Giants show all-around strength, but old problems linger
EAST RUTHERFORD – You take the game in its totality and you scratch you wonder exactly how the Giants were not making this a laugher midway through the third quarter.
Eli Manning and the offense was moving the ball on most possessions, shredding up parts of the Redskins defense and making Steve Smith and Mario Manningham look like All-Pro receivers while the offensive line continued to provide a wall and time for him to throw the ball to whichever player was open.
The defense was rendering the Washington offense useless for most of the game. Before Chris Cooley’s touchdown grab with 1:37 remaining as the Giants were using their prevent defense to chew up the clock, they had only managed to score three points. Those points were dubious at best because they came off an interception return by DeAngelo Hall to the 11-yard line and their offense promptly went three-and-out. Their only touchdown of the game when punter Smith caught the special teams unit napping by running eight yards to the end zone on fake field goal.
Yet, even in victory (a 23-17 triumph), there is a slight feeling of emptiness. While the record stands at 1-0 and you will never give back the game, the Giants are playing for a much bigger prize than beating the mediocre Redskins. The vision is to get to Miami and play in the last game, and so you are apt to scrutinize more than normal team with lesser expectations.
This is why, when you take a closer examination of the game, you get the feeling (and if you have two eyes, you would have noticed it) that more could be done and was not. There were several opportunities out there on the field and the Giants were not able to capitalize on it.
As Manning likes to say, “Leaving points out on the field.”
Look at it from this prism, there was very little difference between the way the game was playing out in Giants Stadium on Sunday and the way they played in the first half of the playoff game against the Eagles the last time we saw the Giants play in a game of importance.
The offense was moving the ball into scoring range and the defensive line was controlling the play up front back in January. Once again, the inability to capitalize in the red zone that made the game close, settling for field goals instead of converting touchdowns when given the chance.
Three times the Giants had drives where they moved the ball inside the Redskins 20 yard line (also known the “green zone” to Coach Coughlin while us mere mortals still call it the “red zone”). Two of those times, they got inside the 10. None of those times did they score touchdown.
The result? Three Lawrence Tynes field goals and holding my breath on each one of them.
Thank goodness for Osi Umenyiora scoring on a (ruled) sack, fumble, and recovery of the football for a touchdown that gave the Giants a 10-0 and essentially ended the game right there. This was our version of the Eagles stealing a gift touchdown last year when Asante Samuel picked off Manning’s pass, returned it to the two-yard line where they would score three plays later.
For as many points as the Giants scored last season (427), they had a maddening problem of sticking the ball in the end zone with greater consistency. Moving the ball in between the 20’s has never been a problem over the last five years, but for whatever reason, scoring more touchdowns is a yearly bugaboo. 69 times (the most in the NFL), the Giants had the ball in the red zone, and only 34 times did they score touchdowns. This ranked among the bottom third in the entire league.
This happened even when #17 was on the team, so this is not about having a big, talented receiver. Are they less diversified when they get in the “zone” than other teams? Is Manning making the wrong reads? Or is the play calling bordering on abysmal?
Something has to be up.
Of course, some of the credit has to be given to the defense (hey, they get paid too) and when you are playing in the NFC East, you have three other teams with very strong defenses, so that will always be a factor. Still, not being able to convert on the third-and-one play on the first drive where Ahmad Bradshaw was stopped cold on a toss and Brandon Jacobs unable to get one yard twice inside the five-yard line, leave you a little disheartened.
This may not factor now, but it comes into play later on when the opposing team’s offense ends up converting. When you have chance to step on the opponent’s throat, you do it. By giving them life, you allow them a chance to hit that one big shot that can inspire and get them to change the momentum of the game.
While it is only one week, time will only tell whether this continuously lingering issue will be corrected, or the necessary corrections have been made for this offense to be more efficient in that part of the field.
It is the difference between a 10-win team and a 12 or 13 win team.
It’s also the difference between a team that goes home early and a true Super Bowl contender.
