Carolina Panthers 37 – New York Giants 24
Game Overview: The Jim Fassel era is over. It’s time to move on and hire a better coaching staff. There is a lot of revisionist history going on right now due to the classy way in which Fassel and the Giants divorced each other. Comments from the media, football analysts, players, and fans saying that the Giants’ coaching staff was a good one are not accurate. Fassel and his staff were average. Don’t forget that Fassel was constantly in crisis mode each of his seven years in New York. Also don’t forget that poor coaching decisions cost the Giants the key games against the Cowboys and Eagles early in the season – games that started the slide from a Super Bowl hopeful to a team that finished tied for the WORST record in the NFL. Injuries were not a big factor on this team until after it hit the 4-5 mark. Defensive Coordinator Johnnie Lynn was over his head. The players were never intimidated by Fassel or his staff, and by the mid-point of the season, many of them were tuning them out. This staff deserved to be fired and needed to be fired.
The problem for the team is that many of the same nitwits who have mismanaged the team for years are still calling the shots. General Manager Ernie Accorsi has proved himself to be mediocre at best. Co-owner Wellington Mara is aging, too loyal, and has poor football instincts. The best hope for the Giants is that Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer John Mara and Vice President-Player Evaluation Chris Mara prove to know what they are doing. The influence of both these gentlemen is on the ascendancy in the organization. Co-owner Bob Tisch is focusing his attention on the financial aspects of the franchise. John and Chris Mara will keep a tighter leash on Accorsi. Of course, that will only be a good thing if John and Chris make good decisions themselves.
There are some huge decisions to be made. For one, who will be the next head coach? Secondly, what to do with the #4 pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. If the Giants screw up this pick, it will have colossal negative ramifications. If the player is a bust, not only will he not help the product on the field, but it will hamper the entire Giants’ cap position for years as this player will be paid a huge salary and signing bonus. That will have a direct impact on free agent possibilities.
What should the Giants do with the #4 pick? They could try to trade up and draft one of the premiere quarterbacks (Eli Manning or Ben Roethlisberger). If they take that route, then the Giants will most likely be entering a rebuilding mode. However, comments by Accorsi seem to indicate that he doesn’t believe this team needs to be rebuilt. So if the Giants stay at #4, they must draft a player who will become one of the premiere players at his position in the NFL. If they don’t, then the salary cap space and the rare opportunity to select such a player will be wasted. Don’t look at need. What the Giants must do is draft the best player available with this pick, someone who will be a perennial Pro Bowler. Possibilities include WR Larry Fitzgerald (if he enters the draft), WR Roy Williams, WR Reggie Williams, FS Sean Taylor, LT Robert Gallery, RT Shawn Andrews, DT Vince Wilfork, DE Kenechi Udeze, DE Will Smith, HB Steven Jackson, HB Kevin Jones, TE Kellen Winslow, CB Marlin Jackson, CB Chris Gamble, and CB Derrick Strait. The other possibility is to trade down, but the Giants would need to find someone willing to trade up who would also provide them with a fair offer. That’s not always easy.
The Giants also must be proactive in ensuring that their first pick is in camp on time this year. Picking at #4 will mean a huge contract and a pick possibly sandwiched between a big contract quarterback and the always over-paying Redskins (who pick at #5). If the Giants wait to slot this pick, as they have done so in the past, a lengthy holdout may result.
Then there are big worries with the players. There is no guarantee that players such as CB Will Allen (serious foot injury), CB Will Peterson (serious back injury), LT Luke Petitgout (serious back injury), LG Rich Seubert (serious leg injury), and TE Jeremy Shockey (serious knee injury) will return to form. HB Tiki Barber is a year older and has developed a fumbling problem. WR Ike Hilliard and WR Tim Carter simply can’t stay healthy. The entire defensive line and linebacking corps will be revamped. The Giants play in a division that the Eagles have dominated for three years and the Cowboys are up-and-coming. The Giants will not be favored to finish first or second in their own division next season.
This is a key moment in the future of the New York Giants’ franchise. Is team management up to the task?
