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Big Blue problems too big to ignore
EAST RUTHERFORD – There were many enduring impressions from the disaster that took place at New Meadowlands Stadium with each of them leaving your head scratching.
However, none was worse than what took place with 13:34 remaining in the game and the Giants trailing by nine points as Lawrence Tynes lined up for a 39-yard field goal, still harboring hopes of a comeback despite their previous and eventual ineptitude in their 29-10 defeat to the Titans.
The whistle blew and a flag was down.
Delay of game was the call and it cost them five yards.
Really? Delay of game prior to kicking a field goal?
What followed next was pure justice as Tynes would miss his second field goal of the game, this one now a 44-yard attempt to give the Titans the ball back and eventually lock down their victory.
“We got in a position where it seemed to be that we didn’t get the ball snapped on time,” Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “The communication between the holder and the line of scrimmage, the clock ran down, we missed the long field goal.”
This incredible mental lapse was one of many throughout the day that cost the Giants dearly, turning what could have been a six-point deficit to 12.
Yet, none was more damning than this.
Coughlin put the blame on Dodge, but it was merely just one aspect of a game that saw many players suffer from numerous inexplicable mental breakdowns that makes one wonder if these players three games into the season have internally checked themselves out.
Sure, there were all the turnovers (three more), the penalties (reaching a plague like status now) and just complete bone-headedness that usually renders its ugly head at least once or twice during these games.
“It’s on me,” said Coughlin. “The way in which we play in between the lines is my responsibility I’m taking full responsibility for that.
“This was a game that we should have won, we didn’t win.”
What else can explain the continuous rash of turnovers? Three more Sunday added the season total to nine in the first three games as they continue to treat the ball like a loaf of bread.
The fourth play of the game saw Eli Manning’s pass deflect off the shoulder of Hakeem Nicks for an interception that led to a Titans field goal. For the fourth time this season, a deflection off the hands of a receiver ended in an interception.
Nicks is a talented receiver who makes many tough catches. However, when a ball is near your possession, catching it is necessary and not having it bounce off you for a turnover.
This of course paled in comparison to the foolish play by Manning near the goal line when, with at least three points in hand, he tried throw a left-handed to Kevin Boss and had the pass intercepted into the end zone.
Add in Ahmad Bradshaw’s fumble at the Titans 5 while fighting for extra yardage late in the third quarter and that is 17 points left on the field because of errors, twice in the red zone.
“When you don’t score down there, it is one thing,” said Eli Manning. “When you turn the ball over and get zero points, you just can’t afford those.”
What else can explain these breakdowns? Mind you, this is the same team that when they went 12-4 in 2008 set the NFL all-time record for fewest turnovers in a season.
Said Manning, “If you are going to make mistakes, if you are going to screw up so many things, it (the success on offense) gets canceled out.”
Since the beginning of last season, the Giants have turned the ball over a whopping 40 times in 19 games. These are unsustainable and represent a complete lack of concentration.
Said Coughlin, “We can’t stop trying to move the ball.”
But there was more. Much more.
In the fourth quarter, the team self-destructed. After Tynes missed his second field goal, right tackle Kareem McKenzie committed a 15-yard personal foul for ripping off the helmet of a Titans player in full view of the official who was close to the three feet from him when he did it.
Several minutes later he did it again, wiping away a potential scoring drive at the Titans 31, turning a third-and-10 into a third-and-25, ending any real chance the Giants had to win.
Add to it, Antrel Rolle would commit another personal foul, taking a swing during the Titans final scoring drive that would end in a touchdown.
That was the sixth personal foul on the day totaling of 11 penalties. Clearly, Coughlin had seen enough. He removed both players from the game and they did not return.
Who is to blame for this seemingly lack of discipline and control? 
It does not matter if the Titans baited them into retaliating. Officials do not see who starts the altercation, only the end of it. Continuously losing their cool in such a manner is ridiculous.
“There’s only one flag,” said Coughlin. “They never see the first one.”
We have seen this type of team before. Coughlin had that squad before nearly losing his job after the 2006 season.
If this is a return of “that” team, then this season is shot already. This is not a young group of guys trying to find its way. This veteran has been through the highs and the lows over the last five seasons.
Whether it is frustration, an inability to execute or this teams talent has been overrated is anyone’s guess.
“Right now we’re not playing well as a team,” said Osi Umenyiora. “We have to figure out a way to get better.”
It is advisable that they begin to clean this up beginning Sunday at home against Chicago.
Otherwise, this already long season will continue to get longer.
Giants penalties, turnovers, cool, cost them in defeat
EAST RUTHERFORD – Almost to a man, the Giants felt as if they were the better team on the field Sunday with the mantra of “we beat ourselves” the recurring theme.
Statistically, they would be correct. The offense outgained the Titans by exactly 200 yards. Unfortunately, statistics are not the only part of the game.
Factor in everything else such as turnovers, penalties and numerous ill-advised situations of them completely losing their mind, and it is no surprise that the so-called “better team” convincingly lost 29-10 at New Meadowlands Stadium.
“The oldest axiom in football is the first thing you have to do is keep from beating yourself before you can beat the opponent and we didn’t do that,” said Coughlin.
In that sense, the Giants beat themselves senseless.
All week the team talked about needing to find the passion they were sorely lacking in their embarrassing loss in Indianapolis. The passion was there on Sunday, albeit misplaced, eventually spiraling out of control.
“We are not good enough to overcome mistakes,” said Mathias Kiwanuka. “We are not good enough to overcome penalties. We have to either grow and we can go uphill or we can go downhill.”
