Game Preview: New York Jets at New York Giants, December 6, 2015

 Posted by
Dec 042015
 
Odell Beckham and Rashad Jennings, New York Giants (August 29, 2015)

Odell Beckham and Rashad Jennings – © USA TODAY Sports Images

[contentblock id=1 img=html.png]

New York Jets at New York Giants, December 6, 2015

THE STORYLINE:
I’d like to say the Giants are out of rope and this is a must-win game, but if the Cowboys beat the Redskins on Monday and the Patriots beat the Eagles, New York would still be in first place at 5-7. But I’d prefer not go there at this moment even though that scenario is certainly possible.

For their own self-confidence and well being, the Giants need to win on Sunday and improve their record to 6-6. It will not be easy because the Jets are a tough, physical football team on both sides of the ball. And they are also facing a must-win scenario. That all said, on paper, there are areas where this is good match-up for the G-Men.

THE INJURY REPORT:

  • TE Larry Donnell (neck – out)
  • OC Weston Richburg (ankle – questionable)
  • LG Justin Pugh (concussion – probable)
  • RT Marshall Newhouse (back – questionable)
  • LB Devon Kennard (hamstring/foot – out)
  • DE Jason Pierre-Paul (hand – probable)
  • DE Robert Ayers (toe – probable)
  • S Brandon Meriweather (knee – out)

NEW YORK GIANTS ON OFFENSE:
The Jets are bit of a throwback 3-4 defense. They are 3rd overall on defense (12th against the pass and 1st against the run). Opposing offenses are only averaging 17.5 first downs per game against the Jets and the Jets’ red zone defense is the best in the NFL (38.5 percent). The Jets also have forced 22 turnovers, 3rd highest in the NFL.

While their linebackers, led by ILB David Harris, are solid, the heart of the defense is their line. Nose tackle Damon Harrison (6’4”, 350lbs) and defensive ends Muhammad Wilkerson (6’4”, 315lbs), Sheldon Richardson (6’3”, 294lbs), and Leonard Williams (6’5”, 302lbs) are big, physical, athletic, and a handful for any offensive line. Much of this game’s focus will be the ability or inability of the Giants’ beat up offensive line to deal with these four.

Harrison will be handful for gimpy Weston Richburg (high ankle sprain) or journeyman Dallas Reynolds. Wilkerson is having an outstanding year as a run defender and pass rusher (8 sacks). He will line up over Ereck Flowers and whomever plays left guard. Reserve ex-Giant Leger Douzable is no slouch either. Whomever plays on the right side will have to deal with Richardson and high #1 draft pick Williams. We really don’t know the make-up of the line as right tackle Marshall Newhouse (back) is questionable too. Justin Pugh (concussion) could play at left guard, or right tackle if Newhouse can’t go. Rookie Bobby Hart could make his first NFL start at right tackle or right guard. John Jerry will start at one of the guard spots.

The strength of this group is obviously stopping the run. While they are not as adept at rushing the passer, they can get heat on the quarterback, especially when they know their opponent can’t run the ball. All this week, Tom Coughlin and Ben McAdoo have talked about offensive balance…that the Giants have to run the ball more than the 13 times than they did against the Redskins. After all, the Giants did have good success on the ground against Washington on their first drive and then got away from it. The question is does running the football with the #28 rushing attack against the NFL’s #1 run defense equal wasted snaps? Or by not running the football are you playing directly into the Jets’ hands? It’s important to note that aside from the Bills, the Jets have played a bunch of teams with statistically poor running attacks.

The Giants should not ignore the run, but when they do, I would suggest doing so in more unconventional ways such as spreading the Jets out with multiple receiver sets and running out of the shotgun with Shane Vereen and Rashad Jennings. This is not the type of opponent you even want to waste a few snaps with Andre Williams and Orleans Darkwa. I would also use the short passing game in lieu of the run. The Giants are not going to regularly be able to blast this line and Harris off of the ball.

The primary offensive focus should be the passing attack. The Jets will be without star CB Darrelle Revis (concussion) and likely without solid reserve CB Marcus Williams (knee – officially “doubtful”). Antonio Cromartie has struggled at times this year at corner while Buster Skrine has been serviceable as a nickel corner. A real difference maker has been SS Calvin Pryor, who is an intimidating presence against the pass and the run.

It appears the Giants are going to live or die with the Eli Manning to Odell Beckham connection. In the last two games, Manning has thrown to Beckham an astounding 30 times. Unfortunately, only 13 of those passes have been completed. That efficiency has to increase or more drives will stall. I’d like to say the Giants need more out of Rueben Randle, but that ship apparently has sailed. And based on comments from the coaches this week, Hakeem Nicks is still not familiar enough with the offense to make a real impact (unfortunately one of the real downsides on waiting for Victor Cruz for so long). Dwayne Harris’ production fell off from 6 catches for 82 yards against the Patriots to 2 catches for 28 yards against the Redskins. The Giants need more of the former. They also need to get the ball more in the hands of Vereen as a receiver (only 10 catches total in the last three games).

Last week, Kirk Cousins out-played Eli Manning. Manning has to be the better quarterback in the field on Sunday for the Giants to win.

NEW YORK GIANTS ON DEFENSE:
The Jets are ranked 14th on offense (20th passing and 13th running). Their obvious focus is to run the ball (2nd in the NFL in rushing attempts), stay balanced, and keep pressure off of journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. While Fitzpatrick is only completing 58.5 percent of his passes, he has thrown 20 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. He’s an up-and-down thrower, who can look sharp at times and downright horrible at other moments. The Jets lead the NFL in red zone touchdown percentage (73 percent).

Though they have had some injury issue, the Jets’ offensive line has done solid work this year as Chris Ivory has rushed for 766 yards (4.1 yards per carry) and seven touchdowns. Even better, Jets’ quarterbacks have only been sacked an NFL-low 14 times all season – not a good sign for a Giants’ defense that is on pace for the franchise’s worst sack performance in memory. Obviously, the focal point has to be stopping the run – for all four quarters. The Giants’ run defense started off strong against Washington but wilted in the second half. The Jets surely noticed that and will look to wear the G-Men down.

If the Giants can stop the run, they could be in decent shape as the Jets really only have three consistent offensive play-makers: Ivory at running back and wideouts Brandon Marshall (71 catches for 931 yards and 9 touchdowns) and Eric Decker (51 catches for 700 yards and 8 touchdowns). The Jets’ next highest targets are running backs Bilal Powell (22 catches) and Ivory (19 catches). Jets’ tight ends have only six catches all year. The Giants desperately need Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (DRC) to play the entire game and handle Marshall while Prince Amukamara handles Decker. With Brandon Meriweather (knee) out, Craig Dahl will start alongside Landon Collins. One or both will be needed to cheat up more against the run.

The Giants have to stop the run. Period. They will surely miss LB Devon Kennard (hamstring/toe). J.T. Thomas and Jonathan Casiallas have to pick up the slack. There will be a lot of pressure on Jasper Brinkley to perform but this is his kind of game – facing a run-based offense without a scary threat at tight end. The final question is can the Giants get any pressure on Fitzpatrick and force him into mistakes? The pass rush simply has been missing in action this year.

NEW YORK GIANTS ON SPECIAL TEAMS:
The Jets are 16th in kickoff coverage and 29th in punt coverage. If the Giants can’t get Dwayne Harris going on punt returns this week, it ain’t happening and it will once again throw into question Tom Quinn’s coaching on setting up punt returns. In the three seasons before coming to the Giants, Harris was averaging 12.3 yards per punt return. With the Giants, he’s averaging 7.5. Jets punt returner Jeremy Kerley is averaging a respectable 9.3 yards per punt return.

FROM THE COACH’S MOUTH:
Tom Coughlin on the Jets’ Offense: “They can open up and go from being a two-tight end running game to then going empty with three and four wide receivers and their running back. They do force you under the circumstances of their combinations of personnel to be able to adjust to them. They have weapons, they have some outstanding weapons. So you’re always in that position, because not only are they good, they’re big. Your match-ups are a big deal. Hopefully with DRC and with Prince, we can match-up better.”

THE FINAL WORD:
On paper, it looks like the Giants will be one dimensional offensively against the Jets with an inability to run the football. However, the injury issues at cornerback could be a problem for the Jets. If the Giants can increase their passer efficiency on Manning-to-Beckham passes, as well as get Vereen more involved in the passing game, the Giants may be able to hit some big plays against a very stingy defense that excels in the red zone. Defensively, the Giants must stop the run. The good news there is the Giants should match-up well with the Jets’ receiving targets. Both teams thrive on forcing turnovers (Giants 2nd in NFL, Jets 3rd in NFL). Ball security will be paramount. Eli needs to protect the football.

Keep in mind that while the Jets are 6-5, four of their wins have come against bad football teams (Dolphins twice, Jaguars, and Browns). They also beat the Colts early in the year when Indianapolis was really struggling and the Redskins. The Giants and Jets are two mediocre teams fighting for a playoff spot.

