As always my non-emotional thoughts the day after a game. Feel free to argue with me, share your own etc...
* We beat the Eagles! This wasn't exactly beating an 18-0 Patriots team but the Eagles have had our number big time in recent years.
* Few weeks ago I talked about this team learning to win and expecting to win. Until this week the Eagles have been showing up expecting to beat us, getting this out of their heads is big going forward.
* Very simple game flow to describe. Got a lead, kept lead, won. Despite a couple really bad defensive drives in the 3rd quarter the Giants controlled the game start to finish. Finishing is a learned skill and important for a young team.
* No passing TD but don't let that fool you, this was one of Jones's better games. 75% completion percentage and only 7 incomplete passes (3 to Tate) and a couple were drops. Add just under 70 rushing yards and a TD (one called back) and this is a very good game.
* Most importantly, not only did Jones not turn the ball over for the second week in a row, there weren't really any close calls. Great ball security by Jones.
* Team is starting to build an identity, we're a running power team, just as Judge said we'd be. With that being said we've looked a lot better when we take at least a few deep shots a game as it backs up the safteys and opens up the underneath.
* Throws to Tate, Shepard, Slayton and Lewis(reminded me of Mannings throw to Manningham in the SB) were all + throws by Jones down the field.
* For the receivers Slayton had a good game manned up with Philly's best corner Slay. Unlike last time Slayton got the better of this matchup. He didn't let a big drop ruin his day (unlike 88) and redeemed himself shortly after with a great catch on a 1 on 1 ball with Slay. Slayton is a player, we all knew this, but to date he's been shut down by guys like Slay. Not today.
* Offensive line is really coming together. All 7, counting Peart and Lemiuex due to # of snaps they've received, have shown improvement throughout the year. Thomas looking like the LT of the future, Peart has the potential to be a ++ RT and the running game has looked very good with Lemieux in at LG. Good draft class for Gettleman.
* Gallman ran well for the most part of the game but started getting stuffed consistently at the end of the game so his YPC didn't look good. Its worth noting that a lot of the negative runs came when Zeitler left the game.
* On defense we're starting to see some themes take place each week. Start strong but drop off in the second half. The way the Eagles moved the ball their first 2 drives in the 2nd half had me thinking this would be a repeat of the first game. We adjusted this time.
* Take some time to Google how many 3rd down conversions the defense gave up yesterday...
* One adjustment I noticed Graham made was scrapping the 3 man rush. How many times did we see it this year when we were trying to protect a lead, we dropped 8 in coverage and the other teams QB was able to sit and pick the zone apart. At crucial times we stayed aggressive and brought at least 4.
* Speaking of crucial times, why on earth would you throw at Bradberry on 4th and 10 trailing 7 late in the game?
* On the corners, I still think his future is no more than depth, but Yiadom has shown improvement. He's made the transition from a liability to somewhat serviceable.
* May have read the stats wrong, but Martinez didn't show up a whole lot yesterday. Hoping one of the analysts does something on their all 22 review to go over this, but I'm thinking it has to do with having a center famous for dominating at the 2nd level.
* Crowder coming back will really help this team. Downs and Mayo are both liabilities in coverage, the middle of the field was our weak spot the past few weeks. As good as Martinez has played this year, coverage isn't his strong suit either.
* Crowder due back soon as well as both of the X-Men, also possibly Ryan Lewis (I know not exciting but he was our CB2). Very, very interested to see how this defense responds to the added athleticism.
* McKinney was a guy I was very intrigued to see starting the season as he fits the mold of what Graham wants to do. It will be worth paying attention to how he is used.
* We forget that Judge was a special teams coach sometimes, but Dixon and Gano made an impact on this game. Special teams was a strong suit for us.
* Good for Gano getting an extension after the game. Now do Tomlinson, Ryan and Williams....
* Going to close with some thoughts on the coaching staff. First and most importantly is Judge. I'm going to be very clear with this, most of us are looking at the Tate incident over the past couple weeks as a non event. Why? Because Judge handled it. Think long and hard how this would have looked and played out if Shurmur/McAdoo were still coach...
* Graham has taken one of the worst defenses in football (last year) and has his defense 12th in points allowed. Yes we added Bradberry, Martinez and Ryan but there are still holes at major positions all over the place. Given the right weapons Graham can put together a dominate defense.
* While I'm not always in love with Garretts play calling (the reverses inside the 30, week after week...) there are some notable improvements in the offense as the season went. He's adjusted to his personnel and has worked with Jones to reduce his turnovers.
* Colombo had some of us questioning whether he would make a 2nd year only a few weeks ago. Now we're seeing this line improve and a lot of that credit goes to him. For the first time in years we'll go into next season saying "we have a pretty good o-line"
* Common theme with the coaching staff comments is the word improvement. Our players continue to get better game after game, on both sides of the ball. Cleaner technique, less mistakes and greater awareness. This didn't happen with McAdoo or Shurmur, guys came and stayed the same or regressed, this is the reason they aren't here anymore.
* Final thought with Judge. I think the guys on this team legitimately like playing for him. I would not be shocked if a Leonard Williams or Logan Ryan softened their asking price to stay here. No one wants out of Dodge (expect Tate's wife...)
Williams is starting to show some real dominance and I think the Giants need to figure out how to keep him BUT, you can't break the bank. Tomlinson will stay or go depending on what happens with Williams. If we resign Williams the Tomlinson is gone.
is Crowder back after the bye?
I am talking about for the rest of the season.
Quote:
Parsons would look awfully good in there, but they just might win their way out of the top 10 picks, given how bad the division is.
