by Chris in Philly
Regular Season: Giants Lead Series 69-58-2
Post Season: Giants Lead Series 1-0
Giants vs. Eagles – on Halloween – at the Vet. The Giants would do well to take an early lead and take the costume-laden, drunken crowd out of it – even turn them against their own team, particularly the offense. I will be attending the game so I can provide a scouting report on life in Hell.
In all seriousness, this is a pivotal game for the Giants. A win puts them at 5-3, only half a game out of first place in the up-for-grabs NFC East, heading into the bye week. The Giants traditionally do poorly coming off a bye, and it doesn’t get easier against the explosive Indianapolis Colts. They can’t feel so good about their two recent victories that they look past a team that can beat them. LB Jessie Armstead said it best: “We’ve got to be hungry going to Philly. We’ve got to come out hungry and shut them down. We have to go into Philly with an attitude.We need that game badly.”
The Eagles on the other hand are coming off yet another close loss. A missed FG last week lost the game for the Eagles against Miami. They won the two games before that against Chicago and Dallas. They lost to the Giants by one point, and before that to the Cardinals on a fluke INT that bounced off Brian Finneran’s hands. They have lost 3 games by a total of five points. This is a team that can beat the Giants, regardless of how either team is playing. Giants-Eagles games are never easy and are often ugly. A convincing victory over a division opponent will do wonders to fully restore the teams’ confidence.
Defensive Scouting Report: Injuries are the story on the defensive side of the ball. S Shaun Williams, S Percy Ellsworth, and DT Robert Harris will miss the game. The Giants did receive good news of a sort Monday when Eagles coach Andy Reid announced that Doug Pederson (#14) would remain as his starting QB. Pederson had a terrible game last week (13-25, 108 yards, 1 INT, 0 TD) and he has yet to put together a solid game. He has been benched in 3 of 7 games thus far this season. Donovan McNabb (5) has been splitting work with Pederson in practice and we can expect to see him if/when Pederson struggles. McNabb has shown sparkling ability at times, but he does not seem ready to play against complicated defenses like the Giants’. He also may come in to run some short yardage option plays, much like Kordell Stewart’s first year in Pittsburgh.
Their offensive line is in a state of flux, with Reid shuffling players almost every week. LT Tra Thomas (72) is a solid player, but rumors persist that his mind is not in the game this year, and indeed his play has been at a lower level than his very strong rookie year. Regardless, RDE Cedric Jones will have his hands full trying to get to the QB. C Steve Everitt (61) is playing as well as he has since he’s been here. He’s a good player who has not been able to escape nagging injuries and some off the field troubles. LG Doug Brzezinski (74) is having a fine rookie campaign. RG and RT feature a never-ending rotation of busted draft picks and journey men. RG will be a combination of veterans David Diaz-Infante (63) and Jeff Dellenbach (66). Our old friend Lonnie Palalei (77) and former 1st-round pick Jermane Mayberry (71) rotate at RT. Michael Strahan, who has picked up his play after a slow start, should be able to dominate either RT that he lines up against. The interior of the line is also very vulnerable, even without Robert Harris. Keith Hamilton, George Williams, and Christian Peter have the ability to win the war of the line of scrimmage.
HB Duce Staley (22) is a fine player and he has the ability to make plays by himself. He has gotten much better at toughing out the extra yards and he does this without fumbling. FB Kevin Turner (34) returned last week after sitting out with a neck injury fine receiver out of the backfield, though he is clearly on the decline. Backup Cecil Martin (38), Ron Dayne’s blocking back the last three years, fills in capably. The Giants linebackers have played very well. Jessie Armstead, having a wonderful year, is feeling the effects of bruised ribs, but he says he’ll play. Corey Widmer and Ryan Phillips are also playing well, particularly against the run. And because of the depleted secondary, additional pressure will be on the front seven to get pressure on the QB and help take some heat off the cover guys.
The receiving corps should not scare the Giants. WR Charles Johnson (81) is a solid player, but Torrance Small (80) has far too many drops. Neither get separation from coverage. Dietrich Jells (83) is a scorcher who does have one long TD. He can get behind the defense and only Pederson’s lack of accuracy keeps him from scoring. Look for him to go deep a few times. Na Brown (85) is an adequate 4th receiver who has decent hands but not much speed. Former Jet Alex van Dyke (86) was recently signed, but doesn’t play much. TE Luther Broughton (88) had a big catch against the Giants and he continues to get open. Rookie Jed Weaver (87) gets in during two TE sets and has shown ability. Jamie Asher is out for the year. Jason Sehorn and Philippi Sparks both played fine games last week and there’s no reason they can’t shut down the Eagles’ top two guys. Obviously FS is a worry area, and the team signed Brandon Sanders to hold the fort. He’ll be called on to play quite a bit, possibly aided by Jeremy Lincoln who described his stint as FS last week as “scary”. They also brought up Tre Thomas from the practice squad. Unfortunately, Conrad Hamilton’s mysterious knee injury will keep him out again, though he does anticipate returning after the bye. Again, pressure by the defensive front will be the best help for this under-manned group.
