2008 Woodie Awards
G-Men Get Tripped Up
Pete DeFelice
Issue date: 10/28/04 Section: Sports
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On Sunday, I thought I was watching one of those "Kleenex tear-jerker" movies on TNT - the ones where the hero has the girl in his reach, but something always seems to get in the way of the would-be couples achieving happiness. However, when I looked closer, I realized I was watching classic Giants football: same premise, same conclusion.
Now before I get into the game, I want to warn Giants fans - I'm going to be brutal. Much of what I'm about to say (for those who actually watch the Giants' games and don't just wear the gear), you will already know. The Giants lost to the Lions on Sunday, 28-13. The Lions are now 4-2 as are the Giants. That isn't the bad part. The Lions are, despite the lack of press in the preseason, a good team. The pathetic part is the Giants crappiness in the red zone once again.
The Giants have no confidence in the passing game inside the 20-yard line and when they go for the run, they put Tiki Barber on the sideline and replaced him with the horrible Ron Dayne, who averages three inches per carry. Kurt Warner had only one touchdown pass, if you can even call it that. For those who watched the game, it was more like a one-yard flip to Barber, who ran over 60 yards through traffic to get into the end zone.
There were also coaching errors committed, which did in the Giants. Coach Coughlin went for it on fourth and one when the Giants were at the Lions 10-yard line. That very same drive, the Giants were at fourth and goal on the Lions yard line, and Coughlin elected to kick the field goal! That kind of reasoning is inexcusable on many different levels. First of all, it was riskier going for it the first time because if the Giants had turned it over, they would have given Joey Harrington, the Lions quarterback, 10 yards between the line of scrimmage and the end zone. The second time, however, even if the Giants were stopped, Harrington would have the ball somewhere in between the one-yard line and the end zone. With good defense, that could set up a safety plus possession of the football for the Giants. The Ron Dayne decision is a mistake and has been a mistake for the whole season. When will the Giants just admit when they went wrong and stop using him? Coughlin feels he has to try to prove to the Giants fans that he was right in keeping Dayne. He should get over it and use Barber all the time since he actually knows how to run, being a runningback.
Now before I get into the game, I want to warn Giants fans - I'm going to be brutal. Much of what I'm about to say (for those who actually watch the Giants' games and don't just wear the gear), you will already know. The Giants lost to the Lions on Sunday, 28-13. The Lions are now 4-2 as are the Giants. That isn't the bad part. The Lions are, despite the lack of press in the preseason, a good team. The pathetic part is the Giants crappiness in the red zone once again.
The Giants have no confidence in the passing game inside the 20-yard line and when they go for the run, they put Tiki Barber on the sideline and replaced him with the horrible Ron Dayne, who averages three inches per carry. Kurt Warner had only one touchdown pass, if you can even call it that. For those who watched the game, it was more like a one-yard flip to Barber, who ran over 60 yards through traffic to get into the end zone.
There were also coaching errors committed, which did in the Giants. Coach Coughlin went for it on fourth and one when the Giants were at the Lions 10-yard line. That very same drive, the Giants were at fourth and goal on the Lions yard line, and Coughlin elected to kick the field goal! That kind of reasoning is inexcusable on many different levels. First of all, it was riskier going for it the first time because if the Giants had turned it over, they would have given Joey Harrington, the Lions quarterback, 10 yards between the line of scrimmage and the end zone. The second time, however, even if the Giants were stopped, Harrington would have the ball somewhere in between the one-yard line and the end zone. With good defense, that could set up a safety plus possession of the football for the Giants. The Ron Dayne decision is a mistake and has been a mistake for the whole season. When will the Giants just admit when they went wrong and stop using him? Coughlin feels he has to try to prove to the Giants fans that he was right in keeping Dayne. He should get over it and use Barber all the time since he actually knows how to run, being a runningback.