Cleveland Browns 35 – New York Giants 14

Summary: If I showed you the box score of the Giants’ first loss of the season and you had just woken up from a 3 day nap, you would swear the teams were reversed and I’d be asking you what you took that knocked you out for 72 hours.  The Browns used a very Giant like approach, holding the ball for nearly 32.5 minutes, committing zero turnovers, giving up zero sacks and rushing for 144 yards while using a balanced run/pass ratio to perfection.

Eli Manning had his first clunker of the year, tossing three interceptions, and in all honesty costing the Giants any chance at winning with the turnovers.  Not that Giants’ defense helped much either, after surrendering a mind boggling 454 yards to a team that committed 10 penalties and continued to shoot itself in the foot.  As others, including our fearless editor Eric have pointed out, this was just a strange game with the Giants rushing for 181 yards and averaging 7.1 yards per carry and losing.  A lot of fingers have been and will be pointed at offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, but the fall guy for this effort should be everybody’s wonder boy, Steve Spagnuolo.

Spagnuolo’s defense has been the talk of the town since the Giants’ playoff run last year, but against a team with a physical offensive line and RBs and homerun ability at WR the Giants looked rather overmatched at times.  Give the Browns credit, they came to play and dominated the line of scrimmage, but they may have also exposed a glaring weakness in this defense: an inability to stand in and stop the run when it’s coming right at you.  Spag’s crew was lit up for 144 yards on 30 carries and allowed the Browns to convert on 9-of-13 3rd downs.

On the re-watch though, despite the defense being carved up, this was a game that hinged on a few big plays: catches of 49 and 70 yards by WR Braylon Edwards, a 94 yard INT return by CB Eric Wright, a 33 yard reverse by Jerome Harrison, and 3 Manning interceptions.  All of the big plays went the Browns’ way and all of the big miscues belonged to the normally mistake proof Giants.  Give the Cleveland Browns credit though, when they had a 20-14 lead midway through the 3rd quarter, they chewed up 87 yards in 14 plays to put the game away at 27-14.

Quarterbacks: Eli Manning had a rough evening, tossing three interceptions and killing the Giants comeback hopes when he coughed up his third to CB Eric Wright as the Giants were driving with a chance to cut the lead to a single score in the 4th quarter.  Overall Eli completed 64% of his passes and managed a TD, but his turnovers were the story of the night.

Early on things looked promising as Eli and the Giants marched 41 yards in 6 plays before Manning’s first uh-oh of the evening.  Manning fired a deep pass to WR Plaxico Burress, but failed to look off safety Brodney Pool, who stepped in easily for the interception down the seam.  Had Manning looked Pool off, or even led Burress a tad more down the post route he was running, the INT could have been avoided.  Just a bad throw by Eli.

Eli did bounce back to give the Giants a brief 7-3 lead, hitting Kevin Boss on a 24 yard seam pass, and Steve Smith on a critical 3rd and 4, as Eli and the gang marched 58 yards in just 6 plays en route to a Brandon Jacobs 7 yard TD run.

On the Giants’ 3rd possession, Manning then under threw Burress yet again on a deep sideline pass that saw Burress open down the left sideline on a 2nd and 16 midway through the 2nd quarter.  Manning bounced back well on the Giants’ final drive of the first half, going 6-8 for 65 yards and a TD, including four straight completions to Steve Smith that racked up 56 yards.  Manning spotted S Brodney Pool lined up on Smith and was able to exploit that matchup in the slot four straight times.  Eli nearly ended the drive with a silly turnover though as DT Corey Williams swatted away the loosely held ball that would have been a turnover were it not for a defensive holding call against the Browns.  Despite that near disaster though, number 10 was once again effective in the 2 minute drill.  Manning was able to make the right reads and make good throws and lead his offense down the field to narrow the Browns’ lead from 10 to 3 as the first half expired.

That momentum ended abruptly as Manning ended the Giants’ first drive of the 3rd quarter in just one play.  Manning had Plaxico Burress wide open again on the post, but Manning rushed his throw, threw off his back foot, failed to follow through and the result was a pass that drifted outside and was picked off.  This was simply a matter of rushing the throw and not paying attention to mechanics.  The play was good, the route was good, the protection was good…but Eli flubbed the throw.

Running Backs: Brandon Jacobs came out charging, banging out 18 yards on 3 carries on the Giants’ opening drive before Eli’s turnover killed that effort.  Jacobs banged in a TD from 7 yards out, using S Mike Adams like his own personal welcome mat on his way to the end zone.  Once again Jacobs played well grinding up 67 yards on 14 carries which may seem pedestrian at first glance, but that is still a hearty 4.7 ypc average.  Derrick Ward led the Giants with 101 yards on 10 carries and again showed how explosive he can be out of the spread formation and on inside runs.  Ward immediately came in and banged out a 17 yard run and added runs of 13, 15 and 18 yards in the 4th quarter as the Giants attempted to claw back into the game.

Wide Receivers: If there was a star on the offense in a 21 point defeat, it would be 2nd year WR Steve Smith, who pulled in 9 passes for 94 yards.  Smith came up huge in the Giants final drive of the first half, pulling down four straight grabs for 56 yards and four straight first downs that propelled the Giants to their second and final TD of the evening.  Coming off of his two week hiatus, WR Plaxico Burress pulled down 4 grabs for 58 yards and a late first half TD.  With Amani Toomer lined up wide left and Burress in the slot, Toomer ran a short drag underneath, and Burress popped outside for a 3 yard TD grab.  (Author’s Note no one will believe: Once I saw Burress in the slot, and noticed that LCB Eric Wright followed WR Domenik Hixon when he went in short motion from the top of the formation, I was yelling for Burress to make an out cut from the slot since I knew he then had man coverage on him.  Terry Cousin on Burress = We Win every time).

Domenik Hixon, relegated to the bench upon Burress’ return, was only able to make one catch for six yards and was pretty much a non factor in the game.

Tight Ends: Kevin Boss continued his improving run blocking and ran a terrific seam route for 24 yards on the Giants first TD drive of the night.  Blocking TE Michael Matthews hauled in a 13 yard pass from Manning early and once again blocked like a 3rd OT as the Giants churned out another impressive running performance.

Matthews and Boss both lined up on the left side and both made outstanding blocks on the second level to lead the way for Jacobs’ 7 yard TD run in the 2nd quarter.  Boss made what may be his best block yet when he lined up inside of Matthews and sealed off 325-pound DT Louis Leonard inside, as Matthews kicked out MLB Andra Davis and big #27 just followed the lane to the end zone.  Give credit to TE coach Mike Pope on that play, as both of his big TEs played pivotal roles in getting the Beast into the end zone.

O-Line: While watching the game the first time around, I thought the OL played a sub par game, mostly due to seeing DT Shaun Rogers clobber Manning twice and clearly trying to injure the Giants’ signal caller.  But with emotion removed, it was a different story.  Coming into the game, the Giants had averaged 181.3 yards per game and this night was right on par, as the OL paved the way for 181 yards and a ridiculous 7.1 yard per carry average.  Early on, they paved the way for three straight Derrick Ward runs that netted 23 yards and put the Giants in striking distance of their first TD.  Once again, OGs Chris Snee and Rich Seubert led the way on a beautifully executed 17 yard run by Ward on the Giants first TD drive.

Seubert did however struggle with corpulent DT Shaun Rogers in the passing game, twice giving up big hits on Eli by the rotund Rogers and costing the offense 10 yards on a hold on one of them.  OC Shaun O’Hara also had trouble containing Rogers, and was late to block CB Terry Cousin on a 3rd and 16 pass to Derrick Ward that went nowhere.

Manning did generally have ample time to throw, but was rocked a few times by Rogers.  Other than the few shots Eli took and the one sack given up the OL played a good game as they usually do.  The passing game was just slightly off and the big guys up front kept the Giants offense marching most of the night.

Front 7: Author’s Note: Given the varied fronts and personnel packages the Giants use under Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, I’ll be looking at the front 7 as a whole initially rather than separating the D-line and Linebackers.  Hybrid roles such as LBs playing in a 3 point stance make analyzing the front 7 as one unit more cohesive.  It may change as we move forward or from game to game.

Useless, the Giants’ front 7 was completely useless in Cleveland on Monday Night.  Not one player made an impact as the Giants were literally man handled by a 1-3 team that had its season hanging in the balance.  Right off the bat, the Giants gave up a 9 play 69 yard drive that put the Browns up 3-0, a lead that eventually grew to an embarrassing 21 point defeat.  As a fan, you kept waiting and waiting for the Giants’ vaunted DL to wake up and make a play but it just never happened.  No one player was really at fault and it just has to be said – the Browns outhit and out-executed the Giants front 7 all night long.  On the Browns first drive of the night, it was clear they wanted to establish the run, complete short passes and keep the Giants from being able to get into good pass rushing situations.  Luckily for the Giants, the Browns killed themselves with a penalty and a bobbled snap inside the 20 and had to settle for a FG.

On the Browns’ second drive of the night, on a 3rd and 2 near midfield, the Giants had a chance to make a stand and failed miserably as Jamal Lewis easily picked up 3 yards inside, but this was not a player failure, it was a coaching disaster as the A and B gaps on the right side of the Browns formation were totally uncovered, allowing the Browns’ interior lineman to attack the Giants LBs and DBs and easily pick up a key first down.

No pressure was applied yet again on the Browns 3rd possession as Derek Anderson had not only single coverage on Braylon Edwards, but all the time in the world to loft a pass to his favorite target en route to a 70 yard gain.  The pass rush on that play…MIA as the Browns once again outfoxed Steve Spagnuolo and dared his gambling defense to stand up in man to man coverage.

DTs Barry Cofield and Fred Robbins were double-teamed all night long on inside runs and their biggest mistake was not playing sound fundamental football.  It’s an often repeated saying in football, “The low man wins”, and it was as true as it has ever been against the Browns.  Both Robbins and Cofield were doubled at the POA on the Browns opening drive and instead of staying low, anchoring and keeping the blockers occupied, both stood upright and tried to squeeze through the double team, leaving their LBs and DBs hung out to dry.  When guards and centers are getting to the second level consistently, the DTs are just not doing their jobs.  DT Jay Alford made little impact yet again but was able to jump up and knock down a 2nd and 13 throw

DE Justin Tuck led the Giants front 7 with 5 tackles, but was held sackless for the game.

RDE Mathias Kiwanuka faced who is perhaps the best OT in the NFL these days in Joe Thomas and Kiwi was a non factor all night.  Kiwanuka not only got stonewalled by Thomas in the passing game, but was suckered badly when KR Josh Cribbs lined up at QB and dashed over left end for a 12 yard game as Kiwi bit on a terrible dive fake to Jamal Lewis and took himself completely out of the play.  Again misreading a play, Kiwi completely took himself out of the action on a 33 yard reverse early in the 3rd quarter.  It was once again Josh Cribbs in the game that must have flustered Kiwanuka, as Cribbs took an end around and tossed to Harrison, who zipped by the now confused defensive end.

