Stunning Fall From Grace

In the 4th quarter last week, from shotgun formation, Shaun O'Hara snapped the ball early. Not only was Manning not looking, the snap was horrible and the ball barely reached Manning's feet. The play appeared to unfold in slow motion and the ball seemingly sat at Manning's feet for an eternity before New Orleans finally jumped on it. That moment - frozen in time - was for me the exclamation mark to the most monumental collapse of any season in Giants history.

Less than three years ago Tom Coughlin inherited a team in total shambles. He turned things around so quickly that he brought a Division Championship back to NY in only his second season. This is a coach who, with one game left to play in his third season, has the team positioned to make back to back playoff appearances for the first time in more than 15 years. The same man who, after a mere two years at the helm, had everyone convinced the Giants were legitimate Super Bowl contenders. A coach who, half way into his third season, had his team sitting at 6-2 and about to face off against the Chicago Bears in a battle to define which team was the very best in the entire NFC.

A mere 7 games have been played since that time. For Tom Coughlin, the fall from grace from then to now is both stunning and breathtaking. Incredible as it may seem, the man who 7 games ago had his team positioned at the very pinnacle of the NFL after only 2.5 years as head coach is apparently now about to be fired.

The talk in the media and amongst the fans has reached a state of frenzied hysteria. In a matter of days the talk has gone from whispers that Coughlin's job might be in jeopardy to absolute certainty he is history. It seems everyone has accepted his removal as a fait accompli and now the sole question of the day has become the identity of his successor.

I, for one, must respectfully demur. I have not been a big Tom Coughlin fan. I think his concept of discipline is petty. I do not like his demeanor on the field nor his refusal to accept blame when the team has struggled. While I do not know him personally, I don't particularly like who he appears to be as a man. I like tough coaches. But there is a difference between a petty disciplinarian and being tough. It has been my perception that Coughlin has avoided being tough with his players and with his assistant coaches. I also happen to like defense first, offense second and would prefer a defensive minded coach. There are plenty of reasons why Tom Coughlin is not my kind of guy. And I wouldn't shed any tears if he is gone after this season.

I also believe, however, that Tom Coughlin does not deserve what he is apparently about to receive. There are many reasons why things have reached this sorry state of affairs at this moment in time. The most obvious being the loss of 6 of the last 7 games. A tremendous collapse - probably the worst in Giants history. But what is the cause? I am sure there are many. First, the Giants as a team were simply not as strong as many believed. The Super Bowl speculation before the season even started only set Coughlin up for the eventual big fall. Injuries certainly played a factor. The mere fact that the loss of the team's #2 WR and OT was sufficient to cripple the offense is testimony to the fragility and lack of depth on the team. The same is true on defense - the two all-pro bookend defensive ends were the only real strength of the defense. Eliminate those two players and there really is no defense.

Add in a struggling quarterback and a running back who had 12 plays of 30+ yards in 2005 but only one in 2006 and you quickly have a mediocre team. The same mediocre team that Tom Coughlin had at the very pinnacle of the NFL elite a mere 7 games ago. I don't like Tom Coughlin. I don't like his methods. I don't like his coaching style. But I have to be fair. The Tom Coughlin that had this team at the top of the NFL 7 games ago is the same man today. He hasn't changed. What has changed are a few injuries that exposed the team as one with insufficient talent and depth to overcome injuries to 2 key players each on offense and defense. That should be no surprise. It is, after all, only year three of rebuilding a team that had reached the very bottom of despair under Fassel. There simply has not been enough time to acquire sufficient talent and depth to overcome such losses.

The current collapse and resulting media and fan hysteria presents a great opportunity for next year's head coach to make sweeping changes. Changes that are clearly needed. Changes that will be made regardless of the identity of the head coach. Eli Manning is clearly struggling and needs new coaches before he can ever be considered a bust. While there is no way to know for certain, I believe a small number of veteran players have been intentionally undermining Tom Coughlin's authority in the locker room - fueling the flames of an underlying current of discontent - since the first day he arrived. A small group of players who are as petty as Tom Coughlin's rules - players who refuse to make a total commitment to this team because of their own personal power struggle with the head coach. Such players certainly have the legal right to file union grievances over extra practice sessions or whatever other petty rule they want to pick on. But fans have the equal right to demand that the Giants find a way to move such players off into the sunset and fill the team with players dedicated to winning regardless of their personal feelings for or against the head coach. This team finally needs player-leaders who, rather than being the ones filing union grievances, instead quietly let such players know in no uncertain terms that their kind isn't welcome on this team.