Preseason Game Review: New York Jets at New York Giants, August 29, 2015

 Posted by
Aug 302015
 
Odell Beckham, New York Giants (August 29, 2015)

Odell Beckham – © USA TODAY Sports Images

[contentblock id=1 img=html.png]

New York Jets 28 – New York Giants 18

Game Overview

Preseason results are often meaningless. But coming off of back-to-back 7-9 and 6-10 seasons, coaches, players, media, and fans are looking for reasons to be hopeful in 2015. With only one preseason game left to play and the starters unlikely to play more than two series in New England, there are ominous storm clouds on the horizon with the New York Giants.

The basic problem for the Giants is this: the defense looks awful. If the team has any shot at the playoffs, the offense is going to have to carry this team by being one of the best in the NFL. However, the starting offense has looked pedestrian as best. Worse, despite another supposed infusion of talent in the offseason, special teams remains a weakness.

Right now, based on what we’ve seen on the playing field, the Giants appear to be one of the league’s worst teams. And an injury-plagued one with little depth at that. The odds are that Tom Coughlin and his staff will be fired at the end of the season, but Jerry Reese and his college and pro personnel talent evaluators will get a pass.

Offensive Overview

The Giants still have issues consistently running the football. Offensive line instability due to injuries to Weston Richburg and Geoff Schwartz has been a factor as well as playing against some strong and physical defensive fronts in the preseason. But the bigger issue is that Eli Manning and his receivers have not played particularly well. The Giants starting offense has had one really good drive this preseason and that was aided by three Jets penalties and the officials missing an incomplete 3rd-down pass.

Other than this 14-play, 85-yard effort, the first-team offense had two first downs and 32 yards on their other four possessions against the Jets. Worse, they handed the Jets a defensive score. If the Giants offense doesn’t become a scoring machine this season, the Giants are in deep trouble. Right now, they look far from elite status.

Quarterbacks

The expectation is that 2015 will be one of Eli Manning’s very best seasons, that he would once again approach his 2011 level of play. The early returns have been disappointing. Yes, Eli was 12-of-16 against a very good Jets defense. But he personally caused a 14-point swing in the game. He badly missed a wide open Odell Beckham on what should have been a 70-yard touchdown. Worse, he made an incredibly stupid decision to throw the ball short in the middle of the field with less than 20 seconds left and no timeouts. Even had James Jones come back to catch the ball at the Jets 41-yard line, there was not enough time to run another play to get into field goal range. There was nothing to gain from that throw. Stupid, inexcusable play by a quarterback who wants to be one of the top paid in the NFL. Also keep in mind that Manning hasn’t thrown a pass over 19 yards this preseason.

Ryan Nassib has out-played Eli Manning. Yup, I said it. And Nassib has done it with far shakier pass protection, demonstrating less fear of the pass rush. If I’m the Giants, I’m not sure I sign Eli Manning to a long-term contract right now. I let him play out the 2015 season and let the new coaching staff decide whether they want him or not. The Giants have the cap room to Franchise him. The new regime can then decide whether to trade him or extend his contract. The Giants won’t do this, but Eli is still making too many idiotic decisions in his 12th season for me to hand over $100 million without him playing better.

I’m a big fan of Manning. I think he’s the best quarterback to ever play for the franchise. But if the Giants give him $100 million and he’s no more than a middle-of-the-pack quarterback at age 34, they will be stuck with him for better or worse because salary cap ramifications will make it impossible to trade or cut him.

As for Nassib, he had his second strong performance in a row and would have had an even bigger night had his receivers helped him out more. That said, he does need work on his deep passing. He was off on three deep throws.

Rashad Jennings, New York Giants (August 29, 2015)

Rashad Jennings – © USA TODAY Sports Images

Running Backs

It’s been a weird preseason for the running backs. The headliners Rashad Jennings (12 carries in three games, 9 of which came against the Jets for 28 yards), Shane Vereen (8 carries, 4 receptions in three games), Andre Williams (7 carries in three games) have not received many touches. So it’s been hard for them to get into a rhythm or for us to get a good feel for their play. Each has flashed at times. Jennings had a 12-yard run where he could done more damage had he been able to keep his feet. Vereen looked very good on a swing pass that picked up 19 yards. It will be interesting to see how Tom Coughlin and Ben McAdoo use Jennings and Williams. I hope they allow one of these two to get into a rhythm in games and not constantly rotate them.

Meanwhile, Orleans Darkwa (20 carries in three games) has been receiving the most action. He looks like a legitimate NFL player who can make something out of nothing when carrying the ball. Could he actually be the best back on the team? Akeem Hunt has flashed enough (including a 15-yard run against the Jets) to ensure a place on the Practice Squad.

Wide Receivers

The good news is that Odell Beckham finally got his first catches of the preseason. But his five receptions went for a paltry 31 yards (6.2 yards per catch). He would have had a much bigger night had he been able to keep his feet in-bounds on another superb one-handed effort and had Eli Manning not badly missed him on what should have been a 70-yard touchdown reception against Darrelle Revis. Beckham’s 8-yard reception on 3rd-and-3 on the TD drive hit the ground.

The bad news is Victor Cruz has yet to play this preseason. We still don’t know if he will be ready for the opener. Rueben Randle has had an awful preseason. He only played three snaps in the first game, was held out the second game, and had one catch for seven yards against the Jets. Not good, especially since we still don’t know how much his knee tendinitis will affect him the rest of the year.

Preston Parker continues to see a lot of game-day action with little to show for it (1 catch for 5 yards and one false start penalty). James Jones had four catches for 54 yards but was involved in both team turnovers (first, he didn’t come back for the ball on Eli’s pick 6; second, he fumbled the ball away after a 15-yard reception to the Jets’ 19-yard line).

Geremy Davis was targeted six times, coming down with three catches for only 19 yards. His best play was his 15-yard reception on 3rd-and-10 on the last TD drive. Dwayne Harris has caught one pass for seven yards, but also had a bad drop. After an explosive preseason last year, Corey Washington only has three catches for 25 yards in three games despite playing a lot. Julian Talley made a superb, diving effort on the 2-point conversion.

Adrien Robinson, New York Giants (August 29, 2015)

Adrien Robinson – © USA TODAY Sports Images

Tight Ends

Larry Donnell has not done much this preseason (4 catches for 34 yards, 1 catch for 5 yards against the Jets). He did not block well as an up back in this game. Despite more targets in the passing game, Adrien Robinson (4 catches for 19 yards in three games) still looks like a cumbersome athlete, but he did draw a 9-yard pass interference penalty on 3rd-and-8 on the first TD drive. That said, Robinson really didn’t help his cause with his lackluster run and pass blocking.

The two sharpest guys seem to have been Jerome Cunningham (3 catches for 58 yards, two defensive pass interference penalties in three games) and Daniel Fells (1 catch for 21 yards against the Jets). Cunningham needs to improve as a blocker. Had he stayed with his assignment on Jennings’ 12-yard run, Jennings probably would not have been tripped up. But he made a very athletic play on his 24-yard reception up the seam on the final TD drive of the game. He then capped that off that drive with a 6-yard touchdown catch. Fells remains the most consistent blocker at tight end.

Offensive Line

John Jerry started at right guard but Jerry and Geoff Schwartz switched off at the position all night. It’s pretty obvious that the Giants are trying to work Schwartz back into the starting line up at that position if his surgically-repaired ankle holds up. Though he was a bit shaky early, Schwartz was in the game during the team’s best drive of the preseason. The line seems steadier with him in the game, although for a big man he sometimes has issues with power. The problem with Jerry in the ground game is he simply does not sustain his run blocks, this was an issue even on Akeem Hunt’s 15-yard run in the 4th quarter.

Left tackle Ereck Flowers continues to improve each week. He is everything as advertised in the run game. There were too many mistakes from left guard Justin Pugh, who gave up a sack and two penalties. The first penalty (illegal use of hands) and sack helped to stall the second drive; the second penalty (false start) pushed the Giants back on the pick-6 possession at the end of the first half. Pugh also missed a block on a screen pass to Vereen.

Dallas Reynolds started at center in place of the injured Weston Richburg and performed adequately against a tough opponent. He is playing much better than he did during his first two years with the Giants. Marshall Newhouse has been just adequate at right tackle. He’s not a good run blocker despite his size.

The second-team line featured Emmett Cleary at left tackle, Adam Gettis at left guard, Brett Jones at center, Schwartz/Jerry at right guard, and Bobby Hart/Sean Donnelly at right tackle. Hart left the game late in the third quarter with an injury and was replaced by Donnelly. This group did a reasonable job although Gettis did give up a sack to first-team DE Sheldon Richardson and Donnelly had some issues in pass protection on the team’s last TD drive. Cleary had one false start and gave up a pressure late too.