LB Chase Blackburn had to fill in for MLB Antonio Pierce at times and it was not pretty.  Blackburn got eaten alive on a 3rd and 2 on a Jamal Lewis run right at him and on the same drive missed an open field tackle on TE Steve Heiden that could have forced a punt.  Luckily Phil Dawson missed a 51 yard FG on said drive, but Blackburn’s failure was a theme for the entire evening – just a step too late.  Not that Pierce fared much better, as he was victimized by former Giant TE Darnell Dinkins on a 22 yard TD play that put the Browns up 10 in the 2nd quarter.  Once again, the Browns took advantage of a Giants’ weakness – coverage by Pierce.  On this play, the Giants rightly lined up in a Cover 2 to limit any downfied passes into the end zone.  The problem with the Cover 2 down there is that your MLB is responsible for following anyone who releases down the middle of the field and Dinkins was easily able to outrun the injured, aging Pierce for a TD right down the middle.

LB Bryan Kehl took over once Gerris Wilkinson left the game and immediately made two stops on Jamal Lewis on back to back plays as the Browns were driving early in the 3rd quarter.  On one drive, Kehl had the same number of stops that Wilkinson did in the entire first half.  Wilkinson didn’t play all that poorly and was in position on the plays I focused on, but just didn’t finish the plays.  If Wilkinson misses any significant time, I have little doubt that Kehl will be supplanting him permanently and will be a big upgrade by the end of the season.

Film Room Rewind: Given that watching this game once made me want to puke and watching it again made me want to puke again, I wanted to get the FRR out of the way early.

On the Browns’ second drive of the night, on a 3rd and 2, Steve Spagnuolo gave his defense almost no chance to succeed.  His best run stopping DE, Justin Tuck, lined up at RDT which ordinarily gives offenses fits but this was a short yardage conversion not a pass rushing situation, so the defensive call was just mind boggling.  At Tuck’s spot at LDE was Jerome McDougle, who is nowhere near Tuck’s equal, especially when it comes to collapsing down the LOS and making a stop in the running game.

If the formation below makes ANY sense with my crude attempt at illustrating, you can see that in a short yardage situation, the Giants used 6 DBs, 1 LB and 4 DL to try and stop a 230lb HB on 3rd and 2.  At the snap, LB Chase Blackburn (57) and S Michael Johnson (20) were in great position to make a play, lined up in both “A” gaps, as was S Kenny Phillips (21) (who ended up making the stop).  The problem though, is that both were 1-2 yards off the ball and were just blasted out of the hole by C Hank Fraley and RG Rex Hadnot as Phillips dove in and tried to stop HB Jamal Lewis.  In my humble opinion, this is an example of Spagnuolo over-thinking the situation instead of trying to stuff the run with his players best suited to do so.  Where was DT Barry Cofield?  Why was Tuck not in at LDE to anchor his side of the line?  Why are Chase Blackburn, Michael Johnson and Kenny Phillips expected to take on interior OL, defeat their blocks and bring down Jamal Lewis in short yardage?

In theory, this formation should be able to stop a short run and defend against the pass, but this is an example of just over-thinking and trying to be too cute on defense.  I get the reasoning behind it, it was a 3 WR set with no FB and the Browns had been using short passes, but you simply cannot just allow a team to shove you around on the ground and pick up easy first downs.  This was a situation that called for man on man, trench warfare and Spagnuolo blew it having his best run stoppers either out of position or off the field entirely.

Defensive Backs: CB Aaron Ross had the worst game of his young career, watching helplessly as WR Braylon Edwards easily flew past him for his best game of the season.  Right off the bat, Edwards hauled in a slant when the Giants rushed 7 men on 3rd and 4 and raced out of Ross’ grasp for a 49 yard gain.  Luckily for the Giants, S James Butler read the slant from the opposite side of the field and was able to track Edwards down and prevent a score.  Ross did have air tight coverage on WR Donte’ Stallworth on a 3rd and 13 that forced the Browns to attempt a FG early in the first half.  Ross was then torched by Edwards again on a 70 yard bomb on the Browns 1st TD drive of the game.  Edwards gave Ross a slight out move, and then raced past him inside for a play the Giants usually just don’t give up.  Ross then got juked again by WR Syndric Steptoe one play before the Browns took a 17-7 lead and fell once again on Braylon Edwards’ TD grab that wrapped up the Browns’ offensive scoring.

Butler may save more big gains then any player on this team.  He chased down Edwards on his 49 yard catch and run and flew in to stop Jamal Lewis who had plenty of daylight ahead of him on a 3 yard run in the 2nd quarter.  Butler then saved Ross’ bacon again on a 20 yard pass to Syndric Steptoe that would have been a TD if not for Butler’s tackle.  Butler did bite badly on the Josh Cribbs to Jerome Harrison reverse, losing any outside contain en route to Harrison’s 33 yard romp down the left sideline.  S Kenny Phillips continues to see more time, and makes a few nice stops per game.  As with Kehl, I suspect #21 will be more effective as the season wears on and he really learns his role in the defense.

CB Corey Webster, who I thought should have been on Braylon Edwards, once again played a solid game.  Webster read a bubble screen to Josh Cribbs on the Browns’ 2nd possession and swatted the ball away before the speedy Cribbs could get his hands on the ball.  Webster was also beaten by Edwards on a slant, but the difference was that Webster trailed his man and held him to a 10 yard gain instead of a 49 yarder that Ross gave up.  Even when he gives up a catch, Webster limits the yards after it.

Special Teams:  John Carney hit both of his extra points, Jeff Feagles punted twice, and the Giants coverage units held Josh Cribbs to 22 yards on one KOR and 3 yards on one punt return.  Again, not very special and not very exciting.  This section may go the way of the do-do if someone doesn’t block something or run something back soon.

Coaching:  Steve Spagnuolo’s defense got carved up to the tune of 454 yards and 28 offensive points, forced no punts and had no sacks.  What made the Browns’ offense so successful was their ability to negate the Giants’ pass rush with quick throws, and running right at the exotic fronts Spags trots out in short yardage.  This was a simple case of the Browns playing power football up front, getting rid of the ball quickly in the passing game and the Giants having no answer for either.  I was also bothered by seeing the smaller, faster CB Aaron Ross covering physical WR Braylon Edwards far too often.  Edwards was the Browns’ only true weapon with Kellen Winslow out, and should have had Corey Webster stick to him all game long.  Spagnuolo also inexplicably had hobbled MLB Antonio Pierce playing in a cover 2 formation at the Giants’ 22 yard line, and he was embarrassingly beaten by TE Darnell “Yummy” Dinkins (That’s for you HopeJ!!).  Pierce had no business covering the deep middle on a bad wheel, much less when he’s at 100%.

I really cannot and will not blame Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride.  His team ran for 181 yards, and had Manning been on target we might be talking about another huge game for this offense.  Manning badly missed Burress deep on post routes twice, but those plays were open and probably scores or big gains if Manning is on target.  Instead both get intercepted.

The Giants again were able to drive down for a TD as the first half expired and drove inside the Browns 10 yard line twice in the 4th quarter, both times the drives ending in Manning’s hands.  For those harping on Gilbride for this, how many times has Eli MADE those plays late in games?  Why is Gilbride on the hot seat for putting the ball in his best player’s hands late in the half and late in the game?  Eli has done it time and time again, this time he just failed with the ball in his hands.  That is on Eli Manning and his execution, not on the offensive coordinator.  Three, count em three drives died inside the Browns 10 yard line on nothing but poor throws by Manning.  I can hear the complaints from here…”But if we kept running, he wouldn’t have thrown those picks.”  And if we had kept running and been stuffed, we would have called for Gilbride’s head for not mixing it up enough too.  I would be more upset if Gilbride got scared and went into a shell and stopped taking shots to move the ball.  The man knows how to call a game, anyone who fails to see that at this point is just hanging on to some bad first impressions made years ago while he was in Houston.

JPog (Joey’s Player of the Game) – I’m going to go ahead and give this award to myself.  I watched this nightmare and listened to Tony Kornheiser annoy me not once, but TWICE and I have a nasty cold too which prevented me from tapping my muse (aka vino).  It’s a wonder I was able to gut it out and rewatch this debacle while doped up on cold medicine as my brain screamed out for alcohol.  It’s just not writing if you’re not drinking as this shoddy review has proven.  For my effort this week, I am awarding myself a big cup of Nyquil.

JBog (Joey’s Bum of the Game) – Eli Manning, welcome to Ouchville, Population: You.  Manning may have been suffering from a chest bruise most of the night as Superfat DT Shaun Rogers used him as a trampoline in the 2nd quarter, but nonetheless, Eli tossed 3 INTs and was just off most of the night.  His timing was bad, his passes were short and he lacked some zip on the ball.  I suppose Eli was due for a clunker, as his last 4 games were near perfect and he’s coming off of a Super Bowl MVP performance from last year.  Let’s just hope this game is an aberration, and not a sign of what’s to come.  For your unusual performance Eli, I have shipped off a Kent Graham jersey for you to enjoy, complete with autographed photo of his famous “smirk.”  Enjoy!

(Box Score – New York Giants at Cleveland Browns, October 13, 2008)

New York Giants 26 – Cincinnati Bengals 23 (OT)

Summary: In a see-saw battle at the Meadowlands, it took the Giants an extra stanza to dispatch of the desperate 0-2 Bengals and head into the bye week 3-0.  If you’re keeping score at home, after our 0-2 start in 2007, the Giants are 17-4 over their last 21 games.  Not a bad record for a bunch of lucky overachievers huh?

Coming into week 3 most Giant fans, I among them, believed the Bengals were going to be drummed out of the Meadowlands by halftime by our rabid defense and earth shaking ground game.  I admire the Bengals General Custer like stand, but in the end the more talented and more confident team prevailed thanks to yet another Eli Manning 4th quarter TD drive and a game winning FG drive in overtime.  It was not easy and it certainly was not pretty with the Bengals putting the Giants in their first hole of the young season at 3-0 after a solid 12 play 59 yard drive on the games 4th possession.  Immediately countering with an 80 yard drive that seemed to restore order at 7-3, the Giants uncharacteristically gave up a 25 yard TD run by Chris Perry that capped an impressive 74 play drive that again put the Bengals ahead at 10-7.

The Giants trailed 13-10 at the half and finally took the lead at 16-13 early in the 4th quarter but as was the norm the Bengals roared right back with another long drive that chewed up 82 yards in just under 7 minutes to put the G-men in a precarious 20-16 hole.  Eli saved the day as usual though, leading a TD drive that ended with a bullet to Kevin Boss and covering 62 yards in 1:49 in OT to put K John Carney in position for the win.