I'd love to see Bill Belichick or Bill Parcells return to NY as heroes. But the Giants made a commitment to a different man less than three years ago. A man that turned the franchise around - arguably so quickly that the high expectations from his rapid success could be his own undoing. Tom Coughlin deserves the chance to finish painting the canvas that he has started. Tom Coughlin deserves to be the one to make the sweeping changes that will come after this season is over. To hire new offensive coaches to help Eli. To cleanse the locker room of the cancer that exists. I am not a Tom Coughlin fan and am not thrilled about Tom Coughlin as the coach of the team I love, but I would lose a measure of respect for the Giants as an organization if they failed to keep the commitment they made less than three years ago. Tom Couglin deserves to be treated fairly and it would be unfair not to allow Tom Coughlin to finish what he was brought here to do.

New Orleans Coming to Town

Remember 2005? The Giants team that surprised most analysts by going 11-5 and winning the Division? Even with the disappointing playoff loss to Carolina, at the end of 2005 everything was looking up for the Giants for 2006. They had an offense that was virtually unstoppable - a running back that was at the top of his game and close to being the very best in the league. A diverse passing game that featured more options than any one team could cover between Burress, Shockey, Barber, Toomer and Carter. Their defense featured two all-pro bookend ends that led the league in combined sacks. They had arguably the best Special Teams in all of football. And amazingly, this was a team that was only going to get better in 2006.

New Orleans comes to town tomorrow to give the Giants a reminder of just how things have oh so changed since 2005. There aren't many people who, if given the choice between the Giants or the Saints at the end of 2005, would have selected the Saints. In 2005 the Giants were the team that had arrived and was on its way to great things, while the Saints were going nowhere fast. So, here come the Saints tomorrow to remind us all that the two teams are, indeed, headed in different directions.

It is truly difficult to explain what has happened to this Giants team. The pre-season expectations were, after all, based upon the reality of the Giants' strong 2005 performance. It would be easy to explain it all away because of injuries. But that would be a dangerous mindset to adopt. That would lead right into a trap where necessary changes are avoided. And this team needs some change. The loss of your #2 WR cannot be used as the excuse for why your powerhouse offense was crippled. Yes, the Giants had more injuries on defense including the loss of both of their all-pro defensive ends. But, even though the sacks and pressure being generated looked like it was finally starting to warm up, the truth is that the Giants didn't seem to be an improvement over the 2005 version. And how does the best Special Teams squad in 2005 suddenly become one of the league's worst in 2006?

I continue to believe that what 2006 has demonstrated is that the Giants do not have nearly enough impact players - players capable of making game changing plays. Indeed this 2006 squad is shockingly devoid of impact players. While he has had good yardage totals, Tiki Barber has not had many game changing plays during 2006 as he did during 2005. Shockey? Despite the "numbers", the truth is he was more of an impact player his rookie year than any season since. Buress? He catches some long balls but none really stand out as game changing type plays. Manning certainly doesn't qualify, at least not this year. And don't even think about defense or special teams - neither has a single player that can be considered an impact player based upon what we have seen in 2006.

The bottom line is that this team needs 2-3 players that are unquestionably the very best at their position in all of football - the kind of player other teams drool over in their sleep. The Giants need 2 or 3 and their current count? Zero. There is not one single player on their squad that comes close to that qualification. Not one.

That is what is wrong with this team and that is what must change if this team is to go anyplace in the years to come. So, whether the Giants win or lose their next two games - whether the Giants qualify for a wild card or don't - really doesn't matter. Heck, even if they find a way to beat the other lousy teams in the NFC and wind up going to the Super Bowl - none of that will change the fact that this is not a great team. Greatness is not a word that comes to mind to describe any player on their squad, any coach, or anything about the team or its play this season. New Orleans is likely to remind the Giants and all of their fans of that fact tomorrow.

Giants Face Eagles in Huge December Game

A huge December game against a Divisional foe. What more could a fan ask for?

It is rather amazing to consider that the Eagles control their own destiny - win the last three games and the Eagles win the Division. The Giants, likewise, can guarantee themselves a playoff berth if they win the last three games. Moreover, should the Atlanta Falcons defeat Dallas later this evening, the Giants would suddenly find themselves in a position to control ownership of the Divisional crown by winning out. Of course talking about two 7-6 teams battling for the Divisional crown says more about parity and mediocrity than anything else. That does not, however, change the fact that, from a fans perspective, there simply are not many things better than December games against Divisional opponents with playoff implications to both teams. Giants Stadium should be rocking tomorrow.

One very good thing about last week's win over Carolina was the Special Teams play. Jeff Feagles had probably his best game as a Giant and one of the better games of his long career, placing 6 punts inside the 20 and 3 inside the 10. Carolina's Smith had a total of 11 return yards and commented after the game that he was amazed by Feagles' performance. But it was the play of the coverage units that I found significant. They played a fantastic game, especially the kickoff coverage unit that pinned Carolina inside the 20 three times. This was very good news for a unit that has been visibly absent all season long.

