GSTV weighs in on the win

Here's my immediate reaction to yesterday's win from GSTV:

Long story short, we did what we needed to do to get the win against a pretty sloppy team. The defense did a lot of things well, including shutting down the run and getting to the quarterback. Once we forced the game into J.T. O'Sullivan's hands he threw it right to us. Speaking of which, nice to see us getting some turnovers for a change.

On offense, the passing game looked pretty shoddy while the running game did enough, but probably should've produced more yards. There's a lot to clean up before Pittsburgh and hopefully, we'll take care of it this week.

Check back in soon for a closer look at Week 7's win with "Under the Lens."
Continue reading "GSTV weighs in on the win"

Gameday Preview, Week 7: San Francisco 49ers

Giants look to rebound against San Fran...

Everybody falls down, and the Giants fell hard last Monday night, getting thumped by the desperate Browns 35-14. What matters now is how the G-men get back up, how they respond when they come back home to Giants stadium to host the 2-4 San Francisco 49ers.

Eli Manning and company will look to bounce back against San Fran on Sunday.

Sunday's game is a critical one for Big Blue for a number of reasons. First, it's important that the Giants get back in the win column this week. They do not want to lose multiple games in a row, and quite frankly, they need a win THIS week. This will be the Giants' last game against a sub .500 team for quite some time as their schedule gets considerably tougher from Week 8 onwards. At worst, the Giants need to come out of the first 6 games 5-1.

But more importantly than the record, Week 7's contest will be about building momentum for the tough stretch ahead and erasing all memory of a forgettable performance in Week 6. Dismal defense and turnovers beat the Giants as much as the Browns did, and Big Blue will show what they're made of when they take the field at Giants' Stadium this Sunday against the Niners...

BAYWATCH

San Francisco comes to the Meadowlands looking to stop a 3-game losing streak. To do that, they will rely heavily on RB Frank Gore. Gore leads the league in total yards from scrimmage and ranks fourth in the league in rushing with 524 yards. After Frank Gore however, the Niners boast a very modest offense, ranked 19th in the league in total yards per game and pass yards per game (307.2 and 193.5 respectively). Their overall rushing attack is also quite pedestrian, as they rank 17th in the league with 113.7 rushing yards per game.

GORE!

San Francisco ranks a little higher in terms of points per game - 12th in the league - with 23.5 points per game. This speaks to the efficiency and big-play threat of OC Mike Martz's offense, in my opinion. The Niners lead the league in plays over 20 yards with 22.

The 49er offense has excelled in a few other areas this season too. They have a allowed a league-leading 23 sacks through 6 games, and speaking of quarterbacks, QB J.T. O'Sullivan has thrown a league-leading 8 interceptions. The Niners as a team have a -5 turnover differential, tied for second worst in the league.

On defense, the Niners boast a lot of talent but have not performed very well thus far. They rank 26th overall in total defense at 350.5 yards allowed per game, 28th in points allowed per game (27.8), 20th against the pass ( 226.3 ypg) and 22nd against the run (124.2 ypg). Led by two play-makers at line backer, they will look to reverse their fortunes against the Giants. LB Kevin Willis, tackling machine and last year's Defensive Rookie of the Year, has picked up 54 tackles so far this season, third best in the league. Veteran LB Takeo Spikes has picked off three passes over the last three games. Behind play-making ability like this, San Francisco's D will look to bring its A game against the defending Super Bowl champs this Sunday.

The Giants will have to do the same.

KEYS TO VICTORY

We're going to do things a little bit differently this week. Here's what the Giants need to do to win on Sunday:

• Establish the Run. One bright spot from last week was the running game, which leads the league with 181 yards per game. More impressive than total yards per game though is yards per carry. The Giants average a stellar 6.1 yards per carry as a team. Jacobs (5.7 yards per carry), Ward (7.4 yards per carry), and Bradshaw (6.6 yards per carry) have been phenomenal behind one of the most cohesive and athletic O-lines in football. If this team runs the ball 30 or more times, there's no way they shouldn't win.
  

• Stop the Run. Frank Gore is one of the most dynamic players in the entire NFL. It will be absolutely imperative for the Giant D to shut him down if they're going to win this game. The Giant LBs will have to contain the run a lot better than they did last Monday, and perhaps we will see 8 or 9 guys in the box from time to time. Maybe this is the week that S Kenny Phillips can show us a little something.
  

• Get to the QB. If you can restrict the run then that puts more pressure on J.T. O'Sullivan. What will put even more pressure on the turnover-prone QB... is more pressure. After getting shut out with 0 sacks last week, the D-line is looking to rebound. According to DE Justin Tuck, the Browns only had 4 passing plays in which the QB held the ball for more than 3 seconds (the pass rusher's typical allotted time to get to the QB), including two roll-outs. This week against the 7 step-dropping Mike Martz offense, with a league-leading 23 sacks allowed, the G-men should have a little more time to get to the passer.
  

• Make Tackles. The pass rush was one staple of the Giant defense that was nowhere-to-be-found against the Browns; good tackling was another. Big Blue gave up a number of big plays and first downs because of bad tackling. After four games of good tackling to start off the season, I suspect the D will be eager to get back to form this weekend.
  

