These are the kinds of games that your team has to win.  The Giants took care of business and won.  But we were all there at the very beginning when the Gmen were down 14-0.  Not fun.  When the Giants clawed their way back and took the lead for good, THAT was fun.  Meat and potatoes.

Here are some takeaways:

1) When a list of those who did not suit up include players like Nicks, Phillips, Barden, Diehl, Rivers, Hosley and Bernard, that is a bleeping ton of lost talent that would kill most teams.  Boley and Snee played hurt as well.  That's ~half a football team.  The Giants managed these losses and took care of business.  Despite what the oddsmakers said about the Giants chances, it was stupid to lay that kind of wood, and the fact that the Gmen won this game is great.  Yes, the Browns s*ck and they are 0-5, but the Giants were fortunate to play them when they did and we should all be grateful.  Next.

2) Blackburn was not assigned to cover the WR on the TD that made the score 14-0.  It was the reserve Safety Stevie Brown who blew the assignment.  Yes, the same Brown who got two Giants turnovers.  But despite this fact re Blackburn, he is nonetheless a liability out there who gets exposed routinely, be it in run or pass.  If I am an offensive coordinator, I pray that Boley remains hurt and Rivers is hamstrung all year.  What I do next is I use RB flares, TE midscreens, RB dumpoffs, and RB screens all day long to expose this LBer unit.  And if the Giants try to go small w an extra Safety and one (or two ) less LBer in nickel or dime, then you run the ball against them too.  The Browns were smart to target the Giants LBers and the Giants would be smart to adapt to this feature.

3) We keep saying that this is not your father's NFL.  The way the NFL works in 2012 is that the entire league gets ripped apart each year and you have to rebuild.  So the way to win a title is to constantly work at getting better throughout the season while the roster is not changing (beyond injuries) and put yourself in a position to win in December and January.  Improving from week to week is more important than just winning.  (On defense, this means better tackling, one of the sore spots from the CLE game which can easily improve.)

4) To say that Eli is the franchise is simply inadequate. He enables this franchise to win any game and any title.  With the exception of an (in)ability to run with the ball, he can do just about everything else.  When the team is down 14-0, is anyone shutting off their TVs? With Eli Manning as your QB, you are in any game at almost any score at any time in the game.

5) The Giants as a team are "resilient," says Cruz.  Another understatement.  You cannot put a price tag on how much that that confidence is worth in competitive sports, or in any pursuit, for that matter.  

6) The Browns are 0-5 for a reason. (How about 4 first downs from penalties alone?! Beyond the pink cleats, that was the second form of NFL charity yesterday.)  For those of you not old enough to know or remember, the Giants of the 1970s were like this... unable to finish games, unable to win games they could have or should have won.  The Giants have to know that they cannot make a habit of giving opponents head starts routinely.  Because it is early in the season, and because this is the slopfest of the NFL in 2012, fortunately it does not matter.  Against the better teams, it matters. Like we saw vs Philly last week, you cannot keep doing this over and over again without it costing you eventually.  In four out of the five games thus far, the Giants have dug themselves a hole.  Versus DAL 14-3 in Q3.  Versus TB 27-13 in Q3.  Versus PHL 10-3 in Q3.  Versus CLE 14-0 in Q1.  Stop digging holes.  I know that the Giants won a title with "finish."  But you also have to start.

7) One of the benefits of playing (and winning) with your backups is that your team gets better and deeper earlier in the year.  Of course it is not the way the Giants coaches or its fans want it, but when these reserves see significant snaps, it helps them and the rest of the team later on.   

8) The Giants OL looked good today. We'll wait for Rich to break down film, but it is great to see solid protection and a lot of holes generated for the RBs. 

9)  It does not get said enough.  Small Ball.  The Giants offense gels when it gets those nickels and dimes in the passing game. The unsexy catch and run by a TE like Pascoe for 7 yds or Bennett for a 1st down on a midscreen is never going to make headlines, but it is the grease that moves the chains and sets up longer stuff thereafter.  Especially without your star X WR, Hakeem Nicks, it is vital to have this in your offense.

10) When the Giants get healthier, they should be a very tough team. Let's toast to an Eagles and Skins loss, and getting healthy.  