It began on the fourth play of the game when Eli Manning pass to Hakeem Nicks deflected off his shoulder and ricocheted off the helmet of defensive back Cortland Finnegan and into the hands of defensive tack Sen’Derrick Marks at the Titans 49 that would turn into a 48-yard field goal by Rob Bironas.
The Giants offense would drive down the field on their next possession, led by a 54 yard catch and run by Kevin Boss down to the Titans 9. However, on third down from the 2, Manning scrambled to his left and with a defender in his grasp, attempted a left-handed pass to Boss in the end zone only to have it intercepted by Jason McCourty for a touchback.
It was an incredibly poor for a veteran quarterback such as a Manning, particularly in that situation.
“Just saw Kevin (Boss) open and was trying to get him the ball,” said Manning, who finished 34-for-48 for 386 yards. “Everything is telling you to try and get him the ball, but you just have to know you can’t afford to have a turnover there.
After Lawrence Tynes missed a 53-yard field goal early in the second quarter, the Titans took advantage of good field position and marched 57 yards before Chris Johnson scored from one yard out to give the Titans a 10-0 lead.
The Giants would tie the game before the half after Tynes would connect on a 50-yard field goal and Ahmad Bradshaw scored on a 10-yard touchdown run.
In the third quarter, Manning completed a deep pass down the left sideline to Mario Manningham for 43 yards. However, the Bradshaw would be called for a chop block in the end zone as defensive tackle Tony Brown was on a straight line for Manning after center Adam Koets, playing in place of Shaun O’Hara, did not pick him up.
The result ended in a safety.
“I jumped over because the center took my guy,” said Bradshaw. “By the time I was in the air, I didn’t know whether he had his hands on him or not. They called the penalty.”
This would turn out to be one the biggest plays of the game. Matt Dodge’s ensuing free kick was short and returned to the Titans 49. With Johnson slowed by the Giants run defense for most of the game, Head Coach Jeff Fisher put the game in the hands of quarterback Vince Young, benched last week for poor play for Kerry Collins.
Young would complete four passes on the drive with minimal pressure from the defensive front, ending with a 13-yard strike to former Rutgers star Kenny Britt for a touchdown and nine-point advantage.
More self-inflicted wounds would come when the Giants appeared on the verge of cutting the deficit, but for the second time in the red zone, they would turn the ball over as Bradshaw had the ball stripped from him at the Titans 5, taking away another potential score.
Said Coughlin, “We just…over and over and over. There was a touchdown with momentum. There was a score coming with momentum. There’s the ball on the ground.”
The worse was still yet to come. As they lined up for a 39-yard field goal, a delay of game penalty would back them up five yards. Coincidentally, Tynes would then miss his second of the game, a 44-yard try and a personal foul penalty on David Diehl for removing the helmet of Finnegan that set the ball at the Titans 49 and would lead to another field goal by Bironas to extend the lead to 12.
Suddenly, the team began to disintegrate. Kareem McKenzie, one of the veteran players on the squad, got called for two unnecessary roughness penalties in full view of the officials, one of the taking them out of field goal range at the Titans 31.
Antrel Rolle would then commit the Giants sixth personal foul of the afternoon when he took a swing at a Titans player. Coughlin would remove both players from the game and neither would return.
“They are held accountable,” said Coughlin of the player’s responsibility for their actions. “They’ve been told that they do not have the freedom to hurt our football team, to take actions which hurt our team.
Penalties lose games – they know that, they’ve been told that, they all know it.”
“It’s a game of emotions,” said Rolle, “That guy took two strikes, and I made sure I struck back.”
They struck back and it cost them. Despite amassing 471 total yards, they only came away with 10 points in eight trips inside the Titans 35 yard line. Three turnovers and 11 penalties (most at inopportune time) cost them dearly.
“We’re not playing Giant football right now,” said Steve Smith, who had nine receptions for 103 yards. “All these penalties, no matter how well we thought we can move the ball offensively, the penalties kill you. That’s football.
Right now, it is anyone’s guess as to when this team will get back to that.
That has to happen soon otherwise this season will begin to spiral out of control.
Smack down by Colts shows Giants have ways to go
INDIANAPOLIS – To be fair, it was not the Giants talking a big game before their nationally broadcast showdown with the Colts on Sunday night.
This was why it came as a complete shock when a majority of presumably astute football observers came to the same conclusion that the Giants would not only keep this game close, but also win it outright.
Slow down folks.
As the team made that slow walk off the field with their heads down after a 38-14 drubbing by the Colts that was not as close as the final score, they learned a valuable lesson. They could leave with the solace that they while they are not bad as they were made to look on this night, they are not as good as many made them out to be.
“Obviously not what we came to do,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin.
All one had to do was look up at the scoreboard after the first seven minutes after the Colts marched down the field with little push back by the defense for them to realize that they were not fighting a scrub and were in a battle with a higher class of fighter.
For the Giants, this was the equivalent of going from fighting Peter McNeeley in one fight to Mike Tyson in his prime in the next.
“We have to understand we did get our butt whupped tonight,” safety Antrel Rolle said.
After their convincing second-half victory over the Panthers, many in the (drive by) media began to proclaim the Giants a very good team, one very capable of making some noise in the NFC East.
However, as the hours began to count before their game with the Colts, all one had to do was see the Panthers put together a tremendously weak effort at home against the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They lost 20-7, and looking bad doing so to make one wonder whether if much of what we saw last week was an aberration.