Quarterbacks: Eli Manning just wins football games.  Put the ball in his hands late in the game or in overtime and Eli finds a way to get it done.  The confidence Eli has with the game on the line is bordering on uncanny and the confidence it gives his teammates is a deadly weapon to have in the NFL.  It didn’t start well offensively, as Eli and his merry men struggled for 27 yards on the first two drives.  The 3rd drive was a charm though as my favorite Manning led his charges on a 9 play 80 yard TD drive in which he was 4 for 5 for 47 yards with his only incompletion being a drop by Plaxico Burress.  Eli went 1-3 on his next drive for 26 yards and just missed a TD to Plaxico Burress as Burress’ feet were out by inches in the back right corner of the end zone.

To put Manning’s late game feat into perspective, consider that on the Giants final three drives in the 4th quarter and OT, Eli went 9 for 15 for 116 yards, 1 TD and one game winning FG drive.

Running Backs: Brandon Jacobs had a rough go of it Sunday afternoon, only picking up 35 yards on 14 carries and continually being stuffed on the edge by a surprisingly spry and active Bengals’ defense.  Jacobs started ok, picking up a first down right off the bat on 2nd and 1 and 5 yards on the next play to give the Giants a very manageable 2nd and 5.  The very job he used to do exclusively though, he failed on during the Giants’ first drive as he was stacked up on a dive play by ex-Giant Dhani Jones.  (More on how the Bengals stymied Jacobs in the FRR).  Jacobs best runs came when he was patient, waited for the Bengals to penetrate and then chose where to go but it was a constant boxing match all day.

Marvin Lewis and company clearly had every intention of not letting Jacobs get the offense started, as he is prone to do.  The Giants’ offense, specifically its OL feeds off of Jacobs’s intensity and once he gets rolling this team is hard to contain on the ground and the air as the threat of play action comes into the picture.  With Jacobs struggling, suddenly play action is an afterthought and you’re literally playing man on man football out there with little hope of holding LBs and DBs with the play action.

Luckily for the G-Men, when the Beast can’t find any traction they can turn to Derrick Ward, whose exceptional lateral quickness and fluidity pose a problem for defenders who are digging in to slow down Jacobs.  Ward started off with a 22 yard run over right tackle, and proceeded to pound out runs of 9, 8, 9, 14 and 22 yards on a day when Brandon Jacobs longest run WAS a 9 yarder.  Overall “Wind”…or “Fire” (the debate rages on but if it was me, I’d pick Fire as no one wants to be Wind.  Imagine Bob Papa using the nicknames…”Wind breaks a big one, and no one was anywhere near him, first down New York”…) finished with 80 yards on 9 carries and gave the Giants ground game the spark it desperately needed after Brandon Jacobs found little room to operate.

Ahmad Bradshaw was again oddly underused, only touching the ball 3 times for 7 yards, but made the most of his only catch.  #44 leaped high in the middle on a 1st down pass from Manning to snag the pass and make something out of nothing.

Wide Receivers: Steve Smith started the game strong hauling in Eli’s first two passes, and finished with 7 grabs for 60 yards.  More notably though, was that Smith was targeted on four 3rd down plays, converting two and falling short by one yard on the other two.  Smith’s consistency on 3rd down and his ability to find soft spots in the defense are making him yet another valuable member of the Giants’ offensive attack and someone defenses are going to have to account for eventually if he keeps getting open on big 3rd downs.  Smith’s best play was a 15 yard jaunt on a nifty slip screen he ran, slipping past blocks from Domenik Hixon and Plaxico Burress on a 3rd and 14 that kept the Giants drive alive long enough for John Carney to boot big blue to a 16-13 lead early in the 4th quarter.  Amani Toomer appeared to make a bad sight adjustment on the first pass he saw from Eli, but just like the rest of the team, Amani made the plays he had to make in crunch time.  Toomer finished with a solid 5 grabs for 64 yards, none more important or impressive than his tip toe job on a 31 yard pass on 3rd and 10 in overtime that put the Giants in position for the win.

Eli’s favorite toy, Plaxico Burress was rudely taken away by the Bengals, presumably because Eli wasn’t sharing again.  Burress was held to 3 catches for 45 yards, but like the rest of his teammates he made the play when it mattered hauling in a perfect Manning pass for a 28 yard gain on the 2nd play of the Giants’ game winning drive.  Burress did drop a catchable dig on the Giants first scoring drive.  Domenik Hixon might be my next man crush, despite appearing to have a mediocre 3 catch 29 yard effort.  Hixon fought Mark Ingram style for a first down on his first catch, a 12 yard gain that required #87 to fight through two tackles to make the yard marker.

Tight Ends: Eli, this is Kevin, Kevin, meet Eli.  Kevin Boss appeared on the stat sheet finally, hauling in 3 passes for 51 yards and a go ahead TD in the 4th quarter when his team needed him most.  Boss’ first real grab of the year was a 21 yard strike that Boss looked in beautifully and held on to.  As has been the case since pre-season game 1, Boss’ blocking continues to improve.  Boss again had a big gain despite being held by LB Rashan Jeanty on a pretty crossing route that gained 26 yards.  Michael Matthews had some issues on the edge early when the Bengals ran some funky fronts but as a lead blocker from H-Back/Full back spot, Matthews continues to pack a wallop.

O-Line: This is where this week’s review gets interesting.  Ordinarily I’d look to Eli or the WRs as to why a drive failed, or perhaps a missed blitz pickup by a RB but right out of the gate, the OL failed to pave the way for a 3rd and 1 run on the Giants’ first possession.  Upon first glance it appeared that Madison Hedgecock failed to seal off LB Dhani Jones, but even if Hedgecock makes that block, Jacobs has no hole to run through.  RG Chris Snee failed to hold his block on DT John Thornton who combined with Jones to snuff out the play.  I can’t kill the guys though, they did not give up a sack on the day, but Eli was hurried more than is usual.

Front 7: Author’s Note: Given the varied fronts and personnel packages the Giants use under Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, I’ll be looking at the front 7 as a whole initially rather than separating the D-line and Linebackers.  Hybrid roles such as LBs playing in a 3 point stance make analyzing the front 7 as one unit more cohesive.  It may change as we move forward or from game to game.

The Giants fearsome defensive line started off strong, with the seemingly healthy Mathias Kiwanuka exploding past RT Levi Jones to force QB Carson Palmer up in the pocket and into the chubby waiting arms of DT Fred Robbins.  In fact, all four starters landed on Palmer as he came crashing down for the game’s first of six sacks.  Robbins notched two sacks for the 2nd consecutive week and was as usual holding the point of attack seemingly by himself.  Robbins was held more than a newborn at a Grandma Convention, though and was absolutely mauled on Chris Perry’s bogus 25 yard TD run.  I’m not one to complain (yes I am), but Robbins’ facemask was practically ripped off and S Michael Johnson was being held at the POA to the point that he was totally turned around as he tried to pursue Perry downfield.  Teams just don’t run on the Giants like that unless someone missed an assignment badly and in this case it was the officials BADLY missing one hands to the face and one blatant hold.  (Former offensive lineman and frequent holder turned annoying broadcaster Dan Dierdorf called it “getting caught up in the wash” which must be idiot for “wow did you see that holding?”)

The rest of the game would not be as easy as the first drive as the Bengals put together five scoring drives.  Early on, aggressiveness was the Giants friend and foe as DE Justin Tuck lost contain on Chris Perry 12 yard run on the Bengals first scoring drive.  Tuck played a fairly quiet game by his standards coming up with 4 total tackles and no sacks but he’s becoming a marked man and will have to learn how to deal with that in coming weeks as the competition improves.  Carson Palmer took advantage of the Giants man coverage and pass rush, ducking a pressure from Kiwanuka and rambling for a 15 yard gain on 3rd and 10 to give the Bengals a 1st goal at the Giants 6.  With tight man coverage, those big holes will appear in the middle of the field if the front four does get to the QB, something to keep in mind when we face more mobile QBs down the road.  I’m not thinking of one QB in particular, or even two, but maybe one who likes Chunky Soup, complaining, and tight silver pants or one with a goofy smile, dimwitted girlfriend, and crying WR at his side.  No one in particular mind you, just…just thoughts.

Kiwanuka notched his only sack on a big 3rd down play as the first half was winding down, again flying around LT Levi Jones and dropping Carson Palmer.

DE Dave Tollefson did notch a sack but was badly kicked out on Perry’s TD run and too often rushed upfield and flew right past the pocket.  I love Tollefson’s hustle, but he needs to play with better leverage and stop thinking he’s Frankie Ferrara II out to “smash puny QBs dead…hmmph!”  Tollefson is a solid rotational player but his aggressiveness and inability to anchor against the run will be a liability.

Barry Cofield started to heat up as well, coming up with 4 tackles, a sack, and one batted ball (ouch).  Cofield’s sack was an impressive play, chasing down Carson Palmer from behind and just tripping up the Bengal QB as he was running out of the pocket.

MLB Antonio Pierce collected a game high 13 tackles.  I say collected because it wasn’t like he was all over the field, I guess he just kind of meandered his way to that many tackles like an old lady picking up change on the street.

Film Room Rewind: Something jumped out at me when the 30th ranked run defense in the NFL suddenly toughened up and stuffed Brandon Jacobs and one of the NFL’s very best running attacks on the Giants’ first drive of the game.  More guys than you can block at the POA, pretty simple really.  Maybe I don’t notice it in other games, but on the very first series of the game, with the Giants offense facing a very manageable 3rd and 1 against a porous defense, the Bengals broke out the famed “Desert Swarm” front also known as the Double Eagle Flex alignment.  There are variations on the front as with any formation, but essentially the idea is to have a nose tackle lined up on the center’s weakside, use two tackles in a “3” technique, stretch one DE out wide of the formation and have a “Flex” player at or near the line of the scrimmage to act as a 5th down lineman/extra LB.  Early on, the Bengals used this front to really confound the Giants’ blocking schemes, and for the first time this season the OL looked a bit confused on who to block.

The “strong side” of the formation where the DE lines up wide seeks to clamp down the edge and force plays back inside where the NT is tying up the center and preventing him from reaching the second level by lining up on his weak shoulder (the non snapping hand generally).  Brandon Jacobs tested the strong side on 3rd and 1 on the Giants’ first possession only to find MLB Dhani Jones in his gap as center Shaun O’Hara was unable to make the reach block after being tied up by NT Domata Peko.

The “weak side” of the formation seemingly invites you to run to it, with only one DL playing between the OG and the OT and only two LBs to hold the edge.  The problem is that if the DE is able to slip that block and re-route the RB outside where an unblocked SS and LB await your run goes nowhere.  This is precisely what happened on the Giants’ second drive when Jacobs was stuffed for a 2 yard gain on 2nd and 9 after DE Robert Geathers knifed between Snee and McKenzie forcing Jacobs wider than he should have gone and he was taken down in the hole by backside pursuit.

Defensive Backs: Statistically speaking a rough day for the usually solid secondary, on the surface anyway.  Carson Palmer had by far his best outing of the year, throwing for 286 yards, 1 TD, and no INTs, despite being sacked 6 times.  When your top three CBs combine for 22 tackles and 5 of your top 6 tacklers for the game are from the secondary, it really means one thing – your opponent threw the ball all day long.  Indeed Palmer and the Bengals did just that, attempting 45 of their 72 plays through the air, clearly indicating an intention to exploit the Giants secondary.

