Approach to the Game – New York Giants at Arizona Cardinals, December 6, 1998: Who would have ever guessed the Giants would be 4-8 after 12 games? The Giants’ players and coaches have nothing to look forward to except for next season.
Giants on Offense: QB Kent Graham has made quite a difference in the offense. No, the Giants aren’t really being that much more productive. But Kent is at least forcing teams to respect the deep passing game and this should help open up the running game and underneath passing game. Kent is still too inaccurate. I would like to see steady improvement in this department. Graham may be 30, but he has not started that many games in the NFL.
Last week, the main beneficiary of Kent’s willingness to throw the ball down the field was Ike Hilliard. Ike and Kent are just starting to get into sync with each other. What I really would like to see is for Kent to hit Ike while the latter is at full speed. This would enable Hilliard to use his superb run-after-the-catch ability that we really haven’t seen much of yet.
What is also clear is that the days of Chris Calloway as a starter are numbered. There is a good chance that he won’t be in the starting line-up on opening day next year. Who will replace him? Joe Jurevicius, Brian Alford, Amani Toomer, David Patten, or some new draftee/free agent? My best guess is that it would be Jurevicius or Alford. Jurevicius has shown big play ability, but he needs to be more consistent and disciplined in his route running and catching. Alford has deep speed and is extremely fluid. He has earned praise from Fassel for his work in practice, but I hear that he still has problems with his routes as well. Still, I’d like to see him some in the final four games.
At tight end, rookie free agent Andy Haase made an excellent catch last week for 27 yards. Was this a fluke or an indication of some real ability? Stay tuned.
The offense line is a mess. Roman Oben and Ron Stone have the ability to be standout performers, but the others are wanting. Oben faces DE Simeon Rice, a guy who Oben has shut down in three straight games, but a guy who is angry at the Giants for some remarks Special Teams Coach Larry MacDuff supposedly made. Stone has always played well against Eric Swann, but Swann is out of the game. Rumors are running rampant about the rest of the line. Whether these rumors have any basis in reality is open to debate. Supposedly, Scott Gragg will be moved to guard next year. Supposedly, Brian Williams is on the road to recovery. Supposedly, Greg Bishop will not be invited back.
Things are more settled in the backfield. For whatever reason, the Giants seem to be able to run well against a tough Cardinal defense. Look for more of the same on Sunday. Gary Brown is proving that he can do a steady, workmanlike job. Charles Way is coming off his best game of the season. I’d like the Giants to start working Tiki more into the game plan over the last four games. He shows some signs of getting out of his funk and it would be nice to know one way or the other before the season ends if there is still real potential there.
Giants on Defense: The defense is simply not playing that well lately. Part of it has to do with the fact that they are on the field so long. Part of it probably has to do with the disappointment of knowing they are out of it. Part of it has to do with breakdowns defensively. Tito Wooten is hurting the Giants more than helping them right now. Why is he still starting? I can only guess that the coaching staff wants to see if he can play out of his funk before making a big decision on him in the offseason. It also may be due to the fact that Percy Ellsworth simply isn’t a very fast player. Shaun Williams is waiting in the wings, but he still is making too many rookie mistakes and the safety position on the Giants is very complicated. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind seeing some of Brandon Sanders on the field. The Cardinals have very good wide receivers. It will be interesting to see how CB Conrad Hamilton responds after his poor game on Monday.
The Giants have to make some decisions in the linebacking corps as well. Should they re-sign Corey Widmer, the steady, but unspectacular player? If they don’t, are Doug Colman or Pete Monty really starting caliber? Does Ryan Phillips have the ability to unseat Marcus Buckley? Who is the true Scott Galyon? The 1997 or 1998 version?
The game against the Cardinals will decided up front. The Giants need to shut down the fun and get after the passer. I’ve been disappointed in the play of Robert Harris (one of my favorites) of late. With DE Michael Strahan getting double-teamed so much, Harris should be making more plays. Keith Hamilton is also up-and-down. It wouldn’t hurt to keep giving Christian Peter more playing time. On the right side, I think the coaching staff must give Cedric Jones more of an opportunity to show his stuff. If not, how are the Giants going to know what they really have when it comes time to decide whether or not to re-sign Chad Bratzke?
Giants on Special Teams: Curtis Buckley did not play as well against the 49ers as he did against the Eagles. I hope to see better and smarter play from him, Brandon Sanders, Shaun Williams, and the backup linebackers on coverage. I would also give some punt return opportunities to Tiki Barber. Amani Toomer isn’t getting the job done.