Tweet
Where do you start? The Eagles were in complete control through 3 quarters. Then, the bottom fell out. The Giants recovered the Burress fumble for a TD. They recovered Westy's fumble and turned that into a TD. Then the Giants drove down and tied the game with only seconds left. Once the game went to OT, I just felt it was theirs. They had all the momentum and we looked shocked.
As bad as the result of the game is (a division loss at home), let's not throw out the baby with the bath water. There were some real positives in this game. Heck, there were a lot. If you look at some of the keys to the game, you'd be shocked that we lost.
* Controlled Tiki - He finished with 21 carries for only 51 yards. Did catch passes for 57 yards, but his longest play was only 10 yards. That is amazing based on his history against us.
* Controlled Shockey - He only caught 2 passes. Long play was 9 yards. We played good defense, but the Giants didn't go to him enough. Also, his ankle was really bothering him in the 2nd half.
* Got to Eli - We came up with 8 sacks and pressured him throughout the game. The rush did die down late in the game.
* Moved the ball - Our offense had over 300 yards in the first half and 450 for the game. We had several big pass plays (over 20 yds).
The problem really was turnovers. The Giants fumbled the ball 3 times, but didn't lose any of them. Burress's turned into a TD for them and Eli had the ball knocked away twice, but we didn't get either fumble. Westy put the ball on the ground and the Giants pounced on it. The turnover battle appears to be one for each team, but that is deceiving. We really needed to come away with one of those Giants fumbles.
One thing I have to say is that I like a lot of what I've seen from this team through two games. We have 13 sacks. Last year we had 29 for the whole season. We have almost 900 yards of offense. We are getting plays from all sorts of different receivers. Andy/Marty are showing more of a commitment to the running game. We had 44 carries after two weeks in '05. This year we have 60. I'm as disappointed as anyone with the outcome, but I am happy with the team that we have assembled.
I think playing the Texans in week one gave us a false sense of security. We got up on them and they were simply overmatched. The Giants are a good team. You play them, you play for 60 minutes. Not 30. Not 45. Not 59. We learned that lesson the hard way today. At least I hope we learned that lesson. We'll find out the next time we get a lead on someone.
OFFENSE
* We ran a lot of no huddle in the first half. It wasn't a hurry-up, but just a no huddle. The point of this is to force the defense to stick with the players they have on the field. They can't substitute guys for fear of the offense getting the ball snapped while guys are running on and off the field.
* Great blocking early on. McNabb had a lot of time on his early passes. The OL gave him time to look at multiple receivers on each play and find the open guy.
* Went with an empty set on the opening drive.
* We had lousy field position in the 1st Qtr. Our first two drives started at our 8 and our 6 yard line.
* Used a formation I hadn't seen before. We came out with 3 WRs, at TE, and Westy at RB. LJ was to the right side, but was a couple of yards away from the RT. Hank Baskett lined up between LJ and Runyan, but off the ball. Reggie lined up outside of LJ. It was a bunch formation, but I hadn't seen the alignment quite like that before. We ran a toss to the outside, but the play was stopped quickly.
* We ran more Pro Sets than I can remember in a long time. That is when you have split backs, a TE, and a WR to each side.
* Went 0-2 on 4th downs.
McNabb - Overall, Donnie had a good day. Threw for 350 yards and 2 TDs. Had a great first half. Threw the ball well. Carried out play fakes well. The "almost TD" to Schobel was set up by a very good fake. Did a great job of stepping up in the pocket. Sometimes Donovan doesn't move so well in the pocket itself. He was really good today at moving up a step or going just a bit to the right or left. This is another sign of his progress into becoming a veteran QB. Scrambled well when he needed to. Had 4 rushes for 31 yds. Got a couple of 1st downs on those plays. Did make some sloppy throws in the game. Had a 2nd/11 pass to a wide open LJ that hit the ground a couple of yards in front of him. Missed a wide open Stallworth prior to the half. Did something really dumb on 4th down late in the half...threw the ball away. Should have forced a pass to someone. Maybe they make a miracle catch. Maybe they draw a penalty. Out of bounds gave us nothing. Threw the ball at Westy's feet on 3rd/5 late in the 3rd. Would have been an easy 1st down. False start penalty was dumb...just dumb. Donovan was at the line and trying to fake out MLB Antonio Pierce.
Westbrook - We went to Westbrook early in the game. Last week, his touches in the first half were limited. Dropped a short pass early in the game. Made up for that with a great one-handed grab on the same drive. Very nice 12 yd TD run. Started to the left, then cut hard and went around the right side. Ran right by Emmons on the play. Showed good vision throughout the game. Stayed inside on some runs, but busted outside when the holes were there. Almost broke a huge run early in the 2nd. Blocked very well. Took out LBs and was good in helping on DEs. Ended up with 19 carries. Now has 36 in two weeks. That ties his career high total over 2 games.