The Giants have disappointed me too much this season for me to get my hopes back up about their post-season prospects. Win tomorrow and they will go a long way towards restoring some hope. Win tomorrow and then beat New Orleans and they will have made me a believer once again. But for now, this fan is simply going to enjoy this week for what it is - a late season game against the Philadelphia Eagles with playoff implications for both teams. There simply isn't anything better in sports.

Dallas Take Division Crown From Giants

The Giants elevated their game last Sunday but it still wasn't enough. At the end of the day the Giants defense wasn't good enough to slow down Tony Romo and company and Dallas walked away with the Giants divisional crown. After four straight losses they are a very average 6-6. All talk of a Super Bowl season is gone and we are left instead with rumblings of what needs to be done for next season, whether that be changes in coaching or personnel. Yes, there is some mention of the fact there are still four games left to play and that the Giants could hang on and seal a wild card berth. But listen carefully and you will notice the total lack of conviction - the absence of any fervor or excitement - in such talk. Whether they want to admit it or not, deep down everyone understands that the Giants, even if they clinch a wild card berth, are not going to win the Super Bowl this year. They are simply not in the same league (literally or figuratively) as Denver or San Diego or Baltimore.

Why have the Giants fallen to such mediocrity? Is it the injuries? Before you say "of course" stop to consider whether it is really that simple. Even with everyone healthy this team was never clicking on all cylinders. Special teams stunk in the pre-season. Special teams stink today. And special teams have stunk every day in-between. Even more distressing than the lack of production in kick and punt returns has been the absence of tough as nails hits from the coverage units that pin the returner inside the 20. Those types of plays are important for much more than field position. They are emotional plays that lift the entire team much the way a physical Jeremy Shockey can.

The offense hasn't been much better, even with Toomer and Petitgout. I think (or at least thought) that this was a power house offense. And it is. At least theoretically it is. On paper. Of course, that's the problem. The talent on paper just hasn't translated into domination on the field. Sure, there were moments, flashes, when it seemed that the offense was finally going to get its act together and start tearing up the league. But it just didn't happen. Not this year.

The defense? Everyone knows about the problems in the secondary. But nobody seems to recall what was being said back in June. Tim Lewis was drooling and even publicly expressed his concern that he not allow himself to get too out of control devising schemes to use all his new pass rushing weapons. There wasn't any question the Giants would surpass last year's sack totals. The only question was how many QBs would survive the onslaught the Giants were going to unleash on the passers in the league. Pass rush? What pass rush? Without Michael Strahan - without that one player - there is no pass rush. But how could this monster the Giants were going to unleash this year be totally eliminated by the absence of just one player?

Indeed, that is the point. To accept injuries to Strahan, Toomer, and Petitgout as the explanation for why the Giants are mediocre is to simply say that they are a mediocre team. It isn't as though they lost their QB. We are talking one WR out of 5. One offensive lineman out of 5. And one of four defensive linemen in a position where the team, supposedly, had the greatest depth. I am not saying those injuries aren't key. Quite the contrary in fact. They are key and without those three players the Giants are just average. But that's the point. A truly great team - a powerful team - would be much more than average losing one WR, one offensive lineman, and one defensive lineman in a position of great depth.

Football is a game of ebb and flow - a game of momentum. Watch enough football and you can feel when the momentum changes. A defense could be struggling to generate any kind of pressure at all and then suddenly, after an emotional play (on offense, defense, or ST), the floodgates just open and you know - can just feel - that the sacks will now be coming. And they do. We've all seen it. We've all felt it. We've all watched games where, momentum having changed, you just knew, before the ball is even snapped, that the QB was going to end up on his ass.

What creates momentum? Where does it come from? I certainly don't know. I've never read anything about it. I'm not even certain it has ever been written about. But I believe the primary factor comes from an emotional type play. Not necessarily a play that impacts the score - or even field position. But rather a play that somehow touches an emotional nerve of the team. I hate to get too analytical, but there is probably a physical reason behind this - the type of play I am speaking of is one that likely generates a rush of adrenalin by simply witnessing the play.

Back in their first Super Bowl year, the Giants were playing San Fransisco on Monday night and were losing 17-0 at half time. They went into the locker room looking down and defeated. Early in the second half Simms hit Bavaro on a seam pass and Bavaro then lumbered another 30 yards or so after the catch literally carrying 7-8 defenders all over him, draped on his back, around his waist, and his legs. That single play totally changed the game, if not the season and the giants went on to win 21-17. The 1986 Giants had many, many such plays that year. They had those plays every game. Special teams would pin the returner on a kick off inside the 15 with a bone jarring tackle. Or LT would suddenly take over a game. Or Jim Burt would knock Montana on his ass. Or Carl Banks, or Phil Simms, or Mark Bavaro, or Mark Haynes, or Joe Morris... Each and every one of them stepped forward, at one point or another, to make plays that brought you out of your seat as the play itself was happening - that created awe and a burst of emotion. Plays that were, simply put, momentum changing in nature.