The Giants are slightly above average, but they are not ready to play a team the caliber of the Colts yet. Not to beat Peyton Manning and his group. Not to win 12 games and dominate the conference. None of that stuff.
To be fair, the Colts played a perfect first half and it is likely that no one in the league was going to stop them anyway.
“In spurts, we did well,” said Justin Tuck, “But in other spurts we didn’t.”
You would have liked to see some type of push back from the defense not to allow Manning and his offense to do anything they wanted for 30 minutes.
It would have been nice to see the Giants offensive line make a statement early in the game and control the line of scrimmage instead of finding themselves back on their heels on first and second down. This allowed for the Colts great pass-rushers Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis make a beeline for Eli Manning head with no regard for anything else.
We saw none of that.
What we see is still a team in search of its identity. Somewhere between the start of the 2009 season and now, their identity changed.
Internally, they still believe they are a run-first team. Perhaps it is simply machismo disguised as belief when the results continue to show a different result.
There is no doubt the 2008 offensive line would have had the Colts moving backwards. Instead, they were pushed around and turning back into the pass-first team they have been over the last year due in part to their inconsistencies in the running game.
“This is the NFL,” said left guard Rich Seubert. “It’s a long season. We’ll find a way to fix it and go from there.”
As we move along in this season, we will get a feel for the group mental sense. For now, the early conclusion we can draw is that Brandon Jacobs clearly is on his own planet.
Sunday night, he committed a personal foul penalty after an interception. Then on a running play, rather than follow blocks that were not to his liking, he attempted to reverse his field and the Colts defense shut down for no gain angering his head coach, adding to a litany of issues the enigmatic runner has been going through since training camp.
It did not stop there. In a fit of anger, Jacobs tried to slam his helmet to the ground and instead, it wound up in the hands of a fan ten rows into the stands that refused to return it. Coughlin did not see the incident.
“It was something that happened that shouldn’t have happened,” Jacobs said after the game. “I got frustrated and went to throw my helmet under the bench and it caught my middle finger and flicked up into the stands.”
Two games in and there are already questions about the Giants 
resolve. After last season’s bloody beating by the Saints, every assumed that the team would rebound and it never happened.
They dismissed it and their season eventually dissolved. The Colts took a beating last week in Houston, and while many wanted to write them off, they were silly to do so.
The Giants lost that equity last season, and that is why they have not earned the benefit of the doubt this time under proven otherwise.
This goes for both sides of the ball. It certainly is not for a lack of talent. There are issues they need to address and clean up before they can establish to the football world that they are a contender. Lucky for them, the other NFC East teams will give them several weeks to do so.
“You just learn from it,” said Eli Manning. “It goes down as a loss. We’re 1-1 right now. Everybody in the division is 1-1, except Dallas is 0-2 obviously. We’re not in a bad spot.”
All they can do is learn because right now they simply are not ready to step up in weight class yet.
Peyton, Colts dominate Eli, Giants
INDIANAPOLIS – it took nearly seven minutes for the Giants to realize they were not going to dominate the Colts in the same manner they did the Panthers.
As they found out, the Colts, the Super Bowl runner-up last season, may have been dominated in their loss to the Houston Texans last week, but chatter of their possible decline was nothing but pure exaggeration.
For the second time, big brother Peyton Manning got the best of young brother Eli as the Giants had the happy taste of their opening week victory wiped away in embarrassing fashion, losing 38-14 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“(The Colts) played an outstanding game on both sides of the ball, said Eli Manning. “ When you can’t get first downs, it’s hard to get into your plays and your calls.
The Giants certainly did not get many of those in a first half (only five) that saw the Colts dominate the play in every conceivable fashion, including time of possession, racing out to a 24-0 lead.
It began with a textbook drive by the older Peyton, who moved his team 80 yards in 12 plays (including seven runs) without much resistance from the defense, ending with a seven-yard touchdown run by Donald Brown.
It would only get worse.
To their credit, the defense held the Colts to three-and-outs and their next two drives. However, the Giants offense did the same and this would come back to haunt them when Peyton found Dallas Clark for a 50-yard touchdown strike to increase the lead to 14.
On the play before, safety Kenny Phillips had to leave the game with a head injury. Backup Michael Johnson replaced him and Manning chose to pick on him. Johnson bit hard on a play-action pass to play the run, allowing Clark to get behind both him and Aaron Ross as he streaked into the end zone.
“Obviously not what we came to do, said Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “ I thought the first half they kept us off-balance with the run. I think we were all surprised that they were able to run and run with some consistency.”
Seeing the Colts run only 10 times and throwing 57 against Houston, the Giants defense designed their plan to stop the pass by going with a smaller alignment of three defensive ends and as many as six defensive back. Knowing this, the Colts opted to focus their emphasis on the run, amassing 124 yards.
“A lot of their runs just came off cutbacks, said Justin Tuck. “ Give them credit. Their backs did a good job of seeing the hole and hitting it. Even when we tackled them, they rolled forward for three and four more yards.”
Turnovers also did the Giants in. The younger Manning went deep down the middle of the field and the ball went off the hands of Steve Smith into the hands of Jerrold Powers for an interception that would lead to a field goal by Adam Vinatieri. Robert
Mathis would then strip Manning of the ball on third down play that the Colts would recover at their own 48.
Eight plays later, the older Manning found Austin Collie for a three-yard touchdown strike to cap off a perfect first half that saw them outgain the Giants 278 to 69.
The younger Eli resembled Matt Moore from last week, going 3-for-8 for only 17 yards.
