T-Rock's Take: Inside the Giants

Eli, with 2 minutes to go, is an awesome 18 for 52. We are now a rubust 9 and 5 heading to another forgettable one and out in the playoffs....

ELi was not as bad as his receivers or GIlbrides stupidity or the giant tackling...

the other QB completed 6 passes for the game for 190 or so yards.......

maybe they should have catching drills?????Jacobs can lead the class. Moss he is a moron does he know what down it is and where the 1st down marker is???????

terrible game, the giants are morons with no heart.....SHokey can be replaced he is standard gant all sizzle and little production... Kiwanuka is more important.......Torbor stinks.....

they need the safeties for next week, Dahl stinks can he make a tackle??????

Ugly, ugly, ugly game

Dont know why they didnt give Bradshaw more touches, his first touch was for like 8 yards, than you never saw him after that

Im seriously questioning these off. calls. Moss/Smith could of easily worked the sidelines all game, Moss had 2 first down back to back on the sideline, and that was in

Oh, and hell of a catch Smith had, on his first catch of the game

I've been saying it all season (well most of it). Drop Balls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How many did they have? 10?
It's so embarrassing, Eli could of played better, but he didnt get much help from anyone eles

Tough loss with Shockey, They need to wear some padding or something, this injury is starting to become ridiculous

The Good: Kevin Boss played pretty good, so did Smith for the limited amount of time he was in, Bradshaw had some good returns too (Special Teams were good, not great though)
The Bad: Offense, Was a bit Windy, but the Redskins had the same conditions and they pulled out ahead

Defense played okay, not great, not horrible, but okay

Coaching needs to improve

The Giants can make the playoffs, but games like this make you ask how far will they really go, if they want to be considered a threat, they have some major issues to improve on:
-Drop balls
-pass protection can be better
-Defense not being fooled
-and when something works (sideline passes, bradshaw carries) stick to it, dont go having your QB throwing it deep on third downs and such

Tough loss to swallow, specially when the other QB hasnt started for 10 years, throws 9 or so passes and still beats you.

Dont know what it is, but the Giants really cant improve on offense, When the defense struggled they quickly fixed it, when the ST struggled they fixed it, but the offense has been struggling and they cant seem to fix it

Its really the same story, just a different week, Giants need to score more points, they have gotten away with it in the past, but didnt get away this game

the washington QB had 6 completions for the game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SMith looked good he made 1 catch.. Moss, the guy is a moron. He cost them 2 huge 1st downs......he thinks it is college where he is faster and more elusive then everyone.. Newsflash sinorice this is the big leagues..........

Amani had a big game, nice line!!!!!!!!!!!!!Gilbride thoought the game was in Miami!!!!!!!!!!$ passes on 5 plays on 1st drive of the game........Run the friggin ball in the wind, brain surgeon..Yeah the D did not play bad but at the end of the day they gave up 22 pts to Todd COllins!!!!!!!That is not real good....

the giants are so average.. if they lose to buffalo they will be watching the playoffs on there couch...............

Absolutely ridiculous. No business losing to this team at home. Now they have to hope they can pull it out against Buffalo before they get stomped by the Pats.
So sick of this team never playing a crisp game. This Redskins team didn't even belong on the same field. How many Giant drives Started in, or near, Redskins territory and they came up empty. Another missed FG by Tynes. Disgusting. Fans pay a lot of money to see a 9-4 team defeat a 6-7 team, and this is the performance they turn in on a night when they could have clinched a playoff berth!
I want to punch every wall in my house, right now.

feagles was out punted. tynes was outkicked. and the giants were out draw played..

the giants are not that good. can they be any worse in the red zone.....

unbeleivable..

3 and 4 at home for the season........

Jacobs dropped 5 passes... man that is alot.. he plays like the giants, small when it counts...

