New York Giants 16 – Arizona Cardinals 8
by Colin L.
Offense: Another functional day for the offensive unit; just 16 points but 34 minutes of clock time and no turnovers was enough to bury the Cardinals.
Quarterback: No doubt the opening shots of what should be a worthwhile quarterback controversy. Danny Kanell got his baptism of fire and did not look out of place. He put up respectable numbers: 13/21 after a 1/6 for -3 yards start. More importantly he looked really in control, changing plays at the line of scrimmage and staying cool in the pocket. He appears somewhat more mobile than Brown and he also appeared to have a quicker release particularly when the pocket was breaking down; he also displayed a little of that Marino-like ability to side-step out of the way of the rush when in the pocket. The negative is that like Brown he does not appear to have a super-strong arm. He threw a couple of real quackers, one to Calloway on a crossing route that was well behind the receiver and was tipped in the air and easily could have been picked off, and the other a terrible cross field out that the CB had in his hands going the other way but dropped. All in all though the kind of performance that most of the faithful were praying for.
Running Backs: Rodney Hampton chipped in with his best game of the season. Rather than just running into the pile, he was getting just enough slide at the line of scrimmage to get into the creases so he could use his size and strength to bull for decent yardage on almost every rush. Also had a good day catching passes out of the backfield; still no TDs in 1996 though. Charles Way had a sensational day lead-blocking. He and Wheatley also did a nice job picking up blitzes – because Kanell was in the Giants used a lot of regular sets on third down and the extra time paid off.
Wide Receivers: Thomas Lewis had another solid day with 7 catches and the lone touchdown. Calloway with just one catch and a bad drop was ineffective as a receiver although he did had a very good day blocking for the run. After Pierce went down the TEs (Cross and Saxton) mostly blocked and blocked. Cross, though, almost caused a disaster when he fumbled fighting for extra yardage (after making the first down) but the Giants recovered.
Offensive Line: This unit continues to improve. For the third week in a row there were only 2 sacks, about half the weekly average in the first part of the season. As well, Kanell had decent time to set up, look for secondary receivers, and deliver the ball most of the afternoon. More importantly for the first time this season the line as a whole was able to push the point of attack that step across the line of scrimmage which was allowing Hampton to slide into the creases (see above). On top of all that I don’t recall a hold or procedure penalty.
Defense: More of the same, though the prevent at the end made things a little tighter than they needed to be!
Defensive Line: Buried the Cards running game all afternoon especially on third down. Bratzke had the best game of his career with a sack and two other big plays for losses. Strahan also made nice read on direct snap to Centers on a key 3rd and 3 late in the game. Still not much of a pass rush, though Strahan got close enough to make Esiason’s life uncomfortable on several occasions.
Linebackers: Pretty much the same story with these guys. Armstead was all over with 9 tackles and a sack. Widmer was big helping stuff those 3rd and 1 runs. Miller had a tip and was right there on Bratzke’s sack but had zero tackles. Buckley tipped pass on Campbell’s second interception.
Defensive Backs: These guys are really having fun out there. Campbell had the two picks; Randolph did not appear to ever be thrown at which presumes he had his man blanketed, Hamilton had his guy well-covered whenever the Cards threw in his direction; Ellsworth separated receivers from passes on several occasions and Wooten, Sehorn and Campbell all had big stops on running plays. The Giants can now put out a dime of Sparks, Sehorn, Randolph, Hamilton, Wooten and Ellsworth that should be able to cover about as well as any group in club history.
Special Teams: Horan, who during the week was called the team MVP by one paper, was not. He had a couple of shanks and his good kicks had little height which allowed for several long returns. Daluiso though was excellent hitting 3 for 3 including one in the 40-yard range and booming his kick-offs. Return game was not existent. Lewis fair caught just about every punt except a poocher that he got creamed on.
Notes: The Giants (4-5) are chasing the final the final Wild Card spot in the NFC along with three teams (Dallas, Carolina, and Minnesota) at 5-4 and two (Detroit and Chicago) at 4-5. Of these teams the Giants actually have the 2nd easiest remaining schedule; Giants’ opponents have a .508 record. Carolina has the easiest remaining schedule at .460 (which makes this week’s game all the more critical) including games with Tampa Bay (h), St. Louis (a) and Baltimore (h). If Dallas is to make the playoffs they will have to earn it. Their remaining opponents have a .667 record including San Fran (a), Green Bay (h), and 2 with Washington. The strength of schedules of the other teams are Minnesota .523; Chicago .540 and Detroit .635. Also as a result of the recent wins the Giants would draft 14th if the draft were held today!
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