We forced 3 turnovers. How many 3rd downs did they convert? On my watch they had 0 until late in the game when it was already decided. How'd they do on the 4th down they attempted?
This was without Thurmond. Without Beason. No Kennard.
Fire Fewell.
Oh. And by the way. Eli Manning can still play ball.
Why not go fuck yourself and leave the site?
when has arc ever "worshipped" Fewell?
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you feel vindicated for your bizarre Fewell worship based on beating one of the worse starting QBs in the league that was playing without his best offensive weapon?
Why not go fuck yourself and leave the site?
Second that.
Tell me more about how defenses with top tier personnel play "simple" defense and how we are trying to trick people via complexity based on....nothing.
If people are allowed to go wild about letting up too many 3rd downs last week I guess I'm allowed to point out when we hold a team to a goose egg until the game is out of reach.
Oh and everyone was also up in arms about not forcing any turnovers. We forced 3 today. Good enough or no?
I'm not trying to shit on the defense, I just find this an odd example to rub in peoples faces.
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you feel vindicated for your bizarre Fewell worship based on beating one of the worse starting QBs in the league that was playing without his best offensive weapon?
Why not go fuck yourself and leave the site?
Well said..Tired of this miserable little bitch. His last two weeks have been ruined because Eli played very good.
I'm not trying to shit on the defense, I just find this an odd example to rub in peoples faces.
Another positive presence on this site..Fine, Foster plays and we then REMOVE Blue's 78 yards..Under ANY circumstances, this team wasn't losing to Houston today
I'm not trying to shit on the defense, I just find this an odd example to rub in peoples faces.
Am I allowed to cite that we didn't have our best LB and were without 2 of our 3 starting LB's and didn't have our Nickel CB?
He was shorthanded personell wise, and did a good job to come up with an effective gameplan with his available means.Showed some talent today.
It was impressive, can't be denied, he called a good game, and prepared well.
The OP had no problem listing our defenses injuries, but didn't say anything about probably the most important offensive player being out for the game. Those are facts.
This team was the worst team in the NFL last season and did nothing to improve offensively but add Fitzpatrick and an OG in the draft.
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This was the worst team in the NFL last season.
I'm not trying to shit on the defense, I just find this an odd example to rub in peoples faces.
Am I allowed to cite that we didn't have our best LB and were without 2 of our 3 starting LB's and didn't have our Nickel CB?
You are, and you did. That was my response to what I read in the OP.
The OP had no problem listing our defenses injuries, but didn't say anything about probably the most important offensive player being out for the game. Those are facts.
This team was the worst team in the NFL last season and did nothing to improve offensively but add Fitzpatrick and an OG in the draft.
You're correct..You're just consistently negative under the guise of being "objective." A favorite retort here..
I'm glad the offense looked capable. But I'd like a little more than winning one game.
It's just that after hearing multiple posters calling for Fewells head after a game that we didn't lose because of the defense, it got a bit silly. The defense on this team should be slightly above average this year. If the offensive improvements are legit and they can put up points we are not an awful football team.
Because the Giants were an embarrassment the past 2 weeks. We lost to Drew Stanton.
I'm glad the offense looked capable. But I'd like a little more than winning one game.
Agreed. 1 game means little save for the emotional factor involved..The OL is beginning to do some things well as I believed they would. It just takes time unfortunately. My hope was that we wouldn't fall TOO FAR behind in the division before the O got in sync..Not sure with 3 days rest for our next game, we'll be able to definitively judge either..
I just answered your question. The Giants have been really bad the past 2 weeks. It's not that Vegas loves the Texans, it's that the Giants have looked so awful that they had to give the Texans the favorite.
It's just that after hearing multiple posters calling for Fewells head after a game that we didn't lose because of the defense, it got a bit silly. The defense on this team should be slightly above average this year. If the offensive improvements are legit and they can put up points we are not an awful football team.
We also played well last year against terrible QBs and myself and others still thought Fewell was mediocre. I want to see us put up a few good efforts vs good offenses before I subject myself to public shaming for not thinking Fewell is a good DC. Although he's been here long enough to kind of know what he is.
This is why stats, which will be factored in the entire output, sucks more than they don't..We held them to 83 yards in the first half..Most of their stats accumulated in the second half were garbage stts that only look good in the final totals, but mean squat
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at all....they played great in the first half. Gave up 350 yards and 16 first downs in 2nd half.
