Without getting too in depth here, this defense has no faith in its coordinator. We are in week 12 of the season and players have no idea where to lineup. I realize Boley is out, on top of the other losses, Osi is dinged, Tuck is halfway to IR, Rolle is playing CB and we have rookies littering the middle of the field with missed assignments but this defense is 100% lost 3/4 of the way through the season. I hate to be the coordinator hater, but Perry Fewell has absolutely lost this team on defense and its evident in their body language and confusion play in and play out. WHen you don't have faith in your game plan, you play tentatively, almost afraid that what your coach saw may not be what you saw. His plan is most likely too complicated and overwrought with complications when professionals paid to do a job cannot figure out where to lineup on workday #7 of a week.
This is mostly a gut thing I see in the guys, and I know quantifying mood or emotion is foolhardy but I've played under people who seemed overmatched and you don't buy into their philosophy when you what you see on tape is NOT what you are told on the field. His overthinking and timid approach to pressure (please please please read a book on A and B gap pressures and stop trying to blitz off the edge all day when you have 3 pro bowl caliber DEs) is killing this defense. When you see guys not lining up properly and looking confused it is 100% on the man in charge of the defense. As a player you trust what you see and you execute as asked but when you see something that the opponent does that you KNOW will beat you, it just deflates you and you play with that listless look the Giants have had for weeks now. Leaders like Justin Tuck and Corey Webster are looking lost, completely lost and that speaks to their lack of confidence in what they are being asked to do.
I won't sit here and claim to know the scheme we should run or what our talent dictates, but I know full well that trying to pressure a 6-0 QB with a rocket release and speed to burn at WR/RB on the edges is just sheer stupidity. You put your 6-7 and 6-5 DTs in his face and you fire in the A gaps all night long and keep him off balance. You don't blitz Kenny Phillips in the 7 or 8 hole, you don't delay blitz a LB on a loop or a stunt with a DE going wide, you force the issue and you force the offense to contend with you. Fewell is a timid DC who plays on the edges trying like hell to contain everything and not give up the big play but he does not have the LBs or Safeties to pull that off. What he has is a front four and speed at LB that can make a QBs life hell between the center and guard and he chooses to run wide and pressure from the edge which almost never gets home. Don't start your best DE at DT as a gimmick, let him come in later in a drive, fresh like Tuck did in his early years and wear down the interior OL. You don't bang a DE into 330lb guards all day and assume it will work.
Fewell is quite simply overmatched and over thinking his defense to the point that players are not only confused but seemingly without faith in their play calls and without faith in each other. Players are smarter than we want to give credit for, they have a clue what will work and it is clear that this group no longer trusts Fewell to select a sound game plan and it is woefully evident in their play. Go find 10 DCs in teh NFL and lend them Tuck, Osi, JPP, Canty, Joseph, Bernard, Webster, Ross, Rolle, Kiwi, Phillips and see how happy you'd make them. You wouldn't rush 3 and drop 8, you wouldn't start DEs at DT, you'd find a base that works and you punish the offense from guard to guard until they were forced to max protect or their QB flubbed the game away. Perry Fewell is coaching scared and over thinking and despite our injuries he has plenty of talent and no fucking idea what to do with it.
They suck so bad, and they r so pathetic to watch, and really its been the same way for 3 years now
I have never seen an nfl d so easy to beat
It's not the NYG style to do this, it probably wouldn't help anyway. Do you do it, to just do it and hope for the best, a spark, a simplification, of sorts, etc.
The injuries are one thing, the lack of effort and the look on the Defensive player of sheer resignation is another.
If I'm Coughlin I'm in every defensive meeting. Period. Leave the offense to Killbride and be hands on with the Defense even though he's an offensive coach and player by trade and background.
At this point you trade Osi for whatever you can get. Let Ross walk. Send Grant to IR to get the huge fucking fork out of his back and draft some God Damn linebackers.