Defensive Overview

Fans are going to have to accept that this is a bad defense. They can’t stop the run, they can’t rush the passer, and they can’t cover. It’s a group that lacks toughness, physicality, leadership, confidence, and swagger. Against the Jets, the Giants only had one sack (unblocked safety blitz), two quarterback hits, and no forced turnovers. The Jets rushed for 136 yards and journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick completed 64 percent of his passes against the starting defense.

When one considers how the defense has struggled to stop Andy Dalton, Blake Bortles, and Ryan Fitzpatrick, let alone any running game, and you have to think other teams are licking their chops to face the once proud New York Giants defense.

Defensive Line

The run defense remains a huge concern, but the Giants are also not getting any pass pressure.

Jerry Reese says that even without Jason Pierre-Paul, the Giants have five quality defensive ends. So far, I don’t see it. George Selvie has been out with a knee injury. We still don’t know when he will return. In a continuing trend for the Giants to find new and interesting ways to hurt themselves, Robert Ayers somehow injured himself in game warm-ups. Damontre Moore started at left defensive end. He didn’t have a tackle, remains a liability against the run, and has not flashed enough as a pass rusher against NFL starters. Kerry Wynn (1 tackle) has been disappointing. He has to set the edge better against the run. He was a non-factor as a pass rusher. The Giants have been forced to start an aging, fading defensive tackle (Cullen Jenkins) at defensive end and he is clearly not well suited to the 4-3 end position.

The guy with the most upside is Owamagbe Odighizuwa. He should be starting. Odighizuwa doesn’t appear to have any pass rush moves, but he can occasionally get close the quarterback. More importantly, he’s the only defensive end on this team that appears capable of setting the edge against outside tackle rushing attempts.

Inside, Johnathan Hankins played a bit better this week, but the decision to start Markus Kuhn remains a curious one. At least Kenrick Ellis and Jay Bromley received playing time against the Jets starting offensive line. Both still seem to be better options than Kuhn. The Giants were much more stout against the run on the Jets third offensive possession when Kuhn sat and Bromley and Ellis played. Both did have issues on one 13-yard run up the gut on the Jets’ second TD drive (Damontre Moore was held on this play, causing it to be nullified). However, Ellis was flagged with a stupid unnecessary roughness penalty with a late hit on the next snap. Late in the first half, both Bromley and Jenkins (now playing DT) looked good against the run.

Linebackers

Jon Beason (knee), Jonathan Casillas (neck), and Mark Herzlich (concussion) did not play.

Devon Kennard is the best linebacker on the team. He, along with Odighizuwa and Hankins, appear to be one of the very few building blocks this team has in the front seven. But Kennard, Jameel McClain, and safety Jeromy Miles were badly confused by a simple head fake on the 24-yard screen pass for a touchdown.

As an illustration on how teams simply scheme the Giants defense, on the Jets first offensive play, the Jets ran play-action bootleg that both Damontre Moore and McClain bit on, leading to an uncontested 10-yard completion to start the game.

McClain and Kennard ran well to the football when the defensive line set the edge or wasn’t shoved back into their faces. McClain, Kennard, and safety Landon Collins also did a very good job of reading an end-around for a 1-yard loss. However, McClain couldn’t stop the running back on a 2-point conversion attempt despite having a clean shot at the ball carrier.

The Giants spent $10 million on a linebacker (J.T. Thomas) who struggles at the point-of-attack and apparently doesn’t know how to wrap up when he tackles. It’s nice that he played well against his former team last week, but he is being paid to show up for every game.

Unai’ Unga led the team in tackles with eight and played as early as the team’s first defensive series. His lack of size showed up in this game as he was carried by the ball carrier on a couple of late rushing attempts. Victor Butler didn’t help his cause by missing a tackle in the backfield.

Defensive Backs

The Giants are just dreadful at covering the middle of the field. This is on both the linebackers and safeties. Opposing quarterbacks are going to have a field day passing in the middle all year.

The good news is that Landon Collins (3 tackles, 1 penalty for illegal use of hands) and Cooper Taylor (3 tackles, 1 sack) finally got back on the field. Cooper flashed on his sack and sure tackle off a bootleg pass to the tight end.

Jeromy Miles isn’t playing well. He struggled against the run and, along with Jayron Hosley, got beat badly on the 18-yard touchdown pass in the 1st quarter. On the play before the TD, he got beat badly by WR Brandon Marshall for an 11-yard gain on 3rd-and-5 (though admittedly that’s a tough match-up for any safety).

Brandon Meriweather can hit and tackle, but he’s not real smooth in space. He awkwardly fell to the ground on a 24-yard completion over the middle in the 4th quarter.

Trumaine McBride, New York Giants (August 29, 2015)

Trumaine McBride – © USA TODAY Sports Images

This was the second game in a row where opposing quarterbacks have tested Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie deep multiple times without success. Prince Amukamara played in his first game this preseason. He got beat by Brandon Marshall for 16 yards on 2nd-and-11. Amukamara had good deep coverage on the very next play, but two plays later, he got badly turned around by Marshall again on a play that should have resulted in a first-down had not it been for a bad throw.

Hosley not only got beat for a touchdown, but he also lost contain on 12-yard run earlier on the first TD drive. He did follow that up with a good run force. Both Trumaine McBride and Trevin Wade played nickel corner. McBride missed a tackle near the line of scrimmage on a run that picked up seven yards at the end of the 1st quarter. Not sure who was responsible for the easy 25-yard completion to WR Eric Decker on the Jets second TD drive, but it appears to have been Wade.

Special Teams Overview

The Giants keep signing/drafting special teams studs, but the special teams continue to help the Giants lose games. That’s got to be on the coaching. The Giants may be scanning the waiver wire for a punter because they clearly are losing faith in Steve Weatherford or trying to send him a message. Robert Malone punted twice in this game and also served as a holder. While Malone got off a 67-yarder, he also punted straight down the middle of the field, something that was a big contributing factor on the 54-yard punt return for a touchdown.

The Giants spent $17 million on Dwayne Harris as a returner, but they apparently don’t know how to block for him. The Giants gave up 76 yards on two kickoff returns, including returns of 44 and and 32 yards. Not good.

Right now, Josh Brown is the only redeeming aspect on special teams. He hit another long field goal (48 yards).

(New York Jets at New York Giants, August 29, 2015)

New York Jets 28 – New York Giants 18

 Posted by
Aug 292015
 
Eli Manning, New York Giants (August 29, 2015)

Bad Decision by Eli Manning – © USA TODAY Sports Images

[contentblock id=1 img=html.png]

New York Jets 28 – New York Giants 18: The New York Giants fell to the New York Jets 28-18 on Saturday night at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. With the loss, the Giants preseason record fell to 1-2.

The Giants first-team offense played the entire first half and only had one good drive, their best of the preseason. It came in the second quarter on their third possession as the Giants drove 85 yards in 14 plays, culminating with a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Rashad Jennings. The Giants were in the no-huddle for most of the drive and having success both running and passing the football.

But other than that possession, the first-team offense sputtered. The team only picked up two first downs and 32 yards on their other four first-half possessions. Worse, quarterback Eli Manning, who otherwise had a good night, finished the first half with an interception that was returned for a defensive touchdown with only seconds to play before halftime.

Meanwhile, the first-team defense continued to struggle, having issues defending the run, rushing the passer, and covering receivers. The Jets scored touchdowns on two of their first-half possessions, including a 7-play, 64-yard drive and a 6-play, 73-yard drive.

The Jets led 21-7 at the half.

With most of the starters on the bench, the Giants received the ball to start the second half and cut the score to 21-10 as quarterback Ryan Nassib led the Giants on an 11-play, 54 yard drive that resulted in a 48-yard field goal by place kicker Josh Brown. But after stopping the Jets on offense, the Giants were forced to punt from their own 2-yard line. Robert Malone’s punt was returned 54 yards for a touchdown by the Jets as they went up 28-10.

Nassib and the Giants moved the ball well on their last possession of the third quarter, but after a 15-yard reception, wide receiver James Jones fumbled the ball away at the Jets 19-yard line. Midway through the fourth quarter, Nassib orchestrated a 10-play, 80-yard drive that resulted in a 6-yard touchdown throw to tight end Jerome Cunningham and a 2-point conversion on a pass to wide receiver Julian Talley. The score was cut to 28-10.

However, the Jets successfully ran out the clock in the last 7:31 of the game, driving from their own 20-yard line to the Giants 24-yard line.

Offensively, Manning finished the game 12-of-16 for 91 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. Nassib was 11-of-18 for 122 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. The Giants rushed for 106 yards, but 30 of those yards came from Nassib. The leading running back was Rashad Jennings with 28 yards on nine carries. Wide receiver Odell Beckham caught five passes for 31 yards, while wideout James Jones had four catches for 54 yards.

