Preseason Game Review: New York Giants at New York Jets, August 27, 2004

New York Jets 17 – New York Giants 10

Game Overview: What was encouraging was the play of the defense against the pass. Chad Pennington is a very good quarterback, but the Giants held him to 52 yards passing. The run defense was not as strong this week, however.

Offensively, what killed the Giants were the turnovers and the terrible game that QB Eli Manning played. Aside from LT Luke Petitgout, the offensive line did not play as poorly as the press have said (only two of the five sacks were due to the offensive line). In fact, the young guys up front (Diehl, Lucier, and Snee) continue to improve.

Specials are no longer killing the Giants, but they need to take the next step and start winning some games.

Offensive Line: These guys are taking some unfair grief. The truth of the matter is that RT David Diehl, LG Wayne Lucier, and RG Chris Snee are getting better. Diehl has improved a great deal in just a few weeks. Lucier has been very steady despite being forced into the line-up due to possible season-ending injuries to Rich Seubert and Barry Stokes. And Chris Snee, while suffering from occasional rookie gaffes, is simply one mean, feisty dude. The one guy who is not living up to his billing the last couple of weeks is LT Luke Petitgout. Petitgout signed a 6-year, $30 million contract in 2003. He is one of the highest paid linemen in the league. But he is not playing like it.

Pass protection by the first unit was actually pretty sound for much of three quarters. The Giants had three offensive possessions in the first quarter. Petitgout gave up one pressure, but other than that, there were no breakdowns in pass protection by the line in that quarter. In terms of run blocking, Snee had some problem sustaining blocks with linebackers at the second level. Diehl got a good run block on a 5-yard Barber pick-up. And HB Ron Dayne’s 9-yard touchdown run was expertly blocked: Petitgout and TE Visanthe Shiancoe got good blocks at the point-of-attack while Snee and FB Jim Finn came in motion to create a lane to run through. Superb work by all four players!

I like OC Shaun O’Hara. Like most centers in the NFL today, he’s an undersized player who is not a blaster. And powerful nose tackles like Jason Ferguson will give him problems at times, but he is a quite agile and heady player – very good at coming off and engaging linebackers. O’Hara was not able to get much movement on Ferguson on one Barber run and this caused the play to be stuffed. He also gave up one pass pressure and was flagged with a false start in the second quarter.

Also in the second quarter, Lucier was flagged with a false start, but for the second game in a row, I saw no major mistakes coming from this young player. Indeed, he has been very consistent.

On Warner’s 21-yard strike to Toomer in the second quarter, Petitgout got beat by DE John Abraham and Warner took a big shot. It got worse for Luke as he was the man directly responsible for the defensive score when Abraham easily fought past him to nail QB Eli Manning from the blindside for the sack and forced fumble that was returned for a touchdown.

Diehl played a very good game against a quality opponent. He had some problems late in the second quarter when he gave up one pressure on a screen pass and then he didn’t make any contact when pulling on a sweep. But Diehl was sound otherwise. He’s getting better.

The other sack in the game given up by the offensive line was by Snee, who got beat at the very end of the second quarter. A couple of plays before this, he also gave up a pressure. Pro pass protection is usually tough for a rookie to excel in and Snee occasionally has his problems. But he’s going to be a good one. What I really like about him (aside from his power) is that he plays with a mean streak. He reminds of Seubert in this department.

The starters remained in the game well into the third quarter. Dayne picked up 21-yards on one run where Snee and Lucier handled the defensive tackles one-on-one (impressive) and O’Hara and Shiancoe took out the linebackers. This was a very well-blocked play. Later in the quarter, Lucier had some problems picking up a stunt, but Snee continued to impress with his mobility and aggressiveness when pulling.

The second team line was made up of Drew Strojny at right tackle, Greg Walker at right guard, Omar Smith at center, Mike Saffer at left guard, and Ian Allen at left tackle. Later, Brandon Winey came in the game for Strojny at right tackle.

Allen also got Manning killed when he allowed the defensive end to get a clean, blind-side shot on the quarterback. This was a major-league hit and the Giants are lucky that Manning wasn’t hurt. It’s time to part ways with Allen. He does OK for stretches and then will have his meltdown in each game. Walker didn’t step up this week. He got stymied on two run block efforts and also gave up a pressure. Smith just doesn’t excite me. He doesn’t get much movement and isn’t real adept in space. Saffer did a great job on one pull where he sprung HB Chris Davis on a 16-yard run, but he also got beat pretty badly late in the game on a pass rush.

