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An Afternoon With Giants Coach Tom Coughlin

June 28th, 2010 at 8:26 AM
By SimonGC

After a weekend dominated by the morbid “will he?” or “won’t he?” regarding Chad Jones keeping his leg, I thought it best to turn our focus back to football nice and early this week. Where better to turn for a “State of the Giants” roundup than head coach and resident funny-man Tom Coughlin.

On the defense:

Q: Through the OTA’s and now minicamp, how do you see the defense? Do you think they are starting to gel?

A: They seem to be a group that had some fun working together. There are some personalities back there – (Antrel) Rolle and (Deon) Grant are gregarious kind of guys and that has been a real plus. And I think, hopefully, there is some confidence growing at the linebacker spot. And certainly you can see that there is some depth emerging in the front. So I think they are anxious to prove what they can do.

Q: You think Perry Fewell was a good hire then?

A: I think so, no doubt. I’m convinced of that.

G101’s take: every allusion to personality and leadership on defense may not be a subtle poke at Bill Sheridan and his mess of a unit, but it sure is sweet music to the ears of Giants fans…

Speaking of safeties:

Q:  What is the one thing that you are most unsure about your team as you head into the summer?

A: I don’t know – so much has been made of getting Kenny Phillips back, I think, at full speed. And I’m very confident – he is, also, that he will be back.  We look forward to that part of it.  It is always a challenge integrating these young guys into the program and solving some of the issues that we had last year.  Obviously always staying healthy and that type of thing.

G101’s take: On one hand, it’s good to hear Coughlin talk about Phillips as if he expects him back. On the other hand, I don’t like that a vague question about uncertainty immediately brought Kenny Phillips’ rehab to mind. “Confident…that he will be back” doesn’t necessarily mean opening day…

On replacing Hixon as a returner:

Q:  Aaron Ross hasn’t done a lot – any – punt returns since he has been here.  I know he has had injury problems in the past, but he seems like he has embraced taking an early shot at that.  Do you see him in that role?

A:  I would hope; I would hope.  He did that in college.  I would certainly hope that he would be one of the guys that would really be a consideration.

Q:  Mario Manningham is a guy that Jerry Reese mentioned as well.

A:  He has been back there consistently, yeah.  The number one thing, of course, is the ball security issue.  And that would be where someone has to really prove, first and foremost, that they have mastered that part of it.  So it will be interesting in camp to see who comes to the front.

G101’s take: Let me translate that for you: “As of this moment, I would trust Aaron Ross to do it. Manningham? Not so much.” However, this is a moot point if recent waiver claim addition Chris Davis sticks to the roster.

Guys, if you missed Rich’s piece on Will Beatty the other day, check it out.

Now, let’s get Coughlin’s take on Beatty:

Q: What have you seen out of Will Beatty so far?

A: I like what I have seen. He has had a good offseason. He is bigger, he is stronger. He is playing both sides. We know that he is extremely athletic. Assignment-wise he has gotten pretty good. I see improvement.

Q:  more on Beatty’s progress

A:  Well, he just keeps going.  He has just got to keep getting better.  It is not about unseating or anything like that.  It is the idea of having enough people here – of a high quality so that we can effectively use all of our people, whether it is extra linemen in short yardage and goal line – the little nicks that happen during the course of the year.  So you just need a lot of good quality football players for a 16-game NFL schedule.  So all of these young guys who have had one year of experience – in order for us to get where we want to go, we need them to be the best that they can be.

G101’s take: Beatty’s progress is one of the more interesting aspects of the offseason, and Coughlin seems to go out of his way to downplay the notion that Beatty is auditioning for a starting job, instead insisting that it’s just about getting better. Okay, Tom, whatever you say. Coughlin’s comments on Beatty, although guarded, were entirely positive.

On Andre Brown:

Q: Andre Brown seems to be doing fine.

A:  He is doing a little better, yeah.

Q: Is he all the way back?

A:  He has been cleared to go.  Now you have to work your way back through something like that.  He has had a couple of times during OTA’s that he has had a couple of issues.  But he looked very good today and he has practiced both practices yesterday.

Q:  He catches the ball.

A:  Yeah he does.  He does catch the ball well.

G101’s take: It really sounds like all of the medical limitations are off of Brown. From here, the next stop is just seeing him on the field: does he still have the explosion? If so, that’s good news for a Giants backfield that has lacked a bona fide receiving threat since Tiki Barber left football to…well, you get my point.

On Danny “DJ” Ware:

Q: Is there anything wrong the Danny Ware?

A: No.

Q: His reps?

A: He has had plenty of reps, take a look at yesterday. Are you counting them? Count them. There are five of them – four of them, excuse me. He gets lots of work. He catches the ball well, too.

