Picking up the pieces of a broken season

To a man, the Giants and their coaching staff is thoroughly embarrassed after the way they finished the season 8-8, on the heels of two horrendous losses to Carolina and Minnesota, respectively.  What hurts the most is that the team began the 2009 campaign 5-0, and were widely considered to be the best team in the NFL.  Then after losing to the Saints, who were also undefeated at the time, things began to unravel, and while the G-men did manage to win three more games, including a second victory over eventual NFC East champ Dallas, their losses were at times so ugly that it prompted owner John Mara to say this felt more like a 2-14 team than 8-8.  Wow. 

Mara, GM Jerry Reese and HC Tom Coughlin all spoke to the media yesterday and reflected on a season that turned sour in a hurry with a defense that gave up the second highest point total in Giants’ history.  Shortly after the press conference, DC Bill Sheridan was relieved of his duties, a move that was expected but maybe not as quickly as that. 

As we head into the 2010 off-season, the defense is the biggest cause for concern and the focal point of what needs to be fixed.  Sheridan had clearly lost some of his players, including disgruntled DE Osi Umenyiora, who left practice in training camp after a dispute with Sheridan.  Remember how the 2007 team gave up 80 points in the first two games under new DC Steve Spagnuolo?  That team bought into Spags’ system immediately after that, and went on to win the Super Bowl a few months later.  The 2009 Giants’ D never really bought into Sheridan and in particular, his weird zone blitz packages that put linemen into coverage too often.  They began the season (albeit against four lousy offenses) with good numbers, allowing 14 points a game in the first five–but then allowed 32 points per game the rest of the way.  Clearly, a change was in order and the Giants did the smart thing by not letting it drag out any longer.

So now what?  Not only do the G-men need to replace Sheridan now, but Reese talked about a return to playing physical football the way the Giants’ franchise is expected to.  He’s probably feeling a ton of pressure after spending Mara’s money on a bunch of free agents last year that turned out to be busts or just mediocre players–guys like Chris Canty, Michael Boley, and Rocky Bernard.  Of course, losing Kenny Phillips, Jay Alford and Antonio Pierce to IR didn’t help, nor did the nagging injuries and missed time by Aaron Ross or Corey Webster help.  And Justin Tuck played most of the season injured, after being tripped by OL Flozell Adams of Dallas in Game 2.  Tuck will have surgery on his shoulder soon.  We’ll talk about the holes this team needs to fill over the next few weeks and months, whether that is via the draft, trades or free agency.

Meanwhile, despite lackluster offensive line play at times and a terribly unproductive running game, the Giants did have a very successful season passing the ball.  Remember when the wide receiver position was so up in the air before the season began?  Well, Eli Manning had his best season ever, passing for over 4000 yards for the first time, with 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.  And WR Steve Smith caught 107 passes to lead the NFC, with 1220 yards and 7 TDs.  The 107 catches were second in the NFL only to Wes Welker’s 123 and Smith is a first alternate on the NFC Pro Bowl squad, which means he will probably be called upon to play since the game is January 31, before the Super Bowl (i.e. guys like Larry Fitzgerald, Miles Austin, Sidney Rice or DeSean Jackson may not play if their team reaches the Super Bowl).

On special teams, Lawrence Tynes had an okay year, but mostlybecause he had so many chances.  He did miss a few easy field goal tries and his kickoffs were mostly dreadful, giving the opponents consistently good field position.  The same can be said for the aging P Jeff Feagles, but don’t be surprised if the Giants bring him back for one more campaign.

So the bottom line is that changes will be made, and some have been made already..because going from Super Bowl aspirations to 8-8 in a few short months is, as Coughlin, Reese and Mara would all agree, unacceptable.  It should be interesting to see how it all shakes out, but we’ll surely have lots to discuss these next few months.

Tags: 2009 season, Aaron Ross, Antonio Pierce, Bill Sheridan, blitz packages, changes, Chris Canty, Corey Webster, Cowboys, DeSean Jackson, Eagles, Eli Manning, Flozell Adams, Giants, Giants defense, injured reserve, Jay Alford, Jeff Feagles, Jerry Reese, John Mara, Justin Tuck, Kenny Phillips, Larry Fitzgerald, Lawrence Tynes, Michael Boley, Miles Austin, NFC, Osi Umenyiora, Panthers, Pro Bowl, Redskins, Rocky Bernard, Saints, Sidney Rice, Steve Smith, Steve Spagnuolo, Super Bowl, Super Bowl aspirations, Tom Coughlin, Vikings, Wes Welker