Big Blue Huddle

Here Ceri and I discuss the Giants defensive options, with Ceri providing his expert analyses of the defensive talent available in the upcoming draft.

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Brian

Here Ceri discusses what the Giants' might do in the upcoming draft and the offensive talent available. (Let's hope I did this correctly; it is my first time shot!)


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Brian

Hi all! Here is my look at the Detroit Lions. Sorry for the late release; a series of personal issues put me behind the eight ball all week. In the future, I hope to have my weekly scouting reports ready no later than Friday.


The Detroit Lions

Jim Caldwell is a highly experienced head coach. Now in his 5th season in Detroit, Caldwell

Hi y

Hi again, y'all. Here is my NFC East Overview, Part II: The Washington Redskins Edition. Unlike the Eagles overview, which was compiled prior to any preseason games, this edition comes to you following the Final 53 cut down. I hope to have the Part III, the Dallas Cowboys, ready by mid-next week. That edition will also serve as a scouting report for Sunday night's Giants/Cowboys game.

Washington Redskins: Intro

Jay Gruden is entering his fourth year as Redskins head coach. Owner Danny Boy Snyder is apparently happy with Gruden, having signed him to a two year contract extension last March 04. Gruden, who is highly respected as an offensive intellect, was OC for his brother Jon's Tampa offense 2002-2008. He was also OC under Marvin Lewis in Cincinnati 2011-2013. The Redskins did change offensive coordinators this off-season. Former OC Sean McVay left to become head coach of the Rams. McVay was replaced by quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh. On the defensive side, former DC Joe Barry, perhaps a bit unfairly, was fired. Barry was replaced by LB coach Greg Manusky, who has extensive experience as an NFL defensive coordinator.

Gruden arrived in Washington in 2014. He inherited a quarterback mess left by his predecessor, Mike Shanahan. The 2014 Redskins had Robert Griffen III, Colt McCoy, and Kirk Cousins all split time as the starting quarterback. Cousins emerged as the best of the three, logging 43% of the snaps. Ultimately, the Redskins floundered through a 4-12 season (which was a one game improvement over Shanahan's 3-13 finale.) In 2015, Gruden settled on Cousins as his starting quarterback. Colt McCoy was moved to permanent #2 back up while RG III played out the final year of his contract as the scout team quarterback. The Redskins responded to win the NFC East title with a 9-7 record. They lost in the playoffs to Packers, 35-18.

The 2016 Redskins came close to returning to playoffs. In fact, if not for a rather odd Week 8 27-27 London-based tie with the Bengals, the Redskins would have qualified as the final wildcard. That said, the Redskins were still in the running for the final wildcard right into their final game; a 19-10 loss to the Giants sealed their elimination.

All this said, 2016 showed some chinks in the Redskin armor. Prior to the season, the Redskin front office was unable to reach a long-term contract with free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins.  The Redskins ultimately slapped the franchise tag on Cousins, resulting a one year, $20 million cap hit on the QB. These monies were in addition to the $1.8 million paid to Colt McCoy and $484K to 3rd string back up Nate Sudfeld. In fact, the 2016 Redskins were worst in the league in salary cap ratio (#1 on offense, #31 on defense). Keep in mind that the miniscule monies spent on defense included contracts for Pro Bowlers Josh Norman and Ryan Kerrigan. With so little cap expended elsewhere on D, the Redskins defense suffered a dearth of talent across the board. This was particularly true in regards to the secondary. In the end, the Redskins finished the year 28th in the league in defensive yardage (although a bit more respectable #19 in points allowed.) 

The salary cap issue came to a head this past off-season. After once again botching the Cousins Contract Issue, the Redskins re-applied the franchise tag to Kirk, costing them $24 million for his services in 2017. If you couple this with the $3.6 million due McCoy, Washington has $27.6 million, or about 16% of their total cap, tied up at the quarterback position. This situation left them with much too little money with which retain their excellent wide receiver pairing of Desean Jackson and Pierre Garcon. Jackson was signed by Tampa Bay; Garcon by the 49ers. To help fill this void, the Redskins signed former Brown Terrell Pryor to a one year deal. They also signed the highly disappointing ex-Ram WR Brian Quick. Another loss to the offense is longtime center/guard Kory Lichtensteiger, who retired this offseason. On the defensive side, OLB/DE Trent Murphy suffered a torn ACL in PS Game 1 against Baltimore and will most likely miss the entire season. The Redskins also lost DEs Chris Baker (Tampa Bay) and Ricky Jean-Francois (Green Bay) to free agency. Noted defensive signings are linebackers Zach Brown (Buffalo) and Chris Carter, DTs Terrell McClain (Dallas) and Stacy McGee (Oakland), and safety DJ Swearinger (Texans).


Washington Offense

2017 will be Jay Gruden's first season in Washington without Sean McVay as his offensive coordinator. Matt Cavanaugh, the former quarterbacks coach, is the new OC. Cavanaugh has previous experience as an OC, both in Chicago (1997-1998) and in Baltimore (1999-2004). Upon McVay's departure, Gruden announced that he henceforth he would be more actively involved in the offensive play calling. Sound familiar? Still, by all accounts, Gruden and Cavanaugh work well together, so I would expect a smooth transition.

The Redskins offense is Jay Gruden's offense. A version of the WCO, it contains (by my observations) elements of the 1980s Joe Gibbs Redskins and the Giants offense under Kevin Gilbride. Per Gruden himself, "We have a base philosophy on offense. Trying to get everybody involved, short passing game, receivers doing a lot of the work after the catch, the good hard play-action, taking some shots down the field, being very diverse in what we do." Gruden likes a balanced attack, with about a 2/3 ratio of run/pass. The Redskins' offense is a yardage eater: in 2016, they finished 3rd in the NFL in total yardage and 8th in first downs. That said, it is not a ball control offense; at 30:04, its TOP ranked 21st in the league.

The Redskins run 12 personnel about 35% of the plays; 11 personnel about 65%. On occasion, they may even run out 13 personnel. The Redskins pretty much never run zero or two backs out of the backfield; they do not carry a fullback on the roster. At times, they will line up a tight end in the backfield, but, generally, their 12 package features both tight ends utilized up on the line as receivers, sometimes with either player lined up with a hand in the dirt off the outside shoulder of the tackle. In fact, I have witnessed the Redskins in a perfectly balanced formation, with tight ends up tight on either side of the LOS, a wing back off the outside shoulder of each TE, a single back aligned in an I formation behind the quarterback, and the QB under center. 

The Redskin offense is decidedly a "big play" offense. In 2016, the Redskins were 2nd in the NFL with 70 completions of 20 plus yards (one behind New Orleans) and were tied for 4th in completions of 40 plus yards with 13. They were 2nd in the NFL in passing yardage at 297.4/game; their 8.2 passing Y/A was also the league's 2nd best. The Redskins run a variety of pass plays: in cuts, seam patterns, bubble screens, deep go patterns and out cuts. Gruden definitely does like to like to spread the ball around. In 2016, six different players caught at least 44 passes.

As stated, Gruden prefers a balanced offense with a 2/3 split of run plays/pass plays. To maintain this average requires an efficient running game. That the Redskins do have. Although they were 21st in the league with 106.0 RYG, they maintained an average of 4.5 Y/C (9th in the NFL) while finishing 6th in rushing touchdowns with 16. The big play potential of the offense translates into the running game: in 2016, the Redskins had 10 running plays of 20 plus yards (12th) and four plays of 40 plus yards (tied for 2nd). And Gruden definitely likes to get the running backs involved in the passing game: in 2016, Redskin backs caught 70 passes on 89 targets (a 79% completion rate) for 502 yards, 7.2 Y/C, and three touchdowns. The Redskins run a variety of patterns out of the backfield, including screen passes and flares out into the flat. One of their favorite plays is a wheel route run by the back out of the backfield and down the sideline.

Offensive Line

The 2016 Redskins had one of the better two-way offensive lines in the NFL. The line gave up only 23 sacks, 4th best in the league, while run blocking to the tune of 4.5 yard/carry (9th best). In addition, the Washington offense, given its varying array of screen passes and misdirection plays, demands a multitude of responsibilities from the offensive line. From what I witnessed this preseason, the 2017 edition is struggling a bit across the board. I suspect that it might be hard-pressed to repeat its 2016 performance.

Trent Williams is one of the better left tackles in the NFL. The #4 overall pick out of Oklahoma in the 2010 draft, the 6'5", 320 lbs Williams is a five time Pro Bowler and two time All Pro. Now entering his eighth season, the 29 year old Williams is in the prime of his career. He did serve a four game suspension in 2016 for PED use.

Left guard Shawn Lauvao was a 3rd round pick of the Browns in 2010. He was signed by the Redskins as a UFA in 2014. A fine player, the 6'3", 308 lb Lauvao did miss two games in 2016 due to injury but started the other 14. The 29 year old Lauvao is entering his eighth season. Although not a Pro Bowler, his play is of that caliber.     

Brandon Scherff is the Redskins' right guard. Scherff was the #5 overall pick in the 2015 draft. Coming out of Iowa, the 6'5", 319 lb Scherff was drafted as a tackle but was moved by the Redskins to right guard. He responded well to the switch, making the All-Rookie Team in 2015 and the Pro Bowl in 2016.

Right tackle Morgan Moses was a 3rd round pick of the Redskins in 2014. A pleasant surprise, Moses could not be supplanted by Scherff for the right tackle spot, necessitating Scherff's move to RG. A big man (6'6", 335 lbs), the Virginia alum is another fine player. He signed a contract extension last April.

With the retirement of Kory Lichtensteiger, Spenser Long is the new designated starting center. Problem is, Long had a knee scoped a few weeks back and will most likely miss Week 1 against the Eagles. A longer term injury to Long could seriously affect the line as his back up is untested rookie Chase Roullier. The 26 year old Long, a big center at 6'5", 318, is entering his 4th year in the league. He was a 3rd round pick of the Redskins in 2014.

Back up center Chase Roullier is a rookie 6th round pick out of Wyoming. The 6'4", 317 lb Roullier is a smart kid who majored in Mechanical Engineering. He was the 1st Team All Mountain West Conference Center as a senior. Still, a September 10th opening day start against the Eagles' fierce defensive front will be, to say the least, a daunting test.

Ty Nseke is Washington's swing tackle. Although only in his 3rd NFL season, Nseke is already 31 years old. He filled in credibly last season at left tackle during Trent Williams' suspension. Nseke, a very big man (6'6", 338), played his college ball at Texas State.

Tyler Catalina is a rookie UDFA. Collegiately, he played three years at Rhode Island before a one year stint at Georgia. He beat out fellow rookie Kyle Kalis and 3rd year vet Arie Kouandjio for the final O line spot. Catalina is a big, strong kid (6'6", 325) but still a bit of a raw talent. Catalina, a four year starter in college, played right tackle as a freshman before converting over to LT. The Redskins moved him to guard, where he has looked good this preseason. Catalina's versatility was the deciding factor in his making the final cut.   

Running Back

Robert "Fat Rob" Kelley is a bowling ball style runner with a big upside and an even bigger backside. Last year, as an undrafted rookie, the 6'0" 233 lb Kelley managed to supplant former first teamer Matt Jones as the backfield's heavy lifter. He rushed for 704 yards on 168 carries (4.2 T/C), six touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also caught 12 passes on 18 targets for 82 yards (6.8 Y/C) and one touchdown. The 24 year old Kelley played his college ball at Tulane.

