I always thought the media was making too big a deal about how Coughlin had to change and be more likable to his players. However, in this article we get quotes from Coughlin about how he did just that. Let's hope it works again next year for the Giants!
Here's a video of an interview with Jerry Reese. He is pretty good at avoiding certain questions but did say some interesting things about drafting for value and need, wanting Shockey back as starting TE, and being close to signing Coughlin.
Coughlin is looking at 5 million a year.
Peter Giunta shares a lot with Bill Burt in this very interesting read on game planning for the Pats. Defensive coaches obviously did an awesome job!
Antonio Pierce and Corey Webster get special mentions as well. Along with Justin Tuck and the rest of the Giants defensive line, they were our pro bowlers (even though we didn't have many pro bowlers)...
Spagnuolo is staying with the Giants and making 2 million a year.
Coughlin will get an extension, boviosly. Maybe 5 million a year.
I wonder what's going on at offensive coordinator. Something tells me there won't be any changes there but you never know...
The Giants are offering their defensive coordinator a new contract, but they might have some competition from Snyder and the Redskins. Apparently the job will be offered to Spags or Jim Fassel. We've got a few articles on it but all we can really do as fans is wait and see:
Giants receivers coach Mike Sullivan knows Lt. Col. Gregory Gadson, the Giants honorary captain from when they played together at West Point. Here's a story about how one soldier has inspired the Giants.
First let me make a confession - I'm not watching the Giants Bills game. I'm in Munich on vacation and it's beautiful (though cold) here. Somehow I don't think the Giants Bills game will be as awesome as Munich at Christmas time...
Actually, I think it won't be the right kind of ugly. I want to see ugly smash mouth football instead of ugly throw the ball 54 times in the cold when your QB and receivers are all struggling football. Seriously, fire Coughlin. Fire Gilbride. It can't be that hard to find someone who will make the offensive calls that you have to make to win in December with our running game.
But for those of you watching the game I hope it's a happy few hours. And for everyone Merry Christmas!
Some papers are speculating that another terrible ending to a Giants football season could be the end for Tom Coughlin. The scary thing for me is that we don't dismiss the possibility of the Ginats imploding. This team has showed in years past that they are perfectly capable of blowing this season and losing all remaining games even if they do sneak into the playoffs.
You might let Eli Manning off the hook based on all the drops against the Redskins, but then again you might not:
Although the Giants had the pleasure of facing an array of bad or inexperienced quarterbacks (drum roll, please, for Trent Dilfer, Jon Kitna, Tarvaris Jackson, Rex Grossman and Todd Collins) the opposing quarterbacks as a composite have outdone Eli Manning in every pertinent category.At some point you have to stop blaming the coaches and the QB exclusively - the Giants are a mediocre team and there must be more reasons than Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning...
Any ideas?
Mike Garafolo seems to think that the Giants need to do better in the passing game. I think that's true but only to a very limited extent.
Fewer drops would be nice, but I don't want the Giants to focus on the passing game. The running game will win us games - how many times last season did we see the coaches stop running (even if the running game was working) in order to call some pass plays (which usually didn't work).
Let's make ours a run-first offense and not try to outpass the Patriots.
This article comparing the current Giants defense with the 85 Bears (even though the same article says it's not possible) says that our defensive scheme might be as close as you're going to get to the old Bears one. Of course that would mean the Philly defensive scheme is pretty close too.
There's some interesting stuff here from a not-yet released book on Ernie Accorsi and the Giants, "The GM: The Inside Story of a Dream Job and the Nightmares That Go With It," by Tom Callahan (Crown Publishing).
They make a big deal out of the Parcells things, but some other tidbits are at least as interesting. I thought this one was pretty strange:
The Dallas Cowboys' game-winning field goal drive in a 23-20 win over the Giants on Dec. 3 was set up by a poor kickoff by Feely. Before the kickoff, Feely didn't like the ball he was given so he asked the men in charge of the balls - two long-time Giants employees - for a different one. They refused. "I couldn't believe it," Feely says. Accorsi fired them the next day.
Paul Schwartz writes about Coughlin's personality and concludes that it has to change.
Jay Greenburg writes that Coughlin is so unpopular because the Giants will be lucky to go 8-8 this season. I think he's an idiot.
Really, what both writers need to realize is that this season depends on our new defensive scheme working and to a lesser extent, better play calling from our new offensive coordinator.
When I think back to last season I remember a soft defense that didn't stop the opponents when it counted. If that changes, I suspect most Giants fans will be happy (we'll be wathing a tough, aggressive D and we'll win some games).
The other thing I remember are poor throws from Eli that should have been running plays in the first place. How many times did we see this offensive progression: nice run, nice run (1st down), nice run, nice run (1st down), bad pass, bad pass, bad pass, punt.