“We didn’t run the ball especially well, we didn’t throw the ball well, Manning said. “They outplayed us.”
Yes, the running game. The Colts were determined to not allow the same 257 yards that the Texans put on them the week before, but the Giants were unable to get started quickly. This inability to run consistently put them in disadvantageous positions, allowing defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis to create havoc in the backfield.
“They (the Colts) lost last week and they came fired up this week, said Ahmad Bradshaw, who finished the game with 89 yards on 17 carries. “ They had something to prove and they proved it to us.”
The Giants tried to get into the game at the start of the third quarter when the younger Manning threw a beautiful bomb of a pass that Mario Manningham reeled in down the left sideline for a 54-yard touchdown for their first points of the game.
The defense forced a punt and they had the ball with a chance to get within two
scores.
However, on second-and-four from their own 16, Freeney came around the left side to sack Manning and strip him of the ball. Fili Moala would pick up the loose ball and run it in for a touchdown to dash any hopes of a potential comeback.
“They have great defensive ends, a great defensive rush, causing us to get sacks of throw it away or get it out quickly, Manning said. “ They didn’t do anything different than we had seen on film. It wasn’t like they came out and showed a whole different defense. They just outperformed us.”
The defense that was so instrumental in the win last week was nowhere to be found inside Lucas Oil Stadium as the Colts efficiency ran the ball all evening to the tune of 160 yards. Also, by utilizing a three-step drop to slow down pursuit from the pass rushers, the older Manning was sacked only once in the game. He would finish the game 20-for-26 for 255 yards and three touchdowns to go 2-0 against his younger sibling.
Eli would finish 13-for-24 for 161 yards and three turnovers, with almost all of his yards coming in the second half after the score was already in doubt. His final touchdown pass, a 31-yarder to Hakeem Nicks, came in the final two minutes.
As a whole, the Giants are going to need better from not only Manning but also the entire team if they are going to correct what took place on the field.
“I told the players that there is an awful lot we can learn from this, said Coughlin. “ The team we played tonight out-executed us – outplayed us, out-executed us.”
They hope that doesn’t happen next week when they face a tough Tennessee team at home.
Rays showing no fear of Yanks
ST. PETERSBURG – Phil Hughes was one out away from giving the Yankees bullpen a chance to get the final six outs of the night to win not only the game, but the series.
Carl Crawford flew out softly and Evan Longoria struck out looking when Hughes froze him with a two-strike breaking ball for the first two outs of the inning.
Winning the game would send notice that despite all of their current ills facing them. From their problems with the starting pitching to their inability at the moment to field a full, healthy team that they still had enough muscle memory and mental toughness.
All he had to get was one more out.
His pitch count neared 100, but there was no evidence he was tiring at all. Hughes retired the first 12 batters in order and his only mistake of the game came in the fifth inning when Dan Johnson turned around a fastball for a two-run homer to give the Rays a 2-1 lead.
Thanks to help of great acting by Derek Jeter, he was able to get on base by claiming a pitch hit him. Curtis Granderson then stuck with a two-run homerun on cue to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead.
Now Hughes had a chance to close the game.
Matt Joyce hit a single to center and it looked so innocent. Manager Joe Girardi was so confident (or just trying to protect his bullpen) that no one was warming up in the bullpen.
This was Hughes’ game to lose.
And then he lost it.
Johnson, the man who took Hughes deep in the fifth inning would strike again with another two-run blast to give the Rays their eventual 4-3 winning margin to take the series and reclaim first place in the AL East.
It was a shocking turn of events. The Yankees thought they were going to steal one away from Tampa in classic fashion only to find themselves trailing in an instant.
For a team noted for their resilience, gut and grit, this was a crushing blow.
The Yankee had one final chance in the ninth inning. Closer Rafael Soriano issued a two-out walk to Mark Teixeira only throw three straight fastball past Alex Rodriguez to end the game.
That strikeout ended a tense, three game series between baseball top two teams. Say what you want about the surging Minnesota Twins, who are one game behind the Rays for the league’s best record, but this was a matchup of two heavyweights that went all 12 rounds for three straight days.
The battle will continue again next Monday night for the final four times in the regular season, but anyone watching could see that at least four more games and as many as seven appear in both of these teams future in October.
Once again, the Yankees had their chances to make sure that game was not in range for the Rays to come back, but their continuing failures with runners in scoring position continued to haunt them, stretching now to a woeful 20-for-100.
Late in the game, the Rays went to their two most valuable relievers and they held the lead, showing the Yankees that too have firepower and will not wilt when the game is in the line.
Since June, both of these teams have been inseparable. In September, no more than three games separated these two teams.
Only in the last ten games where the Yankees have gone 2-8 have the Rays found an opening to chase them down and overtake them as the last three days have seen the two team’s leap-frogging the other into first place.
I said two months ago after their three game series here that the Rays were not going to go away.
Two months later, they are still here and are on equal footing as the Yankees.
As evidenced by the three games all decided by a run, neither team has a decided advantage over the other.
From the 1-0 duel in 11 innings on Monday won by Reid Brignac’s walk-off homerun, to the Yankees 8-7 win in 10 innings Tuesday on Jorge Posada’s pinch-hit blast, to last night, it was three days of great baseball theater.
What we learned is the Rays are here to stay, perhaps all the way through October.
The Yankees definitely received the message.
A few Yankees-Rays random thoughts
The pitcher’s duel on Monday night between CC Sabathia and David Price was perhaps the best game played all season.