Chris Thompson is the Redskins' change of pace back. A 2013 5th round pick out of Florida State, the diminutive (5'8", 191 lb) Thompson has developed into a fine player. In 2016, he ran for 356 yards on 68 carries (5.2 Y/C), three touchdowns, but two fumbles. He also caught 49 passes on 62 targets for 249 yards (7.1 Y/C) and two touchdowns. The 26 year old Thompson is entering his 4th season with the Redskins.

Mac Brown was signed as a UDFA by the Texans in 2015. Brown never played for the Texans and was signed by the Redskins in 2016. He was used sparingly by the Redskins, running for 82 yards on 8 carries (10.2 Y/C) and one touchdown. He played in college at Florida.

Samaje Perine is a 21 year old 4th round rookie out of Oklahoma. Perine (pronounced PEE-rine) is the all-time leading rusher at Oklahoma (4,122 yards) despite coming out as a junior AND splitting time with Joe Mixon. At 5'11", 236 lbs, Perine has the low-to-the-ground road-grader physique that Jay Gruden seems to like out of his running backs.

Wide Receiver

The Redskins offense took a huge hit this off-season when they lost wide receivers Desean Jackson and Pierre Garcon to free agency. To partially offset this loss, they signed former Cleveland Brown Terrelle Pryor to a one year, $6 million contract. Pryor, who was the nation's highest rated recruit coming out of high school, was a quarterback at Ohio State. Drafted by the Raiders in the 3rd round of the 2011 draft, he originally played QB in Oakland before converting to wide out in Cleveland. In 2016, Pryor caught 77 passes on 140 targets for 1007 yards (13.1 Y/C) and four touchdowns. At 6'4", 228 lbs, the 28 year old Pryor is a big physical receiver who is an obvious stud athlete. Still, his late career conversion to receiver bundled with a lousy catch/target ratio resulted in a mediocre one year "show me" contract with the Redskins. He was quite spotty in his play with Kirk Cousins this preseason, catching only two passes for 28 yards. The Redskins need him to big-time to step up his play if they are to even approach their offensive success of 2016. I am not so sure it is going to happen.

Jamison Crowder is a 24 year old third year player out of Duke. He was a 3rd round pick in 2015. A textbook slot style receiver, the 5'9" 177 lb Crowder excels in short slant routes, bubble screens and the like but also has the ability to burn a secondary deep. In 2016, Crowder caught 67 passes on 99 targets for 847 yards (12.6 Y/C) and seven touchdowns. He is also a terrific punt returner; in 2016, he averaged 12.1 Y/R on 27 punts, including an 85 yard touchdown return in a win against Baltimore. There is no question that Crowder was terrific in 2016 as a #3 receiver. Can he repeat this success without Jackson and Garcon? That will be tough.

The Redskins had high hopes for Josh Docson when they selected the former TCU star with the #22 overall pick in the 2016 draft. Unfortunately for Washington, he was lost for the year in Week 2 against Dallas. The 6'2", 208 lb Docson caught only two passes total. He was hurt most of this preseason, catching only one pass. One wonders if Docson will be for the Redskins what Thomas Lewis once was for the Giants: a never healthy 1st round bust.

Ryan Grant was the Redskins #4 wide receiver in 2016. In 2017, he may move up a notch. The Redskins hope that Grant, a supposed favorite of Jay Gruden, can improve upon his 2016 minimal production of 9 catches on 19 targets, 76 yards (8.4 Y/C), and zero touchdowns. The 26 year old 4th year player is 6'0", 206 lbs. He was drafted out of Tulane in the 5th round of the 2014 draft.

The Redskins signed Brian Quick this off-season as an UFA. Selected by the Rams in the 2nd round (#33 overall) of the 2012 draft, Quick never really developed into anything other than an average-to-mediocre receiver. Quick had his best season in 2016, catching 41 passes on 77 targets for 564 yards (13.8 Y/C) and three touchdowns. Now 28, the six year veteran out of Appalachian State is in danger of washing out of the NFL. At 6'3", 218 lbs, Quick certainly has the tools. Problem is, does he now, or has he ever, have the desire?

Tight End

Jordan Reed is terrifically talented tight end. Big and strong, he runs great routes, has terrific hands, and is willing and capable of catching the ball in traffic.  In 2016, the 5th year player out of Florida made his first Pro Bowl while catching 66 passes on 89 targets for 686 yards (10.4 Y/C) and six touchdowns. Reed had an even better year in 2015: 87 catches on 114 targets for 952 yards (10.9 Y/C) and 11 touchdowns. At 6'2", 246 lbs, Reed is a big strong guy who nonetheless is often injured. He was out injured for four games in 2016 and has missed a total of 18 games in his first four seasons. Reed was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2013 draft.

The 33 year old Vernon Davis is entering his 12th season in the NFL. That said, the 6'3, 244 lb Davis is showing no signs of slowing down. In 2016, Davis caught 44 passes on 59 targets for 583 yards (13.3 Y/C) and two touchdowns. Unlike Reed, Davis is a durable player, having missed only five games in the last nine years. Davis is a two-time Pro Bowler and one-time All Pro. Like Reed, he is a great route runner, catches just about everything, and willingly catches the ball in traffic. He was originally drafted by the 49ers with the #6 overall pick of the 2006 draft.

28 year old Niles Paul is a seven year player out of Nebraska. The 6'1", 242 lb Paul missed all of 2015 with an ankle injury and eight games in 2016 with a torn labrum. Paul is a converted wide receiver who is nonetheless a fine blocker; he often lines up in the backfield as a lead-blocking fullback/h-back. Paul can be effective as a receiver: as a trog TE/WR in 2014, he caught 39 passes on 52 targets for 507 yards (13.0 Y/C) and one touchdown. Paul was drafted in the 5th round of the 2011 draft.

Rookie Jeremy Sprinkle was the Redskins 5th round pick in the 2017 draft. At 6'5", 252 lbs, Sprinkle is a big, strong young man. Although looked at primarily as a blocker, he did catch 33 passes for 380 yards (11.5 Y/C) and four touchdowns in his senior year at Arkansas. Sprinkle caught two passes for 20 yards this preseason.

Quarterback

Will the Kirk Cousins saga ever end in Washington? Sure it will, in about six months, when Cousins leaves the Redskins for free agency. The Cousins Contract Issue is perhaps the most botched contract mess in the history of sports. The Redskins entered it facing two choices: bite the bullet and sign Cousins to an expensive long term deal solidifying their quarterback position for years to come, or: cut the loss, let Cousins walk away as a free agent, and look in another direction for the quarterback solution. Instead, they did neither, fiddle-faddling around with two consecutive franchise tags that cost $44 million which solved nothing except to ensure that they would be priced out of Cousins range come 2018. The Redskins front office should be ashamed of itself. Problem is, the front office is owner Danny Boy Snyder, and he has no shame.

To me, Cousins is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. He was originally taken in the 4th round of the 2012 draft as insurance against the potential bust of RG III. Cousins took a few years to develop before truly blossoming in 2015. He has a strong arm, a good touch, good feet, can run when needed, and does a fine job of reading the field. In 2016, the now 28 year old former Michigan State Spartan completed 406 of 606 passes (67% completion rate) for 4917 yards, 8.1 yards/attempt, 25 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He also ran 34 time for 96 yards (2.8 Y/C) and four touchdowns. For his efforts, Cousins was selected to his first Pro Bowl.

Colt McCoy is one of the 800 quarterbacks drafted by the Browns since their franchise was re-established in 1999. McCoy was a 2010 3rd round pick out of Texas. Colt came to Washington in 2014 and was part of that season's three headed starting QB mix. In 2016, McCoy made $1.8 million while not playing a single down; in 2017, he is slated to make twice as much, most likely with an identical amount of playing time. Colt isn't really a bad quarterback, he is just not very good. At 30 years old, his days as a full-time starter are probably over. That said, I have no doubt that he is still capable of coming off the bench and playing credibly in a pinch.


Redskins Defense

The 2016 Redskins played a 3-4 defense under former DC Joe Barry. Somewhat undermanned due to the lopsided cap expenditures on the offense, Barry's defense finished near the bottom of the league in most defensive categories. Perhaps conscious of his defense's shortcomings, Barry concentrated his efforts in one defensive category: quarterback sacks. In fact, the Redskins finished 9th in league in total sacks with 38. That said, given that the Redskins ended up #28 in total defensive yardage at 377.9 yards/game, the sack total was not good enough to save Barry's job. 

Outside linebacker coach Greg Manusky, himself a 3-4 proponent, was promoted as Barry's replacement. The systems employed by the two coordinators are quite similar. Both more closely resemble a 5-2 college style spread defense than the 4-0-4 line set of the 3-4 defense of the 1980s Giants. Both employee outside linebackers that are in reality stand up defensive ends. Physically, these players all fall into the 6'5", 260 lb range and are regularly rotated throughout the game. The inside linebackers are more traditionally sized in the 6'2", 240 lb range. These players are employed as tackling machines that roam about in the middle of the field and take most of the defensive snaps. The corners are given tight m-2-m coverage responsibilities; the safeties are aligned at multiple depths.

The big difference between Barry and Manusky is within the interior line. Barry had a preference for a particular type of defensive lineman: about 6'5" tall, 295-300 lbs, strong, athletic. Every one of Barry's D linemen fit this phenotype, which pretty much describes the size and abilities of a traditional 3-4 DE. Barry eschewed the larger "medicine ball" two gap nose tackles utilized in more tranditional 3-4 defenses. Manusky, recognizing that the Redskins were in need of such players so as to shore up their porous run defense, brought in several players in the 325-345 range to audition for these positions. The Redskins front office also worked hard, both in the draft and in free agency, to increase the overall quality and depth of their defensive personnel. The success of these efforts is yet to be determined.   

Defensive Line

Evander "Ziggy" Hood is a versatile player who moves all along the defensive front. Typically aligned as a 3, 4, or 5 tech, Hood may move inside as a 2i, one, or even zero tech NT. A former 2009 1st round pick of the Steelers, the 6'3", 299 lb former Missouri Tiger stops in Jacksonville and Chicago before coming to Washington. He signed with Washington in 2016. Hood was a mainstay of Joe Barry's line, playing on 60% of the defensive snaps. He finished the season with 33 tackles (17 solo/16 assist), one sack, one forced fumble, and 3 passes defensed.

The Redskins added depth and experience this off-season when they signed Terrell McClain away from Dallas. Originally a 2011 3rd round pick of the Panthers, McClain played the past two seasons with the Pokes. In 2016, McClain had his best season since his college days at S. Florida, recording 39 tackles (21/18), 2.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. The 6'3", 302 lb McClain is a strong candidate for a starter's job. At the least, he will add strong rotational depth to the D line.

Phil Taylor Sr, the former 2011 1st round pick of the Browns, had pretty much sewn up the Redskins' starting nose tackle job until he went down with a season-ending quad injury in last week's preseason game vs Cincinnati. The Redskins now turn to Stacy McGee to fill that role. A 6th round pick in 2013, the 6'3", 341 lb McGee played in nine games (all starts) for the 2016 Raiders. He finished the season with 17 tackles (14/3), 2.5 sacks, and two FFs.

