Cardinals/Giants - Analyzing the long rungs and more...

So I'm watching yesterday's game on NFL Rewind. Kind of ticked off they don't get the coaches film option up there sooner!

Regardless, it's fairly well known that Gilbride, like many offensive coordinators like to script the first few series of a game. Some fans think it's to blame for the offense starting slow. I took a look at the first two series and broke them down a bit.

Some thoughts:

First series:

1. First play from scrimmage - I Formation. Manningham on the right, Nicks on the left. Eli is going to Manningham all the way on this play and he wants to release the ball quickly. He expects Mario to run a come back route to the ball. Mario keeps running and is late coming back allowing the DB to get his hands on the ball. Incomplete. Eli has his hands up wondering what Mario was doing.

2. This looks like an H-Back set with Hynoski lined up where the TE would normally be. Mario and Hakeem switch spots. Eli once again targets Mario and the ball is thrown behind him. He's either late coming back to it or the ball was just poorly thrown. There's a ton of DB traffic in the area. This could have easily turned into a pick six. Hard to know where the curl on the route should have been if the route was incorrectly run.

3. Three wide receiver set, Beckum in motion, single back lined up next to Eli. This is supposed to be a fake draw into a quick WR screen. Mckenzie (RT) totally misses a cut block that allows the defensive end into the backfield to bat the ball down. I'd have to look but I swear this is the EXACT same play that Kerrigan picked off Eli on against Washington. Kareem missed the EXACT same block! False start called on Hakeem for movement anyway. Replay third down.

4. Spread formation here. It looks like the hot read is the X receiver (Eli immediately looks his way) and Bradshaw is the second option. The Z receiver goes in motion and lines up on the inside (Devon Thomas) to run a short crossing route and then moves into a blocking position for Bradshaw. Bradshaw, however is side swiped which causes him to fumble the football. 1st turnover of the game.

Second series:

1. Two tight ends and one back. Overload on the left side. Chris Snee is the pulling guard in this scenario and is meant to clear a hole in the middle for Bradshaw. Snee does his job and puts on the hit but David Baas (C) and David Diehl (G) can't hold their block on the NT and neither can Pascoe (TE) who came across the line to hit the linebacker. All three get beat, the line gets very little push and the defenders tackle Ahmad after a 1 yard gain.

2. Two back set. Two wide, one TE in motion to get a block on the linebacker. It's a toss left to Bradshaw with Hynoski leading the way to take out the second linebacker. Pascoe can't block the LB to save his life and Hynoski sort of whiffs on the block ahead of Bradshaw allowing the linebackers to converge and clean up the play. No gain. Illegal formation for Mckenzie who's not having a very good season thus far (after being one of our best lineman last season).

3. 2-2 personnel in an offset I formation. One WR. This is a play action pass but the Cardinals are able to get pressure quickly with their font four on the both sides of the line. Manning is forced to check down quickly to Hynoski and under throws the ball. Incomplete. Holding called on Snee and Diehl. 10 yards back we go. Time to punt.

I ran through these series to see if the play calls were the issue? IMO, they're not. The issue on many of these plays is execution which frankly left quite a bit to be desired. As a team, the Giants seem to get better as the game goes on. The next series the Giants picked up a few first downs before punting and the fourth series of the game finally saw the offense get into tempo as they scored the first TD of the game on that lovely 13 yard Bradshaw run. We all know how hot the offense was in the 4th quarter of the game.:)

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How's about those long runs that were completed against the defense? How did Beanie Wells and the Cardinals manage to put up the yardage they did? Well let's take a look:

2nd QTR:

1. 17 yard run for Wells - Giants lined up with two safeties mid-field. Two linebackers (Jones and Boley) in the center behind the line. Kiwi is lined up standing right next to Osi showing blitz. The Cardinals are in a basic I Formation and send a receiver in motion to the opposite side which causes Boley to shift the linebackers over to the right. Boley does come in on the blitz to the wrong side. Wells runs to the left side behind his fullback. Osi is completely eaten up and doesn't shed his block. Ross is immediately blocked out of the play and the fullback gets a hit on Kiwi that allows Well to get into the second level. From there it's all poor tackling attempts.