• Win the Turnover Battle. One thing that has been lacking all season has been generating turnovers on defense. The Giants only have two takeaways all year. Prior to Game 5 that didn't matter too much because the offense was protecting the football, but after Eli's 3 pick performance against Cleveland, it becomes a more pressing problem. The Giants will have to do a better job protecting the football on offense and hope to force a few turnovers against a mistake-prone 49er offense if they hope to lock up the win this week.
  

KEY MATCH-UPS (Individual Edition)

There are a few intriguing individual match-ups that will be just as critical to the Giants' success this Sunday.

• RB Brandon Jacobs vs. LB Kevin Willis - Jacobs and Earth, Wind and Fire could be due for a big game this week coming off of that loss to Cleveland. The run game has shown itself to be the bread and butter of this offense and OC Kevin Gilbride hopefully got the message. Standing in Jacobs's, Ward's, and Bradshaw's ways will be tackling machine Kevin Willis. I'd love to see Jacobs level the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year a la Laron Landry...
  

• WR Steve Smith vs. LB Takeo Spikes - Takeo Spikes is another play-maker in the Niner LB corps. His three picks in the last three games reflect his presence in the middle of the field. One Giant who's made his presence felt in the middle of the field has been slot sensation Steve Smith. Smith had the best game of his career in the loss to the Browns, and he has as many catches this season as Plaxico Burress. This could be an intriguing battle.
  

• The Giants' LBs vs. RB Frank Gore and TE Vernon Davis - It will be incumbent on Antonio Pierce, Danny Clark, and rookie Bryan Kehl (starting in place of Gerris Wilkinson) to contain the run and neutralize the Niners' talented tight end. With Pierce banged up and the outside backers struggling to establish themselves, this will be one of the most critical battles on the field on Sunday. Danny Clark's shown flashes of his play-making ability early in the season and Bryan Kehl is an impressive athlete with a lot of potential. Both men will have to step it up big time this week.
  

• Giants' DC Steve Spagnuolo vs. 49er OC Mike Martz - Behind the action on the field will be two great minds on the sidelines. Spags will most certainly be looking to get his defense back on track and back on the attack against Martz's Niners. After Cleveland dialed up a good game plan last week to neutralize the Giants' strengths, we'll see what Martz has up his sleeve.
  

PLAYERS TO WATCH

RB 34 Derrick Ward - Coming off of his first 100 yard game of the season, in which he average over ten yards per carry, D-Ward could be due for another big day when the G-men look to play to their strengths and run the rock against the 49er defense. He's shown his patience and quickness when given the ball and that could bode big things for "Wind" this Sunday.



CB 31 Aaron Ross - Aaron Ross played his worst game of the season against Cleveland, a drastic departure from what has otherwise been superb play in early 2008. He will look to rebound this week, and will have to, in order to allow the Giants to maximize their pass rush and shut down the 49er offense.

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I'm hyped up for this game and ready for the Giants to get back in the win column. It's an important game for Big Blue as they will look to establish momentum going into a very tough part of their schedule. They will also attempt to win their 4th game at home in as many tries, one more win at Giants Stadium than they had all of last season.

Prediction: Giants get back on track, 27-17

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NFL.com's preview of 49ers @ Giants

Giants.com's 49ers Scouting Report

Continue reading "Gameday Preview, Week 7: San Francisco 49ers"

Under the Lens: Giants @ Browns, Week 6

As you probably know by now, Cleveland throttled the Giants 35-14 on Monday night, handing Big Blue their first loss of the season and their first loss since December of last year. It also snapped the team's impressive road winning streak at 11. But while losses are inevitable for any team in the course of an NFL season, the way the Giants lost Monday was very disappointing.

WR Braylon Edwards (left) was a big part of Cleveland's win on Monday Night.

Across the board, Cleveland outplayed the G-men and dominated the game. If not for 10 Browns' penalties, this game could have been a lot worse. The Giants' offense failed to establish any momentum as Eli turned the ball over three times, while the Giant defense was practically non-existent. Cleveland marched up and down the field, racking up 454 yards of total offense and hitting big play after big play. There's a lot for Big Blue to work on coming off of this game if they are going to get back on the winning track this week against San Francisco. Let's a take a look...

NOT-QUITE-OFFENSIVE OFFENSE

The Giants' offensive woes on Monday night are perhaps not immediately evident looking at the statistics, save one: the 3 interceptions. The G-men had a respectable 373 yards of total offense, including 181 yards rushing. They had 23 first downs (more than the Browns) and converted 5 of 9 third down attempts, 56 percent, and Jacobs and Ward both had solid outings, with Ward quietly picking up his first 100 yard game of the season. The rushing attack was one of few bright spots for the O, so let's start there.

• PRO - Solid Rushing Performance. As I said, 181 rushing yards in a game is pretty solid, and wouldn't you know, the Giants remain the leagues premiere rushing attack averaging...that's right...181 yards per game. D-Ward led the way with 101 yards and averaged over 10 yards a carry on Monday night, while the rushing game as a whole averaged 7.2 yards per carry, impressive numbers.
  