Anthony Lanier impressed enough this camp to convince DC Greg Manusky that he is worthy of a roster spot. The second year player out of Alabama A & M was signed as a UDFA in 2016. He played in four games as a rookie, mostly on specialty teams. He did recover a fumble in overtime against the Bengals  that helped seal a tie. This preseason, the 6'6", 286 lb Lanier recorded seven tackles (4/3) and one sack.

Second year player Matt Ioannidis was the Redskins 5th round pick in the 2016 draft. The former Temple Owl played in ten games, recording 9% of the defensive snaps and 19% of the ST snaps. He finished the season with eight tackles (6/2).

Jonathan Allen was the Redskins' 1st round pick (#17 overall) in the 2017 draft. The former captain of the Alabama defense recorded 154 career tackles (78/76), 45 tackles for loss, 28.5 sacks, seven passes defensed, and three forced fumbles. His 28.5 career sacks is second in school history, surpassed only by NCAA and NFL Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas. In 2016, Allen recorded 69 tackles (33/36), 16 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries returned for touchdowns. He won the Chuck Bednarski Trophy, the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Ted Hendricks award. At 6'3", 288 lbs, Allen is slated to start at defensive end in the Redskins 3-4 system. 

Outside Linebackers

Ryan Kerrigan is one of the NFL's premier 3-4 outside linebackers. A 1st round pick of the Redskins in 2011, the former Purdue Boilermaker has 58.5 career sacks. His 6'4", 259 lb frame is prototypical of what the Redskins look for from their trog OLB/DE position. In 2016, Kerrigan recorded 33 tackles (25/8), 11.0 sacks, two PDs, and 2 FFs. For these efforts, he was selected to his second Pro Bowl.

OLB Preston Smith, a 2015 2nd round pick out of Mississippi State, is developing into a fine player. In 2016, the 6'5", 265 lb Smith recorded 39 tackles (23/16), 4.5 sacks, one interception, and 3 PDs. His rookie 2015 season was, at least statistically, even more impressive: 30 tackles (20/10), eight sacks, 4 PDs, 3 forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Smith is a nice match on the edge opposite Kerrigan.

The Redskin OLB unit took a big hit when Trent Murphy went down with an ACL tear in preseason Game 1 against Baltimore. Already facing a four game suspension for PED use, Murphy was IRed and will most likely miss the entire season. The 2014 2nd round pick out of Stanford has been terrific from the get go. 2016 was his finest season as he recorded 46 tackles (27/19), nine sacks, 3 forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one pass defensed.

The Redskins have high hopes for rookie 2nd round pick Ryan Anderson. Unfortunately, a stinger suffered against Baltimore has sidelined him since and his status for Game 1 against the Eagles is questionable. The 6'2", 253 lb former member of the Alabama Crimson Tide had a flat out terrific senior season, recording 61 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, nine sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and three PDs. Anderson's career stats at Alabama were 128 tackles (64/64), 40 tackles for loss, 19.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, and one interception return for a touchdown.

Razor thin at OLB, the Redskins are hoping that Junior Galette can recover at least some of the effectiveness he displayed in New Orleans prior to the injuries that sidelined him the past two seasons. In the two year stretch of 2013-2014, Galette, playing under then Saints DC Rob Ryan, recorded 85 tackles (61/24), 22 sacks, four PDs, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Galette has since suffered two consecutive Achilles heels injuries and did not play a down in either 2015 or 2016. He has seen limited action this preseason, recording two tackles and a sack. At 29 years old, the 6'2", 254 lb Galette is still relatively young, but his recent injury history puts his long-term NFL future in doubt.

Inside Linebacker

Mason Foster and Will Compton were the starting inside linebackers in 2016. Foster, a seven year veteran, was originally drafted by Tampa in round 3 of the 2011 draft. Foster, who played his college ball at the University of Washington, is a prototypical 3-4 inside linebacker: 6'1", 250, good form tackler, doesn't make mistakes. He had a fine season in 2016, recording 123 tackles (88/35), one sack, one forced fumble, and three passes defensed. Foster played on 70% of the Redskins' defensive snaps.

At 6'1", 235, Will Compton is slightly smaller than Foster. That said, he doesn't play small. A 4th year former UDFA out of Nebraska, Compton is a good form tackler who recorded 103 tackles (60/43), one forced fumble, one interception, and five passes defensed. Compton played on 85% of the Redskins' defensive snaps.

This offseason, the Redskins, looking to upgrade their inside linebacker unit, signed former Buffalo Bill Zach Brown. A six year veteran, the 27 year old Brown made the Pro Bowl in 2016, recording an amazing 149 tackles (97/52), 4.0 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, one interception, and four passes defensed. Despite his success, the Bills let Brown walk as a UFA and the Redskins signed him to a very reasonable one year, $2.3 million contract. The 6'1" 251 lb Brown was the Titans 2012 2nd round pick, having played in college at North Carolina. Brown is quite durable, last year playing on 91% of Buffalo's defensive snaps. To me, he was a flat out steal by Washington.

The Redskins brought back 3rd year player Martrell Spaight. A 2015 5th round pick out of Arkansas, Spaight played mostly on specialty teams last season, but did manage to play on 13% of the Redskins defensive snaps. He recorded 18 tackles (13/5), one interception, and one pass defensed. A big motor guy, the 6"0", 243 lb Spaight plays always at a high energy level.

The Redskins also brought veteran ILB Chris Carter. Carter, a career long journeyman, is playing on his 5th team in seven years. In 2016, he split time between the Colts and the Ravens. Playing mostly on specialty teams, he recorded eight tackles (5/3). This preseason, he recorded six tackles (4/2) and 1.5 sacks. The 6'1", 240 lb Carter was originally a 2011 5th round pick of the Steelers. He played in college at Fresno State. 

7th round rookie Josh Harvey-Clemons played his final two college seasons at Louisville after having started out at U of Georgia. As a senior, he was Second Team All ACC, recording 61 tackles (33/28), four TFL, and two sacks. At 6'4" 226, JHC is a bit of tweener. A safety in college, he was converted to linebacker by the Redskins. He played very well this preseason and was second on the team with 15 tackles (12/3). In the final game against Tampa, he returned an interception 41 yards for a touchdown. This play no doubt sealed his roster slot onto an already bloated linebacker unit.

Cornerback

Josh Norman is the type of player you love having on your team but hate as an opponent. That said, Josh's brash, trash-talking personality does not hide the fact that he is one of the finest cornerbacks in the NFL. Josh was originally the Panthers 5th round pick in the 2012 draft. Playing for little known Coastal Carolina, few had heard of him coming out of college. Soon enough, his talent emerged for all to see and he was quickly recognized as a terrific m-2-m shutdown corner. In 2015, despite making 1st Team All Pro, he left Carolina in a contract dispute and signed with the Redskins as a free agent. At 6'0", 200 lbs, Josh is a legitimately tough guy who is a force defending the run. And he is quite durable: in 2016, he played on 96% of the Redskins defensive snap counts. His stat line for 2016: 67 tackles (52/15), 19 passes defensed, three interceptions, and two forced fumbles.

Bashaud Breeland is a 4th year player who was a 2014 4th round pick out of Clemson. Breeland, who made the NFL All Rookie Team in 2014, seems to have regressed a bit of late. In fact, in 2016 he was downright toasty, getting burned early and often. His stat line for the year: 61 tackles (50/11), 11 PDs, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, and one sack while playing on 70% of the defensive snaps. At 5'11", 195 lbs, Breeland certainly has the looks of an NFL cornerback. The Redskins have not yet given up on Breeland: he remains the starter opposite Norman.

Second year corner Kendell Fuller was a 2016 3rd round pick out of Virginia Tech. In his rookie season, the 5'11", 198 lb Fuller played in 13 games with six starts & overall played on 43% of the snap counts. He had 40 tackles (32/8) and 2 passes defensed. The Redskins like Fuller a lot; he is, at present, their #3 corner.

Quinton Dunbar is another of the Redskins' young corners. Originally signed in 2015 as a UDFA out of Florida, he is talented enough to have actually taken a few snaps in 2016 at wide receiver, catching one pass for 31 yards.  On the defensive side, he played 27% of the snaps, racking up 25 tackles (23/2), five PDs, one interception, and one fumble recovery.

Fabian Moreau is a rookie 3rd round pick out of UCLA. As a senior, he was Honorable Mention All Pac 10, finishing the year with ten PDs and two interceptions. Over four years, he recorded 148 tackles (98/50), 28 PDs, three interceptions, one FF and one fumble recovery. His preseason stat line consists of four tackles (3/1). At 6'0", 198, Moreau does have a corner's prototypical measurements. The Redskins like what they see of Moreau, but to me he looks a bit raw. He will start the season a bit down on the depth chart.

Rookie Joshua Holsey is a rookie 7th round pick out of Auburn. The Redskins have been pleasantly surprised by what they have seen out of Holsey this camp and decided to give him a roster spot. In 2016, the Auburn alum recorded 30 tackles (27/3), 10 passes defensed, and three interceptions. This preseason, Holsey had four solo tackles and a sack. To me, Holsey looks very raw. He will, no doubt, see quite a bit of time this season on special teams, but I doubt if he will be on the field very often with the defensive unit.

Safety

This off-season, the Redskins signed veteran DJ Swearinger to help shore up a leaky safety unit. Still only 26 years old, Swearinger will be playing on his fifth team in five years. In 2016, he played in all 16 games for Arizona, starting 12. He recorded 66 tackles (58/8), 8 PDs, three interceptions, and 2.0 sacks. Although, by trade and ability, Swearinger is more properly a strong safety, he will most likely start for the Redskins at free safety.

Per the Redskins, Su'a Cravens is making a permanent move to strong safety. The Redskins 2nd round pick in 2016, the 6'1", 224 lb Cravens, was recognized as a tweener coming out of USC, where he had played linebacker. Cravens split an injury-riddled rookie season between linebacker and safety before making the permanent switch this camp. Cravens was hobbled by a meniscus tear last season that carried over into 2017, limiting his playing time in the preseason games. He is slated to start at strong safety against the Eagles.

If Cravens is unable to play, Deshazor Everett will most likely be his replacement. The Redskins really like what they have seen from the 3rd year former UDFA out of Texas A & M. Still, he is quite raw: in 2016, he played on only 3% of the defensive snap counts, recording four solo tackles, one interception, and one PD. He has looked good this preseason, finishing tied for fourth in tackles (8/3/11). Greg Manusky has been impressed enough to slot Everett as 3rd on his safety depth chart.

Rookie Montae Nicholson is a 4th round draft pick out of Michigan State. A nice player for the Spartans, his three year stats include 200 tackles (109/91), 4.5 TFL, four interceptions, and one forced fumble. In 2016, he led the team with 86 tackles (39/47). He has looked good in camp and preseason, recording seven tackles (3/4). Nicholson has the size (6'2", 216) to play strong safety and the speed (4.42 forty) to play free safety. He is coming off surgery for a torn labrum; it does appear that he has recovered quicker than expected.