This was really a pathetic performance tonight. We lost this game strictly because of the offense. I don't care the defense gave up 22 points, the offense doesn't have their back and gives them nothing to get excited for. Brandon Jacobs had a great game rushing the ball but really needs to learn to catch. Amani with a horrible drop. Plax a couple bad drops, he is so good but so ineffective at this point on his ankle. Sinorice brainless play on that huge first down but I loved his route running and his speed and the outside. And Shockey's loss is huge not only does he have pretty good hands but his blocking has been unbelievable and acts as a sixth lineman. Eli didn't get any help at all with the drops and weather but 34 incompletions should never happen. Well bring on Buffalo

The better team won last evening and we certainly do not belong in the post season...

This is rediculous. This team is'nt fit for a playoff game. Maybe they'll lose to Buffalo and the Pats and stay out of postseason play because frankly, the Giants should'nt put the fans through another 1 and done January again. The Giants are BARELY a mediocre team that got lucky in Sep-Oct. and won a few games that should really be 5-9. This season's over!

Call me crazy, but given the weather conditions, don't you think it would have made sense to put together an offensive game plan that called for LESS THEN 52 PASSES!!!!!!! What insanity is it to feel that wind, see how it is blowing punts around, watch the receivers continue to drop balls, then get saved by Jacobs busting out a bunch of 10 yard runs, but keep calling for 20 yard passes. The worst play calling I've seen in years.

And of course, the dropped passes were ridiculous.

Can someone please tell me why Eli never uses a pump fake? I don't know if it is a coaching decision or his decision, but they work and the Giants should encorporate it. The only time they can get a safety or LB to bite is on the fake handoff. When they work, it can free up Burress, who needs extra time due to the ankle, downfield.
Eli just locks on his receiver on passing plays and gives it away. Watch Brady play and see how many quick slant pump fakes to Welker short help to spring Stalworth or Moss downfield. The Giants despirately need to start working in the pump fake to help get their recievers open.

E-LIE = Rocky Thompson Jr? He is one of the poorest QB's in the league & Accorsi gave up "farm" to get him. Way to go Ernie!

Whether or not Coughlin returns for next season (I believe he should not), Gilbride must not be allowed anywhere near the Giants ever again. It was as if he was determined to *only* use plays which wouldn't work.

But I assume Coughlin bought off Gilbride's so-called gameplan, which is why I want him gone too.

what is the status of WIlson and Butler for next week????

They need there safeties back.. Dahl is a terible tackler.

Also why is Dockerty starting over Ross???

They need Jacobs to carry 30 + this week against the BIlls......

Yea, I also found that very stranged that they keep putting it in the air. With the weather and specially the recievers not be able to hold onto the ball, simply run it, its not like we dont have a strong running game, its more like our strongest part of the offense

Moss had pretty good ball control, just know where the first down is, and your good to go. (How is he by the way, didnt he get injuried?)

Greg asks: Can someone please tell me why Eli never uses a pump fake?

Answer: Dunno. Philip Rivers pump fakes a lot. Works for him. Perhaps Eli's one of those guys who always walks the road least taken....

Why pump fake when you can throw bullets to the back of your offensive lineman's legs?

Whoever made up that game plan last night was clearly living in a bubble and not in the real world. From the first snap when we went five wide, it was clear that the weather conditions were not going to change the mindset of this pass happy coaching staff. Five of the first 6 plays are passes (even though the run gained 17!)? 2nd and 1 from our own 22 and we throw 2 incomplete passes? 3rd and 1 from midfield and we throw a bomb incomplete (though we were bailed out by the taunting penalty)? And so on ad nauseum....

As my friend next to me said, "Shocking, but not surprising." After all, this coaching staff has steadfastly refused to commit to the running game for nearly 3 seasons now. It has to be the only team in NFL history where the fans in the stands, who usually love the passing game, are regularly begging the coach to run the ball more. Though we shouldn't have expected them to do so, the stubborn refusal to adjust to the conditions in light of all the problems Eli and the receivers were having marked a new low. I can't root against the Giants, but if they do manage to pull off another late season collapse and lose their last 2, I will take solace in the knowledge that we will finally be done with these fools. In the long run, it would surely be better to get in Jason Garrett or Josh McDaniel as Head Coach and team them with Spagnolo running the D. Does anyone really believe this year's version of the Coughlin Giants is any better than one and done in the playoffs? Again?

