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Giant(s) Turnaround
by Chris Brophy
9/10/2007
In New York, er, well, new Jersey this weekend, the Giants took the win from their stadium sharing counterparts to go 3-2 for the season and within that record, is the momentum of a three game winning streak. Take away the unbeaten Colts, Cowboys and Patriots and is any team hotter than the Giants at this point in time? How has this turnaround come about though? Two weeks into the season and Coughlin looked a lame duck. Well, actually, he looked more like a roasted lame duck as he had been perceived as a lame duck coach coming into the season. A look back to the Giants comeback victory over Washington in Week 3 might provide some of the answers.
Imagine you’re Tom Coughlin. You’re in the locker room at Fed Ex Field two weeks ago at half time trailing by 14 points. Having been outscored 38-3 in the last three quarters of football you are just coming off a half where you have played reasonably well in spots but have failed to take chances, have presented chances to your opponent on a plate and the simple things that make big things happen, like catching the ball, just aren’t happening!
Frustration is an understatement!
 Say what you want about Coughlin but he doesn’t rise to the bait and he doesn’t quit. For a guy who is known for being more than willing to tear stripes of players, he brought out a team that radiated calmness. A team that knew if they just executed, they could get back into this game.
Execute they did. Key third down after key third down they found ways to convert. Plaxico Burress, the Giants main culprit for dropping passes in the first half, all of a sudden was making play upon play and his performance may well have been the difference between the two teams. He didn’t look like a guy who had just had his ear chewed. He looked like a guy who had had someone put an arm around his shoulder and said to him you can do this, you can win this game for us, just do what you are capable of doing or words to that effect.
Defensively, controlled aggression was called for and received. A unit that had looked lost in its previous ten quarters of football all of a sudden was stuffing the opposition and while it came down to one final desperate stop, they had regained their composure, even when the tide seemed to have turned back against them, never giving up.
In one half of football, the Giants regained their season. A season that started with a loss in Dallas where it appeared the team doctor was going to have to set up a mini hospital in Texas Stadium. A season that seen a four quarter collapse against the Packers. A season that looked like it was going from bad to worse in a divisional rival’s home turf. A season that looked finished before September was out.
The comeback happened though and then wins over Philadelphia and now the Jets have kept the momentum going and that inspired second half of football at Fed Ex Field wasn’t just a flash in the pan, it’s proven to be a catalyst for turning the season around.
Offensively, Eli Manning has clearly taken over the mantel of offensive talisman from the now retired Tiki Barber. His play clearly has gone up a notch and he looks less erratic. The running game was a concern coming into the season purely because when you lose a player like Tiki Barber it’s almost impossible to replace everything he brought to the table. When Barber’s supposed heir Brandon Jacobs got injured in Week 1 it looked in even deeper trouble but the versatile Derrick Ward has come through and become a very effective player. Jacobs has now returned and had a strong showing against the Jets to give the offense plenty of options on the ground.
The best, but most inconsistent weapon is wide receiver Plaxico Burress. Even in the losses that started the season, he was flashing his big play ability. He can be frustrating at times and probably will always be one of those players that drops a few easy ones but the flip side of the coin is something that means you can live with. The game versus Washington best show cased this with drops a plenty in the first half but his consistent third down catches and then game breaking TD made the difference in the second half.
 Defensively, after two games, it looked a mess. The Cowboys had shredded a defense that looked completely lost and the Packers although held in check for some of their game, broke free when it mattered in the 4th quarter of their victory. Since the second half of the Washington win, they look much more like the downhill, aggressive, attacking defense they are supposed to be. Steve Spagnuolo, the new defensive co-ordinator had come over from the Eagles to implement this new style and it looks like, after a grooming period and some patience, they are a lot closer to where they want to be. Poor old Mathias Kiwanuka was getting a right old bashing for being moved to linebacker. It’s not an easy move for a young player to make and his coverage ability was always going to be something opponents would look to exploit but like the players around him, he has turned it around and when asked to attack, he’s responded with big plays including 4.5 sacks thus far.
The pass rush looks born again as Donovan McNabb found out in Week 4 and while the secondary is still a concern in some ways, a strong pass rush can mask some of those problems as well as creating opportunities for them to get some turnovers.
So now, sitting at 3-2, the Giants problems appear less concerning and in some cases, solved. The real proof will be how they carry on from here. Problems that have occurred in the past could well rear their ugly head again and in a division that is looking as brutal as the NFC East is this season, things could go pear shaped again fast.
Over recent seasons, Eli Manning has struggled with his second half of season form. He has to show he is not just improving, but that he can maintain his level of play over a greater period of time. Defensively, they have to get more consistent although as previously stated, it appears to be heading in the right direction. The one area of concern that could prove their undoing in tight games is special teams, Lawrence Tynes has had a couple of misses in recent weeks, including a PAT versus the Eagles. The coverage teams allowed a TD kick return by Leon Washington this past weekend and versus the Redskins, allowed Antwaan Randle El to give the ‘Skins great field position to attempt to tie up the game on a punt return. In close games, special teams gaffes will cost you more often than not.
Overall, it’s an amazing turnaround, after two weeks, this team was being thought of as a possible contender for the overall number one pick in the 2008 draft. Tom Coughlin, someone the media loves to hate it would seem, deserves a lot of credit for not panicking and getting things back on track. His players have responded the right way and not turned on each other so if they can keep this up, the lame duck coach might just be a contender for coach of the year. Now that would be a turnaround!
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