Stefan McClure came out of nowhere to make the Redskins as their 5th safety. He was signed by the Colts in 2016 as a UDFA, was cut, came back in December as a member of their practice squad, and released after the season. Collegiately he played at Cal, where he quite uniquely was team captain for three consecutive seasons. He certainly isn't a ball hawk, having only two interceptions over his four year college career. I question whether he made the team mostly to hold a roster spot for DeAngelo Hall, who presently sits on the Redskins PUP list.

The Redskins just can't seem to cut the cord with DeAngelo Hall. A former 1st round (#8 overall) pick of the Falcons in 2004, Hall is a three time Pro Bowler at cornerback who has 43 career interceptions and 138 passes defensed. A few years back, it became apparent that the aging Hall had slowed to the point where he could no longer play corner. Rather than cut Hall, the Redskins opted to move him to safety, a curious decision given that the diminutive Hall has never been known for his tackling ability. Hall's move to safety has been unproductive and injury-ridden. He and the Redskins just agreed to halve his 2017 salary to $1.1 million in guaranteed monies. He currently sits on the PUP list and is eligible to return to the active roster for the October 23 game against the Eagles.


Specialty Teams

Dustin Hopkins returns as the Redskins kicker. In 2016, he finished 23rd in the league in field goal percentage. Hopkins was 7/9 in attempts 40-49 yards; 3/7 in attempts 50 plus. He made 36 of 39 extra points.

Tress Way returns as punter. In 2016, he finished 20th in the NFL in average yardage with 45.1 Y/K and 26th in net yardage at 38.9 Y/K.He dropped only 15 punts inside the 20, which was dead last in the league.

The Redskins were 4th in the NFL in punt returning at 11.9 Y/R. Jamison Crowder, who had all but one of the Redskins punt returns, recorded one 85 yard return for a touchdown. In kickoff returns, the Redskins were 20th in the league at 20.1 Y/R. Chris Thompson was their primary kickoff return man.


Final Thoughts

I see the Redskins as a team in transition. Unfortunately, given the long-term chaotic quarterback situation, that transition appears to be headed downward. The most dominant question on offense is at wide receiver, a unit that has seen a serious drop in talent compared to 2016. The usually strong offensive line has looked inconsistent this preseason and the center position remains in question. On the defensive side, the all-important outside linebacker position is razor thin in depth; a single injury could seriously disrupt their pass rush. Despite the Redskins' boasts that the cornerback unit is now deep and talented, its quality remains quite questionable. And the biggest defensive issue remains at safety, where positional changes, untried young players, and very questionable quality makes the success of this unit highly suspect.

Overall, I see the Redskins as a team that will slip a bit this season. They are in no way a push over and will be a tough team to play against, but serious deficiencies, particularly on defense, will most likely keep them out of the playoff hunt. They will struggle to reach 8-8; a few key injuries could drop them to 6-10.

Brian
   

Hi all. Most of you here at the BBH know me as The Big Hitter. My real name is Brian McGinn. I am a recently retired police sergeant from Syracuse, New York. Retirement has allowed me to pursue many outside interests that I did not have time for when I was fully employed. Included among these is a long-time passion: scouting football.

The NFL Game Pass now provides a unique opportunity for those who love to scout. First offered just a few years back, the NFL Game Pass allows those who purchase the product to access 100% of the video of every game played throughout the season. Various angles allow for detailed review of each and every play. By combining an in-depth video review with statistical venues offered elsewhere, it is possible compile a detailed scouting report on each and every NFL team.

This is what I hope to provide to the BBH: a weekly scouting report of the Giants' upcoming opponent. Initially, this will be a written report submitted about the middle of each game week. I would like to eventually work in a podcast component and, hopefully, some instructional video. I fully understand that my plans are quite ambitious. That said, I consider the opportunity to offer such an effort to the BBH community to be an honor and I will work hard to make it a quality product.

Obviously, as we are just entering into the preseason, video of upcoming opponents does not yet exist. As such, I am beginning this effort with a review of our three NFC East rivals. Based upon these reports, I will track these opponents throughout the preseason so as to gauge their strengths and weaknesses and provide updates. I will begin with an examination of the Philadelphia Eagles. I should note that, as I write this report, the Eagles are engaged in their first preseason game at Green Bay. The results of that game will not, initially, be included in this report. Also, given the length of the report, I will split it in half so as to allow for easier reading. I will start with the Eagles' offense.

Eagles Offense

Doug Pederson is entering his second season as Eagles' head coach. Pederson, a former journeyman NFL quarterback, is an offensively oriented HC. Prior to his hiring by Philadelphia, Pederson spent three seasons in Kansas City as Andy Reid's offensive coordinator. Pederson committed the Eagles to junk the college-style gimmick offense he inherited from Chip Kelly and install the more traditional West Coast offense favored by Reid. Pederson brought in former NFL back up QB Frank Reich as his offensive coordinator.

The 2016 Eagle offense had its moments, but was, for the most part, inconsistent. The Eagles opened the season 3-0, then lost nine of eleven games before finishing the season impressively with back-to-back victories over the playoff-bound Giants and Cowboys. The Eagles season closely mirrored the suspension of right tackle Lane Johnson: with Johnson, the Eagles were 5-1 and averaged 27.7 ppg; without Johnson, the Eagles were 2-8, scoring only 20.1 ppg.

That said, I believe that the Eagle swoon had more to do with a rookie quarterback's growing pains combined with inconsistent play by the running back and wide receiver units. In particular, the wide receivers were nothing better than mediocre. Once opposing teams figured out the Eagles' offensive system and its weak points, defenses adjusted and the Eagles' offense stalled. The Eagles finished the season at 16th in the NFL in scoring (22.9 ppg) and 22nd in total yards (337.8).

The Eagles have made a number of key personnel changes on offense. Wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham and back up quarterback Chase Daniel were released. Starting left guard Allan Babre was traded to Denver. Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith were signed to strengthen the wide receiver corp. Bruising running back Lagarette Blount was added to beef up a so-so running back unit. Rookie wide outs Mack Hollins and Sheldon Gibson were added via the draft, as was running back Donnell Pumphrey. Finally, veterans Nick Foles and Matt McGlown were brought in to fight it out for the back up quarterback position.

Let us look at the Eagles' offense, unit by unit.

   

Offensive Line

The strength of the Eagles offense, in fact the strength of its entire team, is its offensive line. In both quality and depth, this unit shines. In fact, the Eagles brain trust had such faith in the overall line talent that they were comfortable in making a salary cap related trade of starting left guard Allan Babre to the Denver Broncos. Last season, Eagles carried eight offensive linemen on their 53 man roster, and I suspect they will do the same in 2017. Let's break down the line position by position.

Jason Peters is one of the NFL's top left tackles. The 35 year old Peters has had, to date, nine Pro Bowl and six All Pro selections in his 13 year career. Interestingly, the University of Arkansas grad was originally signed in 2002 by the Bills as an undrafted free agent. Peters was actually cut during camp, re-signed to the Bills practice squad, later activated as a backup/specialty teams ace/right tackle before finally settling in at LT in 2006. He was signed away by the Eagles in 2009. Peters, who excels in both run blocking and pass protection, shows no sign of slowing down. Few doubt that he will ultimately end up with a plaque in the Hall of Fame.

27 year old right tackle Lane Johnson is one of the best players at that position in the NFL. Although he has yet to be selected to the Pro Bowl, in 2014  PFF made him their 1st Team All Pro selection. A former #4 overall pick out of Oklahoma in the 2013 draft, Johnson actually played quarterback, tight end, and defensive line early in his collegiate career before settling in at offensive tackle. Johnson was suspended for ten games in 2016 for PED use. Significantly, the Eagles went 2-8 during that stretch. Johnson, when paired with Peters, gives the Eagles perhaps the best offensive tackle combination in the NFL.

Center Jason Kelce was selected to his second Pro Bowl in 2016. A durable and dependable player, Kelce snapped for every offensive play last season and has not missed a started over the past three seasons. The 6'3", 295 lb Kelce was originally the Eagles 6th round pick in 2011.

The Eagles right guard, the mammoth Brandon Brooks, is entering his sixth season in the NFL. Originally drafted by the Texans in the 3rd round of the 2012 draft, the 6'5", 335 lb Brooks signed a multi-year deal with the Eagles in 2016. Brooks has yet to obtain post-season honors, but is certainly capable of such.

Second year player Isaac Seumalo is the Eagles' new left guard. Seumalo, a third round pick by the Eagles in 2016, was a player that I had targeted for the Giants in my initial mock drafts of that year. Seumalo is a versatile player, having played four offensive line positions at Oregon State. Interestingly, the one position he did not play was left guard. The Eagles were confident enough in Seumalo's ability to make make the above described trade of Babre. Early camp reports have him playing well, but real game reports remain in the future. As such, I would, at this point, consider this to be a key development to keep an eye on.

The key back up is Stefen Wisniewski, a swing interior lineman who also serves as the back up center. The seven year veteran, a one time 2nd round pick of the Raiders, saw his career in Oakland derailed by a torn labrum. After a year in Jacksonville, he was signed as a free agent by the Eagles prior to the 2016 season. His versatility proved invaluable in stabilizing the Eagles line during Lane Johnson's suspension.

The back up tackle is second year player Halapoulivaati Vaitai. In his rookie campaign, Vaitai, a former 5th round pick out of TCU, started six games at right tackle, all during Johnson's suspension. He played both tackle positions in college.

During the off-season, the Eagles signed guard Chance Warmack to a one year "show me" contract. Warmack, who played his college ball at Alabama, was the 10th overall pick in the 2013 Draft. From 2013-2015, he started 46 games for the Tennessee Titans, all at right guard. In 2016, he ended up in Mike Mularkey's dog house, starting only two games. He was released following the season, after which he was picked by Philadelphia. The Eagles offensive line coach, Jeff Stoutland, was also Warmack's college coach; perhaps Stoutland can help Warmack regain the form that excited so many scouts when he exited Tuscaloosa.     

Running Backs

The Eagles ended 2016 with an average of 113.3 running yards/game, good for 11th in the league. That said, the Eagles running backs were not much to fear, being, for the most part, smaller versatile backs that filled multi-dimensional responsibilities in Doug Pederson's West Coast Offense. This off-season, they signed rugged power back Lagarette Blount, late of New England. I am not sure that Blount's abilities will do much to upgrade this unit. Keep in mind that the Eagles almost never field anything other than 11 or 12 personnel combinations, so opportunities for offensive snaps by a running back are limited. That said, I suspect that the Eagles may keep as many as five running backs on their 53 man roster. Let's take a look.

The Eagles best back is the diminutive 13 year veteran Darren Sproles. Born to be a West Coast back, the 34 year old Sproles shows no signs of slowing down. In 2016, Sproles ran for 438 yards on 94 carries (4.7 Y/A), caught 52 passes on 71 targets for 427 yards (8.2 Y/C), and averaged 13.2 yards per return on 17 punts. Sproles was on the field for 45% of the Eagles' offensive plays. I suspect he will maintain close to that average in 2017.

Ryan Matthews came to the Eagles in 2015 following five seasons in San Diego. As advertised, he has proven to productive, versatile, oft injured, and prone to fumbling, often at the worst of times (see last year's game against Detroit). In 2016, he carried the ball 155 times for 661 yards (4.3 Y/C) and eight touchdowns. He also caught 13 passes on 14 targets for 115 yards (8.8 Y/C) and one touchdown. Matthews played in 25% of the Eagles offensive plays in 2016. I suspect that his playing time will be considerably reduced in 2017.

