Giants: Turnovers Make all the Difference
By Joe Tufaro
We, as Giants fans, know that Tom Coughlin like all good coaches preach that ball security is the most precious commodity and tells the story of most games and seasons. Yesterday we saw a prime example of this philosophy. The Giants dominated the entire 60 minutes of football yesterday vs, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They were dominant in every phase. They should have won by a big margin going away. The difference? Turnovers. The Giants not only cost themselves points and possessions with their first half mistakes, but provided Tampa with 21 points along the way. The stats at halftime as well as the end of the game make this point very clear. At the half the Giants had rushed for 62 yards compared to just 35 for Tampa, this against the defense that held Carolina to 10 total yards rushing the week prior. The Giants passed for 215 compared to 89 for Tampa. With 16 first downs and a time of possession of over 18 minutes, this should not have been a close game.
In the second half the true story was told, and as Eli said the difference in the two halves? “I stopped throwing interceptions”. The totals for this game are mind blowing, especially for old time Giants fans. 94 yards rushing, 510 passing, 31 first downs, and just under 33 and a half minutes of possession. That is a dominant team and a dominant performance, if the turnovers disappear.
Now, the questions about the back end of this defense need to be addressed. Corey Webster thinks they need to be more aggressive, and this was the plan at the end of last season that seemed to work well. The Giants, once a bit healthier, should ask the guys that can cover tight to do so, and then play zone underneath and over the top. It’s a complex scheme, and with short practice times and the Giants crazy schedule, it will not be easy to implement. Hopefully Jayron Hosely keeps learning quickly, and can stay on the field. They need to get Prince back and also see if Michael Coe can last a full game with his hamstring problems. The good news however is we know the offense works, and works well with Eli, Nicks, Cruz, Bennett, and a running game that showed some life yesterday, even without Bradshaw being healthy.