T-Rock's Take on the Giants

I feel a little better this year, because I like how the schedule has fallen.. 3 division games out of the way with 2 on the road, and we're up 2-1.
Then the BYE week and then the opponents get tougher. But it seems like the injuries haven't been as chronic and hopefully Burress, Ward, Steve Smith and anyone on defense who is shaken up can be fully healed by the time the Cowboys come to town.

That Cowboys game is like the Bears game least year. If we collapse, then the season could be a downward spiral again. I do think the Giants can match them on offense and defense.

On another note, HBO once again failed to show any Giants highlights on Inside the NFL, this time from the game against San Fransisco.

Two things stand out this year. 1) Eli has cut down, but hasn't eliminated the strategy of just throwing the ball up for grabs and hoping Burress will bring it down. He is checking his second and third options 2) I had no faith that last years defense would make a big play or get off the field on a key third down. This years defense forces the QB to be more concerned with pressure and coverages. Honorable mention is David Diehl taking over so easily.

I'm just glad the bye week came in the mid-season point this year. I think the bye came too early last year for the Giants (Week 4 I believe). It gives them time to rest up for the 2nd half of the season. But then again, Plaxico has been playing on a probowl level, and his ankle has been bothering him all season long. I'd love to see what he can do when he's healthy. Scary thought.

I also feel Chris Palmer has been great in working with Eli Manning. This past Sunday in London isn't the best example, but he has been making much better throws this year. Some of the INT's weren't his fault, but he is still throwing too many.

And I hate to say it, but it seems like with Tiki being gone, it forced other players to step up. Eli, Plaxico, D Ward, Big Brandon Jacobs to just name a few. A lot of people had their doubts with Brandon this season, they didn't think he could carry the load for a full 60 minutes. The Giants have rushed for over 188 years the last 3 weeks in a row. Granted they are not all from Jacobs, but he has had two 100 yard games in a row. I think he has great potential to be an excellent running back for the Giants.

The only real area of concern for me is the Kicker.

Did anyone catch the Packer-Bronco Monday Night Football game last nite? If the Broncos were the Giants, do you think Tynes could have rushed on the field like Elam did and boot that last minute field goal? What if Tynes costs the Giants a game due to an easy field goal attempt, do we cut him?

I like this team a lot...But it is about time the Giants finally won a big "statement game". We all know how we did in our last statement game against the Bears...Also, I think at this point in his career, Eli Manning has to make the Pro-Bowl. A #1 overall pick, 3 years in has to make it. Looking at the NFC, it looks like he won't make it again with Favre, Romo, and a couple of others playing well too. At this point, I am starting to have my doubts on whether or not he is the franchise QB we thought we were getting...

Like Sid, I don't think this team has earned the right to be viewed as any better than past teams until they win a statement game like Dallas.

The 3-way running attack has at best neutralized the Tiki factor, everything else is splitting hairs. No stat tells me that this team will rise to the occasion to put it all together when it counts. Limping past two or three bad teams is not encourgaing.

That said, performance and stats DO show potential. And there's reason to believe the offfensive depth is better (i.e. losing toomer or one RB having a bad day MAY not sink us) but even that is speculation at this point.

Beat Dallas, then we'll talk.

I can't get excited about this team until I see them play a real nfl offense. We have been beating jv offenses and now we get an all pro offense. If we can win that game then I will feel that we have a shot to go far. I also need to se Eli play better. He is good for a oick everygame and that will hurt us vs a good team. I also want to see Jacobs protect the ball better....Right now I hold judement until Dallas. We are diff then last year because we won 5 straight last year..This year we got 6 already

I feel 100% better about this season's 6-2 start than last season's. But let me say, that does NOT mean I believe this team is going to waltz into the playoffs.

So why do I feel better? Simple...they haven't lost two thirds of the starting linebacker corps, both Pro Bowl caliber DEs, arguably the offensive MVP in terms of third down/possession production, the starting left tackle, along with nagging injuries to the secondary and key backups.

Why do I think there's still trouble right here in River City? Well, the schedule has been favorable to this point. The dirty work begins next weekend against Dallas. The teams the Giants play against over the second half of the season have a combined 35-24 record. The teams they've played to date have a combined 23-36 record. So they're taking an obvious step up in class over the second half. What's more, the Giants have defeated just one team with a winning record so far this season.

So I'm very please at the moment, and now we just have to sit back and watch to see if this team is for real, or whether the smoke dissipates and the mirrors get smashed over the second half of the season.

