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When: Sun. 9/25
4:05 pm ET in Glendale
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Televised: Sun.
9/25 4:05 pm ET (DirecTV Sunday Ticket Channel TBD;
NYC - FOX Channel 5)
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Satellite Radio: Sun. 9/25
4:05 pm ET (SIRIUS Radio - Channel TBD)
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Setup
Overview
Giants' Last Game
Meet the
Giants
Cardinals Roster
Giants vs. Cardinals Matchups
Setup:
Cards are fighting for their lives. Giants
are on a roll. Cardinals lost their second heart-breaker in a row -
this time to Seattle in Seattle 13 - 10. The Giants are coming off
a huge 29 - 16 win against the "overdog" Eagles and Michael Vick.
Cards have a lot to prove - mainy that they belong as a playoff
contender. Giants pretty much made that case last week and simply
have to make sure they retain their mojo. Cards will be wearing
their magical black unis (which haven't worked much magic since
twe wore them).
Overview
I'm working with Pro Football Focus (PFF)
rating numbers. Any
postitive rating of more than +2.0 is pretty good. Anything less
than a minus-2.0 rating is not-so-hot. Anything more than plus or
minus 1.0 is enough of a departure from average to be worth
noting.
Giants looked awful in their opening loss to the Redskins, but
bounced back to beat the Rams by a couple of TD's and then played a
dominating 2nd half to upset The Dream Team from Philly.
Giants' Last Game
They opened up a 14-point lead, gave it back
and then pulled away again in the 2H to beat America's (heh heh)
Dream Team 29 - 16.
Game summary:
First Quarter
Giants received and went 3 & out at their
own 20. Philly took over on their own 41, and sliced and diced
their way to the Giant 19, where Vicks pass intended for Steve
Smith was picked off by Aaron Ross and returned to the Giant 27.
Manning moved them steadily to the Eagle 40 where Manning hit
Jacobs who rambled down the left sideline for a 40 yard
score. Giants 7 - Philly 0.
Philly moved from their own 23 to just inside midfield, where a
false start penalty followed by a sack by Pierre Paul forced them
to punt. Giants started from their own 18 and 3 plays later,
Manning hit Cruz deep for a 74-yard TD. Giants 14 - Philly
0.
Philly moved from their own 20 to their own 37 in 2 plays as the
quarter ended. 1st Quarter Score: Giants 14 - Philly 0.
Second Quarter
Philly managed to get to the Eagle 2 before
their drive stalled and they settled for a 21-yard field goal. .
Giants 14 - Philly 3.
Giants went from their own 20 to the Philly 34, where, on 4th & 3,
Coughlin "went for it" and failed. Eagles took over on their own
29 and a roughness penalty on Rolle helped Philly move to the
Giant 11, where McCoy rambled around left end for the score.
Giants 14 - Philly 10
1:54 left. Giants started from their own 20 and went nowhere.
Thanks to a 27-yard Weaterford punt, Philly got the ball back on
the Giant 46 with 1:12 left. They managed to get
to the 20 and beat the clock with a 38 yard FG to close up the
scoring deficit. Halftime Score:
Giants 14 - Philly 13
Third Quarter
An illegal block on the opening 2H kickoff
pushed the Eagles back to their 12. They picked up a first down
but then had to punt. Giants got the ball back on their own 25.
They moved to the Philly 45 where the drive stalled (after Cole
sacked Manning for minus-9) and they were forced to punt. Philly
started from their own 10 and - partly due to a 23-yard catch &
run by Maclin (who was injured on the play) moved to the Giant 2.
They couldn't push 'er over in three downs, and settled for a
21-yard FG. Philly 16 - Giants 14.
Thomas returned the kickoff to the Giant 26. The Gints picked up 5
yards on 2 Jacobs runs as the quarter ended.
3rd Quarter Score: Philly 16 -
Giants 14.
