OFFENSE – Needs – OL, RB

The offensive line was been slowly dissolving into a weaker unit as a whole. Chris Snee and David Diehl are both getting up there in age, and the need for a rock solid starter for years to come should be a focal point at some point early in 2013. Luckily for the Gmen this year is a great year for lineman and they should have their pick of whoever may fall out of the top 15 this year, or even have the opportunity of taking a solid starter in rounds 2-4. The ability for that prospect to learn the nuances of the line from veterans like Snee and Diehl would also work in the Giants favor.

It’s believed up to 7 offensive linemen could go in the first round. I would not expect the top 4 lineman, Joeckel, Fisher, Cooper, and Warmack to be available at 19; however, guys like D.J. Fluker, and Melenick Watson would be an excellent addition for the Giants. Fluker earned preseason All-SEC recognition in 2012 and went on to earn many honors, including second-team All-America by AP and Walter Camp and first-team All-SEC from the coach and second-team from the media while starting each of the Crimson Tide’s games en route to the national title. Menelik Watson recorded a 27.5-inch vertical jump and 19 strength lifts. He played right tackle at Florida State but the feeling is he can play left tackle. If the Giants decide to go in another direction in round 1, look for Justin Pugh in round 2, or Barrett Jones in Round 3. Both players versatility is unparalleled to the entire lineman class outside of the top 4 lineman in the draft. Pugh may be the biggest reason Ryan Nassib is considered to be a good QB prospect since he kept him on his feet throughout his college career, while Jones was D.J. Flukers’ teammate and has won a national championship playing 3 separate positions on the offensive line (C, OG, and OT.)

Running back is a much smaller need since we’re really talking about a back-up here. David Wilson will be the #1 back going forward and Andre Brown can’t stay healthy, so were looking for a versatile back with some pass catching ability to be a fill in while Wilson and Brown get some rest. Brown will be a free agent after next season so there should be an interest in having some security at the position, but it won’t be until round 4 or lower. Guys I love like Michigan State Le’Veon Bell and North Carolina Giovanni Bernard will be long gone, so the Giants will be looking for a RB who can also be used as a punt returner, or a great blocker on special teams. Enter Florida RB Mike Gillislee. Gillislee went crazy in his senior season after finally getting the starting gig. He totaled 1,152 yards and 10 touchdowns in the SEC. That takes talent, and this kid has some serious upside. Considered a top prep-school prospect coming out of high school, Gillislee sat behind Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps before they both left for the NFL. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not going to be a starter, but he would be more than helpful. He should be chosen in rounds 4 or 5.

DEFENSE – Needs – LB, DB

Dan Connor, Mark Herzlich, Mathias Kiwanuka, Keith Rivers. Those are the best ILB’s on the Giants roster as of now. Kiwanuka is no slouch. He’s a heck of a player and a great LB, but he’s not a natural MLB. Rivers was just signed to a 1 yr. deal, but he’s not a MLB either. Herzlich is a fantastic story, and an inspiration in the locker room, that being said he’s not going to the pro-bowl this year, though I wish him the best on making it one day. The glaring need for a captain in the middle has been a problem for the last two years, and it should be a priority.

The problem is this isn’t a great class of ILB. As a matter of fact I only really like two of them and that’s LSU’s MLB Kevin Minter and Georgia LB Jarvis Jones. Just like Gillislee at Florida, Minter and Jones played in the SEC, which is a tutoring lesson for the NFL. So many great NFL players come from that conference. Minter was clearly the best defensive player on his team at LSU, but is he worth the #19th pick overall? Jones on the other hand would be a gift if he somehow falls to #19. Teams are very skeptical of Jones because of some pretty serious medical concerns. Jones was diagnosed with Spinal Stenosis, a narrowing of the spine that can result in numbness, loss of muscle control, and in some cases paralysis. He has since been cleared by doctors, saying that it was a miss-diagnosis, but that really tainted his draft stock. He is a top 10 talent that will fall some but I’m not sure he makes it to 19. If he should, would the Giants consider him healthy enough for them to draft? That’s a question for Jerry Reece. I think it would be an easy pick myself. Jones isn’t even considered a true MLB, which goes against my own thought process. He’s just too good to pass up if he’s still there. Now if he isn’t I think the Giants should look at OL or a CB in the first round.

