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New York Giants 2010 Defensive Strategy

August 25th, 2010 at 2:25 PM
By Serena Sanderson

As injuries continue to mount, the New York Giants are moving players around to find their best defensive setup. Keith Bulluck, who spent the entire month of August playing middle linebacker, moved to outside linebacker on Monday, where he spent the last 10 years playing with Tennessee Titans. Bulluck, who had surgery to repair his ACL last December, said this:

“At this point it doesn’t matter,” Bulluck said after practice. “It is a different system. So the last month or so, I’ve been practicing at the middle linebacker and the last two practices I have been at the outside linebacker. I just want to get out there and help and contribute and be the best linebacker I can be for this team.” (ESPN.com)

The Giants brought Bullock along slowly after signing him just before training camp. He was prepared to play middle linebacker when he initially signed, but the veteran is willing to do whatever is best for the team.

Jonathan Goff has been starting at the position since spring, and with Antonio Pierce retiring, he looks to be the next man in line if Bulluck stays on the outside. But since Bulluck can play either position,  it will all depend on how quickly he acclimates to the new terminology and defensive structure of the Giants, and how he ultimately contributes from here on out.

Rich briefly alluded to this in the prior entry when he was talking about Clint Stintim losing his starting spot. Bulluck definitely brings competition to the table here, and the Giants have several options for their defense depending on what type of play they want to run.

Here’s the question: With all of these defensive moves, will the Giants have a cohesive defensive unit ready to go in two weeks when the season kicks off?  In short, it depends on how healthy everyone will be. Take injuries, aside from the known injuries, out of the equation, and the Giants have a ton of weapons on defense. Implementing the new defense brought by Perry Fewell as well as moving players around could be touch-and-go. They have two pre-season games to play around with it before testing the defense on the Carolina Panthers. Even if it’s not 100%, the G-men shouldn’t struggle mightily with Carolina — despite how their season ended last year.

The move with Bulluck will create competition among the players, which will gear them up to play their best. That’s what Fewell and Tom Coughlin are looking for. Coughlin admitted that creating competition could be beneficial for the team. Even with all of the injuries the Giants are facing, they have enough depth that healthy competition will give them the best players to start, and still leave them with key depth. Moving players around on a regular basis will also help should another player become injured.

The bottom line is that the Giants are trying to figure out what works best. If the defense that Perry Fewell wants to implement gets done correctly, and he can get the best player the Giants have at each position, Big Blue is going to be tough this year. Especially if they can figure out how to move guys around for situational plays.

Think of it this way, they get three weeks to practice their new strategy before facing the Indianapolis Colts. That will be the first real test of this Giants defense. Let’s re-visit this issue after that game and see how the G-men are holding up.

Other Notes:

  • Cornerback Aaron Ross has been placed in a walking boot and will miss the remainder of the preseason. Terrell Thomas is expected to start alongside Corey Webster when the regular season begins.
  • Groin injuries continue to be a concern for the Giants as both Travis Beckum and Chris Canty missed practice today.

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Posted in 2010 Giants, Carolina Panthers, Clint Sintim, Jonathan Goff, Keith Bulluck, Perry Fewell, Sean Carroll, Tom Coughlin | 126 Comments »

Giants 101 Live Mini Camp Thread

June 15th, 2010 at 10:16 AM
By Kyle Langan

As The Giants get set to hold open mini camp for the first time ever, you can count on Giants 101 to be on the scene.

Starting at approximately 3 P.M. Giants 101 will be your source for live updates. But first, lets get the pre- practice notes out of the way.

- Kenny Phillips was seen stretching with the team and will likely be doing his usual individual routine today, but that is definitely something worth watching today.

- Everyone was seen in attendance, and only Jay Alford started the day on the exercise bike.

- Phillip Dillard started off with the second team, as did Osi Umenyiora. Gerris Wilkinson started with the third team.

- The open session begins at exactly 2:50.