Defensively, the Giants did very little. They gave up 136 yards rushing, had only one sack (by safety Cooper Taylor), and forced no turnovers.

Injury Report: DE Robert Ayers suffered an ankle and/or Achilles’ tendon injury in pre-game warm-ups and did not play. RT Bobby Hart injured his knee in the third quarter and had to be helped off of the field. Cornerback Josh Gordy left the game in the second half after suffering a hip injury.

Post-Game Notes: Not playing due to injuries were WR Victor Cruz (calf), OC Weston Richburg (knee), RT/RG Brandon Mosley (back), LT Will Beatty (pectoral – on PUP), DE Robert Ayers (ankle), DE George Selvie (knee), LB Jon Beason (knee), LB Jonathan Casillas (neck), LB Mark Herzlich (concussion), CB Chykie Brown (knee), CB Chandler Fenner (hamstring), and S Nat Berhe (calf).

QB Ricky Stanzi and TE Will Tye were dressed but did not play.

Preseason Game Preview: New York Jets at New York Giants, August 29, 2015

 Posted by
Aug 282015
 
Odell Beckham, New York Giants (August 14, 2015)

Odell Beckham – © USA TODAY Sports Images

[contentblock id=1 img=html.png]

New York Jets at New York Giants, August 29, 2015

THE STORYLINE:
New York Giants fans are in a generally pissy mood. While a number of teams have already been hit hard on the injury front, the Giants have seen over 20 percent of their 90-man roster on the injury report and have already lost four safeties for the season. Throw in the uncertain injury status of important cogs such as Victor Cruz, Rueben Randle, Weston Richburg, and Jon Beason, and Giants fans fear that medical issues will once again sabotage the season. And we have yet to even play the third preseason game!

The third preseason game is the most important dress rehearsal for the regular season. It’s the game where the starters play the longest – usually at least the first half. And it’s the preseason game where coaches want to see positive performances and consistency. Yet as a fan, at this point, I just find myself not caring about that and just praying no one else gets hurt.

THE INJURY REPORT:

  • WR Victor Cruz (calf – will not play)
  • WR Rueben Randle (knee – expected to play)
  • RT Marshall Newhouse (ankle – expected to play)
  • OC Weston Richburg (knee – will not play)
  • RT/RG Brandon Mosley (back – will not play)
  • LT Will Beatty (pectoral – on PUP and will not play)
  • DE George Selvie (knee – will not play)
  • LB Jon Beason (knee – will not play)
  • LB Jonathan Casillas (neck – will not play)
  • LB Mark Herzlich (concussion – will not play)
  • CB Chykie Brown (knee – will not play)
  • CB Jayron Hosley (concussion – expected to play)
  • CB Chandler Fenner (hamstring – will not play)
  • S Landon Collins (knee – expected to play)
  • S Nat Berhe (calf – underwent surgery on Friday and will not play)

FOUR DOWNS: No, I’m not lazy… the main questions this team faces remain the same for the third week in a row.

First Down
How will the offensive line perform?
The New York Jets are very talented up front. They are big and physical and this will be a great test for the Giants. Unfortunately, Weston Richburg continues to be bothered by knee tendinitis and did not practice all week. Dallas Reynolds may be starting in his place on Saturday. The Giants have yet to officially move Geoff Schwartz back into the starting line-up at right guard or right tackle either. With the start of the regular season only two weeks away, the offensive line still seems far too unsettled.

Second Down
Can the defense stop the run?
For whatever reason, the coaching staff seems determined to start Cullen Jenkins at defensive end and Markus Kuhn at defensive tackle despite the fact that these two have struggled in holding up at the point-of-attack in the first two preseason games. Fellow starters defensive end Robert Ayers and defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins did not play well against the run against the Jaguars either. If the Jets are able to generate decent yardage totals on the ground on Saturday against the starting group, the alarm bells will start to sound. On the other hand, since the starters for both teams will play the entire first half, we may finally get a better gauge on Jay Bromley, Kenrick Ellis, Owamagbe Odighizuwa, Kerry Wynn, and Damontre Moore if they are allowed some quality reps against the Jets starting offensive line in the first half.

Third Down
Who will do well or poorly at cornerback?
For the first time this preseason, Prince Amukamara will be on the field alongside Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. That’s the good news. The bad news is we still don’t know who the main nickel corner is, as well as who are the primary back-ups at corner in case a starter gets hurt. The under-the-radar injury that has hurt the Giants is the knee injury suffered by Chykie Brown early in training camp. He should return soon, but he has missed valuable practice time. Jayron Hosley returns this week after missing most of the first preseason game and all of the second with a concussion. Hosley is competing for playing time and a roster spot along with Trevin Wade, Trumaine McBride, Mike Harris, Josh Gordy, and Chandler Fenner. Wade seems to the favorite right now among an uninspiring group.

Fourth Down
How will the new safeties perform?
The football gods must be playing a bad joke on the G-Men. Considered by many the weakest position on the team heading into training camp, the Giants have now lost three players who had a legitimate chance to start in Nat Berhe, Bennett Jackson, and Mykkele Thompson. Worse is that two others – Landon Collins and Cooper Taylor – have missed valuable practice time due to injury. Now the penciled-in starters are veteran journeymen Jeromy Miles (who has yet to flash this preseason) and Brandon Meriweather (who was just picked off the NFL scrap heap). Both lack range. The only other two safeties on the roster are rookie free agents who were only signed because of all of the injuries (Justin Halley and C.J. Conway).

PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Brandon Meriweather
The Giants desperately need some good fortunate at safety. What they need is for Brandon Meriweather to demonstrate that he can be a viable NFL starter.

Markus Kuhn
Kuhn has been starting at defensive tackle since the May/June OTA’s, but he has yet to demonstrate why. Unless he shows greater stoutness against the run, the decision-making process of the coaching staff will come into question. Jay Bromley and Kenrick Ellis have played better in the preseason.

Johnathan Hankins
For as much grief as Kuhn has received from fans, Johnathan Hankins hasn’t been making much of an impact against the run either yet this preseason. It’s time for him to start rounding his game into form.

FROM THE COACH’S MOUTH:
Tom Coughlin on what he wants to see from his offensive football team against the Jets: “It is continued improvement for me. The timing of the passing game is not there yet, and it’s got to happen. I thought our protection did a nice job early on (against the Jaguars). We’ll be tested this week, the Jets have an outstanding pressure package – they also have an outstanding front, a big front, so we are going to be tested with regards to that, too. That brings up the idea of some kind of consistency with your run game. We have got to have that. We had it at times the other night (against the Jaguars); we need it more often but we are going up against a very good front, so those would be the ways, you mentioned offense, where we would be looking to see us make progress.”

THE FINAL WORD:
I hate to admit it, but the injuries are sapping my enthusiasm. The team can’t catch a break. Things could still work out if Landon Collins is as good as advertised, but rookie safeties who miss half the preseason usually don’t excel. The Giants also need Brandon Meriweather to experience an unlikely career renaissance. Can this team stop the run? Can it rush the passer? Can they cover?

Offensively, the injury issues to Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle are not ideal. The top three targets have yet to play in a game together. And the Giants still have not set on what their final offensive line heading into the season will look like. The clock is ticking. The season starts in two weeks.

I feel like the Giants are an Eli Manning or Odell Beckham injury away from a true disaster.

New York Giants 2015 Preseason Opponents Announced

 Posted by
Apr 092015
 
New York Giants-New York Jets Preseason (August 24, 2013)

New York Giants vs. New York Jets – © USA TODAY Sports Images

[contentblock id=1 img=html.png]

New York Giants 2015 Preseason Opponents Announced: The New York Giants 2015 preseason opponents have been announced. The Giants will face four AFC teams. Specific dates and times will be finalized at a later date.

  • August 13-17: at Cincinnati Bengals
  • August 20-24: Jacksonville Jaguars
  • August 27-30: New York Jets
  • September 3-4: at New England Patriots

Article on Head Coach Tom Coughlin: How aggressive is Tom Coughlin when the Giants are facing 4th and 1? by Nick Powell for NJ.com

Article on DE Jason Pierre-Paul and DT Jay Bromley: Giants defensive tackle Jay Bromley working out with Jason Pierre-Paul in Florida by Nick Powell for NJ.com

Article on CB/S Bennett Jackson: Giants coaches aren’t the first to think Bennett Jackson could make a quality safety by Jordan Raanan for NJ.com

Articles on the New York Giants and the 2015 NFL Draft:

Preseason Game Review: New York Giants at New York Jets, August 22, 2014

 Posted by
Aug 252014
 
Victor Cruz, New York Giants (August 22, 2014)

Victor Cruz – © USA TODAY Sports Images

[contentblock id=1 img=html.png]

New York Giants 35 – New York Jets 24

REVISITING: FOUR DOWNS
During our game preview, we listed ‘Four Downs,’ which took a look at the top four questions surrounding the Giants heading into the game. Now that the game has been played and the film reviewed, it’s time to break it down.