Fourth Quarter
Babin sacked Manning, and the Giants punted.
Philly took over on their own 27 and moved to the Giant 43, where
they went for it on 4th & 1 and failed. Michael Vick was injured
on the play. The Giants moved to the Philly 28, where Manning hit
Cruz for a nifty 28-yard TD (Play was challenged but the call
upheld). 2-point conversion failed but a pass interference flag on
Philly gave the Giants another chance and, this time, they made it
(although once again, the play was challenged but upheld).
Giants 22 - Philly 16.
8:07 left. Kafka's first pass was picked off
by Ross. Giants got the ball back on their own 44. An encroachment
penalty on Babin on a 4th & 2 helped sustain the Giants drive.
They made it to the Philly 18 where Manning hit Bradshaw
(short-left) who ran in for the score.
Giants 29 - Philly 16.
3:32 left. Philly moved from their own 20 to their own 49, where -
on the 7th play of the drive, Kaftka was picked off by Phillips.
Three Manning knees later, the game was over.
Final Score:
Giants 29 - Philly 16.
Meet
the Giants:
The Giants started off the season looking as
though they couldn't get out of their own way, but - thanks to a
ballhawking secondary and terrific play by some of their least
experienced receivers, they've gotten to a point 2 games later
where they made mincemeat of the Dream Team.
Quarterbacks
10 Manning, Eli QB 6-4 218 30 8 Mississippi (187 snaps.
+6.4 rating overall; +7.0 as a passer.
-1.1 taking penalties).
08 Carr, David QB 6-3 212 32 10 Fresno
State
Evaluation
Manning has a completion percentage of 62.4%; is
averaging +8.4 yards per attempt; has 6 TD's, 2 picks and has been
sacked 10 times. His QB Rating is 104.3
Running Backs
44 Bradshaw, Ahmad RB
5-10 214 25 5 Marshall (117 snaps.
+6.5 rating overall; +4.0 in the run game and +1.5 as a pass
blocker).
27 Jacobs, Brandon RB 6-4 264 29 7
So. Illinois (52 snaps. +4.0
overall; +1.7 in passing game; +1.6 in running game).
28 Ware, D.J. RB 6-0 225 26 5 Georgia (18
snaps).
33 Scott, Da'rel RB 5-11 210 23 R Maryland
45 Hynoski, Henry FB 6-1 266 22 R Pittsburgh (92 snaps.
-2.1 as a pass blocker).
Evaluation
Bradshaw is the Giants'
feature back, but Jacobs sees considerable action. Bradshaw - a
slasher with home run speed - has gained 189 yards on 43 carries
(4.4 YPC and a long gain of 37 yards & 1 TD). He's second among
Giant receivers with 11 catches 108 yards and a TD. Jacobs (a
bruiser) gained 98 yards on 29 carries (3.4 YPC/longest gain: 14
yards). He has 3 catches to his credit but one was for 40 yards
and a TD on a wheel route vs. Philly. Hynoski is the "Sherman" of
the Giant running attack (lead blocker - no carries/no
receptions).
Wide Receivers
82 Manningham, Mario
WR 6-0 185 25 4 Michigan (83 snaps).
80 Cruz, Victor WR
6-0 204 24 2 Massachusetts (81 snaps.
-1.8 overall; -1.1 as
receiver).
12 Jernigan, Jerrel
WR 5-8 189 22 R Troy
88 Nicks, Hakeem WR 6-1 208 23 3 North
Carolina (182 snaps.
+1.0 overall; +1.9 in passing game).
84 Stokely, Brandon
WR 0 35 Louisiana at Lafayette (29 snaps).
83 Clayton, Michael WR 6-3 202 28 8 LSU
15 Thomas, Devin WR
6-2 221 24 4 Michigan State (5 snaps).
xx Dominick Hixon WR (39
snaps.
+1.1 overall).
Evaluation
They've got a big fella (Nicks), a
route-runner/hands guy (Manningham) and a home run hitter (Cruz).
