Big Blue Ups & Downs: Giants drop fourth straight game to open the season after 31-7 loss to Chiefs
Sep 29, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks (88) is unable to catch a pass while defended by Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith (27) in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
By now, you certainly know that the Giants lost to the Chiefs 31-7 on Sunday, dropping the GMEN to 0-4 on the season.
Before I get into the three up and three down review of the game, let me make something perfectly clear, the 2013 New York Giants are not a very good football team.
Sure, I have seen many people argue that they will be fine because they are still in the playoff race due to the NFC East being weak this year, but please don’t let that get in the way of the simple fact that the Giants are bad.
Three Up
Sep 29, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz (80) is tackled by Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Dunta Robinson (21) in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
1. Victor Cruz – I find it interesting that the one guy who got paid this summer, and thus is not playing for any future contracts at the moment, is working his butt off more than any other player on the team, week in and week out. Cruz lit up the Chiefs secondary to the tune of 10 receptions for 164 yards and a touchdown. Not only has his performance on the field been top-notch, but he is also showing emotion, something lacking from other so-called leaders on this team. No matter how you slice it, Cruz is a god-send and Giants’ fans need to thank their lucky stars that the team locked him up this summer.
2. Prince Amukamara – This summer at the end of a Giants training camp practice I had the opportunity to quickly ask the quiet Amukamara a question. I asked him if he believed that he was primed for a break-out year this season. He looked down, then looked straight into my eyes and said “Yes, definitely”. Well, Prince certainly seems to be living up to that so far. He has quickly become the Giants number one shutdown corner. His body position on the bigger Dwayne Bowe that led to his interception was just beautiful to watch. I also really loved that near the end of the game when Bowe scored and was doing Cruz’s salsa celebration Prince got right up in his face about it. No other Giants player was anywhere near him, and he was in the middle of a group of Chiefs. At least one player on the defense was not laying down for dead, and this might have been the most encouraging thing I saw from him.
Sep 29, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; New York Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara (20) intercepts a pass intended for Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe (82) in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City won the game 31-7. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
3. David Wilson – I thought Wilson looked really good in his limited snaps on Sunday. He had 13 carries for 55 yards (4.2 yards per carry). He was also very close to breaking a couple of kick returns. Like Cruz and Prince above, Wilson was another player who was playing tough until the end of the game, despite the lopsided score. At some point this coaching staff needs to give Wilson all of Da’Rel Scott’s snaps and see what this kid can do. I think once they do that, the Giants offense will be better off.
Three Down
Sep 29, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin talks to head linesman Greg Bradley (98) against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
1. Coaching Staff – I know I can’t be the only Giants’ fan that is fed up with the Giants offense doing the same thing every week. Offensive coordinator, Kevin Gilbride, has to be one of the least imaginative coordinators in the league. I get jealous watching teams like the Saints and Broncos (imagine David Wilson in that offense). If I see one more third down draw to Da’Rel Scott or a HB Toss-Sweep (with god awful Brandon Myers as the lead blocker, nonetheless) on third and short I might lose my mind. Despite having a weak offensive line, Gilbride still dials up slow developing play-action deep passes. I would love to see the Giants look at some Broncos tape and see how they use intermediate/shorter routes and start to get the ball out of Eli’s hands quicker. On special teams, I have called for Tom Quinn’s job for years. He’s one of the worst special teams’ coordinators in the league. How many punt returns or inexcusable penalties (seriously, 7 men lined up on one side during a FG attempt?!) do we need to watch by this special teams unit. Defensively, for the most of the game the Giants were hanging in there, but they need to work on ways to get stops on third downs. Defensive coordinator, Perry Fewell, needs to use Damontre Moore and stop with his vanilla blitz packages. I can’t remember the last time I saw a Giants blitz get through, and it’s killing them on third downs. Lastly, the head coach, Tom Coughlin, has to bear some of the blame, as well. He is going to have to do a better job getting his players mentally prepared week in and week out. One has to wonder whether Coughlin’s message is beginning to fall on deaf ears.
2. Brandon Myers – The only thing Myers is good for is garbage time catches. He might be the worst blocking tight end I have ever seen. Right now, I would rather see the Giants use their young guys like Larry Donnell and Adrien Robinson instead of the waste of space that Myers is.
Sep 29, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; New York Giants kicker Josh Brown (3) reacts after missing a field goal against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
3. Josh Brown – Sure, he has a strong leg, but this guy is ridiculously inaccurate. His 44 yard missed field goal changed the complexion of the game and killed any momentum the Giants were building going into the half. I hope Giants’ GM, Jerry Reese, brings in some place kickers to work out this week because I can’t stomach seeing Brown much longer.
The New York Giants are in a terrible position. The lack of fight and emotion by a large number of players is alarming, to say the least. Hakeem Nicks looks like he has one foot out the door, Jason Pierre-Paul seems like he is moving in quick-sand, Justin Tuck just can’t do it anymore, and Eli Manning looks lost. Something needs to change for this team, and quickly. The Giants players and coaching staff keep bringing up the past, but as my boy Cousin Matt would say, only losers live in the past, and right now the Giants sure are playing, and talking, like a group of losers.
This team needs to take ownership of their issues, and work to correct them. They need to work harder in practice. The coaching staff needs to be more inventive with their utilization of the personnel they have (which, by the way, Giants GM Jerry Reese did a pretty poor job of assembling). Most of all, they need to show some pride, emotion, and fight on the field. If they keep sleep-walking through games, it might be a long time before we see a Giants victory.