I know I was scremaing something like "Keep running the ball - they can't stop the run" but the other team never had to stop the run because our brilliant offensive mastermind would stop it for them by calling for pass plays.
So really, will Coughlin look good this season? If he has a good defense and decent offensive play calling then yes. If you beleive it has something to do with his personality, go give Jay Greenburg a back rub.
Here's an interesting talk with Tom Coughlin who discusses Eli, the defense, and a few other things.
We have a quick Giants mention near the end of this article on the supplemental draft.
This article on NFL defensive schemes doesn't talk about the Giants, but it does make me even more anxious to see our new defensive system in action.
Here's an article on Kevin Gilbride who doesn't know if he'll have a fullback in his best 11 players. Peter King in his Monday Morning QB gets a little drmatic when he says Eli has to make big improvements to keep his job. We all know Manning has had trouble being consistently accurate, but does anyone really think he needs to worry about his job?
Here's a nice article on David Diehl with some interesting information about his family.
I'm still recovering from my surgery, and my wife and I rescued our 6th stray Sunday night so my house is a busy place these days.
The Giants are also busy practicing and Giants.com gives us a few quotes in these articles, one on the defensive line and one on the offensive line.
It's pretty rare for the New York media to give us an article with real football talk (Xes and Os) but here's one focusing on Barry Cofield and the Giants DT position:
Spagnuolo for the most part is importing the Eagles' defensive style, which means there will be virtually interchangeable left and right defensive tackles and no classic nose tackle. Both players will line up across from the guards more so than directly across from the center and will be responsible for stopping the run as well as getting to the quarterback.Cofield will no longer be playing a regular nose tackle position where the center and the guard double team the DT. While this should give him a chance to beat guards 1 on 1, it gives the center more options. The center can help block one of the Giants DTs or get to the second level more easily because there's no one directly in his way (at least that's my limited understanding).
Happy Easter! Enough with the nicities. This idiot says the Giants are setting up Coughlin for failure by doing only one thing to improve the team (trading Carter for Droughns).
The Giants did sign Kawika Mitchell. And they are looking at guys like Jay Fielder and Kris Jenkins. They tried to work out somethign with Al Wilson.
This other idiot says that unless the Giants trade up they won't get a starting left tackle in this draft. Show me a rookie who can come in and beat out Diehl at left tackle. Look at Robert Gallery - did he win the starting left tackle job right away?
They also say we need someone to replace Barber's receiving skills. Our backs might be big, but they can catch.
I think it's clear that the Giants will go BPA early although they could trade up to get someone in a need position or down if there's no one in a position of need. In later rounds where grades are fairly equal on different players they will draft for need. Since the reporters are idiots, what do the Giants really need?
Keep in mind that you draft guys to compete for starts and back guys up - not many draft choices start and have an impact in their first years so you don't count on drafting an immediate impact player / starter.
I think the Giants need a tight end. Last year we had two and noe Shiancoe is gone via free agency. This elaves us with Shockey who never stays healthy for an entire season.
The Giants need a speedy receiver. We have Sinorice Moss as our #3, but don't know if he'll amount to anything. Who's our #4? Tyree? Anthony Mix?
The Giants need a free safety who can cover. Show me Gibril Wilson and Will Demps in coverage and I'll show you a Giant fan crying or throwing his remote. James Butler didn't put them on the bench...
The Giants need a DT. Who wants to sign William Joseph?
We need an OLB. Wilkinson might not be ready to start and we have no one behind him at WILL.
The Giants need a corner, preferably a fast one. Sam Madison is solid but will need to be replaced. Corey Webster has to improve but it doesn't look like he'll turn into a number 1 corner.
Kawika Mitchell says he's in a good situation. Let's hope the same can be said for the entire Giants team. Mitchell says he's ready to move to OLB, probably SAM.
One definite positive is that Grey Ruegamer is back giving us depth at center and guard. Speaking of offense, USC receiver Dwayne Jarrett is visiting the Giants after running in the USC Pro Day. He offered to work out again when he visits individual teams. Could the Giants be looking at him with their first round pick? He's not especially fast or strong, but he did produce in college. He won't outrun NFL cornerbacks or even safeties, but he is taller (6 foot 4)and can jump. He needs to get stronger to avoid getting jammed and become a decent blocker.
Of course drafting offense means the defense waits for the help it needs. And drafting a receiver tempts the Giants to run less often. Let's forget about drafting a receiver, find a good blocking tightend, and just go back to pounding the ball with the run game. Teach Anthony Mix to block and make him our next wide receiver (because he's big and can pound small corners when he blocks).
One definite negative is that Coughlin is comparing the criticism he got to what Hitler got. Idiot (and yes I would say worse things about Hitler).