Nice depth in Stokely, Clayton and Thomas. Stokely is nicked up. Nicks (14 catches for 185 yds & 13.2 YPR) and
Manningham (7 grabs for 105 yards and 9.8 TPR) are the featured
receivers. Cruz is the new #3 wideout - only 5 grabs but for 127
yards (25.4 YPR) and 2 TD's. Among all NFL receivers, Nicks ranks
#32 overall; Manningham #57 and Cruz #81. Other PFF ratings pretty
much follow the same pattern; except that Nicks ranks #13 in
receptions and Cruz ranks #2 in Yards per Reception and #3
in YAC/Reception.
Tight
Ends
85 Ballard, Jake TE
6-6 275 23 2 Ohio State (103 snaps;
+1.2 in passing game; -1.6 as run
blocker).
86 Pascoe, Bear TE 6-5
283 25 3 Fresno State (105 snaps;
+1.0 overall; -1.1 in passing game).
78 Andrews, Stacy TE/T 6-6 318 30 8 Mississippi (24 snaps;
-1.2 as a run blocker)
47 Beckum, Travis TE
6-3 234 24 3 Wisconsin (5 snaps)
Evaluation
Primarily blockers thus far - Ballard has 2
receptions/Beckum 1. PFF ratings reflect a deficiency in run
blocking - a departure from the good old days of Jeremy Schockey
and Kevin Boss)
Offensive Line
65 Beatty, Will LT 6-6 319
26 3 Connecticut (187 snaps; -1.9
overall; - 2.2 pass blocking; +1.2
penalties.
Sacks Surrendered: 1; Pressures: 7).
79 Brewer, James T 6' 6'' 330 23 R Indiana
66 Diehl, David LG/T 6-5 304 31 9
Illinois (185 snaps; -1.2 pass
block. Sacks Surrendered: 4).
77 Boothe, Kevin G 6-5 320 28 6 Cornell (2
snaps; -1.0 overall; -1.0 run
block).
64 Baas, David C 6-4 312 29 7 Michigan (187 snaps;
+1.8 overall;
+2.3 run blockSacks
Surrendered: 1; Pressures: 2).
76 Snee, Chris G 6-3 305 29 8
Boston College (187 snaps; +5.5
overall;
+1.3 run block; +2.9 run block
Sacks Surrendered: 1).
62 Petrus, Mitch G 6-3 315 24 2 Arkansas
67 McKenzie, Kareem T 6-6 330 32 11
Penn State (187 snaps; -5.2 pass
block; +3.1 run block; +1.2
penalties. Sacks Surrendered: 2; Pressures:
7).
Evaluation
:
In the past, Giant fortunes have risen and
fallen in direct proportion to the talent, health and depth of
their offensive line. Right now (after a shaky start vs.
Washington, it's healthy, talented,
experience and deep (fewest number of snaps by any Giant starter
in the first 3 games was David Diehl with 185). According to PFF,
production has been a bit uneven, with their LT (Beattie), LG
(Diehl) and RT(McKenzie) struggling in pass pro, but Snee, Baas
and McKenzie strong run blockders and Bass and Snee rated
better-than-average overall. Pass blockers are allowing slightly
more than 3 sacks per game.
Defensive Line
90 Pierre-Paul, Jason DE 6-5 278 22 2 Coll.
of the Canyons CA (J.C.) (187 snaps;
+2.2 overall; +4.2 pass rush;
-1.1 vs. run.
5 sacks; 6 pressures; 10 stops).
72 Umenyiora, Osi DE 6-3
255 29 9 Troy
99 Canty,
Chris DT 6-7 317 28 7 Virginia (118 snaps;
-1.1 overall;
5 stops).
73 Kennedy, Jimmy DT 6-4
320 31 9 Penn State (26
snaps; +1.3 vs. run;
).