Buck - Caught a pass in the flat and made a couple of guys miss. Turned a 3 yd gain into 9 1/2 yds. His best running play was negated by a penalty. Had a dramatic run in the 3rd Qtr. Got the ball and fell down. Stood up and the hole was gone. Went to the right and the Giants were there. Circled back and then went really deep. Came all the way to the left side and got blocks from a couple of guys, including a whisper of a block from McNabb. Ran over Gibril Wilson at the end, but ended up losing 4 yds. Wild play that could have been a 15 yd loss, but ended up only 4. Buck got the ball on the 4th/1 play late in the game. No gain on the play, but it wasn't his fault. The Giants beat our blocks.
Moats - Only played on STs. Good tackle in KO coverage.
Tapeh - Had a 3rd down pass go through his hands. Looked like the speed of the throw caught him off guard. Later, ran a play fake to him. Thomas was lined up behind McNabb in the Near formation. Pass went to LJ. Unusual to fake to the FB. Later, he actually got a carry as the FB. Effective day as the lead blocker. He's not a devastating blocker, but I love his speed and athleticism. Dropped a pass prior to the half. We might have actually been better off with that. Would have only been a gain of 7 or 8 and the clock would have been running.
Mahe - DNP
Stallworth - Quiet in the 1st Qtr, but burned Sam Madison early in the 2nd. Caught a medium pass on 3rd/14 for a gain of 33. Then caught a TD a couple of plays later. Ran really good routes on both plays that helped to get him open. Donte is a speed guy, but has shown he can handle press coverage as well. He has really impressed me. Worked the sidelines perfectly late in the first half. Dropped a pass on 1st down in OT. Would have put us at the NYG 44.
R. Brown - Only caught one pass, but it was a 23 yd TD. Ran a stop fade. That is where Reggie runs down the field and knows to stop and look back for the ball at a certain point. The pass is underthrown intentionally, knowing the CB will still be running and the receiver can usually make an easy grab. Perfect throw from McNabb and Reggie just caught it and walked into the endzone. Missed a block on Gibril Wilson on 4th/1. Dropped a pass in the 4th Qtr.
H. Baskett - Made a catch for 25 yds. Was in the left slot and ran a deep out. Jumped up to bring the ball in. Had a good block on Donovan's scramble on the final drive of the first half. Ran a pick route for Stallworth in the 3rd Qtr. Helped him to get just a bit of seperation and opened him for a slant. Baskett actually came open from his guy as he turned upfield. Donovan threw the ball just as Hank got by his guy. Did a smart thing in raising his hand as he got open. Could have been a big play.
G. Lewis - Good out route catch to help get the FG before HT. Big 3rd down catch late in game. Got us a big 1st down.
LJ Smith - Force in the middle of the field. Caught a pass over the middle for gain of 30. Was swinging the ball out in front of him as he ran downfield. LJ has to keep that ball tight to his body. Got quite a few RAC yards in the game. Ended up with 7 catches. Believe it or not, had a good run block on Strahan on 3rd/2 play on our first drive. Allowed Buck to get the 1st. Got a good block on Strahan on Westy's TD run. Helped to block on Strahan, then released and caught a pass for a gain of about 7. Had 2 drops. Both were tough. The first came on 3rd/1. LJ blocked, then released. Donovan put the ball on him before he could even turn around fully. Blitzer was on him and that forced the hurried throw. LJ looked surprised when the ball hit him in the arms.
Schobel - Dropped a sure TD on a Corner route. Poor block on Strahan on run play. Made a catch in the 4th Qtr and fought for the 1st down.
Thomas - Osi got a sack on him, but Tra really wasn't to blame. He had Umenyiora blocked when Herremans came over and got a major shove on him. That sent Osi wide and he then had a free run at McNabb. Todd has to learn how to double team and help out the OT. Tra is very good at sticking with pass rushers even when they beat him initally. Osi beat him to the edge a few times, but Tra was able to get his hands on him and ride him wide/deep. That allows Donovan to step up in the pocket and gives him good time.
Herremans - Sloppy block on Robbins led to him hitting McNabb. Good on LBs on run plays.
Jackson - DT Barry Cofield gave him a tough time on some running plays. Paved the way for Westy on a screen pass that went for 11 yds. Was beaten by Cofield on a run play late in the game.
Andrews - Had a Jon Runyan Special. Ran downfield and unloaded on Will Demps just after the whistle blew. It wasn't dirty, but was aggressive. Will had to learn not to stand near a pile. Got good push on running plays. Absolutely moved LBs on some runs.