The Giants have officially hired Sean Ryan for offensive quality control but are still having trouble signing Shaun O'hara. They say O'hara wants 6 years, 30 million, 10 million bonus. This is pretty much what Gurode got, and while I only watch the Cowboys twice a year, I don't think he's much better than O'hara probowler or not.
So I would say sign O'Hara. Not for six years, but 5 years, 25 million would be fair. 4 years would be better for the Giants. 10 million is a bit risky for a signing bonus because if he gets injured and needs to be cut that could really hurt us.
Plus, we don't need another hole. We already have question marks on the offensive line with Petigout gone (Petigout is looking at free agency where I think he'll cash in). We still need to worry about Toomer and Moss and who the 4th receiver will be. And we need to worry about defense.
Consider the Giants linebacking situation: SLB = Torbor, Blackburn. I like Blackburn but then again I used to like Torbor until he got a chance to play... MLB = Pierce with Blackburn backing up unless we need Blackbur to start at SLB. WLB = Wilkinson who didn't play much last year despite all the injuries. I'm a little worried about Wilkinson as a starter.
And we could certainly use help at DT, safety, and CB...
Here I'm collecting information on Steve Spagnuolo, the Giants defensive coordinator and former Philadelpia Eagles defensive backs and linebackers coach. Newsday focuses on Spagnuolo's aggressiveness. Hopefully that means fewer defensive ends in coverage and more linebackers going after the QB. The Hartford Courant reminds us that Spagnuolo even has some defensive coordinator expereince but at the college level. And the Giants are now looking to add players who play fast regardless of their 40 times.
Mike Garafolo writes about Ike Reese's praise of Spagnuolo. In PA they focus on Spagnuolo's emotional goodbye. They make it sound like he cried when saying goodbye to Trotter.
Let's hope it's McNabb and Westbrook crying next season.
Phil Mushnick says that Reese needs to restore Giants class because Giants fans find it hard to root for the current Giants:
I don't claim to speak for all Giants fans, but I do speak for a bunch of them. And this past season, for the first time, they felt they were rooting for something that was against their better judgment, a team that was beneath their dignity.I don't even know what it means for a team to be beneath the fan's dignity. Mushnick seems to be talking about celebrations and temper tantrums but when I felt worst was when the Giants seemed to give up.
The Giants are looking for a new defensive coordinator. Most of the defensive position coaches will be replaced by the new defensive coordinator. One name that comes up often for the job is Dom Capers.
Many Giants fans wanted Coughlin gone, but the Giants will keep him next year. The owners say they talked to him and agreed with his plan to improve the Giants next season. Mike Vaccaro says that adding just one year to Coughlin's contract is a mistake because it shows the Giants are on the fence. I suppose they are right, but since most fans probably wanted to get rid of Coughlin I don't think the owners could have made a bigger commitment. Yet Steve Serby agrees with Vaccaro, arguing that Ccoughlin should have been fired and that the one year extension means players will be complaining to get rid of a coach they don't like.
Steve Silverman says our wishes will come true next year when Coughlin is fired and Bill Cowher is made Giants coach. I can live with that considering that there aren't any head coaching options right now that seem better than Coughlin.
Artur Staple accurately points out that Coughlin and co. can be held accountable for the playcalling, but not for all player performances. Will Demps, for example, needs to play better and no amount of coaching will turn Frank Walker into a player who always makes smart decisions. As always a good read worth checking out.
Brady James fom the Cowboys was on Sirius today and said when the Giants are too predictable in the red zone. Basically, when Jacobs is in they know it will be a run, and when Tiki is in it's a pass.
The Giants playcalling isn't always this obvious as passes have been thrown to Jacobs, and he has been in on some play action passes. Is the problem that the Giants stop mixing it up when they get close to the endzone? Or did they just stop mixing it up for the Dallas game? Or is Brady James totally off when he says we're predictable in the red zone?
He rightfully asks why the Giants don't stick with the running game. Why would they rather put the game in Eli's hands, than Tiki's hands? The results are now gnawing at the hearts fo all Giants fans:
In those two games - losses to the Bears and the Jaguars - the Giants (6-4) have run just 36 times while attempting 76passes. That's a startling ratio considering the Giants trailed in both games by less than a touchdown with 13minutes remaining. And it's even more incredible when Manning's struggles are factored in. In those two games, the quarterback completed just 45.2% of his passes (33 for 73) with four interceptions.Barber takes some criticism for being a bad teammate, but I find myself wondering what the problem is. He's being honest and I agree with him.
Here's a Daily News article that gives an overview of the Giants injury situation in Fassel's final year and in Coughlin's reign. Clearly Coughlin hasn't eliminated injuries like he said he would but the bigger question is what can be done? One doctor in the article says the Giants need a better field and more yoga / pilates.
The Giants say there's nothing more they can do; they've studied it from every angle but it's just plain bad luck. Every year.
I would like to see a comparison. They tell us how many Giants go on IR, but let's compare that to other teams or to the league average.
