Anthony Brown, a Redskins blogger at Redskins Hog Heaven, answers our questions about Sunday's game.
 
UNYG: The Redskins got off to an auspicious start.  Defeating the Giants on opening day, then posting a 3-1 record after 4 games.  What happened?

RHH: It's football. Injuries happen. The Redskins lost LT Trent Williams and LG Kory Lichtensteiger in the first half of the Eagles game. The Redskins game plan that day was to find mismatches against Philly safety Kurt Coleman...who worked his way out of Andy Reid's doghouse with three of the Eagles four picks of Rex Grossman. Mike Shanahan then proved how badly he misjudged quarterback talent by benching Grossman in favor of John Beck. The 'Skins have gone 1-7 since then. The loss of RB Tim Hightower after six games took steam out of the running game until the emergence of rookie Roy Helu.

UNYG: When the Giants and Redskins played on opening weekend, Washington RB Roy Helu had one carry for 2 yards.  To date, Helu has taken over as the starting running back.  Can you tell us more about him?  Besides running the ball well, he is also a very good at catching passes out of the backfield. (44 catches for 315 yards)  Do you believe the Skins will exploit the Giants weak linebacking corps with a heavy dose of Helu?

RHH: Washington could use Helu and tight end Logan Paulsen to look for match-ups against the Giants. It is more likely that OC Kyle Shanahan will call for Grossman to target WRs Jabar Gaffney, Santana Moss and Donte Stallworth as primary receivers. Gaffney and Stallworth played large roles in last week's game against the Patriots. This is where I acknowledge that Justin Tuck missed that first game along with key members of New York's secondary. Grossman says the team turned a corner in the second Cowboys' game. They might have, to go by Sunday's showing against New England, but this time, the Redskins are injury-riddles and the Giants fairly healthy.

UNYG: Starting offensive tackle Trent Williams has been suspended.  This means Willie Smith will up against ferocious Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul.  Can we expect the Redskins to use two TE sets to slow down JPP?  What do you think the Skins will do?

RHH: With TE Chris Cooley out and Fred Davis suspended with Williams (Why are the only two dopes suspended for rec drugs on my team?), The Redskins are not likely to use two tight ends for extra blocking. Logan Paulson is the blocking tight end. I look for a heavy role for him. Mike Shanahan complimented back-up tackles Willie Smith and Troy Polumbus for their play against the Patriots. With Shanahan, one never knows if he is serious, or blowing smoke Tom Coughlin's way. Injuries on the O-line are real problems for the Redskins.

UNYG: In addition to Williams, TE Fred Davis will also be out.  In September, he had a career day against the Giants. (5 catches for 105 yards)  In general, the Giants have had difficulty covering guys especially in the middle of the field.  Besides Santana Moss, what receiver will attack the Giants defense between the hash marks?

RHH: Roy Helu is Washington's fourth-leading receiver. Fourteen of his 40 receptions were in one game (49ers). That game cost John Beck his starting job when Shanahan saw that he was dumping to Helu rather than throwing  to open receivers down field. But that game showed that Helu is capable of attacking the second level defense as a receiver. The Redskins do not have a real replacement for Davis.

UNYG: Your colleague Greg Trippiedi believes: But if I learned one thing at all watching the coaches' tape from the Giants-Cowboys game it is that both teams are fundamentally flawed in a way not dissimilar to the Redskins.  The best coverage unit in the NFC East right now? Sadly it's the Washington Redskins.  Do you think the Redskins can slow down the Giants potent pass attack?

RHH: Greg's point (not that I speak for him) is that the Redskins secondary can do about as well against the Giants receivers as the Giants secondary can do against the Redskins. The difference is quarterback. Eli Manning is no Rex Grossman. How I envy you for that. CB DeAngelo Hall is the Grossman of the defense. He can do many things to help the 'Skins to win, if one can tolerate imperfection. Hall has jumped routes, sometimes without safety help and has taken bad angles on receivers at critical times. He and fellow CB Josh Wilson have defended 12 passes, best on the team. Washington's respectable pass rush helps the secondary.

UNYG: Journeyman Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman put up big numbers against the Giants in September.  Subsequently, he was benched.  Then he was reinserted into the starting lineup.  Do you think the Redskins will draft a quarterback? 