This is why stats, which will be factored in the entire output, sucks more than they don't..We held them to 83 yards in the first half..Most of their stats accumulated in the second half were garbage stts that only look good in the final totals, but mean squat
Did I miss where the Giants had an insurmountable lead entering the second half? The Texans made the game competitive briefly in the third quarter by moving the ball with ease against the Giants defense that was not in prevent.
The favor was because the Texans D has been red hot. The offense has been mediocre, and its missing Arian Foster. I don't think Texans stay the favorite without Foster.
But that's why I'm encouraged with the offense. We handled a defense that has been hot, even though it was missing Clowney, which is monumental. But it still had Watt, Cushing, and company.
I'm not cheapening the win, I'm cheapening the defensive impact. Which is the basis of this thread. Defense.
This is what I mean.
The stats look good last week but it's "they gave up too many third downs and couldn't get off the field". This week, it's "well they gave up a lot of yards in the 2nd half"
There's basically no way for this defense to be good enough around here. No matter what, something isn't perfect.
Agreed. 1 game means little save for the emotional factor involved..The OL is beginning to do some things well as I believed they would. It just takes time unfortunately. My hope was that we wouldn't fall TOO FAR behind in the division before the O got in sync..Not sure with 3 days rest for our next game, we'll be able to definitively judge either..
Can't stand Thursday night games because of reasons like this. This game is huge, and something as stupid as the date of the game can alter everything.
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In comment 11874550 Eric from BBI said:
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at all....they played great in the first half. Gave up 350 yards and 16 first downs in 2nd half.
This is why stats, which will be factored in the entire output, sucks more than they don't..We held them to 83 yards in the first half..Most of their stats accumulated in the second half were garbage stts that only look good in the final totals, but mean squat
Did I miss where the Giants had an insurmountable lead entering the second half? The Texans made the game competitive briefly in the third quarter by moving the ball with ease against the Giants defense that was not in prevent.
You miss a lot..Your knowledge of the game could fit into a thimble..You're really quite stupid, football-wise
This thread is about defense, in case you were unaware. The team wasn't red hot, Texans D was red hot. What don't you get?
The team did nothing to improve offensively except add Fitzpatrick, and for this game, lose Arian Foster.
I judge games based on the "Heat-O-Meter"...and there were only 1-2 plays in this game where I was livid. 1 was the JJ Watt sack right away and number two was the Hopkins or whoever touchdown where Stevie Brown screwed up royally.
Am I the only one that knows that Fitzpatrick has some mobility to him? Sure he's not 2006 Michael Vick reincarnated but man...was he does have some legs to him.
If you want shit defense just look at the Philadelphia Eagles/Washington Redskins game. Terrible performance on the defensive side of the ball, on both teams. We have nothing to worry about. We're 1-2 and we could go into this Friday morning being 2-2 and being 1-0 in the division. Philly doesn't scare me. Foles got ROCKED today. They lost their center and McCoy fumbled. If not for stupid play calling and Kirk Cousins throwing the ball behind the receiver like an idiot, Philly would've lost that game. So to compare the Giants to both of those teams, and Dallas secondary got beat up all game, we played the best game on defense in the division.
the yardage in garbage time was meaningless. Overall they played OK with a sense of unease what they allowed in the 3rd quarter
They played well in first half...shutout....love that.
But they gave up 17 points and three 40 plus yard plays in the second half.
The game got far too tight.
Not a complete effort.
Don't get me wrong. Much, much better today...but the defense wasn't "great" to me.
They did what they needed. They got off the field on third downs, they forced turnovers. Was it perfect? No. Did we need perfect? No. They got it done when they had to. We don't have Seattles defense or Carolinas. We can't hold this one to the same standard.
Good day on defense. i give them a B+. A B+ is better than a D and an F which I give to the Eagles, Redskins, and Cowboys, per se.
Finally they caused turnovers. I like the pressure they got, but damn pathetic bunch when pursuing the QB in the pocket. Another damn Qb avoiding defenders and instead of throwing to make plays, he just took off, time and time again.
It's frustrating to see this game after game.
But we gave up over 300 yards, 16 first downs, 17 points in second half.
This is a typical BBI thing. We lose, everything sucks. We win, everything is great.
This is a typical BBI thing. We lose, everything sucks. We win, everything is great.
This should be quoted on the top of the corner forum.