Funny how both the Eagles and Giants are getting killed this year due to horrific LB depth and play.
Look at all the athletic TEs now. Pretending that position didn't matter is killing both teams.
Reminded me of bill sheridan interviews....sounds completely over his head and almost in awe of the opponent
lack of a workable game plan against the Saints
They had plenty of rest after coming off a loss .
Breese was on fire last night he made throws that
many QB's only wish they could make . Even when we got
pressure he avoided sacks and stood always looking
downfield . I highly doubt anyone would have beat them
last night . With Boley out it not only took our
best LB in terms of speed and smarts that was having
really a probowl type year . The Saints knew exactly
how to beat us and they have too many playmakers
for us to account for . But we still have good
players on defense who are lost in this so called
gameplan . It was painfully obvious when Vince
young orchestrated that final drive last week .
Some of the blame falls on Reece for not making a move
when Goff went down . I like TC but he is getting outcoached by younger coaches IMO and the fact that San Fran changed so dramatically is proof enough that we can
too . I like the young LB's and as much heat that
Grant takes is more about playing a Vet than having
another rookie get toasted .Grant is past his prime
but its management that dropped the ball on personal
decisions . I have never seen a Giants defense look so
clueless in a long while .
It was a stark contrast with the look of the Saints defense. They have similar talent to what we have based on our level of injury. But look at the pressure they were generating. If they played defense the way the Giants did, the score would have been 50 to 50. They did what they needed to do. I'm done with Fewell.
the League wants offense at any price, and it wants qb's protected. Putting pressure on the passer is not something a D can rely on. Yet, our draft, player acquisition and D philosophy have all centered on d linemen who can get to the passer. Unfortunately, they aren't getting there and the back 7 is getting burnt.
Perhaps it is time to reverse that: draft the back seven and if you happen to find a pass rusher in later rounds, great, but at least you've got some guys in the back 7 who can hang with the opposition.
When I saw Antrell Rolle run in a circle in the flats as Jimmy Graham ran down the seam I almost pitched the remote control. That's a LB drop zone and NO ONE was in the area but Rolle dropped anyway and Graham zipped by untouched down the seam. Even if your OLB is dropping you pick up who crosses your face and funnel them inside to your deep help and Rolle did the complete opposite as Corey Webster covered the deep third on the outside where no one was. It was sheer confusion and most likely on overwrought scheme that didn't challenge the Saints but hoped they wouldn't beat us over the head. The same recipe we used to slow down the high flying Rams of 10 years ago is the one you used for this offense too. IT's a timing offense and the only way to defend it is to disrupt it and the few times we did apply A gap pressure it worked but it was way way too few.
Great write-up, Joey...thanks.
this is a PRESS MAN team and the few games they've played well in the last 3 years they've been in man w c-web on the other's teams #1.
just like it was an odd fit when coughlin hired tim lewis from pitt, who was running a 34 zone. then we drafted cweb and madison (press-man CBs) and put them in this scheme. and it was odd when they said sheridan was gonna keep Spags scheme, then he changed to a base cover 2 zone.
it is beyond crystal clear man is what works best for this personnel group. why not continue to put c-web on the #1 and let Ross and Prince man up the other guys? stay in a 2 deep-man.
but u can't really blame fewell. they employed him to bring in his system with the personnel they decided to give him and then required to keep all the old position coaches in place (w exception of waufle who they didn't want anymore).
it's hard to believe a guy as smart as coughlin keeps willingly making that mistake. this whole thing (w the exception of the 2 spags years) reeks of having no bird-eye view which is so unlike tom
Link - ( New Window )
I think Sheridan stunk but I believe Fewell is an average coordinator. Maybe the players would get on board with a superstar coordinator but that shouldn't have to be the case. Most teams don't have that guy
One, his propensity for everything coming wide from the edge. Two, his timid approach to rushing 3 or 4, with one those and out of position DE. Three, the sheer talent, even with injuries, this D does possess. They should not be anywhere near as bad as they are playing.