Runyan - Did a good job of controlling Strahan. Held him sackless. Jon got his hands on him and was able to keep him at bay for most of the game. Drew a holding call. Got a really good block on a LB on Westy's 12 yd run in the 2nd half. Sloppy block on Strahan let him get to Westy on 3rd/3. That led to 4th/1. Missed Strahan on 2nd down at the 2 minute warning.
----------------------------------------
DEFENSE
* Ran an interesting set early in the game. Put Trent Cole at LDE and lined up Kearse beside him even wider. Cole went inside of the RG and Jevon shot around the RT.
Howard - Played RDE and LDT. Shot up the middle on one pass play. A Giant OL held his jersey as Darren went upfield, but there was no holding call. Sure looked like 76 was holding him on the first play of the Giants drive that tied the game. Darren beat him and got upfield. The OL was reaching out and looked like he had jersey. No call.
Walker - Had an effort sack. Used a very good swim move to beat David Diehl, then fought his way to Eli. Was being held, but there was no call. Got off the ball well on other plays. Brought some pressure up the middle. Read a screen pass and blew it up. Played well.
Patterson - Came up with a sack on 3rd/8. Drove the LG back, then shed him and put Eli on the ground. Just missed a sack on the final drive. Was the NT and was double teamed. Used a spin move to get off the blocks and grabbed Eli. Just couldn't bring him down before Manning got the ball away. Did come up with half a sack in OT. Unfortunately, that is the play where Kearse got hurt. Good game.
Kearse - Finished with 2.5 sacks. Unfortunately, the half sack ended with him being injured. Patterson hit his left leg as they both got to Eli. Sounds like a serious injury. Jevon was used creatively by JJ. Stood up on an early 3rd down. Came off the edge and got his hands on Eli, but couldn't get hold of him. Did come up with a sack late in the half. Dropped with a WR on a zone blitz and looked good for the first ten yards. Also played some RDE. The thing I'm most impressed with is that he's turning the corner better than in the past. Kearse isn't just flying upfield out of control. He's good enough to beat RTs while playing under control.
Cole - Came up with a sack on 3rd down. Shot off the ball and stayed low. Was able to grab Eli by the lower legs and bring him down. Came up with another sack in the 2nd half. Beat 77, then got by 27. Played the run well. Stood out on one play. The Giants ran an odd toss play and Cole was supposed to be suckered to coming hard upfield. Instead, he read the play and held his ground, then made the tackle. Looked as if he was held on a couple of plays, but got no calls. Trent made a huge mistake late in the game. He kicked an OL and drew a flag that moved the Giants tying FG attempt to inside of 40 yds. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Bunkley - Had a quiet game. You can see his strength on some plays. Stonewalled the C on a run play, but Brod has to get more penetration. He's got to be more disruptive.
Ramsey - Wasn't credited with any tackles, but got in on one at least. Got into the C, then shed him and combined with Trot to tackle Barber for a short gain. Hustled. Hasn't forgotten what got him on the team. Called for offsides once. Pursued well.
Thomas - Came up with a sack. Didn't get a great burst on the ball, but turned the corner really well and just engulfed Eli. The ball was knocked loose, but an OL fell on it.
McCoy - Another strong showing. Blitzed up the middle on the first play of the game and ran over Tiki Barber. Didn't get to Manning, but he knocked the crap out of Tiki. Had a TFL on an early Barber run. Matt came up and took on the FB and a G. That forced Barber deeper and wider and Matt and Trot tackled him for a loss. Very good play. Took a bad angle on Jacobs long run (12 yds) and that gave Brandon a big running lane. Almost blocked a punt. Got good penetration and took a run, but was a step away. Looked good in coverage. Hit Tiki on 4th/2 as the pass got there and the ball was picked off by Trot. Matt has now been a part of 2 turnovers in 2 games. That is 2 more than Keith Adams had all last year. Soon enough people are going to have to lose the "Eagles OLBs are a weakness" line.
Trotter - Any time we stop the run, you can bet Trot is having a good game. Jeremiah was a force in the middle. He came up quickly vs the run and controlled the middle. Also had a solid day in coverage. He helped out in some of the gang coverage of Shockey. Came up with an INT in the 4th Qtr.
D. Jones - Was called for holding on Shockey, but looked questionable to me. Dhani jammed him, but Jeremy wrapped his arms around him and they fell to the ground. I'm not sure how that is a penalty on the defender. Shot into the backfield on a run and tackled Tiki for no gain. Stuffed the FB on a running play and held Tiki to a short gain. Blitzed off the edge once, but the play was a designed quick throw.
Barber - Played in the Nickel. Looked good in coverage. Tackled well and his presence was felt in the middle of the field when the Giants threw underneath. Shawn got to the ball in a hurry and limited RAC yds. Blitzed up the middle once and hurried Manning.
Gaither - Starting to make his presence known on STs. This kid is going to be Ike Reese, Jr.