But since this is a “game review”, let’s look at how the players performed in the finale:
Quarterback: Jesse Palmer (18-of-43 for 110 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions) was terrible. Yes, his pass protection was not sound and yes he made a few nice throws, but for the most part he was terribly inaccurate. For God’s sake, the Giants averaged an atrocious 2.6 yards-per-pass play! If Palmer was not overthrowing his targets, he was underthrowing them. He was particularly guilty of the latter on deep pass attempts to Toomer. Palmer’s first interception was an overthrow intended for Tiki Barber that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. Palmer had good protection on this play. His second interception was not his fault as he was hit as he threw the ball. Palmer’s third interception was an underthrown ball on a deep attempt to an open WR Amani Toomer (Palmer had time on this play as well). His last interception was an attempted out pass to Toomer that was thrown too far inside. There were two other passes that were almost picked off and many plays where open receivers did not receive the football. And lack of chemistry is no excuse as Palmer has been working with David Tyree and Willie Ponder since July. Even Palmer’s two TD passes are misleading. On the first, the Panthers left Toomer wide open. On the second, Palmer almost blew the play by waiting too long to deliver the ball to TE Visanthe Shiancoe, who was far more open earlier on in his route.
Wide Receivers: Hard to judge this group given how poor the quarterbacking was. Amani Toomer (4 catches for 47 yards, 1 touchdown) was double-teamed regularly. He got open deep on a few occasions, but Palmer regularly underthrew him. Toomer made a heck of catch with a leaping 26-yard reception against double-coverage on 3rd-and-10 near the end of the 3rd quarter. My one complaint about Toomer was that he never turned around to look for the ball in an obvious blitz situation on 3rd-and-15 in the 1st quarter. Toomer looked like his head wasn’t even in the game on this play. David Tyree (2 catches for 12 yards) dropped what should have been a touchdown reception. Tyree does work hard at his blocks on running plays. Willie Ponder (2 catches for 18 yards) made a key 16-yard reception on 3rd-and-9 in the 3rd quarter.
Running Backs: The Panthers’ front seven so dominated the line of scrimmage that it was somewhat of a miracle that the Giants were even able to produce 76 yards rushing. Tiki Barber (9 carries for 40 yards; 3 catches for –3 yards) broke a couple of decent-sized runs, but most of the time he was running into a brick wall. Tiki’s longest gain of the day was 16 yards on a 1st-and-10 draw play right before halftime. Tiki also broke off an 11-yard run around left end in the 4th quarter. Barber did drop one pass.
Dorsey Levens (7 carries for 17 yards) ran aggressively and made a few plays on the Giants’ first scoring drive of the game: picking up 11 yards on a screen pass, rushing for 14 yards through a small crease between the center and right guard, and picking up 5 yards up the gut. Levens also had a very tough 2-yard run on 3rd-and-1 on the Giants’ last offensive drive of the game.
Brian Mitchell (3 carries for 19 yards) picked up 18 yards on one carry that he almost broke for even bigger yardage. This came on a play where Mitchell was playing quarterback (old single wing formation). After that play, the Panthers were not fooled with his two other rushing attempts at quarterback (though on one of these plays, Mitchell didn’t follow his blocking).
FB Jim Finn caught 2 passes for two yards. He continues to make contact as a lead blocker, but he is not very powerful in moving defenders out of the way.
Tight Ends: Visanthe Shiancoe’s biggest problem was his focus. He was flagged with two false start penalties and one illegal motion penalty. His run blocking remains solid, but he did get beat by DE Julius Peppers in one pass rush situation for what was mostly a coverage sack (why did the Giants leave Shiancoe on Peppers in the first place?). Shiancoe made 2 catches for 7 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown reception.
The additional playing time has helped Darnell Dinkins. He caught his first two passes as a pro (for 16 yards) on Sunday. His blocking has also improved, though there were a couple of instances where Dinkins looked confused as to who he was supposed to block in blitz situations.
Offensive Line: Simply over-matched by arguably the best defensive line in football. Not only did the Giants suffer from inexperience and a lack of cohesion on Sunday, but they were clearly out-muscled by a physical line that made them look like a bunch of powder puffs. It was pure muscle versus finesse and the Giants’ finesse line got mauled. John Fox also confused the hell out of the line, backs, and tight ends by overloading blitzes to one side repeatedly. This led to a number of free shots on Jesse Palmer. The Giants’ protection schemes were exposed by this blitzing.
