TOO MUCH TO BEAR

For the first 28 minutes, a patchwork team of Giant defenders displayed some of the best, most inspiring football all season against Chicago. The swarmed, they wrapped, they pounded and they punished. Then, like a flick of the switch, something happened. Not only did the team fall apart, but so did individual players. Adding to the scroll of injured Giants is left tackle, Luke Petitgout, who went down late in the first quarter with a fractured left fibula. He’s out for the season. Also ailing is Sam Madison who re-aggravated his strained hamstring. As for Tiki Barber, his thumb will likely be the most scrutinized metacarpal since the days of Darwin. Perhaps he ought to consider retirement.

The early analysis on this game zeros on two particular plays where things went awry for Big Blue. The first was late in the second quarter, where Chicago converted on third and 22 on a draw play of all things. Up to that point the Giants had shut down the Bears running game completely. Several plays later the Bears scored, cutting the deficit to 13-10 but deflating the Giants morale even further. The second, which will remain tabloid and talk radio fodder until mid-week, was the 52 field goal attempt that was way short, caught by Devin Hester, and then run back 108 yards for a touchdown. Kicker Jay Feely missed from 32 yards going in the same direction earlier in the game, so what are the Giants thinking? Both are fair points, though there’s one other play that has been overlooked.

What I love/hate about the challenge rule is that regardless of whether a team wins or loses a challenge, it can really snap the momentum of a particular drive. One beef I have with Tom Coughlin is his propensity to make stupid challenges over frivolous things. Eli Manning and the Giants are the kind of offense that needs to keep a rhythm, and throwing the challenge flag can really kill the mojo. It wasn’t Coughlin who tossed the red flag last night, but Bears Head Coach Lovie Smith. Early in the fourth quarter, the Giants were really moving the ball well. They were only down 24-20 and there was no need to create a sense of urgency besides that they thrive in a fast paced, no-huddle offense. On first down Manning hits Burress for ten yards. Next play Tiki Barber runs it up the right side for eight more yards to the Chicago 41. Then, on a second and two, Manning hits David Tyree for 12 yards on long horizontal out pattern. Tyree makes the catch, and with some nimble footwork remains in bounds by about a millimeter or two. All in all it was a nice play by Tyree, despite his not running a particularly crisp pattern, and though the ruling on the field was a completion, the Side Judge was noticeably tentative. The Giants smelled a challenge looming and tried to get the next play off before it was too late…too late. Cut to a red flag on the field while Referee Ed Hochuli looks under the hood during a TV timeout. Tick, tick, tick…the Giants hot drive cools off as the officials make sure they get it right on this nationally televised game. Tick, tick, tick…still waiting in the rain while Chicago catches their breath and makes substitutions. The last thing the Giants needed on this drive was a lull. Finally, after further review, the play stood as called. It was the right call, but you had a sense the momentum had been badly disrupted. Next play, taking advantage of losing Luke Petitgout, Manning is hammered from his blind side, fumbles, and loses ten yards but not possession. Then one more run to Tiki on 2nd & 24, and then a horribly forced pass to Plaxico Burress the down after. Drive over… then comes the decision to make the 52-yard filed goal. You know the rest.

Now of course anything could have happened after David Tyree’s reception regardless of whether Chicago challenged the play or not, but I can not deny that my intuitive read that says the Giants would have kept moving the ball and likely scored. It’s like having a productive meeting at the office get hijacked by a fire drill. You just don’t quite pick up where you left off before the alarm went off.

And by the way, where the hell was Jeremy Shockey? Did the Giants not watch the game film from the week before against Houston? Only one reception for Shockey is totally inexcusable. Talk about talent not being utilized.

After three games at home, the Giants travel to Jacksonville next week and Nashville the week after. Both of these teams are dangerous despite their records indicating otherwise. The Jaguars fall into that description of being one of those “Jekyll and Hyde” teams; you know, as in never knowing what you’re going to expect. In many ways the same could be said for the Giants, not so much for having split personalities; just split limbs.


OTHER THOUGHTS:

1) After ten weeks into the season, which is the most surprising 4-5 team, San Francisco or Cincinnati? One team is going in the right direction, the other isn’t.

2) What’s all this talk about the handshake, or lack of a handshake, between Bill Belichick and Eric Mangini? Sure there’s some tension between mentor and protégé, but how long do other coaches with less of a history, like, say, Bill Parcells and Denny Green shake hands for? I watched the “cold” handshake between Belichick and Mangini, it was about .347 seconds. The Parcells Green handshake was about .469 seconds. That’s a .122 second difference; an extra syllable said at best. Who cares? This is so not a story…move on.

3) Not to start second guessing the Giants past draft strategy, but, you know, they did have Phillip Rivers for about 15 minutes before trading him to San Diego in exchange for Eli Manning and a king’s ransom. Phillip Rivers had a career transforming game yesterday; putting up 42 second half points in Cincinnati. Manning looked simply awful.

4) Saw Matt Leinart play for the first time this season against Dallas. Man Arizona looks bad, all game long Leinart had his eyes set on whomever the play was designed for. So easy to read if you’re a defender, no pump fakes, no counters, no play action, no scouting the field for other options. I mean, everyone on Dallas knew where the ball was going on every play. How the coaches haven’t attempted to make such adjustments is beyond me. Arizona is a very, very bad football team.

5) After seeing Luke Petitgout go down for the season, is there any wonder how the Left Tackle position has become the road to riches in the NFL?