95 Bernard, Rocky DT 6-3 301 32 10 Texas
A&M (74 snaps; +5.6 overall;
+5.1 vs. run;
).
97 Joseph, Linval DT
6-4 323 22 2 East Carolina (106 snaps;
+2.0 overall; +2.2 pass rush; -1.0 vs. run
).
91 Tuck, Justin DE 6-5 268 28 7 Notre Dame (124 snaps;
-1.2 pass rush; 2 sacks; 4
pressures; 4 stops).
71 Tollefson, Dave DE 6-4
266 29 5 Northwest Missouri State (131 snaps;
- 3.4 pass rush; -1.6 penalty;
2 QB hits; 2 pressures).
69
Justin. Trattou (15 snaps).
Evaluation
:
Giants have sacked opposing QB's 8 times. Pierre Paul has 5
(4½ according to the Giants stats) of those 8 sacks. Although Tuck
is second with 1½ sacks, he's still rated in the negative as a
pass rusher. Two backups (Joseph and Tollefson) have positive
ratings as pass rushers. The interior of the Giant D-Line
(especially Bernard and Kennedy) are tough against the run,
and the only member of this unit rated significantly negative vs.
the run is their pass rushing specialist Pierre-Paul (though he
does lead all Giant linemen and ranks #4 overall in total
tackles). Only other Giant D-lineman in the top 10 in tackles is
Canty with 7.
Linebacker
94 Kiwanuka, Mathias LLB 6-5 267 28 6 Boston College (194
snaps; +1.0 overall; +2.1 vs. run; 2
QB hits; 3 pressures; 10 tackles; 7 stops;
-1.1 pass rush).
58 Herzlich, Mark LB 6-4 246 24 R Boston College
53
Jones, Greg MLB 6-0 248 22 R Michigan State (58 snaps;
6 tackles)
57 Williams, Jacquian MLB
6-3 224 23 R South Florida (87 snaps;
+2.1 vs. run; 12 tackles;
-2.5 pass coverage).
59 Boley, Michael RLB
6-3 230 29 7 Southern Mississippi (214 snaps;
+2.4 overall; +2.5 vs. run; 2 hits 13
tackles; 8 stops; -1.6 pass
coverage).
55 Paysinger, Spencer
LB 6-2 236 23 R Oregon (1 snap).
98 Tracy, Adrian LB
6-2 245 24 2 William & Mary
Evaluation
A solid if not spectacular unit learning the ropes - with 4
rookies and one LB with 2 years experience. The guys on this unit
evidently are not blitzing fools (though Kiwanuka does have 2 QB
hits and 3 pressures). Williams, (a backup who is said to have a
huge day vs. Philly) is #3 on the team in total tackles with 19.
Boley is #5 with 16. Kiawanuka has 12.
Secondary
31 Ross, Aaron LCB 6-0 190 29 5
Texas (191 snaps; +2.1 overall; +1.2
pass coverage; 10 tackles)
37 Coe, Michael CB 6-0 187
27 4 Alabama State (13 snaps).
20 Amukamara, Prince CB 6-0 207
22 R Nebraska
23 Webster,
Corey RCB 6-0 200 29 7 LSU (208 snaps;
-1.7 overall; -3.6 pass coverage;
7 tackles).
29 Williams,
Brian CB 5-11 202 32 10 North Carolina State (9
snaps).
26 Rolle, Antrel FS 6-0 206 28 6 Miami (Fla.)
(214 snaps; -4.3 overall;
+2.4 vs. run;
-1.2 pass rush; -3.8 pass coverage;
-1.7 penalty;
20 tackles; 13 stops).
34 Grant, Deon S 6-2 215 32
12 Tennessee (162 snaps;
+3.2 vs. run;
-2.1 pass coverage;
11 tackles; 5 stops).
21 Phillips, Kenny SS 6-2 217 24 4
Miami (Fla.) (214 snaps; +8.1
overall; +4.0 vs. run; +3.8 pass coverage; 17 tackles; 6 stops).