The startling thing is that we can't seem to pursue QBs when we have them dead in our sights. Our guys keep missing, and that leads to great passing plays OR the qb just keeps it and runs like Fitz did today.
We did that for the most part.
With the lead, we gave up some yardage on passes over the middle, but ended up getting two turnovers.
That is good defense.
We did that for the most part.
With the lead, we gave up some yardage on passes over the middle, but ended up getting two turnovers.
That is good defense.
That's all we're trying to say, coach
But we gave up over 300 yards, 16 first downs, 17 points in second half.
This is a typical BBI thing. We lose, everything sucks. We win, everything is great.
Not at all.. I am not claiming the defense was "great".. but all week I said I didn't think the D was terrible against ARZ and the counter arguments were "we couldn't get off the field on 3rd downs" and "we haven't forced any turnovers"
Ok, well.. today, we got off the field on every single one of their first 10 or so 3rd downs, many of which came early in the game after a terrible turnover inside their 10 and a botched FG. Those stops were crucial. We could not afford to fall behind after leaving points on the board like that.. it would have been demoralizing.
You can.. never said that wasn't ok. All I will say is that I think they've been better every week. Which is what you want to see. I thought they struggled against Detroit and were not nearly good enough in Week 1.. I thought they were better at getting to the QB in Week 2 and did a pretty good job overall but due to circumstances beyond their control (PR TD, turnovers.. especially a KR turnover), they wound up looking worse than they were.
Today, I thought they did a really good job of keeping us above water until the O capitalized and punched it in a couple times. They forced 3 turnovers, they kept Houston off the board, they didn't allow them to stay on the field long or really improve their field position.
Yes, they gave up yardage later in the game.. notably on crosses over the middle... but at that point, I think they're just trying to keep Houston from getting any quick points. It's hard to keep teams quiet all game.
By the way.. the Drew Stanton led Cardinals beat the 49ers. And the 49er defense gave up more points to that same offense than we did.
Those yards were not "garbage yards." The Texans moved the ball well throughout the second half and cut the lead to 1 touchdown in the 3rd. I agree with AnotherGiantsFan that arc really used a strange day to call out Perry Fewell's critics. The defense played well today but this was not a remarkable performance.
That being said, I was pleased with their game. They got the job done and tightened up nicely when the Texans were threatening to make it a game again. Additionally, they continued to bail out the offense and special teams early on, keeping us in the game and in a position to play with the lead (which in turn, allowed us to stick with a very successful running game).
I'm not sure why so many of you are trying to draw conclusions about the inconsistent, but sometimes successful defense of a 1-2 football team following an above average, though certainly not spectacular performance. The story today is the offensive line and the running game. The defense gave me reason for confidence but not assuredness.
Those yards were not "garbage yards." The Texans moved the ball well throughout the second half and cut the lead to 1 touchdown in the 3rd. I agree with AnotherGiantsFan that arc really used a strange day to call out Perry Fewell's critics. The defense played well today but this was not a remarkable performance.
That being said, I was pleased with their game. They got the job done and tightened up nicely when the Texans were threatening to make it a game again. Additionally, they continued to bail out the offense and special teams early on, keeping us in the game and in a position to play with the lead (which in turn, allowed us to stick with a very successful running game).
I'm not sure why so many of you are trying to draw conclusions about the inconsistent, but sometimes successful defense of a 1-2 football team following an above average, though certainly not spectacular performance. The story today is the offensive line and the running game. The defense gave me reason for confidence but not assuredness.
We gave up 10 points until a few minutes to go in the game..The 4th qtr yardage was of the garbage variety, imo.Tomorrow, I'll watch the coaches tape on NFL Rewind and get a second and closer look at our D..
Yes they can be and will
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I didn't like what the D did last week and I really like what they did this week. Why can't I hold both those opinions?
You can.. never said that wasn't ok. All I will say is that I think they've been better every week. Which is what you want to see. I thought they struggled against Detroit and were not nearly good enough in Week 1.. I thought they were better at getting to the QB in Week 2 and did a pretty good job overall but due to circumstances beyond their control (PR TD, turnovers.. especially a KR turnover), they wound up looking worse than they were.
Today, I thought they did a really good job of keeping us above water until the O capitalized and punched it in a couple times. They forced 3 turnovers, they kept Houston off the board, they didn't allow them to stay on the field long or really improve their field position.
Yes, they gave up yardage later in the game.. notably on crosses over the middle... but at that point, I think they're just trying to keep Houston from getting any quick points. It's hard to keep teams quiet all game.
