Week 12 Jump to Conclusions Mat Pt. 2

Defensive Line

-George Richford (DE grade sheet) Rich (analysis)

Week 12 DE grade sheet

Week 12 DT grade sheet

…the best effort put forward by the group to date. Rodgers was never able to get comfortable and that was a trend that began at the opening snap. As we all know by now, Green Bay's passing game (and in turn entire offense and entire team) are so reliant on timing throws from Rodgers. When he is on the offense has a discernable rhythm. The Giants disrupted that rhythm for 60:00 in this oen.

…let this game serve as a reminder of something that we all have known— this team will go as far as the defensive line will take them. No matter what other issues or problems the Giants may have in a given game or season, this is a unit that can take over a game and take the opposing offense out of the matchup. Again, this is something that is not news to any of us, but it helps to have some hard data to support the evidence. 

…to prove this let's look at some U22 data, which in this instance offers a look at the DL's grades on passing plays. In the Week 3 romp over Carolina, the d-line collectively recorded a 10 overall. Fast forward to the Week 4 loss to the Eagles and you will see an overall grade on pass plays of 4. A look at another disappointing effort for the Giants, Week 10 @ Cinci, shows the unit recording a 1 overall. Not awful but also not dynamic. In the Week 6 blowout of the 49ers the group compiled a 13 overall. In this past week's game, the group combined to record a 10 on passing plays. For those not counting—@CAR, @SF and vs GB came in at a grand total of 33. Combined score in those three games–100-20 What does this (small) sample tell us? It tells us that while there may be games the Giants' could win without a solid effort from the DL and ones where the DL plays well but the Giants take the L, there is no doubt that this group makes the Giants' path to succes clear if not simple.  In any game where the unit excels, it is safe to say that it will be damn near impossible to beat this team. May not be the most reliable or consistent route to consistent victory, but it sure is exciting and entertaining. And if this Giants group is nothing else, they sure are exciting and entertaining

Linebacker

-Steve Hardin

Week 12 LB grade sheet

...mostly nickel (the Giants' three safety look) package on the field against Green Bay. I criticized us for this in the Steelers game but am completely fine with it against this offense.  When we did go three LBs, which was only three or four snaps, it was interesting to see Herzlich on the field and not a healthy Keith Rivers. Blackburn and Boley were on the field for nearly every defensive snap and turned in a great effort recording a 4 and a 3 respectively. 

…no question we were able to get to Rodgers all game.  We got great pressure from our guys up front, but a lot of them were a result of great coverage.  More than any other game, guys were covering receivers in our zone looks instead of just zones, and it took away a lot of Rodgers checkdowns when his primary threats weren’t available, making him to scramble, force a throw, or get taken down.

…saw Boley running to "the hole" a little bit in Cover 2 instead of Blackburn. Blackburn, as I have mentioned many times, does a surprisingly good job of this despite his limited athleticism.  Boley, who is more athletic, needs to slow down a little in these situaitons. Yes, he needs to be able to cover any threats down the seam when that is your responsibility, but he still needs to make his initial reads. There were two specific occasisions in this one where we got draw and screen, respectively, and Boley had his head turned running backwards eight yards from the LOS. Needless to say that will get you burned most of the time. 

Running Back

-Matt Poliquin

Week 12 RB grade sheet

…while this one was a top notch performance for the offensive line, there were solid efforts sprinkled in throughout the game by the backs who made some plays. But for the most part — the run production was a function of the O-line’s ability to create holes and get to the second level.

…on the fourth play of the game, Bradshaw sparked the offense on an incredible 59-yard catch and run in which he hurdled linebacker Eric Walden, setting up touchdown run for Andre Brown. As usual Bradshaw was excellent in pass blocking, something he has become a rock at for the Giants' offense.

…Andre Brown also played very well against the Packers. He was patient, yet very aggressive hitting the hole.  He also had a few great pass protects when he was assigned to do so.  n the fourth quarter, Brown showed amazing patience on a run in which he cut back across the formation for a gain of 16 yards. Unfortunately the broken fibula will end his season and his absence from the lineup will be missed. 

…with the injury to Brown, Coach Coughlin will probably give more touches to Wilson. Wilson has run the ball fairly well this season – nothing eye popping – but solid. However, Wilson will have to improve in pass protection