Chiefs of 0-4
by J.D. Cook
This is the second Giants blog I’ve started writing in the 4th quarter because I could see the game was over that early. This was a real make or break game for the New York Giants. It separated them from the possibly manageable 1 and 3 or the death sentence of 0 and 4. The Giants offense looked like a joke for the majority of the game. The offensive line managed the rush of the Kansas City Chiefs fairly well but Eli Manning was not getting rid of the ball in any sort of timely manner. I’m not sure if this was because the Chiefs pass coverage was THAT good or because Eli Manning is just having the worst season of his career. I mean I haven’t seen him look this unsure of what he’s doing since his rookie season in 2004 when the Giants went 6- 10. I mean Victor Cruz seems to be playing as well as ever and Hakeem Nicks looks solid but they are not getting the ball and when they do it’s a hectic mess of a toss.
The defense looks fine. They aren’t world beaters but they are an average defense that is going to make some stops and give some big plays up evenly. Unfortunately they are made to look completely horrible by the fact that when the Giants defense does get a big play the offense does nothing with it. The Giants defense got three turnovers and the offense capitalized on none of them. Last year I remember there being some bad times for the Giants but the offense always seemed to come away with at least 3 points when the defense got them the ball. Now it’s almost like we don’t even have an offense. The running game showed a few signs of life but instead of running on short yardage plays with Jacobs the Giants opted for tosses and short passes which allowed the loaded up Chiefs defensive line to get to Eli before he got rid of it or make it to the receiver before the ball reached them. It’s looking like my pre-season prediction that this was going to be a longgg year for the New York Giants is completely true as they look like they are on track for a 4 to 6 win season at this rate.
I’m not sure what they can even do to stop the bleeding now. It would take them 4 wins just to break even again. I’m not saying they should give up but they should definitely start thinking of how to fix things over the off-season. It seems like the team needs some big coaching changes. If Coughlin isn’t the one gone then maybe it will be Kevin Gilbride, who has always been a bit too conservative of a coach for my taste. That said it’s tough to make changes to a coaching staff that is very similar to the one that won two Super bowls. Unfortunately someone’s head has to roll after a year like this. Only time will tell whose is going to end up on the chopping block.
***
The Giants Blog is published every Monday during the NFL season while the New York Giants remain viable contenders (which in 2011 was right to the end and their Super Bowl championship). On the weeks when the Giants have a Monday night game, the blog will be published on Wednesday. The blogs are thoughtful (albeit heavily biased) analysis of the Giants’ performance from our editor-in-chief and Giant fanatic J.D. Cook.