First Down
How will the revamped offensive line fare versus the Jets defense?
Despite Tom Coughlin saying offensive tackle Will Beatty would be limited to 20 snaps, Beatty played every rep with the starting unit. The line combination of Justin Pugh LT/Weston Richburg LG/ J.D. Walton C/ Brandon Mosley RG/ Geoff Schwartz/ RT or Justin Pugh LT/ Geoff Schwartz LG/ J.D. Walton C/ Weston Ricburg RG/ Brandon Mosley RT were never run.

Second Down
Corey Washington
For whatever reason, the Giants continue to give just about everyone first-team reps except for this year’s preseason hero Corey Washington. The undrafted rookie saw his first game action against the third stringers and capped the evening with another touchdown. Coughlin was asked why Washington didn’t play more with the first unit and said it was just the way the rotation played out.

Third Down
Adrien Robinson
After bursting onto the scene with two big catches in the Giants come-from-behind victory over the Indianapolis Colts, Robinson went catchless on Friday. Actually, all tight ends did. Per Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, the only tight end to get targeted was Daniel Fells. Robinson did though see an increased number of reps, getting action with the first and second team.

Fourth Down
Preston Parker
There are opportunities there to be taken, and Preston Parker is doing his best to grab any and all thrown his way. The 27-year old has shown value on special teams and is now doing the same as a receiver. Parker caught a 39-yard touchdown from quarterback Ryan Nassib. With the latest injury to Marcus Harris, Parker may have himself a spot on the 53-man roster.

OFFENSIVE OVERVIEW – Connor Hughes

The following didn’t play for the Giants versus the Jets: Odell Beckham Jr. (hamstring), Charles Brown (shoulder), Trindon Holliday (hamstring), James Brewer (back), Peyton Hillis (foot), and Xavier Grimble (hamstring).

With the third preseason game normally being the one in which the starters played the most, I spent an extra amount of time focused on the Giants No. 1s. My alarming realization? This offensive line is not good. Seriously, not good.

All will be outlined below, but J.D. Walton was manhandled. There were tons of missed blocks. Brandon Mosley was blown up numerous times and also many miscommunications. Eli Manning was running for his life more times than he should have been.

It doesn’t matter who the Giants have at running back, quarterback, receiver or tight end. If the guys up front can’t block, it won’t matter.

QUARTERBACKS – by Connor Hughes

I did something a little different this week. After all, it’s preseason! As opposed to looking at every single player and having some singled out and some not, I went to twitter and asked who you, the fans, wanted a specific spotlight on. The below are results that were submitted to me.

Eli Manning, New York Giants (August 22, 2014)

Eli Manning – © USA TODAY Sports Images

Eli Manning
I saw a lot more from Eli Manning that I expected to. During training camp and early in the preseason, I’ve been critical of the two-time Super Bowl MVP. After the way things went versus the Colts, I was even more so.

Versus the Jets, when he was given time (which wasn’t often), Manning did well. He threaded the needle, made a few very impressive throws and made a few more when he was pressured as well. Despite the abundance of moving pockets, Manning still remained calm doing something he hasn’t done much in his career.

My biggest issue with Manning was the one near interception by Kyle Wilson on the 11-play drive to end the first half. You simply can’t make that throw, by any means. It was a terrible decision from Manning and it was throws like that that led to his career-high 27 interceptions a season ago. That’s not a new scheme, that’s not bad block. That’s Manning not thinking.

Ryan Nassib
During the early portions of the Giants training camp, few looked as lost as Ryan Nassib on the practice field. Heck, that continued in the first two games of the preseason, too.

Friday night versus the Jets, Nassib may have been the best player to step foot on the field. It didn’t matter that he was facing second, third and fourth stringers, his passes were on the money. The touchdown throw to Preston Parker and Corey Washington could not have been placed any better if it was scripted in a movie.

Nassib has Brett Favre-like zip on his passes, there’s no denying that, and his biggest issue was that he struggled at times putting touch on the ball. That wasn’t the case Friday. A masterful performance form the second-year pro.

RUNNING BACKS – Connor Hughes

Rashad Jennings
I got a tweet from someone asking what I thought of Rashad Jennings. As a running back, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t blown away. Not because Jennings did anything bad, but simply because the runs he did make were more because of good blocking (yes that sometimes exists) than him making plays.

It wasn’t as if Jennings broke into the second level, juked someone to the ground, stiff-armed another and burst into the end zone. He got what the offensive line gave him and that was normally it. On plays where there wasn’t much blocking, Jennings didn’t gain many yards. It was that simple.

Where Jennings blew me away, I mean truly blew me away, was his pass blocking. Forget the block on Manning’s touchdown, Jennings made another earlier in the same drive. He lined up to Manning’s right. When the ball was snapped, Jennings saw a blitzing corner/safety coming off the edge. The back then cut in front of Manning and blocked the corner/safety out of the play giving Manning the time to scan the field and find Victor Cruz for a first down. It was beautiful.

RECEIVERS – Connor Hughes

Mario Manningham
The issue with watching receivers right now is the fact you can’t really make out what’s going on because the NFL has not made preseason coaching tape accessible. If the receiver runs out of the TV camera frame, you lose that receiver. You can’t tell if he’s open deep down the field unless the network decides to show that replay.

With that being said, Mario Manningham still has zero burst. Zero. He gets no separation and has no explosion. I see no scenario in which the former Super Bowl hero makes this team. If it wasn’t for his name, I’m not sure he makes the 75-man cut. Manningham is playing against third and fourth stringers…and he has one reception this preseason.

Corey Washington
There is one thing I’ll say about Corey Washington: He got a lot of credit he didn’t deserve for that touchdown reception in the fourth quarter versus the Jets. Don’t get me wrong, he ran a nice route, got open and caught the ball. But watching that replay, that ball was dropped perfectly in Washington’s hands. He didn’t have to extend, dive or reach…it was right there.

Now, I loved what I saw on the drive that ended in an Andre Williams touchdown run. Washington caught a slant and fought for extra yards bringing a few defenders with him. To see he has some power was impressive. Now, to just see if he could make plays against people who have a chance of making an NFL roster would be nice.

Rueben Randle
Randle got behind the defense and should have caught a touchdown in the first quarter, but Manning couldn’t step into his throw because of a poor missed block from J.D. Walton (more on that later). His touchdown was nice, so was his adjustment on on a back-shoulder throw from Manning.

Randle seems to be getting more comfortable within the offense and on the same page as Manning. He’s a receiver who’s capable of going over 1,000 yards annually. He has the talent to do so. What always seemed to be holding him back was his mind. Now that he’s on the same page as Manning, it could bode very well for the offense

If, you know, Manning has the time to throw.

TIGHT ENDS – Connor Hughes

Kellen Davis
There was one pass throw to a tight end Friday, and it went to Daniel Fells. With that being said, Kellen Davis’ blocking jumped off the film. Broke this down a bit on twitter, but here’s the clip of him sealing out Sheldon Richardson and that should tell you all you need to know.

OFFENSIVE LINE – Connor Hughes

Will Beatty
I’ll start with the good before I get to the abundance of bad. Will Beatty, despite giving up a sack to Jason Babin, had a pretty solid game. He contained Quinton Coples throughout, got to the second level on a few running plays and really held his own. I know Tom Coughlin didn’t offer much praise on Sunday, but I didn’t see anything too bad and I was looking for it.

The one sack Beatty let up, he got caught off balance. It looked like Beatty was expecting Babin to go outside, so he leaned his weight that way, Babin then cut inside and blew past him. The way I saw it, that was just a nice play from Babin.

Geoff Schwartz, New York Giants (August 3, 2014)

Geoff Schwartz – © USA TODAY Sports Images

Geoff Schwartz
There has been a lot of criticism thrown Schwartz’s way, but I thought he was having a pretty decent showing prior to the injury. On the second play of the game, a nice run from Rashad Jennings to pick up a first down, Schwartz handled DeMario Davis well. I watched the replay twice extensively where Schwartz got hurt and couldn’t pick out exactly where he got injured. His toe looked like it stubbed the turf twice, it kicked up some of the pebbles and then he fell to the ground. Dunno which one it was, but the same foot got a stubbing twice in a row.

J.D. Walton
Without a doubt, the worst player on the field Friday night may have been J.D. Walton. Whenever, seriously, whenever, Manning was pressured, someone got past Walton. I specifically found the following plays:

  • Sheldon Richardson blew past Walton to disrupt Manning on a deep ball to Rueben Randle. Manning knew he had Randle, was lining up to throw to Randle, but couldn’t step into the throw because Richardson was in his face.
  • Calvin Pryor blitzed, Walton whiffed on it which caused Manning to roll out to his right and throw off balanced.
  • On a Rashad Jennings run, Richardson drove Walton about three yards into the backfield and into the lap of Jennings.
  • On a two-man rush, Richardson still managed to put pressure on Manning by pushing himself past Walton.

