Big Blue Huddle

Just to show how they have the ability to execute at a high level. Pass Pro was solid, Good play design and Daniel Jones reading the field really well. He acknowledges the Viking issues but this is DJ with confidence and good support around him.

"He has just 83 receiving yards on 14 receptions in five games in 2023, the fourth-lowest yards per reception mark in the NFL for any player with a minimum of 13 targets."


https://nypost.com/2023/10/11/kadarius-toney-admits-his-ugly-chiefs-reality-thats-on-me/

BigHitter- Brian- 1st
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Happy Birthday Guys!

Why is it that our little group of Informed Fans knew that there was a failure to upgrade the Offensive Line this offseason with only the drafting of a starting Center? The Giants did not.

We all commented that the two guard positions needed an upgrade and there was no Swing Tackle that could be relied upon.

During Camp we were happy that Bredeson was showing signs of being solid but with no backup Center, the poor guy has been forced to play three positions with no way of settling in. I'll admit I was fooled into believing that Peart might just be a viable option and hoped Ezeudu's athleticism would sustain him at LT in Thomas' absence.

We heard about how Neal worked hard all offseason and hoped for him to elevate his play but that didn't happen.

So when the best player in the team went down, the Blind side was exposed and when both ends come crumbling down, and there is a revolving gate in the middle, the entire Offense breaks down.

They truly believed in Neal, Peart and Ezeudu. They felt that Bredeson and Glowinski would be fine.

So instead of bringing in better players, they went with the status quo and went all out on getting more Receiving options for Daniel Jones. The only thing is that he can't function under these conditions and Campbell, Hyatt and Waller are rendered useless.

I can't even put it all on Schoen because he gets his needs from the Coaching Staff.

What should have been at least a mediocre Oline became the worst in the league and in Giants history because of injuries to multiple players. So bad that they had to elevate two practice squad players who actually had game time.

This isn't to absolve Daniel Jones of his shortcomings but to expose that Daboll and Schoen and Johnson and Kafka failed to recognize them.

Right now Johnson and Tierney have done nothing to help elevate these players. Part of it is the talent and part of it is on them.

Very disappointing. Five Head Coaches and three GM's later and this Offensive line remains Offensive.

Mara so far has remained silent but I'm sure he's having meetings today. I have to wonder if his influence in wanting Daniel Jones to succeed has lead Schoen to sign Jones to a multi-year deal and bring in weapons for Jones to succeed.

If the Giants were home yesterday, I suspect Mara would be rattled by the booing that would have taken place.

Contrary to popular belief, Daniel Jones didn't play a bad game yesterday. Mike Kafka didn't call a bad game yesterday.

Kafka and Daboll had a plan to run the ball and keep the clock moving to keep the ball out of Tua's hands. Unfortunately with the Offensive Line they were left with, they couldn't take it to the outside and there was a complete lack of execution. That lack of execution by the line was also prevalent in Pass Protection.

I can understand practice squad players failing their assignments but Evan Neal just plain sucks and stop saying to move him to Guard because he will just plain suck there too.

Ezeudu was responsible for getting Daniel Jones whiplash. All on him.

Jones had poise but there were several dropped passes. He hit on his best options with maybe a couple of exceptions but that's nitpicking. Holding penalties killed drives that turned potential touchdowns into Field Goal attempts.

As for the Defense... Miami had a great game plan. They ran the ball back and forth to each sideline making the Giants defenders chase their tails on cutbacks, or they got washed out by good run blocking. It's time to retire the Jihad Wards who have their back to the play. The Edges of OJ and Thibs just can't defend the edge.

Speed kills and big plays killed the Giants that turnovers couldn't overcome. Tua had all the time he needed but he often got the ball out in under two seconds to intended one read timing routes that couldn't be defended.

There was no way DJ had the time to look to Jalin Hyatt.

This was another tale of losing a close game in the second half. Once it was 31-16, the Dolphins pinned their ears back and DJ/TT had no chance.

The positives? DJ came back from a horrible game. Erik Grey looks like he may be a decent RB and even blocked well on a couple of opportunities. Once Andrew Thomas and JMS come back, at least there will be some relief and they need to put Glowinski back at RG and hope for the best with Bredeson at LG. Give Neal help from Bellinger. Saquon will make a difference.

Once that line settles in, some Offensive execution will help keep the Defense off the field.

Real bad play by McKinney not giving help over the top for Hawkins. He had a Mixed bag of good and bad. He was often out of position. Pinnock with the exception of the pick 6, also got schooled. That TD he gave up was because he gave up.

I don't see Jones coming back this Sunday and maybe that's a good thing for him. I don't see Tyrod Taylor as much if any of an improvement but perhaps a new set of eyes that's been witness to the carnage will have a plan.

No firing Kafka, Daboll or Schoen. At least not this week. 