Under Spags, undrafted DBs were playing well against top caliber opposition. Under Sheridan, it was a out-and-out disaster. Under Fewell, we see persistent zone assignment confusion.
What is Giunta doing exactly?
In the last 15 seasons, the Giants have enjoyed 6 seasons where the DC was either Spags or Fox. In those 6 seasons the team won 3 division titles, 2 NFC Championships and 1 super bowl title. Sandwiched around those 6 seasons was a team that had similiar talents and roster makeup but a team that struggled defensively.
This team has wasted some talented teams over the past 15 seasons and the primary reason is due to the DC. We went from Fox to Lynn. Fail. We went from Tim Lewis to Spags. Win. We went from Spags to Sheridan. Vomit. We went from Sheridan to Fewell. More vomit.
It's. All. About. The Coaching. The Cowboys had absolute SHIT in the secondary for a month or two and they held it together this season. They have question marks to this day and yet they are holding things together. The Jets have one great player and a couple of solid players and they play better D than the Giants.
The Giants have more talent than some of you want to believe and if you think Michael Boley is saving this defense, think again. If he plays last night the Saints still score too many points.
Let's not forget the unforgivable collapse last year to the eagles.
We saw this happen in 2009 against US, let alone other teams, and the disastrous results. Mind boggling that we couldn't devise a different means of attack.
Fewell is terrible. Webster, Ross, Phillips, Rolle, Kiwi, Canty, Osi, Joseph, Tuck, Boley, etc. I know it's not the '85 Bears defense, but how much talent do you need to field a competitive defense?? Spags had James Butler, Gibril Wilson, and graybeards like Madison and McQuarters in his defensive backfield, and still managed to slow down high-powered offenses in big spots. It was an incredible coaching achievement.
I am going to go to a voodoo shaman and try to get Spags fired in St L tomorrow and hired as DC back in NY. ASAFP.
I just don't get it, and frankly I don't think he does either.
JPP is most effective coming from the edge, and has shown it time and time again but since everyone has been "healthy" he is rarely there on passing downs. They instead have him running into the center since he "can disrupt the passing lanes"
Now that I think of it, I don't know what's more embarrassing- the amount of time he plays over the nose or the amount of 3 man pass rushes we use. You think Fewell would have learned his lesson against Philly with the 3 man rushes but nope, instead continues to drop players into this zone that has not worked all year. But lets keep doing that considering the strength of our defense is the pass rush and our CBs playing press man coverage.
Every game we come out in zone and let up early scores and every game he then has to adjust to man to man but most of the time its to late and we are digging ourselves out of a hole.
He is coaching scared, and I much rather this team go down swinging then with mental and communication erros.
Lastly- its obvious Grant is DONE, and Rolle should not be in the slot. Let Prince play in all nickel situations and HAVE 3 CORNERBACKS ON THE FIELD LIKE EVERY OTHE TEAM IN THE NFL does in Nickel and let Rolle go back to Safety instead of this nonsense 3 safety set.
Everyone wants to complain about injuries and the hand we were dealt but that is one obvious move that could only help, it can't get any worse.
I don't know I am coming to terms that our defense is just not that good, and I am being kind right now.... Everyone had talked about how ELi has been carrying the team on his shoulders. and he has, but let's face it..if the defense could hold a lead then we wouldn't ahve to rely on Eli for heroics... Gruden kept alluding to a game plan, if the GIants can stick around, in the 4th Eli will win the game...I know Chucky was talking out of his ass, but if he wasn't then that is one of the dumbest game plans I have ever heard...
Eli came to play, Cruz, JPP and Herzlich and Nicks, hell I will give an honorable mention to Jacobs up until his bonehead dance that could have been 15 yds...Osi seemed to be walking fine to the lockeroom (but I am no doctor), Tuck, I get it! he is not even close to 100% but know it not only shows it hurts the team. Canty, was he even on the field last night??? OUR LBs are ....well....after Boley is there any LBs with any experience on the team?? Jerry, you fucked up there and BAllard and Cruz bailed your ass out, but Jones, Williams have NOT!!! Goff goes down and you don't comb the waiver wires for some veteran presence for LB????
