Giants to go Hurry Up?

Aug 18, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) throws pass during the first half against the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

As reported by Connor Orr of the Star-Ledger, the Giants have been working on a no huddle offense during camp. They call the offense “Mach” and we can only hope that it would run that fast, or smooth for that matter.

The Giants were second from the bottom last year in plays called with 968 compared to the first ranked Patriots calling 1,191. As fans, we are very used to seeing the traditional huddle followed by Eli reading the defense and making checks at the line. Audibles follow if necessary and the play clock runs all the way down to 3 or 2 before the snap gets off. However, with the evolving offenses around the league, the Giants are starting to play catch up.

At any random time in practice, Coughlin yells out “Mach! Mach!” and players need to drop what they are doing and start the no huddle, 11 on 11 drill. I compare it to when coaches would scream “mayday” at practice and the kicking team would need to rush onto the field and make a field goal in under 15 seconds.

Now, obviously there are some advantages with the no huddle offense. It looks like we actually have the personnel to pull it off, with our athletic wide receivers, an adept QB, and should have 2 solid running backs, one with blazing speed and catching ability. “Mach” can be used at any point in the game, catching the defenses off guard and not allowing them to get the correct personnel on the field.

What are the negatives? The offense has to be full of stamina. Of course, injuries affect stamina, so players like Hakeem Nicks who have leg issues may have a harder time staying on the field for a full drive of no huddle. Furthermore, Beatty, Boothe, Baas, Snee, and Diehl combined have an average age of 31 years which may make the ability to get up and down the field at that pace a little difficult. Also, the point of the no huddle is to get the ball off earlier in the play clock so that takes away Eli’s time to read the defense and make his adjustments, something that the Giants have cherished.

My opinion? Try it out for the rest of the preseason. If you remember any of the Bengals game last year, they gave it a try and it turned out to be an awful game in which Eli only threw for 125 yards and 2 interceptions. See how it goes when the games don’t matter. We have the weapons, but can everyone keep up?