G101’s take: Whoa! Touchy touchy there, Coughlin. Sounds to me like someone tried to ask, without asking, if DJ Ware was being buried for a reason. We’re not there to see whether Coughlin or the questioner was right about Ware’s reps, but there’s long been rumblings that the Giants staff aren’t huge fans of Ware. Trying to spoon-feed Brown and Gartrell Johnson reps in the hope that one of them can leapfrog Ware wouldn’t surprise me…

{Huge hat tip to Giants.com…}

Posted in 2010 Giants, Andre Brown, Antrel Rolle, Bill Sheridan, Chad Jones, Current Giants, D.J. Ware, Deon Grant, Domenik Hixon, Former Giants, Former Giants Coaches, Gartrell Johnson, Giants 101 Writers, Giants Coaches, Giants Front Office, Jerry Reese, Kenny Phillips, Mario Manningham, Perry Fewell, SimonGC, Tiki Barber, Tom Coughlin, William Beatty | 84 Comments »

Aaron Ross or Terrell Thomas to Start for New York Giants?

June 22nd, 2010 at 2:14 PM
By SimonGC

Not much going on today so I wanted to pop in with a question for G101ers and see what you guys think. If Aaron Ross is totally healthy and performing like his old self come training camp and preseason, does he return to the starting role that he surrendered to Terrell Thomas last year?

First of all, let’s get the jokes out of they way: yes, Aaron Ross being healthy is a huge if; yes, his hamstrings might be made out of rubber bands. But remember, this is the same guy who willingly threw an already subluxed shoulder into Marion Barber’s thigh in a playoff game, and dropped Barber in his tracks. The guy’s a warrior, not to mention that he probably has the best hands in our secondary.

Of course, this doesn’t take anything away from Thomas, who could very soon be the best cornerback on the Giants if he continues progress at the rate he did last year. Thomas rarely gets caught out of position, and last year made big strides towards plugging the biggest hole in his game: tackling the ball carrier. He came out of college with a history of injuries, but has remained healthy so far in the pros. Does Aaron Ross’ faded pedigree knock this clearly deserving kid out of a starting role?

Time (and Perry Fewell) will tell, but I think I’m going to have to side with T-squared on this on. Not that he’s far and away a better corner than a healthy Ross (although he may well be), but Ross fits into the nickel role better. Ross has played a lot of different positions in the secondary and so he’s got the versatility to wear many hats, which would prevent Thomas from trying to get used to things he probably didn’t do alot of  last year as the main guy. The kicker: Ross might as well take the smaller defensive workload if he’s going to be returning punts (as I think he should be).

What say you, G101?

Posted in 2010 Giants, Aaron Ross, Current Giants, Giants 101 Writers, Giants Coaches, Perry Fewell, SimonGC, Terrell Thomas | 70 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 »

Giants To Open Up Offense?

June 9th, 2010 at 8:48 AM
By SimonGC

A note from Mike Garafolo’s OTA report the other day mentioned that the Giants were doing lots of running drills, which isn’t all that surprising or telling, but it got me thinking: are we going to see the same ‘run first, run heavy’ Giants team that we’re accustomed to seeing under Tom Coughlin?

After all, Eli Manning threw for about 800 more yards than he did in the previous three years, setting career highs in touchdowns (27), yards per game (251), completion percentage (62.3) and passer rating (93.1) without setting a career high for passing attempts. And he did all this behind an offensive line that was banged up and uncharacteristically inconsistent, and (perhaps because of that reason) a running game that was at times non-existent.

Manning also has a battery of weapons that make opening up the passing game tempting: first round draft pick Hakeem Nicks will join young but reliable pro-bowler Steve Smith to create a stellar starting duo; the immensely talented (if mentally inconsistent) Mario Manningham will have a chance to break out as the third WR; TE Kevin Boss is still solid as a rock. Throw in complementary targets like Travis Beckum, Ramses Barden and Domenik Hixon and you’re looking at a deep and versatile core, with plenty of directions to spread the ball around.

But here’s the question: just because they can, does that mean they should?

Eli Manning put up career-best numbers, to be sure. But in trying to pick up a woefully unproductive running game and overcome a defense that gave up points like it was going out of style, it looks like this passing game production should be taken as less of a statement about where the offense is heading, and more of a indication about how pitiful the rest of last year’s team was (and yet again, to the lingering Eli Manning haters, yet another instance of Elisha stepping up to the plate when it counts).

Unless the Giants running game falls apart like it did last year, there’s no reason to devise Saints’ or Patriots’ style game plan where throwing the ball 45 times is optimal. Running the ball maintains time of possession (a Coughlin fave), keeps the defense fresh, and ultimately makes the quarterbacks’ life a heck of a lot easier. Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw and the rest of the crew are too talented not to get 25-30 carries among them. Last year’s eye popping numbers were more a function of necessity, less the birth of a new direction for the Giants offense. It sure is nice to know Eli can do it if he has to, but I don’t see Tom Coughlin and Kevin Gilbride coming to camp with a playbook that looks much different from seasons past (even if Jerry Reese has given them all these shiny new toys to throw to).