I am talking about for the rest of the season.
I know, I'm thinking past that. It's a spot most teams won't invest big in when they've got a Martinez next to it. But, I'm looking at getting a body in there to push Crowder and push Downs off the roster.
I like the roster churning DG employs at LB and DB, they've just got to get better at a handful of defensive positions.
Crowder at least adds value in coverage which we needed yesterday. We are lucky that Ertz was out because the Giants had an issue covering Richard Rodgers in the first half.
is Crowder back after the bye?
They started the "clock" on him before the Eagles game which would mean he was likely close to playing this week, so its likely he's back after the bye.
I'll just comment on Jones, I played a very solid game yesterday - didn't force anything, and took advantage if single coverage. He is also taking command at the LOS, so he is clearly getting comfortable with the offense.
But I think there was one bad decision where he forced a pass that was almost intercepted (our receiver might have tipped it first).
But otherwise not so bad a game.
Late in the game, Graham dialed up several blitzes, and you could tell the sudden pressure got to Wentz. He had to try and make plays on the run a few times or we sacked him, which helped put the game away.
Wentz even had a quote after the game about how our defense was tough bc we disguised well
Quote:
Most importantly, not only did Jones not turn the ball over for the second week in a row, there weren't really any close calls. Great ball security by Jones.
But I think there was one bad decision where he forced a pass that was almost intercepted (our receiver might have tipped it first).
But otherwise not so bad a game.
He threw high to Tate, who for some reason went for it with 1 hand not 2. Not sure whose at fault, probably both in my view. He also had a pass where he was hit when throwing, and the ball fluttered harmlessly into the flat.
Every QB has one or two or these a game, no matter who you are. The other team is getting paid too
I'm eagerly anticipating McKinney's return on defense, too. Not sure what is reasonable to expect from a rookie with no camp and no game experience, but I'm hoping he flashes some potential. I watched some highlights of him recently just to refresh my memory - his physical style and tackling ability will be a nice addition. He can lend a hand to our struggling linebackers when we play him in the box.
Quote:
In comment 15047178 JonC said:
Quote:
Parsons would look awfully good in there, but they just might win their way out of the top 10 picks, given how bad the division is.
I am talking about for the rest of the season.
I know, I'm thinking past that. It's a spot most teams won't invest big in when they've got a Martinez next to it. But, I'm looking at getting a body in there to push Crowder and push Downs off the roster.
I like the roster churning DG employs at LB and DB, they've just got to get better at a handful of defensive positions.
Martinez cannot be the only true run-stopper on team at LB and he is. I would look to do another nice investment at ILB (not to the sacrifice of Edge Rusher) and someone who can bring a bit more to a blitz than Martinez as well. Crowder to me is a nice piece for certain defenses, not every down guy. Mayo and Downs just kind of need to be left behind.
They knew we were going to run.
We knew we were going to run.
Good job by Gallman to hang on to the ball on a few of those. It killed his YPC like you said, but that is a thankless, but important job, running the clock at the end there. He's a tough kid who is really playing well.
The Lewis (Manningham) catch came after an 'Eli' audible, nice.
Agree on the Tate incident. Same could be said for the Jones/Barkley incident.
They knew we were going to run.
We knew we were going to run.
Good job by Gallman to hang on to the ball on a few of those. It killed his YPC like you said, but that is a thankless, but important job, running the clock at the end there. He's a tough kid who is really playing well.
This. Had little to do with Zeitler's injury and everything to do with them bringing 9 guys into the box.
The Giants are playing better. That's great.
But at the end of the day, the Giants beat two pretty bad teams and while the Eagles win was more impressive than the Washington win, it's not like they ran them off the field.
But certainly things look way more on track these days than they did a few weeks ago....
I'm eagerly anticipating McKinney's return on defense, too. Not sure what is reasonable to expect from a rookie with no camp and no game experience, but I'm hoping he flashes some potential. I watched some highlights of him recently just to refresh my memory - his physical style and tackling ability will be a nice addition. He can lend a hand to our struggling linebackers when we play him in the box.
McKinney is a football savant, not really worried about him looking lost out there. What I am worried about is a guy playing off a foot injury making the jump to the NFL where he has average athleticism for the position. Unfortunetly don't expect much from him this year.
The Giants are playing better. That's great.
But at the end of the day, the Giants beat two pretty bad teams and while the Eagles win was more impressive than the Washington win, it's not like they ran them off the field.
But certainly things look way more on track these days than they did a few weeks ago....
We were 0-8 vs the Eagles since November 2016, I'm taking this week to be happy.
I don't want some of my optimism to come off as I think this team is going to win out and make a deep playoff push but we've clearly been in the wrong direction the last few years and there is finally signs we're going in the right one.
We definitely need to come out and beat Cincy and hope the Eagles, Cowboys and WRT lose. That simple.
We can't come out of the bye "flat" as can sometimes happen but we need to run the ball down Cincy's throat. Barrow is the real deal at QB and he can beat us if we start slowly.
Not to get ahead of myself, but Seattle on the road is likely the toughest game we have left. Assuming we beat Cincy, I can't imagine how BIG it would beat to go on the road against an NFC powerhouse and WIN. That would really show me something.
Peppers was almost gone on that.
It was pretty funny to see Peppers was so excited.
How can you possible know if he is focusing only on his main target? I would challenge you to even know who his main target is on each play. Also he has one of the highest ratings on deep passes in the league. This is the type of nonsense that people post. They read something somewhere, and keep repeating it all season
I wish I could muster the apparent vitriol you have for those you disagree with, but not my nature. Let’s hope I’m wrong and call it a day.