Haven't we been here before? A look at this week's critical NFC East matchup.
These past few weeks, I feel like I’ve been writing the same thing when I preview the Giants games, mainly because the players and coaches seem to say the same thing week after week.
Let me refresh your memory of some of the catch phrases that have been repeated these past few weeks, just in case they’re not already burned in your memory:
“We’re not panicking.”
“It all starts this week against {insert opponent’s name here.}”
“We have to play better.”
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Been there, done that and heard it all before. So my question is WHEN does the panic start, when there’s one game left? When does it finally register that it doesn’t start this week against {insert opponent here} but it actually started back in week one? When do they actually stop talking about playing better and start doing it?
I realize that the players don’t have any answers to the questions being asked (or maybe they do and because they’re not supposed to discuss game plans with the media to discuss the Xs and O’s, this is all they can offer without incurring the wrath of the head coach.
Something has been missing from the Giants this year – that edge and that swagger that’s been present in years’ past. I don’t know why it’s been missing, but if they’re truly serious about making the playoffs, they’d better get it back pronto. Because as I see it, you either want to be in the post season, or you don’t – there’s none of this “They wanted it more than we did” stuff.
If you really want to be in the post season, you find a way to overcome the cards that have been dealt to you.
If you don’t, you keep on making excuses or throw out the tired clichés that have been uttered so many times this season as your fade into oblivion.
WHY THE GIANTS WIN
Eli Manning.He’s had a stellar year and has proven repeatedly that when he needs to carry the team on his shoulders, he can do just that.
Feed the Beast. Lost in all the losses is the fact that the Giants running game has been slowly coming back to form thanks to the coaches making more of an effort to stick with it. Brandon Jacobs in particular has been running extremely well for two weeks, and I remain hopeful that he gets his first 100-yard game this season. Considering that the weather is going to be frightful, the team with the better running game should have the advantage, and in this case, that would be the Giants.
The Circus Is In Town.The Redskins have actually been playing more inspired ball over the last five weeks under lame duck head coach Jim Zorn. But it hasn’t been good enough for Washington owner Daniel Snyder, who reportedly has met with Mike Shanahan about possibly coming in to save his floundering franchise. They have also reportedly interviewed defensive coordinator Greg Blache about the head-coaching job as well. So maybe I’m over estimating things here, but I can’t help but wonder if at some point the lack of confidence ownership is showing in the coach will affect the preparation. Zorn is human, after all, and if the reports are true, I think it’s just terrible that the Redskins have begun looking for their next head coach while the current one is still employed.
WHY THE GIANTS LOSE
The Secondary. The defensive secondary is a mess thanks to the injuries, and I’m just not sure that defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan at this point has the answers to fix it. I remain concerned about the bend-but-don’t-break approach they’ve taken of late because they haven’t been able to stop opponents from moving the chains.
Prime Time Curse. The Giants are 18-31-1 on Monday night. This week’s game, by the way, is the first Monday night meeting against these two teams since 1989. The Giants won that game, 27-24. It is also the Giants’ first stint on Monday night since October 13, 2008, a game which Giants fans will probably want to forget as the Giants, 4-0 at the time, rolled into Cleveland and proceeded to receive a 35-14 whipping on national television.
Not the Same Ol’ Redskins.Yes, they’re 4-9, but they’ve been playing much more inspired ball of late, narrowly beating teams like Dallas and New Orleans. A big reason for that surge is the play of the defense, which can lay claim to having the league’s top-ranked red zone defense in the league. Washington has allowed just nine touchdowns by opponents inside of the red zone out of 31 possessions (29%) this season. Just what a struggling red zone offense like the 25th ranked Giants, who have made 48 trips to the red zone this season only to score touchdowns 22 times (45.8%) need to deal with.
GIANTS INJURY REPORT
OUT: None
DOUBTFUL: RT Kareem McKenzie (knee); CB Corey Webster (knee)
QUESTIONABLE: CB Aaron Ross (hamstring)
PROBABLE: QB Eli Manning (foot); RB Ahmad Bradshaw (ankles/foot);
WASHINGTON INJURY REPORT
OUT: None
DOUBTFUL: None
QUESTIONABLE: PK Graham Gano (right foot); T Stephon Heyer (knee); DT Cornelius Griffin (shoulder); CB DeAngelo Hall (knee); S Kareem Moore (ankle); FB Mike Sellers (quad)
PROBABLE: DT Albert Haynesworth (ankle)
Note: Washington did not practice on Saturday due to a snowstorm that hit the Northeast. The Giants were able to get their practice in by working inside their new practice facility.