Enter Lagarette Blount. The bruising eight year veteran out of Oregon played for the Super Bowl winning Patriots in 2016, carrying the ball 299 times for 1161 yards and a league-leading 16 touchdowns. That said, his production was more a function of Bill Belichik's commitment to the run game than to notable talent as he averaged a somewhat pedestrian 3.9 yards per carry. I just do not see how a north-south runner of Blount's style will fit in to the Eagles' West Coast offense. Significantly, Blount has never been any kind of pass catching threat. In 2016, Blount was in on 527 offensive plays but was targeted as a receiver only eight times (seven receptions, 38 yards, 5.4 Y/C, zero touchdowns). Blount played in 47% of the Patriots' offensive snaps last year; I really do not see him on the field for half that percentage for the Eagles. Given that power backs tend to grow in effectiveness with increased numbers of carries, I suspect that his contribution to the Eagles' offense will be limited.

Certain beat reporters have an ability to write up questionable observations in early camp reports, and none embarrass themselves more so than the Eagles' press corp. One reporter recently wrote a piece to the effect that Lagarette Blount and Wendell Smallwood will emerge this year as a "thunder & lightning" type duo that will propel the Eagles' offense up into dizzying heights. Such is the nonsense which comes out of Philadelphia. I've already touched upon Blount; as for Smallwood, I highly doubt it. The Eagles virtually never have two backs in the game; given the snap counts I expect that Sproles, Matthews and Blount will get, I would think that Smallwood will be lucky to repeat the 15% of offensive plays that he got in 2016. In 2016, Smallwood, a second year former 5th round pick out of West Virginia, carried the ball 77 times for 312 yards (4.1 Y/C) and caught six passes on 13 targets for 55 yards (9.2 Y/C).

Rookie Donnell Pumphrey, a 4th round pick out of San Diego State, will most likely make the squad. Pumphrey, who is basically a Darren Sproles clone, has been limited by a hamstring injury and has only just begun to practice with the team. A Philly beat reporter recently wrote that he expects Pumphrey to be a key contributor to the team's offense. C'est la vie, c'est l'imbecile.

Tight Ends

The Eagles have a very solid, if unspectacular, trio of tight ends. All three should be locks to make the 53 man roster. Keep in mind that, in their West Coast Offense, the Eagles play 12 personnel for about 45% of the plays and 11 personnel for about 55% of the plays. As such, the Eagles, at least in 2016, had two tight ends on the field about 50% of the time.

5th year player Zach Ertz, a former #2 pick (#35 overall) out of Stanford, is a solid if unspectacular performer. He is, to use the classical term, a "two-way" tight end who can both block and catch. Although I doubt he will ever be an All Pro performer, I do expect him to be a productive starter for years to come. In 2016, the 6'5, 250 lb Ertz caught 78 passes on 106 targets for 816 yards (10.5 Y/C) and four touchdowns. He was in on 75% of the Eagles' offensive snap counts.

In recent years, former standout tight end Brent Celek has seen his offensive production diminished at the expense of the younger Zach Ertz. Now 32 years old and entering his 11th year with the Eagles, the 6'4", 261 lb Celek is now used mostly as a blocking tight end. In 2016, he caught 14 passes on 19 targets for 155 yards (11.1 Y/C) but zero touchdowns. He was in on just short of 40% of the Eagles' snap counts. 

Tight end Trey Burton is a 4th year former UDFA out of Florida. At 6'3", 228 lbs, Burton is somewhat small for the position. That said, he is quite versatile and is capable of playing in multiple capacities. In fact, in one game last season, Burton was pressed into duty as a long snapper after both Eagle long snappers went out injured. (He was successful in this role). In 2016, Burton caught 37 passes on 60 targets for 327 yards (8.8 Y/C) and one touchdown. He played on 29% of the offensive plays.

Wide Receivers

To me, the weak point of the Eagles offense in their wide receiver corp. Its not that its bad, its just that it is not particularly good. In 2016, the Eagles featured Nelson Aghalor and Dorial Green-Beckham on the outside and Jordan Matthews in the slot, with Bryce Treggs and Paul Turner as part-time back ups. In an effort to shore up this underwhelming group, the Eagles released Green-Beckham, signed free agents Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith, and drafted Mack Hollins and Sheldon Gibson. On paper, this would seem to be a significant upgrade, but I am not so sure. Let me explain.

A few years back, Alshon Jeffery, the Bears' one time second round pick out of South Carolina, was one of the top NFL receivers. In 2013 & 2014, Jeffery caught 174 passes in 293 targets for 2554 yards (14.7 Y/C), and 17 touchdowns. Those two years he played in all 32 games for the Bears and was in on 91% of the snap counts. The past two seasons, he played in only 21 games, caught 106 passes in 188 targets for 1628 yards (15.4 Y/C) and six touchdowns. More specifically, in 2016, in 12 games (he was suspended for four games for PED use), Jeffery caught 52 passes on 94 targets for 821 yards (15.8 Y/C) and two touchdowns. Although still an effective receiver, Jeffery's overall production seems to be on a downward slide. Still, he potentially gives the Eagles a big play threat wide receiver that they had previously been lacking.

The same can be said for seven year vet Torrey Smith. The 28 year old Smith, who was the Ravens' 2nd round pick in 2011, had his best season in 2013, catching 65 passes on 137 targets for 1128 yards (17.4 Y/C). His stats have digressed every year since, catching 49, 33 and 20 passes for 767, 633, and 267 yards. Smith has always had a lousy catch/target ratio, with a career number of 49.1%; in 2016, this slipped to an abysmal 40.1%. In the Eagles' West Coast Offense, a #2 receiver simply has to be much more efficient.

The Eagles had high hopes for former USC wide receiver Nelson Aghalor when they drafted him with the #20 overall pick in the 2015 draft. Instead, Aghalor has been quite underwhelming. Over two seasons, he has caught only 59 passes on 133 targets for 648 yards (11.0 Y/C) and three touchdowns. In an effort to jump start his career, the Eagles have moved Aghalor from the edge into the slot, which they feel to be his more natural position. Still, unless he soon starts to show much better production, Aghalor is in definite danger of earning the "bust" label.

Jordan Matthews is the big loser in Aghalor's move to the slot. In 2016, playing in the slot, Matthews was the Eagles' most productive receiver, catching 73 passes on 117 targets for 804 yards (11.0 Y/C) and three touchdowns. The Eagles have publically stated that Jeffery and Smith will play on the outside and Aghalor in the slot, relegating Matthews as the #4 receiver. Matthews, the Eagles 2nd round pick in 2014, is not happy about his situation and has publically stated as much. At one point, the Eagles debated offering Matthews as a trade option, but they have since reconsidered. For now, Matthews remains a disgruntled 4th option in the Eagles' receiving corp.

The Eagles are high rookie draft picks Mack Hollins and Sheldon Gibson. Hollins, a 4th round pick out of North Carolina, is big tall receiver (6'4", 221). Gibson, a 5th rounder out of West Virginia, is more of water bug type at 5'11", 191. Both should make the squad; I expect the Eagles to keep six receivers on their 53 man roster. Bryce Treggs and Paul Turner, both sparingly used UDFA rookies in 2016, are on the outside looking in. Barring injury to one of the other receivers or an unlikely trade or cut of Matthews, I see no way that either Treggs or Turner make the cut.

Quarterback

On March 01, 2016, the Eagles signed Sam Bradford to a two year, $36 million dollar contract. It seemed that the Eagles were at least temporarily set at the position. Then, unexpectedly, the Eagles traded with the Browns for Chase Daniels. A few weeks later, following a complicated series of trades, the Eagles moved up in the draft to select North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz with the #2 overall pick.

The always petulant Bradford pouted throughout the pre-season. Finally, on September 3rd, he was traded to the Vikings. Daniels, once rumored to initially start the season as #1 while Wentz was eased into the starting job, was instead handed the clipboard as back up (he would only play six plays all season). Wentz would be the Eagles starting quarterback.

Wentz had a decent, if up and down, rookie campaign. He finished the season with 379 completions on 607 attempts for 3782 yards (5.7 Y/A; 10.0 Y/C), 16 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Although pretty much a classic drop back passer, the 6'4, 237 lb Wentz did run 46 times for 130 yards (3.3 Y/C), and two touchdowns. All-in-all, Wentz looked very much the part of an up-and-coming franchise quarterback and it appears that the Eagles decision to trade up for his draft rights was correct.

Now for the back ups. The Chase Daniels era in Philadelphia is officially over: at his request, the Eagles released him in March and he has subsequently moved on to the New Orleans Saints. The Eagles have brought in to camp former Eagle Nick Foles (who was once traded by the Eagles for Sam Bradford) and Matt McGlown to compete for the back up role. Having kept only two quarterbacks on the roster in 2016, I expect the Eagles to do the same in 2017. My money is on Nick Foles. 

So much for the Eagles offense. As this piece is already quite long, I will stop here to allow the readers to digest the information. I will be back later this weekend to cover the Eagles' defense and specialty teams, with updated information from the Eagles/Packers game.

Brian

In an earlier thread, I wrote an analysis of the Manning-to-Manningham 38 yard completion that drove the Giants to their Super Bowl victory over the Patriots. I had so much fun doing so that I have decided to follow it up with a breakdown of the Victor Cruz 99 yard touchdown catch against the Jets. As before, I am attaching two videos with which readers can use to help follow the play. One video is an HD game version from Fox Sports. The second is a homemade utube version which, although of much poorer quality, better shows the defensive coverage. I hope that you all enjoy it. 

The Situation

The date is Christmas Eve, December 24, 2011. The Giants, as the visiting team, are playing the Jets at MetLife Stadium. With a 7-7 record, the Giants, with a loss, will be eliminated from the playoffs. With 2:27 left in the half, the Giants trail the Jets, 7-3. The Giants have the ball, third and ten, on their own one yard line. The ball sits on the left hash mark.

The Personnel: Giants

Line: LT David Diehl (66) LG Kevin Boothe (77) C Kevin Baas (64) RG Chris Snee (76) RT Kareem MacKenzie (67)
Receivers: Hakeem Nicks (88) Travis Beckum (47) Victor Cruz (80) Ramses Barden (13)
Single Back: Ahmad Bradshaw (44)
Quarterback: Eli Manning (10)

The Personnel: Jets

Line: Marcus Dixon (94) Calvin Pace (97)
Linebackers: Aaron Maybin (51) David Harris (52) Josh Muaga (53)
Defensive Backs: Darrelle Rivas (24) Antonio Cromartie (31) Donald Strickland (30) Kyle Wilson (20) Brodney Pool (22) Eric Smith (33)

Pre-Snap Strategy: Giants

The Giants are pinned back against their own goal line with a third and ten. They could opt for a run play to give Pro Bowl level punter Steve Weatherford more breathing room, but they do not. Instead they decide on a pass play that hopefully will pick up a first down. If successful, the Giants, with three timeouts remaining, could go into their two minute drill and perhaps move down the field for a score. At the least, a successful pass would allow the Giants to control the clock and prevent the Jets from scoring before the half.