I'll push on Sacks

Hits O/U is five- I'll take the Over

Pressure O/U is eight- I'll Push

O/U times he gets Booed is three- I'm taking the over

41-27 Giants over the Browns.
Sam, Ted, Susie, Brian, Rich, Hanson, Jim and Fred.

The Giants lost this game with an interception on a play where the Receiver fell down but it would have been tough to come back with the field position they had in order to get a TD.

What I saw was the same tendencies in Daniel Jones. Also saw the same putrid pass protection giving DJ little time on many plays. There was a rushing attack of 14 Barkley attempts and 81 yards, Jones 9 rushes for 79 yards for 167 total yards. They telegraphed the Barkley runs in half the cases with 2 TEs Inline the strong side. SB had one TD.

The game was close but it got away from the Giants in the 4th quarter. There were many times where Jones rolled out to his right to escape pressure or because he missed the timing on his open receivers and failed to pass and took off. Jones has had very little success throwing on the run. He winds up releasing it close to the sideline to a check-down or throws it away.

The difference this year and last year was the conservative play calling and limited routes. Often Receivers ran a comeback or curl. More balance in Run to Pass. Still, there were opportunities left on the field. The last two shots are of the same play. 

The Giants have three Offensive Linemen out and two of them are starters. It looks like Ezeudu, Golinski, Bredeson. McKeathan and Neal. Whether Barkley plays or not, it would be a good choice to run the ball to ease Jones into the game. I'm my opinion, they should be running over 50% of snaps and reduce the pass rush. They have success doing it but then move away from it.

I don't know if the Giants CBs can keep up with the Miami weapons in Man Coverage. The Edges still have to contain Tua.

I'd like to see DJ insert a fake pump in his repertoire. Do ya think anyone thought about that? I don't.

If the Giants can pull an upset this game, it can get them back on track and have some confidence going into Buffalo.

Any other thoughts? If not sorry to interrupt with the Oline vs Jones debates.

Can you believe I'm saying this the first week of October?   

This is a short 30 minute review. It relates to the Giants Offense and QB play where you can see the blocking scheme on one yard goal line run and how under pressure this first year QB was able to get passes downfield. He wasn't perfect but he was impressive.

Instead ran for a 1st down.

He either checked down or bailed the pocket after failing to throw the pass and went to the sidelines for a broken play.

Nice 13 game wins for The Seer and Whales.

Facing two unwinable games, who hasn't made a positive difference?

.

Pat Traina quote, "Yup, the missed tackles were definitely a point of emphasis for #newyorkgiants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and the Giants defense. And the overly confident Martindale, who ran tackling circuits this week to help improve that, believes the tackling WILL be better." (Photo by Chris Pedota - USA TODAY NETWORK)

For his first start after just a week's practice, he didn't play badly. He could have competed for the starting position at some point. 

https://x.com/tommyg105/status/1707525158368391388?s=46

https://x.com/ol_timefootball/status/1707226388078743684?s=46

I think a lot of Giants fans are thinking this game is a given. Geno Smith is a good QB and he has two lethal weapons. They are 4th in the league in scoring so far. Walker has been productive and will likely get his hundred yards while Charbonnet is lurking in the wings. And look who's leading the team in tackles.

Decision made at LG,  Glowinski out.

https://x.com/dduggan21/status/1706690263807119533?s=46

.

Nine players eliminated, nine players with one life left and six lead the pack.

I agree.

https://x.com/marshallgreen_/status/1706131962744689032?s=46

The Giants started out with an Offensive Lineup of Thomas, Bredeson, JMS, Glowinski and Neal. After injuries to Thomas at LT and Bredeson at LG, Ezeudu stepped in against Arizona and faired pretty well for a player who had no Pre-Season or Training snaps at the position. After a disastrous showing at RG against Dallas, Glowinski came back and had a solid effort replacing Ben Bredeson at LG against the Cards. Marcus McKethan came in essentially a Rookie at RG and although struggling, showed some promise for future development. Meanwhile, Evan Neal continues to come up short of expectations at RT.

Against the Niners Thursday night, the lineup of Ezeudu, Lemieux, JMS, McKethan and Neal all played poorly. So what should Brian Daboll do during this mini Bye-Week in an attempt to solidify the Line for the rest of the season?

Do they give up on Neal at least for this season at RT and slide him over to RG? The issue with that is he is slow to get out of his stance and plays high which can result in a Defender getting under his pad level or just getting blown past on stunts in the A Gap. If they do move him would Ezeudu fair any better than him at RT? Has the second-year drafted Guard earned a shot at a starting role outside? At Guard, he's not demonstrated that he can hold up against the bigger men at this level inside and has had issues with the use of his hands. Is Tackle just the best natural position for Josh Ezeudu? 

