It was interesting both Reese and Tom Coughlin stressed the need for this team to “play above the Xs and Os,” meaning simply carrying out individual assignments is not going to get it done.
Who on this roster can rise above? Coughlin said, “You look around the league and you see teams that are playing superbly that maybe hadn’t been playing superbly.”
Translation: You do not have to be what your current record says you are. But this might be what the Giants are.
showdown with the Cowboys in 2011, I typed too fast..The 2011 Giants were not mediocre..Sorry that they got hot at the end instead of playing consistently throughout..Not many teams do save for the Patriots of this millenium..Seattle's consistency is of very recent vintage as is the Niners' success..
Again, they were 13-7 for 2011 or .650..Far from mediocre or average or pedestrian..
Not sure why it's important to pick out flaws for a team that won it all..
An aside: As for this year, I don't know if they are mediocre or not..They may prove to be after 9 more games..All I know is that the OL cannot play as they did against Philly. That was atrocious..And embarrassing..Schwartz coming back should help, but he's rusty..As I previously said, Jennings injury has been a killer. Cruz is obvious..OBD is just getting started..We went from a strong Secondary to paper thin..Reese did his job in FA. That Schwartz has been out the whole season, that a valuable player like Thurmond has been lost for the season, that DRC has been extremely hampered by injury and Jennings' injury are not his fault..We had talent coming in, enough to compete with...McAdoo is learning on the fly. Eli's been terrific imo..
I disagree with many here who cite talent as our problem Maybe now, being thin and all, but coming in we were(and still might be) competitive..
RE: Of course the Giants won the division in their Â
Not sure why it's important to pick out flaws for a team that won it all..
It's less valid than touting the virtues of a team that didn't even make the play-offs?
It's a nuanced conversation, I'll grant. A question of whether or not that hot streak and HUGE result masked, by one year, a downward trend into averageness.
You seem to feel like simply acknowledging that wasn't a great Giants team is somehow intended to denigrate the SB. It is not and does not. As I said above, in many ways, it makes it more incredible.
But that was then. Looking at what has happened since, it shows what a thin line the Giants have been walking for more than just two seasons now. And that's relevant to a present day discussion. The drop off from '11 SB Winner to where we are currently isn't as dramatic as it seems if you only look at the headlines.
But it is that very '11 circumstance that gives me whatever remaining hope I have left this season. Because, hey. Just about anything is possible.
But it looks bad now. Again. So at this point, discussing the future seems more appropriate than continually talking about the past, especially when the conversation doesn't want to go deeper than 'WE WON!!! END OF!!!!'
RE: Why is it most every team in this league has injuries Â
and somehow at most times stays it course. The same mantra for a few seasons here has been injuries and it derails this team. Is it injuries or talent or a combo of everything coaching, injuries, talent, etc.
its just been too consistent lately.
Because most teams have depth the Giants simply lack. Too many missed draft choices leave too many holes (including quality back-ups) to fill adequately, hence the mediocre quality of play.
Its not the end of the world, after all you could be a Cubs fan (last WS win:1427 BC) The Giants have been through down cycles before (1964-1980)(1992-1999).
However, it begs the question(in my mind anyway), going into this season, were you disatisfied with the state of the rebuilt OL moving forward? Perhaps you were, I don't recall..I was optimistic(Not in a Kool-aid way) about it's potential with Schwartz, Pugh and Richburg, all young..I thought Beatty would rebound. Still I knew it would take time..Shaun O'Hara and Diehl both felt because of line calls, playing off one another, etc., they were meshing better than expected(obviously Philly was a shitshow)..
Were you unsatisfied with our Secondary re-build? I sure was. Excited in fact..The Linebackers? I wasn't sure one way or the other..
Hankins is a load and JPP seems to be coming along quite nicely(I didn't think he would), Bromley is still to be heard from, but as with LinJo and then Hankins as rookies, I guess we're not to expect all that much from him, at least to date..Love Moore's upside..Kiwi? Meh..Another draft should hopefully fortify there..
Williams at RB looks like the goods, once he learns to block as Jacobs, then Bradshaw did..Jennings has(had) been everything I had hoped for..So now, we're meh at the position..
So we have talent. I expected Eli to rebound with a solid core of WRs in Cruz, OBD(from all that had been reported) and yes, even Randle..TE has been a nice surprise for many..
So yes, I felt we were looking relly good coming into the season albeit I thought and sId it would take time..