Short - Didn't stand out on STs. Was credited with one tackle.
Lito - DNP
Sheldon - Sniffed out a screen and made the tackle to limit it to a short gain. Tackled well on a short throw made to his side late in the game. Didn't have much action coming his way. Unfortunately, gave up the game winning TD to Burress. There may have been some interference on Plax's part, but officials aren't going to make that call in OT. Sheldon has to locate the ball and make a play on it. He didn't see the ball til it was too late and never made a play for it.
Hood - Hobbled off just before halftime. Had a quiet game up to that point. Did not return.
Hanson - I frankly don't know what to say about Joselio. He had a bunch of throws come his way, but I can't say he was horrible. The man is our #4 CB and he went up against Plax most of the game. He covered him one-on-one a few times. Hanson didn't give up a TD. He tackled well a couple of times, but also struggled to bring Burress down a time or two.
Dawk - Forced a fumble by Burress, but unfortunately it was recovered by NYG Tim Carter for a TD. Blitzed up the middle and drew an intentional grounding call on Eli. Blitzed up the middle and batted down a pass late in the half. Had a beautiful tackle on Brandon Jacobs. Dawk ran up and picked the big guy up and slammed him to the ground. This is one of the few times that 200 lbs got the better of 260 lbs.
Lewis - Was active & aggressive early on. The Giants saw that and burned him with a play action pass. TD for Amani Toomer. Hood could have been at fault on the play, but the way he stopped made it sure look like zone coverage. If so, the SS would have deep responsibility on the WR. Should have had a fumble recovery on the ball that Dawk knocked away from Burress. Mike dove on it and looked to have it wrapped up, but the ball squirted loose. May have screwed up by looking in the backfield on Toomer's late TD. The Giants ran a weird play action and Mike was really watching it. He never came up, but also never retreated into coverage. It appeared as if he had deep responsibility on his half of the field. Toomer ran right by Wynn and made a very good catch for the TD.
Considine - Was used over the top on Burress at times. Moves really well. You can see where this guy has cover skills. Excellent tackle in punt coverage. Had 2 tackles in STs coverage. Looked better than last week. Blitzed a couple of times, but the QB fired the ball away quickly. Almost made a diving INT.
Mikell - Only played on STs.
D. Wynn - Burned by Toomer for a TD. Dexter was in the slot and just let Amani run by him. Dexter has to turn and run more decisively. He hesitated for maybe half a second. Got in on tackles vs the run a couple of times.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Returners - Wynn handled all the kicks/punts. He had a 22 yd punt return late in the 1st half. Caught punts well and showed elusiveness. Had a 13 yd PR in OT that put us in excellent field position. Dexter got a chance and did well with it. Part of that has to be the Giants coverage teams not playing well. They missed tackles and were quite sloppy, unlike the Texans coverage units last week.
Coverage - Solid day. The Giants did have a 31 yd KOR, but our guys were good for the most part.
Akers - Had weird KO to start the game. The kick was fine, but David ran down in coverage and ended up in a scuffle. He was shoved in the back while by the Giants sideline. As he went out, David thrust his arms into a bystander on the sideline. A couple of Giants players got in his face and shoved him around, but Giants PK Jay Feeley broke the thing up. Next KO was short, but looked intentional. 3rd KO was a touchback. Generally had good depth on his KOs.
Hit the goalpost for the 2nd week in a row. This one didn't go in. It was a 48 yd attempt. That FG proved very costly. Nailed a 37 yder just before halftime.
Dirk Diggler - Big punt in OT. Penalty forced him to re-kick and he pinned the Giants at the 14.
------------------------------------------------------
RANDOM NOTES
* Very little blitzing in the 1st Qtr. They brought LBs on run downs.
* Back to back false start penalties turned 3rd/4 to 3rd/14.
* Used bracket coverage on Shockey at times.
* Great directional punting by Jeff Feagles. He continually pinned Dexter Wynn by the sidelines or put the ball out of bounds.
* Ran on 3rd/3. Westy got 3.01 yds.
* 2 weeks in a row with points on the final drive of the 1st half.
* 2 weeks in a row our opponent has scored on the opening drive. That isn't a good trend. However, we've adjusted well in both games and really dominated.
* Gang tackling on Tiki really limited his RAC yds on pass plays. It also helped to eliminate cutback runs.
* Shockey went catchless for 3 Qtrs.
* 8 sacks...most since Rams game of 2002
* Strahan played the run very well. Any time the G-men stopped us, he seemed to be in the middle of it.
* Give Visante Shiancoe a lot of credit for hustling downfield. He hit Mike Lewis as Mike was trying to recover Burress fumble. Tim Carter made the recovery, but that never happens without Shiancoe. He also recovered a Manning fumble late in the game. Two big, heads up plays.
