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.
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