Ever since their losing streak commenced, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin has been placing more of an emphasis on the fundamentals. Thus far, however, his team hasn’t responded, given the results, but there might be reason to be optimistic that things are about to get better this weekend when New York hosts the San Diego Chargers in their final game before the bye.
It’s not going to be easy though as the Giants offense, which has struggled to take care of the ball and to put point up, is going against a Chargers defense that boasts a pair of dangerous pass rushers in Shawne Merriman and Shaun Philips.
“They are very talented on defense. It is not a team that we play very often so you’ve got to watch a lot of film, see some of their tendencies and what they like to do,” said QB Eli Manning.
Merriman in particular is of concern to the Giants offense given how the Chargers use them. “He is an outside linebacker who they will put on different sides of the ball. He is not always to a certain side, they like to rotate him around, move him around, try to get him one on one. He is a talented, talented pass rusher, but they’ve got a couple of guys who can get to the quarterback and cause some problems, so we have to block them all.”
For the Giants, who are trying to stop a three-game slide, they have placed a bigger emphasis on the “one game at a time” concept. Yet while some players view this weekend’s game as a do-or-die, Manning said that you have to keep some perspective.
“You don’t always like to put too much pressure on one game, but I think in this scenario, that is kind of what you have to do. We need to get a win going into the bye week and get back to playing our style of football and winning games. Performing better than what we have been, so we’ve got to prepare well all week and go out there and we’ve just got to play. Don’t think too much about it and just go do our jobs.”
If they do that, they can limp into their bye week with a healthy 6-3 record as they await the return of some of their season-long injured players to complete their recovery.
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Run the ball. Like the Giants, the Chargers have had some injuries which have weakened their run defense, which is allowing opposing rushers 4.2 yards per carry and which is ranked 27th against the run. Seriously, the rushing game has been the one aspect of the offense that has had any type of success, however minute it might be. And if the game of football is a about exploiting the opponent’s weaknesses, we’d like to see the tandem of Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Danny Ware take control of things, set the tempo and help the passing game work its way out of its funk.
2. Continue to Get Kevin Boss involved. See what happens when you use ALL your weapons in the passing game? The Giants finally looked to Boss last week, and he rewarded their confidence with three catches for the team leading 70 yards and the receiving game’s only touchdown. Boss needs to continue to be used in the passing game, as his size gives him a nice advantage over the Chargers’ safeties.
3. Put Pressure on Phillip Rivers. In a classic case of “what came first, the chicken or the egg?”, it’s been hard to determine if the Giants’ defense has struggled because of a lack of pass rush or because the secondary just hasn’t been up to snuff. If we were to take a guess, it would be the former given the fact that the Giants front office opted to not shore up its depth in the secondary, perhaps hoping that a strong pass rush would cover for a lot of sins. Well, the pass rush hasn’t been there consistently, so this would be a good week for it to finally remind people that it exists. The possible return of DT Chris Canty could go a long way of helping that come to fruition.
GIANTS INJURY REPORT
OUT: CB Aaron Ross (hamstring)
DOUBTFUL: None
QUESTIONABLE: DT Chris Canty (calf); LB Michael Boley (knee).
PROBABLE: RB Ahmad Bradshaw (ankle/foot); WR Mario Manningham (shoulder); QB Eli Manning (foot); TE Kevin Boss (ankle); WR Sinorice Moss (foot)
SAN DIEGO INJURY REPORT
OUT: C Nick Hardwick (ankle)
DOUBTFUL: LB Tim Dobbins (knee)
QUESTIONABLE: LB Kevin Burnett (ankle); DT Ogemdi Nwagbuo (ankle)
PROBABLE: TE Antonio Gates (foot); S Steve Gregory (ankle); DE Travis Johnson (groin); LB Shawne Merriman (foot); P Mike Scifres (groin);
ACROSS THE FIELD: THE TRADE HEARD ROUND THE WORLD
The date was April 24, 2004. After months of speculation siring around the Giants’ plans for taking a franchise quarterback, then General Manager Ernie Accorsi finally got the phone call he had been hoping for from his colleague in San Diego, AJ Smith.
The deal, in a nutshell, was that the Chargers would send their first round draft pick (and number one overall), who turned out to be QB Eli Manning, to the New York Giants in return for the Giants first round pick (Phillip Rivers) and third round pick in 2004, and their first and fifth picks in 2005.
“I was right there at my mom and dad’s house in Raleigh,” Rivers said when recalling the events leading up to his selection and trade by the Giants. “When the Giants took me, I never spoke to anyone from the Giants front office, so I knew something was up. Usually you at least talk to somebody. So as the next half-hour, hour, took its course – obviously we know what happened after that.”
It wasn’t until 2005, though, that the Giants and Chargers first met since making that blockbuster deal. In that game, which San Diego won 45-23 Manning was the Giants’ starting quarterback and actually had a decent showing, going 24 of 41 for 352 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Rivers, however, was the backup that day to Drew Brees, and didn’t see any action.
