Super Bowl XLII - New York Giants vs New England Patriots - THE COMPLETE LAST DR

[Giant Obsession]

needs no introduction...but notice there were lots of BIG plays besides Tyree's catch and Plax's TD.

The drive did not start out all that well either ......................

And as has been, in my opinion, ludicrously debated on the main board, there is no way you worry about time management in this kind of situation....you have to SCORE....and then let the D take care of business.

We sure didn't rush 3 on Brady on his last drive.

Super Bowl XLII - New York Giants vs New England Patriots - THE COMPLETE LAST DRIVE

[The Chief]

Thanks.

A great thing to watch while I ate this morning's breakfast.

[Giant Obsession]

Thanks for coming over to the "forgotten land" and watching and posting.

I relish our history...good and bad.  There is much to be learned from our past.

I can not being a part of a "family" and not wanting to know as much as possible.

[bighitterdalama]

I did an analysis on the drive after the Super Bowl. A couple of points to watch:

1) On "The Catch," notice that David Diehl stays with his block on Adelius Thomas so long that he actually controls Thomas for 360 degrees. Without this commitment by Diehl, Eli does not get the pass off and is most likely sacked.

2) During the drive, the Giants go four wides, single back, on most every play (excepting the fourth and one). On a few plays, they go double wide, double slot. Every other play, they go trips to the wide side. That is, until the touchdown play. On that play, the Giants line up trips to the short side, with Jacobs lined up in the backfield to the weak side. The play, from the beginning, is the fade to Burress. The Giant line plays what we used to call a "cup" protection. That is, the line shifts the pocket towards the direction of the throw which, in this case, is to the left. Rodney Harrison blitzes from the right side. Jacobs brilliantly reads this and rotates to Harrison, who, (quite rightly) expects to be obliterated by Jacobs. Harrison stops and (correctly) leaps to affect any throw to the right. Toomer, who is split right, and Tyree, the outside slot, both run what we used to call a "push" pattern. That is, the run past the up back and right up to the safety, freezing him in space and preventing him helping elsewhere. Steve Smith, whose man cover was Harrison, ducks under the defense and is wide open on a short out. The Pats, in man coverage, are caught in the wrong defense. They are gambling that if Harrison's blitz is unsuccessful, that they at least have the numbers to keep Smith out of the end zone. But the pass to Smith is not the play.

From the get go, the call is the fade to Burress. He has single coverage by Ellis Hobbs. Hobbs has Burress for 2/3s of the field with no help. Hobbs correctly plays a lazy off, but incorrectly plays an inside technique. Burress later stated that his knee injury prevented him from cutting to his right, but that he had at best one cut remaining to the left. I have never learned whether the play was called from the sidelines or was an audible. Given the set, scheme, and play, it most likely came from the coaching staff. The snap, the "cup" left blocking scheme, Jacobs' blitz pickup. Eli on a three step drop, angled to the left. Burress runs five yards, shows a right move, then cuts left. Ellis Hobbs is left in the dust. Touchdown! Giants win the Super Bowl!   

Big Hitter

[bighitterdalama]

Sorry, I played my previous post by memory. By review, the Giants played a short-side trip formation on Steve Smith's first down catch the play before the touchdown catch. Sorry.

Big Hitter