Offensive Line

-Rich Conforti

Week 16 OL grade sheet

...coming off of a putrid effort @ Atlanta, the OL looked to rebound but instead produced more of the same from last week. The group put up a "-5" combined and while they have had worse totals this season, this week's stinker came on only on 26 first half plays. Individual grades: Beatty- 0, Boothe- 1, Baas-1, Snee- "-3", Diehl- "-4"

...everyone on the OL outside of David Baas recorded a "-2" on an individual play in this game, with Beatty/Boothe (Play 14) and Snee/Diehl (Play 23) receiving them on the same play. Once again, the plug was pulled on the grading template at halftime with the game in hand for the Ravens or else we may have seen a sheet littered with more negative numbers. Let's take a look at each of those plays:

Play 14, as you can see, called for a front side double team block (an easy one at that considering the advantage they have on the LB because of the angle) from Beatty and Boothe up to the backside MLB. In this photo the two appear to be well on the way to executing the block, gaining leverage and controlling the LOS. The next logical move would be for one of the two OL to leave the double team block and engage the LB. Who goes is often (and most likely in this instance) dependant on where the LB is by the time they engage him (if he has passed the blocked DT it would be Beatty. If not--Boothe) but either way it should be clear as to who is going.

This screengrab shows us the result of the failed double team block as by this point both Beatty and Boothe have left the DT to get to the LB at the 2nd level, allowing him to stop Bradshaw for a 2-yard gain on what could have been an explosive play or even a TD (seriously, if you have the game on DVR check this one out) all because of poor communication from the two. This is unacceptable for Week 16 and as anyone who played OL even at the HS level knows, is something that is hashed out and worked on in the earliest stages of camp. Just a horrible effort. I know there were plenty of disappointing plays in this one from the OL and the entire team alike, but this one does a great job of highlighting the sloppy football team the Giants have become in recent weeks. Beaten physically and mentally. 

Play 23 is a 3rd and 9 (following an OPI penalty on Hixon and holding on Snee that negated some good offense from the Giants) and the Ravens only send a 3-man rush. Should be a relief for the Giants OL but instead results in near disaster. As you see in the picture above Diehl has not only lost the edge to Paul Kruger but has been spun around to the point where it appears Kruger is actually the one blocking Diehl.  Not great but should be ok considering Snee is there to help if Kruger comes inside. If he continues upfield Eli should be able to step up no problem. 

Instead Kruger is able to split the two and have a straight shot at Eli Manning who is forced to try to quickly get rid of the ball. The result is an incomplete pass call instead of the fumble and TO that occured here. To get beat like this against a 3-man rush is very discouraging and should further support the claim that the Giants' low sack total is a credit to Manning's ability to get the ball out of his hand quickly in the face of pressure and not strong pass blocking. Again, beaten physically and mentally.

...although his play has been as bad as anyone's in recent weeks, I am willing to give Snee a bit of a free pass of sorts (at least as we look forward to 2013) as I still believe he is not only a productive player but an all-pro caliber player. The hip injury is a killer. Prior to the hip injury Snee was still playing as well as he had in the past--a strong drive blocker and a near mistake-free pass protector. A hip labrum tear (even partial) is a damaging injury to any athlete, espeically an OL. To compare, a friend of mine who plays professional hoops overseas recently had his season cut short because of a similar injury, as his range of moment was taken away. This is relevant because much like defense in basketball, pass blocking requires strong and explosive lateral movement, something that an injury such as this restricts. It also makes it difficult for an OL to bend at the hips, something that is necessary for success in both pass and run blocking. As tough as Snee is for trying to play through this, he is nearly 100% ineffective at this point and should have been shut down weeks ago. If Snee is able to make a full recover this offseason then expect him to return to form for the 2013 season.

.,.despite the poor collective effort from the OL in this one, Will Beatty delivered what was probably the block of the year for this group on David Wilson's 13-yard TD run. Beatty got out in open space and drove his legs through the defender and provided the block that sprung Wilson to the TD. The Giants need Beatty to provide this on a consistent basis going forward if he is someone to be counted on at the crucial LT position. I think he is up for the task.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

-Steve Gesuele

Week 16 WR/TE grade sheet

...last week I wrote that I would be very surprised if Victor Cruz and the rest of the receiving corps were held in check and had a quiet game. Well, I---like most Giants fans---completely underestimated the Giants lack of continuity, execution, and all around desire brought to the football field on Sunday. The Giants performance has left all of us searching for answers. I have questioned, at least privately with Rich, the health of Eli Manning and am highly curious to see if news comes out once the Giants' season ends that he was indeed battling an injury that has yet to be made public. But that is neither here nor there and this certainly isn't the time or place to speculate on that as Big Blue's receiving corp came out flat once again and failed to make an impact in a virtual must-win scenario against the Ravens in Baltimore this past weekend. Don't be fooled by the +2 combined score for the group, a number that is a product of Rueben Randle's 43-yard reception on the Giants' first TD.