Let’s look at the Giants’ second offensive possession as an example. On 1st-and-10, a Tiki Barber run lost 1 yard as RG David Diehl couldn’t sustain his block, OC Chris Bober got shoved back into the backfield, and TE Darnell Dinkins was called on to block Julius Peppers. On 2nd-and-11, Barber only gained 1 yard on a play that should have picked up more as LB Greg Favors easily played off an attempted block by LT Ian Allen. After a false start on Shiancoe, a 3rd-and-15 pass by Palmer fell incomplete as he was immediately pressured by an overload blitz. This is pretty much how it went all day. Another bad example was a 3rd-and-1 play on the next drive. Levens was stuffed in the backfield as Bober didn’t block anyone up front and both guards were pushed back into the backfield. FB Jim Finn was also knocked to the ground by the guy he was supposed to block. Embarrassing! The Giants simply are not a physical run blocking team.
As for the players, Scott Peters continues to get shoved into the backfield on most plays (though to be fair, he was facing DT Kris Jenkins on many plays). Peters also missed a blitz pick-up and was flagged with a false start. LT Ian Allen did not shine in the run blocking department this week; he gave up a late sack to DE Al Wallace. RG David Diehl was out-muscled a few times. Diehl also continues to have problems recognizing stunts. RT Jeff Hatch got tossed aside like a rag doll on one running play in his direction. When Hatch left the game due to an injury, his replacement Jeff Roehl struggled as well, giving up pressures and a holding penalty. The Giants were not real sharp on screen passes, with their linemen often not engaging anyone in open space.
Defensive Line: It was a mostly positive performance, though DE Keith Washington (2 tackles, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery) and DT Keith Hamilton (2 tackles) were run at successfully on a few plays. Washington’s sack was a garbage sack as the quarterback tripped over his own lineman. However, he did have a couple of good pass pressures. Hamilton also put some heat on the quarterback on one stunt that drew a key holding penalty. The big mistake by Washington was jumping offsides on the goal line on a play where the Panthers fumbled. Washington did recover one fumble for a touchdown. Hamilton played the run a lot tougher late in the game.
DE Michael Strahan (6 tackles, 1.5 sacks) and DT Cornelius Griffin (7 tackles) were both very active. Strahan not only had the one and a half sacks, but he had numerous pressures. On the downside, Strahan was flagged for being offsides and was burned on a couple of misdirection tosses. Griffin played with a lot of hustle, chasing the ball carrier from sideline-to-sideline as well as getting penetration. He played his ass off.
The reserves made some plays. DT William Joseph (2 tackles) looked good on one running play right at him by standing his ground, shedding the block, and making the tackle. Unfortunately, he left the game early with an ankle injury. DE Osi Umenyiora (4 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble) played very well. He played with a lot of hustle and worked hard to defend against the run in direction. He also got a few quality pass pressures, including one sack that caused a fumble that was returned for a touchdown. Umenyiora beat LT Todd Steussie on this play – a solid, experienced veteran.
Linebackers: I was not impressed with Dhani Jones (5 tackles, 1 sack) this week. His one sack was a garbage sack as the quarterback tripped over his own lineman. Jones did make an excellent play in the 4th quarter where he shot the gap and tackled the back for a 6-yard loss. He also tackled the back for a 1-yard loss in the 1st quarter and forced an incompletion with a good hit. But Jones continues to misread running plays or overpursues and is often leaving gaps open on his side of the defense. He also got effectively blocked at the point-of-attack on a few running plays in the direction of Washington and Hamilton.
Mike Barrow (9 tackles, 0.5 sacks) had another strong game. He was active both against the run and the pass, causing a couple of incompletions with solid hits. He also stuffed Stephen Davis down on the goal line on one play and was chiefly responsible for a 15-yard sack that pushed the Panthers out of field goal range. Once again, Defensive Coordinator Johnnie Lynn demonstrated he has no clue by again having Barrow cover the slot wide receiver in the red zone. This is clearly an unfair mismatch and it resulted in a touchdown (this has happened a few times already this year).
Brandon Short (4 tackles) did not stand out. When he left the game, Kevin Lewis played and he did a decent job in one situation covering the back deep down the sideline.
