It's a happy recap for the Giants, and who was ever happier than Nipsey Russell?
I loved Match Game.
Moving on...
TC didn't give much of an injury update and wouldn't speculate as to whether Gibril Wilson or James Butler would return for Sunday night's game with the Redskins. TC also dodged the question of whether, if the Giants win on Sunday to clinch a playoff spot and perhaps lock up the No. 5 seed, he would rest the banged-up starters (Plax, Pierce, Jacobs). One game at a time, he says often.
On to the game:
THE GOOD
-- Spags. One play I forgot to mention in yesterday's post that I really loved. Third quarter, Eagles up 10-6, third and 11 from their 31. On the D-line: Strahan, Jay Alford, Fred Robbins and Kawika Mitchell, who was in on some dime downs to save Pierce's ankle. Lined up as blitzing LBs: Tuck and Umenyiora. They got a head of steam and both hit the "A' gaps, occupying the interior linemen. Then, Craig Dahl flies through the middle, untouched, and nearly gets McNabb down. McNabb threw an incompletion on the run.
Maybe I'm going a little overboard on the defensive coordinator, but he's been outstanding this season. People want to heap praise around the league on what first-year coordinator Jason Garrett has done with the Cowboys offense, and that offense is extremely good. Spagnuolo deserves just as much praise for what he's done with a talented group that was either too beat up or not well-coached enough to make plays the last three seasons.
-- Mitchell. Another very, very sound game. I'm sure the Chiefs don't really need him this year.
-- Sam Madison. He looks even older out there now playing with a bunch of 23 and 24 year olds, but he's in the right place at the right time. Scooped up Westbrook's fumble and stopped Westbrook for a 1-yard loss on the Eagles' second-to-last drive.
-- Plax. I'm sure TC has a tiny stroke every time he sees Burress running with the ball like it's a hand grenade he's about to toss, but it is fun to watch when No. 17 is zig-zagging across the field.
-- Jeff Feagles/Lawrence Tynes. Not a bad K/P combo. Feagles had one semi-shank, but the rest were excellent -- six punts and only one returnable. Tynes has now hit nine straight and he got the 19-yarder through only thanks to Feagles snaring a high snap by Alford.
THE BAD
-- Red-zone offense. Eli had time to deliver the fade throws to Shockey, but just missed. Can't have that happen when the running game isn't working in close. TC today sounded like someone who wasn't looking for different play calls, just better blocking, so forget any trickery.
-- Jacobs. Four lost fumbles in eight games this season. Not exactly Barber-esque from his early days, but still. TC had a good remark about that: "I don’t really care that it makes a guy a little bit uncomfortable and slows him down a hair. That is not significant. What is important is the ball." Righto.
Back with the Q of the D tomorrow.
Comments (13)
Players come and players go; so do coaches. The fact is that TC has had outstanding success as a coach over the years, going back before his assistant days with the Giants and since then too. If he is really not a good coach this success must be due to his having been blessed with absolutely outstanding players in the past. This is possible but I am wiling to bet (especially with an expansion team in his background) that the overall run of his players has been at best average. So where does his success come from? I'll tell you: it comes from the fact that he is an outstanding football coach. Now he seems to have a terrific GM too. He's got a team that is coming together. The defense is better and better; all phases of specials have arrived and I even think the the offense is coming around. It all means the the Gmen are poised for a good year with more to come. So let's enjoy the football - it's December and our guys are winning meaningful games.
How come nobody has mentioned the awful trade the Giants made right before the season started...
Ryan Grant (a great college runner) for a sixth round pick. This guy looks like the real deal and is super important to a team with 1 loss right now. Tell me he wouldn't be a better fit than Droughens or Bradshaw.
I love Jacobs but between his injuries and fumbling, I am not sold on him being the long term back
That trade is only awful in hindsight but then again, that's a specialty among Giants fans.
The coaches went to Reese and said we have 5 running backs. We are going to keep four, Grant is the odd man out. What does Reese do? He gets something, anything, from a guy who was going to be cut the next day anyway.
But yeah, sure, awful. Whatever. Hindsight is wonderful.
The Giants new Grant was good that is why they kept him around.Ward and jacobs if HEALTHY are good also..
I am glad for Grant he is jersey boy....
Reese deserves Kudos on michale johnson and other picks.........
You admit to liking Nipsey Russell and you call ME old?
how many times this year has Feagles made a great hold on a bad snap? I'm curious what the team plans on doing for a holder with the inevitability of Feags retiring.
As soon as Jacobs learns how to protect the football, he'll be a lot better. But I don't know about a long term answer to Tiki just yet. The Giants will do a lot of damage in the playoffs if they score TD's more in the red zone, period. That has to start happening more instead of field goals damn it!
I really don't like Droughns on the goal line. Jacobs hits that hole much harder and sends guys flying. I think they are just protecting him for now since thats where he's likely to take some hard hits. Hopefully he'll stay in on goal line series down the road.
The play action is also MUCH more effective with Jacobs.
Memo to Andrew...
Speaking of awful trades/transactions
What about the team that gave up on Brett Farve and sent him to Timbuctu....er....Green Bay.
Or...let's see....what about the retard that let Philip Rivers go to San Diego in exchange for Eli Manning. Now there was a really dumb move.....
"what about the retard that let Philip Rivers go to San Diego in exchange for Eli Manning."
especially since Rivers is lighting the world on fire... oh wait... he's not.
Ryan Grant was such a good runner in college he went undrafted.
Giants had a healthy backfield of Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward, Reuben Droughns and Ahmad Bradshaw. Grant was clearly odd man out.
Reese was able to get a 6th rounder for a player the team was more than likely gonna cut.
kudos to Grant for having a really good year, but let's not look back and call the trade "awful."
Speaking of Brandon Jacobs fumbles. Am I imagining it, or didn't Brandon Jacobs train under Tiki Barber, who learned how to hang onto the football from TC?
If it's any problems Jacobs has it should NOT be hanging on to the football, considering he was Barber's understudy, and is running the ball under Tom Coughlin. Why isn't he carrying the ball the EXACT same way Barber carried it down the stretch of his career?
From the get-go, TC should have been fining Jacobs every time he ran the ball without holding it the way Barber did. These fumbles are inexcusable, and in the playoffs, it could lead to another early bow-out, because he doesn't just fumble the rock in garbage time; he fumbles at critical stages in the game. If it were a playoff game, that fumble on their own 14 yard line to start the second half the other day would have resulted in a touchdown, and the Giants would have been playing catch-up all game.
Would have rather had Grant instead of Bradshaw. This way TC would play Grant b/c at least he has been around a year or two. He never runs Bradshaw.