The Giants are not making those type of plays this year. Not enough of them anyway. Tiki Barber provded lots of those plays last year. And he has had some this year. But, even though his numbers are still very good, in my opinion it is the lack of game changing plays of the type I am speaking of, that reflects the biggest difference in his performance this year. The two players that truly epitomize what I am talking about are Jeremy Shockey and Brandon Jacobs. They both have a physical energy that is capable of duplicating Bavaro's play that night in San Fransisco. However, neither has touched the ball often enough to make a difference this year. On defense it is pressure that usually results in momentum changing type plays. It is why I love a pressure defense so much more than a containment defense. An attack style defense has a greater chance of changing momentum. But that has been lacking this year.

In the end, there simply are not enough players on this squad with the capability of making the type of play that changes momentum in a game. That is why the Giants are average. That is why the loss of Toomer and Strahan makes such an impact. There simply aren't enough others stepping up and making momentum changing type plays. And only one conclusion can be reached - it isn't happening because the team doesn't have enough players capable of making them.

What is the point of all this? Well, I've been very conflicted these past few weeks. I love the Giants. I want them to win. To make the playoffs. To provide me with hope, however far fetched, that maybe some how they still win the whole thing. But I know that isn't going to happen. And if it isn't, then what I want is for the Giants to get stronger. In the draft. If they don't win the Super Bowl, will I be wishing next April that they lost their last 4 games to go 6-10? And, if they go 6-10, does that shake this organization to the foundations so that necessary changes are made? I feel ambivalent about Tom Coughlin. I'm not saying I want him fired. But I wouldn't be upset if he was. I therefore think it might actually be good for the long term health of this team if the Giants ended at 6-10, leaving the organization to deal with the changes that would come from an eight game losing streak to finish this oh so special season.

Giants Sing Songs To Get Ready For Dallas

Let's talk reality. With five games left to be played, the Giants can no longer be seriously considered legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Sure, they could beat the Cowboys tomorrow - after all, it was only last Sunday that Tennessee proved that the old adage "on any given Sunday" remains as true today as ever. But a victory over Dallas tomorrow will not fix all that ails the Giants just like the win last week didn't suddenly turn Tennessee into a super power.

This is a team that, heading into the season, seemed to have all the pieces in place for a legitimate Super Bowl run. They had a good mix of veterans and young players and strength across the board - at least on paper. But they never did get their act together. Special teams have been anything but special the entire season. The defense, slow out of the gate yet again, finally got its act together and was the primary reason for the five game winning streak until injuries finally set them back. But it was the offense that was supposedly the strength of this team. And it was the offense that was unable to live up to expectations - an offense that, even when healthy, was never able to get it going on all cylinders - that was somehow unable to hit its stride. An offense that now, with the loss of Toomer and Petitgout, has been reduced to a one dimensional running attack (as an aside, that is the reason Tiki Barber may very well have seen his last 100 yard game).

The Giants are only one game away from first place in the East, so why all the pessimism? Surprisingly, it isn't the loss to the Titans. Nor is it the way they lost - the biggest fourth quarter collapse in Giants history and the fourth largest in NFL history. The Giants didn't play well - their 21-0 lead wasn't really the result of great defense and certainly not a powerful offense. That 21-0 score was more about the Titans than it was about the Giants. Eli Manning actually had a pretty good game from a mechanics standpoint, and that is, and should be, encouraging. And the game itself simply wasn't that important in the standings. After all, the Giants are in total control of their own destiny - if they win every game from this point forward, by definition they win the Super Bowl.

The problem is that this team has lost its identity, self confidence, and swagger (or at least any that it really ever had). Football is the epitome of a "team sport". Team sports are special. You can have a great team on paper but it is team chemistry - team psyche - that creates championships. Group dynamics are in play and group confidence - that swagger - is an incredibly critical component to success on the football field.

We all know about the Tiki Barber comments that caused Tom Coughlin to meet with him privately - again. And we all heard about the Strahan/Burress spat and how they kissed and made up. Although clearly distractions, that stuff didn't bother me too much. No, it was the holding of a players only meeting that told me the Giants heart had stopped beating. This team is about to play what should be the biggest game in almost 20 years against the hated Dallas Cowboys and they have to hold a players only meeting and sing songs about togetherness in order to get ready? Excuse me in advance ladies, but that stuff is for girls and for losers. This is the NFL where only warriors make it to the big dance. And true warriors are too focused on their enemy to waste time holding hands and singing songs like little girls.