Brandon Mosley
It wasn’t Brandon Mosley’s best game, either. The guard missed a few blocks, whiffed on a blitzing Jason Babin which allowed pressure on Manning. On a pull, he missed his block which could have had resulted in a shorter run.

DEFENSIVE OVERVIEW – by Eric Kennedy

Not playing defense for the Giants were LB Jon Beason (foot/PUP), CB Prince Amukamara (groin), CB Jayron Hosley (foot), and S Cooper Taylor (foot). S Kyle Sebetic dressed but did not play.

While there were some strong individual performances, the overall defensive performance was not good. The Jets scored three touchdowns and a field goal and had drives of 72, 66, 76, and 82 yards. They rushed for 146 yards on 32 carries (4.6 yards per carry average) and their three quarterbacks cumulatively were 22-of-33 for 278 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions (123.0 quarterback rating).

That said, keep in mind that the Jets also kept their starters in (except Michael Vick was in at quarterback) for their first two drives of the the third quarter against a mixture of second-, third-, and even some fourth-team Giants.

DEFENSIVE LINE – by Eric Kennedy

Given the overall success of the Jets offense, one would think the starting defensive line played poorly. They did not. But they weren’t great either. Jason Pierre-Paul was facing a top-notch left tackle in D’Brickashaw Ferguson, and while JPP was often a non-factor on the pass rush, he did flash on a few plays. On Mathias Kiwanuka’s sack that was wiped out by a penalty, it was Pierre-Paul’s pressure that forced the quarterback up into Kiwanuka’s waiting arms. But it was late in the second quarter where JPP caught my eye. On 2-and-7, he split a double team by Ferguson and the back and quickly bore down on the quarterback. Geno Smith completed the pass for 12 yards, but that looked like the JPP of old on that play. Later on this possession, Pierre-Paul and Robert Ayers ran a stunt to pressure Smith again. The biggest negative I saw from Pierre-Paul was his missed tackle at the line on an 18-yard run that should have been stuffed.

Mathias Kiwanuka played the run very well except on play where he lost contain on a quarterback bootleg to his side of the field. But Kiwanuka did not get much of a pass rush except on plays where he was unblocked. Robert Ayers flashed a few times from the DT position on the pass rush, once causing a key holding penalty that wiped out a 28-yard play. Ayers’ play at the traditional end spot was a bit more up and down. I would have liked to have seen more of a rush from him at end. But he did stuff one run late in the third quarter for no gain.

Inside, I really like Johnathan Hankins. If he stays healthy and focused, he’s going to be a good one. There are times where he just destroys a play. That said, the guy who flashed the most was Cullen Jenkins. He had a few pass rushes where he got in Smith’s face, one time clobbering the quarterback as he released the ball. He also displayed a really cool spin move on another rush. But overall, there wasn’t enough of a pass rush by the front four against a very good Jets’ offensive line. Part of that may have been due to scheme too. A few times, I spied the Giants dropping a tackle into coverage, leaving only three to rush. I understand why defensive coordinator Perry Fewell does that, but I’m not a big fan of dropping linemen into coverage.

Damontre Moore played in the second half. He played well, but I think his stats were a bit inflated. One “sack” was really simply running Michael Vick out of bounds for a 1-yard loss. On his other sack, he was unblocked on a stunt. Moore did recover a fumble and he combined with Spencer Paysinger to tackle the back for a 2-yard loss in the 3rd quarter. Kerry Wynn – a guy who has flashed throughout the preseason and looks the part physically – had a late-game sack off a stunt from the defensive tackle position.

Reserve defensive tackle Jay Bromley got some heat as an insider rusher, as did Mike Patterson on one play. Bromley had some issues against the run. Markus Kuhn left the game early with an ankle injury.

LINEBACKERS – by Eric Kennedy

With the Giants playing a nickel package most of the first half, the two linebackers who saw the most playing time were Jameel McClain and Jacquian Williams. It was a bit of an up-and-down game for both, though Williams made more plays. McClain flashed on an early blitz and at times did a nice job against the run. But at other times, he seemed a bit sluggish in his zone in pass defense and he also got hung up on blocks. Williams is much more physical against the run this year, but there are times where his lack of ideal size exposes him too and he gets hung up on blocks. Both McClain and Williams couldn’t shed their opponents on RB Chris Ivory’s 23-yard screen pass that set up the Jets’ first-half touchdown. But in the first quarter, I thought Williams looked good in run defense on a number of plays until he and McClain couldn’t make the play on a 17-yard rush by RB Chris Johnson. Williams was flagged for defensive holding, wiping out a third-down sack. He later saved a touchdown with good coverage in the end zone on TE Zach Sudfeld. On the wide open touchdown throw to TE Jason Amaro, someone bit too hard on the play-action fake. My guess is it was McClain or Devon Kennard.

In the second half, the first linebackers on the field were Spencer Paysinger, Mark Herzlich, and Devon Kennard. Paysinger shot a gap an nailed the running back in the backfield for a loss, but the linebackers did not distinguish themselves on the rest of this touchdown drive by the first-team Jets’ offense. Herzlich missed a tackle on a 12-yard run and both Paysinger and Kennard were easily blocked on a 17-yard run. Kennard led the team in tackles, but he didn’t really stand out in this game.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, New York Giants (August 22, 2014)

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie – © USA TODAY Sports Images

DEFENSIVE BACKS – by Eric Kennedy

Again, the numbers given up don’t seem to match the individual performances. For the first time this preseason, an opponent went after Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and DRC responded impressively, knocking away every pass thrown in his direction. The only negative was a defensive holding penalty in the end zone on 1st-and-goal from the 3-yard line. With Prince Amukamara out and the Giants playing a ton of nickel, Trumaine McBride and Walter Thurmond played a ton in the first half. Neither seemed to be exposed in man coverage, but there were some big holes in the Giants’ zone. I am not sure who is to blame there – corners, safeties, and linebackers probably all had some role. If I’m Fewell, I play more aggressive man coverage with this group. Thurmond had good coverage in the end zone on a play before the Jets scored. He also made a nice aggressive tackle against the run. McBride did a good job of recovering and deflecting a pass after the receiver pushed off.

Antrel Rolle was quiet other than an illegal use of hands penalty. I was critical of Steve Brown’s run defense in 2012, but during this preseason, he has caught my eye with his aggressive play around the line of scrimmage. He’s been in on a lot of tackles. Brown was flagged with an illegal use of hands penalty however.

In the second half, with the injuries to Amukamara, Bowman, and Hosley, Bennett Jackson and Charles James played earlier than normal and both saw reps against the first-team Jets’ offense. Jackson was flagged with an illegal contact penalty and then was beat (though not badly) for a 3-yard touchdown on a pass from Michael Vick to WR Eric Decker. Earlier on this drive, Ross Weaver was also flagged with illegal use of hands, which obviously was a noticeable bad theme by a few Giants’ defensive backs in this game.

Charles James had a rough series early in the 4th quarter. Though his coverage wasn’t bad, he was beat for a 32-yard completion down the left sideline. A few plays later he was flagged with a 15-yard late hit penalty – a close call but legitimate. Then two plays later he was beaten for an 11-yard touchdown. After the Giants went up 28-24, the Jets went for it on 4th-and-4, but Jackson had very tight coverage on the intended receiver to help cause the incompletion. That said, there was a lot of contact on that play and the Giants were fortunate a flag wasn’t thrown.

SPECIAL TEAMS OVERVIEW – by Eric Kennedy

The Giants attempted no field goals. On kickoffs, four kicks resulted in touchbacks (3 by Brandon McManus, one by Josh Brown), one went out of bounds (McManus on a squib kick), and one was returned for 32 yards (Brown’s kick went 8 yards deep into end zone).

Steve Weatherford punted seven times for a 45.0 yards-per-punt average (43.3 yard net). Three of his punts were down inside the 20-yard line. The Jets only managed 12 yards on four returns (3 yard average).

The Giants only returned two kickoffs: one by Preston Parker for 29 yards and one by Quintin Demps for 21 yards. Parker also returned two punts for 10 yards, with a long of nine yards.

Terrell Manning had a chance to recover a muffed punt but tried to pick it up and failed.

(Boxscore – New York Giants at New York Jets, August 22, 2014)

Quick Hits and Tidbits: New York Giants 35 – New York Jets 24

 Posted by
Aug 232014
 
Henry Hynoski, New York Giants (August 22, 2014)

Henry Hynoski – © USA TODAY Sports Images

[contentblock id=1 img=html.png]

NEW YORK GIANTS 35 – NEW YORK JETS 24
It may have just been a blip, but for the first time this preseason the New York Giants’ offense showed life.

Was it pretty all the time? No. In fact, it was downright ugly at points. But it was progress and at this point, that’s all Tom Coughlin, Eli Manning, Victor Cruz and others can ask for.