The future looks birght on more than a few fronts. We have Eli!!! Nicks, Cruz, Barden (we will see about Mario)Ballard had a bad game against the Iggles, but he was more than effective last night. With the return of T2 with CWeb and the Prince (We will see about ROss in the nickel) are solid and may very well be more shut down than we have had in a while. Our DEs are still beasts, JPP and Kiwi are the future and Tuck when healthy is still Tuck. Canty is well, a disappearing act. Joseph gets man handled..
SO my glaring weaknesses!!! Linebackers.... we dont have any...Fewell plays this zone and our LBs are just not good enough or experienced enough to play leaving the hole the size of my mother in laws ass right over the middle. TEs like Graham, Celek, Witten, Cooley must look at us on the schedule and lick thier chops. Baas, our center, jury is still out, but how does a center draw a false start penalty stalling a drive at midfield???? never mind he is getting assraped at the line..we are lucky Eli is durable and still standing nevermind having a career year. Runningback, what can we say? Jacobs is NOT the battering ram he was a few years agao, Bradshaw is ALWAYS have ankle and foot problems, Ware??? no comment.... De'Rel Scott( I am one of those idiots that wanted him in a few snaps, got my wish).
I am not even going into coaching other than to say I am a huge Coughlin guy, BUT....... Perry Fewell just doesn't get that his personnel just doesn't fit his system or schemes....square pegs in round holes. there is some serious talent on the 1st and 3rd level of Defense.....
Thanks for letting vent guys!!!!
Also - outside of the Packers, who doesn't have a 'swoon'. This team has been patchwork, Ballard is the TE, Cruz is the top receiver, the line is dismantled and not performing, the LBs are rookies - it's a transition year, and the team is competing. This was the first blowout, done by a rested, surgical offense at home. Everyone recognzied that this was a brutal stretch, and yet, no one can stomach the 'brutal' part. There's always the call for blood, or call for coaches who if you compare - probably would NOT do a better job, it's just that they have that new coach smell. Having the team be a consistent competitor in what is ultimately a crap shoot should make for less blood-thirsty fans.
This year Fred and Vernon Davis,NE's 2 TEs and Graham have had success with whatever you want to call Fewell's defense. But, with Kiwi at LB and no MLB, if we go back to man coverage, then expect Finley and Witten to have big games.I'm not opposed to doing so, but it exposes the very position(MLB) that I think Fewell is trying to compensate for.
I don't think there is enough imagination or ability to change things up. I'd never sit back and let a team pick me apart. I'd go down swinging. I don't see that here.
We need a new philosophy, and quite frankly, new energy on that side of the ball.
I think it comes in the form of a head coaching change, unfortunately. But TC did hire the guy, so he's accountable.
We've now seen similar issues of "intensity", confusion and the like under two different coordinators. Do we just keep running through coordinators or do we acknowledge that perhaps the personnel on defense isn't as good as we think or at least, does not match up well with very fast teams like the Eagles and the Saints.
They played hard for most of the game - probably need to work on pass rush but they got some hits and should have had two sacks. When the Saints won it all - they beat teh Pats during the regular season pretty easily.
Tuck is injured. He just can't do anything.
Kiwi IS NOT a LB. But he has to play LB because of the injuries.
We have second tier guys, that are slow, playing starting LB for us. You can scheme all you want, you can't hide a lack of talent.
How many of us said "ohhh sh*t, now Ross has to start" when TT went down. Now all of a sudden it's Fewell's fault that Ross gets beat constantly. We knew Ross was 2nd tier before the season.
For those that have played football, you know that you have to play zone when you're corners can't cover that great and your front 4 don't get pressure.