Win over Chiefs good first step for New York Giants
By Curt Macysyn
It was a game that not many folks thought Big Blue could win.
At their core, consistency remains elusive for these New York Giants. Perhaps, that has become the team’s biggest impediment to victory. But for once this season, the G-Men strung a consistent effort for 60 minutes plus overtime.
The result became a 12-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs at blustery MetLife Stadium.
Maybe the magic elixir was the presence of “Giants weather” at the windy Meadowlands. The elements brought back vision of glory days that seem so far removed right now. Let’s not throw a bucket of cold water on this win, but honestly appraise the effort.
Coaching analysis
We can forgive Ben McAdoo for getting a little euphoric after all he’s been through. Leaving almost two minutes on the clock in overtime, and bringing Aldrick Rosas on for the game-winning field goal, wasn’t the most astute coaching move. If McAdoo hadn’t noticed. Rosas is not “Mr. Automatic”.
The Nat Berhe fourth-down fake-punt/run was a good call. When your team remains on a path to nowhere, the coaches have to shake things up. But asking Shane Vereen to complete a halfback pass in that weather – not going to get you to Canton though. The wind was tough for guys who throw the ball for a living.
New York Giants
There was a Rhett Ellison siting. Can Mike Sullivan try to get this guy the ball more frequently? Without Sterling Shepard, Sunday would have be the prime time to look at the under-utilized tight end. His stat line only shows one catch on one target
The last thing we’ll talk about is attitude. Per Giants.com, here’s McAdoo’s post-game reaction:
"“Great to get a win at home. Guys played great today. Fought through a lot of adversity. Played heavy-handed and physical. Special teams showed up in a big way for us today. Specialists played very well. Coverage units were outstanding. That’s what we expected. We knew we needed that coming into the ball game. Just a tremendous team win. Fought through a lot of adversity against a good football team. “"
Notice that McAdoo used the word “adversity” twice. What was he talking about? Was it the self-inflicted adversity of the players? Injuries? Weather? Officiating?
Losing teams adopt the us-against-the-world mentality. If it works for the New York Giants, more power to them. It simply doesn’t stand the test of time over a ;long season.
Player analysis
Halfback Orleans Darkwa played his heart out. He took some heavy shots, but still managed to get 74 yards on the ground. Reserve Wayne Gallman was serviceable. Gallman had six carries for 19 yards. These guys should be in the mix for next season, but a speed upgrade at running back becomes an offseason focal point.
Rookie tight end Evan Engram continues to be inefficient. His stat line shows one catch on six targets. The offensive pass interference call on Engram was contrived, however. Truthfully, Antonio Gates or Jason Witten aren’t getting flagged for that. Overall, five incompletions to Engram can’t all be quarterback Eli Manning’s fault. We saw Gallman, Tavarres King and Travis Rudolph drop catchable passes.
Engram needs to become a better route runner. King remains a journeyman receiver, who under normal circumstances, would be a healthy scratch on most days. Right now, Rudolph should be on the practice squad, as he refines his game.
No wonder tight end Jerrell Adams isn’t a factor in the passing game. Catching a six-yard dump off from Manning means head north-south immediately. Instead Adams tried to go east-west, as if he can outrun defensive backs. Practice squad player Matt Lacosse appears to be a better option at tight end.
Finally, making Eli Apple a healthy scratch was long overdue. Apple had personal challenges this week, but his season has been forgettable too. When Jerry Reese continues to draft underage players, maturity becomes an issue. It happened with Odell Beckham,Ereck Flowers and now Apple.
Have we seen any attitude problems with Dalvin Tomlinson or Wayne Gallman? As we head down the stretch – production remains import, but so does maturity. Let’s see who makes the grade.