We might get lucky and get matched up with Tampa Bay in the first round. Picture that. Chuckie vs TC. Santa's Evil Elf against a Guy Who Looks Like He's About To Have A Coronary. There'd be no drama between the hashmarks but the network would have a field day with sideline shots....

I wonder how this injury effects Shockey's New Year's Eve party.
As long as Coughlin and Gilbride are running the offense he will be underutilized.

I can't remember the exact time that was remaining when this drive happened, but I believe it was with just under 6 to play in the 4th. The Giants were approaching after the consecutive completions to Moss, had a 1st and 10, and NEEDED to score a TD quickly. They had all 3 timeouts left. They were inside the Skins 30. Jacobs had played a hell of a game so far, and they even had Bradshaw on the bench in case they wanted the heralded 'change of pace' back. Instead, in the oft mentioned poor weather conditions for throwing the ball AND the tendancy the Giants receivers were showing for dropping passes on this particular night, Gilbride draws up 4 consecutive pass plays, which all fall incomplete. Now, I'm not in the NFL and haven't played football since 11th grade in high school(10 years ago) but as I watched those plays unfold I grew increasingly confused. Why the heck didn't they try at least one run so they had a better chance of making a shorter 1st down conversion? I understand they needed to manage the clock(which is never their strong point, especially in 4th quarters it seems) but with all 3 timesouts plus the 2-minute warning, why not wear that defense down just that little bit more, and threaten that play-action just a little more to see if someone in the secondary bites? It really was suspect play calling, did Gilbride have money on this one?

On another note, Madden harped on this all night, and we saw it on the drive I just discussed...why didn't the Giants exploit the Redskins tendency to play far off the outside receivers with hitch and/or stop plays? It seemed to work on the few occasions they tried, and sure looked like more of a sure thing than the throws to Plaxico.

I am hautned by the image of that 4th and 10 throw that was batted down...you don't see that kind of play from Franchise QB's, I'm sorry Eli.

Don't apologize to Eli.

He's making 9 million per and he's wasted three years of our lives.

He should apologize to us....

That is awful, but true. I find myself torn at this point of the Eli era.

Assuming they don't pull off another collapse, there will be 3 straight playoff appearences. The graphic last night showed that he is in the top ten for TD passes in the NFL for the last few years. That's pretty good for a starting NFL QB.

But good gravy, some of the decisions are terrible. And he gets his passes batted down so often. Not to mention he has not performed well in any big game situation that I can recall.

I find that I'm still waiting for the 'break out' game, because it hasn't really happened yet.

It's a tough call, and I'm glad I'm not the one to make it :)

Either way, if a team scores more than 20 points against the Giants this year, they are going to lose. That's a shame.

No matter how this season ends(no playoffs, one and done, 2nd round exit) next year they need to inject some life into the offense. I tend to think it should be a new #1 receiver that won't be hobbled every year with an injury(and who doesn't dissapear in big games as Plax has done so far in his career). When I watch Romo and TO, I can't help but think how different Eli's career would be with a receiver like that...

There really needs to be a serious game plan change up

Having 51 passing attempts in that weather is just ridiculous, I dont even remember seeing them use play-action at all either

A positive not was even though Manning threw 50+ passes, he didnt have an interception =)

They should revert back to the short passes. 3rd and 2 and your going to throw a deep ball, give me a break

From watching some film, Eli played alright, could of been better, but was no where close to the vikings performance. When you have 12 dropped passes (including an almost sure TD to Toomer that could of changed the game) You have to start looking away from your QB and start evaluating the WR's

If you think about it, the only players that played pretty good were the Rookies, I dont think Moss dropped any catches (has to work on getting 1st downs, but a simple fix)
Boss played pretty good the limited time he was there
Smith played good, when his number was called
and even Bradshaw played good as RB, had a wobbled pass to him, but he held on to it (they really have to get him more involved)

I'll admit that the better team won, Alot of ppl blame Eli, but he did his job of getting the ball to the recievers, its the recievers job to hang on (Like Eli hti Matthews right in his chest and he dropped it, cant get any better than that)
Also, the defense didnt look the same, they had some flashes in the first half, but once they saw the offense not being able to score, it almost looked like they gave up and reverted back to the week 1 defense

The most bizarre thing about the three leg fractures is that they all occurred the same way -- a teammate rolling on the player's lower leg.

