Steve Sormani Posts

Apparently Kevin Gilbride wasn't paying attention in 2005, when Eli Manning, then under the guidance of Offensive Coordinator John Hufnagel, was criticized heavily for attempting too many down-field passes. Indeed, many of those ill-fated passes fell incomplete, or into the hands of Giants opponents. Gilbride now appears comfortable with his assessment of Eli Manning as a more developed quarterback and has seen enough to come to the conclusion that Manning is ready for a bigger role in the down-field attack.

Gilbride recently was quoted as saying that the down-field attack was "missing" this past season and that the success of the running game should open things up for the down-field passing attack. Gilbride must be careful with Manning, however, as his difficulties reading a defense and just getting the ball to his intermediate targets are well documented. To ask Manning to incorporate a lower percentage play than can result in disaster (more often than a higher percentage play) and could stunt the mental progression of the young, developing quarterback.

Should Manning be asked to take on this task, he should be asked to do it as infrequently as possible. During his two games as Offensive Coordinator in 2006, Gilbride showed that he'll rely on the run (65 attempts) and Manning's mistakes were kept to a minimum during those contests. Giants fans should hope that Gilbride keeps his senses about him and continues to rely on the run in 07. If he tries to turn Eli into Peyton or Brett Favre, it could be a very long season.

As expected, the Giants today announced that Kevin Gilbride would pilot the offense in 2007, naming him as the permanent Offensive Coordinator.

Gilbride began the 2006 season as the Giants Quarterbacks Coach and apparently performed admirably, although little progress was made with regard to the development of Eli Manning's play. Gilbride took over for the dismissed Offensive Coordinator John Hufnagel, who was effectively let go prior to the last game of the season, against the Washington Redskins, and he immediately produced positive results.

During Gilbride's two games as acting Offensive Coordinator, one being a playoff loss to the Eagles, the Giants produced 660 total yards and averaged 27 points per game. More importantly, Eli Manning appeared to have a more developed pocket awareness during those contests and relied on his mobility to avoid contact, rather than alter his mechanics, which he is frequently guilty of.

As O Coordinator, Gilbride will have to take a more proactive approach to the offensive philosophy, as well as a react-on-the-fly approach, both of which seemed to be absent for the majority of 2006. We can all recall the incidences where the Giants abandoned the run early in games, even though they were ahead of closely trailing and we can all remember scratching our heads. Lets hope Gilbride is wiser than his predecessor.

The new GM of the NY Giants, Jerry Reese, didn't pull the trigger on the trade that brought Eli Manning to New York. That was his predecessor's doing. He was, however, involved in the decision making process at the point and Eli Manning is, like it or not, Reese's problem. So, as 2007 and the Reese era begin, Eli Manning's future success is his number one priority.

Manning is, after all, the future of this franchise. The team may win without a dramatic increase in his productivity, but they'll likely fall short of their ultimate goal, a Super Bowl title. Reese will have his work cut out for him, but there are several things he can do from a player/personnel standpoint that could help immediately.

First, bring in a quarterbacks guru. Someone who Manning will respect and someone who will not only teach him the mechanical aspect of the position and how to read a defense, but also how to be tough. Manning needs to grow a pair of horns and learn to hang in the pocket and take a hit for the sake of making a big completion. He often sacrifices his mechanics to avoid being clobbered and seems to prefer the possibility of turning the ball over taking the aforementioned hit. The apparent promotion of former QB Coach Kevin Gilbride seemed to do the trick, as Manning was elusive in the pocket and absorbed several hits while making crucial completion, during his last 2 games. The question of why Gilbride's guidance didn't work from day 1 still remains and now Gilbride can't be counted on as a full time solution, since he'll be busy we the rest of the offense.

Even at the beginning of the 2006 season, fans could tell there was something not quite right with the Giants defense. The sacks weren't there. The aggressive style that was promised during the pre-season wasn't there. The cohesive, top-10 unit that we were promised, simply wasn't there. As a whole, the unit endured a horrendous year, finishing near the bottom of the league in many critical statistical categories and allowed an average of 22.6 points per game.

Since the day the season ended and even before, there's been speculation running rampant that changes were to come. The writing was on the wall and it was sure to be Defensive Coordinator Tim Lewis to get the ax. As expected, he was fired shortly after the season ended and the Giants were then on the road to fidning his replacement.

