Skins versus Giants
 

Is is too soon to start this thread? What a big matchup coming for the Skins. Here are my concerns:

Who matches up with a big, tall Plaxico Burress?
Who matches up with Shockey?
Can the Skins get to and rattle the little Manning?
Can Portis continue to run well and score on the ground?
Can the Skins keep Brunell upright?

These are all questions that Gibbs and company will come in and start to think about today.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

Spring on Plaxico with Taylor providing the stick to hit him with. Arrington or Washington on Shocky. How many yards did Gonzalez havea again?

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

I think our defense will be hurting on this. I think we're going to have to commit springs/Taylor to Burress, Harris to Toomer, and Marcus Washington will be pretty much solo on Shockey. I think we definitely need to use everyone else on our roster (and occassionally those guys) to hit Manning. I wouldn't be suprised for the Giants to really try to crank up the run game seeing as how our run defense has been abused all year.

I also think that our offense can drive the ball on them and dominate TOP. We however, can't get too conservative and try the deep ball ever now and then. Some of the throws Brunell has been making have just been amazing. I don't know where he found his spark again and I really don't care as long as he keeps it up.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

Eli looks legit, and he has the offense running on all cylinders, but Tiki still likes to fumble and Plaxico is one hard hit away from becoming the bust that he was in Pitt. They are scoring a lot of points however, so they're going to give the defense some trouble.

The Skins offense should have another big number day, because the Giants have one of the worst defenses in the league. Portis and Brunell should both have very good days. It'll be interesting to see how this game turns out.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

[QUOTE=scowan]Is is too soon to start this thread? What a big matchup coming for the Skins. Here are my concerns:

Who matches up with a big, tall Plaxico Burress?
Who matches up with Shockey?
Can the Skins get to and rattle the little Manning?
Can Portis continue to run well and score on the ground?
Can the Skins keep Brunell upright?

These are all questions that Gibbs and company will come in and start to think about today.[/QUOTE]
It is never too early!

-I think Springs can cover Plaxico pretty good. Plax is big but not exactly a fast type guy. He is really a poor mans TO. He'll get some catches but we need to keep him outta the endzone.
-Shockey will get bracket covered all day. Chipped off the line by a LB and dumped into the secondary to be covered by Taylor. He is the biggest threat in this game.
-Blitzing him like crazy worked well last year. But I think he'd handle it much better now. I am wondering what sitting back and making him think a little would do to him?
-Giants have played pretty weak D this year. I'd think we'd commit to running the ball and keeping their offense off the field. That's the way to win this game.
-They haven't gotten too much pressure on the QB this year but they do have Strahan so I would think we'd max protect initially and loosen up as the game moves on then go back max protect if we have a lead late.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

I think Springs will be fine on Burress with maybe some occassional safety help.

Taylor matches up well with Shockey.

Our pass rush is a concern, but if Harris and Springs are 100% I'd look for an aggressive blitz scheme like we saw against the 49ers. Having Harris and Springs healthy is the key to this D. That opens up the entire blitz package, and of course having LaVar back in there will help.

Our offense should have minimal problems moving the ball on their D. I expect another big day from the offense, they're really settling in to a serious groove. Since the last few minutes of the Dallas game, we've moved the ball at will and against some pretty good defenses too.

As long as we can stay on the positive side of the turnover battle, I really see this as a very winnable game for the Skins. Manning has come back down to earth lately, and Williams should have some tricks up his sleeve for this one.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

[QUOTE=Daseal]I also think that our offense can drive the ball on them and dominate TOP. We however, can't get too conservative and try the deep ball ever now and then. Some of the throws Brunell has been making have just been amazing. I don't know where he found his spark again and I really don't care as long as he keeps it up.[/QUOTE]
I think TOP is key to this game. Keep their weak D on the field and their strong O off the field. I'll take a 9-6 win. A win is a win. Big time game this weekend. I am already stoked!