Here's the text of Tim Lewis' conversation with reporters. He knows the problems - let's hope that's half the battle.
He says we're blitzing just under 40% of the time. I don't see it, but maybe he's counting some 4 man rushes as blitzes. For example, when he drops Strahan into coverage and brings a linebacker instead. He also says Arrington is blitzing more often than I would have thought. I thought he was invisible because he was lost in coverage. If he was actually trying to blitz and getting nothing done, it might be time to try someone else at linebacker.
Anyway, if you go to Giants.com you can get videos or transcripts of interviews with the various Giants coaches.
Here's a Seattle game recap that reminds us Seattle had their way with the Giants. Our defensive ends did nothing; Osi's big game against Walter Jones last season was a fluke.
Eli gets the blame for the Giants offensive struggles, although some people are blaming Plaxico Burress. Coughlin said Plax was playing hurt, and Plax is owning up to his mistakes. Let's hope he keeps his promise: "I chose to go out there and play and that was the outcome of the way I played," he said. "You best believe that when I come back in two weeks I'll be ready."
On defense, I already mentioned our defensive ends not showing up for the game. Tim Lewis also gets some blame. This article outlines some of the Giants problems on defense. It's about Tim Lewis getting fired from the Steelers. Seems he had the same problems then:
Lewis, however, mostly utilized a three- or four-man pass rush, preferring to stay in two-deep zone coverages - often called cover-2 - to minimize the risk of long pass completions.I'm no defensive coordinator, but I will say that we need to bench Arrington or blitz him because he is useless in coverage. And do something about the middle of the field. Guys are supposed to be scared to go over the middle but Giants' opponents are probably begging their coaches to let them go over the middle against us. That's not the Giants defense we know and love.Lewis decided to be more conservative on defense after the Steelers chose not to replace either of their starting cornerbacks, Dewayne Washington and Chad Scott, after they had below-average seasons in 2002. But by protecting them, the Steelers had far fewer sacks - 35, down from 50 a season ago - and far fewer disruptive plays by their defense.
The cover-2 schemes also left the middle of the field exposed to running plays up the middle and to short pass routes.
"It wasn't good," Kubiak said of the Texans defense. "We'll have to take a hard look at what we're doing, how we're doing it and who we're doing it with. We've got a long way to go."
Let's hope that the Giants are taking an equally hard look at their defense. I know the Seahawks are better than the Redskins, but giving up 35 points in the first half is inexcusable.
Of course the NFL is a strange place. The Giants end up scoring 27 unaswered points in the 4th. They almost made a game out of it.
"Sometimes you're going to bend. And the important thing is not to break," Jets coach Eric Mangini said of his defense. "Obviously, we want to improve on the bending part." The Giants need to bend and break less in the first half. It looked (same as last week actually) like no one wanted to play football until after the half.
Clearly the Giants can play. Clearly we do have some talent. That's not enough unless we can solve the riddle of the past two weeks and put together 4 quarters of good football. At least Tom Coughlin is angry now during his press conference. He has to make some changes.
Here's a good article on Mike Sullivan talking about Giants receivers. Hopefully we'll see them shine in the ravens game in a few hours!
The Giants seem to have a solid defense. In some ways their set up like the Colts - they ahve an offense that can put points on the board which pressures opponents to pass.
With Strahan, Osi, Arrington and a few other pass rushers that can come in on obvious passing situations (Tuck comes to mind and possibly Kiwi) the Giants should be able to come up with the occasional big play.
The real question is what the secondary can do. We have to hope that Webster and Madison will make some interceptions on poorly thrown balls (there should be a few since we'll be getting pressure on the QB). And since we'll probably see RW McQuarters and Deloatch on the fiel in nickle and dime situations we have to hope they hold their own as well. Finally since depth is limited, we need our CBs to stay healthy.
Vinny DiTrani wries about the Giants D, which Tim Lewis says will be "funky". Better still:
"When I watch clips of the old Giants' defenses, with Lawrence Taylor yelling and screaming up and down the sidelines, they were such a swarming group," he said. "Very few people got up and down the field on them. I'd like to see us play like that, play smart, play aggressive, play fast. I think we're good enough to dominate, but we'll find out."Giants.com doesn't share my concern with the Giants CBs. Well, I agree that madison is a good fit for our defense but I did like Will Allen's tackling. Anyway, our safety pair of Wilson and Demps should be hard hitting and strong vs. the run. I'm not positive they'll be excellent against the pass, but few safeties are these days.
On Tiki Barber, Coughlin says, "We tell him he's 25," Coughlin said. "That way he doesn't realize how old he is." Who knew Coughlin had a sense of humor. Here's a nice article on why he's optimistic about next season.
