Some early thoughts before we get our hands on the All-22 film of the Giants 36-7 spanking of the Carolina Panthers on Thursday Night Football.

…the formula for beating the Panthers was quite simple for the undermanned Giants on Thursday. So simple that Andy was able to sum it up in less than 140 characters before kickoff---- 

@ultimatenyg Offensive Gameplan w/o Nicks/Hixon: SMALL BALL. RB flares, screens, use the TE. They'll double 80, so get rhythm w others #nyg. 

Couldn’t have been more on point then he was with that. The Giants came out to start the game with a small ball attack, coming at the Panthers with a series of runs and quick passes keeping them on their heels on the way to a 10-0 Giants’ lead. Perhaps this is why the Giants were so successful getting the ball deep down the field later on in the 2^nd quarter and were able to have the 2nd unit in for about half of the 4th quarter. Great effort across the board. Great plan. Great execution of the plan.

…Andre Brown was first a hit on Youtube, became a fantasy commodity last week and for an encore, established himself as an all-around force in the backfield for the Giants on Thursday. The 2009 4^th round pick, a survivor of multiple cuts and an Achilles injury, seized his opportunity in a big way for the second consecutive week. As an NC State alum, Brown explained that he learned better than anyone how to deal with adversity. "Never give up. I learned that in college," he said. "Jim Valvano." (via @mikegarafolo tweet)

Brown got it done by contributing in all three facets of the RB game—receiving, pass protection and rushing. The last of which Brown may have shown he is the best at on the Giants’ roster.  What Brown lacks in speed or shiftiness he has made up for with his strong running style, one that shows a commitment to running downhill and gaining the ugly yards. Brown also possesses a combination of vision and paitence as highlighted on several first half rushes. The Giants' were in desperate need of that. In the limited sample that we have from him, he has shown a knack for  getting positive yards and if he can continue to do that then he will stay on the field, regardless of who is dressed for Big Blue. 

…Ramses Barden turned in an effort that cleared up any doubts as to whether or not the 4^th year receiver has what it takes to be a contributor in the NFL. A 9-catch 138-yard performance will do that. The Giants’ 3^rd round draft pick in 2009 came up big in a game where the Giants needed him too. The coaching staff finally felt comfortable calling upon Barden and the big man rewarded that faith.  Combine that with what he has always had, an impressive set of hands (see @ NE last season) and athletic ability, and the Giants may have found themselves a second gem from deep down on their own depth chart. I could be wrong, but on the post game set I believe that Eli mentioned that in an effort to find ways to use Barden when they are at 100%, we may see him line up in the slot or at tight end. Interesting. 

…for those keeping track at home that is two more members of Reese’s 2009 draft class.

…hats off to the o-line for their second solid performance in as many weeks. The group nearly pitched their second shutout in a row before allowing a late third quarter sack with the game in hand for the Giants. Beatty picked up his first start of the season at LT and looked as comfortable as he has ever been, doing a great job in pass pro and contributing in the run game, often on the back side. Perhaps Beatty is showing the promise that made him the Giants only top-3 round OL draft pick since 2005. Snee, maybe still upset about the unit’s performance in week 1, turned in another all-pro caliber performance on Thursday. The Giants ran behind Snee for a good portion of the night and the RG responded. He was downfield all night whether it be locked up on a helpless DT or holding off a LB at the second level. We will see how the unit responds with some much tougher tests on the horizon but they have certainly answered the bell in the last two weeks.

...Martellus Bennet caught his third touchdown in three weeks and moved to 15 total receptions on the season. Bennett has shown the ability to get down the middle of the field. The 6'6'' 280 pound tight end is showing why he has the ability to be a major tool in Eli's now crowded toolbox. Like anyone else I was a big supporter of Jake Ballard, but doesn't the hoopla over his departure feel a bit overstated now? Not only does Bennett provide the Giants with another offensive weapon but he provides them with a UNIQUE option in the passing game, a void that has existed since the early Shockey years.

...Eli was once again the great facilitator for the Giants and continues to play as well as any passeer int he league as a steadying force for this entire organization. Outside of a few balls that came out of his hand a little loose, Eli was the surgeon that we have come to expect. He was also awarded with the Thursday Night Football player of the game, which earned him this red gift bag from the group, featuring Deion's CD. The unexpected bromance between the two continues. As always he provides some unintention laughs on the set with the crew and it is defnitiely worth a watch. 