Brandon Winey has good feet and looks like a pretty good pass protector. However, he did have problems on one stunt with Walker (not unexpected since he is new). But he doesn’t look like much of a run blocker.

The last sack given up in the game was a coverage sack as QB Ryan Van Dyke had all day to throw.

Tight Ends: One of the things that really bugs me is the bad rap that Shiancoe still has in the press about his blocking. Back in 2001, I started to remark in my game reviews how well Dan Campbell was doing as a blocker, that he just needed to become more consistent. In 2002, he had his breakout year, but if you read BBI back in 2001, it wasn’t a surprise to you. Well, last year I repeatedly mentioned that Shiancoe was doing well at times with his run blocking, but it was his inconsistency that was hurting him. Well, I am here to tell you that not only is Shiancoe doing a superb job at the point-of-attack, he is a BETTER run block than Campbell because of his ability to engage linebackers better at the second level. Why? Because he is a better athlete. And like Campbell, he seems to enjoy hitting a defender. If he stays healthy, Shiancoe is going to be a major factor in the running game.

But beyond that, Shiancoe finally made a big play DOWN THE FIELD in the passing game, again demonstrating his superior athleticism over Campbell. On the first offensive play of the game, Shiancoe toasted the Jets’ linebackers for a 33-yard gain down the seam. My only criticism of Shank was that he should have kept his feet after the catch as the hit from the defensive back shouldn’t have been enough to bring him down.

I didn’t notice any major mistakes by Marcellus Rivers in the blocking department this week, but he just doesn’t have the natural bulk/power that Shiancoe has as an in-line blocker. However, Rivers did get a very good lead block on one Dayne run up the gut. Rivers screwed up big time with his false start on 4th-and-goal when the Giants were going for it from the 1-yard line.

Joe Dean Davenport got stood up on the goal line, but he generally blocked well other than that snafu. He isn’t very athletic as a receiver.

Running Backs: The Jets blitzed the heck out of Warner and Manning. And as I said in my game preview, all of these blitzes are a God-send and will help the offensive line, backs, and tight ends prepare better for the regular season. Indeed, not only did the Jets blitzed, but they often brought their defensive backs (very unusual for the preseason).

Unfortunately for the Giants, some of their pass protection woes came as a result of poor blitz pick-ups. Tiki Barber got beat badly on two blitzes. The first caused Warner to be sacked and a turnover almost resulted. The second also resulted in a sack and forced the Giants out of field goal range (on this play, the Jets also overloaded one side with rushers – there were more defenders to block than blockers). Barber also fell down on a screen pass that was looked like it was going to pick up big yardage.

Ron Dayne looked real good on a couple of carries, especially his 9-yard touchdown run and his 21-yard burst up the gut in the third quarter. But he looked tentative again in short-yardage and once again fumbled the ball on the goal line.

I like the way Chris Douglas sticks his nose in there on blitz pick-ups but he had a chance to break off a big run late in the game on a cut-back. The entire left-side of the field was open but he didn’t see it for some reason despite cutting back.

Jim Finn did a decent job blocking, such his lead block on Dayne’s TD run. But he was flagged with a false start.

Wide Receivers: Amani Toomer caught 3 passes for 38 yards. Ike Hilliard didn’t make a catch. Tim Carter had 3 catches for 14 yards. The Giants tried to get him going on a couple of WR screens but he couldn’t make the first man miss. Carter also ended an extremely promising drive by fumbling the ball away after pick up a first down deep in Jets’ territory. Will Ponder (2 catches for 32 yards) was the only other wide receiver to have a catch. The receivers were not helped by Manning’s poor effort.

Quarterbacks: The quarterback competition is over. Going into camp, it was expected Warner would easily win the starting job based on his experience. But Manning was impressive in camp and the first two preseason games. All that changed on Friday night when Manning played like crap. Manning came off the bench in the second quarter, but was involved in three turnovers (two interceptions and a fumble) and came close to throwing two more interceptions. He looked confused and flustered. And it started as soon as he entered the game. Manning threw right into the teeth of the coverage on his first throw of the game and the pass was intercepted. On his next possession, his attempted screen pass was off the mark to Barber. Three plays later, he fumbled the ball when he was sacked and the loose football was returned for a touchdown. On the next possession, Manning threw a pass intended for Toomer that was almost intercepted. Then he missed a wide open Hilliard over the middle on what should have been a big play.