Speculation had it that Dom Capers, who worked as the Defensive Coordinator in Miami, under the recently-departed Nick Saban, would make a perfect replacement. After all, he's got good history with Tom Coughlin, having served as Coughlin's Defensive Coordinator in Jacksonville. He's known as a defensive mastermind by many and he recently led the Miami defense to a very solid season.

Well, that speculation ended today, when the Dolphins announced that they've locked up Capers for the next 3 seasons. That leaves the Giants to search the scraps of the NFL for a replacement. There aren't too many respected D Coordinators out there to choose from, since teams tend to either lock them up for long periods, or promote the good ones to the ranks of Head Coach. Whatever the Giants do, they'll need to do it in a hurry, as the best available minds will likely be gobbled up in a hurry.

Apparently 2007 isn't going to be a better year than 2006 for Giants defensive end Michael Strahan. At least it appears that way so far. It's been reported that Jean, Michael's ex-wife, has taken him to the cleaners in court.

2006 began with an ugly divorce, where Michael and ex-wife Jean exchanged numerous jabs at each other. Included were allegations of infidelity and abuse. Jean even went as far as accusing Michael of leading an "alternative lifestyle". The year continued to be rough on Michael on the football field, after he got off the a very slow start. So slow, in fact, that Strahan only had 1 sack in his first 5 games and was being questioned by some regarding his drive. His year of turmoil continued as he injured his foot against the Houston Texans on November 5. His season was effectively over, as Strahan would play in only one more game, during which he re-injured the foot.

Now, 2007 is beginning on a similar note that 2006 ended, with the news that Jean Strahan was awarded $15 million of Michael's fortune. Ouch! I guess that's what he gets for writing up a prenuptial agreement that contains language regarding a specific percentage of the estate, as seems to be the case. We all take it on the chin from time to time, but Michael has to be reeling after this enormous financial setback. After his injury, there was talk of Michael considering retirement. He's rebuffed such speculation, but is now all but certain to return to the football field, if not for anything but a paycheck.

For the most part, the Giants had an awful season. Granted, they made the playoffs, but they failed to defend their division title and finished a mediocre 8-8. One of the major reasons for such mediocrity was a sub-par performance from the defense, which was held in very high regard coming into the season. While many of the problems associated with the defense (which finished in an absolute tailspin and ended the season ranked 25th in the NFL) could be attributed to injury, Defensive Coordinator Tim Lewis took the blame and was dismissed. Rightfully so, as Lewis frequently lacked answers for most every obstacle put in his way.

Similarly, Offensive Coordinator John Hufnagel was given his walking papers, after failing to lead the offense to an achievement level that approached pre-season expectations. Like in the case of the defense, injuries had much to do with the lack of success. After all, LT Luke Petitgout and WR Amani Toomer were lost to season ending injuries, both of which changed the face of the offense dramatically.

There are now glaring holes in the side of the Giants ship. First, the Giants need to address the Defensive Coordinator position and should hire Dom Capers. Capers has an excellent track record and an existing rapport with Tom Coughlin, who he served as Defensive Coordinator during their days in Jacksonville. In 2006, Capers served as Miami's D-Coordinator and led the unit to the 4th best ranking the in league.

It truly was a hard-fought battle, as expected, with the winning score coming the last seconds. As promised, I'm eating crow. The Giants didn't pull it out, but they certainly made it a game and made their fans proud. For now, the Eagles are the better team and Giants fans have only coaching changes, free agency signings and the draft to look forward to.

Offense: B-

To the surprise of many, Eli Manning stepped up in the face of pressure and played well, though not exceptionally well. He actually showed the toughness we've all been waiting for and was often able to beat the blitz by finding his hot targets. One of those targets was Jeremy Shockey, who sucked up the pain of playing with a sprained ankle and played like man possessed (when he was involved). He was used sparingly, only catching 3 passes for 25 yards, but one of his catches was quite memorable. During the second quarter, Shockey caught an 11 yards pass over the middle and took a shot which caused his helmet to fly off. Instead of going down, he turned up-field and lowered his head, bulling his way for a few more yards and exposing himself to serious injury. It wasn't smart, but it took guts and heart. If the entire team played with such passion, the Giants would be perennial Super Bowl winners.

Plaxico Burress had a very good game, catching both Manning touchdowns. The lack of a complimentary receiver takes so much away from the entire offense. The Toomer injury was the biggest key to the downfall of this team, without a doubt.