When you consider that 62.5% of the time the Bengals were airing it out and they only gained 5.4 yards per pass (6.7 for Eli and Company), the secondary actually did its job fairly well.  CB Corey Webster flew in on an early blitz to kill the Bengals first drive, and finished with 8 tackles, a sack and one forced fumble.  CB Aaron Ross was busy with 5 tackles and he combined with S Michael Johnson on a key 3rd down stop inside the 5 to topple TE Reggie Kelly and force the Bengals to settle for a FG.  CB Kevin Dockery had a tough time containing WR Antonio Chatman and the entire secondary had trouble with Houshma…zadamama…adaeh.  Why can’t that idiot change his name, NOO, it’s the guy named Johnson who pulls that, not the guy with 47 letters in his surname.  Dockery did make a TD saving play by ripping the ball out of TE Daniel Coates’ hands and as always played well in the running game, coming up on two great stops, dumping Chris Perry and DeDe Dorsey on a point-less drive late in the 3rd quarter.  Even old man Sam Madison made a play when he had to, as he swatted away a 3rd and 8 pass from Palmer in OT that forced the Bengals to punt tripping up Chris Perry on a 2nd and 14.

S James Butler went 1 for 2 against talented WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (the TV is paused and his name is on the screen otherwise I’d have called him #84 or awful hair), knocking away one end zone pass and just missing another on the Bengals go ahead drive in the 4th quarter.  S Kenny Phillips had a great strip of Chad Ocho Stupido to keep the Bengals at bay late in the first half.

The Bengals seemed content to throw short and let their WRs do the damage, but once the Giants DBs caught on, the RAC yards were limited and all in all the Giants DBs did a a solid job considering that they were targeted over 60% of the game.

Special Teams: The coverage units weren’t awful, holding KR Glenn Holt to a 19 yard average on kick returns, but the kudos go to K John Carney, who just seems automatic on field goals, going 4 for 4 with the overtime winner.  On the season, Carney is 9 for 9 on field goals and I pray seriously making Tom Coughlin think first about cutting him for the rapidly healing Lawrence Tynes.

Coaching: Tom Coughlin won’t hear any mess about his team coming out flat, but if the Giants were a chick, they’d have been k.d. Lang on Sunday: Flat, boring, and incredibly hard to look at for very long.  In my experience though, that’s not on the coaches, it’s merely the up and down mental aspect of football.  Some games you just cannot get into the game as you usually do, no matter who yells, screams or tries to inspire.  The team wasn’t ill prepared, they just didn’t bring their A game, and that will happen.  The key though, is that when the game was on the line, Kevin Gilbride put the keys in Eli’s hands and he delivered the game winner.  Steve Spagnuolo’s defense did get beaten at times to the tune of a season high 347 yards, but again when it mattered most his unit (teehee) did its job, holding the Bengals to a critical 3 and out in OT.

Despite the win though, I thought Gilbride was a bit too reliant on Brandon Jacobs early, though in his defense that patience eventually paid off last week vs. the Rams after Jacobs started very slowly.  Derrick Ward was by far more effective against the 8 and 9 man fronts than Jacobs was and I would have liked to see Ahmad Bradshaw get his crack a bit earlier to expose the Bengals lack of speed on defense.

JPog (Joey’s Player of the Game) – It has to be Easy E, no one else really stood out in this game and when we had to have a score, Eli finds a way.  Ernie Accorsi may have done some silly things in his time, and sure no one needs to hear another Bert Jones or John Elway story but the “magic” he saw Eli is real.  It’s not that cheap pull my finger type of magic that I dazzle my nieces and nephews with either, it’s an intangible quality that after watching Eli play, you just start to see.  For his efforts, Eli will be given an Ernie Accorsi replica hairpiece (yeah I’ve heard it’s real I don’t buy it though).

JBog (Joey’s Bum of the Game) – It’s not as easy to be mean as you guys think it is.  At heart, I’m a super terrific happy fun guy, but I suppose it must be done.  Brandon Jacobs, come on down and receive your JBoG.  You did nothing wrong pal, the Bengals just game planned for you but you netted 35 yards on 14 carries for a 2.5 ypc average AND you let another pass bounce off of your hands.  Sure you scored a TD and for that I will give you credit but you were shut down completely and didn’t seem to be the usual exuberant super terrific happy fun back that you normally are.  Your punishment this week, is to wear an “I’m no Christian Okoye” T-Shirt.

(Box Score – Cincinnati Bengals at New York Giants, September 21, 2008)

New York Giants 16 – Washington Redskins 7

Summary: The New York Giants march to another successful season came in like a lion last Thursday night (for one half anyway), as 79,742 erupted at the sight of #92 stepping out of a Giant Lombardi Trophy to introduce his former teammates.  Momentum was an early ally for the Giants, as the disrespected champs scored on their first four drives and forced the Redskins to punt on 3 of their first four possessions en route to an early 16-0 lead that would never really be challenged.  Total yardage in the first half was a lopsided 241 for the Giants and 51 for the Redskins in a game that was nowhere near as close as the final 16-7 score indicated.

That momentum on both sidelines seemed to disappear in the second half as both squads combined for eight punts and zero points in what can only be described as a dreadful second half of football.  What is becoming a Tom Coughlin staple though, is taking what the defense gives you, protecting the ball and essentially trying to play keep away while unleashing a maniacal defense.  Indeed the blueprint for success for this franchise was written last year, and it appears to be back in full swing.

Three big things stood out in this game to me:  1) Tom Coughlin wants to play as many people as he can to be prepared as the inevitable war of attrition that is the NFL season plays out.  2) Eli Manning and his WRs need more practice time, period.  Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer and Steve Smith missing large portions of the summer hurt the offensive timing, and it will take time to get it working.  3) Steve Spagnuolo will find a way to disrupt offenses without his two top ends from a year ago and Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka will be one hell of a tandem for teams to deal with all year all long.

Quarterbacks:  Eli Manning’s night typified the entire game, exciting early and ugly late.  The Super Bowl MVP was in lock step with WR Plaxico Burress, completing 3 passes for 60 yards to the angular WR on the game’s first drive but also making a few risky passes as the game wore on.  Manning completed two big 3rd down passes, one each to Steve Smith and Plaxico Burress, who found holes in the secondary to exploit on the Giants first drive.  Similar to the end of last season, Manning was again throwing with confidence and never looked rattled.  The formerly skittish Manning stood in against a well-designed safety blitz, moved up in the pocket and fired a bullet to Burress, that gave the Giants first and goal from the six yard line.  Eli also showed off some rarely seen nimble feet, outracing Jason Taylor and juking…yes JUKING LB Rocky McIntosh on the way to the game’s only TD.

Manning’s ability to find the soft spots in the Redskins secondary and exploit them is yet another step in his maturation as a QB.  I make the mistake of seeing the Super Bowl MVP and assume he’s done growing as a QB, but Eli continues to progress.  Number 10 deftly looked off talented FS LaRon Landry on a deep pass to Burress early in the game and continued to keep Redskin DBs off balance all night with his improving field vision.  Eli didn’t look comfortable throwing to Amani Toomer though, the two missing badly on a key red zone pass and a 2nd and 2 inside Redskins territory as the Giants were driving.

Eli did struggle in the second half, rushing a throw to Burress that was nearly picked off by CB Carlos Rogers, then after avoiding the rush, he sailed a ball over the head of FB Madison Hedgecock and followed that up with a stinker of a 3rd and 10 pass that badly missed WR Steve Smith.  He finished his iffy stretch with a hurried throw to Kevin Boss that ended being picked off by Fred Smoot but with the exception of a few hurried throws, Eli played a solid game.

Running Backs: Brandon Jacobs, rush chairman, damn glad to meetcha.  If anyone in the NFL had a lingering doubt about #27’s ability to take over a game, get to the edge or plant safeties in time for the fall harvest, it was put to rest on opening night.  Jacobs shook off a few ugly pre-season drops, fumbles and missed blitz pickups and dominated the smaller Redskins LBs and DBs right off the bat, racking up 116 yards on only 21 carries.  Jacobs got his head-shaking play out of the way early, slapping LB Marcus Washington in the face after an incomplete pass that fell at his feet.  BJ see pass, BJ drop pass.  Jacobs missed yet another nice easy swing pass from Eli on the Giants second drive, which paved the way for Derrick Ward’s first meaningful action since gashing Chicago last season for 154 yards in week 13.  Ward carried 9 times for a respectable 39 yards, again showing natural running ability and fluidity that is just a pleasure to behold.  Ward’s first tote was a key 3rd down to the right that gained 5 yards and a first down.  Right back into the game though was the 265lb hammer who “Jake Rolled” hard hitting, trash talking S LaRon Landry on the way to the most violent 17 yard run you’ll ever see.  Landry did learn his lesson though, flying in at Jacobs’ ankles on the the Beast’s 24 yard run in the 2nd quarter that I’m sure had every Redskin fan worried that #27 was running free like the Schlitz Malt Liquor Bull through their secondary.

Jacobs finally did make a grab early in the 2nd half and made S Reed Doughty pay at the end, though it fell just shy of a first down.  Jacobs also nearly took a 2nd half counter to the house after cutting inside, juking LaRon Landry in the gap and running for a quick 16 yards before being just tripped up from behind by DE Andre Carter.  Mark my words, Jacobs busts a 50+ yard TD run in the next couple of weeks.

If FB Madison Hedgecock keeps blocking like this, I’m going to start calling him Ivan Drago…”Whatever he heeetz…he destroys”.  Hedgecock was again critical in the power running game, leading the way for Jacobs 116 yard effort and routinely clearing the path for Giant runners.

Wide Receivers: It’s amazing what $35 million can do to a man’s ankle and general outlook on life.  Plaxico Burress, fresh off of game day contract signing, made the Redskins pay handsomely as well last Thursday.  The suddenly pain free and widely grinning Burress hauled in 10 balls for 133 yards after again missing the entire pre-season with a balky ankle.  Burress outran Redskin coverages all night, as he and Manning played pitch and catch with an over-matched secondary.  If nickel CB Fred Smoot had a nickel for every time Burress abused him, well let’s see 10 x $ .05 is $.50 and with gas prices at $3.50 per gallon, inflation….falling home prices….bear market…hmm.  Save your money Fred and just hang on for Plax’s return on November 30th.  Nearly every time Burress caught a pass he was running a dig against a soft cover 2 or just outrunning the CB to the sideline in single high coverage.  Burress’ comfort level with Eli and this offense is evident, as he and Eli just seem to know what the other is doing at every spot.  If Burress is healthy all year and practicing, I have no idea how any DB can keep him down.

Not as comfortable though was Amani Toomer (a quiet 2 catches for 12 yards) who cut off a post pattern that was almost intercepted by Fred Smoot in the end zone.  Obviously Eli expected Toomer to keep going across the CBs face, but Toomer pulled up.  Chalk that up to plenty of missed practice time for Toomer this summer as well.