The problems continued in the second half for Manning. He tried to hit Tim Carter on an out, but the pass was almost intercepted. Had it been, the defender probably would have scored on the play. At the very start of the fourth quarter, he floated a pass intended for WR Jamaar Taylor and that was intercepted. All in all, a terrible night. Eli finished the game a miserable 4-of-14 for 20 yards and two interceptions.

Warner was sharp (9-of-11 for 104 yards). His biggest problem is that he keeps fumbling the ball upon contact. This has got to stop or he is going to get benched. Warner is simply too sloppy with the football when hit. He fumbled twice in the game. One was recovered by the Giants; another was recovered by the Jets, but a penalty on the Jets erased the play.

Warner started things off well with his first pass. He hit Shiancoe perfectly down the seam for a 33-yard gain. My favorite play of the night was the 3rd-and-6 play on the same drive where Warner felt the pressure of the oncoming blitzer, scrambled to his right, then found Tiki Barber cutting back against the grain of the defense for a 17-yard gain. Warner is not a statue in the pocket. He scrambled for 9 yards on the next drive when he found no one open.

In the second quarter, Warner beat a defensive back blitz by hitting Toomer quickly on a slant. On the same drive, he did a wonderful job of standing tall in the pocket despite a free rusher bearing down on him. He found Toomer for a 21-yard gain on 3-and-7 on this play while getting crushed.

Defensive Line: Ironically, although this was by far the defense’s best game of the preseason, I didn’t think the defensive line played all that well. I was most disappointed by the run defense of the two starting defensive tackles, Norman Hand and Fred Robbins. Both had a hard time getting off blocks. Robbins got clobbered on a number of double-teams and Hand looked sluggish. I just didn’t sense the intensity from these two that I did in the previous two games. The Jets picked up two much yardage at their expense.

Same story with DE Michael Strahan. The Jets were the first team to run at Strahan this preseason and they did so with some success. I wonder if some of this is due to the new 1-gap scheme where Strahan is being asked to penetrate, rather than read-and-react. Strahan did get two good pass pressures on Pennington, including one that caused an intentional grounding penalty (a safety SHOULD have resulted – same suck-ass officiating). On the next play, DE Osi Umenyiora pressured Pennington in the end zone and forced an incomplete pass. Umenyiora still has inconsistent instincts against the run. There was one play where he charged up the field and created a big running lane for the back by doing so. He was also flagged once for being offsides. One last point on Strahan…the Giants used him in a 2-point stance some in this game.

As for the back-ups, it was interesting to note that, like last week, Lance Legree saw time at defensive end. He also saw some time at defensive tackle earlier in the game with the first unit. He had a big game with one sack and two fumble recoveries. William Joseph saw his first action of the preseason and for a guy who has barely practiced and is coming off of a serious injury, I thought he played well. He is very quick for his size and he was able to penetrate quickly on a couple of plays. Soon he was receiving some double-team attention. On the downside, he was flagged with an offside penalty.

Both reserve ends – Radell Lockhart and Khaleed Vaughn were handled pretty easily. This wasn’t a good game for either and the fact that Legree is seeing some time at defensive end might not bode well for them.

Mario Monds continues to play well against the back-ups from other teams. He plays hard and I really liked one play where he fought through a double-team block to make the tackle.

Linebackers: A dramatic improvement! The addition of Carlos Emmons on the strongside and Barrett Green on the weakside really made a difference. Emmons made a great play where he quickly read a flat pass to the elusive HB Curtis Martin and made a sure tackle in the open field. Carlos was also not fooled on an end around that only picked up a yard. Emmons manhandles the tight end on running plays.

Green misread a cutback by Martin that picked up 9 yards, but he also made a really good tackle in the hole on Martin when the latter tried to put on a move. He was solid in coverage.

Kevin Lewis is just an ordinary player. He made a good tackle on one run by Martin that could have picked up big yardage, but he just is too easily blocked too often.

The reserves picked up their game this week and they saw quite a bit of time against the starters of the Jets. Wes Mallard had a good game. He missed a tackle on Martin early on a short pass that turned into a 10-yard gain, but played well after that. On one series in the second quarter, he hit Martin solidly in the hole for a short gain. Two plays later he sacked Pennington to knock the Jets out of field goal range. In the third quarter, he tackled a back for a 2-yard loss. That Jets’ drive ended when Mallard forced a fumble after a short catch.