2. 9 yard run for Wells - Single safety look from the Giants here with three linebackers in the center and Grant down near the line for run support on the right side. The Cardinals are in 2-2 personnel in I formation. Guess where they are running? If you said "left", you're right. Once again, Osi is blocked out of the play. He can't shed the tackle. Ross is also blocked out as he takes a poor angle anyway and the fullback once again takes care of his assignment and blocks Boley out creating the hole that Wells run through for 9.

3. 9 yard run for Wells - Cardinals in spread formation here. The Giants are thinking and JPP rushes the QB completely losing contain. By the time he realizes it's a run, Wells is nearly passed him. Williams can't shed the block quick enough to make it a shorter gain but finally does along with Boley who comes in from behind for the clean-up. Good blocking by the Cardinals here and good job selling the pass.

3rd QTR

4. 1st TD by Wells - Power football. I formation. They send Fitz in motion which moves Webster over and causes him to reset on the left side. The TE or Tackle (can't see the number) totally moves Williams out of the play opening the hole for Beanie to the left side who plows over Webster for the TD.

5. 2nd TD by Wells - LITERALLY the exact same play folks. Same personnel, Fitz goes in motion again which moves Webster over and back. Rolle is in position on the left hand side to make the tackle here instead of Williams this time. Where do they run? The exact same side. Left. It's Fitz this time who takes Rolle completely out of the play opening the running lane for Wells to score again.

4th QTR

6. 39 yard run by Wells - Cardinals have a single back, 7 lineman down overloaded to the right side with 2 WR's. So what do you think the Giants are going to do here? Yeah, they're going to load up on the right hand side. They send in Grant on a blitz but guess where the Cardinals are running? Go ahead. I'll wait. Yes, the left hand side - right at Osi. So what does Osi do? Tries a swim move to the INSIDE to get to the passer. Nevermind there's a run going on there, Osi! He gets eaten up. Rolle comes down to try and help but gets blocked out of the play and Webster is in pursuit mode. beanie finally gets tackled 39 yards down the field.

7. 12 yard run by Alfonso Smith - Cardinals are in 2-2 personnel. I formation, single WR lined up to the right. The Giants have three linebackers in the middle and Kiwi comes in on a blitz in the B Gap. The guard pulls to the left side and takes out Boley. Osi is eaten up on the block he can't shed and the fullback takes out Rolle on the play. 12 yards and almost a TD.

A pattern is developing here don't you think? Run left = profit. Why not? The defensive end never seems to have contain and the linebackers are always caught on the wrong side of a blitz or out of position.

8. 3rd TD by Wells - Similar formation to the other two TD's. They did switch it up a bit sending the full back to the left side to block instead of staying in the standard I. Regardless, running left equals pay-dirt and that's what we have here. The difference this time is that Kiwi is in position to make the play! (Yay!) He comes in on the left side but completely overshoots Wells. Wells is in for the score and if you were watching the game, you're thinking to yourself "Dagger" right?

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Thankfully, Eli activated "beast" mode and decided he had had enough. The next series was a stunner of a drive that featured some exceptional pass blocking, Hakeem and Victor splitting 20+ yard receptions and Ballard having his own little coming out party with a 21 yard reception and a TD.

We all know the controversy surrounding the final drive so I won't bother touching on it but that 29 yard pass out of the 3 wide set to Nicks was a thing of beauty though. The pass was on the money and Nicks went up to grab it in stride. I jumped out of my seat cheering.

Good come from behind victory with some caveats:

- Osi has got to clean his act up against the run. In 2009 when he was benched, offensive coordinators in the league had bullet points on how to attack a very bad Giants defense and the first one was: Run at Osi.

We know he can do better. He showed us that in 2010 and he needs to do it again in 2011. It's his first game back so I'm willing to cut him a little slack. Plus after all of my bitching about Ross in my previous analysis of the Rams game, he came back to prove me seriously wrong against the Eagles.

- The linebackers have to have better awareness and recognition. It's one thing when the defensive end loses contain but the linebackers need to diagnose the play better as the game moves along. It's downright embarrassing to have nearly the same play run on us three times and for them to get the same result in the red zone!

- Tackling is still work in progress. This is a league wide epidemic and the Giants aren't special in this regard. Plenty of runs that should have been short gainers or catches that went for more YAC than they should have because of half-assed arm tackles. I think we'll see this improve every week and it's a byproduct of the shortened off-season.