I think the team is better then last year, however they are still short of the components required to be a real contender. Offensively they have improved, Eli for the most part has improved, and the running game is effective which is a big surprise; one aspect that can improve is the receiving by the backs, to many dropped balls coming out of the back field. I also think that in general the offence lacks killer instinct, maybe it’s the play calling. Defense: we are definitely more aggressive this year but in my opinion we still need to improve our line backing also AP has to chill too many dumb penalties. Our coverage is still suspect even with the surprising performance of Ross, a good indicator of how much the defense has improved will be the Dallas a Detroit games especially from a coverage perspective. One other thing DB’s need to tackle better, their tackling was pathetic last week against Miami specially Sam Madison. Overall I give the team a B-

I feel a little better about this 6-2 start than last year's but these next 2 games will really test the Giants big time. Vs. Dal, At Det. We all know right now the Cowboys are the best in the NFC but have some minor flaws. The Lions keep getting a little better every week and are appearing a lot more dangerous now. It would not suprise me to see the Giants lose these 2 games then beat Minnesota at home to recover quicker than '06 when we lost four straight to fall to 6-6. Not to be negative but the Giants ALWAYS blow it in the 2nd half (2-6 in '06) but this year could just maybe be different if they stay healthy. 2003,04, and 06 were terrible in Nov. and Dec. but this is a healthy and determined team that should finish 9-7 or 10-6.

I'm with rnargi on this one... I want to point out that this year's Giants haven't proven anything yet. Well I guess the one thing they've proven is that they can beat up on bad teams. Our 6 wins come from teams with a current combined record of 11 wins and 33 losses.

I will say though that they look better than last year's teams only because we are healthier. I remember at one point last season, we were without Strahan, Umenyiora, and Tuck; Three guys who have made our secondary look better than they actually are. I applaud Spags for utilizing the talent that he's inherited and making the most of their skills. Kiwi definitely belongs on the D-line moving forward as a pass rusher as opposed to the LB experiment where he was making guys like Witten look like Antonio Gates.

I am definitely pleased with how both Diehl, Ward, and Jacobs have stepped up and filled the significant roles left by Pettigout and Tiki, which was a major concern during the offseason. To be honest with you, the season ending surgery to Luke Pettigout makes me a believer in Reece's philsophy of getting quicker, younger, and ridding ourselves of injury prone players like chad morton, arrington, etc. Anyways, we got a big game against the Cowboys after the bye and we'll be able to get a better idea of where we stand. For now I hope our boys can rest up, get healthy, and come out ready to play on the 11th. LETS GO GIANTS!

Like everybody else I feel better in large part because of the team's health, and because of Spags' defensive scheme. The offense also looks more consistent, as Eli is improved and the running game has yet to be shut down, though Eli is still the team's biggest question mark down the stretch. I do think it's wrong to assume that a loss to Dallas means this team isn't for real. This season will be determined by the 3-game stretch against the NFC North following the Cowboy game. The Lions, Vikings and Bears are all beatable, but are far superior to the Giants' last 4 opponents. The Lions passing game and the Vikings run defense will be good tests. If the Giants sweep those games, then they're legit and the playoffs won't be a question. If they go 2-1, they're a second-tier NFC team in good position to contend for a playoff spot. Anything less than that and they'll only make it by getting a few breaks and backing into the playoffs like they did last year.

ARTHUR!!!! , I HAVE A QUESTION!!

Do you see Michael Johnson staying as the starter in place of James Butler???? Tom and the Giants are very high on this kids upside. Hes very active, fast, and athletic. He also has great size (6'2 211 according to yahoo.com)

James Butler to me has great size but thats it! Hes playing Safety with LB speed. You would think he would be more active and aggressive with that size but he plays slow and tentative. I really feel hes holding Gibril Wilson back. If you noticed when Michael is in there Spags uses Gibril ALOT at SS and plays him closer to the line and frees him up more to make plays while Michael plays FS.

When Butler is playing Wilson has to play FS because Butler cant cover AT ALL! I don't know Ralph i see this as the same impact Ross had when he took over in terms of being the better option and i just think based on what Spags does when Michael is there is that they feel they have more flexibilty to do different things out there. I know hes just a rookie but so was Ross and look at the impact hes had to the secondary and defense as a whole. im just calling it as i see it.