…it was certainly an improved night for a secondary that may have had nowhere to go but up.  Regardless, the group responded with a solid performance after back-to-back debacles to open the season. The spark came as a result of the return of Prince Amukamura, an improved game for Corey Webster, or the second start under the belt of Jayron Hosley. Hosley was impressive again, showing a knack for the football as he recorded his first career NFL interception. He was also impressive in hurrying Newton as he blitzed from the left side in the first quarter. The undersized rookie isn’t afraid to throw his hat on a guy to make a tackle.  Post-draft Jerry Reese described Hosley as “not knowing his size” and as someone who plays with "atheltic arrogance." That athletic arrogance was on display last night as Hosley showed confidence in his ability to make plays on the football and it showed.  He continues to show that he is an impact player and if he can remain healthy will be a major contributor for the Giants defense this season. Prince also found himself on the stat sheet with his first defended pass of the season and nearly got an interception on a Cam Newton deep ball on the Panthers' opening drive. Not condoning thee1 15-yard penalty  (how does he get one after the refs let Webster/Smith slide with their mini brawl) but it is nice to see Prince showing some emotion out there.

...the defensive line continued to make strides towards getting back into form and when they get there JPP wil be waiting for them. The 3^rd year DE continues to be a superstar for the Giants as he makes the extraordinary look quite ordinary on a regular basis. He recorded three knockdowns (may have been more) one of which he almost turned into the play of the year when he turned and looked to intercept the ball after batting the bass away. He was also in the backfield all night “disrupting the integrity of the Panthers’ plays,” as Mike Mayock said continued to point out. It seems like the guy is learning right along with us that he has the physical tools to make plays that few in the league, and in the history of the league, have had.  Osi got on the board with his first sack of the season but was targeted by the Panthers in the run game, who ran their zone read to his side often on Thursday. Umenyiora, an aggressive rusher, struggled with these plays and often found himself caught in no man’s land. Justin Tuck on the other hand did not record a sack but was a disruptive force in the Panthers’ backfield, especially on the zone read play. And unlike Umenyiora, Tuck’s game is predicated on playing with a controlled aggression and the ability to break down inside the box and behind the LOS to make plays. As a whole though the d-line set the tone for the Giants' ability to slow down the Panthers' zone read attack. As Carl Banks said on the radio this morning on Joe and Evan, the Giatns gave the formula for stopping the read option--focus in on one of the two options and take him out of the lay!

…plenty of time to get healthy for Philadelphia as the Giants begin their second “mini-bye” of the young season. Couldn’t have come at a better time as we all know how banged up they are already. We'll have plenty more analysis on this one before we get to the big NFC East Sunday night football clash, the Giants' 3rd primetime game of the year thus far.

This week we will be including the full play-by-play grade sheet to supplement the leap towards conclusions. They can be found here along with last week’s grade sheet. This will not only supplement the analysis but it will allow readers to follow along whether it be on DVR or Game Rewind.  

Offensive Line

-Week 2 grade sheet

-Week 2 play-by-play notes 

-Also included on the grade sheet are notes on certain plays, listed by their “play number” as listed. Play numbers that include a note are highlighted in red on the grade sheet.

-Week 2 by the numbers

…anytime your quarterback drops back 51 times and gets off 51 passes the offensive line deserves to be commended. As Snee was quoted as saying this is something to be proud of. They were solid in three-step pass pro, getting enough push to allow the ball to get out clean. Although several passes were deflected at the line the group deserves plenty of credit for Eli's big statistical day.

...a combination of a few things led to a resurgent rushing attack starting with the emergence of Andre Brown (13 carries, 71 yards, TD)  as a potential impact player. Brown may not be as shifty, or as reliant on being shifty, as Bradshaw and Wilson. This seemed to benefit Brown, who was content with hitting the hole hard and looking for any kind of yardage upfield. Combine that with a strong effort across the board for the o-line (collective grade of +3 in the run game) and the Giants were able to find success. We also saw the return of the draw play out of the shotgun. If the passing attack is going to be as great as it was in the second half sunday then the draw will be an invaluable resource when used properly. 