Pre-Snap Strategy: Jets 

The Jets

The Eli Manning to Mario Manningham pass in Super Bowl XLVI is perhaps the most perfectly executed pass play in Super Bowl history. It is also with no doubt the play that resulted in the Giants winning their fourth Super Bowl in the past twenty six years, the most Super Bowl victories over that time span by any organization in the NFL. Following the game, I decided that I would examine the available video and break down the play for posting onto the Big Blue Huddle. I have broken down the play into its constituent parts. I hope that you all enjoy it. 

The Situation

The Patriots lead the Giants, 17-15, fourth quarter, with 3:46 remaining in the game. The Giants have the ball, first and ten, on their own twelve yard line. The ball sits on the left hash mark. This is particularly important, as the pre-snap ball position makes the right side of the field the wide side.

The Personnel

The Giants

Football terminology is something native to football coaching. To the non-coach, it is not. Cover 1, Cover 2, Cover 3, Tampa 2, 46 Bear, etc.; all this can often be quite confusing. The purpose of this article is to describe in a limited sense what is exactly meant when one discusses the term "Cover 2" as it relates to a defense. 

In its generic sense, the term "Cover" does NOT indicate a particular defensive scheme. Rather, it describes the coverage responsibilities of the safeties. One must remember that the safety(s) are the last line of defense between the offense and the goal line. Ergo the term "safety." Regardless of whether the the play is a run or a pass, the safety must place himself in a position which keeps himself between any opposing player and the goal line. The exception is within the red zone, where (depending on the location of the snap) the field responsibilities collapse, requiring a shift in both run and pass assignments.

Different defensive schemes favor particular base safety coverage responsibilities. The traditional 4-3 defensive set is considered to be a Cover 2. This defense, revolutionary at the time, was developed by Tom Landry when he was the the Giants' defensive coordinator in the 1950s. It evolved out of the earlier "Unbrella Defense," as designed by previous Giant HC Steve Owen. In the (then) modernized Landry 4-3, the weakside (free) safety plays back, 12-15 yards off the line, while the strongside (strong) safety plays about 8-10 yards off the strong side of the line. Quite often, the strong safety has man coverage on the tight end. In such man-2-man coverage, the defense is in a Cover 1. Otherwise, the SS has deep coverage to the strong side. This style of defense remains the base 4-3 scheme to this day. To avoid confusion, I like to refer to this safety coverage as a "Cover 1 1/2," as the strong safety cheats up closer to the line.

As used in today's terminology, a "Cover 2" utilizes the safeties in cutting the deep field coverage responsibilities exactly in half between the two safeties. Both safeties play equally back, with neither cheating up closer to the line. This allignment, whether called a "man" or a "zone" coverage, is in fact a zone responsibility. Each safety gets exactly one half of the deep area of the field to protect. A Cover 2 expects the front nine of the defense to take care of all play in front, with the safeties free to react to the play as it develops.

A Cover 2 does not indicate the aggressive strategy of a defense. Bill Parcell's 3/4 Giant defense of the 1980s utilized a Cover 2. Parcells' defense was to two gap in the up front interior of the line and a lateral coverage to the outside. This was a run stop first defense that dealt with the pass via viscious blitzes from multiple angles, press man-2-man on the corners, and a Cover 2 to prevent getting beat deep on a run or a pass. In Parcells' defense, the corners had big time run stop responsibilities. It was not uncommon for a corner position to record 100 tackles in a season. As stated, the corners were thus required to play up close to the line in a press m2m. Parcells had outstanding personnel to play this defense, particularly at the linebacking positions. Besides LT, Carl Banks was a great cover linebacker who could stay with the tight end, allowing the strong side safety to deep zone the strong side of the field. And interior linebackers Gary Reasons and Harry Carsons were rock hard tacklers and good coverage linebackers who played their responsibilities almost flawlessly. 

To the opposite end is the "Tampa 2." This defense is a particular style, or scheme, of defense which also utilizes a Cover 2. The Tampa 2 is straight up unagressive zone form of the base 4-3. The biggest difference between the "Tampa 2" and the traditional "Landry 4-3" is how the linebackers are utilized in coverage. The corners, who have outside responsibilities, actually play an outside technique, feeding the wide recievers to the middle. The outside linebackers cover the short outside routes. The middle linebacker has the middle of the field, from short middle to about 25 yards deep. The pass rush is the responsibility of the front four. The Tampa 2 was developed by Tony Dungy when he was at Tampa Bay. He brought it with him to Indianapolis, where it is still utilized. The Tampa 2 blitzes less than any other defensive scheme. Since Dungy went to the Colts, they have blitzed less than any other team in football. 

I will expand on the "Cover" concept in future posts, later to be combined into a single, unified article.

Big Hitter

To the elder Giant Faithful, it is a familiar lament. To the younger fan, a historical curiosity to which they cannot relate. When, who, or will there ever be: another Homer Jones?

It has now been forty seasons since Homer Jones was the last Giant wide receiver selected to the Pro Bowl. Forty years since his physical presence at split left end on the Giant offense placed opposing defenses in terror of his potential destruction. For Homer Jones was, indeed, just such a player. Truth be stated, over a four year period, Homer was one of only five truly dominant offensive players in the NFL. Players who made opposing defenses adjust to brilliance else they be immediately burned by a long score. Of the five, four (Gayle Sayers, Charlie Taylor, Bob Hayes, and Leroy Kelly) are in the Hall of Fame. Tragically, a career long knee injury cost Homer his career just as he was at the pinnacle of his game. If not, Homer would certainly be among these four greats in Canton.

Yes, Homer Jones was that good. No, not just good, but great. At 6'2" tall, 225 lbs., with world class speed and hands likened to butterfly nets, Homer was as talented a wideout as who ever played the game.  During 1966-1968, Homer had three consecutive seasons of 1000 plus reception yardage. This in an era when such a statistic was as rare as fifty home runs in baseball. (Or at least as rare until baseball's Steroid Era forever tainted this once revered accomplishment.) But it wasn't just what Homer did. It was also how he did it. Big. Very big. Bigger than life. Ruthian, in fact. Yes, that big.

To truly understand Homer Jones' impact, consider the following. He presently hold the NFL career record of 22.3 yards/catch (minimum 200 catches: 224/4986). Yet this statistic does not do Homer's career true justice. For it was in his touchdown production that Homer truly blows all contenders away. Of Homer's 34 career touchdown catches, 29 were for more more than thirty yards, 19 more than fifty yards, and ten for more than seventy yards. Homer gained a total of 1710 yards on these 34 touchdowns, an astounding 47.8 yards/touchdown catch. Although I am unable to locate this all-time statistic, I would be shocked to find any player to average within twenty yards of this accomplishment.             

Homer Jones was born on February 18, 1941, in the small rural community of Pittsburg, Texas. He was the only child of a steelworker father and a school teacher mother. The family moved to L.A. during WW II, then moved back to Texas following the war. Homer, a clearly talented child (he was walking by ten months and speaking by one year), did not play football for most of high school. Instead, he played the saxaphone, hoping for a career in music. By his senior year, Homer, who wished to go to college, realized that music would not earn him a college scholarship. Homer then tried out for the football team and was assigned to play fullback. On his first play from scrimmage, Homer ran eighty yards for a touchdown. Homer's senior season was good enough to qualify him for college ball. For a black man living in the south in the late 1950s, the opportunity to play for the lilly white big universities did not exist. Homer received nine scholarship offers from black southern universities. He turned down perrenial powerhouse Grambling as too far from home. Instead, he settled on Texas Southern, located in nearby Houston.

Homer played linebacker his freshman season at Southern, then moved to halfback as a sophmore. In his junior year, he was moved to flanker, where he made Small College All American. In his last two seasons at Southern, he excelled in running reverses, which routinely resulted in long gains. Homer states that he would occasionally reverse the reverse, just to see what might happen. In his next to last game at Southern, Homer injured his knee on a reverse play. Still, he was drafted by Giants in the Round 20 (#278 overall) of the 1963 NFL draft. Homer opted to instead sign with the Houston Oilers of the fledgling American Football League.

Homer re-injured his knee in a pickup game prior to reporting to the Oilers' 1963 training camp. When the Oilers lost interest in his services, Homer's career fell into limbo. Homer then contacted the Giants on the advice of a sportswriter friend. The Giants requested that he receive an offical release from the Oilers. He did so, and the Oilers agreed. The Giants then brought Homer to New York, where team doctor  Anthony Pisani operated on the knee. Homer rehabbed on the taxi squad for the entire 1963 season, then played sparingly in three games during the disasterous 2-12 1964 campaign.

Homer came into his own in 1965. During a 7-7 Giant campaign, Homer caught 26 passes for 709 yards, an astounding average of 27.3 yards/catch. Even more impressive was that Homer caught four touchdowns of 70+ yards. His numbers on six touchdowns were 89, 79, 7, 28, 74, and 72.

The Giants opened up the 1966 season with a wild and wooly 34-34 tie with the Steelers. In that game, Homer scored on touchdown passes of 75 and 98 yards. Although the Giants would only win one game enroute to a 1-12-1 season, Homer was outstanding. He caught 48 passes for 1044 yards, 21.8 yards/catch, and eight touchdowns. His numbers on the eight touchdowns were 75, 98, 20, 34, 17, 9, 50, and 82.

In 1967, Homer flat out broke the league apart. Newly aquired QB Fran Tarkenton was an unorthodox kindred spirit with whom Homer immediately connected. Homer would open the season with two touchdowns in each of the first three games, scoring on passes of 70, 38, 52, 35, and 68 yards, plus a reverse run TD of 45 yards. Homer would finish the season with 49 catches for 1209 yards, a 24.7 yard/catch average, and thirteen touchdowns. Add in five carries (with one touchdown) plus two kickoff returns, Homer scored an incredible one touchdown for every four times he touched the ball. Homer's yardage per touchdown: 70, 38, 52, 45 (run), 35, 68, 34, 22, 30, 66, 45, 2, 63, 69.

Homer made the Pro Bowl in 1967. This led to an odd near-confrontation with Homer's rival, Cowboy WR Bob Hayes. Hayes, the so-called "The World's Fastest Man" due to his world record 9.1 second 100 yard dash time, was also selected to the Pro Bowl. That said, many in the NFL thought that Homer Jones, once timed at 9.2 in the 100, might be even faster than Hayes. The Los Angeles Herald, which sponsored the Pro Bowl, wanted to conduct a pre-game race between the two in order to drum up interest in the game. Winner take all at $25,000. This was an enormous sum in that day and age. The race was called off when Giant owner Wellington Mara, who thought the race would ruin the good taste of the Pro Bowl, offered Homer $5,000 not to race. Homer reluctantly accepted, and the race never took place.

In 1968, Homer again went to the Pro Bowl as the Giants repeated at 7-7. His numbers were again outstanding: 45 catches, 1057 yards, 23.5 yards/catch, seven touchdowns. Homer's yardage in those seven touchdowns were 82, 56, 22, 44, 1, 60, and 73. Homer opened the 1969 season with a 54 yard touchdown catch in a 24-23 Giant win over the Vikings. Unknown at the time, this would be Homer's last touchdown as a Giant. His degenerative knee injury was hurting both his speed and his cutting ability. Although Homer ended the season with a credible 42 catches/744 yards/17.7 yards per catch, the Giants were aware that Homer's best days were quickly falling behind him. The Giant front office were willing to shop Homer's services to the highest bidder. That bidder turned out to be the Cleveland Browns.

