With the Giants facing the Packers Sunday at Lambeau, Mike Lupica of the Daily News says that the bandwagon is starting to fill up. Paul Schwartz of the New York Post writes that Big Blue is drawing on experience to help them Sunday against the invincible Packers. Tom Rock of Newsday writes that if anybody knows what its like to overcome injury and get hot right before the playoffs, the Giants need only look across the field and at the tape of the 2010 world champion Green Bay Packers who sent 15 players to IR.
This is going to be ONE LONG week but needless to say the Giants are beginning to form into a team that is scary. All the projections and calculations of what this pass rush could do, our wildest fantasies as Giants fans about the running game getting back on track and our greatest imagined wide receiving corp are suddenly all taking shape and creating what is a scary scary team. Will that at all cause the Packers any panic? No. None. I dont blame them. They are the formerly undefeated Packers. The one loss Packers. The team with the year’s MVP. The team that has a ton of talent and plenty of skilled players to give Giants defenders fits.
BUT, like I’ve been saying, each team has its faults. The Packers have a very very beaten up offensive line. A line that has shuffled players in and out as late as Week 16 and Week 17. How many guys they get back will be key for them as they face a defensive line that is generating pressure and reminders of the ’07 line that went on to win the championship. Its simple. If the Giants man their gaps and don’t allow Aaron Rodgers to throw in a comfortable pocket and get to him and hit him repeatedly the Giants will have a shot. IF they give him all the time in the world to operate he will dissect them like Sunday Morning NFL Match up on ESPN! (PLUG!).
As per my policy, I’m not giving up predictions. I will give my thoughts as the week goes on. The Giants will have to get pressure. Maintain gaps and NOT allow Rodgers to get the ball deep down the field. The one guy the Giants have to worry about is Jordy Nelson. He’s the third receiver but he’s the guy that Aaron Rodgers uses to dump his passes off to. Remember, Michael Boley is playing in Sunday’s game and will be asked to cover JerMichael Finley as tall an order as that is. The Giants MUST cover on the back end to have any shot. Rodgers is lethal with his precision passing and even a sliver of room he can hit the man in stride. The Giants MUST MUST take away the intermediary and that means that the Giants will depend on their rookie LB’s to not make mistakes but to play the kind of smart aggressive football we’ve been seeing from them starting four weeks ago after the Redskins game.
Hey, everything else seems to be clicking, why not them?
It was a small victory, but of greater concern for Mike D’Antoni and his team is that three weeks into the season the coach’s bread and butter — his offense, particularly in the fourth quarter — remains a work in progress. “We aren’t a confident team,” D’Antoni said after the Knicks survived a late scare to defeat the Bobcats, 91-87, Monday night at the Garden. “It’s going to take a while to get to that and wins do help.” So writes Frank Isola of the Daily News on the Knicks surviving the Charlotte Bobcats 91-87. Team first Tyson Chandler, deciding to opt out of a visit to the White House by the Dallas Mavericks, helped the Knicks to a win writes Marc Berman of the Post. John Jeansonne of Newsday writes that the Knicks are learning to play together offensively and defensively on the fly. Literally.
I came away from this game impressed for two reasons. Tyson Chandler said it correctly: once the team learns to play in synch and feed off each other games like this will be blowouts. Everytime the Knicks got a 9 point or 11 point lead, the Knicks went back to the one on one game where they quickly missed shots leading to easy transition points for the Bobcats. When they were building their lead up again, it was about passing and getting the ball to the open man and keeping everyone in on the play. The Knicks still are working on that aspect of the game. They have their work cut out for them considering that Wednesday they go up against the Philadelphia 76ers who don’t have any great names but play really well with each other.
Let’s put this game into perspective. Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony were having off shooting nights for the Knicks and yet they still were able to build up leads of 9 and 11 points consistently throughout the night. Why? Effort. Just plain hustle and effort on the rebounding front. The Knicks have seemingly begun to give a damn and you see four or five guys staying around to get defensive rebounds. You are seeing atleast one or two guys trying for the offensive bounds. Guys hustle up the court and contest transition buckets well. They are playing smart basketball and not giving their opponents easy buckets.
Remember opening day when Rondo seemingly was in the backcourt everytime and the Celtics were getting easy baskets? The Knicks have limited the ability of teams to do that. Iman Shumpert has been really good. Yes, he’s in the line up due to Toney Douglas’ rough start. Yes, its because Baron Davis isn’t healthy but his effort and his defensive ability is going to make him a starter soon even when Baron Davis returns. Shump has a natural ability and is instinctive on the defensive end knowing when to tap the ball out and when to be aggressive. Yes, he still needs to learn how to play point guard a little bit and I’d much rather him learn the nuances of the game because I feel as though he would learn it quicker, but the Knicks need only plug holes and not try and fit round pegs into square spaces.
However, Shump can be a combo guard. A guy that can confuse defenses. A guy who can bring the ball up and set the offense up in the half court sets and/or look for his own shot coming off of screens and taking a few dribbles to the hoop. If he drives and the defense collapses imagine the defense having to choose between Amar’e, Melo and Tyson Chandler underneath the basket as to who to guard? That’s a tough order for any team. That’s where the Knicks must attack. That’s why a point guard is so essential. You also need your guards to hit the open looks from beyond the arc and they haven’t been getting that from Landry Fields and Toney Douglas. I understand the backcourt has gotten a ton of unnecessary blame for the team’s deficiences. Some of it has to do with the half court game that the Knicks love to go to. Melo takes a lot of stupid shots. Contested shots. Amar’e has found his offensive game and has stopped settling for jump shots and that’s allowed him to get some space when he is taking jump shots and he’s been hitting them with regularity. Melo on the other hand has been getting fouls called on him in obvious situations where teams will take advantage of his aggressiveness. He’s a big 6’7 and he can muscle up against most guys and what they do is draw charges on Melo and he’s been in foul trouble with regularity. Teams see that and know that Melo loves to go one on one and will drive to the hoop.
I know that Melo likes to create his own shot, but I think he’s been doing a better job of trusting his teammates. He’s dished out seven and six assists on consecutive games. He’s a more willing passer and he’s gifted with his court vision. Its amazing how he can create offense in so many different ways but he settles ALOT. The Knicks need to work on that among other things.
Greg A. Bedard of the Boston Herald writes that what the Patriots (Denver’s opponent Saturday) and the Steelers saw was a more pass-happy Tim Tebow. Mike Kils of the Denver Post writes that in the spirit of fair play how fair is it that the Patriots hired the former Denver head coach Josh McDaniels in time for the playoffs to face against his former team? John McClain of the Houston Chronicle writes that Texan fans should stop being so worried that Wade Phillips is interviewing for the vacant Tampa Bay head coaching job. His allegiance is with the Texans and their playoff game against the Ravens. Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun believes that the quarterback match up Sunday will go to Joe Flacco. No doubt about it. Damin Esper of the Times Picayune writes that the Niners remember Greg Williams blitzing during a meaningless preseason game. Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle says that putting the pressure on Brees is easier said than done.
AND ACTION!
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