A Playoff Focal Point: The New York Giants Ground Game

-Poor production from the O-line
-Injuries to the O-line (starting C missed 5 games, starting LT missed 6 games and is on IR)
-Bradshaw missing 4 1/2 games with broken foot (its still broken)
-Jacobs missing 2 games with a knee injury
-Playing from behind (nearly 2/3 of this season they have been trailing their opponent. Sunday was the first game all year that they were not trailing at one point during the game.)
-Offensive Coordinator inexplicably abandons the run too early

Seems to be divided into the ‘Who cares’ camp and the ‘Falcons are dirty as shown by this player and this player and this player from the league’s dirtiest team calling us cheap’. I don’t really think many people outside of the O-line would take much interest. Mike Smith apaprently commented on it today – it’s just talk. I think our O-line is significantly cleaner than it was last year though, that was a dirty as hell O-line.

Just for the record, I’m also fairly sure he didn’t call us dirty personally, but said “most of the league” would say we were. Same same I know, but it’s a technicality I guess.

has been suspended for stomping on a player on the ground. I’m just sayin’….

OL regression, OL injury, Bradshaw injury.

We’ve topped 100 yards something like 4 out of the last 5 weeks. The 32nd rank is skewed a little bit by our terrible, terrible start. We had sub-60 yard games multiple times, our low point coming with a 29 yard performance. It’s getting better, most definitely. Finally OL is relatively healthy, and Bradshaw is healthy. Still a toss up whether we do OK or not. Got to think the weather will influence game plan to run a bit more.

I can almost guarantee we won’t top 150 yards rushing against you guys, though.

Are you referring to the wheel route for a TD in week 3 vs. the Eagles?

Man would I like to see that work again. I hope our OC has been keeping that one in his back pocket for just the right time and place…

Change in O-Line and health are big factors.

Diehl sucked at LG, but since filling in at LT his suckitude has gone down.

Prior to the season starting, GM Jerry Reese said that backup G Kevin Boothe was a key signing and most laughed. Well, without him the Giants would probably not be playing this week. He filled in quite well at C when Baas was out and has done a great job at LG now.

With Bradshaw and Jacobs mostly healthy the running game is not nearly as anemic at the beginning of the year.

thanks for saving me the work tho! hehe.

but seriously, we’ve run better as of late, mostly because both backs are as healthy as they’ve been all season, and the line is starting to open up the holes a tiny bit bigger. but yeah, the YPC has gone up, as well as total yards. we’ve just been so bad prior, you don’t see a difference in total numbers.

The Giants are putrid in that situation.

And I know Spoon is better in coverage, but I’d rather see Lofton cover and Spoon lay the hits. When he hits people it fires the whole team up, as well as us fans. Our defensive X-Factor I’d say.

Last week was the perfect time for our guys to just ram it down Freemans throat. Instead we saw multiple examples of what a perfect passing pocket looks like. We could sell a multi disc box set to high school Oline coaches of what perfection looks like. Does it mean that we send 6 or 7 guys on a sell out blitz time after time? No, but the DL should have been able to get some kind of pressure in the 2nd half not having to worry about the run. Did BVG have something to do with it, probably but at some point that front 4 has to show up consistently. Not for a series or two, not for a quarter and a half, a whole damn game.

to catch holding calls and the like. The article on that tacky four-letter network refers to Suh’s comments after the Detroit game (which is sort of like Jeffrey Dahmer calling Ted Bundy twisted) in support of Tuck’s comments. It’s gratuitous grandstanding at its worst.

Passing rank = 5th: Question? I know that Cruz has been a beast but Nicks looks like a deep threat too. Like 1100+ yards and 15.7 per catch or something crazy. Does Eli love the deep ball or is it mostly YAC yards you guys are getting?

Yes. Eli loves the deep ball, but he has also benefited from his WRs racking up some huge gains after the catch. So to answer your question, it has been a combination of the both.

Defense = 19th against run, 29th against pass: Which routes have been hurting you guys the most? For a team with some beast pass rushers this just seems wildly hight in opponents passing yardage against you guys. Didn’t y’all lose a bunch of 2ndary players early in the season? Do you guys play zone or man a lot?

DC Perry Fewell’s base is a zone scheme. Many Giants fans would say that the players they have are more suited for a man coverage scheme. Based on PF’s ability to sprinkle in more man coverage schemes in recent weeks and their success doing it, it would appear we are correct.

The Giants have lost a ton of DB’s to injury this season:
Starting CB Terrell Thomas and reserve DB’s Bruce Johnson, Brian Witherspoon, Justin Tryon, Michael Coe are all on IR. Throw ontop of that our 1st Rd pick CB Prince Amukamara missed 2/3 of the season with a broken foot, so yeah…the defensive backfield has been a lil banged up.

If they don’t get a pass rush, then they are toast.

The Giants are succeptable to crossing routes over the middle and seem routes that force the safety to make a decision on which receiver to defend when they play their base zone defense. All season long it has looked like the DBs are not on the same page and suffer from constant miscommunication. Many of us are hoping that they continue to simplify the scheme and play alot more man-up to minimize the mistakes that got them burned most of the season.