Should read I WAS satisfied with the secondary rebuild Â
I find it very difficult to believe that there is another coach out there who could do a better job with this group. I am fairly certain that another coach would do much worse.
Coaches can only work with the roster they are given. No one could honestly say that the Giants are a loaded team right now. Granted, there are no great teams in the NFL, but within our own division I think there is a bit of a talent gap. Particularly on offense where the Eagles and Cowboys (outside of QB) have noticeably more talent.
The Giants won the super bowl in '11 with a team that was basically in decline. The '10 Giants were a better squad overall that pissed away the year with an insane number of turnovers and a historic collapse at home. In '11 the Giants peaked at the right time and won a title due to one of the greatest quarterbacking performances of all time. I loved every minute of it but I do not think anyone can truthfully argue that the 2011 Giants were loaded with talent. They had the best QB play in the NFL and an awesome receiving corps. But they did play "over their heads" and a lot of that has to do with coaching. TC does not get enough credit for that.
Late 2012 and the shit show that was 2013 finished the collapse and now the team is rebuilding. Luckily this can happen quickly in the NFL when you have a franchise QB.
In addition Coughlin has many other accomplishments on his resume. Some quick ones are the 11 consecutive road games in 2007 capped off by the ultimate road win in frozen conditions in the NFC title game. Coughlin gets way too little credit for that aspect of the run and I doubt we ever see a road performance streak like that again.
Even last season, which was by far the worst of his tenure, the Giants did not implode and even came one defensive stop away from getting back in the division race. Compare that to the Jets this year who are spiraling out of control and on their way to a brutal season. Heck, the Giants lost only two more games last year than they did during the '11 championship season.
Coughlin is a great coach and there is no reason to believe anyone could do a better job with this group. Sadly, his problem is his age. If the Giants tank this year and decide to go even further into a rebuild. I am sure ownership will ask themselves if he has enough years left to be the guy to lead it.
You were optimist coming to the season. Specifically offense, I didn't think we had enough talent.
OL was me. FA OG didn't know about. Pugh was promising. Rookie is a rookie so not sure what to expect. Snee coming back from injury, but wasn't expecting much. The question was, can he play? If yes, What was the quality of play? Beatty I wasn't a fan of.
I expected the system to help Eli.
WRs, Cruz is in a new system, so you take the success out of it and see how can he do in a system like this. Sure, I liked the potential to get the ball in his hands early so he can run, but still new system. OBJ was a rookie and a hurt one so I didn't expect anything. JJ got hurt but I thought he could do some stuff regarding catching hitched and slants. RR is an inconsistent WR in the old system. So to be fair like we did with Cruz, clean slate. However, not sure how he would do in the WCO offense. It's not like he gets YAC or has elite speed. Inconsistent WR who does flash. So he and Cruz are question marks, but in regards to the two guys in a fresh new system, I'd give the edge to Cruz because he did prove something while RR was inconsistent.
TE.. I didn't expect anything. I still think we could utilize TE more than we have been especially since now Cruz is out for the season.
RB. I liked what Jennings has brought to the table. Very sad to see Wilson retire. I was looking forward in seeing him in this new system specifically the passing game. The other RBs seem to be the same style of play. I wish we had a speed guy who can be change of pace and come out of the backfield and make some plays.
So overall, I didn't think too much of the offensive talent. I did like the system change, and thought Eli could do well in a system like this, if the OL wasn't a shit show. Getting rid of the ball quickly is something I knew would benefit him.
RE: Should read I WAS satisfied with the secondary rebuild Â
I was, too. I really thought that would be a strength. Some bad breaks there.
The OL I wasn't optimistic about. And for a few games, I was blown away (I think we all were) by how good they looked. And then, regression, injury, what have you.
In any case, the point remains, there are valid reasons to question some pretty ugly aspects of the last half decade or so, even with the '11 win. The blowouts, shutouts, late season collapses, numerous times when the Giants didn't look like they belonged on the field with their opposition. Are these signs of overall organizational health?
And damning other teams for their consistency just strikes me as odd. Putting yourself in the position to win, consistently, is no bad thing.
However, it begs the question(in my mind anyway), going into this season, were you disatisfied with the state of the rebuilt OL moving forward? Perhaps you were, I don't recall..I was optimistic(Not in a Kool-aid way) about it's potential with Schwartz, Pugh and Richburg, all young..I thought Beatty would rebound. Still I knew it would take time..Shaun O'Hara and Diehl both felt because of line calls, playing off one another, etc., they were meshing better than expected(obviously Philly was a shitshow)..