Random Thoughts from the home opener…..
It was the last home opener at Giants Stadium. Next year, the new Meadowlands will open up. For a final opener, it was a good way to go out.
What a nice game by Steve Smith. Six catches for 80 yards and a beautiful catch late in the fourth quarter for 26 yards that set up a field goal.
Can we officially say that DeAngelo Hall is one of the most overrated cornerbacks in the league? Smith beat him on nearly every reception in the game, and the interception he made came when Manning was under pressure, threw on the run and under threw the pass even though Smith had beaten him.
Both the Raiders and Redskins gave him big money and he still stinks.
Nice to see the Big Boss Man get into the action. He needed one block on his 27 yard catch to go into the end zone, but I was hoping he didn’t have plans on hurdling a defender on his way there.
The job done by Shaun O’Hara, Rich Seubert and Chris Snee on Albert Haynesworth was tremendous. By the second quarter, he was down on his back and later on the sideline sucking wind.
How’s that $100 million working out?
Nice to see a good distribution of snaps between the defensive lineman on Sunday. As opposed to last year when Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka were playing 80% of the snaps, this time with all the additions, the number was down to 50%.
Wait until week 12 to see this work itself out.
People sleep on Chase Blackburn when he is in the game, but I don’t. He plays solid football whenever he gets the chance. Is he the fastest player in the world? No. But he will not harm you.
Corey Webster is an incredible defender. So much that he intimidated Santana Moss right out the game….in the first quarter.
Moss decided he was going to use survivor tactics and punched Webster after a second down play and it was amazing the referees did not throw him out of the game. After that, he was a non-factor, only making two catches on the day.
How Webster was not named as an All-Pro last season is still a joke.
Not as much of a joke was Jim Zorn, desperate for points and running a fake field goal with his punter.
Now, good for them that it worked and Hunter Smith ran it in for a touchdown because like me, even the Giants weren’t expecting it.
Just shows you how far the gap is between the two teams.
EAST RUTHERFORD – You take the game in its totality and you scratch you wonder exactly how the Giants were not making this a laugher midway through the third quarter.
Eli Manning and the offense was moving the ball on most possessions, shredding up parts of the Redskins defense and making Steve Smith and Mario Manningham look like All-Pro receivers while the offensive line continued to provide a wall and time for him to throw the ball to whichever player was open.
The defense was rendering the Washington offense useless for most of the game. Before Chris Cooley’s touchdown grab with 1:37 remaining as the Giants were using their prevent defense to chew up the clock, they had only managed to score three points. Those points were dubious at best because they came off an interception return by DeAngelo Hall to the 11-yard line and their offense promptly went three-and-out. Their only touchdown of the game when punter Smith caught the special teams unit napping by running eight yards to the end zone on fake field goal.
Yet, even in victory (a 23-17 triumph), there is a slight feeling of emptiness. While the record stands at 1-0 and you will never give back the game, the Giants are playing for a much bigger prize than beating the mediocre Redskins. The vision is to get to Miami and play in the last game, and so you are apt to scrutinize more than normal team with lesser expectations.
This is why, when you take a closer examination of the game, you get the feeling (and if you have two eyes, you would have noticed it) that more could be done and was not. There were several opportunities out there on the field and the Giants were not able to capitalize on it.
As Manning likes to say, “Leaving points out on the field.”
Look at it from this prism, there was very little difference between the way the game was playing out in Giants Stadium on Sunday and the way they played in the first half of the playoff game against the Eagles the last time we saw the Giants play in a game of importance.
The offense was moving the ball into scoring range and the defensive line was controlling the play up front back in January. Once again, the inability to capitalize in the red zone that made the game close, settling for field goals instead of converting touchdowns when given the chance.
Three times the Giants had drives where they moved the ball inside the Redskins 20 yard line (also known the “green zone” to Coach Coughlin while us mere mortals still call it the “red zone”). Two of those times, they got inside the 10. None of those times did they score touchdown.