More from Giants 101

Rich O’ Callaghan wonders if Ramses Barden will ever see the field, while comparing his prospective career to that of Vincent Jackson.

I expect Barden’s career to closely mirror that of San Diego’s Vincent Jackson. Like Barden, Jackson is a big (6?5 230) receiver from a non-division one school (Northern Colorado). As a rookie Jackson just caught three balls for 59 yards. Jackson’s numbers jumped in each of his next four seasons, and now he is a perrenial Pro Bowl receiver who has had over 1000 receiving yards in each of the last two years.

G101’s own kujo examines what exactly “Giants Football” is and how good The Giants can be in 2010.

The potential of this defense, and the team as a whole, is immense. But this team has never thrived as front-runners; rather, we’ve always relished being underdogs, embracing the identity of the rough, rugged and downtrodden. And we would do well to look towards the lineage of what Giants football has meant in the past while search for what this team needs to be in the future. If they can be physical, if they can be impositional, and if they can be dominant, they’re sure to find themselves living up to the expectations of Giants nation and will replicate the successes of yesteryear.

Kyle Langan thinks that Ahmad Bradshaw is the key to offensive success in 2010.

IF Bradshaw is healthy in 2010, The Giants offense will soar to even greater heights. It has been a number of years since The Giants had a back who could take it the distance on any given play. Bradshaw has incredible balance and elusiveness to go along with his speed, and this makes him dangerous. If injuries do not hamper him, he is a lock to have 1,100 yards in my mind.

G101 is holding a tailgate meetup don’t forget to pick a day!

Keep it here at Giants 101 for live updates all day.

MINI CAMP UPDATES:

The following are a few highlights thus far from New York Giants mini-camp today, courtesy of our on-site reporter, Kyle Langan:

- Jonathan Goff was with the first team, while Phillip Dillard worked with the second.

- Play of the day (so far) goes to Travis Beckum who had a stellar catch off a deep post route.

- Both Eli Manning and Jim Sorgi were both on-target, darting passes into the hands of receivers, Mario Manningham and Sinorice Moss.

Stay tuned for more!

Posted in 2009 Giants, 2010 Giants, Jay Alford, Kenny Phillips, Kyle Langan, Rich O'Callaghan, Sean Carroll | 66 Comments »

G101 Tailgate Meet-up!

June 9th, 2010 at 6:19 PM
By Sean Carroll

Fellow readers, the time has finally come. After discussing this idea for (what seems like) years, the first G101 pre-game tailgate meet-up is kicking into the planning stages. No longer will you sit around wondering, “when will these guys ever show their face??” Ladies and gentlemen, that time is fast approaching.

To get this started, Benton and I thought it might be good to put the word out about a meet-up and see how many are still up for it, who would actually attend, and when would be a good time to do it. As such, it seemed logical to have the first one in the summertime (when the livin’s easy) for a pre-season game.

What’s more? If this is successful and everyone behaves enjoys themselves, we will look to do even more meet-ups. Further, Benton and I are looking into ways to have these events sponsored…at least partially, anyway. More details on that to come, but know that we’re trying.

We’ve all been a part of a tailgate…regardless of whether it was big or small…and we’ve all seen those big groups huddled around a couple grills, usually with a NYG bus of some kind behind them…it’s our time, gentlemen. We may not have a bus just yet, but we want to raise the G101 flag high and gather a nice, big crowd.

More than anything, we want to create an opportunity for everyone, writers and readers, to get together and shake hands, eat some bratwurst, and get pumped for some Big Blue football!

So what do we need to do to get this ball rolling? Well, we want to be as close to a democracy as we can make it, so the first step would be choosing a pre-season game with as many G101ers in attendance as possible. So take a look at the schedule below and pick out the one that makes the most sense for you:

  • Saturday, 8/21     7:00 PM ET vs. Steelers
  • Thursday, 9/02     7:00 PM ET vs. Patriots

In the comments section below, hit us up with the following info:

  • Which game do you plan on attending? If you’re not sure, just let us know which you’re leaning towards.
  • Would you plan to come by yourself or bring a friend/family member (if more, please give us a rough idea of the group you’d show-up with)?
  • How long would you want to stay (we want you to stay as long as you can, so don’t get shy on us)?
  • Would you be willing to chip-in a few dollars for food/beverages (this is NOT something we’re sold on asking, but we’d like to know who’d be willing to do so…we’re thinking maybe $5 or so)?