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

arrington also matches up well with shockey

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

It's odd. In just one year, the things that most concern us are on defense. And I'm not that concerned about those. Shockey=Gonzalez;we can contain him, and we will contain him. I don't see us tasking one person to the TE. By doing that you weaken the run def. Because you would typically take someone like Taylor or Marcus Washington on him. That's a waste of talent. Im sure that Gregg has faced above average TE before. Did you honestly ask if we are going to keep Mark upright? ? ? ? What Giants defense are you talking about? Two weeks in a row we face the worst two defenses in the NFL. We will score more than 30 against NY. But over 50 might be a touch optimistic(if downright homerish).

So the question does become: Can our defense stop their offense? Well over the last two weeks, NY has fizzled a bit. And we have just gotten stronger, and stronger.


P.S. If we had to, either Marcus Washington, or Sean Taylor could completely smother Shockey. Marcus is as fast. Sean is faster. Shockey has what, 2 inches on Sean? And Marcus is probably 150% the football player that Shockey is. But for fun, let him catch one approximately 5 yards in front of a Taylor running a 4.3 40 yd dash. At that speed, he closes the distance at just over .5 seconds. And he weighs 230 lbs. You try to imagine the sound your bones make when a truck going that fast spears you.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

I am not real concerned with Burress, Springs did a real nice job on TO last year. Harris can handle Toomer pretty well also.

I noticed Griffin had a groin issue yesterday and was held out of the game. I'm hoping it wasn't serious, it could be that they pulled him because the game was pretty much over at that point. We'd miss him though.

Shockey doesn't scare me. This offense is good, it has multiple weapons. Seattle was like that, and we handled them pretty well.

What does concern me is Antonio Pierce. The guy is one of the smartest LBs in the game, and he's going to understand what Gibbs is trying to do. He might be a key for the Giants in positioning his boys. That's what is so tough about Pierce, you can physically block him, but it's hard to fool him. He recognizes things.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

Hasnt our offense changed so much over last year, that Antonio might night recognize a good portion of it?

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

[QUOTE=scowan]Is is too soon to start this thread? What a big matchup coming for the Skins. Here are my concerns:

Who matches up with a big, tall Plaxico Burress?
Who matches up with Shockey?
Can the Skins get to and rattle the little Manning?
Can Portis continue to run well and score on the ground?
Can the Skins keep Brunell upright?

These are all questions that Gibbs and company will come in and start to think about today.[/QUOTE]

I believe that Springs will match up just fine w/ Burress. He pretty much shuts down who ever he goes up against. With Shockey, use the same plan we used against Tony G from KC. We shut him down. I dont know about rattling Manning, he looks pretty unflappable. Our key will be to control the clock, and keep our D fresh. The G men have a pretty subpar defense and we can definately score with them. But being we are in NY, we need to take the crowd out, make them start booing, which isn't too hard to do. We can force Eli into a Pick, or Tiki to fumble(almost sure of fumble, he always does) but we need mistake free football to win this game.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

I don't feel Gonzalez is necessarily the best person to compare them to. He is rumored to still be struggling pretty bad in practice because of a foot.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

[QUOTE=Daseal]I don't feel Gonzalez is necessarily the best person to compare them to. He is rumored to still be struggling pretty bad in practice because of a foot.[/QUOTE]

An excellent point. do you feel that either Marcus or Sean couldnt handle Shockey one on one? And i re-emphasize that I don't think Gregg Williams is a "this man covers that man every play" type of coach.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

Everyone is saying the Giants defense is bad. Does anyone have the stats??? I thought they had a decent D.

Tiki Barber is my biggest concern here. We have to stop him from having one of his good games. He always seems to hurt us every year.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

The stats are posted in a lot of places (I'm just too lazy to repost). They are similar to the 49ers in every sense of the word on D. They have ONE dominant player (Strahan) and a secondary that gets burned more than The Ade.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

[QUOTE=dblanch66]Everyone is saying the Giants defense is bad. Does anyone have the stats??? I thought they had a decent D.[/QUOTE]

[url="http://www.nfl.com/stats/teamsort/NFL/DEF-TOTAL/2005/regular?sort_col_1=4"]http://www.nfl.com/stats/teamsort/NFL/DEF-TOTAL/2005/regular?sort_col_1=4[/url]

The Giants are 31st in total defense. Just above the 49ers.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

I agree that TOP will be crucial (as well as TOs, as always...)--keeping the gints O off the field is always the best defense (as it will be against Philly, SD, Oakland, etc.).