As for the equally bizarre offensive play-calling last night, Suzy Kolber reported at half-time that Coughlin told her the Giants were trying to ignore the weather conditions. In other words, Coughlin was taking a mind over matter approach, the same way he thought he could will away the "cancer" of injuries.

And Gilbride seems clueless.

Edit: It was 52 pass attempts 18 completions for 180+ yards

Now if you take away the 12 drop balls, your looking at 30 for 52 probably 250+ yards easily and probably another TD

So you go from a 35% completion pass, to a 58% comp. pass (not great, but pretty good considering the weather)

I'll say it before i'll say it agian, sometimes you have to look away from the quarterback. Im pretty sure with that game the Giants bumped themselves up to the #1 team with drop balls

I don't see the big deal with throwing 51 passes. They were down by 3 touchdowns in the second half. Of COURSE they were going to throw a lot of passes.

It's not throwing 51. It's completing 18 that's the big deal. And Steve B. with all his what ifs that somehow by magic jack up Eli's completion percentage to 58% is living in a parallel universe.

The point is, any REAL quarterback (anyone from Kenny Stabler to Bernie Kosar to Chris Chandler to Steve Young) would have figured out a way to put points on the board.

The quarterback is the guy who takes the heat. Stop making excuses. Eli is a failure. It's time to get a new QB.

Either draft one or get a free agent.

Uhhhh - my one question Arthur: WTF is up with all of the tipped passes?

According to the always reliable John Madden, Eli led the league coming into the game with 15 tipped passes (which is an average of just over 1 tipped pass per game).

Now add another 3 onto that total (which is 2 more than his per-game average!). So now he's at 18 tipped passes. Far and away greater than anyone else in the league.

I noticed last week against the 'Birds he was double-pumping a lot to get the D-linemen in the air before he threw it. Why did he get away from that strategy last night?

But seriously, why so many tipped passes? Anyone??!?

Hopefully the Giants get their warm bubble dome up by tomorrow so that they can get ready for Buffalo on Sunday...

I may stop watching football after this season. Several years ago the league shortened the game by keeping the clock going on out-of-bounds plays (with a brief 'illusory' stoppage). Because that move reduced the total number of plays (e.g., the game!) the league tried to increase the number of plays by imposing a '40-second' rule per play.

When the long-needed instant review started, the league was--no doubt--concerned that unlimited review time cut into commercial time. (The marketing fiction was that the instant review 'slowed down' the game. What slows the game down more than 2 hours of commercials?) To 'speed up' the game they imposed a review time minimax that enables the network, of course, to cut to commercial.

Networks now inundate you not only with commercials outside the game, but with a ridiculous number of advertisements and network plugging during the game. When it's all said and done, one ends up watching commercials punctuated by a few football plays. (Sometimes the commercials even cross into the limited game time!)

The referees are terrible and their ineptitude ruins the product. Even the commentators, whose livelihoods depend on fawning adoration of the league, notice that referees either do not apply the same rules or cannot see what happens in front of them. But how could we expect more? These folks are part-time and--no doubt--underpaid.

Finally, I foolishly subscribed to NFL Sunday Ticket. In addition to all the commercials, I'm subjected to at least one meta-commercial: that of the "sponsor" of Sunday Ticket. Why isn't this so-called "sponsor" paying so I can watch all these commercials, including the sponsor's commercials, for free? In reality of course, the sponsor is simply another advertiser--another revenue stream. I'm definitely going to stop paying the NFL to bombard me with this excessive commercialism.