...if you told me that the Giants WR/TE graded out to a score of +4 three weeks ago I would have thought that you were talking about a handful of plays or a single drive. Well, the grade of +4 is what this once-dynamic group of receivers and tight ends graded out two the last two weeks…COMBINED. For a group that has this much talent this is totally baffling and inexcusable. Take away the names and numbers on the back of the Giants jerseys and from looking at the tape it seems as if this group is as pedestrian as it comes, not one that was advertised as one of the best in the game during the offseason. 

...the most frustrating part about this is the WR/TE were playing up to expectations (for the most part) until recently and have been completely ineffective, much like every unit on this team. Again, there can be several factors that led to this, many of which were discussed in Bill Barnwell's Monday column on Grantland. Many of these are fairly obvious, such as the Giants tougher schedule in the second half, lack of pass rush, and meltdown of the offensive line. However, I feel the reason for the lack of performance from the receivers comes down to one key thing: timing. The Giants passing game has shown no semblance of rhythm in weeks. Even the most pedestrian slant and in routes have become a challenge for the passing attack.

...an aspect we preach here at UltimateNYG is small ball, which is essentially using the short passing game as an extension of the run game whether it comes from the receivers, tight ends or backs. Those quick routes are all dependent upon timing and rhythm, two key elements that the Giants passing game has shown none of in recent weeks. The fact that the Giants o-line hasn't provided Eli with any time, many starters on the offense have not practiced during the week, and teams have aimed to disrupt the timing of the offense are all key reasons why this group has staggered down the stretch.

...since there weren't many plays to grade on an individual level (this game was over at the half) the WR/TE made only two plays that were noteworthy in a positive way. On Play 9 Rueben Randle ran a great route, blew by his corner covering him, and made a tremendous adjustment to a less-than-perfect ball from Eli Manning and made a spectacular catch in traffic as the safety was providing help over the top. Although it was just one good play (there haven't been many in recent weeks) this has to be a nice sign for Giants fans It is clear that Randle has the raw ability (Rich: This catch was very similar to his big gain on the opening drive of the game @ Dallas. On both plays Randle showed the body control and ball skills that make him a potential explosive play guy for the Giants going forward) to become an impact player in this league. The fact that he earned Tom Coughlin's trust to play in some key situation tells you a lot about how talented he really is. With some more seasoning, studying and a full offseason of camps Randle could be poised for a breakout season in 2013. 

...the other positive sequence came four plays later on that same drive on Wilson's 14-yard touchdown run, the only scoring play of the first half by the Giants. What garnered the positive score was the blocking done by both Bennett and Pascoe. Pascoe was lined up in the slot, a formation that we saw a lot early in the season but only sparingly in recent weeks and Bennett was lined up to the left of the formation. Both TEs did a nice job coming off the LOS, getting to the second level and maintaining their blocks. Since they were both lined up on the strong side of the field their effective blocking created a huge running lane for Wilson leading to a score. The rest of the plays during which the TEs were required to run block they got off the line flat, had no leverage, and consistently were beat by their man.

...now I know the Giants season technically isn't over but now is a decent time to discuss what is going to be an important decision this offseason. Over the next few weeks a popular question among Giants fans will surely be the status of impending free agent tight end Martellus Bennett. Bennett stated yesterday that he would take a hometown discount to stay with Big Blue and I feel that it would be in the best interest of the Giants to keep the Black Unicorn in New York. I know that not everyone is going to agree with me on this as Bennett has had an up and down season, his run blocking is inconsistent and flat out bad at some times, and he has had his share of drops but I would still like him back in New York for at least one more season. In his first full season as a number one tight end Bennett put up some solid numbers: 54 catches for 611 yards and five TDs through 16 games. Not bad for someone who never topped more than 283 yards in a season and had to learn a new system for the first time as a starter. I believe the talent is there. Bennett has shown flashes that he can be a tremendous weapon in the red zone and can be a key cog in the Giants "small ball" attack. With some improvement and consistency in the blocking game I truly feel that Martellus has the ability to become a top-tier tight end in this league. I think that Jerry Reese and co. feel the same way as well and will give Bennett the opportunity to become the great player that he can be. (Rich: Another positive of resigning Bennett, as mentioned by the Unicorn himself in the article referenced by Steve, is the possibility of Bennett recruiting his brother, Michael, to play for the Giants. Michael had a very solid season as a DE for the Bucs and could be an asset as the Giants may be looking to replace Osi if he doesn't come back.)