Follow me on twitter today, as I will be at the game. Hopefully I will be tweeting more than that anemic Browns offense will be scoring.  Stay dry Giants fans!

The following 7 Giants most likely will not be playing... according to the injury report, these guys are either "out" or "doubtful:"

Nicks, Phillips, Barden, Hosley, Bernard, Rivers and Diehl.

Those 7 could start for many teams. Indeed, they all have seen many snaps when healthy. So the Giants will have to put together 60 minutes to win. As weak as the Browns offense is, the defense is sound and we can't have Gilbride playing footsie for the first 28 minutes.

Sorry for the delay in grades this week. Game Rewind hadn't released the All-22 until Wednesday AM.

Offensive Line

Week 4 grade sheet

...welp. That certainly set the group back. Collectively. The effort didn't seem to be there. Or at least let's hope that was the case. Give it to Philly though, they played fast and aggressive and looked a step faster then the Giants front five all night. On a lot of plays (as you will see in the play-by-play notes) a player was docked in grading for deciding it was time to stop the block. This happened several times as Eagles d-linemen crawled towards Eli's legs. Just what the Giants want. The run game once again was stagnant. This was a product of several factors, a major one being some poor blocking up front. Remember, all it takes is one bad block to ruin four other good ones and that seemed to happen a lot on Sunday night. It will certainly raise an eyebrow if the group doesn't respond this week against Cleveland. No matter what the Niners await in two weeks.

...Kevin Boothe stood out for the group as the low scorer, coming in with a -12 on the game. Beat too many times in both the run and pass. Lost the LOS, let LBs slip at the 2nd level, missing rushers in pass pro, you name it. A game to forget in the young career of Boothe. This is not an attempt to hang him out to dry. He has shown he has what it takes to be a starting G in the NFL. For whatever reason, he didn't bring that to Philadelphia. He was outclassed in what was a disappointing effort for him against a solid defensive front, but surely no better than several the Giants will see down the road. 

...Beatty got bull rushed by Trent Cole a few times in this one. He held his ground for the most part but it was troubling to see the smaller Cole go THROUGH him several times. Cole is one of the best at playing wtih leverage and using his hands to deliver a blow. 

...yes there is no way to know what type of pain David Baas' right hand was in during Sunday's game. But I do know that it was good enough to get most of his snaps there. He had two bad ones at two VERY bad points in the game. He had to receive -2 on those plays.  Lucky for him Eli dealt with both of them but let's hope that is something that stays in Phialdelphia (it can be a real problem....ask our Dallas friends about Andre Gurode).  Other then that Baas played a solid game and was up to the task that the Eagles presented.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

-Steve Gesuele 

Week 4 grades

...after a stagnant first half, the Giants' short passing game came alive in the second half. Victor Cruz is virtually unstoppable when he is allowed to "do his thing" getting free in the middle of the field. This was highlighted on his 14-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter. Cruz was lined up in the slot to the right of Eli Manning in the red zone. The Eagles knew exactly what was coming so they shaded a linebacker to Cruz’s side to undercut the route and cause and incompletion or an interception. However, a perfectly time pass from Eli zipped right pass the linebacker and the corner and Cruz split the defenders for a quick six. These types of plays may not be as exciting as Cruz’s 80-yard catch and runs but they are what he is consistently best at and what makes him one of the best at the position.

...Domenik Hixon was the fourth 100-yard receiver for the Giants through four games. When healthy Hixon has shown signs of being an impact player and someone who is a gamer. Hixon did a great job coming back to Eli when he was flushed out of the pocket and faced pressure.  

...Ramses Barden had an up and down game that was completely over shadowed by a terrible play on the Giants final drive. It was a frustrating play to say the least but one that Barden cannot shoulder all of the blame for. If there is something to pin on him it is the drop on on the 25 yard line just three plays earlier that would have had the Giants a 1st and 10 on the 25 with just short of 60 seconds to play. Different game.

...The Black Unicorn had a relatively quite game only hauling in one pass for two yards but he made a great play on a catch and run that was ultimately called back for holding. Tough break. Eli was picking apart the outside with in the short to intermediate passing game so Bennett didn’t really get many looks in the passing game in the middle of the field. Once again, Bennett was up and down in protection. He looks great on some run blocking plays so we know he has it in him. But also tends to release or give up on his block early in the play far too often. Pascoe did a fine job blocking and also caught a clutch touchdown pass. 

