Loading ..."Killdrive". That's what he was called.
The conspicuous mustached offensive coordinator of the New York Giants has been the first man to get thrown under the bus for several seasons now. 2011 was his 5th as offensive coordinator and the Giants have won the Super Bowl twice under his guidance offensively.
Yes, Gilbride is not the best situational play-caller in the NFL.
The wide receiver screen to Danny Ware is usually a disaster.
That said, the Giants have never finished below 16th in total offense under Gilbride and have an average finish of 12.25 in total offense.
The bad feelings towards Gilbride started in 2008 when Plaxico Burress went down and the Giants still ended up with the number 1 seed, ultimately losing to the Eagles. When Burress went down, no real offensive adjustments were made. The Giants approached things as if Hixon were Burress and game planned mostly as if nothing happened. After an atrocious offensive showing in the divisional loss to the Eagles, it was clear Gilbride had his deficiencies.
Three years later though, things have changed.
The Giants have lost some very crucial personnel offensively during Gilbride's tenure including Jeremy Shockey, the aforementioned Burress, Steve Smith, and Kevin Boss.
2011 provided the biggest blow, losing Smith and Boss in training camp.
Since 2008, Gilbride has adjusted his system perfectly and tailored it to fit the skills of the players he has. The Giants offense has always featured a lot of down field passing, but with Nicks, Manningham, and Cruz around, that strategy has thrived.
Passes leave Eli Manning's hand now quicker than ever and that leaves these receivers opportunities to make quick catches and create yards after the catch.
Perhaps Gilbride hasn't changed a thing. Perhaps Nicks, Manningham, and Cruz are the receivers that his scheme has always needed to thrive.
Either way, it is time to move past the days of "killdrive".
Kevin Gilbride deserves credit for developing one of the best big- play offenses in the NFL.
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Steve Weatherford is insane!
And it looks like Terrell Thomas is on the float with the DBs! God, I want this dude back in Blue next year!
Seems like everyone on the ground wants Osi to come back!
Let me be the first … sorry Kevin. Superbowl champs … the proof is in the pudding.
No coaching changes … no more b-tching about it … well, OK, maybe a little.
We can still b-tch about the 2 point conversion play call, can’t we?
That play worked twice this year.
It’s known as “going to the well once too often”: a Killdrive specialty.
Remember the famous catch phrase from the old movie “Love Story”?
“Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”
Well, seeing as I don’t love – and never will – the man who I shall always know as “Killdrive,” where does that leave me?
Because I still loathe Killdrive. I still think he’s a pinhead whose idiotic schemes have cost us more than a few games and at least one other Lombardi. I think the Giants would do better to have Eli Manning call all his own plays.
But if “love means never having to say you’re sorry” then it must stand to reason that “hate means having to say you’re sorry.” If that’s the case, I suppose I owe Killdrive an apology. So here goes:
I’m sorry you’re such a freakin’ moron. I’m sorry we’re stuck with you, world without end. I’m sorry our last best hope of getting you out of town – Mr. Al Davis – is now lying in the cold, cold ground.
Hope that will suffice.
Awesome.
Ummm, no. He’s not horrible, and occasionally the light does go on. But too often he underachieved with top talent. For example, Gilbride continually tried to run into the teeth of the SF Defense (inside). The few times we ran outside the tackles, we were quite a bit more successful. If you look at the breakdown of inside runs vs outside runs, it was probably 80-20, and the results were a 2 yd average to about a 5 yd average.
We didn’t run the shotgun draw too much in the SB, but when we did, Giselle Bundchen knew it was coming. Finally, it worked out, but that pass to Manningham was very low percentage, and we all know that if that was incomplete, the next play was going to be a run, the 3rd and long. It worked out, but I believe he takes too many chances in spots where he doesn’t need to.
Not to mention having to burn TWO quick timeouts early in the second half because numbnutz could not get the play in on time.
Kujo – Saw you commented about the Flava Flav/Coughlin hug post-SB. There was a great comment by Tuck (I think):
“Coughlin made him set his clock five minutes early.”
As a long time Gillbride supporter along with Demo and a few others I would like to add that we have been top 9 in both total offense and points scored the last 4 years.
I still think he’s a bad playcaller.
But his offense works for us. Whatever.
I AM THE EGGMAN, HE IS THE WALRUS!!!!!!!!
An oldie but goodie from years gone by, dusted off for the present occasion:
I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.
See how we run, ‘til third and one then see how we fly.
Dirt’s crying.
Sitting on a play fake, waiting for the rush to come.
Coordination genius, every bloody sunday.
Man, you’ve been a naughty team, you let my field grow long.
Boothe is the eggman, Tynes is my legman.
I am the walrus, goo goo g’joob.
Mister Jerry Reese, man, lining
Pretty rookie pieces in a row.
See how they sit like footballs stuck in sh!t, til reverse they run.
Dirt’s crying, norm’s crying.
j charles is cryyy-ing.
Eli battered, flustered, flipping up a dead duck high.
Nicks catch it like a jackknife, unintended touchdown,
Boy, you been a naughty girl you let my kickers down.
Boothe is the eggman, Eli’s a dead man.