In last week's recap, we talked about a simply embarrassing showing in ATL and noted that the Giants had too many of these games.  Well, the Giants were undressed yet again, losing 33-14.  Given that the last TD was in scrub time, the Giants have effectively been outscored 67-7 in the last 2 games.  Not that these last two games were important or anything...

At the end of the half of both games I had a pretty good feel for whether the Giants could come back and make it a game.  Early in the season vs TB, you can check my tweets for a certain amount of optimism and hope that permeated the 1st half and the game.  They came back and won that contest.  But there is not the same feeling right now.  Why? Too many of the same themes we talked about last week:

• Eli is bad Eli right now. He is not making plays. He misses WRs when they have defenders beaten. He is not helping the team win ball games w any consistency at all.
• The DL is not getting a pass rush.  Tuck is invisible (and did not dress due to an injured shoulder). JPP is not making impact plays. Osi is gone. And without a pass rush, it is so much easier to take 7 step drops and convert 3rd and 18 and 3rd and 20 backbreaking first downs.
• The Giants cannot stop the run.  Memo to Jerry Reese: LBer still matters, and because RGIII is in your division for 2 games per year w that option run, you better upgrade LBer in a hurry.  In this game, Rice carved up the Giants like a Xmas turkey.
• Gilbride's offense lives and dies by the X Wide Receiver.  In 2008 it was wheels coming off once Plax went down.  In 2012, the Giants offense took the gas pipe once Nicks became hobbled.  Manning (see above) has not helped.  But we do not see the adjustments that are needed when your X WR is no longer able to make the plays that an X is supposed to run.  This NYG blog will not repeat for the 50th time what those adjustments need to be.  Read the attached link for Nicks' own (pre-game) admission of what he cannot do this season.  

Let's look at the bright side.  No complaining about the red zone!

Let's talk for a moment or two about Corey Webster.  CWeb is one of many reasons why the Giants have two Super Bowl rings. He took the opponent's X WR head on in 1-on-1 coverage on plenty of snaps over the past 5+ years.  Down the stretch in 2007, he got matched on some of the best WRs in the game, like Randy Moss, Terrell Owens and Donald Driver.  His pick of Favre in OT sealed a Super bowl appearance.  And in 2011 he bent but did not break against weaker WRs.  In 2008 he was a shutdown corner.  So now that we are in 2012 and his career is in decline, we honor all that he has done for this franchise.  If Terrell Thomas was healthy in 2011 and 2012 like maybe he could have been, perhaps TT would be drawing the tougher WR assignments and shielding CWeb from some of the abuse we see on days like today.  But alas, that is not the case with this depleted corps that is playing rookie after rookie.  So CWeb gets exposed.  And while I am defending Webster's overall record, it does not help any of the Giants CBs here in 2012 that the DL pass rush is so anemic game after game.  We salute you Corey Webster for two Giant SB rings.

There is one game left in the season.  Some people think this can be 2007 or 2011.  It is more like 2009.  The Giants need a lot of help to get into the playoffs.  The 2nd half of the season needs to be aired so that we understand the reality of the situation:

• After a 6-2 start, the Giants are 2-5 in the last 7 games.
• The road warriors are the road warriors no longer.  They are 0-4 in their last 4 road games.  They would be 0-5 if not for a misplaced finger by Dez Bryant.  Yes, the last real significant road win was vs the Niners back in Week 6.
• BAL 533 yds NYG 186 yds
• The Eli "tired arm" gets more support, anecdotal or otherwise.  He limped into the bye with QB ratings that descended from 87 to 79 to 58 to 41 to 56.  After the bye, he posted a 114, 98 and 100, followed by a 39 and a 78 today which was padded by a late TD.  He underthrew Randle on a big completion and he underthrew Hixon when Hixon had the BAL defense beaten.
• The Giants identity and resources are put behind its DL and their QB pressure.  And the Offensive Line generally protects Eli more than adequately.  This year the team only has +4 more sacks on Defense than the OL has given up.  Last year that differential was +20.
• After allowing 533 yds, the NYG are unofficially the 29th ranked Defense as measured by yds per game (stats not updated on NFL.com)