RHH: Fantasy football in Washington is seeing Robert Griffin III or Matt Barkley in a burgundy jersey next season. Hog Heaven fans those flames as much as anyone. That's way premature. Neither man has performed in the NFL Combine nor have they interviewed teams. Fans just want better options at quarterback. It is unlikely that both Grossman and Beck make the 2012 roster. Since Daniel Snyder owns the team, Washington makes everyone's list as a potential destination for Peyton Manning if the Colts release him. I don't see the Colts releasing him. If they did, I do not see Peyton coming to Washington for any amount of money. The Jets would hold more interest. As a football fan, seeing the Manning brothers in New York would be very cool. For the record, I would rather the Redskins draft RG3 or Barkley rather than signing the elder Manning.

Other notes:  Pro Football Weekly's Nolan Nawrocki assesses Corey Webster. 

What does Webster do well?  According to Nawrocki:  Has excellent body length, with very long arms, and disrupts receivers at the line of scrimmage. Very good press-cover skills 

What does he not do well?  Is not as comfortable in off coverage as he is on the line.

Nawrocki's expert opinion bolsters our take here at UltimateNYG.  Fewell does not leverage his talent.   

Osi has been ruled out!  

Without Baas and Beatty, the Giants have a ground game. Is this a correlation? Or is it a coincidence?  We shall soon find out.  Meanwhile, with the Giants shuffling their offensive line,  they have gained 100 yards rushing in TWO consecutive weeks.  Give credit to Boothe and Petrus for opening up holes for Giants running backs.  Since the Giants have a rejuvenated rushing attack, this is only going to help.  Because as well as Eli has played this season, he could have an off game in the upcoming weeks.  Therefore, it is critical the rush offense improves as this season comes to a close.  Additionally, offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride concurs.  The weather becomes a factor up here,” Gilbride said. “It’s not the cold very much and it’s not even the rain as much as the wind can really be a troublesome factor.”    Indeed, the wind has affected Eli's play at home.  Perhaps the confines at the new stadium will be more forgiving.  We will find out over these last three "home" games.

Wonder is an NFL generalist who has shared his views on all 32 teams around the league.  He has started his own blog, WonderVision.  Today we are going to share with you some of the posts from his new site.  He gives paragraph recaps on all the teams, except one notable, the Green Bay Packers.

In order from worst to up the "totem pole," here are his observations of the NFL:

The 0-16 Division
Indianapolis Colts

The No Excuses Division
Minnesota Vikings
Miami Dolphins
St. Louis Rams
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Trying But No Talent Division
Seattle Seahawks
Washington Redskins
Carolina Panthers
Arizona Cardinals
Cleveland Browns
Kansas City Chiefs 

The El Foldo Division
Philadelphia Eagles
San Diego Chargers
Buffalo Bills

The Alydar Division
Detroit Lions
Chicago Division
Cincinnati Bengals
New York Giants
New York Jets
Tennessee Titans
Denver Broncos 

The Also Rans
Houston Texans
Dallas Cowboys
Atlanta Falcons
Oakland Raiders

The Avis Division
Baltimore Ravens
Pittsburgh Steelers
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
San Francisco 49ers

Some thoughts to finish up this past weekend..

1) The Sunday night win was sweet, but let's remember that Dallas was very generous to our team's cause.  Is the NFC East making us better or simply camouflaging our own shortcomings?  Here is a recommended read back from 2008 that the NY Times picked up. 

2) That was dizzying, how many games went wild down to the end this past weekend.  One game was wackier than the next.  The Denver comeback was truly remarkable- Marion Barber went insane not once but twice.

3) I think it was George Young (or was it Parcells?) who said that he preferred drafting big guys over fast guys... by the time you get to Q4, the fast guys have slowed down but the big guys are still big.  Tebow and the Broncos coaches have taken that meaning to a different place, waiting until Q4 to start running.  

