If Michael Turner Is Out, Let's Discuss Our Other Options

It’s called “getting the job done.”

Expect Turner to sit, everyone. They will not take their chances with this one.

Norwood will be back, but limited.

We will likely try to run it hard and often hear, to get Matty back into the swing of things. A good balanced offense will improve his rhythm.

Antone Smith isn’t ready for prime time yet. Although he is still on the practice squad

i think is gonna get the start and he will be productive the giants D isns’t the D from years ago. I hope the coaching staff realizes that Matt is struggling and cut some of those bad plays out the playbook. Snelling, Norwood, Stecker, Haynes every one of them should get chances to run the ball. Maybe we can surprise the giants and Matty will throw all over the giants pretty bad pass D

I like snelling (he is a beast). But at the same time, he is no Turner. I think we should look at Larry Johnson (unless cleveland already signed him). I think that Edge James can still run pretty well too. I am sure there are others available. Stecker is not going to be any major assistance. We need to sign someone in my opinion.

I love the guy, but it’s scary that he’s practically our only attractive option at RB right now (Norwood aside). If HE gets dinged up, we are in a world of trouble.

Wouldnt it be interesting to put Snelling and Norwood both in the backfield and shove it down the Giants throat. This could allow Ryan to run the offense without feeling the pressure that has been on him in recent weeks. Do we have any screen pass plays in our playbook? Coaching staff needs to evaluate play calling and our team needs to get back to more ground and pound!

I have yet to see more than one screen pass per game this year or last for that matter.

BTW, Dave, Congrats on winning Jeff Schultz’s blog roll! Definitely deserved.

the giants will pin their ears back and come after ryan full force. This means we MUST run some screen passes to slowdown their pass rush to help ryan out as much as possible.!!! I think we can still beat the giants, but withput a doubt this game becomes a MUST WIN game for us!!!!!!!!!!

LETS GO FALCONS!!
L-DAWG

You know what to do TD …

with Franky , we’re not looking for someone for future seasons , just a finger in the dyke (so to speak)

I’ll tell you why I expect the Giants to win, even after a 4-game losing streak.

1. Health
In Week 9, I knew all these things: DTs Robbins and Cofield had surgery in the off season and aren’t back to their old selves yet; DT Alford has been on IR since training camp; starting DT Chris Canty has played in only 2 games; DE Osi Umenyiora was out all last year and still isn’t right this year; DE Justin Tuck has a shoulder injury that forces him to wear a harness; FS Kenny Phillips who had 2 INTs in Week 2 has been on IR since Week 3; starting CB Aaron Ross hasn’t played a single game this year – preseason or regular; starting LB Michael Boley missed 4 weeks due to knee surgery and tweaked the knee in his first game back; QB Eli Manning has plantar facsciitis; #2 RB Bradshaw has been playing with a broken toe and a high ankle sprain for weeks; #3 RB Ware was injured on the opening kickoff in Week 1, missed 7 games, and has only 2 carries this season; and lastly, rookie LB Clint Sintim who was thought to become the starter this year missed 5 games due to a groin pull and has been slow in his development.

Fast forward to Week 11 and here’s what I know: everyone is back and healthy or healthier except Phillips and Alford, who are on IR. It doesn’t mean that guys are 100% but they’re better than they’ve been all year, which means the Giants are the healthiest they’ve been all year.

2. Pressuring the QB
The Falcons had a hard time pressuring Delhomme last week and it cost them. Abraham isn’t bringing it. The Giants have a better O-line so it’ll be even harder to get to Eli. The Giants aren’t geting as many sacks as they’d like but they are near the top in pressure the QB. Which QB handles it better? Well, according to ProFootballFocus.com, Ryan has a 22.9 rating when under pressure while Eli has a 91.8 rating – not good for Falcons fans.

3. Michael Turner’s health
The Giants are known for their defense but it hasn’t been healthy most of the year. Although it’s much healther now, coming off a bye and a losing streak, the last thing you want is to face a hot Michael Turner. He probably won’t play and even if he does, he won’t be his usual self. That’s a big plus for NYG.

4. Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium, a rickety stadium befitting of the NJ swamplands, is notoriously windy. It was uncharacteristically calm when the Chargers visited but that’s besides the point. Ryan has 10 INTs in his last 5 games, 7 of which have been in 3 road games. With his struggles on the road and with a windy Giants stadium, I think the Giants can get Ryan to turn the ball over. He might take a few more chances since he won’t be able to rely upon Turner as much or at all.

5. Pride and Opportunity
Before the Plax shooting, most Giants fans and players expected Big Blue to win the Super Bowl. They beat Pitt at Pitt and Philly at Philly. Without Plax, they beat Arizona at Arizona. However, the Giants couldn’t overcome losing Plax when facing a division opponent in the playoffs. I cannot tell you how disappointed both fans and players were after that lost. If it were any other team but Philly, a thorn in the Giants’ collective side, things may have ended differently but I digress. All off season, Coughlin and the players talked about redemption and finishing what they started last year. If they have any pride and heart, they take advantage of the opportunity they were handed when Philly, Dallas, and ATL lost last week.

If he’s ready to go, he will get the bulk of the carries. Time to see what he is made of…

If?! I haven’t seen anything official, but I thought it was a “high ankle sprain”. Everything I’m seeing puts that at a 4 week injury. Here’s stuff from Football Outsiders, on Kyle Orton’s “high” ankle sprain last season:

Orton had a forced deflection of his foot while his leg stayed stable, the classic mechanism for a high ankle sprain. According to sources, the diagnostic delay is over whether Orton tore the ligaments (which would require surgery) or just has a severe sprain (avoiding surgery). Even the lesser of these two evils is going to cost him about a month, though Orton’s not a terribly mobile quarterback in the first place.

A high ankle sprain refers to damage to tissue located between the two leg bones, the tibia and fibula. The tissue is an interosseous membrane and is basically a broad flat ligament holding the tibia and fibula together. This is so important in the ankle because the tibia and fibula together make up the superior half of the ankle joint. Any give/slip/loose-ness in this area makes the ankle unstable.

D. Orlando Ledbetter thinks 2 weeks:

Turner should be held out of the Giants game because he too valuable to risk additional injury. Then you don’t really need him against Tampa Bay. He’d have two weeks for rehab and therapy and should have a shot in the "Vick Returns to the Dome" Bowl on Dec. 6.

Unless the team is hiding some info, I think there’s almost zero chance of him playing this week. That means Snelling is the man. I think he’ll be fine. Stecker, Haynes, and Ovie can each handle a couple runs or passes. If Norwood is able to come back, that’s just a bonus. I think the running game will be OK. I’m much more concerned with Ryan and the defense right now…