PERSONNEL-LY SPEAKING
CB Terrell Thomas. After last week’s fiasco in the secondary, the Giants hopefully have learned that they MUST put their best cornerback on the opponent’s best receiver. The problem though is the Giants best cornerback (Webster) is probably not going to play thanks to his knee injury, so Thomas will probably be the one who draws the assignment of keeping the Redskins best receiver, Santana Moss, in check.
CB Kevin Dockery. I’m still not convinced that Ross is going to play Monday as you need to be very careful with a hamstring. If I am correct, Dockery will get the start opposite of Thomas (assuming Webster doesn’t go). Dockery, you’ll remember, was banned from the active list for a few weeks after turning in ne too many bone-headed plays. He seems to have taken several steps backwards this year, but maybe the time away from the game has helped him clear his head and gain a new perspective into the things he was doing earlier in the season that led to his demotion.
RT William Beatty. Getting his second career start at right tackle in place of the injured Kareem McKenzie, the rookie last week held up well thanks in part to the help he received from veteran Chris Snee. At some point, though, Beatty will be left to fend on his own to make decisions and to handle the guy lining up opposite of him. Will this be the week? If it is, the rookie should fare well as he’s a quick learner and has shown an exceptional commitment to the finer details of his game. He’s still a work in progress, but his upside is very encouraging.
MOLLY’S PICK (8-4-1)
When an animal surrenders its belly, that’s a sign of submission. Well, no shock here given the passive nature of Molly, but recently, she has discovered that if she rolls over onto her back and exposes her belly, she’ll be treated to a full-scale belly rub which helps her relax just before she retreats to her special fort for the night. .
Yes, Molly is a nice, passive dog. But make no mistake about it – if provoked, she will defend her territory. I remember not too long ago we were out on a walk and we ran into a neighbor who was walking her two dogs. Now when Molly and I go for a walk, she insists on taking her favorite toy with her, which is a small pink bone-shaped stuffed toy or her “bow tie as I call it. Anyway, during this walk, as she normally does, Molly went to say hello to the other dogs and to their owner when suddenly one of the dogs decided that it wanted Molly’s toy.
Well, that did NOT sit well with my pooch, who dropped the toy and aggressively went after the other dog. Now I don’t profess to be Dr. Doolittle, but whatever it was that she “said” to that other dog, it backed down.
That brings us to this week’s pick, the Giants. Molly knows that the Giants are a nice group of guys – she’s sat with me many times while I’ve transcribed audio in my office. But even nice guys, when pushed to the brink, will come out swinging. So I’m guessing that her pick this week is because she’s confident that the giants have FINALLY realized that their backs are against the wall and that it’s time to come out swinging with everything they have. If they can do that, then much like she did in her little squabble, they’ll be able to go home with the toy.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Although the Redskins have lost three of their last five games, they’ve only been outscored 121-97, a difference of 24 points. And they’ve especially done well against some potential playoff opponents. For instance, they lot by one point to potential wild card candidate Dallas (7-6); by three points to NFC East leader Philadelphia (27-24), and by three points in overtime to NFC South leader New Orleans (33-30). Last week, the Redskins trounced Oakland 34-13.
BY THE NUMBERS
In 2007, the Giants earned the moniker of the Road Warriors for their incredible efficiency away from Giants Stadium. This year, however, the magic on the road appears to have worn off as New York has been outclasses in its last three road games by a combined score of 114-50.
The last time a Tom Coughlin coached Giants team lost three consecutive games on the road was back in 2004 – Eli Manning’s rookie season -- when they dropped their final four regular season road games to Arizona, Washington, Baltimore and Cincinnati.
TELEVISION/RADIO COVERAGE
ESPN (Channel 9 in New York)
Play by Play: Mike Tirico
Analysts: Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworksi
Sideline Reporter: Michelle Tafoya
WFAN (660 AM) will be carrying the game live starting with the pregame show at 7:00 p.m. Russ Salzberg and Roman Oben 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.