Defensive End

-George Richford

Week 4 grades

...George pointed out the heavy workload the Giants gave JPP in this one. He sat out just 9 of 68 snaps. This is not to say that he can't handle the workload. But as we know this unit has been at their best when they have had depth. Last season that depth came in the way Dave Tollefson as a utility pass rusher, lining up inside, outside and standing up. Kiwanuka also spelled one of the three DEs on a regular basis. There is no Tollefson this year. Yes there is an outside chance that Ojomo provides a few quality snaps this year. Not something to rely on though. This is something that needs to be addressed. Ralph Vacchiano hits the nail on the head with this thought...

"There was a time a few years ago, before he hurt his neck, when Mathias Kiwanuka – even after his switch to an unfamiliar position – was starting to look like one of the Giants’ best defensive players. He’s not that anymore, but he’s still effective as a linebacker and I think has the quickness and ability to be an effective pass rusher if the Giants ever turned him loose. So why are the Giants barely using him? ....This is a passing league now, which forces the Giants into many sets with two linebackers on the field (some with one) and it puts a premium on their ability to cover. That hurts Kiwanuka’s value, since at his core he’s still a converted defensive end. I just with the Giants would find better and more creative ways to use him. Whatever happened to NASCAR, for example? With the pass rush struggling, why not line him up a little more at defensive end and see what offensive line can handle four of them? He’s a good player who can make plays, but he’s not getting much of a chance anymore."

...perhaps with the potential return of Keith Rivers and a flash of strong play from Herzlich, the Giants will be inclined to return Kiwanuka back to his natural position on a more regular basis.

...if it looked like Justin Tuck had a strong first half it was because he did, grading out at a 2. It also seemed that along with others on the DL and the defense, Tuck was gassed as the second half wore on. He recorded a -2 in the second half. People are again starting to wonder if there is something wrong with Tuck physically. Vacchiano addressed this in his game review also.

"You know what the Giants defense looked like in the second half? Like they were worn down. In the first half they did a great job of stretching from sideline to sideline, so whenever McCoy or Michael Vick tried to move outside there was someone there. Then in the second half suddenly the Eagles were consistently beating them to the edge."

Defensive Tackle

Week 4 grades

The Giants beat themselves.  Lack of pocket contain on defense.  Gilbride lack of small ball for ~ the first half of the game on offense.  ONE RUNNING BACK SCREEN.  THE ENTIRE GAME.  Underachievement.  There were plenty of mistakes all around.  The mere fact that the game was within reach down to the very end makes it very clear- considering how sloppy the Giants were, if they simply played more small ball and contained the pocket on defense, they win the game easily.   Reread the preview from yesterday.  Where was Bennett in this offense?  Where was the copious amount of screens, draws and flares?  Of course it was play action on the 4Q TD drive that set up those two big plays.  The ONE Running Back Screen? It was only successful for 20 yards.  But since it is illegal for Gilbride to use more than ~1-2 in a single game, we couldn't dial them up again the rest of the way. 

Giants Offense First 28 minutes of the Game: 86 yards. 0 points.

Giants Offense Last 32 minutes of the Game: 280 yards. 17 points.

WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR STUD X (Burress in 2008, Nicks here in 2012) Wide Receiver, small ball goes from being important to being critical.  The Giants and Gilbride responded to the loss of Nicks vs Carolina appropriately and we gave him the props. It was not an accident that the Giants offense percolated all game, running up 36 points.  Here, they had 0 points for the first 28 minutes of the game because they did not use small ball.  No urgency from Gilbride in H1.  No margin of error for the Giants in H2.  It isn't Gilbride's fault that the Defense could not contain the pocket, that Eli throws a pick in Q4, that Baas flubs the snap, that we get Barden for PI... but you have to play 60 minutes and the Giants offense did not.   

86 yards of offense in the first 28 minutes of the game.  And 20 of them came on the small ball RB screen.  THE GAME WAS LOST IN THE FIRST HALF.  The mistakes of the second half only expose them more.