By the way.. the Drew Stanton led Cardinals beat the 49ers. And the 49er defense gave up more points to that same offense than we did.
I would agree with that.
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The only reason people are discounting the second half poor play of the defense is because of the win. The defense played a phenomenal first half and a typical fewell defense in the second half. The explosive plays in the second half can never be discarded as "garbage yards".
Yes they can be and will
By whom? You think game grades and self scouting will be based on the first half only?
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The only reason people are discounting the second half poor play of the defense is because of the win. The defense played a phenomenal first half and a typical fewell defense in the second half. The explosive plays in the second half can never be discarded as "garbage yards".
Yes they can be and will
Explosive plays in garbage time would still be a problem and should be. They didn't play a full game
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In comment 11874820 Patrick77 said:
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The only reason people are discounting the second half poor play of the defense is because of the win. The defense played a phenomenal first half and a typical fewell defense in the second half. The explosive plays in the second half can never be discarded as "garbage yards".
Yes they can be and will
Explosive plays in garbage time would still be a problem and should be. They didn't play a full game
Who does in today's NFL, save for possibly Seattle?
Those yards were not "garbage yards." The Texans moved the ball well throughout the second half and cut the lead to 1 touchdown in the 3rd. I agree with AnotherGiantsFan that arc really used a strange day to call out Perry Fewell's critics. The defense played well today but this was not a remarkable performance.
That being said, I was pleased with their game. They got the job done and tightened up nicely when the Texans were threatening to make it a game again. Additionally, they continued to bail out the offense and special teams early on, keeping us in the game and in a position to play with the lead (which in turn, allowed us to stick with a very successful running game).
I'm not sure why so many of you are trying to draw conclusions about the inconsistent, but sometimes successful defense of a 1-2 football team following an above average, though certainly not spectacular performance. The story today is the offensive line and the running game. The defense gave me reason for confidence but not assuredness.
So you were telling all the people who said this past week that it was the "same old shit all these years" and to fire the DC that it was just a couple games and to stop drawing conclusions from a couple games?
That's kind of all my point is here. There are a lot of games left. Not once did I say the defense was elite or spectacular or awesome. I just know that most of the complaints this past week were centered around them not being able to get off the field on 3rd downs and not having forced any turnovers. Well, they did quite well in both those regards this week.
For the last time, when you're up 30-10 with a few minutes to go, the other team is in garbage mode
So we had two non-productive(lousy if you will) defensive performances on drives against us when they were down 17-0..That is pretty damn good..
Right before the snap on the play where LD fumbled inside our 10, I said to my friend "just please don't turn it over".. and there it was. I almost lost it then and there.
Thankfully that was the only one.
But really, turnovers are such a huge deal in football. Win the T/O battle and you've always got a good chance to win. As long as we can stop giving it away, we'll be in most games.
High maintenance !
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The combo of not turning the ball over and forcing a few turnovers ourselves was a welcome site, that's for sure.
Right before the snap on the play where LD fumbled inside our 10, I said to my friend "just please don't turn it over".. and there it was. I almost lost it then and there.
Thankfully that was the only one.
But really, turnovers are such a huge deal in football. Win the T/O battle and you've always got a good chance to win. As long as we can stop giving it away, we'll be in most games.
Oh man, completely forgot about that actually. I was at the game, just got home because I had to go somewhere else afterwards, so it's been a long day. But hey, 1 TO is better than what we've been used to recently.
Hah, well if you mean me by your last sentence.. fair enough. But I've never called our defense amazing or gone crazy in overrating them. I've just been super frustrated by the offense and special teams over the last year and a half or so to the point where I felt like it was impossible to win football games giving the ball away, not scoring points and making so many mistakes the way we were.
Lost in all this is that Eli these last 2 games has been really, really encouraging. To me, it's the best he's looked in some time. And the OL has really done a much better job than I expected. Maybe that unit isn't quite as bad as we thought. We'll see.
But we gave up over 300 yards, 16 first downs, 17 points in second half.
This is a typical BBI thing. We lose, everything sucks. We win, everything is great.
you can give up not 3, not 4, not 4, but 6 turnovers and win.I've seen this team do that. I've seen this team give up 7 sacks and win.pass for less than 160 yds and win. Rush for less than 50 and win.