Steve Smith should change his name to Chains, because that dude always finds the first down links on 3rd down.  Sure only 2 grabs, but both on 3rd down and both for first downs.  Not bad for another WR who missed most of his rookie year and most of training camp with nagging leg injuries.

Sinorice Moss is famous for making a big play in the Senior Bowl, so it stands to reason that he should be good for one good play per game in blue.  Gimpy Smurf absolutely abused fast talking CB Fred Smoot on a deep out route, and pulled down a 23 yard on another 3rd down throw from Eli Manning.  That was it for the 5-8 former Hurricane, as he is only permitted one play per game.

Tight Ends: Zero catches for zero yards for Jeremy Shockey’s replacements.  A stat line like that may have sent the former #80 into a petulant frenzy, but current Giant TEs Kevin Boss and Mike Matthews did their jobs blocking and nary a peep was heard.  Yes it is a bit sour grapes of me to say, but I miss the big lug and wish things had turned out differently for all involved.  (I will now officially move on and put my #80 jersey in a box I like to call, “When Grandpa wasn’t crazy”.  I’m assuming I’ll be bat poo crazy by the time I have grandkids and I’ll want them to know I was at one time, not a drooling complaining guy with single malt breath-wait that’s me now.)  Matthews lined up at FB on Jacobs earth shattering 17 yard run over of LaRon Landy and did a great job sealing off his side, keeping LB Rocky McIntosh out of Jacob’s running lane.  Darcy Johnson had a shot for a big play on the Giants 3rd drive but Manning just overthrew the 3rd stringer on a deep seam pass.

Boss showed some inexperience on a Derrick Ward off tackle run, allowing LB Rocky McIntosh to stay square to the line of the scrimmage and stuff Ward for only a 3 yard gain.  Boss is big enough and strong enough to stone a LB, but he seems content to “stalk block” on the edge and hope his RB picks the right hole.  Getting the defender who is in the running lane to commit to one side though, is the key to blocking on the edge and Boss has got to learn to keep defenders from staying square where they can move laterally to either side to make a play, and force them to pick a side and block them out of the whole.  On the other side of that equation though, is that if Boss is too aggressive in that pursuit, he can lunge and miss badly and allow the defender to penetrate and completely disrupt the play.

O-Line: On the whole a good game from Eli Manning’s favorite quintet, but there was enough pressure from the Redskins in the pass rush department to make things a bit dicey throughout the game on offense.  Redskin blitzers came free twice on the first drive of the game, both times though, Manning was able to avoid catastrophe by throwing the ball away and stepping up in the pocket to complete a key 3rd down pass.  The running game however was another story, as the Giants front five just dominated the Redskins for most of the night en route to 154 yards on the ground for a healthy 4.8 yard average.

On the Giants fourth drive of the night, the front five put on a clinic for the first 9 plays of the drive (4 carries for 40 yards), but much like the rest of the Giants offense they just couldn’t finish the drive as Jacobs was summarily stuffed on a 3rd and 2 at the Redskin 26 yard line.  Redskin DE Jason Taylor may have played hurt, or he may have been auditioning a new dance partner, either way RT Kareem McKenzie just flat out dominated the All Pro end and erstwhile “Dancing with the Stars” contestant.

The OL had trouble picking up the Redskins blitzes early in the second half which forced Eli into some shaky throws and kept this game from being a blowout.  LT David Diehl gave up inside pressure to Andre Carter who combined with Landry on a sack, but overall Diehl kept Carter in check and was as usual very good in the running game.

Front 7: Author’s Note: Given the varied fronts and personnel packages the Giants use under Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, I’ll be looking at the front 7 as a whole initially rather than separating the D-line and Linebackers.  Hybrid roles such as LBs playing in a 3 point stance make analyzing the front 7 as one unit more cohesive.  It may change as we move forward or from game to game.

I haven’t figured out how yet, but I want to keep my optimism about LDE Justin Tuck guarded until he’s played a full season as a starter.  Let me put it this way, if I was Frodo Baggins, I would want Tuck to be my Sam.  In his first real action as the Giants new LDE, Tuck came out swinging, splitting a double team and enveloping jumpy Redskin QB Jason Campbell.  Tuck evidently got to RT Stephon Heyer early as Jon Jansen’s replacement gave up a sack and false started on two of his first three snaps as a starter.

Equally as under the microscope is RDE Mathias Kiwanuka who takes over full time for Pro Bowl DE Osi Umenyiora.  Right off the bat, Kiwanuka avoided an awkward head slap by Redskin tackle Chris Samuels to drag down RB Clinton Portis on a 3rd down draw.  Kiwi’s replacement at SLB, Danny Clark made his presence felt early by alertly staying between Jason Campbell and his RB on a swing pass and batting down the failed throw, and then tripping up Clinton Portis in the hole and putting the Redskins in a 3rd and 12.  A second consecutive 3 and out was forfeited on a special teams penalty that gave the Redskins a fresh set of downs at their own 37, but the Giants D again rose to the occasion, stuffing the Redskins on two straight runs with big stops by Mathias Kiwanuka and Michael Johnson.  Kiwanuka again displayed his ability to use his long arms to keep blockers off of his feet, keep a low wide base, flatten out and make a play down the line of the scrimmage.  Anyone worrying about a drop-off from Osi, can forget that happening in the running game.  Kiwanuka may already be #72’s superior in that department.  Kiwi came up big again on a 3rd and 1 for the Redskins, knifing in from the backside to drag down Clinton Portis for no gain.  The former BC Eagle started the second half in similar fashion, again displaying great technique and hustle in the run game on the way to one of his 6 stops of his night, when he dropped Portis for a 2 yard loss.

DT Jay Alford was mysteriously called for a 15 yard personal foul that put the Skins in striking distance at the end of the first half but aside from that was quiet.  DT Fred Robbins again held the middle of the line of the scrimmage and helped keep the Redskins rushing attack in check with only 84 yards on 24 carries.  Backup DL Renaldo Wynn continued his strong play from the preseason, stacking up his side against the run and providing the much needed quality depth that makes this DL so good late in games.

Film Room Rewind: After a solid first half, the “Old Eli” resurfaced for a bit on the Giants first drive of the second half and the results were NOT pretty.  Despite settling for three field goals in the first half, the offense was moving the ball at will and Manning was in command and in sync.  The second half though, was a different story.  After a Jacobs run, pass to Jacobs and another Jacobs run to keep the chains moving, the Redskins turned up the pressure and Eli wilted a bit.  As is the case with most QBs, when the feet aren’t set, the pass will not go where you want it to.  Despite his knowledge of the offense, strong arm, and command of the game, Eli is still prone to rushing his throws when things start to break down around him.  On that first drive after a good first half, Eli threw three very bad incompletions in a row, each time drifting back to buy time but also preventing him from stepping into his throws, resulting in a near interception and two badly off target balls.

On the very next series, after the Giants gained 30 yards on two plays, Eli let the pressure get to him on a rollout as DE Andre Carter closed in and caused another errant throw.  In an effort to slow down the now blitzing Redskins, Kevin Gilbride made a smart call on a rollout to buy Eli some time, but the veteran DE read it and closed in on Manning forcing him to again throw off balance into the arms of the oft abused Fred Smoot.  Eli’s inconsistency can be maddening at times, but it appears that his Achilles heel is pressure in his face.  He’s faced it down before as he did against Philly and Denver in his epic early comebacks, and he avoided it well early against the Redskins.  Again, it comes back to consistency and Eli’s consistency against pressure is just not there yet.  One minute he wings a great pass to David Tyree because he takes time set his feet, square his shoulders and let it fly and in a similar instance he launches a duck to Fred Smoot because he never had the time to set up.

The good news is, it was the aberration in this game, not the norm but expect teams to focus on the rough patch and try to duplicate it.

Defensive Backs: Corey Webster’s personal vendetta against my criticism seems to be paying off for the former LSU Tiger.  C-Web swatted away a lazy Jason Campbell pass on 3rd down which would have resulted in another 3 and out if not for a roughing the kicker penalty on new DE Jerome McDougle.  Webster very alertly came off his outside WR to the slot to hammer WR Santana Moss to the ground on a 3rd and 8 that again stopped the Redskins short of a first down.  S Michael Johnson started his sophomore campaign well, coming up to pop RB Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts on back to back plays and being very active in run support.  Aaron Ross again showed off his good blitzing ability, forcing Campbell into an errant 3rd down pass and on his best play of the night, ran step for step with Giant killer Santana Moss and batted away what would have been a TD in years past.

Kenny Phillips showed up on the stat sheet when he made a great break on the ball, cutting down fellow rookie Devin Thomas on 3rd down to stop yet another Redskins drive.  Kenny will be “Bud” no more, at least until he deserves it.  I think giving him a catchy nickname got to his head and his play has tailed off, so I want to back off the kid a little and let him just play football.

Special Teams: Kickoff coverage was again shaky as Redskin pinball Rock Cartwright rolled to a 29 yard average on returns.  Adding insult to injury was ex-Eagle Jerome McDougle committing a roughing the kicker penalty on a 4th and 12 that resulted in a first down for the Redskins.  The old guys did what old guys do; they just puttered along doing their thing.  K John Carney was 3 for 3 on FGs and finished with 10 points and I never once feared he’d miss.  Odd Feeling.  P Jeff Feagles, 4 punts, 3 inside the 20 and one returned for negative 2 yards.  Not bad old man, not bad at all.

All of the Giants momentum that led to the 16 point lead was almost erased with 2:00 left in the first half when Rock Cartwright raced 50 yards and set up the Skins for their only points of the night.  Michael Johnson was in position, but simply outran the kick and failed to break down in time to slow Cartrwright.  These are fundamental special teams errors that just simply HAVE to improve.  Abysmal kickoff coverage started in the pre-season and has not improved yet.

Coaching: Tom Coughlin found the formula last January, and he’s sticking to the blue print.  Run the ball, control the clock, take what the defense gives you and unleash Steve Spagnuolo and his bag of tricks on helpless offenses around the league.  I don’t know what image of Steve Spagnuolo I get in my head more often; the mad scientist in a smoky laboratory with assistants Mike Waufle, Bill Sheridan and Peter Giunta playing Igors, carrying beakers and cackling about new blitz ideas…”It’s aliiiivee…IT’S ALLIIIIIVE” or given Spag’s northern roots is he more Arnold Horseshack yelling out…”OOOOHHHOOOHOOOHH MISTA COUGHLIN” ?  A question that will haunt me for eternity.  The mad scientist was at it again opening night, mixing in dime defenses that confused Jason Campbell and blitzers coming from every angle that frightened him into some truly bad throws.  Spags also kept a solid rotation of players and kept everyone fresh, which is a key element to his fast paced pressure scheme.

