Loading ...The opening preseason game for the New York Giants is in the books – an interesting night for the defending Super Bowl champions, who saw inspiring play from Martellus Bennett and Dwayne Hendricks, a mixed bag from Prince Amukamara, and a not so impressive night from Marvin Austin. It was a sloppy game that was quite honestly poorly refereed by the replacement officials, but it was nonetheless the first step in the Giants evaluating their football team and starting the defense of their championship.
On Saturday night, the G-Men go to battle with their crosstown rival New York Jets, who have been in the news far more this offseason despite Eli Manning and the Blue corner of New York bringing home the Lombardi trophy. As the Giants have proven time and time again however, it all comes down to what happens on the football field – and you can be certain that for Tom Coughlin and his staff, this is just another opportunity to shape their roster with impact football players going into September.
Today we look at things to watch for in the New York Giants second preseason matchup.
The Pass Protection
Eli Manning and the Giants first unit will see a little more extended playing time in this game, and it will be a good opportunity for Tom Coughlin and the coaching staff to get an idea of what type of pass protection Manning will get early in the 2012 season. The one on one matchups along the offensive line will be very telling, as blitzing likely won't be much of a factor in the first quarter of this game and it will be very apparent which members of the line aren't holding their own in the battles they have to win up front.
This is the game where Wilson has to start some momentum going into the season. D.J Ware had an impressive performance in the opening preseason game, and Wilson can't afford to take a backseat this week if he wants to have a shot of significant playing time going into the season. Most importantly, he'll have to show that he's aware and capable in any blitz pickup situations – if they should arise. Wilson has all the physical talent in the world, but he's going to have to show Tom Coughlin that he's ready to put it together and use it on the field.
The Secondary
The New York defense wasn't particularly impressive in the opening preseason game, and the secondary looked a little out of sync, which for the most part is to be expected. That being said, the Giants need to see more from Prince Amukamara and the young cornerbacks on this time while Terrell Thomas continues to deal with his injury setback. This secondary will be the deciding factor in whether the Giants defense will be just solid or elite this season. Someone has got to step up at corner.
He played an impressive all-around game in his time on the field last week, and can really get not only his confidence going but the confidence of his teammates around him going – particularly Eli Manning, if he can come out and have another strong showing against the Jets defense in this game. Bennett has a lot of tools to work with and scouts have always talked about his potential to be a real impact weapon on offense if he committed himself to his craft. So far, so good. He's a standout athlete with the physical skill set to really be a threat for this Giants offense with both his blocking in the run game and athletic ability as a pass catcher. Let's see what he has in store tonight.
Special Teams
There was certainly some sloppiness in this aspect of the game last week against the Jaguars, and still plenty of question marks as to who will emerge in the return game. Tom Coughlin will be looking for impact, high energy performances. It will be fun to watch the younger players compete in the special teams element, as being a standout player here can win a bubble player a roster spot.
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Pretty hard hitting journalism on that previous thread. Always love any article or paper that includes the phrase “Merriam Webster defines…”
On the other hand, Haz is spot on as usual. The commentary this week has centered around our OL, thanks in no small part by my incessant b-tching and moaning about how awful it is, collectively. However, unlike some of our resident Olympic gold medalists in the sport of contorting one’s torso so as to suck one’s own c-ck, I’m not going to shy away from being proven wrong. I sincerely hope that the 2012 version of our offensive line takes a page out of JPP’s book in proving, yet again, that I am a total and utter retard. I’d embrace their putting my hysteria to shame, vindicating Reese’s eclair-in-trash approach to this unit and would make no statements to the contrary.
However, because I feel confident that the group will not perform any better than they did last year, I watch tonight with fear and trepidation, knowing full well that they will aspire to total mediocrity.
More importantly, I just want us to walk out of this game healthy. I’m not sweating the Jets, but I see no reason not to approach this game any differently than any other preseason game–get our stars some work and get them out. Stay healthy. If Ryan wants to unleash Tebow on our 2nd stringers, fine.
re-post because while writing a novel a new thread was put up. The Cliff Books version for samard is that I think the O-line might be okay. That’s “might”. I explain why.