39
Sash, Tyler S 6-0 215 23 R Iowa (8 snaps).
22 Martin, Derrick S
5-10 198 26 6 Wyoming
Evaluation:
A mixed bag, but full of talented defenders who might excel at one
aspect of the game but maybe not another. Former Cardinal, Antrel
Rolle, leads the team in tackles with 23 followed by his fellow
safety Phillips with 22. Still a third safety (Deon Grant) is 5th
on the team with 17 tackles. Mix in a CB (Ross with 11 tackles)
and you get the feeling this is a very active, physical secondary
unit. Phillips, Rolle and Grant are beasts in run support. Ross
(who has a PFF plus-rating of 1.2 in pass coverage) leads the team
in interceptions with 2; Phillips has the only other NYG pick. But
there are three active members of the Giant secondary (Rolle,.
Webster and Grant) with negative ratings in pass coverage.
Special Teams
09 Tynes,
Lawrence K 6-1 194 33 8 Troy (-1.4
overall; - 0.8 on KO's; -0.6 on FG's & XP's).
05
Weatherford, Steve P/H 6-2 211 28 7 Illinois
(+1.1 overall; +1.1 pn punts)
51 DeOssie, Zak LS/LB 6-4 249 27 5 Brown
15 Thomas, Devin
KR/WR 6-2 221 24 4 Michigan State (5 snaps).
31 Ross, Aaron
PR/LCB 6-0 190 29 5 Texas (191 snaps)
Evaluation:
Tynes is slightly subpar as a kicker. Giants have only let him try
one (medium-range) FG and he missed; Weatherford is slightly
above par as a punter. Tollefson is pretty good covering KO's;
Williams is a bit deficient in KO coverage. Jones and Herzlich are
slight liabilities in punt coverage. Thomas is averaging 26.3
yards per KO return (with his longest gain 33 yards). Giants are
averaging 8.8 yards per punt return (while giving up an average of
11.9).
Cardinal Roster
QB - 4 Kolb, 19 Skelton, 02 Bartel
Kolb (Overall Rating of +5.8 and Passer
Rating of 5.0) has more than met his coaches'
expectations in the short time he's been a Cardinal. He's picked
up most of the offense and looks poised and accurate. We also like
his balll handling off play-action - he runs the misdirection
waggle and naked boot better than anyone I can remember - even
Josh McCown or Jake. Already one notable major change in our
passing game are the number of long-gainers (both on deep balls
and RAC yardage from open receivers underneath). Last week (vs.
Seattle, Kolb appeared to struggle a bit during most of the 2H -
under more pressure than usual, he wasn't as sharp at locating
open receivers and hitting them in stride. He couldn't move the
ball consistently.
Skelton has
a world of athletic talent and just needs more work, but his
development has been hampered by a high ankle sprain. Surprise of
preseason was Bartel (who proved extremely accurate and
shares Kolb's poise in the pocket.
Some concern about Bartel's tendency to lose
concentration and make one or two major miscues per game that
costs his team points or field position.
RB - 26, Wells,
36
Stephens-Howling (KR/PR),
29 C Taylor, 46 A. Smith
Wells looks more comfortable this season and is
running wiith authority more consistently. (He's rated 4.2 as a
rusher, but - at minus-1.6 - is a potential liability in the
passing game and as a run blocker). LSH (who was injured
last week) plays the role of
passing-down scatback. Newly acquired Chester Taylor is an
experienced receiver and receiver out of the backfield whose
running yards production fell off a cliff under Mike Martz's new
system a year ago.
Despite Beanie's improvement and bigger yardage
totals, I still don't get the sense the coaches are confident
enough in our running game to give Beanie the 20 - 25 touches
you'd expect from a feature back. Right now, he's mixing a few 10
- 15 yard gainers with a bunch of 0's or runs for losses. I'm
guessing he'll have to churn out at least 3-4 yards on a
consistent basis before the coaches will trust him enough to make
him the center piece of a bonafide NFL running attack.