For those of you with ESPN Insider there's an article on Will Peterson possibly making a comeback in 2007. He won't get surgery on his back but may somehow be able to strengthen the lower back. I doubt he'll be coming back as a Giant though...
Bob Glauber heaps lots of criticism on the Giants, particularly on the offensive game plan:
Take one play in the third quarter, when the Giants had a second-and-7 at the Panthers' 40. The Giants lined up three receivers to the right, which presents a challenge to the defense: Is it a pass play with so many receivers lined up to one side of the formation? Or will the Giants pull off the unexpected and try a run?Now you don't blame the coaches for everything, some credit goes to Carolina for wrapping up Tiki like the Chiefs never could. Plenty of blame goes to Eli Manning and his lack of accuracy, the offensive line for getting beaten, Burress for not showing up, etc.With the Giants, there really is nothing unexpected with this formation; they always run out of it.
Panthers coach John Fox, the former Giants defensive genius, knew it, so he didn't worry about a pass. Instead, he blitzed strong safety Marlon McCree, who made the tackle and limited Barber to a 1-yard gain.
Another tactical blunder: The Giants didn't go to a quick snap count often enough, which Barber contends would have helped the running game and, by extension, the passing game, because Manning wouldn't have been forced into so many must-throw situations. Instead, the Panthers countered by keeping an extra player - usually McCree - in the tackle box closer to the line of scrimmage.
But you expect your coaches to outsmart the other guys. You hate to see the Giants embarassed, even partially, due to coaching blunders.
An interesting article from Mike Garafolo about how the Giants coaches are scouting their own team to see what scouts on opposing teams are looking for and correct any issues.
Ernie Palladino addreses the Giants defense without answering the big question about who to blame, the Giants coackes of the players:
Now the question heading into next week's game against St. Louis revolves around the true quality of the Giants' run-stopping ability. They may well have just run into an isolated buzz saw in Tomlinson made worse by a faulty defensive game plan, about which at least one player complained privately. Or, perhaps the first two games were a mirage after all, and shutting down the likes of Steven Jackson and Dallas' Julius Jones the next two games will be just as difficult.
Tom Coughlin has a lot of good news for Giants fans. One exception is that Barret Green won't be 100% by camp, but there's good news about numerous other players including RB Derrick Ward, WR Jamaar Taylor, WR Tim Carter, SS Gibril Wilson, SS Shaun Williams, LG Rich Seubert (who Coughlin says can be competitive in camp), WR's Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer (Coughlin said Toomer will be moved over to flanker, while Plaxico will start at split end), WR's David Tyree and Willie Ponder, TE Visanthe Shiancoe, HB Mike Cloud, DT Kendrick Clancy, MLB Antonio Pierce, SLB Carlos Emmons, LB Reggie Torbor, and CB Will Allen.
Last season many Giants fans were frustrated with the offensive play calling which seemed uninspired at best and boring/predicatble at times. Stretch the field more often became a common cry and when a long pass to Jamaar Taylor from manning was called we all said good things.
This season Plaxico Burress thinks will be different: "We definitely have plays in our playbook that get me downfield," the team's newest starting receiver said after the conclusion of a three-day minicamp in which he regularly went deep. "I would say that was one of the reasons they brought me here."
Read the Newsday article.
The New York Post now requires registration, but they have an article on the Giants mini-camp.
The Giants.com article is probably better. It has lots of interesting quotes from Coughlin including promising ones about Seubert and Manning.
It's interesting how the non-New York media can put a positive light on Shockey's absence from New York:
So far, Shockey's hard work has earned Coughlin's confidence. This wouldn't work if Shockey weren't prompt in returning the coach's phone calls to give progress reports. When asked to be at the Giants' offseason program for a couple days, Shockey cooperated. The coach wants to see more of him at the headquarters as the season draws closer.
Here's a video of some action from the rookie camp and some interviews with Coughlin from Giants.com. You can see Jacobs' speed and Lorenzen's arm strength. There are videos of Tuck and Webster as well. It's interesting to see some of the drills they do.
Better late than never I guess:
The case was to be heard by an arbitrator late last week, and a union official even traveled to New York for the case. But the players involved -- cornerback Terry Cousin and linebackers Barrett Green and Carlos Emmons -- didn't want to pursue the case. Cousin was released by the Giants this offseason and signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and didn't want to travel to New York to resolve a dispute over $500, sources familiar with the case said.
Newsday's John heyman calls Coughlin a bully for not criticizing Shockey for being absent from optional practices. He argues that Coughlin doesn't go after the stars, only poor media types.
Now I think Giants fans have a right to complain about Shockey being absent from New York, but heyman sounds less like a reporter and more like a disgruntled fan:
When your team wins 10 games in two seasons and you score 10 touchdowns in three, you're set, I guess. Why lift a finger? Why practice with the team? Why get accustomed to Eli Manning's passes?It's obvious by now, Shockey cares more about hooking up with Tara Reid than Manning.
