Eli and the Giants Showed You Nothing In Their Playoff Exit
| 14
|
by user Leslie Monteiro
The score may indicate that this game was close based on the Philadelphia Eagles winning in a 23-20 outcome, but in reality, it was not that close. Fans, sportswriters, and analysts always breakdown what happened. When they do, they are going to realize that the Eagles outplayed the New York Giants in this wild-card game. The Eagles did everything right and the Giants did everything wrong as they had all season. The Giants and their fans really should not feel good about this loss considering there were high expectations like winning the Super Bowl.
The G-Men did things that were not going to win them ballgames. They failed to translate scoring opportunities into touchdowns. They committed too many penalties, which has been their staple all season. The quarterback looked lost for most of the game. The defense did okay, but they gave up big plays. The coaching staff was clueless as usual. This has been a story of their season.
They could not cash in a touchdown. They had like three or four opportunities to go to the end zone, but they failed to get it done. They either settled with field goals or they had to punt. A example of that came in the first quarter. Giants could have led 14-0. If they led then, the fans at Lincoln Financial Field would have been deflated right away. They had couple of shots, but they fell short so they settled for Jay Feely kicking a field goal to make it 10-0. This made the Eagles feel little better about themselves.
Had they scored at least couple of those touchdowns, they would have advanced to the second round. For a team that has too many playmakers, it is inexcusable of them to fall short.
The Giants penalties extended to the postseason. What was Barry Cofield thinking attacking Jon Runyan? What Runyan did was wrong in hitting Cofield aggressively. With that said, there is a time and place to retaliate. This was not the right time. Giants could have been very close to scoring territory with the Eagles getting a penalty. Instead, it was negated thanks to Cofield's selfish act. Also, the false starts in this game was sick to watch. These two illustrations of penalties has been the signature play of that team this year. When Coughlin took the job, he promised that this team would play with discipline and intelligence. They have not played like that under Coughlin's entire tenure. This can get a coach fired right there.
Giants quarterback Eli Manning is in crossroads. Sure he did great in the fourth quarter, but where was he in the first three quarters. He was lost as usual. He struggled to make plays. He had hard time finding an open man at times. He and his wide receivers never seemed to be on the same page which has been a theme to their offensive woes this season. At some point, this guy needs to grow up and start taking charge. It is one thing to look lost in his first full season, but it is another thing to go through for three straight years now. He has to be assertive on the field and he needs to know what to do with the ball when it is time for him to throw. Coaching could be part of his problem, but it is up to him to apply the lessons that is being taught on the field. Another valid point is does he have it in him to do well. Jermey Shockey and GIants new offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride did lot of talking to the much-maligned quarterback in this game, but Manning just stood there. It seemed like he was not paying attention. Teams can not have that from their players in any sport.
Giants defense has had a rough year, but they held their part of their bargain. They tried to frustrate Eagles quarterback Jeff Garcia by shadowing him at every move. Garcia started to make plays along with Eagles running back Brian Westbrook when the defense was on the field for way too long. Give the Eagles credit for finding ways to move the ball and making plays which is something the Giants could not say in that game.
The coaching staff was a step behind the curve as usual. Coughlin and his staff got outcoached by the fine Eagles head coach, Andy Reid and his staff. Giants could not come up with a creative game plan to stun the Eagles in the second half. Great coaches always come up with wrinkles that make other teams think. When was the last time Giants fans could say that on Coughlin and his staff during the time they have been coaching the Giants? Giants were simply predictable. Eagles knew what they were going to do. They were going to stop Tiki Barber, who was one of the few that showed up. A trick play could not be too much to ask, right.
The only guys that showed up for this game was Barber, Plaxico Burress, Jermey Shockey, and Antonio Pierce. The rest played like stiffs. Those same guys have stolen money all year. Barber did all he could. It is not his fault that his quarterback could not make plays. When the passing game fails, what can Barber do when the Eagles decide to gang up with him. Burress made some plays when he had to. Shockey may not have been great on the field, but he at least tried to fire guys up and tried to get Manning out of his shell. Pierce made plays.
What's next for the Giants? They need to make wholesale changes.
They need to dump all the prima donnas. It is time to get rid of guys who talk yet do nothing to back it up. It is tiring to go watch Giants players self-promote themselves every week. They talk a good game, but never back it up on Sundays. They need intelligent football players who can play the game the right way like the Jets players do.
They need to get rid of Coughlin. The guy did the best he could, but it is not getting better. He lost his players long time ago. It is one thing to be a tyrant on and off the field. Coaches can get away with that. They can not get away with being a very incompetent head coach. This is why Giants players had enough of him.
What will the Giants do next? It is a scary thought. They need to hire a GM. Ernie Accorsi was a failure in that role. He is lucky that he is retiring so he gets saved from being ripped from Giants fans and the New York media. They also need to hire the right coach. Does anyone have any faith in John Mara and Stephen Tisch? Those two are novices when it comes to decision making. They never had to do that because their late fathers made those decisions. Wellington Mara and Bob Tisch knew a lot about the game. Can anyone say the same for their sons?
Everyone thought Charlie Weis would be the answer for the head coach. It is not a home run as we thought. Weis has not showed that he can be a good coach in the college level. He has yet to have his team beat a legitimate college football team. He has gotten outcoached in these games. Do the Giants fans want to see a rerun of that from their new head coach? They are better off hiring a guy like Ken Wisenhunt, who can get the most out of the troubled Eli Manning. Ron Rivera or Mike Tomlin would be solid choices too as long as they keep Kevin Gilbride or hire Eli's college coach, David Cutliffe.
One has to hope that there will be a light bulb in Eli's head during the offseason. For the next GM and the next head coach to be successful in New York, they really need their quarterback to start figuring it out before he starts being a bust.
There should not be a status quo for a season that was forgettable.