4a) Lots of good comments the past few days on some interesting topics, ranging from Bradshaw's punishment to Gilbride's inability to run a successful screen.  What is interesting to note on the topic of the screen pass is that Gilbride has the right idea, often calling them in the right spot against defensive pressure.  The problem is that the execution is poor because they simply do not practice it enough.  How do I know this?  That answer is easy- because we see poor execution on Sunday!  Who taught me this?  Bill Walsh.  Walsh was relentless during the week, practicing a play over and over again until it worked:

"Passing routes were designed down to the inch and then practiced until receivers learned to be at that exact inch at the exact moment the ball arrived.  On paper my diagrams of plays resembled detailed architectural drawings.  And they required the same exactness in construction- execution- that a good contractor brings to build a skyscraper.  If he's sloppy in following the architectural schematic, the building falls down during the first stiff wind."  

4b) Another topic we have been talking about in recent days has been penalties, or the lack of talk thereof.  One commenter noted that one of the positive things about this NY Giants blog is that we don't waste a lot of time talking about or obsessing over bad calls by the refs.  Why?  Another quote from Walsh:

"The final score of a football game is decided, on average, according to the following percentages: 20 percent is due to luck, such as a referee's bad call, a tricky bounce of the ball, or some other happenstance.  I accepted the fact that I couldn't control that 20 percent of each game.  However, the rest of it- 80 percent- could be under my control with comprehensive planning and preparation."

Bill Walsh wasn't a genius.  He just knew where to place his attention. 

5) Yesterday's post quoted the tweets of Michael Strahan and Antonio Pierce.  Do you think the same defensive players with Spags running the schemes would be more effective?  I do.

6) Wonder: "How does Haley get fired when his QB is Palko? That was a mistake."  Pete: "The NFL is not fair.  This is an opportunity for another team to pick this guy up."

7) Pete: "The Giants are vastly improved at receiving.  The league is really weak.  Dallas is not a good football team.  I was wrong on JPP.  I did not think he would be coachable, and he obviously is.  If he continues to play this way, he is going to be a superstar.  The Giants played well all things considered.  6 come-from-behind 4th Quarter victories is unprecedented.  Who do you give credit to?  Not Gilbride, it is Eli.  Eli in 2011 is Roger Staubach." 

The Giants have the tiebreaker advantage over the Cowboys and truly control their own destiny as it relates to winning the NFC East.  Many writers in local NY area media and even fellow bloggers on other sites have the Giants as the clear frontrunner to win the NFC East division. But some former Giants Pro Bowlers have observations shared by the bloggers and commenters on this site.

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In a game in which the Giants had to win, they defeated Dallas at Cowboys Stadium.  Snapping a FOUR game losing streak, the Giants are 7-6 and in first place in the NFC East.  If it was not for the stellar play of Eli Manning and JPP, the Giants would have not won this game.  

The Excellent:

Eli Manning:  Eli Manning has been amazing this season.  Last night, once again, Eli put up gaudy numbers.  Eli was 27 for 47 for 400 yards 2 touchdowns and one interception.  All night long, Eli was hitting receivers in stride.  Even with pressure in his face, Eli made big time stick throws.  In my opinion, this was his finest regular season game.  With the Giants trailing by 12 points late in the fourth quarter, he led the Giants on two touchdown drives.  Think about how good he has been.   The Giants have only one star skilled player.  And that is Hakeem Nicks.  Nicks had SEVEN catches for 154 yards.  Yes, WR Victor Cruz has been a huge surprise.  But he is not playing at Nicks' level.  Eli does not have a quality TE.  Indeed, like Cruz,  Ballard has been impressive.  But teams do not game plan for Ballard.  Factor this with the Giants woeful rushing attack (worst in the NFL) and quite frankly, Eli has been remarkable.  If the Giants win the NFC East,  a strong case could be made for Eli as the MVP of the league. 

JPP: America saw a star in the making.  DE Jason Pierre-Paul was our defense.  His outstanding performance  reminded all of us of how Lawrence Taylor played the game.  JPP was dominant.  He was all over the field making plays.  He led all Giants' defenders with 6 solo and 2 assisted tackles.  He had two sacks.  One of the sacks resulted in a safety.  A forced fumble led to 3 points.  And most importantly, with six seconds left in the contest, he blocked the game-tying field goal. With DE Osi Umenyiora out of this game with an injury and DE Justin Tuck playing limited snaps because of a plethora of injuries,  JPP was our one-man wrecking crew.  Like Manning, if JPP has three more superb games and the Giants win the NFC East, JPP very well could be the NFL's defensive player of the year. 