Thanks a lot for being the awesome readers you all are and we look forward to getting a chance to meet. Please don’t hesitate to share any constructive ideas you may have on ways to better the experience.  And to answer the question on all your minds: yes, Benton will be offering full-body royal blue paint jobs, free of charge. (jk) :)

Posted in Dan Benton, Giants 101 Meet-Up, Giants 101 Writers, Hazem Kiswani, Kyle Langan, Rich O'Callaghan, Sean Carroll, SimonGC | 36 Comments »

Fewell to a Giant DL Fire (and Domino’s winner!)

June 8th, 2010 at 7:10 PM
By Sean Carroll

In 2007, the pride and joy of the New York Giants was a fear-inspiring defensive line orchestrated by Defensive Coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo. A near-instantly embraced coach by players and fans, Spags took a group of highly talented individual players and turned them into a unified QB-blasting force of nature. This culminated into a Super Bowl victory, courtesy of (admittedly, amongst other Big Blue factors) the pressure of Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, and (then LB) Mathias Kiwanuka.

Fast forward two years and that pressure-dealing four-headed monster finds itself once again dormant and playing relatively uninspired (at least as a unit). Spagnuolo has left the Giants (2008) and Bill Sheridan is listed as “former” (2009) in the pages of New York Giants history.

Enter former Buffalo Bills Defensive Coordinator, Perry Fewell; the new Big Blue Defensive Coordinator. Fewell entered the Meadowlands with a history of strong defenses and has since shown that he will not be satisfied until Big Blue is once again the most feared in the league. After adding some depth and talent to the backfield, his sights are now set on the front four.

Ralph Vacchiano of the NY Daily News reported on the first look at Fewell’s new DE filled DL:

“He showed a tiny bit of that yesterday at the Giants’ ninth organized team activity (OTA) session of the spring, when the assembled media got a look at Kiwanuka at left defensive tackle, while Tuck and Umenyiora were on the end.”

Adding to the hope of the revival, Justin Tuck commented:

“We did a lot of other things that you all didn’t see. That’s the benefit of having this much talent, I guess. That’s a dangerous word, but we do have a lot of talent on the line, not just at the defensive end position. We’re able to put a lot of people in different situations and show different defenses to the offense. It’s hard to get a beat on what they want to do against us if they don’t know where we’re going to line up.”

Perhaps it’s just the natural skeptic in me (also noted by Vacchiano), but there are only so many spots on the defensive line for “this much talent.” And with the inherent urge from each player to be on the field as much as possible, Umenyiora’s (now defunct) ultimatum from last year, players who still have to prove their worth (Chris Canty, Jay Alford), and with two new rookies looking to make an impact as quickly as possible…Giants fans have to hope that Fewell has this under control…and hopefully is not just stoking a resentment-filled fire.

Defensive Line coach, Rob Nunn, stated:

“I can’t guarantee you that everybody’s going to be happy all the time.”

There’s no doubt that the Giants have the potential to resurrect that fearsome front four, but it will have to be done diplomatically and appropriately. The last thing this unit needs is more reason to be divided.

Domino’s Bounty Hunter Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to GRATEFUL GIANTS for providing the best answer to our most recent giveaway!  When asked what the New York Giants 2014 Super Bowl winning pizza would look like, the following answer was chosen as the winner:

The Dominos Defensvie End Pizza.

Not enough Pizza for so much talent?

OSIago cheese
JalaPeno Peppers
Kiwis
Tucked in between a DEep dish crust and few Benjamin Franklins.