A final thought.  Just like in 2009, after this game Coughlin was at a loss for words or any understanding of why the ugly and uncompetitive defeats are occurring.  His teflon will last as long as he wants it to.  I just draw the line at these uncompetitive showings.  I can accept narrow losses where the team shows up and fights.  I cannot accept how this franchise can get embarrassed in must-win after must-win games.  This is not the NY Jets.  Yet the NY Giants are losing with less competitiveness than that dysfunctional franchise.  We saw Rolle giving Fewell a few heated sentences on the sidelines late in today's game.  I do not care that this team is one year removed from a Super Bowl.  It is never an excuse for teflon.  There is dysfunction when a team of this caliber is getting beaten so badly. 

Wide Reciever/Tight End

-Steve Gesuele

Week 15 WR/TE grade sheet

...the wide receivers followed up their best performance of the season with one of their worst in week 15 versus the Falcons. Domenik Hixon was the only receiver who had a game worth remembering; the rest of the unit was--as the entire team--completely flat. While there weren't many plays that were noticeable blunders (the core graded out to a pedestrian total of +1) the group lacked any of the game-changing, momentum-swinging, "home run" plays that the Giants have grown to rely on. This partially has to do with the fact that the entire team didn't show up on Sunday but the receiving core must be held accountable individually as well.

...the first play that comes to mind is play 12. A quintessential example of "what could have been". Nicks is on a simple go route and beats his man off the line of scrimmage. The safety is late coming over and the Giants have a tremendous opportunity for one of those aforementioned big plays. The ball isn't perfect from Eli, a little overthrown, but it still seems catchable (especially given who the ball is being thrown too). Instead of finishing his route, Nicks seems to pull up and doesn't run through the ball. The play results in an incompletion instead of what could have been a big gain or even an 80-yard touchdown pass. 

...another Nicks nuance came on the second play of the game. Again this is nitpicking and it did happen with a lot of time on the clock but the beauty of this project is that we can break down the one-on-one battles that take place on every single play. The second play of the game is an example of a Giant losing his one-on-one matchup. Nicks runs a comeback route and instead of coming back hard to the ball he is a bit lackadaisical (injury or not) and is beat to the ball by Asante Samuel. This is absolutely inexcusable due to several factors:

1) As the receiver you have the advantage of knowing your next step before your defender does. In other words, your man is reacting to your action. Your man should rarely be able to jump a route that is supposed to be short, precise and methodic. What should have been an easy eight-yard gain resulted in a pick and the Falcons set up with a short field.

2) The timing of this interception could not have been any worse. It dictated the tone for the entire game and foreshadowed what would be a long afternoon for the Giants. The thing that makes this poor play by Nicks even more frustrating is the fact that it came during this crucial time. The first dozen or so offensive plays are predetermined throughout the week by every single NFL team. Nicks knew his job on this play several days before it happened and he still failed to execute.

...this space is often used to praise Nicks on what he has done this season while battling several injuries; however, it just goes to show that if a player takes just a few plays off the outcome of the game can be jeopardized before anyone even realizes it.

...Cruz was pretty much shut down the entire game, he finished at -1, the lone negative play coming on play six where Cruz got his hands on a pass and couldn't haul it in. Credit has to go to the Atlanta defense shutting down even the short, quick stuff that seems to be there for Cruz every week. Cruz was shaken up on the unnecessary roughness call he drew in the third but only missed a handful off snaps. If all goes according to plan we should expect a bounce back week for Cruz as we have come to learn that it is hard to keep him from putting up impressive numbers in consecutive weeks.

...Martellus Bennett finished at a +2 and was plus one run blocking  which was a small "silver lining" (highly recommend seeing the movie, even though the characters are Eagles fans). Although Bennett did have two negative plays in run blocking, he seems to be cutting down on his mental errors which must be completely eliminated over the next two weeks if the Giants look to find some consistency on the ground and in turn make a playoff push.

Running Back

-Matt Poliquin

Week 15 RB grade sheet

Defensive Tackle

Week 15 DT grade sheet

Offensive Line

-Rich Conforti

Week 15 grade sheet

...collectively the offensive line graded out at an appaling -18 and that number was only so low becuase Andy had the decency to spare them any more humiliation by cutting off the template after the Giants 2nd play of the 4th quarter. In reality the game was over before it even began. Individual numbers: Beatty -1, Boothe -6, Baas -4, Snee 0, Diehl -4, Cordle -3. Consider those grades generous as there were plenty of plays where everyone was rewarded (emphasis on rewarded) with a 0 grade because the play had turned into such a chaotic pile of people that it was too difficult to tell who deserved the negative grade.