…Will Beatty did a solid job in both pass protection and in the run game. He did a great job of stepping in when called on. For the game, Beatty graded out at 2 on all plays.  That includes a -1 on the dropped TD. He was most effective in the run game, grading out at 2 overall on those plays. In the past this was a concern for Beatty but he showed the athletic ability to get to the second level and square up a linebacker. 

...although Sean Locklear graded out at -1 overall he was very effective at times, especially when the Giants ran the draw play against Tampa. Locklear did a great job of selling the pass by getting into his pass set and drawing the rusher up the field. Great job by the veteran on these crucial plays for the Giants.

...even before he went down with the knee injury, Dave Diehl struggled big time for the Giants. Don't take this as "Diehl was the reason for the o-line struggles" but he certainly did not do well when he played on Sunday. Diehl turned in an overall grade of -3 on just 16 snaps. The RT recorded a -3 in the run game as well. There is no denying that the unit was better in the run game sans Diehl.  

…Chris Snee reminded the Bucs and us why he is a perennial all-pro on Sunday as he recorded an overall grade of 8.  Snee was awesome in the run game and got solid push all afternoon. He recorded a 6 overall on all run plays. He was also the recipient of the only 2 grade of the game for the guys up front. Snee picked up the big grade in the second quarter when he pancaked Gerald McCoy. Just one of many great plays for Snee in what was a great game. Need Snee to set the tone like that for the group week in and week out. All three of the RG's negative plays came in the first quarter, cruising for the game's final three periods. 

Tight End

-Steve Gesuele

-Week 2 grade sheet 

...Bennett showed flashes of greatness in the passing game but as advertised, was maddening at times. Bennett's TD catch was a display of pure athleticism that showcased tremendous concentration and catching ability. However, Bennett had two drop both coming in the end zone. Bennett (either by choice or because of the defense) went for the one handed grab on both plays. If Bennett can find a way to be more consistent the Giants could have a big, athletic target at the TE position.

...Pascoe played an above average game as a run blocker on the few plays he got an opportunity to get on the field. Bennett more or less graded out at a 0 in run blocking which is a good thing for the Giants. 

...the Giants sent one of their two tight ends in motion a total of nine times throughout the game, with Bennett motioning eight of them. The motion consistently goes to the strong side of the play and is done to add an extra blocker in run protection. 

Linebacker

-Steve Hardin

-Week 2 grade sheet

...the Giants' linebackers did a great job against the run all game but it's worrisome that it may be at the expense of their ability to get to the correct pass drops vs. play action. Blackburn and Kiwi each got caught a few times. It did not cost them in this game, but definitely opened up some passing windows Freeman just didn’t hit.

...in general the LBs need to be more aware of receivers in their zones rather than just getting to their drop points and trying to read the QBs eyes. Again, this did not cost them against Freeman, but better quarterbacks will surely take advantage of this tendency.

...I commented last week that Williams looked tentative against the run in our nickel package and although he displayed his athleticism in man coverage, he looked somewhat lost in zone and was not conscious of receivers passing in and out of his area. We saw a lot more 5 DB sets with Blackburn and Boley on the field. Wiliams was not on the field for many running downs this week but did seem to play a more aggressively when given the opportunity and made two good hustle plays.

...Martin rushed for 66 yards on 20 carries and although the Giants gave up some big plays the LBs cannot be blamed for either of Freeman’s 41 yard completions that helped him to his 243 yards passing. Good job all around.

Had it all the way. Not.  We'll spend the next couple of days talking about this one.  The Giants outgained 277 yds to TB 124 yds in the first half.  The Giants outgained 327 yds to TB 183 yds in the second half.  So this game should not have even been close, given the Gmen doubled TB's production.  But the Giants made it interesting.  And midway thru the game, how many Giants fans felt the team was going to pull it out when they pulled a boner near the end of the first half, turning a likely FG and ~17-16 game into a 24-13 nightmare?  But we tweeted midway thru the 3rd when the Giants were down by 14: "Amazingly, the Giants are not out of this game despite so many mistakes. If anyone can lead them out, it is Eli"  And Eli led them out of an INT trainwreck into a magic carpet ride. 