Were you unsatisfied with our Secondary re-build? I sure was. Excited in fact..The Linebackers? I wasn't sure one way or the other..
Hankins is a load and JPP seems to be coming along quite nicely(I didn't think he would), Bromley is still to be heard from, but as with LinJo and then Hankins as rookies, I guess we're not to expect all that much from him, at least to date..Love Moore's upside..Kiwi? Meh..Another draft should hopefully fortify there..
Williams at RB looks like the goods, once he learns to block as Jacobs, then Bradshaw did..Jennings has(had) been everything I had hoped for..So now, we're meh at the position..
So we have talent. I expected Eli to rebound with a solid core of WRs in Cruz, OBD(from all that had been reported) and yes, even Randle..TE has been a nice surprise for many..
So yes, I felt we were looking relly good coming into the season albeit I thought and sId it would take time..
All I got from that is that you're pretty much wrong about everything.
The more I think about next year the more I think Â
Jenkins and Rolle are past their primes and I'm not so sure they'll be re-signed.
Beason has bad wheels and can't be counted on. I think he'll go to camp healed but will he hold up?
We clearly need a safety or two so we need to address that in UFAgency.
We need J. Bromley to be the goods and produce year #2. He needs a solid off-season in the weight room but he strikes me as a guy that wants it bad so I think he'll work out and hopefully be a solid player.
LB Kennard must be the goods as well and be able to help us blitz. We haven't had solid blitzing linebackers of late and a guy with his size and quickness could really elevate us. He is smart.
So, the bottom line is we need to stay healthy, draft well again, sign solid UFA's (Safety, DT, DE) and hope it all works out.
Otherwise, this defense could be pretty bad again next year. Losing Will Hill to pot; losing W. Thurmond to a torn pectoral; and losing dime back McBride really hurt us this year as we were deep at DB but no longer.
If we go 5-4 and finish 8-8 I'd be happy given our schedule and injuries. If we somehow surprise the Colts on Monday night at home I'll surely jump for JOY!
BTW, some people have pointed to our injury misfortunes, but we've been lucky in terms of who we've played - the Texans were missing one of their two best offensive players, the Cards were missing a plethora of defenders and their starting QB, the Falcons were basically missing their entire OL, and the Cowboys lost their best defensive player before the year even started.
On October 8, 2012, the NFL 1. suspended Hill for using Adderall.
Hill was 2. suspended a second time for the first four games of the 2013 season for violating the NFL's policy on substances of abuse. His ban ended on September 30.
On December 21, 2013, Hill was 3. arrested in New Jersey on a warrant for outstanding child support payments. Despite the arrest, Hill still played that Sunday against the Detroit Lions.
On May 30, 2014, Hill was 4. suspended for the first six games of the 2014 season for violations of the league's substance abuse policy.
On June 2, 2014, Hill was waived by the Giants.
Just how much further do you want to go in terms of a Hill like inability to learn? (There's probably an old/new tricks idea here, but...)
BTW, some people have pointed to our injury misfortunes, but we've been lucky in terms of who we've played - the Texans were missing one of their two best offensive players, the Cards were missing a plethora of defenders and their starting QB, the Falcons were basically missing their entire OL, and the Cowboys lost their best defensive player before the year even started.
Sure, every team has injuries. I felt "sick" when we lost to AZ because that was clearly a game we could have won. Turnovers - #1 killer in the NFL and it is the reason we lost along with terrible specials.
Again, they were 13-7 for 2011 or .650..Far from mediocre or average or pedestrian..
Not sure why it's important to pick out flaws for a team that won it all..
An aside: As for this year, I don't know if they are mediocre or not..They may prove to be after 9 more games..All I know is that the OL cannot play as they did against Philly. That was atrocious..And embarrassing..Schwartz coming back should help, but he's rusty..As I previously said, Jennings injury has been a killer. Cruz is obvious..OBD is just getting started..We went from a strong Secondary to paper thin..Reese did his job in FA. That Schwartz has been out the whole season, that a valuable player like Thurmond has been lost for the season, that DRC has been extremely hampered by injury and Jennings' injury are not his fault..We had talent coming in, enough to compete with...McAdoo is learning on the fly. Eli's been terrific imo..
I disagree with many here who cite talent as our problem Maybe now, being thin and all, but coming in we were(and still might be) competitive..