“Been thinking about the offensive line.
I start by saying I fully expect David Baas to have a terrific season. He’s a very good player (better than O’Hara) and I think the combination of no camp, injuries, and a change of scenery set him back a lot last year. And when your center isn’t playing well your offensive line isn’t playing well. It was his turnaround toward the end of last season that I think made the difference in the run game.
If you take that assumption as a given then I don’t think we should worry about the interior of our line. Snee, Baas, and Boothe will be fine. Definitely better than last year. And I’ll even go out on a limb and say that I’m guessing that Petrus will show more ability in pass protection over these next three games, at least enough that he will be thought of as “adequate” depth since he’ll improve by going against our starting defensive line in practices all season and be coached up by Flaherty. Between White and Cordle we should have another potential depth guy in the interior and they will keep the better of the two. Throw in the fact that Mosley is thought to be a tackle/guard and is known as a mauler, and that Nick Saban speaks very highly of him (Saban may be a creep, but he knows football and the NFL), and you can probably assume that we are at the very least an average interior line, and probably a bit better, possibly a LOT better if Baas plays up to where he should and Snee is healthy this time around.
So what all our concerns come down to is the tackle position. I think at the moment it’s a very legitimate concern. But we ought to remember that assuming Bennett is the tight end, and assuming he will be staying in to block on the majority of plays (running and passing), and assuming that he is a better blocker than was Ballard even though the latter was pretty decent, whether the tackle he is lined up next to is Diehl, Locklear, or Beatty that combination should be pretty effective. Put Bennett next to any of those three against Dallas, allow him to motion to Ware’s side, and they can keep Ware under control except on occasion when he crosses inside and the guard isn’t aware enough. The same (controlling a strong pass rush) should go for any team we play except those that have two top pass-rushers up front (unfortunately, the Redskins do have that, and the Eagles might). Then we need good play from the tackle who is isolated on a premier pass-rusher or will be attacked by an outside linebacker.
There are three “solutions” available in those situations. One, Eli reads the defense accurately and holds a back in to help on that side. Two, the isolated tackle gets the job done. Three, Eli knows where the pressure is almost certain to come from, moves in the pocket to give him that extra split-second to release, and makes a “successful” pass-rush irrelevant (he did this a lot last season). If we did not have an elite, and very smart, quarterback this would look like a really big problem. It looks a bit less scary when examined in this light.
Now, let’s look at the specific personnel.
I still like Diehl, especially if he winds up on the right side. He’s a tough customer, he plays hurt, he mauls people, he knows when he can get away with holding, and he is a very good clear-out guy on running plays to the outside when he can find and hit a linebacker or defensive back. If he winds up on the left side thanks to Beatty’s injuries then he’s an issue, but he was an “issue” last year and Eli had his best season ever. It would be nice if Diehl could do better (and remember, you cannot do great, especially against speed rushers, when you have a broken hand and cannot grab) and he might. But even absent that he may not be as huge a problem as many suppose. And he WILL fight all season long and give everything.
Locklear has had a very nice career. He’s a bit like Seubert was in that he was never really an elite player but always got the job done. He was available because another team went younger under a coach who justifiably wants to build a team around younger guys in an effort to build a winner in a division that seems up for grabs over the next five years. We don’t know what he’s got left, but the seeming absence of panic on the part of the Giants about Beatty would seem to indicate that they may think Locklear still has a few years of good play left in him. He may be a part of the solution rather than a part of the problem.
And then there’s Beatty. A serious disappointment so far. BUT….I know all about sciatica. It can be debilitating and make you incapable of playing, can recur, and can be maddeningly tough to get rid of. But depending upon the degree to which the nerve is compressed, you can frequently play through the pain, it can be treated and made less debilitating by good therapists and disciplined commitment to the proper exercises, and it can just “go away” for lengthy periods of time, sometimes for many years. Sciatica is not disk deterioration like Pettigout had. It is much more treatable. So maybe they can get a lot of play out of him. Maybe not. But if they think that they can count on Diehl and Locklear to be “average” and look to Beatty to take that level of play up when he is available, and know that Bennett’s presence changes the equation on the outside, they may be more “okay” than many of us think.