With that being said, let’s talk about the CB / S class for the 2013 NFL Draft. This class has some serious talent. Dee Milliner barring any major injury will be a shutdown corner in the NFL. The Giants would need to move way up in the draft to even think about Dee and that’s not Mr. Reece’s style. Instead the Giants should be looking at 3 guys in particular.

(1) Florida State CB, Xavier Rhodes – Rhodes, like Jarvis Jones would have to fall in the draft according to most mock drafts. According to what you read, he could go to the Dolphins at 12, the Bucs at 13 and the Saints at 15. The kid has a 40.5” vertical leap, an 11’ broad jump, and he ran a 4.39 40 at the combine. All 32 teams were present at his pro-day, and is considered by most to be the second best CB prospect in this class.

(2) Texas FS, Kenny Vaccaro – Vaccaro emerged as arguably the best safety in the Big 12 as a junior, posting 82 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks, eight passes broken up and two interceptions. While the Longhorns’ talented defense struggled in 2012, Vaccaro registered a career-high 107 tackles and five turnovers (two interceptions, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery). He has great instincts and hits hard, 2 qualities needed to be successful as a FS in the NFL. Giants’ fans should be thrilled if Vaccaro is taken at #19.

(3) Houston CB, D. J. Hayden – Hayden, also has similarities to Jarvis Jones. Hayden had what could have been a fatal injury last year. Hayden suffered a heart issue — a torn inferior vena cava — which was called the “most unique injury in the history of the draft” by a Packers executive, but he’s getting good news in his team physicals after checking out at the Combine. Hayden was elected to the 2012 ALL Conference USA team even though he only played 9 games after the heart related injury. He was a team Captain at Houston, and shows the willingness to fight through adversity. I would take him last of the three only due to the unbelievable injury he suffered in a practice! Still, he’s very talented and would be a good pick for the Giants.

For those of you who follow my draft and are wondering how I could have written this entire piece without mentioning Florida State DE Bjoern Werner after having him as the Giants pick for many weeks now, I say… I just did. (HA!) I would like to remind everyone reading this that the article is about players the Giants should be looking at to fill a need, not who they think is the best player available at the time. I know, semantics but hey! What can you do?

Follow me on Twitter @Jferguson631

Feb 21, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Syracuse offensive lineman Justin Pugh speaks at a press conference during the 2013 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Pugh from Syracuse is projected as an early second day pick, so if he falls to the Giants, it will be another teams mistake. At 6’5 309lbs, Pugh, can play nearly every position on the offensive line with the most experience at LT. He would be a perfect pick for the Gmen with his versatility. The Giants should continue to look at offensive lineman throughout the draft as they need to get some younger talent on the roster.

19. New York Giants — Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State
Rhodes is a big, versatile defensive back who would help out an underachieving backfield in New York. They could have some really nice young pieces at CB if they picked him up in round one.

Rhodes was a high school wide receiver, which is something I love in corners. It means he may know whats coming from his opposition. The 6’2 210 pound former Florida State star ran a 4.41 forty, and can be considered at safety as well as corner. The Giants have certainly had a problem drafting corners in recent years. Rhodes was a red-shirt in his freshman year due to a hand injury, but that turned out to be his greatest friend since it gave him the time to watch film and pick up the nuances of the corner position. He has the potential to be a good defensive back, but he’s not a ball hawk. That may just be his inexperience at the position. The Giants should consider Kevin Minter, or any top 15 O lineman that falls to them here as well.