This
past week, both Wells and LSH were shelved due to injury. Taylor
and A Smith saw truncated action. Plus-signs: Taylor knows how to
make himself small in the hole. Smith will nearly always get you
positive yards if you run him inside directly at the LOS. (Where
we get in trouble is when we try to run him parallel to the LOS on
stretch plays and sweeps).
FB - 35 Sherman
A rookie who was good enough to win roster
battle over Mau'ia. Main role figures to be as lead blocker, but
Kolb and Bartel like to spread the ball around. He's currently in
negative-terriitory overall (-1.2) in his primary MOS (run blocking) with a
rating of minus-1.6 (not a good sign)..
WR -
85 Doucet , 12
Roberts, 17 Stuckey,
WR -11 Fitzgerald, 14 S Williams,
89 Sampson
Fitzgerald continues to be
amazing - when he can get open and Kolb can throw him the ball,
but when he isn't, the Cards are not nearly as effective throwing
to their other options (Doucet, Roberts and/or Stuckey). It's not
that our receivers are terrible, but for some reason, haven't been
getting enough separation running their routes. Fitz (as expected)
enjoys a +3.2 rating overall and a receiving rating of +2.4. But
both Roberts and Stuckey remain deep in negative rating territory (both
overall and as receivers). Doucet has a +1.4 receiving rating, but
comes up a bit short blocking for the run. The entire unit is
picking up too many penalties. WIlliams and Sampson
are both tall wide-outs who are still a bit raw, but who figure to
be phased in to play specific roles in certain game situations.
Fitzgerald (who signed a long term contract) is considered by some
to be the best WR in the NFL.
TE - 86
Heap,
87 King,
84 Housler, 81
Dray
Totally revamped position. Heap is one of
the best all-around TE's in football. He enjoys a + 4.2 overall
rating/+1.3 as a receiver and 3.0 as a run blocker. Former Panther King
has suprised as a receiver (with a +1.8 rating) but has
disappointed as both a run blocker (-1.2) and in pass pro (-1.6). Housler has sub 4.6 speed, great hands
and can stretch the field but has only been in for 8 snaps. Cards liked Dray enough to cut Spach
and still go with 4 TE's on their Final 53 roster
LT- 75 L Brown,
, 73 Bridges
LG-
71 Colledge,
OC- 63Sendlein
RG-
70 Hadnot (C), 76
Lutui
RT
72 Keith,
74 Batiste
In comparison
with other NFL offensive lines, this unit is killing us. We've got
huge problems at tackle - most assuredly with
pass blocking but also run blocking output from our RT (a position
(where you expect to put your most dominant master-blaster). Brown
ranks #62 (out of 65 OT's) as a pass blocker. Keith ranks
dead-last at #65. Keith ranks #57 as a run blocker while Levi only
ranks #35. Keith ranks #66 and Brown 64 in number of QB pressures
allowed.
Our two
guards grade out
a bit better. Hadnot ranks #3 overall (out of 72 guards) and #2 as
a pass blocker. He's tied for #7 as a run blocker. Colledge also
ranks tied for #7 as a run blocker, has disappointed in pass pro
(ranked #59).
Although Sendlein ranks #11 (of 35 centers)
overall, he's near the bottom in pass protection (ranking #30))
and 2nd to last in allowing QB pressures. He is 4th best among run
blocklers, however.
DE - 93 Campbell,
98
Eason
NT -
92 D Williams, 79 Carter
DT - 90 Dockett,
91 Holliday
Campbell (3.3 overall) and Dockett (3.2) are
dominant bookends, but best at rushing the passer and just "OK" at
stopping the run. Although Williams is rated near average at NT,
his two backups (Carter and Eason) have negative-1.1 and
negative-3.0 ratings respectively overall. The surprise of this
unit has been Holliday (+1.8 overall; +1.8 as a pass rusher). Only
Eason (-2.5) is in negative territory vs. the run. campbell is at
his best when he gets his hands up into the QB's face and in the
passing lanes. (Dockett too for that matter).
