Lots of blame to go around the Thanksgiving table in 26-6 loss to Denver

This is going to go down as one of the most inept performances in Giants’ history, and that is just so hard to swallow when we’re watching what is supposed to be a playoff team and even Super Bowl contender.  A few weeks ago this team was a stout consensus #1 in everyones’  power rankings.  Now they are floundering in the bottom third of the NFL, and their defense is one of the worst in the NFL despite statistically being one of the best.  I think I speak for every Giants’ fan out there when I say my turkey was rumbling up in my belly last night watching that atrocity.  What’s worse, the Broncos had scored 37 points in their last four games and, when they didn’t shoot their own collective foot, moved the ball at will.  With Kyle Orton at QB no less.  Are you freaking kidding me?  Here is our awesomely bad recap…

THE GOOD

Well, this will be short and sweet.  Lawrence Tynes kicked well in the thin night air, with two field goals, one from 52 yards, and most of his kickoffs reached at least the front of the end zone.  Danny Clark made a nice sack of Orton on the Broncos’ first play from scrimmage but that was our only sack of the game.  Corey Webster did a great job on WR Brandon Marshall, but he was helpless defending those two circus catches.  I mean, geez, that guy is really good. 

THE BAD

First of all, the game plan sucked on both sides of the ball.  But that was due in part to the anemic running game.  Brandon Jacobs had just 11 carries for 27 yards, and kept bouncing to the outside and getting pursued by the Broncos’ D with a vengeance.  This guy is clueless right now and so are the blockers in front of him.  Danny Ware didn’t do much better, also with 27 yards and contributing a game-changing fumble in the second quarter.  As far as the passing game, I knew this would be difficult, but not that difficult.  Eli Manning did not have much time to throw, and when he did, nobody was open.  He did a nice job of making some good throws in tight coverage and Mario Manningham and Steve Smith made a few good catches, but Smith made at least one critical drop on a perfectly thrown slant pattern.  The offensive line, well, they are now showing their age and it’s painful to watch.  Brian Dawkins was all over the field, playing inspired as you might expect against a team he still hates. 

On defense, Knowshon Moreno had 19 carries for 88 yards and a TD, and was getting pushes off the line that he absolutely shouldn’t have been getting.  Orton was effective, and he kept a few drives alive with those circus catches by Marshall.  But even when there was a glimmer of hope in the second half after we scored our first points, the defense just let the Broncos run right through them again.  For as much as Osi Umenyiora wanted to pin this on his offense, his defense just plain sucked last night.  And we know he had a tough task against LT Ryan Clady, but could the G-men change up their scheme at all and put him on the other side?  That brings me to this….I can’t get behind Bill Sheridan as DC.  This guy is not a good coordinator, plain and simple…he can’t get these guys to buy into his schemes and can’t get them to execute, and I think he has honestly lost them.  Sure, the middle of our line is decidedly soft all of a sudden, but I don’t believe for a second that the loss of Steve Spagnuolo didn’t matter.  Everyone in Giants’ nation is screaming that this is reminding them of Tim Lewis’ defenses and also the 1960’s and 1970’s Giants.  That’s not the G-men.  We have always had proud and potent defenses and this unit is playing like crap. 

FANTASY IMPACT

I think I advised everyone against playing anyone on either team the other day, and I was pretty much right.  But if you played RB Knowshown Moreno, you were rewarded with 107 total yards and a TD, and Marshall had 6 catches for 86 yards.  For the G-men, somehow Steve Smith had 7 catches for 71 yards, and Hakeem Nicks 4 catches for 66.  The Broncos’ defense was a good play, holding the Giants to 6 points and registering 3 sacks and a pick of Manning.  And K Matt Prater had four field goals to go along with 2 extra points.

FINAL ANALYSIS

Glass half-full–The Giants can win out and finish 11-5, which might even be good to win the division. 

Glass half-empty–Are you kidding?  This team is headed for 7-9, which, after a 5-0 start is just devastating.  They don’t have the horses to make a playoff run, and they haven’t proven they can beat the Eagles..plus, flawed as the Cowboys may be, the Giants can’t possibly beat them next weekend playing like this.  They can’t beat anyone if they even sniff the playoffs.  They just suck right now and have too many damn flaws.  It’s time to start looking to next year.  Let some rookies play and see what they’ve got.  I know Tom Coughlin is too proud for that, but how long can the guy scratch his head and wonder what went wrong?  And I hate to say this, but he is being out-coached and out-game planned.  Did you see Josh McDaniels’ fire last night?  He had his team fired up (and that mother-f–er blast on the sideline was awessome) and Mike Nolan’s defensive schemes totally confused Manning and company.  I saw one play in particular where Manning was pointing at one side of the Broncos’ D that was loading up the box, and what does he do?  Hands off to Brandon Jacobs and lets him run right into that box for what I think was a 2-yard loss.  And the Broncos made so many mistakes, especially early in the game, but the Giants absolutely could not take advantage of them. 

I’m sorry to say that they I think we are going to be sitting at 6-7 in a few weeks and trying to fend off the Redskins for last place in the division.  And who really saw that coming?  I know I didn’t.

Tags: Bill Sheridan, Brandon Jacobs, Brandon Marshall, Brian Dawkins, Broncos, Corey Webster, Cowboys, Danny Clark, Danny Ware, Eagles, Eli Manning, Giants, Josh McDaniels, Knowshon Moreno, Kyle Orton, Lawrence Tynes, Mario Manningham, Matt Prater, Mike Nolan, NFC East, NFL, Osi Umenyiora, playoff run, Redskins, Ryan Clady, Steve Smith, Super Bowl, Tim Lewis, Tom Coughlin