Defensive Backs: Johnnie Harris (6 tackles) had a game to forget. He forced what should have been a fumble and touchdown for the Giants in the 1st quarter, but the refs blew the whistle prematurely. On the next play, he was flagged with a 15-yard face mask penalty that helped put the Panthers in field goal range. In the 2nd quarter, after the Giants had cut the score to 20-10, Harris intercepted a pass on 3rd-and-2, but he had the ball ripped out of his arms and it was recovered by the Panthers for a 1st down. On the very next play, WR Muhsin Muhammad was triple-covered by Harris, Omar Stoutmire, and Ike Charlton, yet he still came up with a 36-yard deep pass that put the ball on the Giants’ 1-yard line. Harris also dropped two passes that hit him in the hands later in the quarter.
Omar Stoutmire had some rough moments too. He could have been a hero had the officials not ruled that fumble caused by Harris dead, as he returned the fumble for what should have been a touchdown. On the play where Harris was flagged for a face mask, Omar missed a tackle on Davis near the line of scrimmage. Stoutmire too dropped an interception; this one right before a successful field goal attempt. Stoutmire got beat on the goal line by Muhammad on 3rd-and-goal for a touchdown. In the 3rd quarter, Stoutmire did knock away a deep sideline pass attempt. On the very next play, he got good pressure on the quarterback with a safety blitz.
CB Frank Walker had a mixed day. He had good coverage on a 2nd-and-10 pass intended for Muhammad that fell incomplete in the 2nd quarter. Walker also broke up a 3rd-and-11 pass intended for WR Steve Smith in the 3rd quarter. But Walker got easily beat for 16 yards on 3rd-and-7 on a drive that resulted in a touchdown. He was later flagged for illegal contact on the same drive on 3rd-and-7.
Nickel back Ryan Clark got beat by Giant-killer Ricky Proehl for 13 yards on 3rd-and-6 on a drive that resulted in a field goal. Clark did come up with sack on 3rd-and-13 early in the 3rd quarter (this was one game where Johnnie Lynn finally used some innovative blitzes). On the play where Walker was flagged for illegal contact, Clark also got beat by Muhammad for a first down on 3rd-and-7.
Ike Charlton got beat badly by Proehl on a crossing pattern that picked up 29 yards with just 27 seconds left before halftime. This play put the Panthers in successful field goal range. Charlton did make an excellent tackle for no gain on a swing pass right before Clark’s sack.
Ray Green gave up a key 13 yard completion on 3rd-and-5 on a drive that resulted in a touchdown (the same drive where Walker and Clark got beat in the 3rd quarter).
Special Teams: God, I hope the new coach hires a real special teams coach who can teach players how to block on kick and punt returns (or fire the players and find ones who can). Not to sound like a broken record, but the Giants’ kick return game was abysmal despite numerous opportunities. Brian Mitchell fielded six kickoffs and the best he could do was a 26-yard gain (he averaged 20.3 yards). Delvin Joyce’s sole return only went for 15 yards. Mitchell actually picked up decent yardage for once on the two punts he returned – one return going for 10 yards and the other for 15 yards. However, Mitchell really made a poor decision to call for a fair catch in the 4th quarter on a play where he had no one around him.
PK Matt Bryant’s kickoffs were poor, being fielded at the 21, 6, 10, 8, and 14. Kickoff coverage was OK with returns going for 16 (Quincy Monk making the tackle), 25 (Johnnie Harris and Quincy Monk), 24 (Kevin Lewis), 18 (Clarence LeBlanc and Darnell Dinkins), and 20 (Quincy Monk).
Bryant hit his sole field goal attempt – a 28 yarder.
P Jeff Feagles’ punts were so-so. He punted 5 times for a 37.6 yards-per-punt average. His punts were returned for 1 yard (Brian Mitchell forcing the returner out of bounds), 48 yards for a touchdown, out of bounds, out of bounds, and –3 yards (Kevin Lewis). On the 48-yard touchdown return, Brian Mitchell missed a tackle, gunner David Tyree was effectively blocked by two blockers, gunner Delvin Joyce pulled a hamstring, and Kevin Lewis and Brandon Short were clearly illegally blocked in the back.
Darnell Dinkins was flagged with encroachment on one Carolina punt.
Of course, the big story on special teams was DE Osi Umenyiora blocking two punts – both which set up easy touchdowns. Osi won “NFC Special Teams Player of the Week” honors for his effort.
Kudos to Clarence LeBlanc for knocking one of those God damn Giant-hating officials out of the game.