You can pick your whatever, say you can't do it, and the fact is you can, and win anyway. As long as you find a way to win, that's all that matters, and that's what good teams do, win games they play like shit in, win games they have no business winning.
Like I said, I Don't like Fewell, at all. I also give the man his due. he came out with a good gameplan, used his assets and his defense held while we were bumbling in the first half. I also said, in the game thread the crisis of the game was early in the second half, and that after they went for it on 4th down and didn't make it they were done, over, their back was broken.I said they would make it interesting anyway but it fon't matter. Texans had 23 yds passing in the first half. we weren't gonna keeep fitx and co quiet all day. that we didnb't doesn't really matter, because they were toast after they failed on 4th down. The giants had imposed their will ont hem in every facet of the game, and they didn't need to kill themselves to put up good numbers after that. they took thier win and went home. That's how I saw it and said so at the time.
We played the pants off Arizona but lost; the world was ending.Meanwhile an astute eye could see that Manning had the offense down, and was just a matter of time before the rest of the team did.
In the end, your right, we win everything is fine, we lose and this place goes batshit.Fact is the Ws and Loses are all that really matter.
Are people reading this?
Drew Stanton couldn't beat a good team or a good defense. Right? I forgot who did he play today?
Also Fewell is a known idiot who has never led us to anything of note. Also did you forget that his defense is 'not aggressive' according to BBI?
Class dismissed.
Patrick? What part of giving up 153 yards in the final 6 minutes(garbage yards) while ahead 30-10 are you not understanding?
Is anyone reading this?
....
Lol
No, your stance is utter BS and stubborness..We gave up approximately 250 yards on D when it mattered amd 153 meaningless yards when it didn't(in the last 6 minutes, while leading 30-10)
I'm done with this
But people pick and choose.. how many yards did Arizona gain last week. Like 290 total? Stanton threw for 167 and people were still saying we couldn't stop him.
To me, it's about expectations. Is Houston's offense a juggernaut? No.. and without Foster they're really not. But I'm not going to sit here and say "oh they didn't have Foster, it was meaningless" because we're already down 2 of our 3 starting LB's... one of those is Beason who is the most important dude on that side of the ball save for Rolle or JPP (who has looked way better lately... I wonder if that has anything to do with the defense picking up) and we've lost our slot CB for the year.
We're not exactly playing with a full deck.. and that's ok. But I didn't expect the personnel we put out there today to pitch a shutout or dominate. They did as well as I could reasonably expect.
Did people expect the Texans to keep doing what wasn't working?
It's as if this was the first football game some of you have watched.
You know when the game was over?
When the Texans went for it on 4th and 1 in their own territory and didn't make it.
If they do, I have hard time saying they played "awesome" throughout the game.
Again...great in first half. But they didn't play great football in the second half. They didn't just have garbage-time yards. This game got far to close at the end of the third quarter.
And the Giants responded with adjustments of their own.
That's what you'd expect to happen.
The played a great first half, got beat for 2 drives in the 3rd quarter, and then shut them down until the game was well out of reach.
I'm way more worried about specials at this point than the way the defense played.
They had a lapse to bring it to 17-10 and that's it..Seattle had a lapse from up 17-3 over Broncos to allow Denver to tie it at the end..
ALL teams have lapses during a game as did the Giants, but overall the D played well today..But AGAIN, that's besides the original point that 150 of the 400+ yards were amassed during GARBAGE TIME..I cannot be any clearer than that
The explosive plays should frighten people. Fewells defense is supposed to stop those, especially when the defensive line is living in the texans backfield.
The first half was amazing. The second half wasn't. It shouldn't be a crazy concept for so many on here. This defense can be good. But the only good and healthy offense they have played thus far was the lions.
I care what they did when we were up 17-0 in the third quarter and let Houston get back in the game.
We won the game. Overall, the defense played well. But they did not play well in the third quarter and they let Houston back into the contest. Two plays and they gained 90 yards and a TD.
If they do, I have hard time saying they played "awesome" throughout the game.
Again...great in first half. But they didn't play great football in the second half. They didn't just have garbage-time yards. This game got far to close at the end of the third quarter.
But who are you quoting when you are refuting that they played "awesome" throughout the game?
I didn't say that in the OP.
My focus was on them blanking the Texans on their first 10 or so 3rd down attempts and the fact that they picked off 3 passes... 2 of which were a pretty big deal. A lot of the complaints about the defense were that they couldn't get off the field on 3rd downs. They did about as well as could possibly be expected in that regard.