Victor Cruz, New York Giants (August 22, 2014)

Victor Cruz – © USA TODAY Sports Images

STUDS:

Victor Cruz

The catchless Victor Cruz has been the go-to punchline for the Giants for nearly the entire preseason. Ben McAdoo’s offense is supposed to fit Cruz’s talents to a ‘T,’ but through three games the receiver hadn’t caught a pass that didn’t end in a fumble. It didn’t take long for Eli Manning to get Cruz the ball, in fact it came on the first play. After that, Manning went back to Cruz again and again. When the night was over, Cruz had a team-high four receptions for a team-high 61 yards.

Damontre Moore

The second-year defensive end finished with four tackles and two sacks, but what was more impressive than anything was the fact his first two possessions in the third quarter came playing against the Jets’ starting offensive line. Moore chased down Michael Vick (no easy task) for a sack on the first play of the second half, then recovered a fumble one play later. Again, working against the starters, the next series, Moore recorded a tackle for a loss on Chris Johnson. Moore has proven he can dominate a team’s second-string left tackle, a task he should be able to accomplish. On Friday he showed he can be a good player versus the starters, too.

Preston Parker

The Giants love versatile players. The more you can do, the more the team fawns over you. Parker is beginning to earn that reputation with the Giants. The receiver can return kicks and punts, but Friday he showed he can make plays as a receiver, too. Parker caught three passes for 52 yards including a 39-yard touchdown on a bomb from Ryan Nassib. Parker reached out and made a finger-tip grab. With the injury to Marcus Harris – and struggles of Jerrel Jernigan – Parker may have earned himself a spot on the Giants’ 53-man roster.

Cullen Jenkins

Jenkins put a huge hit on Geno Smith early in the game and pressured the quarterback countless other times. Last year, Jenkins was one of the more underrated players on the Giants’ roster and looks to have built off that season and is looking good in Perry Fewell’s scheme.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

Maybe it was because he scorned the team to sign with the Giants, but the Jets went at Rodgers-Cromartie time and time again. The result? Nothing. DRC made two huge pass breakups, including a beautiful one on Eric Decker in the end zone. He did get called for a defensive holding, but then again, who doesn’t nowadays?

Ryan Nassib, New York Giants (August 22, 2014)

Ryan Nassib – © USA TODAY Sports Images

Ryan Nassib

In preseason and training camp, I was one of Ryan Nassib’s biggest critics. I ripped him when he played poorly and truthfully saw little to instill faith that he had a future in the NFL. The last two weeks, he’s made me a believer. Nassib was accurate, showed a strong arm and extended plays with his legs. I’d like to see him play with the starters because honestly, I’m starting to think the Giants have found their quarterback of the future.

DUDS:

Jerrel Jernigan

The front office likes Jerrel Jernigan. The coaching staff…not so much. Jernigan didn’t help his cause after all but being called out by Giants’ Coach Tom Coughlin earlier this week. The former third-round pick dropped an easy one on third down for the Giants which caused the punt team to come on. Jernigan played very well at the end of last season, but he has not carried that over into 2014. The Giants have started to work Marcus Harris, Preston Parker and Corey Washington into the lineup more frequently, possibly to see if others are a better fit than Jernigan.

Geoff Schwartz

I know, it’s a wrong to pick on someone who was carted off the field. But prior to his injury, Schwartz was downright dreadful. Muhammad Wilkerson manhandled the Giants prized free-agent acquisition and put constant pressure on Eli Manning. There were a few times New York’s franchise quarterback was running for his life. The culprit? Pressure right up the middle and past Schwartz.

Charles James II

Giving up a long completion down the sideline, a touchdown and then getting a personal foul…not good for a player on the roster bubble. If you didn’t know anything about the Giants, you’d think James was an All-Pro with the way he carries himself. That’s great, but his play needs to match it. Tonight it didn’t. Truth is, aside form his voice, James hasn’t done much to stand out in a cornerback group littered with talent.

Eli Manning, New York Giants (August 22, 2014)

Eli Manning – © USA TODAY Sports Images

THE GOOD:

Drive to End the Half

Driving 91 yards in 11 plays is nice. Doing it in one minute and 48 seconds? Wow. For one series..and literally that’s it…Ben McAdoo’s system worked. Seriously! It looked like a real offense. We outlined the drive specifically in our game recap.

Eli Manning

I saw some positive things from Eli Manning, but not enough to make him a ‘Stud.’ The result? He falls into “the good” category. Manning completed 12-of-21 passes for 139 yards with a touchdown. His quarterback rating was 93.2 percent and he hit Rueben Randle for a nice 26-yard gain down the sideline. The reason he isn’t a ‘Stud’ is simply because he still doesn’t look like has faith behind the Giants offensive line. Then again, can anyone blame him? He also made a poor decision on a throw to Cruz that was almost intercepted.

Devon Kennard

Another strong outing for the rookie 5th round pick. Kennard led the team in tackles with seven.

THE UGLY:

Offensive Line

Skipping ‘The Bad’ and going straight to the ugly, the Giants offensive line was downright brutal again. The Jets’ starters manhandled them and had Manning running for his life on multiple occasions. The fact Geoff Schwartz is now out certainly doesn’t bode well.

The Penalties

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, New York Giants (August 22, 2014)

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie – © USA TODAY Sports Images

Enough is enough because it really is getting out of hand. Twenty total were called and nine resulted in first downs. That’s not including the ones that were declined. There were some that I saw that I agreed with, but not 20 of them. Something needs to give because it’s getting out of hand.

The Injuries

We outlined some of the more serious injuries here, but the Giants were hit hard. Zack Bowman (triceps), Geoff Schwartz (toe), Marcus Harris (shoulder) and Markus Kuhn (lower leg) all left with injuries and Schwartz and Harris seem to be serious. The Giants need to stay healthy, but tonight wasn’t a healthy outing.

The Defense and Missed Tackles

The biggest and most glaring issue that I saw with the Giants’ defense was the missed tackles. It didn’t matter if it was Chris Ivory or Chris Johnson, nor did it matter the defender, the Giants were lacking in their tackling fundamentals and the Jets made them pay. Jason Pierre-Paul missed tackles, Jacquian Williams, Mark Herzlich and many others. The Jets ran for 146 yards on 32 carries (4.6 yards per carry) versus the Giants’ defense. Not to mention, every Jets quarterback had a rating over 100 percent.

New York Giants 35 – New York Jets 24

 Posted by
Aug 232014
 
Eli Manning, New York Giants (August 22, 2014)

Eli Manning – © USA TODAY Sports Images

[contentblock id=1 img=html.png]

This was what it was all supposed to look like, even if it was just for one series.

Eli Manning had time to throw, his receivers were getting open and the Giants were marching down the field. There was the catchless Victor Cruz catching passes. There was Will Beatty containing Quinton Coples. There was Weston Richburg keeping Sheldon Richardson in check.

Finally, there was Manning finding Rueben Randle for a 15-yard touchdown with all day to throw in the pocket.

This is what the Giants offense was supposed to look like. Even if it was just a glimpse in the Giants’ 35-24 victory over the New York Jets, it was something to instill hope into a fan base desperate for anything positive.

“We finally got into a pretty good rhythm and everything just worked,” Manning said, “instead of always having something go wrong or a penalty or a sack or something to back us up and keep us from sustaining drives. We were able to stay out of harm’s way and make some plays.”

Victor Cruz, New York Giants (August 22, 2014)

Victor Cruz – © USA TODAY Sports Images

After going 1-of-9 in his last two games, Manning completed 12-of-21 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown versus the Jets. Cruz caught four passes for 61 yards and Rashad Jennings rushed for 67 yards on 13 carries.

But before Manning marched the Giants down the field on a near-perfect drive, the team looked every bit as awful as it had during its first three preseason games. Each of the Giants first five possessions ended in a punt. Manning was pressured, the blocking was invisible and there seemed to be no offensive cohesion.

“I think we started off a little rough,” Cruz said, “but once we got the thing rolling, we were able to put some first downs together and get things going a little bit.”

To begin the second half, Ryan Nassib replaced Manning at quarterback and built off his strong outing a week ago versus the Indianapolis Colts. The second-year pro completed 8-of-12 passes for 103 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He had a quarterback rating of 133.0.

“I thought we did pretty well as an offense in the second half,” Nassib said. “The o-line did a great job protecting up front which allowed me to get those shots deep down the field.”

Nassib connected with Henry Hynoski on a three-yard touchdown, hit Preston Parker for a 39-yard score and Corey Washington for a 31-yard strike. Not bad for a player who was relegated to the third team a week ago after struggling in the Giants first two preseason games.

“The game’s starting to slow down,” Nassib said. “That, and being in the system a little bit longer, but there’s still a lot to get better at, a lot to learn and a lot more stuff to correct.”