From the first pitch, both aces threw their best games and neither offense could muster many scoring opportunities.
The Yankees only got the leadoff man on twice in the game, back in the first and the eighth innings, but never put two men on at any point during the game.
From Derek Jeter’s leadoff single up until another single by Robinson Cano in the seventh, the Yankees went the remaining innings hitless against Price, who blew his fastball past hitters consistently.
Sabathia was just as good, allowing only one hit through his first seven innings. Tampa Bay had their best chance in the eighth inning when two men reached with only one out. However, Sabathia, in true ace form, would strike out BJ Upton on a slider and got Jason Bartlett to ground to short to end the inning.
Both bullpens kept the scoreless deadlocked in the ninth and tenth before the Rays finally broke through in the 11th on the walk off by Brignac.
You will not find a better game.
The next night brought just as much drama, but with a better outcome for the Yankees.
Jumping on top 6-0 in the fifth, the game was to be a cakewalk. Ivan Nova was in complete control and then suddenly lost it. Next thing you know, Willy Aybar stroked a three-run blast off Boone Logan to give the Rays a 7-6 lead.
Incredible.
The Yankees would tie the game in the seventh, and in extra innings, Jorge Posada came up as a pinch-hitter and hit a mammoth homerun to give them the lead.
Mariano Rivera came on to close the game, and after Carl Crawford singled and moved to second. A fly ball to right field was caught by right fielder Greg Golson, who fired a strike to third base to nail down Crawford attempting to advance.
You could see the entire team in joy after seeing Golson’s incredible throw that they mobbed him in celebration.
It was an extremely touching moment.
Giants defense the calling card in opening win
EAST RUTHERFORD – The ball was five yards from the goal line in the middle of the first quarter and the crowd was on its feet imploring the Giants to make a stop and hold them to a field goal at worst.
Panthers quarterback Matt Moore gave the ball to DeAngelo Williams, who cut to his right and looked to have clear lane to end zone.
Instead, safety Kenny Phillips charged in and with a shoestring tackle was able to trip Williams up three yards short, forcing a field goal attempt.
“(That was a) gigantic play,” Giants general manager Jerry Reese said.
While the Panthers got three points, the play symbolized something more. It was a huge victory for the Giants defense on a day where for the first time in a year, they rediscovered their defense that went all but AWOL in 2009 after the first five
games.
“I think last year we kind of got in a funk,” said Justin Tuck. “But this year, we started off right.”
“I told our group we started off last year 5-0. We just have to keep pressing, it doesn’t matter what we do.”
This was the Giants defense we missed. The group that makes key plays, comes up with big stops, pressures the quarterback and takes the ball away.
All of that was on display, especially in the second half of the Giants opening 31-18victory.
Due to two balls intercepted by the Panthers that went off the hands of receivers to go along with poor coverage on special teams. The defense early was put in very tenuous situations with the Panthers starting in great field position to score and jump out on top early as crashers to the New Meadowlands Stadium party.
If you go back one year, there is no doubt Williams gets in for a touchdown.Phillips was gone after Week 2 last season and there was no way either CC Brown or Michael Johnson was going to make that play.
The team knew it and the fans knew it.
This time, Phillips and the defense made the stop.
On the Panthers previous drive, newly acquired Deon Grant made a great athletic play, leaping into the air to intercept a Matt Moore pass as in the end zone to leave them scoreless.
“We don’t like a team to go down there and get any points,” said Grant. “Today we were able to shut them down with some huge turnovers.”
Outside of a 29-yard run from Williams early in the game, the run defense limited Carolina’s ground attack. More and more it became apparent that Moore was going to win the game with his right arm and by the end of the first half, he led them on a touchdown drive to give the Panthers a 16-14 lead.
There was little pressure on Moore in that half outside of a near sack by Osi Umenyiora on the Panthers first offensive possession. Conscious of the Giants pressure, Carolina would max-protect, keeping a running back into block along with a tight end to chip a defender whenever a blitz came.
However, as the Giants began to take control of the game in the third quarter, taking the lead and then extending the margin to eight points when Eli Manning threw his third touchdown pass of the afternoon to Hakeem Nicks, it was time for the defense to have its fun.
“The fact that we were able to hold them to field goals enabled us to turn our athletes loose,” said Barry Cofield. “With the pressure we got, it worked hand in hand. That is when we are at our best.”
The Panthers were running short on time and could no longer keep players in to block. Devoid of offensive weapons outside of Steve Smith, Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell began to dial up numerous pressure schemes, systematically break down and dismantle their offense.
Every quarterback has an internal clock they have in order to get rid of the ball. Now, the clock on Moore began to shrink. The defensive ends began to pressure him, sacking him four times.
In the fourth quarter, the Panthers tried to claw back to within one possession, but Terrell Thomas’ interception in the end zone once again ended another drive.
After another Giants turnover placed the ball their 12, Phillips came up with the third end zone interception of the afternoon.
"We created havoc on the quarterback which enabled us to get some picks,” said Corey Webster.
Last year, this defense does not make those plays. Those open lanes runners and receivers found at will were no longer available. The poor starting field position would have ended in some type of points.
Instead, the Giants held them to zero points. Three times this would happen amidst the rain in the teams’ new home.
“We’ve had some good goes in the green and the red zone during the preseason and it carried over,” said Coughlin. “Today we turned them away.”
“I think that the interceptions in the end zone when they were pressing so hard to get back in the game were huge.”
They would hold Carolina’s offense scoreless in the second half, limiting them to only 72 yards and holding Smith to just one catch, eliminating him from the game.