I’d love to blame Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride for the red zone issues the Giants had, but when Derrick Ward fails to pick up one yard on 3rd down at the 6, Amani Toomer cuts off a route in the end zone and no one sells a screen to Derrick Ward at the 10 yard line…well I start to realize that it’s an execution thing.  My only complaint with Gilbride in the red zone is that he seems to grab a play out a bag and call it, but again if he called the same plays inside the 20 I suppose I’d complain about lack of creativity.  At some point though Giant fans, it’s on the guy in the game to execute those plays down there with some more precision.

JPog (Joey’s Player of the Game) – I couldn’t decide who should get the JPoG this week so I paid a visit to Redskin Park which happens to be 5 minutes from my office and decided to ask the Redskins who THEY thought it should be.  To a man, they all swore it should have been London Fletcher, who had an amazing 17 tackles but this is BBI not Extremeskinrash so I had to pick a Giant…but how?  Well I decided the name that I heard the most would be the guy I chose.  So as I made my way to the DB meeting room, I saw a young man of about 6-0 and 202 lbs who I swear hailed from Metarie, LA and asked him who he thought the Giants best player was.  “Giants…Jacobs…go boom…Jacobs go boom on me…Jacobs go boom…low…get low dey say…lowwww…lowww…Jacobs go boom”.  Turns out he meant Brandon Jacobs, and it was LaRon Landry who appeared so shaken.  Anyway B-Jac, congratulations on your first ever JPoG (official anyway) and enjoy your size XXXXXXXXXXXL “Hulk Smash” T-shirt with authentic bits of Redskin safety blended right in.

JBog (Joey’s Bum of the Game) – It hurts to do this.  I don’t want to do this, we won and I love my team.  The integrity of the JBoG is at stake, so I must give it to…Amani Toomer.  I know I know he’s old, he’s a veteran, he’s shifty, crafty and wily but he was rusty from missing practice time.  Toomer stopped on a crossing route in the end zone that almost resulted in an INT, then he stopped running on a comeback route deep in Redskins territory that was again almost picked.  Most bothersome though was to follow up the 2nd and 2 miscue, Toomer completely missed his seal block on LB Marcus Washington and almost tip toed out of the way after missing it, killing yet another drive deep in enemy territory.  You’re not a bum Amani, I dig you man but you made some stinkers out there.

(Box Score – Washington Redskins at New York Giants, September 4, 2008)

New York Jets 10 – New York Giants 7

Summary: Resiliency. The Giants of 2007 defined the term, after being counted out before the season even began, and every step of the way through a roller coaster season and playoff run. Everyone despairing over the loss of Osi Umenyiora, I recommend that you re-watch the Super Bowl Intro from last year, and take those words to heart. If you’ve given up already, then you have no idea what this team is made of. Is it realistic to expect a repeat or a deep playoff run when your two top defensive ends from a year ago are on the set at Fox and in a recovery room? Of course it’s not. Have we counted these guys out before? Whether you admit it or not, of course we have.

“We had teammates go down, and we never lost a beat.” – 2007 New York Giants

As for the game itself, it was as boring as you can possibly ask for with a side helping of sloppy. The Giants offense sputtered for most of the first half until a 13 play 63 yard effort that resulted in a missed FG from Josh Huston. Not nearly the train wreck I thought it would be upon closer inspection, the Giants simply looked out of sync and were a few missed blocks and assignments away from being the offense they need to be to play winning football this year. Game planning should help that considerably as well. Big Blue looked shaky offensively throughout the night, but again more out of sync than alarmingly bad. With the lack of practice time the starting unit has had, the passing game and offense overall will suffer until the entire team is healthy and practicing together.

Defensively, the Giants attacking defense looked strong right out of the gate, but the Jets put together two 7 play drives in the 2nd quarter in which the Giants pass rush slowed considerably. At first glance it appeared that defense was tiring and indeed a lack of depth up front will hurt this team (or any team for that matter) if the running game and the offense do not control the clock. I will say it again, it is only pre-season but when you see the Giants young talented and athletic front seven sucking wind midway through the second quarter it makes you stand up and take notice. Did the loss of Umenyiora deflate the team, or is the defensive line rotation that much weaker now that it’s top two ends are gone?

Now, the 2008 Giants have to replace two Pro Bowl caliber defensive ends and a perennial Pro Bowl TE if they hope to have a successful season. Strahan is not on the way, Osi is laid up after surgery and Shockey is frolicking with his old friend Sean Payton in New Orleans, certain life will be better away from the bright lights and big city.

“We have faced this challenge before, do you dare count us out again?” – Sam Madison. Well Giant faithful, do you?

Quarterbacks: Eli Manning and the Giants offense produced absolutely nothing on the scoreboard in the first half against the Jets, after looking strong right off the bat with a 13 yard out to Amani Toomer and a bullet to Domenik Hixon for 22 yards on a beautifully thrown corner route. Number 10 then just overshot Hixon, and then held the ball far too long on 2nd down, resulting in a 2 yard loss as Calvin Pace came free from his OLB spot. Four and a half seconds should be plenty of time to get rid of the ball Eli. Manning had no shot on the Giants second drive, as he was taken down on a badly missed blitz pickup and dropped for a 10 yard loss and saw a screen pass to Brandon Jacobs go for only 5 on 3rd and 17. I assume Dan Reeves was given honorary play calling duties on the Giants next possession. I could almost hear Reeves’ Georgia twang in the headset – “Let’s go ahead and go with three running playshs, one nice safe short pashs and a punt. I’m old, I hate New York and I have to call Tommy Maddox before night night time and make sure he’shs all tucked eenn.” Eli’s pass to his new favorite WR Domenik Hixon was nicely thrown over the middle in the traffic but once again the Giants went nowhere as the first quarter ended. The next possession wasn’t much better: 4 plays for 23 yards and a punt.

Overall Manning had a solid outing going 10-17 for 113 yards in a half of play. His first four drives ended in punts, but his passes were crisp and he again looked decisive and ready to play. Eli once again ran a nice 2 minute drive but was undone by Sinorice Moss on two consecutive plays inside the goal line. Adding to the train wreck on offense, Eli then stepped right into Calvin Pace as he was dropping back and was dumped for a 16 yard loss. Ugly end to one ugly half of football. On the bright side, Eli seems to really have perfected is his ability to hit the intermediate out route with timing and accuracy. With all of his weapons back soon, Eli looks ready to continue his progression into the upper echelon of NFL QBs.

David Carr went 2 for 2, so that’s good. He also looked yippy in the pocket again, taking two sacks almost immediately upon entering the game and almost falling down on the handoff that resulted in Ahmad Bradshaw’s three yard scoring scamper. Carr got sacked four times and quite honestly he looks likes he wants to be wrapped up and tossed around by big sweaty defenders.

Andre’ Woodson finally got to use his arms for something other than holding a clipboard or handing Eli water. Woodson’s release is sloooowww, as advertised, but he sets up quickly and has solid footwork. Despite going 3 for 8, Woodson hit Mario Manningham for 33 yards on a beautifully thrown go route and showed solid pocket awareness unlike his predecessor. Not too bad of a job for Woodson, though his debut was very short lived and he almost coughed up a bad INT deep in Jets territory. For what it’s worth, Woodson passes the eyeball test.

Running Backs: Brandon Jacobs once again let the mental aspect of his game slip, badly missing ILB David Harris on the Giants second drive, resulting in a quick sack of QB Eli Manning and a drive killing 10 yard loss. When the opposition rushes only 4, and 5 OL and a 265lb RB cannot pick it up, you’re going to be in for a long night offensively. Jacobs slipped trying to cut inside on a on a well designed screen on the very next play, opting to try to outrun a CB to the lane instead of taking it right at him. Jacobs seems to be developing a habit of hitting what he should and can avoid and trying to avoid what he should instead hit. I don’t know if it’s ego or lack of awareness, but his poor decision making has to drive the coaches batty at times. Jacobs looked inspired on the Giants next drive, ripping off a beautiful 19 yard counter that showed off his speed, cutback ability and power but then got stuffed on a 3rd and 1 as he ran too high and appeared to lose the handle on the ball for a second. Other than his 19 yard run, Jacobs struggled to get 7 yards on his 5 other carries.

Derrick Ward was the Giants most effective back against the hated green boogery stupid jerkface Jets. I’m sorry for the coarse language, but when Big E, our fearless editor, said of the Jets – “They are a second-rate team and their fans are turds” I just got really caught up in hating the Jets again. Ward looked like his explosion has returned after breaking his leg last year, as evidenced by his nifty 17 yard scamper through the Jets defense as the first half wound down. Ahmad Bradshaw continued his strong running from a week ago, bulling his way for 28 yards on 7 carries and the Giants’ lone touchdown of the evening. FB Robert Douglas won’t make this squad, but he is giving it everything he has, slamming into defenders and flying around on special teams. Danny Ware again ran hard, though he got only 4 carries. Ware does make the most of every carry though, slamming into defenders and always moving forward.

Wide Receivers: Domenik Hixon continued to make plays, hauling in 3 passes for 51 yards, including a perfectly timed route with Eli Manning for 22 yards on the game’s first possession. Hixon however misread CB Darrelle Revis’ alignment and failed to make an out cut on a 3rd down pass from Manning that fell just incomplete. Given Hixon’s penchant for learning from his mistakes, I doubt he misreads that again. Hixon made another nice 22 yard catch and run on a crossing route that he and Manning both read perfectly. It wasn’t a 3 TD night for Hixon, but he’s here to stay as a WR and it’s clear he and Manning are developing some chemistry. Amani Toomer made his return, brief though it was, nabbing a 13 yard out and calling it a night. If not for Plaxico Burress’ magically healing ankle, second year WR Steve Smith would win the first annual “Missing Camper Award” after missing weeks in Albany with various leg ailments. Smith made an impact in his return, hauling in 4 passes for 37 yards and providing the same type of solid route running and dependable hands he displayed as a rookie. Sinorice Moss caught a pass, but I find myself really indifferent to him. I think if I came home from work and saw him eating my food, I’d just assume it wouldn’t last and he wouldn’t make much of an impact on my pantry. My indifference was rewarded when Annoying Smurf smurfed the ball away on a smurfy pass from Eli Smurf that should have been a Smurfdown. 1980’s childhood flashbacks…not pretty…not ever.

Mario Manningham gets his own paragraph, for finally making his NFL debut. More of a stanza really, not a true paragraph, but Manningham certainly looked fluid and made a great 33 yard catch down the sideline from fellow rookie Andre’ Woodson. Pretty Good Mario (not yet Super Mario) did fail to hang onto a 4th down pass from Woodson that could have given the Giants a chance to keep driving for a late game score.

Tight Ends: The Jets’ 3-4 pressure schemes made it a bit difficult to judge Kevin Boss’ blocking early, as some of his routes took OLB Calvin Pace down the field and another left a gaping hole for Kerry Rhodes to arrive on a blitz and force a throw away by Archie’s most boring son. Boss did get a solid knockdown on a kick out block on rookie OLB Vernon Gholston, but the effort was wasted as OT Kareem Mackenzie failed to seal off Jets’ DE Kenyon Coleman. Boss had a solid seal block on Derrick Ward’s 17 yard scamper in the 2nd quarter, providing a great lane for Ward to burst through. Boss still struggles with his power, but his technique improves each week from what I can see. Darcy Johnson awoke from his Summer slumber and had a nice 10 yard gain to get the Giants within striking distance for Ahmad Bradshaw’s TD run.