One thing the stats
don't tell you about 3-4 defensive linemen is how well they occupy
blockers so that the back seven can step up and make the tackle.We
need to do better.
WLB - 55 Porter,
50 Schofield
ILB
51
Lenon,
52 Bradley
ILB-
558 D Washington,
56 Walker,
SLB
-
53
Haggans, 94 Acho
This unit has to do better within Horton's
scheme. Lenon (who we concede has been injured) is minus-1.2
overall, minus-3.2 vs. the run and minus-1.8 rushing the passer.
(He is, however, a nifty plus-4.5 covering passes. Our designated
pass-rusher (Porter) has a negative-4.1 rating rushing the passer,
a negative-1.2 in coverage and a negative-4.1 overall. (Ughh)!
Thank goodness for Haggans (+5.3 overall), Washington (+4.2) and
Bradley (+1.6). Haggans and Porter have notable run-defense
ratings. Haggans and Washington are rated well as pass rushers.
Lenon and Washington do a good job of dropping into coverage. But
all in all, performance is kind of spotty, with enough holes for
opposing OC's to pick us apart.
RCB -
21 Peterson,
31
Marshall
LCB-
20 Jefferson,
27 Adams,
32 Lindsay
SS- 24 Wilson,
41 Abdullah,
40
Tillman
FS- 25 Rhodes,
49
Rash Johnson
The Cardinal secondary is, at this point, a "work in progress."
Among 101 NFL corners rated by PFF, Jefferson ranks a decent
#17th, overall, but Peterson ranks #75 and Marshall #90. In pass
coverage, Jefferson ranks #33, Peterson #89 and Marshall #78. In
run support, Jefferson is (woo hoo!) tied for 7th and Peterson is
tied for #21, but Marshall is near the bottom, ranking 95th.
Shall I go on? Let's look at % of passes completed against a
corner: Jefferson ranks #58, Peterson #92 and Marshall tied for
#57. In terms of QB Ratings for passes thrown at that corner:
Jefferson ranks #53, Peterson #42 and Marshall (who usually covers
the #3 receiver) a decent #20.
Our safeties aren't in Pro Bowl vicinity quite yet. Out of 85 NFL
safeties - Wilson ranks #24 overall, 60th as a pass rusher, #30 in
coverage and tied for 8th in run support. He's tied for #15 in %
completions of passes thrown his way and #42 in QB ratings when
thrown-against. Rhodes is ranked 69th overall; 66th in coverage;
30th in run support; 29th in percent of passes completed against
him and 70th in opposing QB ratings. Wilson and Rhodes are dismal
deep - tied for #82 in average yards per pass thrown against them.
K-04
Feely
P- 09 Zastudil
H - 009
Zastudil
LS-
82 Leach
KR -
37Stephens-Howling, 20 Jefferson
PR -
21
Peterson
Feely had an
uncharacteristic "bad hair day" in Seattle, missing 2 FG's (albeit
in tough windy circumstances). He's just 1 for 4 in FG's thus far
and has a minus-0.6 rating as a field goal kicker and +0.4
on KO's (Just 4 of his 12 KO's have been for touchbacks). Zastudil
has a minus-0.1 rating as a punter. (35.7 net yards per punt; max
hang-time 4.90).
Giants
vs. Cardinals Matchups
Giants Passing Attack
vs. Cardinal
Pass Defense
It will be Eli Manning throwing mostly to excellent receivers
in NIcks and Manningham, Cruz (more & more), Bradshaw out of the backfield (& look out
for Jacobs out of the backfield).