The Browns, once formidable, but now slipping ala the 1963 Giants, coveted Purdue quarterback Mike Phipps as their potential savior. The Browns were willing to give up All Pro wide receiver Paul Warfield to the Dolphins for the Fish' #1 pick (#7 overall) in order to draft Phipps, but only if they (the Browns) were able to land a comparable WR elsewhere. The Browns had an excellent trade bait of their own: Ron Johnson, first year running back from Michigan, who had played well in his rookie season. The Browns could afford to shop Johnson as they still had  RB Leroy Kelly, who remained at the top of his game. The Giants, who at this point had no real running game, were willing to play. An indirect three way deal was worked out. First, the Browns traded Warfield to the Dolphins for the #7 pick (used to draft Phipps.) Then the Browns traded Ron Johnson and DT Jim Kanicki to the Giants for Homer Jones. Homer was now a Cleveland Brown.

Unfortunately for the Browns, the tank was empty in Homer's knee. A shell of himself, he caught only ten passes in 1970 for 141 yards. Always the big play gamer, Homer had two moments left in his career. To open the 1970 season, the Browns played the Jets in the first ever game of Monday Night Football. Homer returned the opening kickoff of the second half 94 yards for a touchdown that helped the Browns to a 31-21 victory. (Contrary to popular belief, the return did not open the game, but, as stated, opened the second half.) Homer would then make his only Brown touchdown catch in the final game of the season, a 43 yard effort thrown by Bill Nelson in a 27-13 victory against the Broncos.

Homer was traded to the Cardinals after the 1970 season, but he would never play again. The knee was just too bad. And so ended the career of Mr. Homer Jones. The greatest Giant wide receiver of my, or any other Giant fan's, lifetime. Homer, if you read this, kudos to you. And Thank You for the memories.





Big Hitter

I began my now legendary worship of our beloved Giants in 1965. The eight year old Big Hitter watched as the Giants opened the season with four road games before returning home to four straight home games at The Stadium. Ultimately, the Giants would meander their way to a 7-7 final record. As I wax nostagic on this beautiful spring evening, let us re-examine 1965, game by game.


Game 1
September 19
at Dallas

Cowboys 31, Giants 2

In his rookie debut with the Cowboys, Bob Hayes catches two passes for 81 yards and runs 45 yards on an end-around for a touchdown. The Giants only score occurs in the third period when Jim Katcavage tackles Don Meredith in the Cowboy end zone for a safety. The Pokes' 31-2 thrashing of the Giants seals forever the Big Hitter's hatred of the Cowboys.


Game 2
September 26
at Philadelphia

Giants 16, Eagles 14

Andy Stynchula kicks field goals of 24, 20, and 11 yards, the last of which overcomes a 14-13 deficit to give the Giants a two point victory. Stynchula, a former Penn State All American defensive tackle, is best known for being traded from the Redskins to the Giants for Sam Huff. Giant rookie fullback Tucker Frederickson runs for 76 yards on 17 carries.


Game 3
October 03
at Pittsburgh

Giants 23, Steelers 13

Aaron Thomas catches a 29 yard TD pass from Earl Morrall to seal the victory. Earlier in the game, Giant rookie Bob Timberlake kicks a 43 yard field goal. This would be Timberlake's only successful field goal that year, finishing the season at 1/15.


Game 4
October 09
at Minnesota

Vikings 40, Giants 14

An odd Saturday game for that era. The Vikings, up 17-7 at the half, score 21 unanswered third quarter points to turn the game into a blow out.


Game 5
October 17
Yankee Stadium

Giants 35, Eagles 27

The Giants jump out to a 35-7 third quarter lead before the Eagles score 20 late points to make the score respectful. Earl Morrall completes 10 of 15 passes for an incredible 296 yards and four touchdowns, including tosses of 71 yards to Aaron Thomas, 46 yards to Joe Morrison, 89 yards to Homer Jones, and 2 yards to Bobby Crespino.


Game 6
October 24
Yankee Stadium 
   
Browns 38, Giants 14

The reigning NFL Champion Browns thoroughly dominate the Giants, finishing with 526 total yards of offense. The great Jim Brown is magnificent, running for 177 yards on 24 carries. He also catches three passes for 18 yards, including a five yard TD catch from Frank Ryan, and throws a 39 yard option pass TD to Gary Collins.


Game 7
October 31
Yankee Stadium

Giants 14, Cardinals 10

The Cards amass 438 total yards of offense but only score ten points in the loss. The Giants, down 10-0 at the half, score on a 29 yard Morrall-to-Thomas third quarter TD pass and a Frederickson four yard fourth quarter TD run to seal the victory.

Note that this game was played on Halloween. Later that evening, The Big Hitter would go trick-or-treating as Frank Gifford. The outfit consisted of a Giant helmet borrowed from a friend and a navy blue sweatshirt decorated with the number "16" drawn with white shoe polish.


Game 8
November 07
Yankee Stadium

Redskins 23, Giants 07

The Giants turn the ball over five times on three lost fumbles and two interceptions. My personal memory of the game is of Giant Bob Timberlake missing one chip shot field goal after another.


Game 9
November 14
at Cleveland

Browns 34, Giants 21

The Browns once again pound the Giants, finishing with 459 total yards of offense. Jim Brown runs for 156 yards on 20 carries plus three rushing touchdowns.


Game 10
November 21
at St. Louis

Giants 28, Cardinals 15

The scoring opens in an odd manner. In the 1st quarter, Giant linebacker Gerry Hillebrand intercepts a Buddy Humphrey pass in the end zone. Hillebrand attempts to return the ball, fumbles, and falls on the ball in the end zone. Under the rules of that era, the call is a safety. The Cards turn the ball over five times in the game, and the Giants win comfortably.


Game 11
November 28
Yankee Stadium

Bears 35, Giants 14

The Bears thoroughly @sswhoop the Giants on both sides of the ball. By, half-time, the score is 21-0, and the Bears coast to victory. Gayle Sayers runs for 113 yards on just 13 carries and two TDs, plus catches two passes for 24 yards. Sayers' fellow rookie Dick Butkus kills the Giant offense.

My most vivid memory of this game involves Bear TE Mike Ditka. During the first half, Ditka catches a Rudy Bukich sideline pass and turns upfield. He is simultaneously hit by about five Giants, all of who bounce off Ditka like so many rubber balls. Ditka rumbles on for a long gain. This play was immortalized by being shown in a shaving commercial for several subsequent seasons, and was integral in the making of the legend of Iron Mike.


Game 12
December 05
Yankee Stadium

Giants 35 Steelers 10

Tucker Frederckson has a big game, running for 81 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns and catching 3 passes for 16 yards and another touchdown. The Steelers turn the ball over six times on four lost fumbles and two Bill Nelson interceptions.


Game 13
December 12
at Washington

Giants 27 Redskins 10

After spotting the Redskins ten points (including a 45 yard option pass TD from Charlie Taylor to Bobby Mitchell), the Giants score 27 unanswered points to cruise to victory. Homer Jones catches touchdown passes of 74 and 72 yards from Eral Morrall.


Game 14
December 19
Yankee Stadium

Cowboys 38 Giants 20

The Big Hitter is worked up for this one. If the 7-6 Giants win, they will tie the 8-5 Cowboys with identical 8-6 records. Under tie-breaking rules, the Giants will finish second in the NFL East and move on to play in the 1965 Playoff Bowl. After three quarters, the Cowboys lead a seesaw battle 17-13. Early in the 4th quarter, the Giants drive inside the Cowboy 35 yard line. When the drive stalls, the Giants try a 40 yard field goal. The kick is blocked and Dallas LB Obert Logan returns the ball 60 yards for a touchdown. The Giants trail, 24-13.

The Giants respond with a long drive that ends in a 2 yard Morrall-to-Crespino TD pass. 24-20, Dallas. The Giants stop Dallas, then drive towards the winning touchdown. On a crucial fourth down play, Giant HC Allie Sherman sends CB (and world class sprinter) Clarence Childs into the game as a wide receiver. Sherman calls for an out pattern. Dallas CB Cornell Green picks the pass off and runs 43 yards into Giant territory. Dallas QB Don Meredith then throws a 29 yard TD pass to flanker Buddy Dials. 31-20 Dallas. On the Giants ensuing drive, Morrall throws a pass that is picked off by Cowboy Warren Livingston. A 2 yard TD run by Cowboy JD Smith closes out the scoring. Final score: Dallas 38, Giants 20.


The Giants finished the 1965 season at 7-7, an outcome that would become commonplace in the late sixties. The 1965 Giants gave so many thrills and heartbreaks to me in that, my formative season. The credit for my 1965 transformation into a Giant fan can be credited to my mother's cousin, Mary Ann. Mary Ann, nine years my senior, had grown up in the era of Charlie Connerly, Y.A. Tittle, Frank Gifford, Big Red Webster, and (most of all) Sam Huff. Mary Ann easily converted me into the honor and valor of Giant Fandom. Mary Ann would reward my youthful loyalty each birthday and Christmas with books from the Punt, Pass, and Kick Library, then later with Elliot Asinof's now classic book, Seven Days to Sunday.

I owe so much to Mary Ann for giving me this treasure of my youth. A true Irish Catholic, she never married. Tragically, she died just a few hours ago of an unexpected heart attack. No history of heart disease. She has moved on to join Joe Morrison, Rosey Brown, and all other Giants, big and not so big, who have passed into God's Hands. I loved her very much. Still do. And I will miss her aways.

RIP Mary Ann McMahon. Hugs, Kisses, and, most of all, Love.

Brian

   

I put this video in as part of a Kenny Phillips thread, but perhps it should also be archived over here on the History Board. I know that our good friend Chris Allen would enjoy it. Wow, Mr. Butkus!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhNVqs07FRc&NR=1


Big Hitter

In his very insightful post, ELCHALJE raised the question:

"On Plax's catch, I remain amazed how he gave just the slightest tweak to his route to give the New England defender the idea that he was headed for the inside.  Being one on one with Plax, wouldn't you think that the defender would prevent the outside move first  and look for help on the inside?"

In researching the matter, I reviewed the video of the play. What I noticed was that the Giants seemed to dupe New England into an incorrect coverage scheme. But why? The Patriots are renowned for proper alignment. I then reviewed the entire final drive. I believe that I may have found the answer.

During the drive, which lasted twelve plays, the Giants played a four wideout, single back set on ten of the plays. As best I can tell (the quality of the film made it difficult to read the uniform numbers), the wideouts consisted of Plaxico Burress, Steve Smith, Amani Toomer, and David Tyree. Brandon Jacobs was the single back in all ten four wide sets. The Giants operated their four wide sets out of two formations: 

Split left, split right, double slot, either left or  right (hereafter: trips left or trips right).
Split left, slot left, slot right, split right (hereafter: spread).

In the trips formation, Burress plays left end, Tyree right end, Steve Smith the inside slot, Toomer the outside slot. Jacobs lines up weakside to the trips, usually staying in to block. The Giants do not use any motion on any of the four wide plays.