* Antonio Pierce closed the hole on 4th/1. Gibril Wilson made the tackle, but Pierce made the play. He attacked the LOS and gave Buck no running space. Great MLB play on a critical down.
As bad as the result of the game is (a division loss at home), let's not throw out the baby with the bath water. There were some real positives in this game. Heck, there were a lot. If you look at some of the keys to the game, you'd be shocked that we lost.
* Controlled Tiki - He finished with 21 carries for only 51 yards. Did catch passes for 57 yards, but his longest play was only 10 yards. That is amazing based on his history against us.
* Controlled Shockey - He only caught 2 passes. Long play was 9 yards. We played good defense, but the Giants didn't go to him enough. Also, his ankle was really bothering him in the 2nd half.
* Got to Eli - We came up with 8 sacks and pressured him throughout the game. The rush did die down late in the game.
* Moved the ball - Our offense had over 300 yards in the first half and 450 for the game. We had several big pass plays (over 20 yds).
The problem really was turnovers. The Giants fumbled the ball 3 times, but didn't lose any of them. Burress's turned into a TD for them and Eli had the ball knocked away twice, but we didn't get either fumble. Westy put the ball on the ground and the Giants pounced on it. The turnover battle appears to be one for each team, but that is deceiving. We really needed to come away with one of those Giants fumbles.
One thing I have to say is that I like a lot of what I've seen from this team through two games. We have 13 sacks. Last year we had 29 for the whole season. We have almost 900 yards of offense. We are getting plays from all sorts of different receivers. Andy/Marty are showing more of a commitment to the running game. We had 44 carries after two weeks in '05. This year we have 60. I'm as disappointed as anyone with the outcome, but I am happy with the team that we have assembled.
I think playing the Texans in week one gave us a false sense of security. We got up on them and they were simply overmatched. The Giants are a good team. You play them, you play for 60 minutes. Not 30. Not 45. Not 59. We learned that lesson the hard way today. At least I hope we learned that lesson. We'll find out the next time we get a lead on someone.
OFFENSE
* We ran a lot of no huddle in the first half. It wasn't a hurry-up, but just a no huddle. The point of this is to force the defense to stick with the players they have on the field. They can't substitute guys for fear of the offense getting the ball snapped while guys are running on and off the field.
* Great blocking early on. McNabb had a lot of time on his early passes. The OL gave him time to look at multiple receivers on each play and find the open guy.
* Went with an empty set on the opening drive.
* We had lousy field position in the 1st Qtr. Our first two drives started at our 8 and our 6 yard line.
* Used a formation I hadn't seen before. We came out with 3 WRs, at TE, and Westy at RB. LJ was to the right side, but was a couple of yards away from the RT. Hank Baskett lined up between LJ and Runyan, but off the ball. Reggie lined up outside of LJ. It was a bunch formation, but I hadn't seen the alignment quite like that before. We ran a toss to the outside, but the play was stopped quickly.
* We ran more Pro Sets than I can remember in a long time. That is when you have split backs, a TE, and a WR to each side.
* Went 0-2 on 4th downs.
McNabb - Overall, Donnie had a good day. Threw for 350 yards and 2 TDs. Had a great first half. Threw the ball well. Carried out play fakes well. The "almost TD" to Schobel was set up by a very good fake. Did a great job of stepping up in the pocket. Sometimes Donovan doesn't move so well in the pocket itself. He was really good today at moving up a step or going just a bit to the right or left. This is another sign of his progress into becoming a veteran QB. Scrambled well when he needed to. Had 4 rushes for 31 yds. Got a couple of 1st downs on those plays. Did make some sloppy throws in the game. Had a 2nd/11 pass to a wide open LJ that hit the ground a couple of yards in front of him. Missed a wide open Stallworth prior to the half. Did something really dumb on 4th down late in the half...threw the ball away. Should have forced a pass to someone. Maybe they make a miracle catch. Maybe they draw a penalty. Out of bounds gave us nothing. Threw the ball at Westy's feet on 3rd/5 late in the 3rd. Would have been an easy 1st down. False start penalty was dumb...just dumb. Donovan was at the line and trying to fake out MLB Antonio Pierce.
Westbrook - We went to Westbrook early in the game. Last week, his touches in the first half were limited. Dropped a short pass early in the game. Made up for that with a great one-handed grab on the same drive. Very nice 12 yd TD run. Started to the left, then cut hard and went around the right side. Ran right by Emmons on the play. Showed good vision throughout the game. Stayed inside on some runs, but busted outside when the holes were there. Almost broke a huge run early in the 2nd. Blocked very well. Took out LBs and was good in helping on DEs. Ended up with 19 carries. Now has 36 in two weeks. That ties his career high total over 2 games.
