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Giants and the Preseason Under Coughlin

Essex : 8/26/2013 9:06 am
I realize we have looked pretty bad in this year's preseason, but besides the 2008 preseason, I don't remember any preseason where we looked particularly sharp. In the 2011 preseason, our beat writers were tracking Eli's bad performances (after a shaky 2010) as if he was some rookie. On balance, I think our offense rarely looks good in the preseason. Will we be good this year? I really do no know, I do not have a feel for this team because I do not know how Wilson and Randle will be during a full season as vital parts. I do not know how JPP will come back from injury, etc. How will the OL shape out? Do not know. But, I do know that the terrible play in the preseason, given our history in the preseason under Coughlin, will not make me think this season will be a disaster.
You cant put too much on the preseason  
cjac : 8/26/2013 9:08 am : link
they dont game plan, if you've locked up your starting position there is not much motivation.

The one thing I am getting from this particular preseason is that the D-Line looks much better and the LB position worries me.
Weren't we 0-4 our 2007 SB run year?  
Big Blue '56 : 8/26/2013 9:10 am : link
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No actually we were 4-0 lol  
Curtis in VA : 8/26/2013 9:14 am : link
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Oops sorry.  
Curtis in VA : 8/26/2013 9:15 am : link
We were 1-3.
bb56  
Essex : 8/26/2013 9:15 am : link
i am not so much focusing on record as much as how our first team's performance was perceived. In other words, did the first team play well. And, besides 2008, I cannot remember a season that we looked very good. Preseason is a lousy indicator of future success is my overall point and particularly under TC, where our preseasons have mostly ranged from miserable to fair and our seasons have ranged from mediocre to wonderful.
No one in their right mind cares what the actual pre-season record is  
LG in NYC : 8/26/2013 9:18 am : link
so citing years where were some teams was 0-4 or 4-0 adds nothing to the discussion.

The question/debate is whether playing badly throughout the pre-season(which the Giants starting unit most definitely has this) means anything during the regular season.

Can't say for sure, but I would expect a top team to at least look competent during the pre-season, understanding that the veterans are going to dial it back a little. But personally, I do get a bit concerned when our QB looking skittish and consistently mis-fires passes, and our WR's either can't get open or can't catch the ball, or when the same damn red zone problems show no sign of being improved.

You're right- this has been the pattern  
BUgiantfan : 8/26/2013 9:21 am : link
We typically look pretty bad up until week 3 or 4. We usually play very poorly in week 1 of the regular season. We've only gone 1-0 in years where we played a weak opponent. Last year we played Dallas and lost and I am confident the same will happen this year. We usually hit our stride in October. Almost every year, the talking heads are talking us up by mid to late October and then a week or two before Thanksgiving we shit the bed. If we're lucky, we recover somewhere around Christmas and barely make the playoffs.

This seems to be the cycle since Coughlin came here.
The presaeson has been a bit rocky for some good reasons  
BillT : 8/26/2013 9:25 am : link
The Giants have had key players out like JPP. They've had starters in and out and in like Tuck, Webster, Rolle, Baas, Pugh, Cruz. They have key players rounding into shape like Nicks and Snee. I don't know if or when it will all come together but lets hope it does soon.
I believe  
NJGiantFan84 : 8/26/2013 9:28 am : link
a few things play into this. First, they hold a lot back. I am no X's and O's expert, but it seems to me that they are really just running basic plays out of the packages they put out there. Second, Gilbride's offense seems to start off slow a lot of times. I know he likes to try a number of things to see how the defense lines up and reacts so he can take advantage of these looks later. Often, we can move the ball while doing this, but sometimes the offense seems stagnant at the beginning of games.

Third, and most important, Eli is usually at his best under pressure. We missing some key guys on the OL and WR (Murphy, Cruz) so I am not reading too much into it. Eli seemed to find his rhythm in the 2nd Quarter.
I understand the need not to  
eclipz928 : 8/26/2013 9:31 am : link
hit the panic button just based on the preseason games . . . but this is by far the worst the offense has looked in the preseason in recent memory. I don't think anyone is actually looking at the record.

0-8 this preseason in converting TD's when the team is in the redzone. Almost no instance of the first team offense showing the ability to sustain a a drive. Not very reassuring performances.
BillT, of course.  
Big Blue '56 : 8/26/2013 9:45 am : link
Too, the Giants mostly concern themselves with evaluating 75-90 players, not a simple task..Anyone concerned about Eli is, well, this is the gentler BBI..Cruz is out, Nicks is not there yet as he looks slow as shit at the moment, Murphy our #4 guy has been out, Myers is still learning the system, Pugh's a rookie, Baas is out, the RB situation is in the ironing out stage, Hyno has not played, etc., etc.,..

Again and all that's important at this stage is what Toomer said a few weeks ago: "You don't know what you have until the regular season starts." He went on to say that there's a lot of experimenting, evaluation and not many practices(13?) to get on the same page, in, for example, a Gilbride system..