Of course, I’d feel a lot more confidence in the O-line if over the next few weeks we see some really good play from Petrus, Locklear, Mosley, Brewer, and Capers. But this morning I suspect that this offensive line could prove at least adequate to the task, not because they are terrific, but because Eli Manning and Marcellus Bennett can cover up a lot of deficiencies up front. The same may prove true for David Wilson if he gets sufficient touches. Some backs don’t need much from their blockers to get yards. Wilson looks like he may be one of that type.
I am suddenly more interested in the preseason than I’ve been in many years.”
Today, being my wife’s birthday, means a suspension of all football related activities for yours truly over the next 12 hours or so.
Needless to say, she and I will be enjoying a meal at a nice restaurant at the time the Giants and Jets are locking horns.
I’m counting on y’all to be my eyes and ears tonight. I know you won’t disappoint.
Poor guy. That makes me think of the commercial with the guy having the phone on his lap secretly watching the game while on a date.
Great post. I think, outside of kujo, most would agree that the interior should be better. It really all just comes down to Beatty’s health. If/when Beatty is unable to suit up, we are subpar on the outside and one twisted ankle from a train wreck.
I’ve had sciatica too, and when it flares up, there’s simply nothing you can do. A shot isnt going to help. Hopefully he’s getting massages around the clock and they can get that thing fixed.
Don’t put words in my mouth.
I have repeatedly said that I expect Snee and Baas to be head and shoulders better this year. Snee had a down year (he was only “good” instead of his usual “great”), while Baas will have another year in the offense to get comfortable and healthy, both of which eluded him last season. The problem spots are LG, LT and RT.
Yep, that’s exactly what you’ve said.
I think Diehl will be better (an offensive lineman who played with a broken hand most of the season should be better) and I’m not sure why you still don’t seem to like Boothe. But as you know, I share a lot of your concerns, although as I detailed above, I don’t think they doom this team at all (unless injuries hit and we have to depend upon our depth, in which case things could get ugly).
Afterwards the Jets will present themselves with a replica of the Lombardi Trophy … made out of cheese.
Pass protection? Eli Manning was under fire like we’ve never seen last year…and he had the best year of his career and led us to another Super Bowl. This is surely not say that pass blocking is unimportant, or that TGEM is so good he would still win games with five turnstiles in front of him.
This is to say that I think the run-blocking, as much a problem as pass protection last year (and, unfortunately, last week) is more important.
I have confidence in Manning’s abilities to scoot around the pocket, to make a throw in the face of getting hit. I think what would help TGEM, more than having marginally improved pass blocking, would be having a running game that would keep him out of such an enormous amount of obvious passing downs as we saw last year.
Running game? No problem. Even if you have a weaker player at tackle, run to the other side the majority of the time. If Diehl is at RT, run right with he and Bennett leading the way (and Hynoski getting to the gap and cleaning it out), Snee hooking his tackle and keeping him out of the gap, and Baas cutting off the MLB from closing from the inside. If Diehl is left have Bennett over there and repeat except that it’s Boothe hooking the defensive tackle.
I’m not saying they’ll become one of the top 4-5 running teams in the league. But get from #32 to #16, which is more than good enough to allow Eli to slice up defenses when they have to honor the run? Yeah, we can do that.
I said Baas was the most important free agent pick up the Giants made and I will be vindicated this year – second no injuries so far – third , I think that you leave Diehl at RT no matter what and use Beatty/other at LT if his injuries keep him out
Also to bring FF55ys lengthy tome down to more manageable size -
“but because Eli Manning and Marcellus (sic) Bennett can cover up a lot of deficiencies up front ”
That to me is the O-line this year . Bennett will want to prove that he can catch AND still block so he will do it all either side , So I am not worried too much about the edge blocking with him in there