Buck - Caught a pass in the flat and made a couple of guys miss. Turned a 3 yd gain into 9 1/2 yds. His best running play was negated by a penalty. Had a dramatic run in the 3rd Qtr. Got the ball and fell down. Stood up and the hole was gone. Went to the right and the Giants were there. Circled back and then went really deep. Came all the way to the left side and got blocks from a couple of guys, including a whisper of a block from McNabb. Ran over Gibril Wilson at the end, but ended up losing 4 yds. Wild play that could have been a 15 yd loss, but ended up only 4. Buck got the ball on the 4th/1 play late in the game. No gain on the play, but it wasn't his fault. The Giants beat our blocks.
Moats - Only played on STs. Good tackle in KO coverage.
Tapeh - Had a 3rd down pass go through his hands. Looked like the speed of the throw caught him off guard. Later, ran a play fake to him. Thomas was lined up behind McNabb in the Near formation. Pass went to LJ. Unusual to fake to the FB. Later, he actually got a carry as the FB. Effective day as the lead blocker. He's not a devastating blocker, but I love his speed and athleticism. Dropped a pass prior to the half. We might have actually been better off with that. Would have only been a gain of 7 or 8 and the clock would have been running.
Mahe - DNP
Stallworth - Quiet in the 1st Qtr, but burned Sam Madison early in the 2nd. Caught a medium pass on 3rd/14 for a gain of 33. Then caught a TD a couple of plays later. Ran really good routes on both plays that helped to get him open. Donte is a speed guy, but has shown he can handle press coverage as well. He has really impressed me. Worked the sidelines perfectly late in the first half. Dropped a pass on 1st down in OT. Would have put us at the NYG 44.
R. Brown - Only caught one pass, but it was a 23 yd TD. Ran a stop fade. That is where Reggie runs down the field and knows to stop and look back for the ball at a certain point. The pass is underthrown intentionally, knowing the CB will still be running and the receiver can usually make an easy grab. Perfect throw from McNabb and Reggie just caught it and walked into the endzone. Missed a block on Gibril Wilson on 4th/1. Dropped a pass in the 4th Qtr.
H. Baskett - Made a catch for 25 yds. Was in the left slot and ran a deep out. Jumped up to bring the ball in. Had a good block on Donovan's scramble on the final drive of the first half. Ran a pick route for Stallworth in the 3rd Qtr. Helped him to get just a bit of seperation and opened him for a slant. Baskett actually came open from his guy as he turned upfield. Donovan threw the ball just as Hank got by his guy. Did a smart thing in raising his hand as he got open. Could have been a big play.
G. Lewis - Good out route catch to help get the FG before HT. Big 3rd down catch late in game. Got us a big 1st down.
LJ Smith - Force in the middle of the field. Caught a pass over the middle for gain of 30. Was swinging the ball out in front of him as he ran downfield. LJ has to keep that ball tight to his body. Got quite a few RAC yards in the game. Ended up with 7 catches. Believe it or not, had a good run block on Strahan on 3rd/2 play on our first drive. Allowed Buck to get the 1st. Got a good block on Strahan on Westy's TD run. Helped to block on Strahan, then released and caught a pass for a gain of about 7. Had 2 drops. Both were tough. The first came on 3rd/1. LJ blocked, then released. Donovan put the ball on him before he could even turn around fully. Blitzer was on him and that forced the hurried throw. LJ looked surprised when the ball hit him in the arms.
Schobel - Dropped a sure TD on a Corner route. Poor block on Strahan on run play. Made a catch in the 4th Qtr and fought for the 1st down.
Thomas - Osi got a sack on him, but Tra really wasn't to blame. He had Umenyiora blocked when Herremans came over and got a major shove on him. That sent Osi wide and he then had a free run at McNabb. Todd has to learn how to double team and help out the OT. Tra is very good at sticking with pass rushers even when they beat him initally. Osi beat him to the edge a few times, but Tra was able to get his hands on him and ride him wide/deep. That allows Donovan to step up in the pocket and gives him good time.
Herremans - Sloppy block on Robbins led to him hitting McNabb. Good on LBs on run plays.
Jackson - DT Barry Cofield gave him a tough time on some running plays. Paved the way for Westy on a screen pass that went for 11 yds. Was beaten by Cofield on a run play late in the game.
Andrews - Had a Jon Runyan Special. Ran downfield and unloaded on Will Demps just after the whistle blew. It wasn't dirty, but was aggressive. Will had to learn not to stand near a pile. Got good push on running plays. Absolutely moved LBs on some runs.
Runyan - Did a good job of controlling Strahan. Held him sackless. Jon got his hands on him and was able to keep him at bay for most of the game. Drew a holding call. Got a really good block on a LB on Westy's 12 yd run in the 2nd half. Sloppy block on Strahan let him get to Westy on 3rd/3. That led to 4th/1. Missed Strahan on 2nd down at the 2 minute warning.