Not sure why it's important to pick out flaws for a team that won it all..
It's less valid than touting the virtues of a team that didn't even make the play-offs?
It's a nuanced conversation, I'll grant. A question of whether or not that hot streak and HUGE result masked, by one year, a downward trend into averageness.
You seem to feel like simply acknowledging that wasn't a great Giants team is somehow intended to denigrate the SB. It is not and does not. As I said above, in many ways, it makes it more incredible.
But that was then. Looking at what has happened since, it shows what a thin line the Giants have been walking for more than just two seasons now. And that's relevant to a present day discussion. The drop off from '11 SB Winner to where we are currently isn't as dramatic as it seems if you only look at the headlines.
But it is that very '11 circumstance that gives me whatever remaining hope I have left this season. Because, hey. Just about anything is possible.
But it looks bad now. Again. So at this point, discussing the future seems more appropriate than continually talking about the past, especially when the conversation doesn't want to go deeper than 'WE WON!!! END OF!!!!'
its just been too consistent lately.
Because most teams have depth the Giants simply lack. Too many missed draft choices leave too many holes (including quality back-ups) to fill adequately, hence the mediocre quality of play.
Its not the end of the world, after all you could be a Cubs fan (last WS win:1427 BC) The Giants have been through down cycles before (1964-1980)(1992-1999).
Were you unsatisfied with our Secondary re-build? I sure was. Excited in fact..The Linebackers? I wasn't sure one way or the other..
Hankins is a load and JPP seems to be coming along quite nicely(I didn't think he would), Bromley is still to be heard from, but as with LinJo and then Hankins as rookies, I guess we're not to expect all that much from him, at least to date..Love Moore's upside..Kiwi? Meh..Another draft should hopefully fortify there..
Williams at RB looks like the goods, once he learns to block as Jacobs, then Bradshaw did..Jennings has(had) been everything I had hoped for..So now, we're meh at the position..
So we have talent. I expected Eli to rebound with a solid core of WRs in Cruz, OBD(from all that had been reported) and yes, even Randle..TE has been a nice surprise for many..
So yes, I felt we were looking relly good coming into the season albeit I thought and sId it would take time..
Coaches can only work with the roster they are given. No one could honestly say that the Giants are a loaded team right now. Granted, there are no great teams in the NFL, but within our own division I think there is a bit of a talent gap. Particularly on offense where the Eagles and Cowboys (outside of QB) have noticeably more talent.
The Giants won the super bowl in '11 with a team that was basically in decline. The '10 Giants were a better squad overall that pissed away the year with an insane number of turnovers and a historic collapse at home. In '11 the Giants peaked at the right time and won a title due to one of the greatest quarterbacking performances of all time. I loved every minute of it but I do not think anyone can truthfully argue that the 2011 Giants were loaded with talent. They had the best QB play in the NFL and an awesome receiving corps. But they did play "over their heads" and a lot of that has to do with coaching. TC does not get enough credit for that.
Late 2012 and the shit show that was 2013 finished the collapse and now the team is rebuilding. Luckily this can happen quickly in the NFL when you have a franchise QB.
In addition Coughlin has many other accomplishments on his resume. Some quick ones are the 11 consecutive road games in 2007 capped off by the ultimate road win in frozen conditions in the NFC title game. Coughlin gets way too little credit for that aspect of the run and I doubt we ever see a road performance streak like that again.
Even last season, which was by far the worst of his tenure, the Giants did not implode and even came one defensive stop away from getting back in the division race. Compare that to the Jets this year who are spiraling out of control and on their way to a brutal season. Heck, the Giants lost only two more games last year than they did during the '11 championship season.
Coughlin is a great coach and there is no reason to believe anyone could do a better job with this group. Sadly, his problem is his age. If the Giants tank this year and decide to go even further into a rebuild. I am sure ownership will ask themselves if he has enough years left to be the guy to lead it.
Bravo
OL was me. FA OG didn't know about. Pugh was promising. Rookie is a rookie so not sure what to expect. Snee coming back from injury, but wasn't expecting much. The question was, can he play? If yes, What was the quality of play? Beatty I wasn't a fan of.
I expected the system to help Eli.