Establish the run, efficiency on 3rd downs, and hit the big play when it's there: Joe Gibbs football. This is what we are built to do, fellas. Now, can we execute without error on the road in another tough stadium?

On D, let's stop the big play, and control Tiki. Eli will get his, but so long as we control him, it should be fine. This kinda reminds me of the KC game.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

Ok, from a pure stats perspective the Skins are number 2 right now with the Giants 15th, or in the middle. On D, the Skins are 5th and the Giants are just ahead of the Division 1-AA 49ers. Basically that tells me that they can't stop us, but can we stop them? I tell you what I see, and that is a mirror image of the Skins. Forget the stats, they have a RB that is about as effective at Portis and TE in Shockey that is as good or better than Cooley, and good receiving group and a young QB that has grown up in a hurry. I hate to use the "turnover" word, but it may come down to that to determine the winner.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

[QUOTE=Southpaw][url="http://www.nfl.com/stats/teamsort/NFL/DEF-TOTAL/2005/regular?sort_col_1=4"]http://www.nfl.com/stats/teamsort/NFL/DEF-TOTAL/2005/regular?sort_col_1=4[/url]

The Giants are 31st in total defense. Just above the 49ers.[/QUOTE]
They can't be nearly as bad as the Niners though. They looked so terrible that no team could win playing like that. They gotta be better.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

[QUOTE=FRPLG]They can't be nearly as bad as the Niners though. They looked so terrible that no team could win playing like that. They gotta be better.[/QUOTE]

Unlike the 49ers, the Giants' offense can actually move the ball well enough to keep the defense off the field.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

One more thought, the "X-factor" in all of this may be Lavar. If he can make some plays against the Giants like he did against the 49ers, he may be a difference maker. One big hit for a loss or that creates a fumble, could be huge in a game that I see as very tight.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

Just for once I think we'll see the STATS tell the tale of the game.

Giants to feel the force.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

We have the #2 offense in the NFL and the #4 defense in the NFL.

I'm not worried about the #31 ranked defense of the New York Giants.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

[QUOTE=Bozzy]We have the #2 offense in the NFL and the #4 defense in the NFL.

I'm not worried about the #31 ranked defense of the New York Giants.[/QUOTE]

Remember last season when we were wishing we had even a mediocre offense?

WOW! Great job Redskins!

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

I think this one comes down to coaching. We have a somewhat better O and a way better D.

The difference will be how Williams contains Barber and takes away the deep ball for Manning. If he can do that, then the G'aint's will have to dink and dunk and that won't get them anywhere against this D. If Washington and Arrington can get into the backfield and disrupt things, they will be in for a long day in NY.

On O, as long as we produce like we did the last 3 weeks and we don't turn the ball over, we'll be fine.

I've got a hunch we may get a big play on ST - maybe Betts or Moss break a big return, or we force a fumble. Will be about time.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

Burress: He is not fast, but he is about 17 feet tall, can jump has great hands and is strong as hell. Seems like Eli is putting the ball high and Burress is going up to get it. If he gets his hands on the ball, it is very difficult to break it up. But when he is in the air, he is obviously easier to tackle, so he is not got going to burn you with YAC.

Shockey: The talent is there, and now seems his head is there as well. Seemed like Denver was really concentrating on him yesterday, but he was still able to make the big play during the 2-minute drill.

Manning: doesnt seem to be getting rattled. He drops back, can feel the rush steps up, fires (and he has a gun) and takes the hit. He can move out of the pocket and make a play if he needs to. The OLine and backs have done a MUCH better job picking up blitzes than last year. If you blitz too much, Manning will pick you apart.

Tomlinson was able to run the ball a few weeks ago, yesterday Denver had a big day. Portis will probably be able to run, but not sure it will be enough to beat the Giants. Brunnell will still need to put up some numbers.