If you're worried now, then you'll really be apoplectic when the season starts as we most likely start out 0-2 before we straighten things out en route to the playoffs..

I never, ever worry about pre-season performances as there's so much to work on, so much to evaluate..If we suck it's most likely going to be because we were hit really hard in KEY areas injury-wise and not because of anything we do in pre-season..
Eli is never really at his best without the 4th quarter.  
wgenesis123 : 8/26/2013 9:48 am : link
You can't get that kind of work in the preseason. Also it seemed like Eli made some terrible throws in the red zone last year. That trend seems to have carried over into the preseason. I know the O-line has been a problem but it seems like something isn't right for Eli.
It's the other teams the Giants are playing  
I Love Clams Casino : 8/26/2013 9:52 am : link
some teams, for some illogical reasons, seem to place a value on winning these games. Generally speaking it seems that other teams playbooks are wide open, unless they have a new coach who's gonna unveil some "secret weapon offense" like Chip Kelly.
I don't care if we win any pre season games...  
EricJ (formerly Tyleraimee) : 8/26/2013 9:58 am : link
I watch the starters to see how they perform vs the opposing starters. So far, I am not impressed. All teams are dealing with the same new rules regarding practice. This is not about hitting and pads especially when the issue we are having is with the offense.

Coming out of the past two seasons, my general comments about the following seasons were...
1. We need to run the ball much better. Forget looking at our stats. We simply cannot run between the tackles, be consistent or pickup a yard when we absolutely need it. (a perfect example of this was last game. David Wilson's stats would be misleading. One nice run. Then, the O-line failed to deliver). Drive killers.

2. We need to stop the run. We are getting run over. Washington is running on us at will. We are soft. (I do see improvement in this area so far).

Final note... If I can call 50% of the third down plays from row 2, then I am sure the opposing D coordinators can as well.
The overall effort itself doesn't concern me  
jcn56 : 8/26/2013 10:00 am : link
but the linebackers and our OL shuffle really has me worried. Depth at safety isn't very encouraging either.
I wouldnt panic about the red zone problems yet  
cjac : 8/26/2013 10:01 am : link
we arent exactly going to put our best plays on film.

Lets wait and see
In two weeks...  
silverfox : 8/26/2013 10:01 am : link
...we will hopefully have some answers.
C'mon guys........  
Phil in Joisey : 8/26/2013 10:08 am : link
Can't you clearly see the Giants are playing possum?
2 offensive touchdowns?  
Lionhart28 : 8/26/2013 10:52 am : link
2??? Both from starters, both from over 50 yards out. Crazy...
2 huge worries  
PaulN : 8/26/2013 10:55 am : link
This season are the back 7 on defense, as usual, and the offensive line. The health of our receivers worries me some, and Eli has not looked sharp at all, that also worries me for opening game, which is against Dallas again, don't want to lose that game.
On the contrary  
jLefty : 8/26/2013 11:02 am : link
whether we win or lose preseason is not important. But the overall feeling regarding our team is worrisome. Sluggish offense, not much to imress for the D except interior line and Demontre. He's won two super bowls but Eli and his receivers don't look good right now. Add the long list of injuries, the number of key players hoping to make it back for Dallas without much practice or real game action, and you have to wonder if it's all going to right itself. Hoping for the best.
End results don't bug me...  
Giantfan in skinland : 8/26/2013 11:08 am : link
What concerns me this offseason:

1. Nicks looks slow - I hope he will flip the switch and go nuts. It's entirely possible he's dogging it to stay healthy. I just grow more and more concerned each time I see what looks to me be a 3/4 speed Nicks.

2. Health/inconsistency on the starting OL - The concern here is that the OL has been declining for a few years now. While it's easy to brush off a bad performance from guys you know can get it done, it becomes much more worrisome when it's a group that you're not sure can and plays that way.

3. Defense - similar to the OL, the things that worry me are things that this D has been dealing with for 3 years + some injury concerns starting to pop up.

.  
arcarsenal : 8/26/2013 11:10 am : link
Nicks is reeling it in on purpose.

You'll see much closer to 95-100% in Dallas.
ARC....  
Giantfan in skinland : 8/26/2013 11:18 am : link
I believe that to be the case too....but when I've watched him running, he just looks a bit slow/stiff...to the point where I questioned whether that's something someone really can consciously do.

In other words, it's not just that he looks like he's jogging at half speed. His movements to me look like a guy not all the way back.

We'll see.
I don't pay too much mind to the preseason  
Greg from LI : 8/26/2013 11:18 am : link
But watching the linebackers on this team is revolting. It is incredible that the Giants haven't had a good linebacker since Antonio Pierce.
.  
arcarsenal : 8/26/2013 11:21 am : link
Giantfan.. my gut feeling is that it's just a product of him trying not to over exert himself just yet. If he still looks that way on the 8th, I'll be a bit concerned but as of now I think he's alright.
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