I am the walrus, goo goo g’joob.
Sitting Mister Rameses Barden, when we’re on the one.
If we don’t get one, we’ll get the three
Another stall inside the twenty one.
Pierce is the eggman, Al Davis, we begged, man.
I am the walrus, goo goo g’joob g’goo goo g’joob.
Expert textpert, G101 jokers,
Don’t you think this choker laughs at you?
See how I smile when a drive does die,
The Maras still provide.
Dirt’s crying.
Sent Dirt off the deep end, climbing up the rifle tower.
Fewell and his defense singing hari krishna.
Man, you should have seen us kicking eighteen yard field goals.
Boothe is the eggman, Coughlin’s the Steg-Man.
I am the walrus, goo goo g’joob g’goo goo g’joob.
Ya better light up a doob, goo goo g’joob
‘Cause I’ll always be a boob g’goo goo g’joob g’goo g’joob…
Norm, allow me to follow up my all-time favourite norm post with my second favourite norm post. Nothing further needs saying except enjoy
I must say that the hiring of Kevin Gilbride, Jr. to serve as a watchdog over Kevin Gilbride, Sr. may turn out to be one of the most interesting moves made by ANY team in the NFL this offseason.
And while it’s highly doubtful that this move will result in any more wins – or even any noticeable improvements in the Giant offense – ya still gotta love it for its comedic value alone. It’s Gold, Jerry; Gold.
In that spirit, I was inspired to go back and search the G101 archives for a post I made on the subject several weeks back. After a bit of looking, I was able to locate it and decided to repost it here. It’s my imagining of the first “quality control” meeting between Killdrive the Younger and his Pa which would probably sound something like this:
“You are old, Father Killdrive,” the young man said,
“And your schemes have become very trite;
First and five and you go to the spread–
In that case do you think it is right?”
“In my youth,” Father Killdrive replied to his son,
“I desired to sharpen my game;
But, now that I’m sure I’ll never have one,
I repeatedly dial up the same.”
You are old,” said the youth, “as I mentioned before,
And have grown most uncommonly fat;
Now you can scarcely fit through the door–
Pray, what is the reason for that?”
“True, I’m stout,” said the sage, “and it’s brought me abuse.
“But a meal is ne’er to be missed
‘Tis simpler to let one’s butt grow flabby and loose —
And pretend that tight ends don’t exist.”
“You are old,” said the youth, “and your jaws are too weak
For anything tougher than suet;
Yet defenses make you eat crow, week after week–
Pray, how did you manage to chew it?”
“I am blessed,” said his father, “To work for a coach,
Who sees sycophancy as commendable.
All the years puckered up as if smoking a roach,
Has greatly strengthened my mandible.”
“Now I’m here,” said the youth, “for quality control
Of this team’s offensive eleven;
Yet why, O father, do you revere the field goal–
When three is fewer than seven?”
“Well… THREE questions you’ve asked – that’s more than enough!”
Said his father; “Don’t give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such guff?
Be off, or I’ll kick you downstairs!
Guys the point isn’t that Gillbride is perfect. He’s definitely not. I have my beefs. The point is he’s very good. I’m sure we disagree with some of Fewell’s defensive calls. I’m also Pats fans have beefs about how their offense was called. It’s part of being the crazy fans we are. But sometimes you have to sit back and look at the whole picture and judge if the offense has been successful or not. It has definitely been successful and consistenly so even amongst many personnel changes. Eli is great but he has had help from Gillbride.
Exactly.
My point is…
Great players make great coaches. 4 Ravens defensive coordinators this past decade got head coaching jobs. Are they all that phenomenal coaches?
No.
Gilbride has finally acquired the players who best fit his scheme, including a Manning in his prime of course.
And I might add that his offense has been hampered by a offensive line thats atrocious. We were dead last in rushing.
And still managed to win the SB.
With a better rushing attack, our offense will only get better.
Dead on, balls accurate!
All this “Kumbayah” is bad for business up in here.
With nothing substantive left to complain about, it seems that 50% of G101′s regular posters have vamoosed; gone the way of Frank K.
I love this site and want it to survive. Heck, I NEED it to survive. Toward that end, I have taken it upon myself to provide the dark cloud to obscure the silver lining whose ceaseless glow threatens this site’s very existence.
Yeah, it’s tough to be negative after a stirring playoff run and Super Bowl win. Lucky for me, the current article is right in my wheelhouse.
Killdrive still sucks. Dirt’s “Fire Killdrive” bus may be locked in the garage right now. But I guarantee you all the seats will be sold out and people will be paying serious coin to ride it as straphangers sometime around Week 7 or 8 of the upcoming season.
My addition: our offensive line SUCKS! Terrible. Can’t believe we won a Super Bowl with this group. Kyle and I were spitballing last night about some possibilities of how to fix it, including moving Beatty to RT to replace McKenzie. But that leaves a whole at LT, and I don’t know that we can get a Day One franchise left or right tackle with the 32nd pick in the draft.
Does anyone know anything about Brewer? We haven’t heard anything about this guy all year…no sense of how (or if) he’s going to develop into something.