It was a great return to the field for a player who the defense desperately missed a year ago.
“I knew I could do it,” Phillips said about returning after missing most of last season. “The doctors and trainers were confident I could make a 100% recovery.
“I felt like myself out there. No pain or anything. I don’t feel limited in any way.”
What you could see is the defense growing stronger as the game went along. Justin Tuck was nearly unblockable on several plays. Osi Umenyiora looks rejuvenated, determined that last year was an aberration, and Mathias Kiwanuka played one of the best games of his career, getting constant pressure, picking up two sacks and forcing a fumble.
“Everybody came in with the same mentality, which was that this year is going to be a different story,” said Kiwanuka.
This was a group showing more energy and inspiration. They had the look of a defense that was having fun. There was a sense of confidence in what they were doing and went out and executed their plan.
It was a great opening act.
Giants use second-half surge to secure victory
EAST RUTHERFORD – For the first 30 minutes, the game was sloppy by every conceivable imagination.
From a lack of a running game, to passes going through receivers hands, poor pass rush, and several abysmal special teams lapses, none of it was good.
However, the game is not 30 minutes, its 60.
In the final 30 minutes, a new Giants team emerged. The upside that many observers felt about this team before the year began all showed up in the second half as they turned a halftime deficit into a convincing 31-18 victory to christen New Meadowlands Stadium.
“With a brand-new stadium, the crowd, you want to go out there and play well,” said quarterback Eli Manning. “It was very important for us to come out and get a win.”
The last time the Giants saw the Panthers, it was last December when Carolina embarrassed them 41-9 in the final game ever played for them in old Giants Stadium. It was an effort where many questioned their heart and whether they quit.
For the last nine months, that was game weighed on the players who were on that field that afternoon determined to right the wrong of last season.
Early on, it was difficult to tell that. On the second Giants possession, Eli Manning’s pass to Hakeem Nicks deflected off his hands and Charles Godfrey picked it off, returning it to the Giants 49.
After Carolina reached the Giants 18, Panthers quarterback Matt Moore lifted a pass into the end zone that safety Deon Grant intercepted, leaping into the air, somersaulting to the ground.
It was the type of play missing from the secondary last year.
A key play early was when safety Kenny Phillips tripped up DeAngelo Williams to save a touchdown on third-and-three, forcing a field goal from John Kasay. The Giants would quickly answer when Manning found Nicks for a 26-yard touchdown strike at the end of the quarter.
Carolina lived in Giants territory for much of the first half aided in part by poor kick and punt coverage. Add to it, Manning threw two interceptions, each of them ricocheting off intended receivers hands. This led to starting field position of the Giants 49, their own 45, 48, 36 and midfield.
Giving an opponent that level would have been a problem had the Giants an offense with a higher level of potency as they will see next week at Indianapolis. But on this day, the revamped defense would stiffen, limiting the Panthers to three field goals and 9-7 lead late in the half.
“Three field goals instead of three touchdowns, nine points instead of 21,” said defensive tackle Barry Cofield. “That’s the kind of progress we need to see.”
Manning would find Nicks again for the second time in the game to go back up 14-9. However, poor kick coverage allowed the Panthers to start at midfield and five plays later Moore found “The other Steve Smith” for a 19-yard touchdown to take a 16-14 lead into the half.
The first half combination of penalties (six for 55 yards) and inability to run the ball (13 attempts for 8 yards) forced the offense into disadvantageous situations, forcing them to rely heavily on the pass. Six times Manning and the offense faced a third down of ten or more yards.
Whether there was a pep talk at the half or not, a completely different Giants team showed up at the start of the third quarter. A field goal by Lawrence Tynes gave them a 17-16 lead. DJ Ware would recover a fumble by punter Jason Baker at the Panthers 38, where the offense would drive again and Manning found Nicks for the third time in the game to extend the lead to an eight-point margin.
“Hakeem, he just happened to be in the right spot at the right time.” Manning said. Ahmad Bradshaw took a shotgun draw for a four-yard touchdown run to give them a 31-16 lead.
From there, the Giants defense, unable to get to Moore in the 
first half, began to take control of the game. They first shut down Williams (16 carries-62 yards) and the Panthers ground game and putting it in the hands of Moore to win the game for them.
Unfortunately, he could not do it.
The secondary, criticized all season for their inability to take the ball away came up huge.
First, Terrell Thomas came down with an interception in the end zone with 8:40 left. Then, after Godfrey intercepted another Manning pass (the ball went off the hands of Ramses Barden) at the Giants 12, Phillips made his presence felt again, giving the defense its third end zone interception.
It was a great second half for the defense, holding the Panthers offense scoreless while amassing four sacks to go along with the three interceptions. They limited their offense to only 72 total yards and knocked Moore out of the game when Osi Umenyiora sacked him, having to leave with a concussion. In all, it was a great first game display under new defensive coordinator, Perry Fewell.
“What Perry has done with this defense can’t go unsaid, said defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka, who finished with two sacks and a forced fumble.
“Everybody has
sold in. Everybody wants to win.”
The running game got going as well. After poor run-blocking led to eight yards, ran for 110 yards and wore down the smaller Carolina defensive front.
Manning was 20-for-30 for 263 yards and three touchdowns. The numbers would have been better had it not been for five dropped passes, three of them that went off the hands of receivers resulting in interceptions.
“The really shows the confidence he has in himself,” Coughlin said. “He continued to stay focused and not let the last play determine the outcome of the next play, which is very important.”