Pass pro figures to remain an adventure, vs. a
somewhat unpredictable and inconsistent group of Cardinal pass
rushers going up against a hit-or-miss Giant
offensive line that can either be very very good or horrid. Campbell, Dockett, Porter,
Schofield &/r
Haggans can have big days...or not.
Manning can be mistake-prone when
under pressure, but he can be equally hero-prone when he has to be. You just
never can be sure. Perhaps the lesson learned vs. Seattle (when
the Cards gave Tavaris Jackson far too much time to locate
receivers as he sustained his long, 3rd quarter drive) will be
heeded and Manning will not be allowed to pick us apart.
Giants Running Attack vs.
Cardinal Run Defense
Giant
offensive linemen are much better run-blockers than pass
protectors. If I'm Coughlin, I steal a page from back in Brandon
Jacobs' rookie year when the Giant coach junked most of his passing attack and
just blasted away at us with Jacobs and his blockers blacktopping
us over and over .
(When you can flat-out dominate the other team, why get fancy and
complicate things - just run over your opponents until they show
they can stop you).
All of which suggests that our D-line
(especially NT's) LB's (especially DWash, Brad and Paris) and both
A-Dub and Kerry had better fasten their chin-straps extra tightl.
But it's not all Jacobs and smashmouth. We have to be extra
careful to be in the right gaps to avoid being gashed for long
gains by Bradshaw.
Cardinal Passing Attack
vs. Giants Pass Defense
Giant
defenders profile tougher vs. the run than vs. the pass (though
it's rumored that Osi Umenyiora is 50-50 to return Sunday). Key to
our success, Sunday may hinge on our ability to dissect each Giant
defensive player's strengths from weaknesses and
then set up mismatches to exploit those weaknesses. For example,
Aaron Ross is considered excellent in pass coverage and figures to
be responsible for containing Fitz. That leaves Roberts or Doucet
to be covered by Webster who is considered weak in coverage.
Similarly, 2 of the 3 Giant safeties (Rolle and Grant) are strong
in run support but weak in coverage. (Phillips is outstanding at
everything). So run a lot of double-TE stuff at the Giants and let
their safeties choose between stopping Beanie or containing Heap
and King.
One Cardinal receiving deficiency requiring
attention - the lack of separation our receivers were achieving in
the 2H of the Redskin loss. Either our guys aren't exploding out
of their breaks or they're tipping off their routes.
Cardinal Running Attack
vs. Giants Run Defense
The Giants
are very tough vs. the run - at all levels: D-Line, LB and DB.
But, if we want to make the play-action passing game work, the
Cardinals have to make the Giants not only respect the possibility
of the run but also fear a possible long gainer.
Of course the danger in running "for effect" and
not for "gain" is that, if we can't gain consistently positive
yardage (however meager) we're going to find ourselves in a
lot of 2nd and 13 situations. I've noticed that some teams have
been very adept at taking away our inside-the-tackles cutback
plays (are we tipping off opposing defenses?) and we've been more
effective running north-south between the tackles. (Of course,
when Beanie's been healthy, he's been lethal when he gets leverage
to the outside on sweeps - but, then too, opposing DC's see
the same tape we do).
Special Teams
Getting LSH back should help us in both coverage and KO
returns. I'll feel shaky about Feely until he proves he's gotten
his mojo back;
but his opposite number (Tynes) is no Lou Groza either. Same deal
with punts - I'm not thrilled by Zastudil, but Weatherford is a
bit iffy too. Peterson has been encouraged by the coaches to
be less conservative and - when in doubt - go for the big play.
Both he and LSH represent home run threats that I'm not sure the
Giants have (unless they let Bradshaw return punts or KO's..
Final Word|
We've got our work cut out for us - we're facing a confident team
on the upswing (with our own fingers digging into the cliff). But the Giants have proved
they can implode occasionally and the Cardinals have proved they
are capable of rising to the occasion. We just gotta wind 'em up and let 'em
play.
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