New England countered the Giants' four wide set with a 3-3-5 nickle defense. New England may have utilized some rotation on the line but, for the most part, their personnel looked, left to right for the offense, as:

DL: Seymour, Wilfork, Warren
LBs: Thomas, Seau, Bruschi
CBs: Hobbs, Samuels
Nickle: Merriweather
Safeties: Harrison, Sanders

The following is a play-by-play breakdown of the drive. I include the pre-snap location of the ball, as this will become important as the Giants approach the end zone.

Play One: First down. Giant 17 yard line, right hash, trips left. Pass to Toomer, middle right, complete, eleven yards, first down.

Play Two: First down. Giant 28, right hash, trips left. Pass to Toomer, middle right, incomplete. It appears as if Steve Smith ran the wrong pattern, as he brings additional coverage to Toomer's location.

Play Three: Second down. Giant 28, right hash, trips left. Sideline pass to Burress, incomplete.

Play Four: Third Down. Giants 28, right hash, trips left. Pass to Toomer, left hash, nine yards. Fourth and less than one, Giant 37 yard line.

Play Five: Fourth and one, Giant 37, left hash. The Giants go eye formation, wideout left, wideout right, double tight end right. H-back tight end comes in motion left. Fullback lead/tailback dive right. Madison Hedgecock obliterates a linebacker; Jacobs for one/plus yard. First down.

Play Six: First down, Giant 38, just right of the left hash. The Giants change up the formation. Spread formation: split left/split right/slot left, slot right. Right slot is close to the right tackle. A strong Adalius Thomas outside move flushes Manning right. Manning is able to scramble for six yards.

Play Seven: Second down and four, Giant 44, right hash. Spread formation. Deep out, right sideline, incomplete. It appears as if the receiver (Toomer?) broke off the pattern too soon. Asante Samuel had a shot at an interception, but a further look shows that he may have landed with a toe out of bounds.

Play Eight: The Play. Third and four, Giant 44, right hash. Spread formation.

The Patriots show a 3-2-6 set. The defensive linemen overload the left side, showing a zero(shade left)/3/7 front. Two linebackers cover the right side of the line, sitting in the 3 and 5 positions. The nickle and dime backs are up close on the slot receivers. The remaining defensive backs are in a Cover Two, with the LCB even yards off the LOS, the RCB ten yards off. Both safeties are playing very deep. 

For the first time in the drive, Brandon Jacobs lines up to the strong side/short side of the field. The New England defense correctly reads an

I posted on this topic a few years back on the BBWC. Back then, MG (Richie) and I discussed the matter at length. Since MG touched upon this issue in a separate thread, I thought this might be a good time to reintroduce the subject.

The thread

Giant Coaches' Trivia

1) This former Giant head coach had previously been the defensive coordinator for two successive Super Bowl champions (same team). Name the man and the team.

2) This former Giant nemesis was once the defensive coordinator for two separate Super Bowl champions (different teams). As best as I can determine, he is the only one to have done so. Name the coach and the two teams whose defenses he coordinated into SB champions.

3) This former Giant offensive coordinator once coached a high school basketball team that won the New Jersey State Parochial Schools Championship. Name him.

4) The Giants played the Packers in the 1961 NFL Championship, a game won by the Packers, 37-0. Six players who participated in this game later became NFL head coaches. Name the six players.

5) This Giant head coach was a member of the same college backfield as a future NFL Hall of Fame player. The HOFer played a portion of his career as a Giant. Name the coach, the HOFer, and the Alma Mater.

Big Hitter
     

Throw some starting backfields at me, and I will try to put up their photographs. They need not be "great;" the memories alone will serve the purpose. I will start with a few:



1950s New York Giants


Charlie Conerly



Frank Gifford



Alex Webster





1950s Baltimore Colts


Johnny Unitas



Lenny Moore



Alan Ameche





1960s Green Bay Packers


Bart Starr



Paul Hornung



Jim Taylor





1960s Cleveland Browns


Frank Ryan



Jim Brown



Ernie Green





1960s Philadelphia Eagles


Norman Snead



Timmy Brown



Earl Gros




Big Hitter

Listed below are twenty current or former Giant players. Each player on the list matches with a second player on the list with having attended the same university or college. WITHOUT LOOKING IT UP, match the ten pairs of players and list the respective alma maters. (For example; Pepper Johnson/William Roberts/Ohio State.)

Dave Meggett
Rodney Hampton
Michael Strahan
Jim Burt
Jeff Hotstetler
Steve DeOssie
Sean Landetta
Homer Jones
Chris Snee
Sam Huff
Y.A. Tittle
O.J. Anderson
Brad Van Pelt
Amani Toomer
Alex Webster
Fran Tarkenton
Leonard Marshall
Ron Johnson
Mark Ingram
Perry Williams

Big Hitter

The Date: December 03, 1967
The Place: Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
The Game: New York Giants vs. Cleveland Browns

The Situation: Fresh off a 44-7 trouncing of the Philadelphia Eagles, the 6-5 Giants visit Cleveland to face the 7-4 Browns in a game that will determine the who will be the NFL's Century Division Champions. 

The Scenario: As the result of abysmal offensive play, the Giants end the first half down17-0. The Giants take the opening kick of the second half and, led by Fran Tarkenton, drive crisply down the field to cut the deficit to 17-7. After a stout defensive stop, the Giants regain the ball. With the game's momentum now clearly swung towards the Giants, Tarkenton leads the Giants masterfully down the field towards another score. Deep in Brown territory, Tarketon calls for a square out pattern to Giant end Aaron Thomas. Suddenly, a Brown linebacker jumps the route, intercepts the pass, and rumbles 79 yards for a touchdown. 24-7, Browns. The Giants add one more score, but end the game at the short end of a 24-14 final.

The Question: Who was the Brown linebacker who made this crucial interception/TD runback?

Extra Credit: What was this player's uniform number, curious for a linebacker?

Extra Credit: What was this player's college alma mater?

Big Hitter



 

This member of the Giant family began his career as a backup player for the Eagles. Later, as a member of the Giants, he garnered the same prestigious NFL award in consecutive years. Late in his Giant career, 15,000 pennants were sold in his honor at a Giant home game.

Who is he?

The BigHitter began his now legendary fanship of our beloved New York Giants in 1965. That season saw the inception of the shortlived "Baby Bulls" backfield. Second year RBs Steve Thurlow and Ernie Wheelwright were joined by rookies Tucker Frederickson, Chuck Mercein, and Ernie Koy.

All five players were amazingly similar in size: 6'1"-6'3", 220-235 lbs. All five were straight-ahead, bull rushing fullback types. All five also showed good pass catching abilities. Without further research, I can only speculate as to why Giants' head coach Allie Sherman suddenly fell in love with this type player. Perhaps he felt the need to replace Giant great Alex "Big Red" Webster, who had retired following the 1964 season. 


The Baby Bulls


Tucker Frederickson

The Giants obviously percieved Tucker Frederickson to be the cream of the crop, selecting him with the #1 overall pick in the 1965 NFL draft. He paid immediate dividends, rushing for 659 yards (a credible number in that day and age), while catching 24 passes for 177 yards. He made the Pro Bowl that year as a rookie. A pre-season knee injury knocked him out for the entire 1966 campaign. He returned in 1967, but the injury hobbled his running ability. He did become a favorite receiver of Fran Tarkenton later in his career. Tucker retired after the 1971 season.   



http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=FREDETUC01


Ernie Koy

Ernie Koy rushed for 174 yards in limited playing time in 1965. He also became the Giants full-time punter, averaging 41.2 yards/kick on 55 punts. He went on to have a creditable career as a Giant running back, with a season-high 704 yards rushing in 1967. He remained the Giants' primary punter through 1969. He retired following the 1970 season.



http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=KOYERN01


Chuck Mercein

Chuck Mercein saw limited time carrying the ball for the Giants in 1965, totalling just 55 yards on 18 carries. He had his best year as a pro in 1966. Filling in for the injured Frederickson, he ran for 327 yards on 94 carries and caught 27 passes for 156 yards. Shipped off to the Packers during the 1967 season, he did little during the remainder of a career that ended with the Jets in 1970. Mercein did produce a short NFL historical blip by making a notable contribution to the Packers' famous come-from-behind game winning "Instant Replay" drive during their 1967 "Ice Bowl" playoff victory over the Cowboys.



http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=MERCECHU01


Steve Thurlow

Steve Thurlow was the Giants second leading rusher in 1965, carrying the ball 106 times for 440 yards. Oddly, with Frederickson out for the entire season, the Giants shipped their #2 1965 rusher to the Redskins at the beginning of the 1966 campaign. He showed limited success for the Skins, retiring after the 1968 season.



http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=THURLSTE01


Ernie Wheelwright

Ernie Wheelwright had been the Giants leading rusher in 1964, having carried the ball 100 times for 402 yards. Frederickson's 1965 arrival seriously curtailed Ernie's playing time, limiting him to just 96 yards on 24 carries. He was picked up by the Falcons in the 1966 expansion draft. After running for 458 yards on 121 carries for the Falcs in '66, he was shipped to the Saints during their inaugural campaign of 1967. He played sparingly for the Saints thru 1970, retiring after that season. 



http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=WHEELERN02


BigHitter

In a separate thread, Sam56 listed eighteen HOF inductees who can properly be called Giants. Good job, Sam. I thought I might post photographs of these Giant Greats:

MORRIS (RED) BADGRO (1981) - 1930-1935





ROOSEVELT BROWN (1975) - 1953-1965





HARRY CARSON (2006) - 1976-1988





BENNY FRIEDMAN (2005) - 1929-1931





FRANK GIFFORD (1977) - 1952-1960, 1962-1964





MEL HEIN (1963) - 1931-1945





SAM HUFF (1982) - 1956-1963





ALPHONSE (TUFFY) LEEMANS (1978) - 1936-1943





TIM MARA (1963) - 1925-1959





WELLINGTON MARA (1997) - 1937-2005





STEVE OWEN (1966) - 1926-1953





ANDY ROBUSTELLI (1971) - 1956-1964





KEN STRONG (1967) - 1933-1935, 1939, 1944-1947





FRAN TARKENTON (1986) - 1967-1971





LAWRENCE TAYLOR (1999) - 1981-1993





Y.A. TITTLE (1971) - 1961-1964





EMLEN TUNNELL (1967) - 1948-1958





ARNIE WEINMEISTER (1984) - 1950-1953





-delama.

To all our members at the new BBGC, my good friends from the BBWC, and treasured guests, I would like to welcome you to the BBGC History Board.

The purpose of this board is to examine the storied history of beloved New York Giants. I will be posting threads on various eras in Giants team history, biographical sketches of individual Giant players, team and individual photographs, and books, links, and like info on our heroes. I consider this board to be a work in process. Like many of you, I have a good working knowledge of Giants' history, but, also like you, I have much to learn. As lead administrator/editor of this project, I hope to bring us all to a better understanding the Big Blue Heritage.

Lastly, on behalf of all the administrators of the Big Blue Gentlemen's Crew, I would like to dedicate this board to the memory of the late Christopher Allen. For those who did not know him, Chris Allen was the resident Giants' historian at the BBWC. Chris tragically and unexpectedly passed on in 2006. Let all who post here strive to match the professional and level-headed historical analysis which we were once so honored to enjoy via the pen of our good friend Chris.

BigHitterDalama