The Giants have to protect the ball.  The lack of finish on the INT, which ended with a TB touchdown when the player was seemingly wrapped up, is unacceptable.  It dug a hole, psychological and otherwise, that lesser teams would have simply collapsed underneath.  The Giants know that as long as they have Eli, they have magic 4th Quarter powers. So they hung in there and climbed out of the hole. 

Some of the good: Eli in the second half.  Victor Cruuuuuz was baaaaack. Nicks (if he can remain healthy one game in a row) is baaaaack. Andre Brown (5.5 yards per carry) was a refreshing breath of fresh air. Gilbride's use of run in support of the pass (especially with draws) was great. Bennett, for all his mishaps, made a huge catch to give the Giants its first Q4 lead.  Solid play by the fill-ins for 3 lost starters. Pass protection of Eli was excellent. JPP was ubiquitous as usual.  Tynes was 4-4.   

Some of the bad:  TB is a much improved team but the Giants were shoddy and made too many mistakes.  Dropped balls, turnovers, unfinished plays, special teams horrors, uneven pass rush, THREE injuries, atttrocious cornerback play, HORRIBLE RED ZONE failures, safeties with bad angles, prevent defense (and specials kickoff) at the end.  Methinks Tuck is playing hurt, as he was invisible. Fill in more here. This game needn't be this close, but then again the Giants could have easily been 0-2, so no complaints.

There are so many areas where the Giants can improve.  Red zone efficiency was 1-5.  When you consider that the TB Bucs let the team score at the end, 0-5 would have actually been BETTER. There was ZERO need for the theatrics at the very end on the reversal sidelines catch by TB.  I have to believe that Webster can play better. Amukamara is untested but can't play worse than what we are seeing from Tryon.  Bennett giveth and taketh away, but he has 9 catches in 2 games thus far, so he can improve. He has 2 more TDs in two games with the Giants than he had in the last 3 years in Dallas. There is upside here.

Playing professional football without professional refs is at times maddening.  It almost makes these games a lottery.

Summary- the Giants have to work through their mistakes and simply get better.  When your QB is Eli Manning, you are in every game till the bitter end.  In Q4, who is better? Rodgers? I'd take Eli.

A few quick thoughts as we approach 24 hours till kickoff...

…the key matchup Sunday is TB RDT Gerald McCoy lined up across from David Baas and Kevin Boothe. While the All-22 film confirmed it, anyone who caught a glimpse of the game on Redzone could see that McCoy finally showed signs of blossoming into the player he was expected to be by many coming out of the draft. McCoy was a force last week for a Bucs’ defense allowed only 10 yards rushing to the Panthers. The athletic DT was able to penetrate into the Panthers backfield at his leisure and because of this was disruptive in both the run and pass games. It has been a complaint of many that Baas has struggled, particularly getting push in the run game, since he got here last season. Tomorrow iwll be a great test for him. No other way to say it--McCoy was a force last week and if he maintains that level of play will be a major factor again Sunday. 


...Bucs defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan, former mastermind behind one of the statistically worst units in Giants' history, had his back seven playing plenty of zone (although at the snap they give a man look) against Carolina last week. Not much blitzing either. As documented during last year's playoff run, Eli has developed into a killer in third and medium-long situations, especially when given time to pick apart a zone. If Tampa offers a similar kind of look tomorrow thenthe Giants will find plenty of success getting the ball down the field, especially down the middle. Have a feeling that this is going to be the case. Should be a nice rebound game for the offensive line in pass protection as well. 

...this week is a great opportunity for David Wilson to rebound especially as we get to see him go head to head against No. 31 pick Doug Martin, a guy that many preferred over Wilson. Martin had a solid first game, rushing for 95 yards on 24 carries as well as four catches for 23 yards. Not that the verdict will be out on Wilson after the second game of his career, but it would be telling if he were able to turn in a solid performance after his Week 1 struggles. In particular, it would be nice to see Wilson play a role in the Giants pass game to help ease things up down the field. Have a feeling that Wilson will take the fumble personally and turn in a very good effort this week.

...Josh Freeman played a conservative game against Carolina, completing only six passes to wide receivers for the entire game. Instead Freeman completed 10 passes to a combination of Doug Martin (4), FB Erik Lorig (4), TE Dallas Clark (1) and RB LeGarrette Blount (1). This is not to say Freeman was a non-factor, as the quarterback protected the ball flawlessly and delivered the ball well down the field the few chances he had. Tampa Bay had the ball for 37:27 and Freeman had plenty to do with this. Although if the Giants get back on track offensively then Freeman may be forced to assert himself more than he did in Week 1 in order to keep up with the pace. 