Yes, the Giants lost the game and they're sitting it out until September 07. No, Eli Manning didn't throw for 350 yards and 3 scores. Yes, Eli manning was one of the worst offenders in the league with respect to tossing interceptions in 2006, having thrown 18 during the regular season and 1 yesterday. Eli, to date, isn't the great savior that Giants fans and GM Ernie Accorsi envisioned when he was acquired from the Chargers. He also isn't the reason the Giants lost yesterday.

Eli Manning often stood in the pocket yesterday and absorbed the abuse that he apparently has tried so hard to avoid during his career. So hard, in fact, that he often has sacrificed his mechanics and pocket awareness to avoid contact, leading to his sky-high interception rate. Of the 18 interceptions, likely half could be attributed directly to a breakdown in his technique, stemming from his apparent fear of contact. That fear is so widely known throughout the league that some Eagles players have nicknamed the younger Manning "Sheli". Well, Sheli was a Heli yesterday, as he often was tattooed, or side-stepped the pressure and looked for his down-field target, or Tiki Barber in the flat. Heck, he didn't do what we've grown accustomed to. That is, shy away from pressure and toss the ball with little or no authority, usually to the other team. It's no wonder where the nickname came from.

In the end, his numbers weren't eye-popping. He completed 16 of 27 passes (59%) for only 161 yards, while tossing 2 touchdowns, with one interception. He did, however, bring the Giants back from a 10 point 3rd quarter deficit. Even more impressive was that he engineered the game-tying scoring drive, even after his teammates put the offense in a 1st and 30 deficit, thanks to some ill-timed penalties. At the Eagles 43, after a 1st down incompletion, Eli found Plaxico Burress on 3 consecutive passes, including an 11 yards touchdown. The Giants didn't win, but Eli put them in a position to. What more can you ask for?

Like it or not, Eli manning is the leader of this offense. Unpopular or not, he'll be the quarterback for the Giants for years to come. He may never be Peyton, but he may never need to be. If we're lucky, he'll resemble the Eli Manning from yesterday's game. That Eli Manning was good enough to win and that's what it's all about.

David Diehl is a monster of a man, at 6-5, 319. Now in his 4th season with the Giants, he's really beginning to show his true value, especially after he was moved to the coveted left tackle position to take the place of the injured Luke Petitgout and the ineffective and undisciplined Bob Whitfield. In this do or die game, he'll be asked to protect Eli Manning's blind side as well as open holes in the running game for Tiki Barber and Brandon Jacobs.

Protecting Manning will be paramount, as the success of the offense may ride on his shoulders. The Eagles plan on blitzing early and often and concentrating on stopping Tiki Barber. Consequently, Eli will need to respond by hitting his downfiled targets and his wide receivers identified in man coverage. Without solid play from Diehl, Philly DE Trent Cole will certainly make sure Manning doesn't have an easy time of it. His 8 sacks lead the team and he's played very well against the Giants this season, totaling 2 sacks and an interception that he returned for a touchdown.

Even more important than stopping Cole and company from getting to Manning will be the responsibility of opening running lanes for Tiki Barber. Diehl will likely be lined up next to Rich Seubert, who will be playing in Diehl's usual left guard position. The 2 should combine to form a very strong run blocking duo. In Dielh's first game at left tackle, last week against the Redskins, Tiki Barber ran for a franchise record 234 yards and added 3 touchdowns. Much of Tiki's success came when he ran off of the left side of the line and much of the credit for that success should be given to Diehl. If that success continues, even at half the rate of last weeks production, the Giants will have a great chance of walking away winners and advancing to take on the Saints or Bears. Diehl, no doubt, will be fired up at his chance to say something about that outcome.

The Eagles always seem to find a way to get a big play on special teams when they're playing the Giants, whether a long return or a crucial field goal. This game has the smell of one those special contests, where the lead changes several times, both teams fight like hell for 60 minutes and the win comes down to a last second field goal.

Giants ST:

The loss of Chad Morton to a torn ACL may end up being a painful one, as he seemed to be gaining momentum as the season progressed. In fact, he was able to break off a 38 yard punt return against these very Eagles on December 17, one week before he was injured. Rookie Sinorice Moss is now returning kicks and could make himself an instant fan favorite by tearing off a long run, especially one during crunch time. For the season, the Giants averaged 8.7 yards per punt return, while stumbling on kickoffs, averaging only 20.1 YPR. It's put up or shut up time now and poor play during the regular season can be quickly forgotten with one good play.

The Giants coverage units are one of the best in the NFL, led by gunner David Tyree. They're allowing a paltry 5.8 yards per punt return and a more average 22.4 yards per kickoff return. The idea is to keep the return yardage limited, no matter the regular season stats.