I hate Monday mornings when the Giants lose. It's natural for any fan to hate the first day of the work week and having to take the abuse by some random Eagle fan at work....you know who you are (Frank).... and keep on hearing it until the next Sunday. This time, it was a little different for me. Sure the Giants lost. Sure it was a Monday. But after hearing the Michael Vick Bandwagon grow exponentially over the sports radio airwaves since MNF against the Redskins, the Giants must have the best defense in the league, if you believe even half of the stuff that has been said about Vick. Do not get me wrong. I think the revival of Michael Vick's life, personally and professionally, is a great story. But he is not the best quarterback in the league as countless callers have declared on WFAN and ESPN radio. He had a game for the books on Monday last. He actually played like the Michael Vick plays in NFL 2K3. But people! It was one game. Has he had a great season? Absolutely. He hasn't even thrown an interception yet. But I remember a quarterback who only threw three interceptions in the regular season a few years ago only to follow up that season with two consecutive mediocre campaigns. He's having himself quite a revival this year as well. And that quarterback is David Garrard. Not even a guy who is discussed when a top ten quarterback conversation is started. Michael Vick is a dangerous player, yes, but the Giants defense actually contained him pretty well. They even sacked the "best" quarterback in the league 3 times, causing one fumble. So, after I got over my anger at the outcome of the game, I clicked over to ESPN to watch the Sunday night highlights. And what I saw, when they came to the Eagles-Giants match, was that the Eagles did not beat the Giants. The Giants beat the Giants. I know it a cliche, but this time it's actually true.
TURNOVERS
Sorry there is no secret. The title gives it away. The Giants could not overcome the 5 turnovers that they committed on Sunday night. New York was -4 in turnover ratio at the end of this game. That is unacceptable. And it starts with the quarterback. Eli Manning was accountable for 4 of those turnovers. Three interceptions and a fumble from your signal caller will spell doom for almost any team. The fact that the Giants only lost by ten points is a miracle. Most of Manning's interceptions this year have actually not been his fault. You can't say that in this game with the exception of one. Asante Samuel jumped a route against Hakeem Nicks on a short slant. That one I won't blame on Manning, it was just a very nice play by a very good player. But these other turnovers, I don't have excuses for. Forget the interceptions. I've learned to live with them. What I cannot live with is the fact that my quarterback might be the worst scrambler in the league and doesn't know how to slide. The Giants, statistically, have one of the best offenses in the league. Rushing and, this year, passing as well. A dynamic receiver in Hakeem Nicks, a bruising tight end in Kevin Boss, a shifty half back in Amhad Bradshaw, a power back in Brandon Jacobs, and an accurate passer in Eli Manning. All in all: The Giants can move the ball. The Giants can put up some points. New York scores an average of 25 points per game. The problem is that they also average about 3 turnovers per game. Manning wasn't the only one to blame. Amhad Bradshaw put the ball on the carpet for a league leading 6th time. He's lost 5 of those fumbles. Someone call Tiki Barber and ask him what righted that wrong for him. While you're still by the phone, call Joe Girardi and ask him if he can spare a Yankee to teach Eli how to slide. Thanks.
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead, I feel confident that the Giants, if they can control the turnover issues, can still make a serious run for a championship. Their resurgent defense is playing well. Their offense hasn't been this promising in.......ever. Their special teams needs a total rehauling, but that can wait until the off season. The offensive line has played well, despite missing Shaun O'Hara and David Diehl for a while now. Steve Smith needs to come back, especially since the news of Hakeem Nicks missing about three weeks. The Giants next test is a home game against the last AFC South opponent they will play this year. The Jaguars have gotten mighty lucky this year. From 60 yard game winning field goals to last second game winning Hail Mary heaves, the Jaguars are not as good as their record, but you can't overlook their running game. MJD is one of the best down field backs in the game, and the Giants need to treat him as such. Stop the run, control the clock, hold the ball. Three ingredients to a win next Sunday for the Giants.
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