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.
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.
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