This week, the two quarterbacks who were at the cornerstones of one of the biggest trades in recent NFL history, will finally lead both of their teams into battle against one another.
“I think it is fun, however, anytime you compete against each other,” Rivers said. “Obviously I have to worry about that Giant defense and playing and managing the football game. But certainly any time you are going against a team led by a quarterback regardless of whether you are linked or not.”
Manning was perhaps a bit less sentimental, understandably so given that his team is stuck in the middle of a three-game losing streak in which he hasn’t been paying his best ball.
“I don’t get into playing other quarterbacks,” Manning said. “I have to worry about San Diego’s defense. Their offense is powerful and they score points and we have to do a good job offensively to try and keep them off the field.”
But Manning, who first met Rivers when he attended the Manning Family’s Passing Academy when he was a senior in college, did admit that there’s a bond between him and the man who might have been the Giants quarterback were it not for that famous trade.
“It’s a fraternity between quarterbacks. I have known Philip since college when we did some things together. He is a great player, great person and we always kind of keep up through texts over the years.”
“I would like to think it has worked out for both of us,” Rivers added. “You are always going to be linked in some ways to guys in your draft class, maybe even more so because of how that went down. But certainly a heck of a quarterback and a player. And obviously, he is still an ascending player. He has obviously accomplished a lot already but seems to still improve year to year.”
PERSONNEL-LY SPEAKING
LT David Diehl. Last week, Diehl went against DE Trent Cole, a speed rusher. This week it doesn’t get any easier as he’ll square off against Shaun Phillips and Shawne Merriman.
Eli Manning. He doesn’t want to admit he’s been in a slump, but until he presents another suitable word to describe this funk he’s been in which has seen him throw twice as many interceptions as touchdowns, he’ll be a player worth watching as the Giants can’t win with him making back-breaking decisions with the ball.
DT Chris Canty. He could very well see his first action this season since week one. Will his fresh legs be an advantage to a Giants pass rush that has been inconsistent all season?
TE Kevin Boss. His bum ankle has flared up again. this week, he’ll probably be asked to provide some chip blocking help, so will he be able to get the push he needs t provide that help?
S Aaron Rouse. Can he help stop the bleeding in the defensive secondary? Certainly he can't be any worse, right?
MOLLY’S PICK (6-2)
Molly knows a thing or two about being in a tailspin. As I’ve shared with you before, my beloved pooch was uprooted from her original home when her previous family fell upon financial hardship. As a result, she and her three puppies were placed in an overcrowded animal shelter somewhere deep in the heart of Georgia where, had they not been adopted after seven days, they would have been put down.
Thankfully, a worker at the shelter recognized that the four dogs would make wonderful family pets. He contacted a local shelter here in New Jersey and arranged to have the dogs transported north. However, although they were in no danger of being put down, their living conditions could have been better as they were kept outdoors in a barn like structure during the unpredictable weather period of late March-early April.
Molly must have been miserable as twice she tried to dig her way out of that yard to the road to freedom. However, she was unsuccessful and had no choice but to wait and hope that things would get better.
When my husband and I first met Molly, she was tethered to a big oak tree and was filthy from head to tail. When she saw my husband and me, she started to come forward, wagging her tail gently and with a sad look on her face as if to say, “Take me home with you, please?”
That was the beginning of a long and happy relationship we have with our pooch. Since we’ve brought her home, she hasn’t once tried to escape back down to the life she knew before. And I wouldn’t dream of giving her up for adoption, even if tomorrow I found myself living on the street because she’s just meant that much to us.
The moral of this story is that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel; you just have to not give up hope. Molly might not understand about hope or just how dire her situation really was, but she is a perfect example of how if you stay the course, things will eventually work themselves out. So that’s probably why this week’s pick is the Giants. Molly is a great example of finding the light at the end of the tunnel. Wouldn’t it be nice if the Giants were to follow her lead and find the light at the end of their darkened tunnel with a big win over San Diego to give them a respectable 6-3 won-loss record prior to the bye.
P.S. Molly’s three puppies were also placed in loving homes.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Prior to this year, the Giants have only faced the AFC West one season (2005) since divisional realignment took place in 2002. New York is 5-1 vs. AFC West opponents, including victories over Oakland and Kansas City earlier this season.
The Giants are 8-2 vs. AFC opponents since 2007.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Giants and Chargers met in Berlin, Germany for a preseason game in 1994. The Giants won 28-20.
TELEVISION/RADIO COVERAGE
CBS (Channel 2 in New York)
Play by Play: Jim Nantz
Analyst: Phil Simms
WFAN (660 AM) will be carrying the game live starting with the pregame show at 2:15 p.m. Russ Salzberg will be handling the pre and post game show. Bob Papa will call the game with Carl Banks providing the color commentary. Howard Cross will handle the sideline reporting.