Next Sunday bring an even greater challenge when they travel to Indianapolis to face the AFC Champion Colts in a nationally television game dubbed as Manning Bowl II. For today, the Giants will just take the win before looking ahead.
Late season slump cause for concern
ARLINGTON – When you watch the Yankees over the last week, you can see they are not whole.
The squad that you see is not the same squad you will see in Game 1 of the Division Series assuming the unthinkable does not happen and they collapse.
You want to go into the postseason playing well, but right now, the Yankees are doing anything but.
It has not been a complete breakdown, but after leaving Arlington on a plane for St. Petersburg after being swept by the Texas Rangers this past weekend and losing six of their last seven, things do not look good.Had it not been for a walk-off homerun on Wednesday by Nick Swisher to beat the Orioles, this team would be on a seven game losing streak going back to their loss on Sunday to Toronto.
To be fair, they have been in a position to win several of these games during the losing skid. Three of the losses came by one run, and one of them with Mariano Rivera blowing a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth on Saturday night when he hit pinch hitter Jeff Francoeur with the bases loaded to end the game.
The problem has been the inability to come through with runners in scoring position that has kept these games closer than they should, allowing for these end of game defeats.
Pitching wise, they have not been bad. CC Sabathia lost for the first time at Yankee Stadium in 21 starts on Tuesday to the Orioles, a team that has improved greatly under manager Buck Showalter.
AJ Burnett pitched well on Monday despite giving up the go ahead run in the seventh inning. It was another positive step for him that was able to carry into his start Saturday in Texas, cut short after five innings due to a one-hour rain delay.
Javier Vazquez continued to sputter and Dustin Moseley pitched 
admirably against Cliff Lee on Sunday, taking the ball into the seventh inning tied 1-1 before giving up three runs with two out to blow the game open on an afternoon where nearly none of Joe Girardi’s trusted relievers were available due to back-to-back, five hour extra inning games.
Ivan Nova has been a great supplement to the rotation in the interim until Andy Pettitte returns, so for now the team is trying to tread water with him.
Offensively, they are dealing with injuries to Brett Gardner (wrist) and Nick Swisher (knee) and their presence in the lineup is far more important than anyone gave credit.
Alex Rodriguez returned from the disabled list last Sunday before the final game against the Blue Jays and his picked up right where he left off offensively. However, questions linger over how long he will be able to continue before another injury sidelines him.
To his credit, Rodriguez says he feels strong and that nothing is wrong despite Girardi giving him Tuesday night off. The standings show the Yankees do not need to push him every night until the playoffs. Giving his older body a day off despite upcoming games against the Rays no matter how unpopular, is a smart move.
Jorge Posada suffered concussion symptoms and missed three games before returning to the lineup on Sunday. His loss for any significant time would be a huge blow to the team considering how far Francisco Cervelli has fallen offensively since early May.
The consistent part of this team has been its bullpen. Even though they gave up two of the leads during this past weekend’s series, they have become fully reliable and you just hope the starting pitcher that night can pitch long enough to get the ball to them.
This has been Girardi’s greatest strength in comparison to Joe Torre.
Torre managed to win every game at all costs. However, he would sacrifice everyone and anyone to do it. If a good reliever had his arm fall off in the process, so be it.
Of course, that can happen when you have few reliable options as Torre did (see: Scott Proctor). Girardi has four guys he can go to at any given point during the middle of the game to get big outs in David Robertson, Joba Chamberlain, Boone Logan and the pickup of the trade deadline, Kerry Wood.
This group is going to need to perform at their high level as the rotation attempts to find itself. However, a combination of all of the factors have led to the Yankees slide as of late heading into Tampa for a big three-game series to decide first place in the AL East.
The time may not be now for the Yankees to get everything right.
They just have to avoid their slide continuing.
After abysmal 2009, Big Blue D looking to rebound
EAST RUTHERFORD – Having a good defense is a vital element to any good team.
Have it, and you will always give yourself a chance to win.
If you have a great defense, that alone can carry you to victory.
However, if you have a bad defense, you have almost no chance.
Last season, to say the Giants defense was awful would actually be kind.
In one of the franchises most abysmal displays ever, the Giants final record of 8-8 was due in large part that the group unexpectedly played below their talent level.
It was a mighty fall considering they began the year 5-0. Yet, that hefty record was a creation of a tremendously weak schedule of opponents (Washington, Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Oakland) that gave them a false sense of bravado, even leading Antonio Pierce to say after their 44-7 thrashing of the Raiders that it “felt like a practice game.”
Statistically, when they were 5-0, they had the best defense in football. Yet, problems arose in their Week 2 win at Dallas when the Cowboys gashed them for over 200 yards. After the game, the Giants had to place Kenny Phillips on injured reserve with an arthritic knee condition, thus ending his season.
Not having Phillips in the backend of the secondary did not show up for the next three games. However, when they went to New Orleans during a battle of undefeated teams, the Saints exposed their deficient secondary and lack of speed at linebacker to rack up 48 points.
Afterwards, the defense chalked it up to nothing more than one bad game. Instead, it was the just the beginning a problem that would last the remainder of the season.
A lack of consistent pass rush, mixed in with a lack of athleticism at the linebacker position, added with the loss of Phillips in the secondary and numerous coverage breakdowns and “miscommunications” all led to what took place that afternoon.
This would follow for the next four weeks and the Giants went from 5-0 to 5-4 in an instant with one of the final nails coming at home when San Diego rallied from six points down in the final two minutes to win 21-20 on a last second touchdown.
