Before we get into the interceptions and everyone’s need to blame Eli for all of the Giants problems, I’ll try to explain why Eli wasn’t at fault for today’s loss and why a surprise group is at fault for today’s loss.
– Seattle came out on the field with the hurry- up offense which was successful in beating the Giants and I’ll tell you why for two reasons:
1. The NFL is a copycat league. So if other teams see an offensive philosophy that works against a defense, then yes, other teams will try to copy them and go for it.
2. The Hurry-up offense negates the pass rush because Seattle did quick hitches and slants. Look at the Giants DB’s, they are 5-8 yards off the receiver. Why? Because the point is not to let the receiver beat you with their speed. If the route takes longer to develop, the QB will have to hold on to the ball much longer and thus gives time for the DE’s and tackles to get to the QB which drives the defense. the lack of speed by the corners is a problem
– I don’t watch the Seattle offense well enough to know this, but is it really a good thing for them to be running an option offense in the NFL? I get that the college spread offense has been the latest revolutionary offense that has taken hold in the pro league, but the option offense? I mean, if a pro offense is too much for Tarvaris, I get it, but how many teams will be able to run it effectively?
– The Giants giveth and the Giants taketh away. Amazingly this loss can be pinned on the lack of taking advantage of opportunities that the Seahawks continuously gave them. I counted 5 passes that were sure fire interceptions that the Giants dropped. You can take one of them away because the Giants then got a strip fumble on the very next play. That’s four extra turnovers the Giants could’ve had which means the Giants left points on the board. Again, this game was done in by mistakes that the Giants didn’t take advantage of, as opposed to the ones they did.
– For the second straight week, the Giants offensive line was manhandled at the point of attack. All day, the Seahawks were running inside stunts and coming RIGHT UP THE MIDDLE which is how they got the safety to begin with. Anthony Hargrove punched right through the middle and before Eli even turned around after the handoff, Hargrove’s helmet was in Bradshaw’s chest and pushing him behind the goal line. Then there were the constant line mishaps. Clearly David Baas’ absence was huge. Low snaps, terrible handling and the Seahawks constantly coming right up the middle of the line meant that there were several leaks at the center position. The Kevin Boothe experiment hopefully will end in time for the Bills coming into town.
It was the kind of week that the offensive line once again had a problem. Then there’s the defensive line. Now, the QB pressures, hurries, and sacks will cloud the fact that the Seahawk line was powering some strong runs by Marshawn Lynch. We’ve glorified the Giants when they can hold firm against smaller lines but boy, runners like Marshawn Lynch and Beanie Wells last week will give the Giants problems. Bigger running backs can muscle a few extra yards out of the Giants defensive line who’ve shown poor tackling technique. The one handed reaches for tackles will NOT cut it against bigger backs OR shiftier backs. The Giants have been susceptible to those kind of runners for some time now. It will be difficult for the Giants to stop anyone if their run defense isn’t closing running lanes.
– As fantastic as that catch was for Victor Cruz, I still think that the better emergence has been Hakeem Nicks. Every week Nicks makes a grab that makes you go wow. He’s not going to get the press that a Calvin Johnson gets because Eli doesn’t throw to Nicks in triple coverage, he only saves that Sportscenter highlight for Victor Cruz. Last week, Nicks grab to set up a 1st and goal to score the touchdown to make it a one possession game against the Cardinals was flat out impressive where he muscled the ball away from the corner, threw him down, and then ran with the football for about ten yards. That’s called force of will. That’s his drive. The fact that he wants nothing to do with Facebook or Twitter or hates to do the commercial stuff (I don’t mean commercials, but just the networking and posing) tells you all about how humble, and driven this kid is. Hakeem Nicks is the real deal and for too long we’ve been hungry for a receiver to step up since Plaxico Burress left and he’s stepped up in a huge way. At some point Eli and him will get that back shoulder play routine and become so in synch with one another that all it will take is a look to run a back shoulder route which I have to say, is probably next to the fadeaway by Jordan, the most impossible play to stop in sports.
– Victor Cruz has absolutely been impressive these last few weeks starting from his Eagles game where he had some terrific touchdown grabs. More so than his highlight reel which has been unreal, his emergence has been that Eli has become much more comfortable in trusting him with the ball which was evidenced by Eli going to him deep in Seattle territory and the game on the line. Now, him slipping and Eli trying to get it to him anyway shows that there are still little parts of his game that need to be fixed but there is someone that Eli has become confident in.
