (WR). Philadelphia, N.Johnson 33 (BK); Akers 59 (SH).