Defensively, defensive end Damontre Moore continued his strong preseason. Last year’s third-round pick recorded two sacks, four tackles and one fumble recovery. On his first possession of the second half, Moore chased down Jets quarterback Michael Vick for his first sack.

“He’s one of the pioneers of the whole scrambling quarterback thing,” Moore said. “To attack him, a guy I’ve watched and played with on Madden, it was a big honor.”

The Giants starting defense didn’t share in Moore’s same success. Versus the Jets starters, the Giants missed tackles, allowed Geno Smith to march the team up and down the field and committed four penalties that kept Jets’ drives alive.

Smith completed 9-of-14 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown. Running backs Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson combined to rush for 92 yards on 15 carries, an average of 6.13 yards per carry.

“Their offensive line performed well,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “They rushed the ball, but in the second half, our group came out and hung in there, made some plays and got the ball down the field.”

Video highlights/lowlights of the game are available at NFL.com.

Preseason Game Preview: New York Giants at New York Jets, August 22, 2014

 Posted by
Aug 212014
 
Eli Manning, New York Giants (August 16, 2014)

Eli Manning  needs to get it going versus the Jets – © USA TODAY Sports Images

[contentblock id=1 img=html.png]

New York Giants at New York Jets, August 22, 2014

THE STORYLINE:
Well, it certainly didn’t take long for the hype surrounding this year’s ‘Snoopy Bowl’ to reach an entire other level.

Maybe it’s the anemic Giants’ offense needing a desperate jolt. Maybe it’s the Jets’ defense needing to see something from their secondary. Or, maybe it’s the fact that in a meaningless preseason game, a war of words as still broken out.

Either way, the Battle for New York feels just a little different this year.

Rashad Jennings, New York Giants (August 9, 2014)

Rashad Jennings – © USA TODAY Sports Images

FOUR DOWNS:
First Down
How will the revamped offensive line fare versus the Jets defense?
With Charles Brown and James Brewer, New York’s second- and third-string left tackles respectively, likely out for Friday’s game, the Giants have been forced to shuffle the deck with their offensive line. Starting left tackle Will Beatty is only expected to play 20 snaps as he continues to work his way back from a fractured leg. The starters are expected to play 30 snaps. Who plays where with the first team in Beatty’s absence?

The Giants have worked two seperate offensive line combinations during the last two days of practice, from left to right:

Justin Pugh, Geoff Schwartz, J.D. Walton, Weston Richburg, Brandon Mosley
Justin Pugh, Weston Richburg, J.D. Walton, Brandon Mosley, Geoff Schwartz

Will both, either or none have success? Could one, or both, of the fronts have more success than the one the Giants had been running out? All scenarios will be worth monitoring.

Second Down
Corey Washington
Not even a 26-point deficit could stop Corey Washington from catching his third-straight game-winning touchdown. The 6-4 rookie has constantly made plays this preseason and in practice…but has done it versus third and fourth stringers. There’s a big difference between Darrell Revis/Carry Williams and Chandler Fenner/Ross Weaver.

Washington looks to have gotten a little bump during the end of this week’s practice seeing some reps with the starting offense both in the red zone, and normal offense. They aren’t much, but the Giants need to see if Washington can play versus the big boys. If he can’t, his roster chances will hurt because he (1) can’t play special teams, and (2) can’t play slot receiver. Do the Giants want to keep a roster spot for a developmental player who only has value at one position? It’s imperative Washington shows he can play versus the starters.

Third Down
Adrien Robinson
It may have been the biggest slap in the face of camp when the Giants released their unofficial depth chart featuring Adrien Robinson has the fifth-string tight end. The ‘JPP of tight ends’ didn’t do much to help his cause, dropping passes, missing blocks and doing little to warrant a jump up the depth chart.

But the last two weeks have been different. Robinson made plays versus the Indianapolis Colts, has made plays in practice and has earned the praise of coach Tom Coughlin. He should get extended reps versus some better competition. After it appeared Larry Donnell had pulled away in the tight end competition, a few poor outings and lack-of plays have suddenly brought the five-man competition back to just that. A five-man competition.

Preston Parker, New York Giants (August 9, 2014)

Preston Parker – © USA TODAY Sports Images

Fourth Down
Preston Parker
With Odell Beckham Jr. ailing with his non-step-back-step-back and Trindon Holliday all but out the door, there is a wide open position available as the Giants punt returner. Enter Preston Parker.

The only issue with Parker was that, prior to last week, he hadn’t shown much value on offense. The Giants would prefer not to keep a player that can only play one role so Parker as the receiver will be worth watching Friday. If he can make a few plays, he has a very good chance of making the Giants final 53-man roster.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Connor Hughes – Justin Pugh and Geoff Schwartz
Personally, I have little faith in Will Beatty at left tackle either (1) staying healthy, or (2) performing at a high level. Some people forget that last year, Beatty was arguably the Giants worst offensive lineman when he was in the game. Every Sunday it felt Beatty was beat for a sack. Then he fractured his leg. Now, he’s working his way back from arguably his worst season as a professional and an injury.

Say he gets hurt, or just doesn’t play well. Who plays left tackle? Charles Brown has shown in practice and in this preseason he can’t do it. The Giants have watched for years as James Brewer has tried to play any position so he can’t do it. Can Pugh? When the newly-designed offensive line checks into the game, I’ll have my eyes on Justin Pugh at LT and Geoff Schwartz and RT. If it works, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it called on if things go south this year.

Eric Kennedy – Eli Manning
If you read the BBI Giants-Colts preseason game review, you know I’m worried about Eli Manning. The optimists assert that Eli will be fine, that this is part of the learning curve of the new offense and offensive personnel. The pessimists will point to the fact that Eli hasn’t been right since 2012 and he shows no signs of getting out of his funk. It is not inconceivable that the best of Eli has come and gone. For a variety of reasons, I can’t see Tom Coughlin benching Eli Manning. But unless Eli turns it around, both Tom and Eli could be leaving New York together if 2014 is the third disappointing season in a row.

THE INJURY REPORT:

• LB Jon Beason (foot/out)
• WR Odell Beckham Jr. (hamstring/out)
• WR Trindon Holliday (hamstring/out)
• TE Daniel Fells (knee/TBD)
• TE Xavier Grimble (hamstring/out)
• DT Mike Patterson (shoulder/TBD)
• CB Jayron Hosley (foot/TBD)
• CB Prince Amukamara (groin/out)
• S Cooper Taylor (foot/out)
• T Charles Brown (shoulder/TBD)
• T James Brewer (back/TBD)
• Peyton Hillis (ankle/out)

Zak DeOssie, New York Giants (August 18, 2013)

Zak DeOssie – © USA TODAY Sports Images

FROM THE COACH’S MOUTH:
Tom Coughlin (on new extra point ball placement): “I didn’t think much of it when it was suggested. There are some ways to change that part of it if the intent is to make it more exciting. I think that certainly would be one of them. I think you have to be aware of the fact that it’s a 33-yard field goal in November when the wind’s blowing and it’s snowing here and it’s… in Miami it’s 75 degrees. It’s a little different in different parts of the country. You do have to be aware of that. I would say probably the ball will stay at the two, extra points. But if you really want to make it interesting put it at the one.”

THE FINAL WORD:
Connor Hughes – It’s time. No, really, it’s time. The Giants offense needs desperately to show something…anything…positive versus the Jets before complete insanity sets in around the facility. The new offense has looked anemic, Eli Manning flustered and little has been established in any facet of the game. This week of practice wasn’t pretty for the Giants starters, but still, Manning and his receivers get to play the Jets secondary on Friday. If they can’t establish anything against them? Yes, it’s time to panic. Judging by what I’ve seen in practice this week… Jets 21 – Giants 10.

Eric Kennedy – I’m getting a bad feeling about this season. Defensively, I think the secondary and linebackers are improved, but I’m not sure we have a pass rush. The loss of Will Hill was big too. But most of my concerns are on offense. Beckham is going to miss virtually all of the offseason work (OTAs, mini-camp, training camp, preseason). There is no way he can catch up. Will he even be a factor in 2014? They NEEDED him. I’ve seen nothing from Rueben Randle and Jerrel Jernigan to instill confidence. We have no tight ends. With two weeks to go, the offensive line still seems unsettled. Much was made of Jerry Reese’s free agent acquisitions, but Charles Brown and John Jerry are showing why their former teams had no interest in retaining them. Even Geoff Schwartz, who was given a $17 million contract, doesn’t look particularly effective. At wide receiver, Mario Manningham and Trindon Holliday haven’t worked out.

Even if all was right with Eli Manning, I’m not sure Eli has the offensive line or the weapons. Five bad drafts (2008-12) have gutted this team. But beyond all of that, if 2007-11 Eli is gone for good, the Giants would be better off thinking about when to transition to Nassib in what may ultimately be another bad season in a bad division.

Jets 33 – Giants 3.

 Newer Entries