Never did I claim the Giants were dominant or spectacular. I just feel like a lot of times, people don't pay enough attention to the rest of the league. A lot of people here wax poetic about the 49er defense.. they gave up 338 yards today to the same Cards team we played last week and lost.
3rd down defense was much better and turnovers (see my game preview regarding these points ... first two questions for the game)
The explosive plays should frighten people. Fewells defense is supposed to stop those, especially when the defensive line is living in the texans backfield.
The first half was amazing. The second half wasn't. It shouldn't be a crazy concept for so many on here. This defense can be good. But the only good and healthy offense they have played thus far was the lions.
Ideally every defense is supposed to stop big plays... but they still happen in pretty much every NFL game at one point or another. We had the big one to Cruz, they had a couple of their own. If we look around the league, we'll see that most of the games involve a couple of big plays. It just happens. Even to the Seahawks.
3rd down defense was much better and turnovers (see my game preview regarding these points ... first two questions for the game)
Yes, that's really all I'm saying.
We can be better. I'd like to be better. I didn't think this was a stifling, dominant performance. But I thought they did quite well. Perfect? Nah. But very good for the most part.
I care what they did when we were up 17-0 in the third quarter and let Houston get back in the game.
We won the game. Overall, the defense played well. But they did not play well in the third quarter and they let Houston back into the contest. Two plays and they gained 90 yards and a TD.
Not disagreeing with that. We both agree they played well overall..Yes they had that lousy period you alluded to. But I was not addressing that in the earlier moments of the thread. I was just addressing the garbage yards that padded Fitz' stats when it was stated/implied that the D gave up 411 yards, how is that playing well? I simply tried to respond to that with perspective..Nothing to do with your "90" point which I can't disagree with
We went again with bush league play calling to skill the clock. The defense this time had a lapse and scored. That was the most bothersome.
Defense, if anything, needs to wrap up when 1 on 1 with the QB, who is moving around the pocket. Stafford and Stanton would throw and make plays. Fitz just keep taking off with the ball. You get good pressure, you need to convert them into sacks.
Arc,
It's kind of comical watching them go full speed, and the QB move out of the way. Fitz did it today and Stafford got Moore big time. This shit happens on blitzes too... when they actually get home. Out guys come in full speed, the QB moves out of the way and that's the end of that.
I am not sure what it is. It happens religiously though. They happen on blitzes to front 4 pressure. I agree I hate that more than anything. It's a broken play and if the QB moves around, scramble rules apply for the WRs. So now the WRs break their routes and head to their landmarks.
You get a Romo or someone with a good X WR, and they may hand signal to go deep. When that shit happens, I don't trust our secondary. Someone is going to get burned. And they will do it in an epic fashion. A safety may take out a CB, which was a new one OR.. Miscommunication where the WR is wide open, and the CB and safety look at each other as if to say, I played my assignment. I am not wrong.
Wait til we play Romo 2X, Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan, Luck, and Colin K. If we do that shit those guys will step up and hit their good WRs, or take off and run. We, as it is, suck on 3rd downs in general. So add not bringing the QB down and we will be in trouble. So that's why it's alarming to see us bring heat but come up with nothing.
1) The offense made further strides today, this time over-coming negative plays
2) The defense played great in the 1st half but needs to play a complete game
3) Detroit and Arizona are actually pretty good which may change some perspective around here
We're 1-2 and the offensive line has shown improvement. Now let's see what happens w/ Washington....
My own definition of a great defensive performance is no more than one quality offensive drive against us per half, and I discount late drives when leading by more than two scores as not exactly garbage time (that is only when you start resting your starters), but as time where yards are yielded to keep the clock moving. I also discount drives where there was a single glaring mistake the other team took advantage of. For example, the first SF touchdown in the 2012 NFCC game - Vernon Davis made an outstanding play to his credit. But I consider that to be a fluke play - one where the Giants got beat on the play but overall the defense isn't playing poorly.
Keeping an opponent to no quality drives over an entire half, with today's rules, is amazing defense.
So, considering that, how did the Giants D do today?
