These are the moments when I hate blogging. Recapping a loss like this is like regurgitating a bad meal. And then I have to hear this drivel from Glaubach (Newsday) and Garafolo (Fox)… "The last time the Giants started 0-2 under Tom Coughlin they won the Super Bowl."
Super Bowl?
Playoffs? (cue Jim Mora..)
It is remarks like those that insult us as fans. How about stopping the turnovers (10 thus far) and winning a game?! 2007 and 2013 have zero to do with one another. In 2007, for one thing, the Giants had two new coordinators in Gilbride and Spagnuolo, so the 0-2 start was very different. Second, the Giants in 2013 have many problems carried over from 2012:
Problem 1: Lack of pass rush
Problem 2: No ability to run the ball
Problem 3: No ability to get short yardage
Problem 4: Poor red zone execution
Problem 5: Poor play at LBer
Problem 6: Injuries
The Offensive Line is mediocre at best. Against Denver, they were exposed. The only offensive TD the Giants scored was due to not one, not two, but three penalties. In. The. Red Zone. Quagmire. (Please do not count the garbage time TD from Scott.)
1-11 on third down conversions.
19 rushes for 23 yards. I believe most of those yards felt like they came on draws.
Denver figured out one thing before the start of the game- don't waste your time biting on the Giants' play action, because there is nothing in their run game. Still, if the OL holds up and can protect Eli, then the Offense should be able to do fine. But make no mistake, the lack of a running game is a problem. We have suggested here that the way the Giants have to run the ball is through the pass (first) and then with draws (usually through the shotgun). And we also want to see the Giants get the ball to Wilson in the air. That is not happening.
Coughlin was disgusted with the pass:run ratio when queried after the game. Maybe he should be disgusted with the lack of Round 1- Round 3 draft picks that have been allocated to the OL since 2007. Flaherty has done a great job over the years, and we still hold out hope for his efforts here in 2013, but let's get real about the Oline. Road graders they are not.
Brandon Myers is unfortunately a downgrade from the years of Boss, Ballard and Bennett. You can see he puts in the effort on every play, but he does not have the skills. Losing his balance and falling when he had a clear path to a TD was not good. And dropping a TD catch through his hands was another gaffe. Still, we have to be grateful that at least Gilbride and Manning are looking for their TE in the gameplan.
JPP is on the field, but so far he is not generating any meaningful impact. We still hold out hope that he can get back to the form he had in 2011 sometime this season. That alone can turn this season around, as we saw many times where just a little pass rush could have changed the game.
The season is young. At 0-2, this is still 2013, not 2007. With the NFC East led by two teams that are 1-1, there is plenty of time to iron out mistakes and find an identity. But we're not making Super Bowl plans just yet either. Let's win one game, like at Carolina next weekend. Then we can go from there.
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