The result? Three Lawrence Tynes field goals and holding my breath on each one of them.
Thank goodness for Osi Umenyiora scoring on a (ruled) sack, fumble, and recovery of the football for a touchdown that gave the Giants a 10-0 and essentially ended the game right there. This was our version of the Eagles stealing a gift touchdown last year when Asante Samuel picked off Manning’s pass, returned it to the two-yard line where they would score three plays later.
For as many points as the Giants scored last season (427), they had a maddening problem of sticking the ball in the end zone with greater consistency. Moving the ball in between the 20’s has never been a problem over the last five years, but for whatever reason, scoring more touchdowns is a yearly bugaboo. 69 times (the most in the NFL), the Giants had the ball in the red zone, and only 34 times did they score touchdowns. This ranked among the bottom third in the entire league.
This happened even when #17 was on the team, so this is not about having a big, talented receiver. Are they less diversified when they get in the “zone” than other teams? Is Manning making the wrong reads? Or is the play calling bordering on abysmal?
Something has to be up.
Of course, some of the credit has to be given to the defense (hey, they get paid too) and when you are playing in the NFC East, you have three other teams with very strong defenses, so that will always be a factor. Still, not being able to convert on the third-and-one play on the first drive where Ahmad Bradshaw was stopped cold on a toss and Brandon Jacobs unable to get one yard twice inside the five-yard line, leave you a little disheartened.
This may not factor now, but it comes into play later on when the opposing team’s offense ends up converting. When you have chance to step on the opponent’s throat, you do it. By giving them life, you allow them a chance to hit that one big shot that can inspire and get them to change the momentum of the game.
While it is only one week, time will only tell whether this continuously lingering issue will be corrected, or the necessary corrections have been made for this offense to be more efficient in that part of the field.
It is the difference between a 10-win team and a 12 or 13 win team.
It’s also the difference between a team that goes home early and a true Super Bowl contender.
Random Thoughts from the home opener…..
It was the last home opener at Giants Stadium. Next year, the new Meadowlands will open up. For a final opener, it was a good way to go out.
What a nice game by Steve Smith. Six catches for 80 yards and a beautiful catch late in the fourth quarter for 26 yards that set up a field goal.
Can we officially say that DeAngelo Hall is one of the most overrated cornerbacks in the league? Smith beat him on nearly every reception in the game, and the interception he made came when Manning was under pressure, threw on the run and under threw the pass even though Smith had beaten him.
Both the Raiders and Redskins gave him big money and he still stinks.
Nice to see the Big Boss Man get into the action. He needed one block on his 27 yard catch to go into the end zone, but I was hoping he didn’t have plans on hurdling a defender on his way there.
The job done by Shaun O’Hara, Rich Seubert and Chris Snee on Albert Haynesworth was tremendous. By the second quarter, he was down on his back and later on the sideline sucking wind.
How’s that $100 million working out?
Nice to see a good distribution of snaps between the defensive lineman on Sunday. As opposed to last year when Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka were playing 80% of the snaps, this time with all the additions, the number was down to 50%.
Wait until week 12 to see this work itself out.
People sleep on Chase Blackburn when he is in the game, but I don’t. He plays solid football whenever he gets the chance. Is he the fastest player in the world? No. But he will not harm you.
Corey Webster is an incredible defender. So much that he intimidated Santana Moss right out the game….in the first quarter.
Moss decided he was going to use survivor tactics and punched Webster after a second down play and it was amazing the referees did not throw him out of the game. After that, he was a non-factor, only making two catches on the day.
How Webster was not named as an All-Pro last season is still a joke.
Not as much of a joke was Jim Zorn, desperate for points and running a fake field goal with his punter.
Now, good for them that it worked and Hunter Smith ran it in for a touchdown because like me, even the Giants weren’t expecting it.
Just shows you how far the gap is between the two teams.
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