For as long as I can remember the New York Giants have been a physical presence in the NFC East. over the last few years I have noticed a change in that personality, at least on the offensive side of the ball. Instead of a line up and pound the ball type of mentality they have moved towards more of a finesse style of play which they aren't built for. The Giants need to get back to their roots and grind out some ugly wins.
The Giants have a physical offensive line and they create good holes for running backs to get through. Yesterday, during the game against the Washington Redskins, the Giants ran 17 times for 76 yards. That means that they ran for 4.4 yards per attempt. 4.4 yards per run means that the chains keep moving if you were to run every down. That isn't even the best stat of the night for the running game. Not one of the 17 runs for the Giants went for negative yards and only twice during the game were the Giants stuffed right at the line of scrimmage. As a former player I know the value of a running game that never looses yards. It is an imposing force and the more you stick with it the better the gains become.
In the first half the Giants were balanced in their attempts running and passing. They started passing more than running but found a good balance before halftime. As a result they had scored 14 points in the first half. In the second half the Giants fell behind a little and got away from what had made them successful. Eli Manning threw 20 passes in the second half and dropped back several times more but got sacked in the process. The Giants only ran the ball 6 times in the second half. This made the play action passing less affective and allowed the defense of the Redskins to bet after Manning and they got to him 3 times in the second half. The Giants didn't score again and they looked like the injuries they had were on offense instead of the defense.
6 attempts rushing the ball in a half is something that the Patriots do. The Giants are supposed to run the ball. Why else would they have a 260 lbs. running back? They are built for running the ball and taking advantage of the play action passing game. Eli Manning, though a very good quarterback, has never been a guy to drop back 30- 40 times and win a game. He is a fantastic game manager when he has all of his weapons at his disposal and yesterday he was strapped by scared play calling. Brandon Jacobs, the 260 lbs. running back, touched the ball only 6 times. Even as the backup that isn't enough carries and there is no reason for Ahmad Bradshaw to be carrying the ball on 4th and 1. Kevin Gilbride, the offensive coordinator, needs to remember what makes the Giants special is that running game.
The Giants need to run the ball more than they pass. It opens up the field for Manning in the passing game and creates mismatches on the edges with their small but quick receivers. They are capable of running against the blitz and, as they proved yesterday, they are better able to stay on schedule and score when they are balanced. The Giants are a running team and as soon as they remember that and embrace it then they will be on top of the division again and competing for championships.
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