Patriots perfect for Eli to air it out
Eli Manning of the New York Giants passes against the Miami Dolphins. (Oct. 30, 2011) Credit: Getty Images
It's time to let 'er rip.
Tom Coughlin always talks about striving for balance in his offense, and he's been sure to state several times in recent years that his philosophy of wanting to be a running team still applies. But that's not who the Giants are anymore. Eli Manning is no longer along for the ride, playing keepaway from defenses while the five big sled dogs in front of him pull the running back down the field. If Sunday's win over the Dolphins showed anything, it's that Manning is one of the few players functioning at a high level right now. And he should be the identity of the offense.
Manning is second in the NFL in yards per attempt (8.83), trailing only Aaron Rodgers (9.92). His completion percentage, if it stays where it is at .647, would be a career high. And he is on pace to throw for 4,861 yards, which would not only break his own career mark of 4,021 set two years ago but shatter the franchise mark of 4,073 set by Kerry Collins in 2002.
There is no denying that the Giants are a passing team with a star quarterback.
Well, Coughlin denies it. The first part, anyway.
"I don't think it comes down to that," he said when asked if it is difficult to maintain his balance when Manning is putting up such terrific numbers and the running game is, well, not. "You go in with every possible weapon in your arsenal. You start the week that way and you may do a little trimming, but not a lot."
Even if Coughlin doesn't want to change his philosophy, the Giants certainly have been shifting. They have run the ball 188 times in the first seven games (168 if you take away the 20 runs by Manning) and have thrown the ball 241 times plus the 15 sacks they've allowed for a total of 256 passing plays. That's 57.6 percent of their plays for the season. In the last four games, it's been 60.5. Not exactly lopsided, but certainly more tilted than usual. In 2010, they passed 53.6 percent of the time for the season.
In other words, Coughlin may want to be balanced but he is leaning more on Manning and the passing game this year than he has in the past.
"It doesn't start out that way," he said. "Sometimes it ends up that way."
This week, especially, look for the Giants to air it out. They're facing a Patriots defense that is the worst in the league in pass defense. Go back and read that sentence again.
They are allowing 323.1 passing yards per game. The 31st-ranked pass defense belongs to the Packers, and they allow 288.9 yards per game. That's a difference of 34.2. To put that gap in perspective, there are 11 other teams within 34.2 yards per game of what the Packers allow.
In Sunday's win over the Patriots, Ben Roethlisberger threw 50 passes and completed 36 of them. What's most remarkable is that only two of those passes were for 20 yards or more. The Patriots were taking away the deep threats while Big Ben picked them apart underneath. Manning surely has the ability to do the same.
The Giants do enter this game with some health issues. Ahmad Bradshaw has soreness in his foot and Hakeem Nicks had to leave Sunday's game against the Dolphins with a hamstring issue. But not seeing Nicks as a speedy long-ball threat could only persuade Bill Belichick to put a safety in the box to make sure the Giants' running game remains dormant and dare the Giants to beat him with Victor Cruz, Mario Manningham and Jake Ballard.
That's fine. Because even if they won't admit it, the Giants have become a passing team. And there's nothing wrong with that.
Run 'D' not clicking
Justin Tuck was asked about the Giants' run defense on Sunday. Or at least someone started to ask him about it. "I don't want to talk about it," the captain said before the question was completed. No wonder. The Giants allowed Reggie Bush to run for 103 yards and gave up 145 total. They are allowing 130.1 per game, which is 28th in the league. "In past times when we've had a very solid defensive front against the run, it's normally just one person making a play when some of those plays could've gotten out of the gate," Tuck said. "For us right now, that's not happening." Tom Coughlin called it "frustrating."
Cruz might sub for Nicks
It sounds like Hakeem Nicks will be able to play Sunday against the Patriots, but if he can't because of his hamstring injury, then Victor Cruz would likely step into the starting job opposite Mario Manningham. "Anytime you get an opportunity to go in there and play and have an opportunity to be the No. 1 or 2 guy and make some big plays, you always want to be excited," Cruz said. Cruz has had a scintillating start to the season, but he's raw and is not Nicks.
Pats' home-field advantage
The Patriots were hard enough to beat in Arizona four years ago. Trying to do so at Gillette Stadium on Sunday may be just as difficult. In fact, it's nearly statistically impossible. The Patriots have won 18 straight home games against NFC opponents since losing their first interconference game in 2002 to the Packers.