...hate to do this because I know the whole goal of the Ultimate22 is objectivity via tangible data, but after watching this film some other intangible things are painfully obvious. For one, this group should have never boarded the flight to ATL. They didn’t want it early on and if they did from the get go they gave up quickly. No fight, no interest in a fight. Unreal. 

...I believe it was mentioned by Andy in the game review that some feel the Giants offense currently lacks technique---Another point about the Giants offense was noted by Roman Oben and Amani Toomer in the postgame- the Giants OL is blocking too high on these run plays and not digging down for push at the line of scrimmage. They both questioned aloud how bad technique could be present this late in the season.---  count me in as one of those guys. There really isn’t a stat to reflect it well, BUT it is painfully obvious that the Giants offensive line has been showing some AWFUL technique in the run game and never did that show more than this game. The coaches end zone film angle consistently shows run plays where all you see is the Giants OL and not the players they are blocking. Why? Because the group seemed hell bent on standing straight up at the point of attack. Taking false steps. Pivoting and maneuvering instead of drive blocking. All things that go along with accusations of "half-assing" it. Look, I understand that it is the NFL. You aren’t going to be able to establish push all that easily on a regular basis but it just seems like this group is more interested in turning, pivoting and positioning defenders. 

...this may be some sort of exaggeration out of frustration, but understand that it is not by much. Nearly EVERY Giants run play (including the 2 or 3 successful ones on the day) was more or less a big pile of bodies in the middle (representing the OL and the D who is doing their job) followed by an RB bounce to the outside. 

...another result of this issue (especially in this one) is the Giants losing the LOS to the front four, especially in pass pro. Counted about five times where an OL wasn’t beat (3 by Boothe alone), but rather just driven backwards right into the face of Eli, thus compromising the play. It really becomes difficult to see who should get the -1 and not on a given play. They were so bad in this one collectively that it is tough to single out who REALLY is at fault. 

...throughout this game there were countless plays that I could have used to show you just how poorly this   group played, specifically getting any type of push in the run game. I think to drive the point home all we need to do is take a look at one of the most crucial plays in this one, the Giants 1st of 3 failed 4th down conversions. 4^th and 1-- and the run play comes in and this is how you get off the ball? If you have the game DVR'ed, watch the play and you decide who wanted it more. Look how high they fire off the ball. Whose helmets do you see on all 5 blocks? Giant. That is cause they are playing higher than the Falcons with no technique and getting beat at the point of attack. Seriously---are Beatty's feet even on the ground? He couldn't be playing any higher. As we all know this 4th down wasn't converted and was one of many disappointing efforts for this group and the whole team in this game. 

...having said all of this I thought that this was a relevant article to share. 

Quarterback

-Peter Grudin

Week 15 QB grade sheet

...this humiliation was very much a team effort. Just about every Giants’ unit pitched in unselfishly.  From the start, however, it was Eli Manning who set the tone. Eli established a level of play in the first quarter and his teammates, after some hesitation, sank to that level too.

...I don’t know whether any one has ever proved that momentum (as a psychological thing) really shifts in a game.  But I think we can draw some conclusions about timing. Throwing an interception on your first pass is a bad time to throw one, and the timing is just as important, I think, as the fact Manning threw that one deep in his own territory inside of the Georgia Dome. Instant 7-0 Falcons. Instant diminishment of the Giants’ momentum or chance at building any. After that interception, however, there was still plenty of time and plenty of hope. The offense kept amassing yardage. The running game was alive. Eli made some good throws.  But there were no points. A few ill-timed misguided throws reared their head to ensure that every drive would crumble slowly and painfully.

...at 12:18 in the 2nd quarter, for instance, Manning throws his second interception. Like the first, it’s deep in Giants’ territory and a head scratcher. At 1:14 in the 2nd quarter, Manning throws hurriedly to Cruz who is blanketed by Samuels to bring the Giants to 0-2 on 4th down early in the game. Samuels makes a great play but as the commentators mention, Manning has tons of time to let Cruz or another receiver get free (Rich: yes there was a debatbable potential DPI call but it was bang/bang and could have gone either way. Cannot let the officials play a role) for the higher percentage pass on 3rd down.  A completion there gives us first and goal with plenty of time to bring the score to 17-7 going into the intermission.