Michael has to play against the Cowboys. let the kid grow. If we are going to tolerate Butler's mistakes in order to improve i rather go through that process with a player with the better upside and tools and thats Michael Johnson.

ARTHUR!!!! , I HAVE A QUESTION!!

Do you see Michael Johnson staying as the starter in place of James Butler???? Tom and the Giants are very high on this kids upside. Hes very active, fast, and athletic. He also has great size (6'2 211 according to yahoo.com)

James Butler to me has great size but thats it! Hes playing Safety with LB speed. You would think he would be more active and aggressive with that size but he plays slow and tentative. I really feel hes holding Gibril Wilson back. If you noticed when Michael is in there Spags uses Gibril ALOT at SS and plays him closer to the line and frees him up more to make plays while Michael plays FS.

When Butler is playing Wilson has to play FS because Butler cant cover AT ALL! I don't know Ralph i see this as the same impact Ross had when he took over in terms of being the better option and i just think based on what Spags does when Michael is there is that they feel they have more flexibilty to do different things out there. I know hes just a rookie but so was Ross and look at the impact hes had to the secondary and defense as a whole. im just calling it as i see it.

Michael has to play against the Cowboys. let the kid grow. If we are going to tolerate Butler's mistakes in order to improve i rather go through that process with a player with the better upside and tools and thats Michael Johnson.

and my mad for writing Ralph. im a little lost today.lol

Looks like we're all pretty much saying the same thing WRT to the question at hand, so I'll pose one ...?

Anyone recall what TC changed during the bye last year? Just trying to get a handle on what history tells us about TC really using the bye to innovate, vs going back to basics. I tend to think the latter. I know the D has used the bye to regroup more than once.

I have to think that ST, pass catching out of the backfield and the role of the 3rd WR are opportunties for either a back to basics coaching session OR entirely fresh approach.

Speaking of RBs who can't catch, I'd love see more creative ways to get RD on the field. Dude just gets it done.

They need a very good performance against Dallas - then I will feel comfortable saying whether its better or worse. The one key difference is there are not the same injuries as last year. That is comforting.

Eli can NOT regress like he has the last 2 years. Yes, he does look better, I doubt he will ever have great numbers - too many drops and deflected passes at the line of scrimmage. He needs to be coached to avoid the deflections - he's six foot five for chrissake!! You never see his brother get a pass blocked.

Overall I am cautiosly optimistic this will be a better year than last.

Feel a lot better this season than last

Last season downward spin into a 2-6, i feel was mainly because of the Injuries to key players on each side of the ball, like Stranhan/Osi, Linebacker core was left for dead, only starter was Peirce, secondary was just awful (goes hand in hand with Pass rush). Offense: LT was taken out, and so was Eli's confiendence, specially with Toomer out for the season. Plax had his back issues, wasnt 100%. And had locker room drama.

The 2006 Giants were known for Talking off the field rather than on the field. I feel this year they do the talking on the field, the way its suppose to be. The best thing that happen was Tiki leaving, everyone seemed to up there game, Eli's better (he has 9 interceptions, half of them are bad decisions, other half are tip balls, 1st one was when Plax slipped in Dallas and ball went right into the defender, cant do anything about that) Wide recievers are healthy (hope to see S. Smith back in dallas) and Jacobs/Ward really opened up the Running game, and allow Eli to do his thing with Play-action (nobody does it better than Eli)

The Giants also seem to take it one game at a time, last year they were looking at the playoffs at 6-2, and we all know what happened after that.

Giants can definitly match Dallas's Offense blow for blow, and with a Great improvement from the defense (going from last in week 2, to the sack leader in week 8). Should be a clear victory in the meadowlands.

Dallas isn't really that good, they beat us before we got our defense together, beat Miami (0-8), Bears (3-5), Rams (0-8), and they barely beat Buffalo (3-4), Loss to Patriots, and beat the Vikings (2-5)

If the Giants can keep things going on both sides of the ball, the sky is the limit

Eli is the same as last year. Maybe a little worse. He's been lucky, so far. The D has improved and has bailed him out.

The fact is, we will never win anything with Eli. And when we finally let him go, he will end up somewhere as someone's backup. I will give him this. He's better than Danny Kanell or Dave Brown. But not much better.

As I commented on the previous thread, I feel less optimistic about this year's 6-2 start than about last year's. This last 13-10 game feels an awful lot like last year's 14-10 win over the Texans to go to 6-2: if we were playing a half decent team, we would have gotten beat easily. And we all know what happened after that awful Texans game last year...

