Win over ‘Boys would set great tone for coming weeks
EAST RUTHERFORD – One glance at the Giants 2009 schedule showed that the first six games of the season would be very tricky to navigate.
After their opener at home, the team would go on the road for three consecutive games. No matter how much success the team has had on the road the last three seasons (20-7 counting postseason); winning on the road, especially early in the season is difficult.
The Redskins were put in a difficult position attempting to win a divisional road game on Opening Day in the Meadowlands. The result? A loss.
Here, the Giants travel to Dallas to meet their long time rival Cowboys on Sunday night in a nationally televised game with a lot to gain that would go a long way into framing how the first half of the season can shape out.
Beating Dallas Sunday would give the Giants a give 2-0 start in the NFC East and by stealing a road game early in September; it forces the Cowboys to attempt to return the favor in cold December conditions. Percentages are that they will not be to do so.
So while there is all of this pizzazz, glitz and glamour over the new Cowboys Stadium (coming in at a tidy $1.6 billion), none of that will help their offensive line block the Giants front. Jerry Jones may have spent a kings ransom on this facility and did not have enough left over to get an extra defender or lineman to protect his quarterback.
Under normal circumstances, this game would be a one week “hype fest” until Sunday, lathering up on anything to use as dreaded “bulletin board material”. Not this time. Both teams still are looking for their own identity early in the season.
This is a game that has to be considered a “must win” for Dallas. With the current injury problems plaguing the Giants going into the game without Chris Canty and Aaron Ross, and having Kevin Dockery, Michael Johnson and Kenny Phillips all nursing various ailments, this is the Cowboys best shot at getting them before the team gets fully healthy.
As you saw on Sunday against Tampa, Tony Romo and their offense is designed to score in quick strikes. 188 of their yards came on three touchdown passes of 42, 66 and 80 yards to Miles Austin, Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton. The key has usually been to force their offense to use many plays in order to score and allow the underneath passes because they will invariably (Romo in particular) will become impatient and try to force plays that are not there.
For the Giants, two keys going to be to control the clock and the pace of the game and force the Cowboys into taking chances. If you remember the game in December that the Giants lost 20-8, two of the biggest problems the offense had were running the ball (Brandon Jacobs did not play) and the offensive line played its worst game of the season, surrendering eight sacks. There was rarely time to do anything, and when receivers were able to get open, Eli Manning could not see them because he was being driven to the ground.
As impressive as the Cowboys played on offense last week, their defense showed plenty of vulnerabilities. The Tampa Bay offense run and passed on Dallas to the tune of nearly 450 yards by and they do not feature many impact players. This would seem to bode well for the Giants, who can use their powerful running game with Jacobs and breakaway ability with Ahmad Bradshaw to pick up first downs and drain the clock.
What must come out of it though is that, unlike last week when the Giants went 0 for 3 in the red zone, and 2 for 7 in situations where they needed one yard or less, is that they need to convert and score touchdowns. Put Dallas back on its heels and allow the defense to tee off and harass Romo, placing the secondary in an advantageous position instead of wondering when the Cowboys are going to connect on that “big shot”.
One big thing to see is whether the Dallas secondary will push around the receivers as they did last December. Part of the reason why Manning was holding the ball and eventually taking sacks was because the receivers were not getting open on their routes. Terrence Newman played his best game of the 2008 season in the team’s last meeting. He bullied Domenik Hixon, rendering him a non-factor and intercepted a pass by jumping a slant route.
Playing within themselves on offense and converting when given the opportunity in the green zone on offense, along with pressuring Romo and the Cowboys on defense and getting several turnovers is the key.
Accomplish those goals and the Giants will be off to the races at 2-0.
EAST RUTHERFORD – One glance at the Giants 2009 schedule showed that the first six games of the season would be very tricky to navigate.
After their opener at home, the team would go on the road for three consecutive games. No matter how much success the team has had on the road the last three seasons (20-7 counting postseason); winning on the road, especially early in the season is difficult.
The Redskins were put in a difficult position attempting to win a divisional road game on Opening Day in the Meadowlands. The result? A loss.
Here, the Giants travel to Dallas to meet their long time rival Cowboys on Sunday night in a nationally televised game with a lot to gain that would go a long way into framing how the first half of the season can shape out.
Beating Dallas Sunday would give the Giants a give 2-0 start in the NFC East and by stealing a road game early in September; it forces the Cowboys to attempt to return the favor in cold December conditions. Percentages are that they will not be to do so.
So while there is all of this pizzazz, glitz and glamour over the new Cowboys Stadium (coming in at a tidy $1.6 billion), none of that will help their offensive line block the Giants front. Jerry Jones may have spent a kings ransom on this facility and did not have enough left over to get an extra defender or lineman to protect his quarterback.
Under normal circumstances, this game would be a one week “hype fest” until Sunday, lathering up on anything to use as dreaded “bulletin board material”. Not this time. Both teams still are looking for their own identity early in the season.
This is a game that has to be considered a “must win” for Dallas. With the current injury problems plaguing the Giants going into the game without Chris Canty and Aaron Ross, and having Kevin Dockery, Michael Johnson and Kenny Phillips all nursing various ailments, this is the Cowboys best shot at getting them before the team gets fully healthy.
As you saw on Sunday against Tampa, Tony Romo and their offense is designed to score in quick strikes. 188 of their yards came on three touchdown passes of 42, 66 and 80 yards to Miles Austin, Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton. The key has usually been to force their offense to use many plays in order to score and allow the underneath passes because they will invariably (Romo in particular) will become impatient and try to force plays that are not there.
For the Giants, two keys going to be to control the clock and the pace of the game and force the Cowboys into taking chances. If you remember the game in December that the Giants lost 20-8, two of the biggest problems the offense had were running the ball (Brandon Jacobs did not play) and the offensive line played its worst game of the season, surrendering eight sacks. There was rarely time to do anything, and when receivers were able to get open, Eli Manning could not see them because he was being driven to the ground.
As impressive as the Cowboys played on offense last week, their defense showed plenty of vulnerabilities. The Tampa Bay offense run and passed on Dallas to the tune of nearly 450 yards by and they do not feature many impact players. This would seem to bode well for the Giants, who can use their powerful running game with Jacobs and breakaway ability with Ahmad Bradshaw to pick up first downs and drain the clock.
What must come out of it though is that, unlike last week when the Giants went 0 for 3 in the red zone, and 2 for 7 in situations where they needed one yard or less, is that they need to convert and score touchdowns. Put Dallas back on its heels and allow the defense to tee off and harass Romo, placing the secondary in an advantageous position instead of wondering when the Cowboys are going to connect on that “big shot”.
One big thing to see is whether the Dallas secondary will push around the receivers as they did last December. Part of the reason why Manning was holding the ball and eventually taking sacks was because the receivers were not getting open on their routes. Terrence Newman played his best game of the 2008 season in the team’s last meeting. He bullied Domenik Hixon, rendering him a non-factor and intercepted a pass by jumping a slant route.
Playing within themselves on offense and converting when given the opportunity in the green zone on offense, along with pressuring Romo and the Cowboys on defense and getting several turnovers is the key.
Accomplish those goals and the Giants will be off to the races at 2-0.
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