Offensive Scouting Report: The Eagles defense, under new coordinator Jim Johnson, is playing very, very well. They have 19 takeaways (compared to the Giants’ 12) and have forced at least one in each game so far. They are fast and athletic with a couple Pro-Bowl caliber players capable of dominating play. Thankfully this defensive group is banged up as well. Hugh Douglas, who had 12 1/2 sacks last year, is out for the season with a knee injury. He is replaced by Mike Mamula (59), a player who is widely criticized as a stiff, but one who has a history of good games against the Giants. He is a very fast pass rusher and RT Scott Gragg can use this against him by pushing him back past the pocket (as we see done to Cedric Jones). The rest of the defensive line is a rotation featuring Greg Jefferson (79), Hollis Thomas (78), Steve Martin (91), and Brandon Whiting (98). Bill Johnson (94) is a good DT, but he has nagging injuries which may keep him out, or at least limit his playing time. The Giants offensive line, whether Luke Petitgout plays or not, should be able to open holes and provide much better protection for Kent Graham than they have in recent weeks.
The Eagles linebackers are an excellent group. They are led by veteran OLB William Thomas (51), a playmaker who is yet another Eagles that has a history of big games against the Giants. Surrounding Thomas are a group of very fast and athletic youngsters. Jeremiah Trotter (54) has been making plays all over the field and James Darling (57) has been stout against the run. Barry Gardner (52), a very impressive rookie, has been slowed by injury but is still a smart player. Ike Reese (58) is a situational pass rusher, but he has made a few big plays and should be watched carefully. If there is one over-riding weakness of this group, it is the tendency to over-pursue plays – a common trait in young and athletic defenders. The Giants running game on the other hand can’t catch a break. With Gary Brown already out for the year, Joe Montgomery, who had a wild TD run in his first action of the year, is gone for 4 weeks with a broken foot. Leshon Johnson, who has not played well, gets the start. The good news is that Sean Bennett returns this week to replace Johnson if he struggles. We may also see a lot more of Tiki Barber, who is experiencing a bit of a resurgence but still fumbles too much.
Kent Graham needs to build on his improved play and put in another good effort, especially with the injury problems of the running game. He can take a lot of heat off the backs with big plays to the receiving corps. He should not be harassed as much this week as he has been, this of course being contingent on the line doing its job. But Kent should be aware of the rush and get rid of the ball if he has to. He should also continue to try and find Pete Mitchell, who last week showed why he was such a valuable addition in the off season. The Eagles secondary will make a repeat of last weeks aerial circus unlikely, but there are potential mismatches that the Giants will be able to exploit.
The Giants’ receiving group, in addition to Mitchell, is playing better, though talk prevails that they do not get separation — something that is difficult to tell on TV. However Amani Toomer is 3rd in the NFC with 37 receptions and Ike Hilliard has 28, plus an exciting 24 yard run last week on a double reverse. Joe Jurevicious finally got a TD, but he is still slowly learning the position. David Patten hasn’t done much and Brian Alford is, uh, unproductive. They will need to pick it up against an Eagles secondary that is about as good as its linebacking. Both starting corners, Troy Vincent (23) and Bobby Taylor (21) are big, can tackle, and can cover. They are among the finest tandem in the league and Vincent is having a Pro-Bowl type year. However, Vincent missed last week’s game is questionable this week. If he’s out, Al Harris (31) fills in. Harris is good in coverage, but expect at least one big penalty from him per game. Hilliard and Toomer will have their work cut out for them here. The safeties are also very good. Brian Dawkins (20) is an exciting player who I think is one of the best young free safeties in the game and could make the Pro Bowl. He had a 67 yard INT return last week, his 4th pick of the year. Tim Hauck (45) is a slow, smart player, but he shares time with promising rookie Damon Moore (43).
Special Teams Scouting Report: The Eagles use a platoon of two kickers, much like our days under Dan Reeves. David Akers (2) handles the kick-off duties and got his first FG chance last week and made a 53 yarder. Normally reliable FG kicker Norm Johnson (9), whose miss of a 44 yarder last week cost the Eagles the game, is usually automatic within 45 yards. Ex-Giant Sean Landetta (7) is still punting well. Allen Rossum (25), the primary kick returner for the Eagles, is very fast and has almost broken a couple long ones this year. He is backed up by Eric “Sleeping With ” Bienemy (33). The Giants have done a much better job this year in containing return men and they should not let up against a dangerous runner like Rossum, especially with new kicker Cary Blanchard’s lack of strength on kick-offs. Blanchard made all his attempts last week and is fine if not asked to do too much. Brad Maynard has mixed booming punts with a couple weak efforts. He needs to be consistent from the opening gun until the end and not let the one bad kick give the Eagles good field position. Likewise, with the Eagles likewise missing Mike Caldwell, their top special teamer, Barber, Patten, and Bashir Levingston need productive returns to give the offense all the help it can get.
Bottom Line: The Giants need to be able to establish the run. The Eagles are a tough team to pass against, and a solid running game is essential. The defensive line of the Eagles is not dominating and the Giants line should be able to open holes. Much like the game against the Cowboys, the incredible speed of the Eagles’ linebackers precludes repeated attempts to run outside. Of course, the healthy backs for the Giants are not inside runners. They need to be this week. The Eagles linebackers will over-pursue — misdirection should be a key part of the game plan. The double reverse was great — we need more plays designed to throw off young, aggressive players. If Troy Vincent is indeed out, then Kent Graham must try to carefully attack Al Harris. If nothing else, Harris will commit interference penalties. Otherwise, passing will be difficult. Spread the field and try for a mismatch.
The Eagles offense is not very good, mainly due to QB and line play. The Giants’ defense can be a dominant group. Now is the time to show that. Get to Pederson early and often. Take pressure off the safeties and force some turnovers. Win the field position battles. Do this and the Giants will win. If any faction of the team shows up uninspired and looking past the Eagles, the Giants will lose. It’s that simple. These games often come down to some kind of fluke play. Last time the Giants dominated the Eagles and won by one point at home. Put this team away in their house and get to the bye to lick your wounds.