After careful consideration, does Daboll stick with the original plan of Thomas, Bredeson, JMS, Glowinski and Neal, and chalk up a bad day for Glowinski against Dallas? Which is a leap of faith for Neal to eventually settle in and not disrupt the Line any further.

https://www.si.com/nfl/giants/news/49ers-defense-mocked-daniel-jones-after-loss

An excellent breakdown. Shows his good and sloppy plays and poor decisions, how Receivers were schemed, how he dealt with the Blitz and identified the Hot Read, how shifts and play action froze Olinemen and brought up the Giants Linebackers to open up space. It's only 34 minutes long and I highly recommend it.

And upon reflection...

The Niners are a very well coached team. Yes they have a lot of talent but talent needs to execute and they execute very well. They tackle well, they block well, and they carry out their assignments well. There was a series of downs where on two consecutive plays they Zone Blocked on outside Runs. Same play only on opposite sides. They perfectly executed each and every block and double team to release their RB for nice gains. The Giants on the other hand, were a mess. Yes, of course they were playing with a struggling young RT, rookie Center, a LT with one game experience and a turnstile, but you could see the contrast.

They had confidence and energy and it showed in the extended yards in Runs and over 200 YAC.

Shanahan ran a balanced attack for his young QB and had a plan for when Wink Martindale Blitzed and left himself exposed. Purdy was centered and played within the plan.

The score for most of the game was within reach but it was clear the Niners did not take risks and didn't go for the kill. They came in knowing the Giants game plan and where to exploit weaknesses. The Giants had a poor game plan and there were no adjustments for what was not working.

When the Giants tackled, some were late and they tackled high and had no leverage. This perpetuated throughout the game. As I mentioning several times there was no Rushing Attack after the first series. When Breda was in the backfield he was offset by a yard to pass protect or drop out to checkdowns or Screens, Swings or in the Flat. There was no hesitation in the Niners pass rush and they applied enough pressure while containing Jones. No adjustment at halftime.

When Micah McFadden outplays Bobby O, it's a problem. Okereke seemed like the game was too fast for him. He was constantly late in his Gap assignments and he was a non factor sideline to sideline.

The decision to play Lemieux at LG after  Glowinski looked solid there next to a green LT was something every fan on this site was alarmed about. The fans were right. He was a disaster and he was never pulled at halftime.

During the game DJ sits on the bench all by himself instead of reviewing the previous series with his QB Coach on the IPad. This drives me nuts. There were clear opportunities that they could have taken advantage of. Missed opportunities.

It almost seemed like Daboll was resigned to the fact that they were never going to win this game and he didn't take chances but had a mindset on reducing mistakes.

Again, the Giants did not match the intensity of their opponent. When this happens, players get hurt and they are lucky the injuries weren't worse.

The Giants could have made a few downfield passes, but like I said and Bobby Skinner said the same thing after I watched his podcast, it's going to take a leap of faith in Jalin Hyatt that he will get open and he will make the catch. There were High-Lows where the High was open. They can not tip or drop balls and Jones needs to see the field better and not make bad throws when the opportunity is there. If they did that, would they have had a chance to win? Perhaps and we will never know but I suspect the Niners would have just put the pedal to the floor.

Next up, a game they must win because it seems clear to me that they can not compete with Miami or Buffalo the way they are playing and the way Kafka is calling the game and how they are prepared so far this season. If they lose to Seattle they will be 1-5. Not that 2-4 sounds any better. Because it's really not. It's a hole they just can't dig out of.

Another disappointing season after high hopes.

For most of the game, this one was within reach. When the play calling completely abandons the run with a makeshift Offensive Line of young players, it allows the Defense to pin their ears back and rush the QB. An Offensive Line needs Run plays to hit the Defensive Line and wear them down. It allows the Safeties to sit back in coverage over the top and keep everything underneath and in front of them. It makes it totally predictable and one sided as an Offense. It forces a lot of three and outs. It then wears down the Defense as it allows the other team to pound the ball and Wear them down after an early shirt lead that they feel comfortable sustaining.

There was no reason for this and once again this game is on Daboll and Kafka. Receivers were unable to get open in many cases and Jones was unable to do much more than screens, checkdowns and swing passes. He was under pressure to release the ball quickly and that took away Jalin Hyatt and Slayton as weapons. On top of it all, a decision was made to replace Glowinski at LG who played a decent game at last week for Lemieux who was a turnstile and was the cause of unnecessary pressure.

It's not like they tried to run and had difficulty. They never tried. Even if they were unsuccessful, they could have done things like bringing in a 6th Lineman instead of a TE. The game was within 8 points most of the first half. By the time the 4th Quarter came around, the Defense was spent.

We knew this was going to be a tough game to win but it was a winnable game that once again got away from them. If you're not concerned about how this game was coached last night, if you think it's on Daniel Jones and the Receivers, if you think it's on Schoen... you need to take a step back and smell the coffee. Once again a bad game plan, poor preparation and no adjustment. I'm very concerned.