The defense would not admit to a rift with their new defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan, but there was so much innuendo going around in the locker room that you could not avoid it.
It was obvious the defense was not the same aggressive, attacking defense as it was in previous years. However, with a lack of pass rush from their interior lineman, blitzing was very difficult to do because the secondary could not cover. How many times did we have to see C.C Brown chasing
defenders and only seeing the back of his jersey?
When they lost 45-38 to the Eagles at home in a battle for first place that was the ultimate sign that the defense could not solve any of its problems. No longer was it simply a mirage or a few bad games.
We had enough of a sample size to conclude that they were not any good despite the name players on the roster.
The fact they essentially gave up the final two weeks of the season was an enormous black mark on this team that it now must avenge this season.
That is the reason Perry Fewell is here.
Tom Coughlin brought him in to restore that Giants Pride that was lacking severely last year and needs to return with ferocity in order for this team to return to the top of the NFC East and put them back in contention for the Super Bowl.
The defensive line has the talent. Justin Tuck is 100 percent healthy and Osi Umenyiora has a clear mind and is ready to make amends for his poor performance and attitude last year.
Chris Canty, after contributing nearly nothing last year and back and healthy to go along with Mathias Kiwanuka. Added to that is rookie Jason Pierre-Paul and Linval Joseph to bring you and added athleticism. The hope is to rotate all of these players and come at opponents in waves as they did in 2007.
The linebacker spot is still a question mark. Keith Bulluck is ful
ly healthy after a broken leg last season. But can he give 16 games?
The same can also be said for Michael Boley, who did not give a full season last year, only showing flashes of his talent, just not on a consistent basis.
Antrel Rolle was signed to fill the safety problems and with the returning Phillips, gives the Giants two ball-hawks in the secondary to anchor along with Terrell Thomas and Corey Webster.
No one disputes that the talent is there to get this done.
The question is whether they can be healthy enough to produce and play at the high level they should.
My bet is that they will.
Despite success, inconsistency marred 2009
EAST RUTHERFORD – A wise football man once said, “Statistics are meaningless.”
Anyone can use all the numbers in the world to draw any conclusion one would like.
All one has to do is look at last year’s Giants offense to prove this point.
Those dreaded “statistics” say last season the Giants ranked a respectable 11th in the league in total offense and eighth in scoring points.
However, a closer examination of the numbers and the simple “eye test” one would do by watching these games would tell that the team was simply not as good as those numbers would indicate. Yes, the defense was undoubtedly atrocious, but the offense before everything went downhill had to take responsibility for some of their actions that led to the eventual disaster.
In 2008 when the Giants went 12-4, one of the major statistics that stood out was their inability to convert in the red zone (the scoring area inside the opponents’ 20-yard line). This theme carried over into 2009 when they failed to convert on their first seven chances of the year. Though they won both games, the problem would not go away.
Running the ball was a staple of their offensive success, but for a multitude of reasons, they never got on track from the outset. Brandon Jacobs injured his knee in the opener against the Redskins and never was the bruising back the team had come to count on.
The offensive line, after being the team’s rock for several seasons, showed signs of weariness and age, lacking an ability to impose their will and establish themselves at the point of attack, frequently pushed back by the defense. These problems, in addition to not having enough consistently healthy running backs is what helped Eli Manning achieve career numbers in both passing yards and touchdowns despite playing on an injured foot for the final 11 games of the year.
Uncharacteristically, the team was a magnet for turning the ball over. 31 giveaways last year at an average of nearly two per game was a problem all season. Part of that is the defense forcing the offense, to take chances. However, many of the turnovers came before these games got out of hand because of poor defense.
This season, more emphasis needs to be made on protecting the ball. The offense is not the early 2000’s version of the St. Louis Rams where they can overcome numerous mistakes by bludgeoning their opponent with their high scoring offense. Unfortunately, this team is not built that way and the Giants defense as of right now, has yet to establish that they are good enough to overcome such mistakes.
The big question is whether the offensive line can hold up for the entire 16-game slate the biggest question mark.
The firm of (David) Diehl, Rich (Seubert), (Shaun) O’Hara, (Chris) Snee and (Kareem) McKenzie have yet to reach their “past prime” moment in their career, but after as many consecutive games the group has played together over the last four years, they are close to their expiration date.
Can they open up running lanes for Ahmad Bradshaw, who is now the starting running back in the offense, and late in the game when they attempt to overpower the defense late?
How about giving Eli Manning time to find receivers?
It has come to the point where we assume Manning will be a given. He is the elder statesman on the roster and the leader of the group.
We have come to expect a high level of performance and the job that he did helping in the development of the wide receivers was extraordinary.
Steve Smith became a Pro Bowl performer with a career-high 107 catches. Hakeem Nicks showed plenty of promise in his rookie season averaging nearly 17 yards a catch. Mario Manningham rebounded from a poor, injury-filled rookie campaign to gain over 800 yards and score five touchdowns.
With all of this, here are the questions facing the Giants offense coming into this season:
1. Can they reestablish their old dominant ground attack?
2. Can the offensive stay a cohesive and healthy unit all season?
3. Can Eli Manning continue to develop into an elite quarterback?
4. Can the wide receivers be an even great threat as evidenced by their strong season a year ago?
If the answer is yes, then with a hopefully revitalized defense, the team will continue to be in an advantageous position to win. However, they need to reduce their amount of turnovers and convert in the red zone when they get down there as often as they have over the last two seasons.
If not, they will be a mediocre football team.
