I don’t subscribe to the theory that the Giants were due for a clunker, but it sure looked like one on Sunday. This has been a very tough stretch of games dating back to the Pittsburgh game, but playing at home with a chance to clinch the division (plus the all important bye) should have inspired a gut check performance even while the Giants didn’t bring their “A” game. It never happened. Despite having emotion during the very early part of the game, the Giants settled into the look of a team a team that was tired both physically and mentally.
The key to the game was the Eagles controlling the ball for most of the second half, so much in fact, that the Giants had the ball for only three possessions (and that’s counting their garbage time drive in the waning minutes). While the offense was clearly not clicking, you still need to get your offense the ball more than three times in a half. The Eagles consistently got themselves into manageable third down situations and converted an amazing 12 of 18. That is something that this defense has been very good at preventing over the last two seasons. It was missing yesterday. While the first half was basically played to a draw, the Giants struggled to contain the Eagles in the second half, who methodically moved the ball by consistently running and throwing short passes.
That leads me directly into my final point. How much does the lack of a pass catching threat in the backfield hurt the Giants on day like last Sunday? Westbrook is the perfect weapon, turning swing passes and short passes into bigger gains on a windy day. Inpsection of McNabb’s throws on Sunday reveals that only one pass completion traveled over 10 yards (and predictably that was with the wind). Other than Derrick Ward, the Giants don’t really have that, nor choose to use that option. They throw primarily to their WRs and to the TE. They have the power running game (even yesterday, they averaged nearly five yards a carry), but there comes a time when you will have to throw the ball and yesterday the Giants really struggled in the conditions. The lack of a viable screen game also hurts (you’ve heard that before from me). And let’s face it, not having a player the stature of Burress on this kind of weather day really doesn’t help. Let’s hope home field advantage doesn’t turn into a disadvantage in the playoffs from what we call The Hawk.
How about another theory, although by definition this can’t be considered scientific. But it’s rather interesting. Upon retrieving my tickets for Sunday’s game, whose picture appeared on the ticket? Plaxico Burress of course, the center of attention all week. And while getting gas to venture up the Turnpike, how much did I pay for gas? $17.17. Really weird, huh?