Brunnell? I wouldnt worry. The Giants have not blitzed much, so long as Strahan does not run wild, which is always a possibility, Brunnell should have time to throw.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

[QUOTE=Southpaw][url="http://www.nfl.com/stats/teamsort/NFL/DEF-TOTAL/2005/regular?sort_col_1=4"]http://www.nfl.com/stats/teamsort/NFL/DEF-TOTAL/2005/regular?sort_col_1=4[/url]

The Giants are 31st in total defense. Just above the 49ers.[/QUOTE]
Cheers. Thanks for the link.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

Anyone know what the current betting line is? Just curious...

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

[QUOTE=Bozzy]We have the #2 offense in the NFL and the #4 defense in the NFL.

I'm not worried about the #31 ranked defense of the New York Giants.[/QUOTE]

Great site! Just found it last week and love it!!!

A lot of people here are talking about the Giant's 31st ranking. I'd like to throw in that though the Giants are last in the league for yards per game they are first in the league for points scored per game. And this is a game in NY. If the Skin can go in there and handle the Giants Sunday we very well may see a 12-4 season or better.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

[QUOTE=expatriated_in_PHX]Great site! Just found it last week and love it!!!

A lot of people here are talking about the Giant's 31st ranking. I'd like to throw in that though the Giants are last in the league for yards per game they are first in the league for points scored per game. And this is a game in NY. If the Skin can go in there and handle the Giants Sunday we very well may see a 12-4 season or better.[/QUOTE]
welcome my man

Re: Skins versus Giants
 

How the skins will win:
Offensive Ballcontrol~ keep their offense of the field
Clock control
They will cover Plax the same way they cover TO
Washington will be responsible for Shockey
shut down the Tiki and the running game
Blitz Lavar, Springs and Bowen on Eli...

As I see this schedule, I can see us beating every one of those teams, we just have to stop defeating ourselves.

Re: Skins versus Giants
 

Well if you look at the stats the Giants have the 31st ranked overall defense in the NFL just ahead of the 49ers. If the offense can put up some points and control the clock this game should not be as challenging as we thought. We all know Joe Gibbs will have the Skins prepared and the one big factor will be playing in New York. In terms of matchup's look at how Tony Gonzalez did. not much. In terms of covering their receivers Springs will def. be on Plaxico and hopefully Carlos Rogers will be healthy enough to play to cover Toomer. This should be another game that the offense will control and with LaVar back on the field the defensive intensity should step up.

Re: Skins versus Giants
 

this will also come down to controlling turnovers

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I thought I would have to defend the Redskins against some fans who actually still doubt the consistent dominance of our team. But you guys have pointed out the obvious which allows me to go to work tommorrow and spit statistics about our 2# offense and 4# defense and the Giants pitiful 31st defense. Redskins 31, Giants 17

Re: Skins versus Giants
 

no turnovers, run the clock... they have very little in the way of high-talent difference makers on defense, so that's the best way to play them.

Eli could easily be their best player after a terrible rookie year... i haven't seen much, but he's been really impressive so far. We'll probably drop 8 a lot like we did against seattle, since that seems to workk well on QB's capable of burning the blitz.

Re: Skins versus Giants
 

Redskins 24, Giants 17

Here's my unrealistically detailed prediction of the offense's stats.
Brunell 24/32 250 yards with 2 TDs
Portis 110 yards on 25 carries with 1 touchdown
Moss 6 receptions for 120 yards, 1 TD
Cooley 4 receptions for 65 yards, 1 TD
Patten 4 receptions for 50 yards

Manning is good, but our defense is better and the schemes will confuse him. Our offense will have no problem.

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

[QUOTE=Dirtbag]Anyone know what the current betting line is? Just curious...[/QUOTE]

skins are getting 2 currently...

Re: Skins verses Giants
 

[QUOTE=Dirtbag]Anyone know what the current betting line is? Just curious...[/QUOTE]The Skins are +2. Bet that all day. I just put up my house and my dog...I love my dog...

Re: Skins versus Giants
 

My concern is Antonio Pierce. He was very familiar with Gregg Williams' defense. Pierce could give some ideas to Giants O-coordinator to exploit some of our defensive schemes. One or two big plays by the Giants offense could be the difference (just like Denver and KC game).