WRs, Cruz is in a new system, so you take the success out of it and see how can he do in a system like this. Sure, I liked the potential to get the ball in his hands early so he can run, but still new system. OBJ was a rookie and a hurt one so I didn't expect anything. JJ got hurt but I thought he could do some stuff regarding catching hitched and slants. RR is an inconsistent WR in the old system. So to be fair like we did with Cruz, clean slate. However, not sure how he would do in the WCO offense. It's not like he gets YAC or has elite speed. Inconsistent WR who does flash. So he and Cruz are question marks, but in regards to the two guys in a fresh new system, I'd give the edge to Cruz because he did prove something while RR was inconsistent.
TE.. I didn't expect anything. I still think we could utilize TE more than we have been especially since now Cruz is out for the season.
RB. I liked what Jennings has brought to the table. Very sad to see Wilson retire. I was looking forward in seeing him in this new system specifically the passing game. The other RBs seem to be the same style of play. I wish we had a speed guy who can be change of pace and come out of the backfield and make some plays.
So overall, I didn't think too much of the offensive talent. I did like the system change, and thought Eli could do well in a system like this, if the OL wasn't a shit show. Getting rid of the ball quickly is something I knew would benefit him.
I was, too. I really thought that would be a strength. Some bad breaks there.
The OL I wasn't optimistic about. And for a few games, I was blown away (I think we all were) by how good they looked. And then, regression, injury, what have you.
In any case, the point remains, there are valid reasons to question some pretty ugly aspects of the last half decade or so, even with the '11 win. The blowouts, shutouts, late season collapses, numerous times when the Giants didn't look like they belonged on the field with their opposition. Are these signs of overall organizational health?
And damning other teams for their consistency just strikes me as odd. Putting yourself in the position to win, consistently, is no bad thing.
Were you unsatisfied with our Secondary re-build? I sure was. Excited in fact..The Linebackers? I wasn't sure one way or the other..
Hankins is a load and JPP seems to be coming along quite nicely(I didn't think he would), Bromley is still to be heard from, but as with LinJo and then Hankins as rookies, I guess we're not to expect all that much from him, at least to date..Love Moore's upside..Kiwi? Meh..Another draft should hopefully fortify there..
Williams at RB looks like the goods, once he learns to block as Jacobs, then Bradshaw did..Jennings has(had) been everything I had hoped for..So now, we're meh at the position..
So we have talent. I expected Eli to rebound with a solid core of WRs in Cruz, OBD(from all that had been reported) and yes, even Randle..TE has been a nice surprise for many..
So yes, I felt we were looking relly good coming into the season albeit I thought and sId it would take time..
All I got from that is that you're pretty much wrong about everything.
Jenkins and Rolle are past their primes and I'm not so sure they'll be re-signed.
Beason has bad wheels and can't be counted on. I think he'll go to camp healed but will he hold up?
We clearly need a safety or two so we need to address that in UFAgency.
We need J. Bromley to be the goods and produce year #2. He needs a solid off-season in the weight room but he strikes me as a guy that wants it bad so I think he'll work out and hopefully be a solid player.
LB Kennard must be the goods as well and be able to help us blitz. We haven't had solid blitzing linebackers of late and a guy with his size and quickness could really elevate us. He is smart.
So, the bottom line is we need to stay healthy, draft well again, sign solid UFA's (Safety, DT, DE) and hope it all works out.
Otherwise, this defense could be pretty bad again next year. Losing Will Hill to pot; losing W. Thurmond to a torn pectoral; and losing dime back McBride really hurt us this year as we were deep at DB but no longer.
If we go 5-4 and finish 8-8 I'd be happy given our schedule and injuries. If we somehow surprise the Colts on Monday night at home I'll surely jump for JOY!
Which is judged differently from people who do the same stupid shit over and over and over again.
Much like someone who posts something stupid once is judged differently from people who do it repeatedly.
Hill was 2. suspended a second time for the first four games of the 2013 season for violating the NFL's policy on substances of abuse. His ban ended on September 30.
On December 21, 2013, Hill was 3. arrested in New Jersey on a warrant for outstanding child support payments. Despite the arrest, Hill still played that Sunday against the Detroit Lions.
On May 30, 2014, Hill was 4. suspended for the first six games of the 2014 season for violations of the league's substance abuse policy.
On June 2, 2014, Hill was waived by the Giants.
Just how much further do you want to go in terms of a Hill like inability to learn? (There's probably an old/new tricks idea here, but...)
You know those Richie Rich types. You can bet if Hill had a champagne and caviar problem, they would have worked something out.
I agree, we really should have beat the Cardinals.