Eagles 0

Key Moments

1. GIANTS go three and out on 1st series
2. Prince arrives with an INT (got beat on the play though-ball was under thrown)
3. Eli throws an INT and then gets nailed
4. Canty comes up big and stops the Eagles when they had good field position
5. Punt Team coverage was about the best part of the first quarter
6. Vince Young looked rusty
7. Giants could not run or pass the ball
8. The Eagles looked even worse
9. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy, and chippy first quarter

They were without their leading receiver. Their starting running back, full back and center all missed the game due to injury. Their 1st pick overall in the 2011 NFL Draft made the trip, but did not play.

Of the six categories (ten positions within each slot), not one…NOT ONE single member of the New York Giants earned themselves a slot in the NFL Weekly leader board. They were shutdown for the entire first half. Just how did Big Blue pull off their biggest upset of the season? We’ve got answers. Join me on this incredibly inspiring fact finding recap.
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With tomorrow’s game against the New England Patriots, the week in NY Sports Media has been spent reliving that very play. Earlier this week, David Tryee was on WFAN, you can listen to that interview here. There is also a great write up about David Tryee, the play, and where his life has taken him. You can read that write up here.

David Tryee also wrote a book (with a forward from Eli Manning). In the book, which I recently finished, David explains that life is much more than the catch. He talks about his wife, his kids, his drugs problems, his religion, and the faithful catch. It is an excellent book which I recommend everyone reads, you can buy a copy of the book by clicking here.

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NFL Rule 7, Section 2, Article 1

Dead Ball Declared
An official shall declare the ball dead and the down ended:

(D) when a runner declares himself down by sliding feet first on the ground. The ball is dead the instant the runner touches the ground with anything other than his hands or his feet.

A quick hat tip to ESPN for the rule.

ANOTHER section of the rule reads as follows:

An official shall declare the ball dead and the down ended… when a runner is out of bounds, or declares himself down by falling to the ground, or kneeling, and making no effort to advance.

Thanks to http://www.football-refs.com/201110/did-victor-cruz-give-himself-up/ for more information

Victor Cruz Video of Catch and Run

Stay tuned to GMENHQ for continue coverage of this hotly debated topic!

twitter.com/tom_brant

On Offense:  The Giants, for the second week in a row, face a team that plays poorly against the run.  In what is admittedly a small sample, the Eagles give up an average of 5.3 yards per rush. The Giants rushed for an average of 4.8   Unlike the Rams, the Eagles are extremely weak at the Linebacker position.  To back-up this claim, the Eagles have re-aligned their much maligned Linebacking corps.  The Eagles drafted Casey Matthews purely on name recognition alone.  He is not an NFL Middle Linebacker.  He has now been moved to the outside and is replaced by second year man Jamar Chaney.  Andy Reid is saying the change is being made for the matchup against the Giants, in other words he’s searching for an answer to a huge defensive problem.The Linebackers made a total  of  8 tackles Sunday. The Eagles play a scheme with their front four, as we all heard Sunday night ,called The Wide-Nine.  Their Rush ends are split wide, about 4 and a half yards away from their interior tackles.  Their sole job is to rush upfield and turn everything back to the inside.  The linebackers are supposed to fill the holes, and make the plays in the gaps….they haven’t.  The Giants will need to find some blocking schemes to exploit this alignment that the Eagles employ on almost every down.  Getting a back one on one against a linebacker on the Eagles is a good thing, Bradshaw and Jacobs will need to carry the load this week. Bradshaw and Jacobs accounted for 200 yards of total offense.  The Giants will run, run, run, setting up the over the top passes as they did last week when the secondary drops down to help. The Eagle Linebackers lived up to their reputation getting beat by Jacobs on his TD catch, and getting pinned inside by Tight Ends and WR’s on many running plays.  The Secondary looked weak and confused.  On Victor Cruz’s fabulous TD run, if you watch the play over you will notice Hakeem Nicks is also wide open streaking down the middle of the field.