In the first half - they were amazing. Here's what we saw:
Possession - 1st downs - offensive snaps (not including special teams) - yards - outcome
1 - 1 - 4 - 20 - punt (punt was a fake converting to a fresh set of downs. That first down was on the ST unit, not the defense)
2 - 0 - 3 - 14 - int
3 - 0 - 3 - 9 - punt
4 - 1 - 4 - 19 - punt
5 - 0 - 3 - 0 - punt
6 - 0 - 3 - -4 - int
7 - 1 - 5 - 15 - punt
The first half was about as amazing a defensive performance as one could hope to see in today's NFL. 7 drives - 0 points, longest drive 20 yds, total first downs 3. The defense was amazing.
Second half drives, same format:
1 - 1 - 5 - 19 - turnover on downs
2 - 5 - 9 - 66 - FG
3 - 1 - 4 - 93 - TD
4 - 0 - 3 - 9 - punt
5 - 0 - 1 - 0 - int
6 - 3 - 9 - 69 - TD
7 - 3 - 7 - 72 - Time
The second half looks bad - if you choose to look at it that way. Only three drives stopped and no turnovers on 6 possessions. 3/7 drives had 7 or more plays, and 4/7 had 66 or more yards given up. Most importantly, 17 points scored. No way to dispute these facts, and if every half went this way we'd be surrendering 34 points a game and pressuring our offense to keep up with that pace. Not good.
Guys who look at the glass half-full (as I tend to do) see it differently.
First of all, drive 7 was clearly garbage time. Down by 13 with 1:37 on the clock - the defense's mission changed entirely. You don't mind giving up chunks of yardage as time is the enemy here. Also, 31 of the 72 yards came on the last play of the game - with 13 seconds on the clock and down by 13 points.
Drive 2 was really the most impressive drive the Texans had against our defense, imo, even though the team was held to a field goal. Giving up 5 first downs on the drive is NOT good defense. Yes, the team was up by 17 points but the game was far from over, with 25 minutes left when the drive started. Sometimes you have to give the other team credit - they had a good drive even if we stopped them from scoring a TD.
Drive 3 was one of those drives I discount a little because it was the result of two big plays. Again, credit the Texans for making the plays. Based on how I judge drives while the outcome was terrible they didn't just repeatedly move the ball at will. Instead, they made two good plays. Again, those things happen even to good defenses. We have to hope they don't happen often against really good teams.
So anyway, those ten points were earned by the Texans and they deserve to feel good about them and the Giants defense should feel bad about giving them up. The Giants will want to watch tape and they clearly still have things they need to work on.
The first and fourth drives went very well for the defense, especially considering what was at stake. On the first drive, to force the punt immediately after the half was great. Shutting the drive down quickly gave the Giants back the ball so they could build on their lead.
The fourth drive of the second half was the most critical drive for the Giants of the game, and they came up big. Are you kidding me? Not just a stop, but a three and out? This at a time when they had just narrowed the game to 7 points? It was huge. A scoring drive here would have resulted in the momentum swinging so far that even Giants players might have thought "here we go again". To stop them at this point was big.
The fifth drive was not much of a drive - a single snap and a great turnover for the Giants. Just as I discount somewhat the big plays for the offense I also discount somewhat the big plays for the defense - this drive wasn't about the defense imposing its will, but just the same, give credit to the defense for making a big play.
The sixth drive is what it is - something for fans to debate. Hard to dispute these facts though: there was a 20 point lead with 5:33 on the clock and the defense had a different mission at that point. No quick scoring drives (this one took 3:33 - giving the Giants possession at the two-minute warning). One big play for 49 yards that was superbly defended and the receiver just made a big-time catch. The other 8 plays yielded a total of 20 yards and 11 yards on a very questionable call in the end zone.
The OP had no problem listing our defenses injuries, but didn't say anything about probably the most important offensive player being out for the game....
Don't worry. Beckham will be back soon.
This x1000000. I can understand getting burnt by guys like Kaep and Wilson and can understand them avoiding sacks against our defense. But seeing guys like Stanton and Fitzpatrick somehow evade multiple sacks throughout the course of the game is so damn annoying. Won't complain about guys that I mentioned above being able to do that, but the QBs we faced the past two weeks shouldn't be that tough to bring down. Hopefully, they can work on that and at least improve.
I think the defense looks OK right now, and I believe they will continue to improve if Beason gets to 100% and there are no more major injuries. The big worry is depth: the linebackers and secondary are already paper-thin, with three grueling months to go in the regular season. If attrition continues at anything like the rate so far, the Giants will be signing LBs and DBs off the street by November. What do we really have in reserve at this point? Jayron Hosley? Bennett Jackson? Dan Fox?