While Manning publicly voiced disappointment over Shockey's extended absence, Coughlin has stayed silent. He's the classic bully. He picks on media members, backups and deposed coaches, not on stars like Shockey.
Ralph Vacchiano thinks Coughlin is getting nicer. Coughlin answers questions like "Many of your rules seem like common-sense rules. Do you know why players objected to them?" and "The players that you had specific problems with last year - Barrett Green and Will Peterson, for example - can you wipe their slate clean for this year?"
Gary Myers from the Daily News writes that Scott Pioli, the Pats vice president of player personnel, wants to work for the Giants! The argument is convincing. Here's part of it:
His contract with the Patriots is up after the 2006 draft, and one source says the Giants are his dream job. He grew up a Giants fan in Washingtonville, N.Y., about 60 miles north of the city. His father-in-law is Bill Parcells.
Eli Manning went 16-23, 182 yards, 2 TDs, 1 Int (which looked like a pass interference to me but wasn't called) and a long of 49. Light years ahead of what we had been seeing. While Giants fans should be very happy with what we saw from Eli, we have to wonder about our coaches.
Why is it that Eli had to tell the coaches what plays he's comfortable running? Why weren't the coaches calling plays he could handle all along? If we can almost beat the Steelers while our defense is depleted, why do we get embarassed by 4 weeks in a row? I'm not real impressed with the Giants coaches this year.
Have you ever seen a QB play as badly as Eli Monning did against the Ravens? I mean the Ravens are good but is our offense really that bad? I have to believe that the coaches are not doing their jobs. They are not getting the Giants players ready to compete. Eli was obviously confused and even Amani Toomer said he was confused. If the coaches were doing their jobs, would the players all be confused?
Bob Glauber at Newsday writes that Coughlin is failing as miserably as Fassel did and has a chance to be even worse by losing all the remaining games and setting a new Giants record.
Ralph Vacchiano writes that while the Giants say they haven't quit yet, they are still getting worse every week. If the Giants are trying, than this is either the least talented or worst coached team in football. Or both. According to the next article all the players are trying...
Gary Myers claims to have a source in the Giants organization that said:
"The focus is too much on beating him during the week instead of beating the other team - avoid fines, being five minutes early to meetings, trying to be perfect all week," one Giants source said after yesterday's game. "You have to fight two battles and you can only win one. That causes you not to win. People might be drained or not focused by the time the week comes to an end."Myers also reminds us that Accorsi needs to take some heat for not putting together a decent offensive line (he signed players, but obviously the wrong ones). Also the extra picks we gave up for Manning in the 2005 draft are starting to look like pretty good ones, possibly a top ten.Is Coughlin losing the team? "I think we don't have much of a team anymore," the source said. "Look who's in there. I don't know anybody on our team."
Mike Vaccaro also has something to say, calling the Giants a beaten team (I could have told you that) and Coughlin a bewildered coach. He argues that Coughlin sent the wrong message by benching Warner.
Fact is Warner was playing badly. He deserved to get benched. Now the problem is that Manning is playing worse. But I say keep him in there. 2004 is finished.
And maybe it doesn't matter who the QB is. Neil Best indicates that maybe the play calling is too predictable and is causing problems. I mentioned back on October 31 that Coughlin was too predictable in the red zone. Now the predictability has spread.
An interesting article in the New York Times by Lynn Zisner got me thinking about Coughlin's impact on the Giants.
1. I like his coaching style. By all accounts he is very strict but he explains the reasons behind his rules. Players aren't left wondering "why is he doing that?"
2. The jury is still out on his ability to prepare the Giants to win. After four straight wins, fans were praising Coughlin for getting more consistent play out of the Gaints than Fassel had been. After the Giants took a step back against Detroit, they have something to prove. Coughlin has to show us that he can get this team ready to play every week.
3. Play-calling has to improve. I've even heard some fans comparing Coughlin's offense to Fassel's - Fassel won that comparison. Fans complain that the Giants don't go deep, don't use their receiving weapons, are unimaginative in the red zone.
I should start by saying that the Giants did attempt two long balls against the Lions. Both were near misses. You can blame Warner for being a few inches off. You can blame Shockey and Toomer for not going the extra inch, or you can chalk it up to bad luck. The risky play calling is there. It's just not working.
As for Toomer and Hilliard, I also wonder where they've been. It seems that sometimes Warner misses an open receiver, but more often it seems that the Giants receivers aren't doing a great job getting open. Much of the blame for this can be placed on Toomer and Hilliard, but Coughlin's job is to get them in a position where they can be open. Coughlin needs to do better, but improved play from the receivers would go a long way...