• CON - Offensive Play-calling. Given the rushing attack's impressive numbers, it's a little bit baffling that the team only carried the ball 25 times. Granted, they fell behind late in the game and needed to throw the ball, but this team should be running the rock 30-35 times a game. Starting the second half out with a deep bomb that was picked off, instead of pounding it when the Browns were only up 3 was just bizarre. And balancing the run and pass was one thing, but balancing the pass alone was another. After lighting up the Seahawks from every direction in Week 5, it seemed to me like the pass attack was a little too Plax-heavy. He's a tremendous weapon, don't get me wrong, but does anyone else think he could be just as dangerous as a distraction for opposing defenses?
  

• CON - Turnovers. Obviously. When you go -3 in the turnover differential, you're probably not going to win too many games. Eli threw some bad balls that I'm sure he'd like to get back. 1 INT through 4 games, 3 INTs in one game. As we've seen, the offense's stats weren't too bad on Monday. Take away the turnovers, and you've got a different ball game.

Shake it off, Eli.

PROJECTION - Up. While some are clamoring that the Giants' lucky streak is over, Eli's back to his old self and the coaching staff should be fired, I'm pretty sure that this game was an anomaly and not the norm. Eli, despite a bad game, was still the same confident, Super Bowl-winning quarterback he was the first four games. His demeanor with the media was completely different from how it's been in the past. He's his own biggest critic and will work hard in the film room and on the field to correct these easily fixable mistakes.

The coaching staff too will learn from Monday's lessons and refine their game plan before going in to face San Fran this week. It's all about three things: run, run, and run. Rush the ball 60-65% of the time and spread the ball in the passing game and things will be okay.

If only the defense were so easy...

THE DEFENSE RESTS

To put it bluntly, the Cleveland Browns abused the Giant defense in Week 6. As I mentioned, they accumulated 454 total yards: 310 yards through the air and 144 on the ground. They averaged a ridiculous 10+ yards a play in the passing game and a solid 4.8 yards with the rush. They converted on 9 of 13 third downs, and did not punt the ball a single time. There was a lot to dislike about the defense on Monday night.

• CON - Did not Control the Line of Scrimmage. The rushing statistics give it away. When you can't stop the run, your defense is going to have a long day. Cleveland has a solid offensive line with a pair of talented tackles. Jamal Lewis was able to run the rock so effectively because the Browns controlled the line of scrimmage. The Giant front four could not get penetration, and the linebackers just did not contain well.

Jamal Lewis runs it in for the score in the second quarter.

• CON - No QB Pressure. The Giants for the last season plus have been known for their ability to put pressure on the QB. Naturally though, when you don't control the line of scrimmage you're not going to put too much pressure on a quarterback. When you give Derek Anderson, a Pro Bowler last year, 10 seconds to throw the ball, he's going to make some plays, especially with the talent around him. Cleveland had been underachieving all season and they finally showed up to play on Monday. Sadly the Giant D just wasn't ready for it.
  

• CON - Poor Tackling. You make mistakes against a good team and you're going to get burned. The Giants had been technically sound for most of the first four games, but Monday you saw missed tackles, tackling guys forward giving them additional yards, and some all-around sloppy play.
  

• CON - 3rd Down Efficiency. The G-men could not get off the field. Even with the Browns committed 10 penalties, they could not stop them on 2nd and 3rd downs.
  

• CON - No Turnovers. In a game when the defense could not even force a punt, it might seem a bit excessive to fault them for not producing any turnovers, but that's what they get paid to do. If this defense is going to turn things around, they need to start forcing offenses to turn the ball over.
  

PROJECTION - Up, because you can't really get much worse. There's too much talent on this defense and on the coaching staff to not fix this. I trust that the players are sufficiently embarrassed enough that they will not have a repeat performance any time in the near future. Spagnuolo will dial up some new schemes and the D should look more like its old self.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Not much to comment on here. John Carney has dropped on the impressive-o-meter in the past few weeks and word is Tynes will be back in uniform very soon. Whatever happened to Domenik Hixon returning kick-offs? I guess he was on PR for a while, but oh yeah, the Browns didn't punt the ball on Monday.

GAME BALLS

Not much love to go around this week, but Steve Smith, Jacobs, and Ward had commendable outings. Hopefully next week, we'll bounce back and there will more to celebrate.

NEXT UP: SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

The Giants will come back home to face another NFC West team. This is a must win game for the Giants in my book, as they can't have to go into a very difficult stretch 4-2. They are 2-0 against the West so far this season. I suspect that Eli and offense will rebound and the defense will be in better form. It's a statement game for the G-men. Let's see what they have to say...

Stay tuned for a preview of this weekend's game coming up on Friday, as well as a preview of the game of GSTV.
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Please leave you COMMENTS! A lot of things to talk about this week...
Continue reading "Under the Lens: Giants @ Browns, Week 6"

GSTV Episode 6: Browns Torch the G-men on MNF

Here's the recap of Monday Night's beating from GSTV:

A full write-up will be up Wednesday.
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