...the Giants are already much healthier then they were in Week 1 with Boley, Phillips, Beatty, Kiwi, Tracy and Hosley coming off of the injury report. Marvin Austin will suit up and with the lack of depth at DT should see a good chunk of snaps. Prince Amukamura will return for the Giants as well and while he may not be at 100% having him in the lineup will be an upgrade. The return of Prince and a healthy Hosley will make this a different defense. With Hosley nearing full health he will start showing signs of being the impact player that he was at the collegiate level.

Jarrett Schreck will handle the duties of grading the WRs in our Ultimate22 project. Jarrett is extremely knowledgeable about the game and has a strong football background. He was one of the best WRs in the state of NJ during his time at Delbarton. He went on to have a standout career for the Brown Bears and can be found all over his school's and conference's record books. Jarrett's 103.5 receiving YPG was good for 7th in NCAA 1-AA in 2004. His insight and evaluation will be a valuable resource to the Ultimate22 project. Below are his thoughts on the Giants' WR performance in Week 1. 

As a unit the Wide Receivers played below average. This will not cut it if the Giants want to find themselves as a part of the NFL's upper echelon. There were only two explosive plays. One was made by Victor Cruz and the other was made by Domenic Hixon. This is not acceptable.  In simple terms, there were just too many plays where the WRs did not beat man-to-man coverage.  The net grade overall for the WRs for the game: Cruz was a -3, Nicks was a -1 and Hixon was 0.

For the majority of the game Dallas played man-to-man underneath with two high safeties. The WRs were frequently covered in this scheme.  When a defense plays two high safeties with man-to-man underneath the offense needs to run picks or rub routes to lose the defenders.. Vertical pass routes aren't very successful because the corners play what is called "trail technique" where the corners play a step behind the WRs and jump intermediate and short routes, knowing they have safety help over the top.What beats cover 2 man is crossing patterns and horizontal stretches where the corners get picked. Need to see more rub routes.

1. From my count Gilbride called three rub routes for the WRs, all of which were successful. He called a rub route in the first quarter and Victor Cruz had a 26 yard gain. Dallas played cover 1- man to man single safety. Hixon picked Cruz's man, Cruz ran a fade up the sideline and was wide open for an easy gain.

2. On Domenix Hixon's 39 yard gain in the third quarter, Hixon ran a simple seam from the outside while Cruz appears to run a modified curl route from the slot. The route combination caused Cruz to attract two defenders leaving Hixon open and a 39 yard gain.

3. Later with 3:50 in the 4th quarter he called a similar rub combination where Hixon went inside of Cruz and was wide open as the safety went to Cruz. Manning just missed Hixon for the completion. 
  

More of these pick/rub combinations needed to be called if defenses are going to play man with safety help over the top. The Giants should expect this type of look often considering how well our offense was able to get the ball down the field in 2011.
 

In the run game....As a unit Cruz and Nicks are at best adequate blockers. They do the minimum required and hope the run doesn’t crack the front seven and their man does not get involved in the play. This is not a terrible approach because it saves energy and enables them to be fresh all game. The downside is if a running back breaks the front seven their man may make the tackle. Fortunately that kind of effort did not burn them this week. 

The poor play calling was a major factor in the WRs poor performance. When proper plays were called the WRs had opportunities and plays were made.

Odds and ends....Victor Cruz had two mental errors. He had a block in the back and an offsides penalty, as well as two or three drops. Six catches for 58 yards isn’t a terrible line, but the drops and the mental errors led to 5 negative plays. Nicks did not make plays and was not open for much of the game. This will surely change as he gets closer to 100% health, or closer to dealing with the pain he may face all season.  Hixon played solid and made plays when given the opportunity. Well done..

Moving forward I would not panic as this is only week one. Nicks missed most of preseason and with Cruz you have to live with the bad as he is capable of the spectacular.Dallas appeared to have excellent corners and an outstanding scheme as they shut down what may be the best WR core in the NFL.

Look for the Giants passing attack to return closer to form in week two vs Tampa Bay.