My biggest criticism of Coughlin is his short yardage play calling. The Giants offensive line can't move an 8 man front. They always seem to end up going backwards. Finn can't push the pile. Dayne can't push the pile or get outside. The other real problem is that opponents always know what's coming. How many times have you seen Dayne come in on short yardage? How many times did the Giants run him? Can we please try something else? If your opponent knows what you're going to do and you're not very good at it, you fail.
Conclusion: All in all, Coughlin has done well preparing the Giants 2/3 of the time, meaning he's gotten them to play well 4 out of 6 games (I count the Redskins game as playing well but the offense really shouldn't be included). In school 67% is not too good. In the NFL you could be talking playoffs. However, Giants fans can't seriously talk about playoffs until they score in the red zone (Coughlin's job is to find some answers but he hasn't) and stop opponents in the red zone (the Giants defense has to play like they did against Green Bay week in and week out).
So far Coughlin gets a passing grade, a 'C'. Giants football is interesting again. He doesn't get an 'A' or a 'B' because he has been making mistakes (and not learning from them - see Dayne's short yardage adventures) and hasn't gotten the Giants to play their best football consistently.
Here's a nice article about how everything is going the Giants way, guys are happy, and problems are solved. Coughlin was the perfect fit, Accorsi should be exec of the year, etc. By the way, I was right about not signing Jeremiah Trotter. There are nice things said about Carlos Emmons who has received criticism from some Giants fans. At least he's keeping opposing tight ends in check.
Jeffrey Chadiha argues that Coughlin is only to be given partial credit for the Giants success and that the reason the Giants are playing more inspired is because Coughlin has changed his tough, strict style. Speaking of Coughlin, he gets praise from all over these days, starting here in New York with Paul Schwartz.
Here's a pretty weak comparison between the Giants/Patriots and Coughlin/Belechick. I'm not sure I follow the logic but it's something like Belechichk was criticized for letting lawyer Milloy go and someone wrote that the players ahted him. Then they started winning. Everyone said Gaints players ahted Coughlin, then they started winning.
Remember when Coughlin said the Giants had to restore their pride and do six things to win:
1. "Effort is the key to success."Neil Best from Newsday gives Coughlin high grades on 5/6 but notes that penalties are still a problem.2. "We must win the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball."
3. "We must run the ball and we must be able to defend the run."
4. "We must eliminate turnovers. You are not going to beat anybody with a minus-16 . That stat has to radically change."
5. "We must eliminate costly penalties. You can't shoot yourself in the foot and expect to win the 100-meter dash."
6. "Special teams and winning the battle of field position must become our catalyst for victory and not our Achilles' heel."
Before the Giants Browns game, Neil Best wrote that containing Jeff Garcia would give Tim Lewis some credibiltiy. The Giants did win and the defense looked good against Jeff Garcia and his receivers. Of course without Suggs, Tucker, and Winslow the Giants defense had to make the Browns look bad in order to look good themselves. Strahan had to have a big day against the Browns backups and he did. Gibril Wilson wasn't a huge liability starting for Shaun Williams. Garcia and the Browns receivers did get things going in the second half but it was too little too late.
It was also interesting to thear the announcers talking about Tom Coughlin during the game. It's harder to attack a coach with a winning record and the announcers sounded like they were in Coughlin's corner so to speak. As Mike Vacarro wrote before the game, the fans think Coughlin is just what New York needs. I think so. I want a coach who holds players accountable and makes them work hard. There's nothing worse than watching a team that looks like it isn't trying to win. Today Coughlin's Giants looked and played like they wanted to win. Since they had more talent than the injured Browns they did win.
JT the Brick thinks that Giants veterans will start buying into Coughlin's system since it produced a win. A more detailed examination of similar themes comes from Filip Bondy of the Daily News who feels that this win can repair some of the bad feelings between the Giants players and Giants coaches: "Coughlin already was in real trouble with this particular group of players. He needed to prove there was method to his meticulousness."
Rhoden from the New York Times argues that this win is not enough, that the "Giants are not playing heart and soul for Coughlin", and that "the tug of war between coach and veteran players will continue". Bob Glauber from Newsday agrees saying that the crisis is averted until next week. He has a detailed description of Strahan handing the ball to Coughlin.
Michael Eisen from giants.com interviews Tom Coughlin, who talks about the importance of winning at home, making sure guys are confident, and tackling.
Perhaps the most important thing he talks about (besides tackling) involves the secondary and interceptions:
“It’s frustrating not to be more of a turnover team. It’s frustrating to go through an entire preseason and not have an interception. One of the things that is very important for our secondary in terms of their improvement is their ability to see the ball in the air. For whatever reason on a number of occasions, we find ourselves in a position where our head is down and we’re not even aware that the ball is arriving. That’s something that has to be improved upon.”