----------------------------------------
DEFENSE
* Ran an interesting set early in the game. Put Trent Cole at LDE and lined up Kearse beside him even wider. Cole went inside of the RG and Jevon shot around the RT.
Howard - Played RDE and LDT. Shot up the middle on one pass play. A Giant OL held his jersey as Darren went upfield, but there was no holding call. Sure looked like 76 was holding him on the first play of the Giants drive that tied the game. Darren beat him and got upfield. The OL was reaching out and looked like he had jersey. No call.
Walker - Had an effort sack. Used a very good swim move to beat David Diehl, then fought his way to Eli. Was being held, but there was no call. Got off the ball well on other plays. Brought some pressure up the middle. Read a screen pass and blew it up. Played well.
Patterson - Came up with a sack on 3rd/8. Drove the LG back, then shed him and put Eli on the ground. Just missed a sack on the final drive. Was the NT and was double teamed. Used a spin move to get off the blocks and grabbed Eli. Just couldn't bring him down before Manning got the ball away. Did come up with half a sack in OT. Unfortunately, that is the play where Kearse got hurt. Good game.
Kearse - Finished with 2.5 sacks. Unfortunately, the half sack ended with him being injured. Patterson hit his left leg as they both got to Eli. Sounds like a serious injury. Jevon was used creatively by JJ. Stood up on an early 3rd down. Came off the edge and got his hands on Eli, but couldn't get hold of him. Did come up with a sack late in the half. Dropped with a WR on a zone blitz and looked good for the first ten yards. Also played some RDE. The thing I'm most impressed with is that he's turning the corner better than in the past. Kearse isn't just flying upfield out of control. He's good enough to beat RTs while playing under control.
Cole - Came up with a sack on 3rd down. Shot off the ball and stayed low. Was able to grab Eli by the lower legs and bring him down. Came up with another sack in the 2nd half. Beat 77, then got by 27. Played the run well. Stood out on one play. The Giants ran an odd toss play and Cole was supposed to be suckered to coming hard upfield. Instead, he read the play and held his ground, then made the tackle. Looked as if he was held on a couple of plays, but got no calls. Trent made a huge mistake late in the game. He kicked an OL and drew a flag that moved the Giants tying FG attempt to inside of 40 yds. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Bunkley - Had a quiet game. You can see his strength on some plays. Stonewalled the C on a run play, but Brod has to get more penetration. He's got to be more disruptive.
Ramsey - Wasn't credited with any tackles, but got in on one at least. Got into the C, then shed him and combined with Trot to tackle Barber for a short gain. Hustled. Hasn't forgotten what got him on the team. Called for offsides once. Pursued well.
Thomas - Came up with a sack. Didn't get a great burst on the ball, but turned the corner really well and just engulfed Eli. The ball was knocked loose, but an OL fell on it.
McCoy - Another strong showing. Blitzed up the middle on the first play of the game and ran over Tiki Barber. Didn't get to Manning, but he knocked the crap out of Tiki. Had a TFL on an early Barber run. Matt came up and took on the FB and a G. That forced Barber deeper and wider and Matt and Trot tackled him for a loss. Very good play. Took a bad angle on Jacobs long run (12 yds) and that gave Brandon a big running lane. Almost blocked a punt. Got good penetration and took a run, but was a step away. Looked good in coverage. Hit Tiki on 4th/2 as the pass got there and the ball was picked off by Trot. Matt has now been a part of 2 turnovers in 2 games. That is 2 more than Keith Adams had all last year. Soon enough people are going to have to lose the "Eagles OLBs are a weakness" line.
Trotter - Any time we stop the run, you can bet Trot is having a good game. Jeremiah was a force in the middle. He came up quickly vs the run and controlled the middle. Also had a solid day in coverage. He helped out in some of the gang coverage of Shockey. Came up with an INT in the 4th Qtr.
D. Jones - Was called for holding on Shockey, but looked questionable to me. Dhani jammed him, but Jeremy wrapped his arms around him and they fell to the ground. I'm not sure how that is a penalty on the defender. Shot into the backfield on a run and tackled Tiki for no gain. Stuffed the FB on a running play and held Tiki to a short gain. Blitzed off the edge once, but the play was a designed quick throw.
Barber - Played in the Nickel. Looked good in coverage. Tackled well and his presence was felt in the middle of the field when the Giants threw underneath. Shawn got to the ball in a hurry and limited RAC yds. Blitzed up the middle once and hurried Manning.
Gaither - Starting to make his presence known on STs. This kid is going to be Ike Reese, Jr.
Short - Didn't stand out on STs. Was credited with one tackle.