– On the other side of the good tidings for receivers, is the bad. Mario Manningham has simply disappeared from Eli Manning’s radar in key critical moments. I’ve been a fan of Manningham since he was drafted in the fifth round. I thought he was a steal at that point in the draft. He has the flair for making great catches. But he has dropped plenty of critical throws and that’s the way to get OUT of the graces of your QB which is what Victor Cruz can tell you after his key third down drop in the first quarter of the first game got him a first class seat on the bench. It was only necessity, after Manningham’s injury that got Cruz back into the rotation and he’s taken full advantage of his second chance. It looks like Manningham has to get in some extra practice time and make some bigger catches in order to get the fair Eli’s attention.
– One more reciever I want to give props to is Jake Ballard. When Kevin Boss was not retained and the Giants let him walk I was wondering what the G-men were thinking but they are legitemately excited about Ballard’s progression and growth as not only a pass catching tight end but as a blocker as well. Ballard first of all, looks like Boss so the similiarity begins there, but his blocking has been pretty good and has filled in nicely. Manning loves to throw to his tight ends to begin with and the absolute flop that Travis Beckum has been has only exacerbated how effective Ballard has been. Converting Bear Pascoe to TE has been a rough go of it, but Ballard’s emergence gives Eli yet another safety net to throw to. Remember when the Giants were afraid of losing two key Eli safety nets in Steve Smith and Kevin Boss the Giants have found two new ones in Cruz and Ballard.
– Now, I promised you I would defend Eli Manning and I will. This loss is not on him and that interception. The QB gets all the credit and fairly gets all the blame when things don’t go right. But he was not the reason they lost this game. Watch the Packers. Watch the Saints. They have a certain rhythm and definition to their offense. There is an air of unpredictability when they line up. There is an air of confidence that when its a passing down, they can pass it knowing that they will convert. I dont get the sense the Giants have that. I think the Giants running game is better than both of those teams to be fair and some of yesterday’s struggles and only converting their first third down on that Victor Cruz hail mary of a play is NOT a recipe for success but its clear that the vision of this offense is not a good one and it starts with the coordinator. I have NEVER been a fan of Kevin Gilbride. He relies on the screen pass far too often which leads to the once or twice in a game play where Eli just kind of chucks it at Bradshaw’s feet and the crowd starts booing. The screen is a good play if you run it twice in a game but the G-Men are a screen heavy team and I can’t for the life of me figure out why. I get its a successful play but not when teams read it. Not when teams are sitting on that play and when you have become so reliant on it that teams can sniff it out early. Gilbride’s play calling got a lot of love in that Philly game and with just due. He called a brilliant game but in a game against Seattle where their run defense is stout and you know that and you can’t draw up pass plays that are effective enough to take advantage of it? That’s just lazy play calling. I get that the Giants want to impose their will on the defense and want to make sure that they play Giant football but you have to be ready and willing to adapt. The Giants have three quality receivers now. I still am high on Manningham even if Eli has begun to phase him slowly out of the offense. I think Jake Ballard has quietly been an absolute beast and its up to Gilbride to utilize these weapons on offense to give the Giants a different shade to this offense. Its time to pull out the bigger designs on this offense. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think this was the game to tip your hand in showing all the secret plays but this was a game that I felt the Giants went to the pass too late, and hung around with the run too long. Shorter pass routes and quick slants and hitches would’ve helped. On the play that Eli threw the ball up to Cruz, Manningham was wide open as he ran an out and in but Eli never even looked underneath. It has to be frustrating for Manningham now but he has to play himself back in and must continue to work in order to be back in the QB’s good graces. More so, the Giants need better play calling to ensure that Eli isn’t in a state of constant flux where he’s getting poor back up . – The Giants were fortunate with their first half follies to be tied. 242-163 in total yards, 97-35 in rushing yards and 145-128 in passing yards all in favor of the Seahawks but the biggest stat was 3 takeaways and 7 points off those turnovers to 2 turnovers and 0 points off the turnovers including two which had the Giants pinned at the red zone. The defense clamped down when necessary. The Giants need a certain rhythm and Gilbride must effectively get that rhythm to play itself out. You have the weapons Gilbride, now use them properly.
– Finally, I think this loss goes to the defense more so than the offense. The offense did its part somewhat but with Snee going down in that final fourth quarter drive due to a concussion and David Baas’ injury and Brandon Jacob’s absence, it was tough for the G-Men offense to gain any rhythm. Danny Ware was a flop and it has to be concerning for them that without Jacobs the running game can stall. I think the outcome would’ve been different had Jacobs been in the game. The offense would’ve converted more third downs but more importantly, the third downs would’ve been more manageable distances than the ones that the Giants were attempting to convert. The defense was slow, and on the deciding touchdown failed to continue playing. Now teams have a blueprint to slow down the Nascar defense the Giants have. Quick slants to receivers. Hurry up offense. More teams will run it. And now we have Brad Smith, Fred Jackson, and those damn Bills coming in on Sunday. Certainly will be a tough task for the Giants. Getting some of those guys back will certainly help.or
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