...as Rich and Andy explain, the rest of the team soon fell into line and the disaster took on its own momentum. The quarterback who was throwing badly already soon had to contend with a flood of rushers overwhelming his porous (Rich: AND DISINTERESTED) offensive line.  In the end, however, if a good quarterback often “leads his team to victory,” here is a case where this quarterback led his team to defeat.

The Giants are like a box chocolates- you never know what you are going to get.  From one week to the next, do any of you know who shows up? That inconsistency smacks of poor coaching and preparation.  To be fair, the Giants did not have Amukamara and Bradshaw, and those players' absences were felt.  (Boley was activated and mostly invisible.)  But 34-0? It is an embarrassment.  And we have learned over the years to watch as these Giants get embarrassed more often than they should, which should be almost never.  

This week we got the sloppy Giants, the low energy Giants, the ones who needed a win desperately but left their energy at practice.  The Giants just were not moving as quickly as the opponent and they certainly weren't as physical as the opponent.  It should be noted that both picks of Eli occurred on routes that Hakeem Nicks was running.  I am sure that Nicks is doing everything he can out there to fight through his injury, but he is simply playing at less than 100%, and the entire team is paying for this.  Asante Samuel was going jump the route no matter who was running it, but Nicks makes it easier because Nicks just doesn't have the physical ability to fight for the ball.

It should be pointed out that the Defense essentially gave up 7 points in the first half.  Not a "bad" showing.  But overall the defense allowed Ryan to go 23 for 28 on passing and they allowed the Falcons to run right up the gut of the defense.  Tuck and JPP, two players that the Giants need to make plays, were essentially invisible.  They are playing through injuries too, even if they don't talk much about it.  When the game was over in Q4, Tuck has Snelling wrapped up for a small gain but is tackling him high and gets shed like a rag doll.  Justin Tuck, the Giants All-Pro DL, is a shell of himself.  There is no one who loves Tuck's football game more than us at UltimateNYG Giants blog, but this team misses the Real Justin Tuck badly right now.  Last year, he gutted it out right at this moment in the season and was able to fight through to assist the Giants to another title.  If the Giants are going to find their Super Bowl, which I severely doubt, it will get done with players like Tuck and JPP somehow getting healthier and making impact plays.  Without them, the Giants are also rans.

(Injuries are never an excuse in football.  Every team in the NFL has to weather a series of injuries and have your second and sometimes 3rd stringers step in to make up the difference.  In each of the 4 SB runs for the Gmen, reserves stepped in and filled holes.  In 1986, when Terry Kinard tore his ACL in Week 14, it was a seemingly devastating blow, yet the Giants plugged it up w no-names like Welch and Lasker.  In 1990, the Giants lost no less than Phil Simms, but we all know what Hoss did thereafter.  In 2007, it was guys like Kiwi, Ward and Shockey lost with players like Corey Webster answering the call down the stretch into the playoffs.  Last year, it was TT, Osi lost for half a season, as well as Ballard down the stretch.)

Back to the game, the offense could not buy a 4th down conversion, going 0-3 and torpedoing its chances to score points.  For my money, at the end of Q2 w the score 17-0, you kick the FG and get something on the scoreboard.  The calculus is even simpler because you just failed previously in short yardage and needed to make it a 2 score game.  Instead, it was a little too desperate.  I respect Coughlin trying to ignite something there, but the Giants had already failed before in that situation. Another point about the Giants offense was noted by Roman Oben and Amani Toomer in the postgame- the Giants OL is blocking too high on these run plays and not digging down for push at the line of scrimmage.  They both questioned aloud how bad technique could be present this late in the season.  It would certainly explain in some part why the Giants were failing on the 3rd and 4th down conversions.

0-2 in the red zone.  Once again, there was a distinct lack of use of the TE by the Giants, and we keep preaching how critical the TE is in the red zone.

Eli did not have a lot of time throw.  This is where Gilbride must adjust and take the edge off the Atlanta pass rush with shorter routes, 3 step drops, screens, slants, flares. Rhythm.  Yada yada.

So where are the Giants? They are no longer in control of their own NFC East destiny, but still are at the controls for a wild card berth. Win the last two games and the Giants are assured at leas the 6 seed.  After going 6-2, they have gone 2-4 and are on the outside looking in.  The Ravens and Eagles are both winnable games--but that is only if The Good Giants show up.  The ones with energy.  If Good Eli is there, if Tuck fights through like he did vs the Jets et al on that SB run, if JPP can start making some impact plays, if Nicks can get healthier, if some other teams lose. 

IF.