Lito - DNP
Sheldon - Sniffed out a screen and made the tackle to limit it to a short gain. Tackled well on a short throw made to his side late in the game. Didn't have much action coming his way. Unfortunately, gave up the game winning TD to Burress. There may have been some interference on Plax's part, but officials aren't going to make that call in OT. Sheldon has to locate the ball and make a play on it. He didn't see the ball til it was too late and never made a play for it.
Hood - Hobbled off just before halftime. Had a quiet game up to that point. Did not return.
Hanson - I frankly don't know what to say about Joselio. He had a bunch of throws come his way, but I can't say he was horrible. The man is our #4 CB and he went up against Plax most of the game. He covered him one-on-one a few times. Hanson didn't give up a TD. He tackled well a couple of times, but also struggled to bring Burress down a time or two.
Dawk - Forced a fumble by Burress, but unfortunately it was recovered by NYG Tim Carter for a TD. Blitzed up the middle and drew an intentional grounding call on Eli. Blitzed up the middle and batted down a pass late in the half. Had a beautiful tackle on Brandon Jacobs. Dawk ran up and picked the big guy up and slammed him to the ground. This is one of the few times that 200 lbs got the better of 260 lbs.
Lewis - Was active & aggressive early on. The Giants saw that and burned him with a play action pass. TD for Amani Toomer. Hood could have been at fault on the play, but the way he stopped made it sure look like zone coverage. If so, the SS would have deep responsibility on the WR. Should have had a fumble recovery on the ball that Dawk knocked away from Burress. Mike dove on it and looked to have it wrapped up, but the ball squirted loose. May have screwed up by looking in the backfield on Toomer's late TD. The Giants ran a weird play action and Mike was really watching it. He never came up, but also never retreated into coverage. It appeared as if he had deep responsibility on his half of the field. Toomer ran right by Wynn and made a very good catch for the TD.
Considine - Was used over the top on Burress at times. Moves really well. You can see where this guy has cover skills. Excellent tackle in punt coverage. Had 2 tackles in STs coverage. Looked better than last week. Blitzed a couple of times, but the QB fired the ball away quickly. Almost made a diving INT.
Mikell - Only played on STs.
D. Wynn - Burned by Toomer for a TD. Dexter was in the slot and just let Amani run by him. Dexter has to turn and run more decisively. He hesitated for maybe half a second. Got in on tackles vs the run a couple of times.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Returners - Wynn handled all the kicks/punts. He had a 22 yd punt return late in the 1st half. Caught punts well and showed elusiveness. Had a 13 yd PR in OT that put us in excellent field position. Dexter got a chance and did well with it. Part of that has to be the Giants coverage teams not playing well. They missed tackles and were quite sloppy, unlike the Texans coverage units last week.
Coverage - Solid day. The Giants did have a 31 yd KOR, but our guys were good for the most part.
Akers - Had weird KO to start the game. The kick was fine, but David ran down in coverage and ended up in a scuffle. He was shoved in the back while by the Giants sideline. As he went out, David thrust his arms into a bystander on the sideline. A couple of Giants players got in his face and shoved him around, but Giants PK Jay Feeley broke the thing up. Next KO was short, but looked intentional. 3rd KO was a touchback. Generally had good depth on his KOs.
Hit the goalpost for the 2nd week in a row. This one didn't go in. It was a 48 yd attempt. That FG proved very costly. Nailed a 37 yder just before halftime.
Dirk Diggler - Big punt in OT. Penalty forced him to re-kick and he pinned the Giants at the 14.
------------------------------------------------------
RANDOM NOTES
* Very little blitzing in the 1st Qtr. They brought LBs on run downs.
* Back to back false start penalties turned 3rd/4 to 3rd/14.
* Used bracket coverage on Shockey at times.
* Great directional punting by Jeff Feagles. He continually pinned Dexter Wynn by the sidelines or put the ball out of bounds.
* Ran on 3rd/3. Westy got 3.01 yds.
* 2 weeks in a row with points on the final drive of the 1st half.
* 2 weeks in a row our opponent has scored on the opening drive. That isn't a good trend. However, we've adjusted well in both games and really dominated.
* Gang tackling on Tiki really limited his RAC yds on pass plays. It also helped to eliminate cutback runs.
* Shockey went catchless for 3 Qtrs.
* 8 sacks...most since Rams game of 2002
* Strahan played the run very well. Any time the G-men stopped us, he seemed to be in the middle of it.
* Give Visante Shiancoe a lot of credit for hustling downfield. He hit Mike Lewis as Mike was trying to recover Burress fumble. Tim Carter made the recovery, but that never happens without Shiancoe. He also recovered a Manning fumble late in the game. Two big, heads up plays.
* Antonio Pierce closed the hole on 4th/1. Gibril Wilson made the tackle, but Pierce made the play. He attacked the LOS and gave Buck no running space. Great MLB play on a critical down.