Giants offense still will look downfield
Giants quarterback Eli Manning talks with offensive coordinator Ben Mcadoo during the second quarter of a game against the Detroit Lions in Detroit, Monday, Sept. 8, 2014. Credit: AP / Paul Sancya
So how did that "aggressive" offense work out for the Giants?
They took noticeably more shots down the field on Monday against the Colts, including six Eli Manning passes in which the ball traveled more than 20 yards in the air. None of them were completed.
Offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo said just because there were no connections against the Colts doesn't mean the Giants won't keep looking deep.
"You don't ever go into a game scared," he said when asked if the 0-for-6 would make him shy away from more chances. "You go in and trust your plan and trust your preparation. We hit those throws and made those plays in practice last week. We are going to practice hard and take care of the execution and fundamentals and the physicality this week in practice and go out and expect to execute on Sunday."
So will the Giants try to air it out against the Seahawks?
"Every week is a different week," McAdoo said. "You put together a plan that you think gives you the best chance to win, obviously. We felt that gave us a chance to win. We did a nice job with protection early up front. We had some chances down the field to make some throws and make some catches and we didn't come up the way we would like to. We have eight games left. We have a big one this week. We need to take advantage and execute better this week."
More than a few of the passing plays on Monday failed because of drops, although McAdoo was quick to point out that many of those were contested. Of course, that brings up another concern if the Giants receivers can't get away from the defenders.
How does McAdoo deal with separation anxiety?
"It starts with fundamentals and goes into being physical," he said. "We are going to see the same thing this week. We are going to see physical corners. We are going to have to do a good job at the line of scrimmage getting those guys off their [coverage]. We are going to have to be physical with them and create some separation at the top of the routes."
This is the Seahawks secondary we're talking about. The Legion of Boom. The ones that led the team to a Super Bowl title last year. McAdoo wouldn't share his philosophy on whether the Giants will try to avoid throwing in the direction of Richard Sherman as some teams (including his former team, the Packers) have this year, or whether he would attack the secondary regardless of where personnel is lined up. But when asked how his receivers, coming off a bad game despite some inspiring play from rookies Odell Beckham Jr. and Corey Washington, will match up against Seattle's defenders, McAdoo said: "Hopefully hungry."
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