Eli is doing his typical slide - playing worse and worse after a decent start. The defense is definately not as good as they think they are - the 12 sack game makes people think they are good, but the pass rush is sporadic, and without the pass rush, the defense is pretty bad.

There are two main reasons why I am more confident about this year's team than any of Coughlin's first three.

1. A aggressive defense that can dictate the flow of the game.

I actually enjoy watching defense again. I actually don't feel like the opposition is going to convert EVERY third-and-long situation. Spags is smart enough to know that a successful pass rush will not allow opposing teams to work the ball downfield. He also knows how to deploy/rotate his DL personnel -- Kiwi's switch to LB notwithstanding -- and, most importantly, he has the intestinal fortitude to take chances... something we did not see AT ALL from Tim Lewis. You have to be aggressive defensively in this league to change the momentum of games, to get into the heads of opposing QBs, to become intimidating. You cannot at all dictate the flow of the game with a reactionary 'D' -- especially when your linebackers are as slow and suspect as ours (although I do love AP). And we can actually take the chance of playing man-to-man coverages now with Aaron Ross and a healthy Sam Madison at the corners.

2. An offensive line that is one of the most underrated in the NFL.

Shaun O'Hara is a leader on and off the field. A class act. And David Diehl has been an upgrade at LT in comparison to Luke Petitgout. Seubert, Snee and MacKenzie are no slouches, either. We are a run-blocking machine right now... so much so that when we run off tackle, B-cubed (Big Boy Brandon) often seems to be five yards up the field by the time a defender can get a hand on him. Even the pass protection has been much better. Eli has to learn to start stepping up in the pocket and, if needed, take off upfield with the ball as he did Sunday vs. Miami. The batted passes have less to do with the line than they do with Eli's tendency to lock onto receivers and, thus, telegraph his passes.

The way the NFC looks right now, I see no reason why we cannot be a major player come January should we remain healthy. And, mind you, this is coming from the eternal glass-half-empty Giants fan. For some reason I just don't feel like I have to talk about our current success with trepidation.

But that doesn't mean there isn't anything that scares me, most notably our:

1. Not-so-special teams.

It's time to count our losses and cut Tynes. He is an accident waiting to happen, another "Feely in Seattle" moment come a big ball game. We can't be losing games like, say, Dallas on Nov. 11 because our kicker. Then I will personally kick him back to Scotland. Furthermore, our return men have absolutely zero big-play potential, although I'll take it as long as they hold onto the ball. And our kick/punt coverage needs a lot of work. We are lucky it didn't cost us that Washington game. Then we might be 2-6 right now. Hey, at least we have Jeff Feagles.

2. Irrational play-calling.

With a sound ground game and a defense that now can come up big in a big spot, there is no reason to be overaggressive here -- especially considering Eli's regression in the second halves of seasons. Now that the weather is getting worse a la Eli's grip on the ball, can we please trying pounding the rock until they stop us, not chuck it around until we stop ourselves? I find it hard to believe how we so often can run the ball into the red zone or to a goal-to-go situation only to throw the ball two of the next three downs, if not all three. There's a difference between being too conservative and being smart, and in this case it would be smart for us to start playing it a little more conservatively. Six yards per carry isn't so conservative to me, anyway.

3. The consistently inconsistent Elisha. I really hate to say this. I am trying to like him. And I think he is becoming more of a stand-up guy. I just doubt his instincts -- his ability to make smart decisions and/or avoid boneheaded ones. And, if my own instincts are right here, then he might not have what it takes to be an effective game manager, which we need more from him than we do his big-play capability. His completion percentage must increase by at least 10 percent. And he's going to have to win a playoff game before he wins me over.

That said, I think he will this year.

Arthur,

I can’t really add anything, but as a regular poster on this board, I felt obliged to reply.

What rnargi said: The schedule has been light.

What gmen79player said: “if they stay healthy” we should be 11-5.

What Ama said: Spags is a big plus for us this year. And in case anyone doubts that losing Pettigout last year didn’t mean the end of our offense ask Philadelphia what it’s like to lose your starting Left Tackle.

What JQM said: Let’s say it together: “Lions and Vikings and Bears, oh my! Lions and Vikings and Bears, OH MY!”

There were lots of other great observations posted here – which is why I LOVE THIS FRIGGIN’BLOG, MAN!!!

-Big BB