Quite appropriate given the article above and one of the biggest situations facing the Giants this off-season.

Shoot me an email at scarroll (at) gmail (dot) com to arrange for your prize to be shipped.

Posted in 2010 Giants, 2010 NFL Draft, 2014 Super Bowl Bid, Beat Writers, Bill Sheridan, Chris Canty, Current Giants, Former Giants Coaches, Giants 101 Contests, Giants 101 Writers, Giants Coaches, Jason Pierre-Paul, Jay Alford, Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka, Osi Umenyiora, Perry Fewell, Ralph Vacchiano, Sean Carroll, Steve Spagnuolo | 16 Comments »

New Jersey Awarded 2014 Super Bowl, G101 Celebrates with Domino’s Giveaway!

May 25th, 2010 at 6:20 PM
By Sean Carroll

Mark your calendars, ladies and gentlemen…it’s official, the new Meadowlands Stadium will be the host of the Super Bowl come February of 2014. This will be the first time the Super Bowl is played in a “cold” region without the luxury of a roof/dome.

This decision has come with a significant amount of controversy as many NFL personnel/owners do not believe that allowing the elements to be a factor is a good idea. Previously, the rule was that the host stadium needed to have an average temperature of 50 degrees (F) if outside, or a dome. This “allowed” the teams to focus on the game and the game only.

Personally, I could not be happier about the decision. Football has always been recognized as a sport of grit and toughness, played in the harshest of elements and conditions. As was discussed on ESPN all day, many of the NFL’s greatest games are the ones played in poor conditions, such as, the Ice Bowl, the 2007 NFC Championship Game, the Patriots/Raiders “tuck rule” game, and many others.

This is how football was intended to be played. This is the NFL gridiron under the mercy of mother nature. So whether it’s 55 degrees and sunny or -15 degrees and a blizzard, the 2014 Super Bowl is set in the most appropriate of places to ring-in the new era of destinations.

Now if only the New York Giants can make it a home game!

Giants 101 celebrates the news!

While the Mara and Tisch families celebrate this exciting news, we thought it might be fun to do some celebrating here at Giants 101 as well!

Since we had such a good response to our last promotion, we decided to reach back out to our friends at Domino’s Pizza to help celebrate the big news! As such, we are going to be giving away another $20 Domino’s Pizza gift card.

Background:

While we celebrate this news, Domino’s Pizza is celebrating the launch of their new “Taste Bud Bounty Hunters” promotion, which asks Domino’s fans to identify which of their friends have not yet tried the new Domino’s pizza recipe. If you “tag” someone as a holdout, you can receive all kinds of goodies, from desserts, to discounts on pizza, to a chance for a YEAR’S supply of free Domino’s (52, $20 gift cards).

“To start the search, consumers can go to PizzaHoldouts.com. Domino’s will reward each Bounty Hunter’s first submission with a coupon for a FREE order of Chocolate Lava Crunch Cakes with an online delivery order of $10 or more. Each submitted pizza holdout will receive a coupon to buy one pizza and get a second pizza of equal or lesser value FREE (minimum delivery amount applies, only valid online).”

How to WIN:

For your chance to take down $20 worth of Domino’s goodness, you need to answer yet another simple question that mirrors the one we asked last time:

If the New York Giants were to (hypothetically) win the 2014 Super Bowl, what would the team’s celebratory pizza look like?  This can be toppings, crust, dough, cheese, whatever…be creative (but keep it clean)!

  • Please submit all entries by 12:01AM ET on Friday, May 28, 2010 in the comments section of this post.
  • Benton and I will decide on our favorite and award it based on which is the most creative and in-line with the question.
  • United States residents only/Domino’s Pizza provided the prizing (gift cards) for the purposes of this post, but Giants 101 was not compensated otherwise.

Posted in 2014 Super Bowl Bid, Dan Benton, Giants 101 Writers, NFL Teams, New York Giants, Sean Carroll | 31 Comments »

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