In this interview, Tom Coughlin talks about how he approaches opening day. Coughlin said, "I never had a team that gave up three touchdown to the defense in the preseason. We created some problems for ourselves. We have to erase that completely." But he didn't promise that it would be erased. He talked about crowd noise and feeling anxious (but not anxiety) before a game.
In his analysis of the Giants loss to the Ravens, Steven St. Lawrence offers some criticism of Coughlin, who is trying to fit a round peg into a square hole by forcing Dayne into power back situations. Dayne is not a power back.
Another concern mentioned here, is that the Giants haven't come up with any interceptions this preseason. Coughlin talks about winning the turnover battle, but that's hard to do when you have zero interceptions.
He also predicts that Tim Carter will be cut for dropping a bomb from Jessie Palmer. The question then would become who are the Giants four receivers?
Still he manages to predict an optimistic 10-6 record with a playoff berth...
That's an example of how to lose a football game right there. I mean your not going to have blatant disregard for the ball and have a chance to win, it just doesn't happen. It's been a problem here since last year, and it's a problem now.
Inside Football reports that Dayne, Mallard, Legree, and Torbor "flashed" while Petigout had problems with Abraham. The article is worth a read.
The Giants.com August 5 report talks about Coughlin's attention to detail, the siging of Stckhouse (who replaces Edgar Cervantes on the roster) and talks about Diehl playing right tackle.
The August 6 report talks about getting ready to practice football with the Jets.
Here's an article from a Jests perspective about the upcoming joint practice with the Giants. Herman Edwards also talks a little about how he used to tease Tom Coughlin.
As for Coughlin's training camp, most Giants are OK with it.
Here's an interesting article about Coughlin's approach to training camp. Also exciting is that Jamaar taylor the injured 6th round pick is catching bombs from Eli Manning. A bunch of people on the Giants.com message boards will have to eat their words if Taylor is healthy. Many people never believed the Giants when they said Taylor was on track to be ready for camp...
Back to Coughlin and his rules:
For instance, Coughlin insists on uniform uniforms, so socks are not to be trifled with. Helmets are never to be laid on sod (I saw at least one player who didn't get that memo). And woe to the player who lounges during team meetings; Coughlin believes that indicates a lack of focus and concentration, so players are expected to face forward with both feet planted on the floor.
First, the Post has an interesting interview with Tom Coughlin. They ask him questions like:
If you could pick the brain of one football man, who would it be?
Q: What would you ask him?
Q: Favorite Lombardi saying?
Q: Your definition of mental toughness?
Q: Most mentally tough player you've been around?
Q: The most heroic sports performance you've witnessed?
There's another article about Coughlin, this one from Newsday. It focuses on past training camps and Coughlin's philosophy. There are some interesting bits about how Coughlin corrects mistakes.
Here's an overview of how the Giants look heading into training camp, but there's not actually much new information. Still, it's worth reading if you need a review or if you haven't been keeping up with all the Giants news.
Here's a Post article about Coughlin visiting the traning camp facilities at the University of Albany. There's some indication that this training camp will be tough:
"I'm anticipating us having the pads on twice a day, I would imagine," said linebacker Barrett Green, a free-agent pickup from the Lions. "I'm gonna prepare myself for the worst circumstances possible."
In the same article we get news of a new tight end:
The Giants yesterday signed tight end Joe Dean Davenport, who spent the past three seasons with the Colts. The 6-6, 268- pound Davenport has 11 career catches for 93 yards.Obviously the Giants needed another tight end in training camp (Shockey, Rivers, and Dinkins are injured), but you have to wonder if Davenport will stick around as a blocking tight end.
There's no motivator like belief in what you're doing. I feel that a group has to be molded, and by today's standards, it's almost out of character. I believe nothing good is ever accomplished without a struggle."Interestingly though, it doesn't seem as though Coughlin is molding the players by making them bend to his will. For example he talks about winning Strahan over when some Giants fans (me included) expected him to lay down the law. Dr. Z doesn't sound all that positive that Tom Coughlin's philosophy will work for the New York Giants. However he concludes on a somewhat positive note:
If Coughlin can somehow inject the spirit of passion into a veteran team such as the Giants that he did into his young '96 Jags, then it will be one of the great success stories of the season.... It's a tough arena for Coughlin and his belief system, but somehow you get the feeling that he's going to make it work.
Neil Best writes about forging a team and it seems that the players feel that the 20 new veterans (not to mention rookies) and the Giants who have been around are bonding more easily because they are all learning Coughlin's system together. Of course making all these strangers a team is a big challenge for Coughlin.
Giants offensive line coach Flaherty has been diagnosed with cancer. He plans to work this season as he undergoes treatment. Pat Ruel (Bills offensive line coach last season - has also worked with Green Bay and Detroit) and Dave DeGuglielmo will help (or take over if needed). Naturally I hope Pat Flaherty wins the fight; I'm encouraged that he plans to keep working. That seems like a good way to start fighting.