O-Line: From the box score, I assumed the front five played a poor game as Giant QBs were dumped 8 times. I totally forgot about the David Carr factor guys, I apologize for doubting you. But upon further review, it was more the entire offense that seemed out of sync. The first sack on Manning was a coverage sack (throw it away little brother) and LT David Diehl simply could not stay with Jet DE Calvin Pace on a nice spin move as Manning moved up in the pocket. To be honest, I’m not sure who was to blame on 3rd and 12 as Safety Kerry Rhodes timed his blitz perfectly, forcing Manning to throw the ball away. Given that the Jets had three down lineman and walked up three LBs to the right side of the defense, it might just be a really well designed blitz that OL coach Pat Flaherty needs to address.

The front five again showed how well they can seal cutback lanes on Brandon Jacobs 19 yard counter, but on an off tackle run in the same series, RT Kareem Mackenzie failed to seal DE Kenyon Coleman. Coleman then got into the hole and forced Jacobs outside for a 1 yard gain on what was a nicely blocked play by everyone but #67. Eli was sacked on 3rd and goal when David Diehl gave ground to Calvin Pace, but that sack is on Eli for walking right into Pace. You’re off the hook Dave, I won’t have to take your lunch money…yet.

With the exception of the blitz by Kerry Rhodes, Eli had ample time to throw and Giant runners managed 5.1 yards per carry, so despite the early hiccups, all in all a solid effort but not the most precise one. I’ll toss you guys a mulligan, mostly because if any of you sat on me, it would hurt a lot.

The backups were not good early, as David Carr got dumped on his first two pass attempts. Guy Whimper played lazy football on the edge, showing decent footwork but once again not establishing a power base and lunging far too much in pass protection. OG Kevin Boothe again showed excellent feet pulling on a few runs, but he still struggles to finish blocks on the run. If Boothe can tighten up his technique and learn to explode into defenders instead of nudging them politely, he has a shot to be a keeper at LG. Mangini and his jerky Jets did blitz relentlessly in the second half, but this is the NFL and whining about the opposition being too aggressive…that just won’t happen here.

Front 7: Author’s Note: Given the varied fronts and personnel packages the Giants use under Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, I’ll be looking at the front 7 as a whole initially rather than separating the D-line and Linebackers. Hybrid roles such as LBs playing in a 3 point stance make analyzing the front 7 as one unit more cohesive. It may change as we move forward or from game to game.

Dear Justin Tuck, if you don’t stop playing so well my wife might think I have a man crush on you. (Note to self: find out if Tucky likes flowers). Brett Favre’s Lambeau Lambasting was immediately revisited on the second play from scrimmage when Tuck once again flattened out, read the play and stuffed Broadway Brett on 2nd down. Remember the Lions offense using rollouts and bootlegs and waggles (OH MY) and looking so gosh darn sharp? It’s over. Spags and DL coach Mike Waufle went to work, and it seems Mr. Tuck was paying attention and shut down the bootleg all by himself. The Giants swarming front 7 made it an easy 3 and out on their first series.

Then LB, now DE Mathias Kiwanuka combined with Tuck on the Jets next series to clamp down their side of the LOS and let the LBs and DBs clean things up on a Thomas Jones 5 yard gain. Not a flashy play, but the type of dirty work that separates the good defenses from the great ones. Favre’s next throw was high to a wide open Chris Baker, most likely the fault of MLB Chase Blackburn not getting enough depth in his drop and keeping himself between the QB and his target. Blackburn then got steamrolled out of the way on WR Brad Smith’s 20 yard catch and run. Exactly the type of play that injured starter Antonio Pierce made in the NFC Championship game last year. AP might be slow, look out of shape and blow air horns at reporters, but he makes the plays others don’t and seeing Blackburn fail on that screen reminded me once again how valuable #58 is to this defense.

Tuck did it again on the next bootleg attempt, correctly putting himself between Favre and his receiver, but no one was in the vicinity as Blackburn and OLB Gerris Wilkinson (I think it was 59 and not 55) both bit on an inside fake and got caught up in the wash. Newly anointed SAM LB Danny Clark then shot in on the next play, timing a blitz perfectly to bring down Leon Washington for a 2 yard loss. Kiwi continued his solid game, making an outstanding open field stop on Leon Washington on 3rd and 1 to force the Jets into a 4th and 1. Wilkinson showed a good ability to read his keys and be in the right spot (9 tackles on the night) but it seems his timing is just a bit off from so much injury time. Assuming he can stay healthy, I like Gerris’ ability to hold down a spot and play solid football for us this year.

How did the often overlooked tandem of Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield do? 58 yards on 26 carries for the entire game for the Jets. I’d say they did ok. The duo won’t get much publicity, but they consistently stack up the running game and kept the Jets’ QBs from having any pocket to step up into. Giant fans, don’t underestimate the importance of that ability when judging this defense.

Renaldo Wynn looked stout again against the run and will be counted on as a big time component now with the loss of Osi Umenyiora. Wynn was drafted as a DT out of Notre Dame, so his versatility will be a big plus for this DL rotation. Just for good measure, Wynn made an INT on a zone blitz as he dropped perfectly into the flat to come up with the turnover. DT Ogemdi Nwagbuo likely won’t make this team, but he’s a guy to keep an eye on for the practice squad. O.N. (like I’m spelling that name again) had some solid push up front and did stand out on a few plays.

Film Room Rewind: Not this week, this game stunk too much and Osi got hurt. I don’t wanna. FRR will be back weekly once the real games start.

Defensive Backs: At some point, the defensive backs should just refuse to meet or practice until the front 7 stops stealing all the glory. Corey Webster flew in on a Thomas Jones 5 yard gain to seal the edge, continuing his aggressive physical play from last season. I’m starting to believe Corey, don’t let me down! You’re still behind Corey Feldman on my list of Coreys but the good news is you have finally inched past Corey Haim. “The Lost Boys”…pffft, give me “The Goonies” and Super Bowl 42 any day. On Jet WR Brad Smith’s 20 yard gain, it appeared that CBs Kevin Dockery and Aaron Ross both read the play quickly, but Dockery was just blocked out of the play. More troublesome, is that CB Aaron Ross was easily blocked out of the play and gave no physical effort to make a tackle despite being further downfield than Smith when he was tackled. That is far from the physical brand of football this defense has grown to embrace. Webster was quasi-victimized, albeit on a penalty negated 29 yard pass to Brad Smith. Two-Three had nice coverage and tracked the ball in the air, but Favre made a nice throw and Smith made a one handed grab. Sometimes the opposition just makes a nice play, and that was one of those cases. Luckily an illegal shift negated the play and the Jets were forced to punt. Ross did make an outstanding physical play upending RB Thomas Jones for a 2 yard gain in the 2nd quarter so maybe Ross just started slowly when he watched Brad Smith scamper past him in the first quarter.

S James Butler was easily the most effective player in the secondary, playing close to the LOS, making 4 tackles and really providing a physical presence in the running game. It was easily the best game I’ve ever seen Butler play.

Dockery later got absolutely smoked by WR Jerricho Cotchery but it was again negated by an illegal shift. Before that completion though, Kenny “Bud” Phillips showed how even the most ballyhooed rookie can get eaten alive by a veteran QB. Favre looked #21 off easily, removing Dockery’s deep help and exposing the Giants secondary badly. Bud did get his feet under him, nearly decapitating Marcus Henry on a deep out in which he showed outstanding sideline to sideline to speed.

Terrell Thomas got victimized by fellow rookie Dustin Keller on a seam pass. Thomas had good position but just missed the ball. “Bud” made Keller pay on a quick slant when he slammed the rookie TE to the oddly shiny Giants stadium turf. Geoffrey Pope, have fun bagging groceries. If Pope makes this team I will be absolutely shocked. You don’t give up two long completions and the game’s lone TD to backup nobodies and expect to stick.

Special Teams: Honestly, very run of the mill, nothing big on the plus or minus side. Danny Ware did have a nice 38 yard return after the Jets broke the scoreless tie in the 2nd half. Josh Huston continued to be perfect on field goal attempts this pre-season. And by perfect, I mean he has yet to fail to miss one.

Coaching: Yes yes, it is preseason and I know the old line; hell I’ve parroted it for two weeks. I just didn’t get some of the play calls if this was the last real action this offense will have until Sept. 4th. Only the 2 minute drive at the end of the first half looked planned well. It really looked like Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride was just tossing things into his big hair and pulling out whatever didn’t get stuck.

JPog (Joey’s Player of the Game) – Given the overall crappiness of this game, I’d like to give myself the JPoG for sitting through this snooze fest but that is patently against JPoG rules as no friends for family members are eligible for the award. It’s not a big honor this week but I’ll give the nod to Gerris Wilkinson, who had a few plays where he was a step late but overall was in the right place at the right time and showed a really nice feel for the running game. Wilkinson also seems to have his blitz timing down and was all over the field in the second half. GW, you will be honored with an official “Wilkerson” jersey just in case you forget how to spell..wait what? Wilkinson? Well I already stitched the letters on, get used to your new name Gerris.

JBog (Joey’s Bum of the Game) – The aforementioned oddly shiny turf gets the JBoG this week. The turf reminded me of the last girl I mistakenly dated before I found my wonderful wife. It was too shiny, not a fun playing surface and just plain mean. Thankfully the overused Field Turf at the Meadowlands will only haunt us for 2 more seasons, as the New Meadowlands will open in 2010. Good riddance to bad turf.

Good Luck with your recovery Osi, we will miss you!!! Now we’ll see if “Resiliency” was a Fox marketing ploy or what truly defines the men in this locker room.

(Box Score – New York Giants at New York Jets, August 23, 2008)

Detroit Lions 13 (1-0) – New York Giants 10 (0-1)

Summary: Coming off of their Super Bowl 42 win, one would hope the Giants mistake limiting play and sound fundamentals would now be staples of their play and not a mere aberration that carried Big Blue to an improbable World Championship. After week one in Detroit however, poor tackling, sloppy fundamentals and generally uninspired play were the impressions I came away with after reviewing the Lions 13-10 win at Ford Field.

There were bright spots to be sure, Bryan Kehl, Kenny Phillips, Justin Tuck, Danny Ware, the backup QBs and plenty of others, but the rust on this team was visible. It’s far too early to predict a Super Bowl hangover, but last Thursday night, the Giants resembled the up and down 10-6 bunch much more than the 4-0 postseason road warriors in their first outing of the new season.