On Defense:  The Giants cannot cover all the speed the Eagles can employ in their offense.  The pressure on Michael Vick must be relentless. As we all know the pressure was relentless.  The Giants hounded Vick until he could take no more. Keeping Vick in the pocket, or forcing him to his right will be a key element in this game.  The Eagles of course have also learned that Vick cannot throw when running right, so look for their line to move the pocket left from the snap.  The Eagles also employ lots of screens, swing passes, and mis-direction runs.  When trying to put maximum pressure on a Qb, it is very difficult to fill all the lanes on the back side.  The Giants must remain disciplined in their attack, send pressure from the secondary, and do their best to keep the receivers in front of them. The Giants allowed only TWO plays over 20 yards.  They did a magnificent job of dropping in coverage and keeping the plays in front of them.  A few long drives by the Giants offense would go a long way in making the defense a success. No long drives to speak of, but more importantly drives ending in points.

I spoke of the fact that this game was going to be about turnovers and penalties…..The Giants had zero turnovers, while forcing three interceptions, and Three fumbles.  Penalties were Giants 4-21 and the Eagles 7-36, with The Eagles making the key mistake of jumping offsides on the field goal attempt.

Finishing and Execution are the keys to a successful season…..This was a great example for the team to use for motivation moving forward.

For the fifth consecutive meeting the New York Giants toppled the St. Louis Rams. Needless to say, winning streaks mean NOTHING. But try telling that to an Eagles fan. It was both an unpolished victory and a dominant display of Big Blue athleticism, against a team that were not operating on all four cylinders. The same can be said of the NY Giants, however.

The end result shouldn’t come as a surprise to the football world, as the Giants were the odds on favorites. Many, including SS Kenny Phillips, considered this to be a “must win” situation. It seems more than a bit premature to pin the second game of the season as a “must win.” But when you factor in the magnitude of the upcoming game against the Philadelphia Eagles, it makes all the sense in the world. There were numerous comforting and unsettling familiarities that took place in last night’s matchup. Let’s take a look at them.
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Be that as it may — this is not the entire story. The Star-Ledger alleges that former Giants defensive tackle Barry Cofield may have tipped the Redskins defense off to the play Eli Manning was about to run because he recognized the audible after 5 years practicing against the Giants starting offense. Go figure…

Watch the clip of the play below:

Now Daniel Shiferaw of SB Nation has a great breakdown of the Pick 6 from the Redskins perspective, and there is no mention of former Giant Barry Cofield in it:

“The crazy part [about Kerrigan’s play] is we had a max blitz,” defensive captain London Fletcher says. “They checked to a ‘Rocket Screen.’”

That meant the ball is coming Kerrigan’s way. “Rocket Screen” is designed to be a quick hitch to Hakeem Nicks, who would then run behind the vacated area for what would be a big play offensively for the Giants. The blitzers are Fletcher, linebacker Rocky McIntosh, safety Oshiomogho Atogwe and, of course, Kerrigan. The Purdue product is lined up outside of right tackle Kareem McKenzie’s outside shoulder. He is planning on turning the corner on him and engaging Manning.

But before he blitzes, Kerrigan notices that the Giants’ quarterback has called an audible. He immediately realizes a quick pass is coming in his direction. “I knew it was a quick pass, because [McKenzie] was trying to cut [block] me,” the rookie recalls after the game.

But how did he know? I didn’t see Cofield do anything immediately after Eli’s audible, I saw Rocky McIntosh pull up and make a comment and an adjustment as SB Nation points out. Cofield simply looked his head over after everything had been adjusted — not before. And it should be mentioned the Giants had already run that same wideout screen about a dozen times instead of a slant or a pitch… so it’s possible the Redskins defense simply remembered the terminology from earlier in the game, right? Went to the well one too many times perhaps?

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, we’re going to return that screen for a game changing TD.

[clip via NFL Videos]