With what happened to last year’s team, a reestablishment of the running game seems of the utmost importance, and not just as far as X’s and O’s are concerned. This team needs to reassert an aggressive mentality, the ability to simply win physical match-ups and outplay your opponent, on both sides of the ball. The running game is the perfect start to establishing that physical mentality.

Posted in Ahmad Bradshaw, Beat Writers, Brandon Jacobs, Eli Manning, Giants 101, Giants 101 Writers, Giants Coaches, Giants Front Office, Hakeem Nicks, Jerry Reese, Kevin Boss, Kevin Gilbride, Mario Manningham, Mike Garafolo, Ramses Barden, SimonGC, Tom Coughlin, Travis Beckum | 54 Comments »

Special Teams A Sore Spot for Big Blue

May 18th, 2010 at 9:15 AM
By SimonGC

In football, old guys like Tom Coughlin like to spin some form of the old adage that you must win all three phases of the game: offense, defense and special teams. We’re all relatively comfortable with Eli Manning leading the offense, and we’re all resigned to the fact that the defense is a huge question mark. But the special teams, under-appreciated and often unnoticed, can play a huge role in deciding which way a tight game goes, and that wasn’t a great thing last year.

We have at least one resident poster here on G101 who has been hollering for Special Teams coordinator Tom Quinn’s head, and when the Giants were handing out pink slips to defensive coaches there was some talk that Quinn might get one too. After all, no one values special teams play more than old boy Coughlin, and he could not have been happy with what he saw last year. The question is, how can Quinn turn it around with much of the same tools at his disposal.

One of the most obvious places the Giants lacked for production were on kickoffs, both coverage and returns. Bringing back kicks for a paltry, miserable, pathetic measly 20.9-yard average was good for 28th in the league. Hard to lay all the blame on Domenik Hixon. The Giants never seemed able to develop a non-wedge blocking scheme that worked. That said, Hixon’s main contribution to this team is going to be kick returns so, for his own sake, he’s got to find a way to get some yards.

The kickoff coverage team was a mixed bag. Although Lawrence Tynes is almost incapable of kicking touchbacks (he had only 6 in a whopping 86 tries), the coverage team was decent, allowing only 21 yards per return (although, if the other team is fielding Tynes’ kick at the thirteen yard-line……). Coordinator Quinn indicated that Tynes improved as last year went on:

He went – from Week 11 on – he was very consistent. If we can get that out of him, then we will be very happy. He just started the year too inconsistent for us – too many misses. So he will get that. You look at the last maybe six games that we charted – maybe seven games — real consistent with good hang time, good location and good distance.

The one true weapon the Giants did have on special teams was legendary angler (no, not fishing) Jeff Feagles. Feagles had the ability to single handedly win the field position battle, and that goes a long way towards winning, or even being in, close games. Although the Giants only punted 64 times last year (5th lowest in the league), Feagles managed to put 23 of those bad boys inside the 20. He could be surgical in that corner, and he’s going to be missed, regardless of who wins the punting job (the 7th round pick or the Australian guy). Asked if he thought Matt Dodge could handle the directional punting requirements of the NFL, Quinn offered a less than ringing endorsement:

He has done a little bit but nothing to the extent that we ask. The hashes are in tighter in this League. And so now there is more direction to the kick than in college…it is going to be a process with the catching the snap, modeling the ball, getting a good leg swing on it. The big thing for these young guys will be to hang the distance. We don’t want a 55-yard punt with 4.1 hang. That is very tough to cover. So we will get the hang, the distance consistent and then we will start working direction when it is the appropriate time.

Tom Quinn has a tougher job than he’s had in years. He’s got a newbie punter replacing a legend, he is (or should be) still working on a blocking system for kick returns, he’s got a new holder for field goal tries and he’s got to figure out a way into Lawrence Tynes’ head so that he doesn’t inexplicably miss 33-yard kicks. Tough job.

Sorry for the doom and gloom special teams report, but here’s a juicy little tidbit from the end of Quinn’s interview (thanks Giants.com), that came in reference to a question about Chad Jones returning punts:

He could be. He did it in college and he had a nice one for a touchdown. And so they had a lot of confidence to put him back there because they had an all-American returner that they had to take out of the game and they put him into the game when it was a +50 punt. So his heels were on the 10 and he had to make the decision. He was a sure-handed catcher.

Posted in 2010 Giants, Chad Jones, Domenik Hixon, Jeff Feagles, Lawrence Tynes, SimonGC | 47 Comments »

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