The Washington Redskins face an old nemesis and its oldest rival this Sunday when the New York Giants visit FedEx Field. To get a handle on the G’ints, Hog Heaven turns to an old friend, Dan Benton, founder of the Giants 101 blog and a colleague from the old Most Valuable Network. Dan answered a few of my questions about his team and Sunday’s game. Read the whole post for Dan’s surprise ending.
1. Two words: Barry Cofield. Your thoughts?
Cofield is an extremely talented player who got away due to cap issue. The Redskins are lucky to have him and will be happy with him moving forward. He’s solid against the run and surprisingly quick for a man of his size. He’s a great addition and adds a unique element to Washington’s D. You’ll also love his sack dances (don’t taze me, bro!).
His recent criticisms of the Giants’ front office aside, he was a fan favorite, a good locker-room guy and a force on the field. I hate acknowledging that the Redskins stole such a talent away, but he’ll be everything Cornelius Griffin was supposed to be and much more.
2. The Giants have six players on the Injured Reserve or the PUP list. Osi Umenyiora and Prince Amakamura will miss the opening game against Washington. How do the Giants adjust with that many front-line injuries? Name two players unfamiliar to Redskins fans who will stand out in their absence.
In all, there are now 15 players (not all of whom were locks to make the team) who are out for the season, on Injured Reserve or were waived/injured. It’s been a nightmarish offseason in that aspect, and adjusting with so much loss would be difficult for the deepest of teams. They’re going to end up using Antrel Rolle as a nickel corner, they’ll go back to three-safety sets with Deon Grant and will continue to blitz as frequently they have in recent years. All in all, not much is going to change. The Giants have faith in some of their youngsters, and rightfully so, and will stay the course in terms of their defensive scheme. Whether or not that turns out to be the correct decision remains to be seen.
3. When looking at Eli Manning’s 2010 performance, the Redskins fan in me says “I knew it.” The football analyst in me says it is an aberration. Which is it and why?
That Eli-haters would love to say “I know it,” but if you actually go back and watch the tape thoroughly, the problem is less Eli than it is young wide receivers and an extremely complex offense. Breaking down the interceptions one by one shows that seven of them were off of catchable passes and an eighth (against Green Bay) was actually caught out of bounds, but the Giants were out of challenges. Another two or three were a direct result of receivers running the incorrect route or cutting their route short.
The Giants passing attack is entirely too complex, and it’s become troublesome for many of the receivers. It’s based largely on timing and breaks made by receivers. Eli will throw to a spot, and if the receiver isn’t where he’s supposed to be, it spells disaster each time. Unfortunately, the receivers are given many route options that they can choose to at the point of a break, and as we’ve seen in the preseason, indecisiveness can also cause major problems for Manning & Co.
3a. Rank the top three quarterback of the division. I know your opinion of the Redskins, so don’t bother.
Michael Vick is easily the most talented athlete of any of the quarterbacks in the NFC East, but that doesn’t necessarily make him a good pure quarterback. Although he’s probably the most valuable player on his respective team, he’s not in the same league with Eli Manning and Tony Romo as a pure quarterback. So I would go Eli Manning at 1a, Tony Romo at 1b, then Michael Vick and whoever the Redskins decide to throw out after that. Manning, for me, gets the nod over Romo because he’s actually won and stays healthy. I know people and even some analysts like to throw that reality out the window, but this is a league that focuses solely on one thing: winning. Manning has done that, Romo has not.
4. The Giants have the reputation of not losing players they really want to keep. What do you make of Steve Smith, Kevin Boss and Cofield signing with other teams? Can they win the division by standing pat?
Giants had major cap issues going into the post-NFL Lockout offseason (in some aspects, they still do), so they had to face an unfortunate reality: losing some of their UFA’s. When it came to Cofield, as talented as he is, there was just no way they were capable of matching the Redskins’ offer. I want to say Daniel Snyder once again overpaid, but Cofield is a proven talent and I was always a big fan of him, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. Still, it was more than the Giants could pony up…so he walked.
When it came down to Boss and Smith, it was a different story. First and foremost, the Giants made Smith an offer last season pre-injury (regardless of what his camp says) that would have made him one of the top paid wide receivers in the league. He and his agent balked at it, suffered a serious injury and it was withdrawn. Immediately following the NFL Lockout, Jerry Reese made both parties an offer without meeting either face-to-face. Smith and his agent never got back to the Giants (re: offer) and despite coming to New Jersey to visit team doctors, he went off to Philadelphia the following day and signed a deal without giving the Giants a chance to match. Boss, on the other hand, had verbally agreed to a deal with Big Blue and was on the plane back from Oakland to sign said deal when Al Davis got a hold of him and offered him far, far more money than he was worth. Boss is an average all-around tight end who got above-average money with the Raiders.
5. I guess I have to ask. What’s your prediction for the Giants-Redskins game and your prediction for the Giants’ final record?
The Giants are ravaged with injury and have a lot of turnover. Giants fans aren’t going to like to hear this, but I see a 7-9 or 8-8 season ahead and that includes a 24-17 week 1 loss to the Washington Redskins.
BONUS QUESTION: The Redskins front office did not sign Tiki Barber to a contract. Are you as impressed as I am?
Tiki is done. I don’t care how good his work ethic is and what kind of shape he was in. I am more surprised he thought someone would actually sign him prior to week one. Someone may eventually give him a chance when running backs begin to drop, but until then, he’s remaining unemployed.
Thanks for the insight, Dan, and Happy 7th Anniversary on Giants 101.
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