Quarterbacks: Being marooned in Virginia, I was forced to TiVo the tape delayed game, and much to my chagrin, Eli Manning was as bad as I thought while I followed along on NFL.COM. Eli and the offense translated their reportedly sloppy practice habits to Ford Field last Thursday Night. Manning’s first pass was a dud that was too high for the 6’4” Brandon Jacobs on a middle screen. When Eli makes a poor pass, go back and watch his feet. I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts (mmmm doughnuts) that his feet a) weren’t set, b) weren’t set or c) weren’t set. In this case, Eli did his best Baryshnikov impression and tippy toed a pass too high for a 6’4” target. The youngest Manning’s next pass on a comeback to Amani Toomer was almost picked as Eli failed to see DE Jared DeVries sink into the hook zone in front of Toomer. The trifecta was reached at 0-3 when Eli lazily bounced another screen pass to Jacobs off of a defender’s finger tips.

Eli improved on his next series, going 2 for 3 with one bad drop by Derrick Ward on the 3rd screen pass in 11 plays, but not a good start for your reigning Super Bowl MVP. It’s too early to call the screens a troubled area, but I’ve never felt good when Eli is short arming the ball and RBs are acting like ping pong paddles. Oh for the days of a back who could catch a screen pass like Tik…hmm the name escapes me. :)

Backup QB Anthony Wright looked MUCH more familiar with the offense than he did a year ago. Wright looked decisive and ready to fight for his job, even changing the play and protection a few times in going 9-13 for 113 yards. Wright’s arm was impressive as was his overall command of the plays he ran.

QB David Carr, trying to resurrect his career as a former #1 pick, was rattled early on, but showed great quickness and a strong arm as the game progressed, accounting for the Giants’ only touchdown on a strike to former Seminole WR Craphonso Thorpe. Carr finished up 10-13 for 104 yards and one touchdown.

Running Backs: Brandon Jacobs was in mid-season form early on, ripping off a 27 yard rumble off tackle in which he made an impressive stutter step to leave Lion CB Brian Kelly crumbled to the ground. Also in mid-season form was Jacobs’ ability to catch on a tipped middle screen, but in his defense Eli put too much air under the ball. Jacobs still doesn’t square his body properly and prepare for the football and still appears to fight it like Brett Favre fights retirement; it just keeps happening and we are sick of watching it. CATCH THE BALL TWO SEVEN!

Not to be outdone, Misters Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw also refused to catch the ball, instead both opting for a game of hot potato on shallow crossing routes. You guys can run, and we all love you for it, but a checkdown who can’t catch is no longer a checkdown worth defending. Worse yet, you become a turnover waiting to happen.

Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride and RB coach Jerald Ingram better get to work diligently to fix this in practice. Any of the Giants top 3 backs in the open field is dangerous weapon, but first they have to learn to catch. Ward did chip in with a nice out route for a first down.

HB Danny Ware showed good power, good pad level and decent burst; keep an eye on him to unseat HB Reuben Droughns if the Giants keep 4 halfbacks. Ware has talent, and if any of the top 3 backs go down with an injury, Ware looks ready for his shot.

FB Madison Hedgecock = sledgehammer, that’s all you need to know.

Wide Receivers: With Super Bowl hero and noted Shower Safety Specialist extraordinaire Plaxico Burress sidelined with a Boo-Boo (What up MG?), Domenik Hixon got extended time at the split end spot and looked fairly comfortable on a solid inside release route that netted 11 yards in the first quarter and a quick slant from Wright in the 2nd quarter. Hixon has a ways to go before he’ll really crack the game day rotation, (as evidenced by not dragging his back foot on a sure TD in the 2nd quarter) but he appears to be on the verge of being a legitimate NFL WR.

Much debated WR Sinorice Moss challenged the Lions’ cover 2 zone perfectly on a 46 yard completion from Wright, pushing the corner up the field and settling in before the safety was able to recover. A heady, athletic play by Moss, let’s hope it’s a sign of things to come.

Roster long shot Brandon London did his best to secure a job in New Jersey with two good catches and one spectacular catch and run that set up the Giants only TD.

Tight Ends: Jeremy Who? Old #80’s polar opposite and eventual replacement Kevin Boss looked great in his short time on the field, bouncing off a would be tackler to open the 2nd quarter and looking every bit of his 6’6” plus frame as he bulled forward for a few extra yards. If Boss’ big 4th quarter nab in Super Bowl 42 didn’t convince you he could replace Shockey, that big hit he bounced off of should help his case. As for Boss picking up the blocking load, that remains to be seen, but on the few plays he was in, he kept his shoulders square, kept a wide base and gave maximum effort; not much more a coach or fan could ask for. Strength and experience will cure any blocking deficiency, but so far Boss looks the part. Boss did cut a route too short on a 3rd down in Lions’ territory though, resulting in a missed Lawrence Tynes Field Goal.

O-Line: The starting five looked ok in pass protection, but as has been the case in Tom Coughlin’s time, the physical aspect of their play is not quite there yet as evidenced by 6 of the first 7 running plays gaining 13 yards total. I’m nowhere near worried and no one else should be either, the physical part will catch up to the mental part as the rust gets knocked off in the next few weeks.

Backup OL Guy Whimper looks to be taking his job more seriously, and was fairly effective in both pass protection and run blocking. My only issue with Whimper is that he tends to lunge a bit too much and ends up being a “waist bender” to make contact instead of the knee bending and foot shuffling that will make him a viable starting candidate on the OL.

Backup OL Kevin Boothe looked quick pulling, but needs to be more aggressive finishing his blocks. Digger Bujnoch, you may want your agent to make a few calls on your behalf and convince someone that you’re NFL ready. I had flashbacks to “tough as a boot” Ben Fricke watching Bujnoch get shoved around by anyone with a Lion on his helmet.

Front 7: Author’s Note: Given the varied fronts and personnel packages the Giants use under Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, I’ll be looking at the front 7 as a whole initially rather than separating the D-line and Linebackers. Hybrid roles such as LBs playing in a 3 point stance make analyzing the front 7 as one unit more cohesive. It may change as we move forward or from game to game.

If Tom Brady was watching this game, I’m thinking he flinched a few times early on as the Giants front 7 was its usual active QB harassing self. Again, Coughlin’s no hitting rule probably creates the gap between the near sacks of Jon Kitna and the long completions that helped the Lions march right down the field and score on their first possession. Generally speaking, the DL looked quick and ready to go, just a half step too late, but that timing will improve as the rust wears off. Justin Tuck looked ready to assume Michael Strahan’s mantle as a two-way end on an early stuff of Tatum Bell in which he easily tossed RT George Foster and TE Michael Gaines aside to close down the cutback lane.

DT Jay Alford and Tuck combined to just miss Kitna on a big 3rd down conversion but the real culprit was SS Sammy Knight not sinking in his zone to shrink Kitna’s throwing window to Calvin Johnson. That type of mistake doomed the Giants in their first two games in 2007, let’s hope Knight learns to trust the system sooner rather than later.

DT Barry Cofield stood out in his few plays, flashing great quickness to knife in and stop a stretch play from the backside, which is simply one hell of a stop for a DT on the backside of a zone blocked stretch play. DT Fred Robbins had a nice stop on a “screw down”, taking down the OL and keeping him off of his LBs. Dirty work like that is rarely noticed but it is textbook run stopping technique and fun to watch (if you’re a nutjob like me). Robbins and the DL looked a step slow, but well coached and ready to go. Justin Tuck in particular, Giants fans…..is ready to rock and roll.

Film Room Rewind: Despite missing a tackle on Roy Williams’ TD catch, LB Mathias Kiwanuka did make the right read (or so it appeared) when the TE broke for the seam and he let him run to the deep safety. Kiwi had to change direction, flatten out and cover the flats, ultimately missing the tackle on Williams’ TD run. The issue? #97 didn’t stay square to the line of the scrimmage and got turned completely around; costing himself the half step he would have needed to bring Williams down before he scored. Had he stayed squarer, Kiwanuka would have been able to plant, pivot and keep running to close the gap on Williams, but instead he had to do a complete 180 to get to his spot. Chalk that up to technique, not recognition. Despite knocks on his coverage ability, Kiwanuka made a great read, but fell short on the technique.

Kiwanuka knifed into the backfield to stop Tatum Bell for no gain, as did new WILL LB Danny Clark, showing great quickness, anticipation and penetration.

DE Dave Tollefson continued his strong play from last year, looking stout against the run and active while pass rushing. Tollesfon plays with outstanding leverage and great anticipation; he should be fun to watch when he gets in the game.

On his first few plays LB Bryan Kehl looked a bit tentative and seemed to be playing in reverse a bit too much. Initially, Kehl appeared to be reading a bit too much but on a big 3rd down, Kehl knifed into the backfield and snuffed out the Lions drive. The new #53 has the size, speed and quickness to make an impact on this defense in the not too distant future.

Can LB Chase Blackburn do anymore to make a statement? Dude is all over the field every time I see him play.

What did concern me a bit was how caught off guard by some waggles, the Giants DL and LBs were. Aggressive defense is fun to watch (isn’t it Tampa, Dallas and Green Bay?), but they had better learn to slow down a bit and read their keys on those types of plays or all that aggression will work against them come live action that counts. The bet here is that Coach Spags already has it fixed and the players knew it when it happened.

Defensive Backs: Starting CBs Corey Webster and Aaron Ross were both fairly quiet which is ideal for a defensive back and relieving once I watched the game given how easily the Lions appeared to score while watching the game tracker. Webster did get lucky on an iffy pass from Kitna to Roy Williams on a 3rd down, but #23 had great position.

Nickel CB Kevin Dockery always looks like a player when I see him, and has kept up his aggressive play, making two great stops in the open field.

SS Sammy Knight looked flat out slow to me out there. Someone on The Corner Forum is saying, “I told you so” right about now. I’ll give Sammy the benefit of the doubt until the bullets are live.

“His name is Kenny, but I call him Bud”- Rudy Huxtable. I couldn’t wait to see Bud don the #21 jersey after all the camp accolades he has gotten and holy Heathcliff did Mr. Phillips deliver. FS Kenny Phillips burst onto the scene with a TFL (tackle for loss) on a reverse, showing patience, a great closing burst and great open field tackling ability. Where there is a play, Bud will make it!

Special Teams: Can we just tell Lawrence Tynes that it’s overtime in Lambeau every time he kicks?

Coaching: It’s the preseason, coaching does not exist in this dojo does it? NO SENSAI!

JPog (Joey’s Player of The Game) – If I don’t say Kenny Phillips, I fear BBI would show up at my house and burn me at the stake. Or at the very least make me listen to margi shill for Bob Papa until my ears bleed. The new #21 was in on 8 stops in one half and was easily the most active defender in the game. Down in the box or sitting back in cover 3, Phillips seems to be a player the offense had better identify early.

JBog (Joey’s Bum of The Game) – It’s early I know but I was really disappointed in Eli Manning’s brief appearance. The old hang dog look returned and Eli really didn’t seem to have “it”. Given his up and down play during the regular season, I was really hoping Eli had turned the corner and finally become the consistent, productive franchise passer we all envisioned. Again it’s early but he seemed very…meh to me.

(Box Score – New York Giants at Detroit Lions, August 7, 2008)