Like many Giants fans, I am pleasantly surprised by the Giants play since the ugly Egirls game. And in general so far. I was looking for a 6-10 year, quite frankly. Figured it would take TC a least a year to purge the deadwood, and get them going. There is still, of course, a long way to go. Still a chance for a collapse. But I do not think it will happen. So, I would like to flip flop and say 11-5. WHAAATTT? Yup.
The G-men have a decent schedule. The D is playing well. The O is continually getting better as the receivers and Warner become more comfortable. Excepting field goals (Christy was much better against the Cowboys), the special teams were better then previous years.
Why? 4 reasons.
1> Accountability. We knew that TC would be tough, and no nonsense. He has been. He is. And he will be. Add really getting to know his players personally, winning, and having guys like Tiki and Strahan behind him, into the mix. TC has a coaching staff that provides accountability. You have to wonder when a team had Rod Rust previously as D Quality Control.
2> Good D. Tim Lewis has been aggressive this year. Blitzing out the ying yang. Johnnie Lynn didn’t know a blitz from his…well, you know. Lewis isn’t running passive read and reacts. He hasn’t used prevent very often. Even when he does, it still provides pressure. He runs corner and safety blitz’s. How often did Lynn run a corner blitz? Maybe 2 times? Lewis mixes it up, and seems to say “when in doubt, blitz.” Nice to see that my pontification on forums regarding Lynn’s inadequacies being proven correct by Mr. Lewis. Aggressive beats passive anyday, at least in football.
3> Good O. The Giants have one of the best overall backs in the league, in Tiki. Use him. TC is. Be aggressive. Use your skill players. Get your skill players running routes they like. Stretch the field. Get the ball out quickly. Block. Mix the plays up. One of the knocks on Fassel was being able to predict whether he was going to run a pass or run play. If the fans were able to predict the type of play 30-40 % of the time, what do you think the opposing teams were able to do? The Giants record last year bears it out.
4> Consistency. One of the big things Big Blue had been missing under Fassel was consistency. Consistency of play calling. Consistency of play. Consistency in time management. Consistency in judgement. Consistency in personnel treatment. Fassel was (and probably still is) one hell of an offensive coordinator. But his O was designed around being up tempo. Get the play in, get the snap off before the clock hits 15 seconds, run the play, get up, do it again. Worked fantastic when he did it. When he slowed it down, pitiful. What we have been seeing is consistency all around. Do what you do best, and keep doing it. The time between plays is slower then what Fassels was supposed to be, but it moves continuously. You do not get a herky jerky feeling when they are running the O. The D looks confident, and consistency gives that.
So, there you have it. My take in a nutshell. Even the injuries haven’t put the Giants in any type of bummer mood. They have some good, winnable games on the schedule, and even the next Egirls game is winnable. 11-5, Playoffs bound.