Nick Greisen started off slowly. His wasn’t running plays very well or getting off blocks. But he quickly picked up his game. He demonstrated real nice pursuit on a sweep to the left. On the next play, he nailed HB Lamont Jordan in the hole. Greisen did so again on another play against Jordan in the fourth quarter. Greisen was beat in coverage on a rollout pass, but he made a real heads-up play by batting the fumbled ball back towards a teammate before it rolled out of bounds on the same play.

Reggie Torbor really picked up his game this week. He forced two fumbles and sacked the quarterback. His first forced fumble was a very athletic play where he quickly changed directions to reach back and strip the ball from the back who cut back underneath his rush. There was one play where he lost contain on an outside run.

The guy who didn’t have a good game is Quincy Monk. He got beat terribly in coverage for the lone Jets’ touchdown. He doesn’t look very instinctive against the run and has problems playing off blocks. Not a good combination!

Of all the reserve linebackers, T.J. Hollowell looks the most athletic to me. I would guess he has the best chance to make the Practice Squad.

Defensive Backs: The Giants limited the Jets to 99 passing yards. This was the secondary’s best game by far this preseason. What was interesting to note is that the corners played right up on the nose of the wide receivers – last week, they were about a mile off the line of scrimmage. The Giants also blitzed quite a bit, including both linebackers and defensive backs.

SS Shaun Williams was a monster against the run in this game. Time after time he was coming up not only to make big hits, but the sure tackles he made prevented some big runs. Williams also helped to force an incompletion with solid coverage on TE Anthony Becht. The only negative play I saw was that he got beat on one pass play for 17 yards in the third quarter.

CB Will Allen played very well. He was not fooled on an end around by the Jets. On the very next play, he expertly defended a deep pass to WR Jonathan Carter.

CB Will Peterson was flagged with three penalties (two pass interference penalties and one holding call). The first call was pure bullshit. It was perfect coverage, but a big 21-yard penalty resulted placing the ball on the Giants’ 9-yard line. Three plays later, Peterson prevented a touchdown with his sure coverage on WR Justin McCareins. The other two penalties I could not see as CBS did not show a good replay of either. Peterson did have good coverage on a deep pass attempt to McCareins that was completed out-of-bounds. McCareins beat him on a slant two plays later, but Peterson knocked the ball out of his hands quickly to force an incompletion.

CB Terry Cousin had great deep coverage on one deep shot to Carter. Cousin was beat on one slant pass, but Mallard forced a fumble. CB Frank Walker was very aggressive in run support. He needs to be careful to wrap up however and not get so animated after making a good play. There was one excellent play where he smashed a receiver coming towards him to knock the ball loose. Walker later expertly defended a slant pass to knock the ball away. On the next drive, Walker had good coverage on a 3rd-and-13 play to force a punt.

The free safeties were once again quiet, although they must receive some credit for helping to shut down the passing game. Brent Alexander also looked good on one run force. Jack Brewer misread one run late in the game.

CB Jamaine Winborne made a very sure tackle on a running play to his side for a 2-yard loss.

Special Teams: Jeff Feagles continues to punt well, averaging 43 yards-per-punt on six punts. His biggest mistake was failing to pin the Jets back on one punt where the ball bounced into the end zone for a touchback. Punt coverage was mostly good: 4 yard return (Brent Alexander and Wesly Mallard on the tackle), touchback, downed, fair catch, 19 yards (bad coverage), and downed. On the last punt, Curtis Deloatch made a bonehead play by interfering with the punt returner before the ball arrived. Strangely, David Tyree was quiet.

Todd France continues to have issues with his kickoffs. They are either too short or lack hang time. Jet kickoff returns went for 24 (T.J. Hollowell and Will Allen on the tackle), 21 (Chris Douglas), and 21 (Curtis Deloatch). Not bad when you consider that the Jets are very good at returning kickoffs.

The kick return game was ordinary. Willie Ponder managed returns of 28 and 20 yards. Still, he has the look of someone who is about to break a big one. Interesting, both JaJuan Dawson and Avion Black each returned a kickoff this week, but they only went 21 and 19 yards, respectively. On the latter return, Atavius Cash was also flagged with an illegal block.

The Giants’ best return of the night ironically came on a dumb play. Black fielded a punt at his own 5-yard line, but managed 30 yards on the return. Deloatch was not impressive on his returns. He dances too much.

(Box Score – New York Giants at New York Jets, August 27, 2004)