Giants offensive line and Brandon Jacobs:  This is a huge uptick.  The Giants makeshift offensive line was able to open holes for Brandon Jacobs and pass protect well.   In recent weeks, Jacobs erratic play appeared to be an indicator that his career was going downhill.  With last night's performance against Dallas, Jacobs quelled his critics.  Jacobs had 19 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns.  The tiptoeing was gone and the North-South running was back.  Jacobs also had his longest run of the year, a 19 yard gain.  Speaking of making gains, the Giants offensive line has been so much better.  With William Beatty and David Baas out of the starting lineup, the Giants have made strides.  Is it a coincidence?  Time will tell.  But with Diehl moving back to tackle, Mitch Petrus at left guard, and Kevin Boothe at center, the Giants have had two consecutive games in which they rushed for over 100 yards.  Furthermore,  the pass protection was excellent.  The Cowboys had some pressures but ended with zero sacks.  Eli's pocket presence in feeling the rush has been fantastic. 

The Ugly:

Take away the play of JPP, and this Giants defense is the worst in the league.  How many times do they give up big plays?  How many blown coverages?  How many times are guys wide open in the middle of the field?  Time and again it is the same thing.  It is the same thing over and over again.  Under Coughlin without Steve Spagnuolo, the Giants' defenses have been putrid.  When Tim Lewis was defensive coordinator his defenses could not get big stops.  Same thing with Bill Sheridan.  And now Perry Fewell is an abomination too.  After Bill Sheridan was dispatched after the miserable 2009 season, Fewell was hired as his replacement.  When hired, Fewell said this about his expectations about his defense. “Disciplined, attacking, aggressive, eleven hats to the football."  Since he has been the coordinator, I have not seen a Fewell defense play with intensity for an entire game.  Our credo here at UltimateNYG is Defense wins championships.  Despite Eli Manning's heroics and JPP's emergence as a play maker, this Giants team is not going anywhere unless they get their defensive problems fixed.  But at this point in the season, it is highly unlikely Fewell will get things corrected.

Kevin Gilbride.  Early in this game, the Giants had an opportunity to take over this game.  But what got in the way?  Kevin Gilbride.  The Giants red zone offense was horrible.  After Hakeem Nicks made a spectacular 64 yard catch, the Giants had the ball on the Cowboys four yard line.  What does Gilbride call?  A fade to Nicks.  Incomplete.  Then he calls a fade to Beckum.  Same result.  And on 3rd and goal, a draw play gained NEGATIVE one yard.  The Giants had to settle for a FG.  On their next red zone possession,  the Giants had the ball on the Dallas TWELVE yard line.  On first down, Gilbride called a run.  Jacobs fights for 3 yards.  On second down, he called another run.  Jacobs is stoned at the line of scrimmage.  No gain.  Then on third down, the Giants get a gift from the referees.  On a pass which was uncatchable, one of the officials flagged Cowboys defender Gerald Sensabaugh for pass interference.  Without question, Gilbride was bailed out by the officials.  It was a borderline call.  Thankfully with an assist by the refs, the Giants scored a TD. Then on their third red zone offensive possession of the first half, the Giants had to settle for a FG.  For whatever reason, Gilbride does not use deception as a weapon.  And we have talked about this ad nauseum.  In these three red zone possessions, Gilbride did not use any kind of misdirection. Recall our Rules for Winning in the NFL- Number EIGHT: Do the unpredictable. Once you are predictable you are dead.  Because of his feeble-mindedness, the Giants scored one touchdown and two field goals. 

Two crucial plays:

Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo's errant incomplete pass to Miles Austin.   On this third down play, if Romo throws an accurate pass, the Cowboys win the game and end the Giants season.   

Mario Manningham's dropped touchdown pass.  Yes.  Why was this crucial?  Because, ironically, if he held onto the ball, more time would have been left on the play clock.  Certainly, the way this game was going, if Romo had more time, Dallas could of scored a game winning touchdown.  Or they could have gotten into closer FG range.  

With this win, the Giants improve to 2-2 against NFC East opponents, 4-6 in the NFC conference, and in first place in NFC East with a 7-6 record.  Now, the Giants control their own destiny.  If they win their remaining three games, they will make the playoffs.