Unpacking The Loss, Titans Edition

Once again, for the second week in a row the Giants came away with a bitterly disappointing loss.  But the circumstances couldn’t have been more different this time around. At home, and in control of their own destiny – the Giants beat themselves.

Its true what was predicted, the Giants played a very one dimensional team. Defensively the game plan to stop Chris Johnson largely worked, and yet Big Blue still found a way to beat themselves with excessive turnovers and penalties at home in front of a stunned crowd.  If Tom Coughlin has said it once he’s said it a thousand times, turnovers and penalties lose football games.  Case and point last Sunday.

But you might be interested to know that while my Gut Reactions last week came across pretty negative, and while I’m going to discuss the negatives first to get them out of the way – there were some positives to take away from this game.  In fact, by the end of this post you might even feel as I do – OPTIMISTIC about the Chicago Bears game this Sunday evening.

First, the negs.

• Obviously, the biggest reason why the Giants didn’t have an opportunity to win this game are the two turnovers (INT, fumble) inside the Titans 20 yard line, or as Tom Coughlin refers to it – the “green zone.”  Notice the Giants “green zone” efficiency due to those turnovers, 25%.  Pitiful.  Now notice the Titans’ efficiency, 75%.   Respectable.

This one trend in the Giants’ stat sheet marks the biggest issue this team has to overcome to win games, and is the one area that has spelled disaster for this team the last 2 years:

Not scoring in the green zone on offense, while at the same time allowing teams to score almost effortlessly in the red zone has been the key to failure for the Giants.

This is no secret of course. I only chose to emphasize it here again today because the Giants Defense had a relatively good day holding the Titans to a one dimensional plan until the offense continued to turn the ball over instead of capitalize on its opportunities.  So how do the giants get there? Well, in the past, I’ve broken down specific plays that have proven to work and throw away plays that have NEVER worked… and to a large degree I’ve seen Kevin Gilbride and Tom Coughlin develop their Goal to Go calls to the point where I have confidence in their decisions on paper.  They’ve made progress in terms of scheme – they have.  But now it comes down to execution.

• 2 INTs and 1 fumble – Here’s something to think about with the first INT.  If Hakeem Nicks had caught the ball that Eli Manning delivered right into his hands on that first drive, I can almost guarantee that Eli’s second INT never happens either.  How’s that? It’s obvious Eli has become hell bent on making a play after seeing his receivers tip 4 utterly catch-able balls into the air for interceptions. And in a way I can’t blame him for trying to punch it in.  And while I can appreciate the frustration he must be feeling, he has to be better than turning the ball over in the end zone like that.  MINIMIZING MISTAKES is part of that mantra of execution — it’s what got the team through the playoffs in 2007.  It’s what got the team the top of the NFC in 2008.  And elevating the first point further, the Giants obviously cannot afford to keep wasting their scoring opportunities by turning the ball over willy nilly, left handed or otherwise in the red zone. The same goes for Ahmad Bradshaw who is starting to show signs of ball security issues as well… I hate to say it but I’m concerned.  A fumble here and there trying to make something extra happen and before you know you fumble your way right out of the playoffs like Adrian Peterson.  It’s simple — if you’re inside the 5 yard line in traffic and 9 of 10 times you’re not getting across the goal line- pull a Clinton Portis and just go down and secure the ball.

• 11 Penalties, enough is enough.  That is a ridiculous number of penalties for a team that is supposed to pride themselves on discipline.  And they were playing at home!  Delays of game and false starts are bad enough on the road, but at home!?!?  Wowzers.  Personal fouls to David Deihl and Kareem McKenzie after play was stopped, just shameful.

• 20 carries is about 10 shy from where the Giants need to be on offense, and that may contribute to the 50% 3rd down conversion percentage that is also a bit low for my taste in terms of pure execution, but I’m glad the Giants are showing that they don’t need to leave their big gains all up to third and long.

That brings me to the positives of last Sunday’s game:

When the Giants come out on top in Time of Possession, that usually is a good sign.  And for the most part, the Giants controlled the flow of this game.

• Offensively, the Giants drove the ball very well.  26 first downs and 471 total yards are impressive numbers for a NY Giants team that seemed at times to have more weapons than the #1 ranked Titans defense could handle, and that’s a great thing to have.

• Ahmad Bradshaw took 15 of those 20 carries, and he nearly averaged 6 yards per carry doing it.  If he can learn to minimize his mistakes (fumble) as well as continue to be a pass catching threat out of the backfield, he’s going to put up some serious numbers this year.  His level of effort and heart on each and ever play is Rudy-like.  He hasn’t rushed for over 100 yet, but he’s nearly there with only a couple more carries here and there.  And if the offensive line could get out to a decent start this next game in the run blocking aspects of the Giants game, it would really bolster Bradshaw’s numbers that much more.  I still believe he’s going to be one of best kept secrets in the NFL when it comes to RBs… but I have a feeling now that he’s the featured back that secret is starting to get out in a hurry.  That takes the pressure off Brandon Jacobs who took one very physical and  noticeable carry for a blistering first down… almost reminded my of the 2008 Jacobs we’ve been waiting for.

• Eli Manning, save for his 6 INT stat line, is really having a tremendous year.  Again, take away those 4 tipped passes that clearly should have been caught,  you’re looking at a 98.08 rating as opposed to an 81.7. To me, the 98 is a much more accurate representation of how Eli has looked this year.  His passes have been sharp, on time, and on point… it’s a matter of time before his receivers start catching the balls they should clearly be hauling in. Then come the timing patterns, then the effortless red zone scores, and so on.  I’m supremely confident that Eli will continue to look sharp, and I’m optimistic that the receivers improve their catch to target ratio.

Speaking of receivers:

• Steve Smith has quietly emerged again as that go-to-guy when Eli needs to move the chains. Smith led all receivers last week with 9 catches and 103 yards, but part of me still wonders if Eli Manning is trying to prove something to teams’ defenses by forcing the issue at times with Nicks and Manningham.  In any case, all three have proven they are dangerously hard to cover.

• Kevin Boss was back in the lineup and it goes without saying his value as a blocker for pass protection and in the running game. But the big play on the day was when Manning hit him on a beautiful 20 yard post route and the man took it for an extra 30 yards and basically required all 11 Titans to wrestle him to the ground.  Absolutely the brochure play if, like me, you’ve been wanting to see Boss utilized more in the offense as a vertical threat. He has amazing hands, can take a hit, and because he’s so huge he eats up yardage in a hurry with his lanky strides.  Boss is easily the least utilized TE in the NFC, and yet is one of the most potent when the Giants call his number.  Outstanding player, and an outstanding play from him Sunday.

• Hakeem Nicks, catch the ball – period.

• Bradshaw and Beckum, hit these guys in motion more often and I swear Eli goes over 400 yards passing next game.

• Mario Manningham should have had 7 catches for 118 yards, but the non-play wasn’t his fault. Great to see him several times knowing where he was in space to make some crucial sideline catches for some big plays.  He’s obviously worked on the finer points of his game the way we’d hoped, now like all things for the Giants it comes down to consistent execution.

Overall, that’s all we’re missing from the Giants.  We’ve seen glimpses of greatness both on offense and defense,  some consistency goes a long way.  I can’t think of a bigger game to turn the corner in that sense then Sunday night’s matchup at home against the Bears.   Chicago is 3-0, the Giants are 1-2.  But if you’re going to take anything away from this post in terms of the Giants chances going forward – this team has some serious potential.  It’s just a matter of executing consistently, minimizing mistakes, and actualizing that potential the way we all know the Giants are capable of doing.