Smoot Lays the Smack Down (Giants at Redskins)

[SmootSmack]

So I had the chance to watch some of today's action with a few NYC Firefighters. I mean they were all loudly rooting for the Giants, but still that was pretty cool. Especially on a day like today

Anyhow, let's keep this brief because it was a huge win to start the year and there aren't too many things to complain about (and I'll leave Doughty out of it today, because I think we're beating that silly in other threads)

Pass Protection I know we want to put all the blame on TW, but Brown struggled early, Kory L. gave up at least one sack, and it's not just limited to the OL. Our backs and receivers, including Hightower struggled in picking up blitzes a couple of times. Luckily, Kyle's underrated schemes (combined with a depleted Giants secondary) put a lot of open receivers out there. Still, it's something that needs to be corrected

The Running Game I didn't understand it quite honestly. I thought they'd use Helu some more, even thought Torain might see some action. But really what I didn't understand is why we seemed to be repeatedly running Hightower to the outside, and not really getting much out of it. I'd need to watch the game again, but less than 3 yards a carry is disappointing

Graham Gano No excuse for missing that field goal...and once again, we go back to getting nervous every time you line up for a field goal

[rbanerjee23]

I would be more than a little concerned about TW and the rest of the line .. not only was the giants secondary depleted, their D line was missing Osi and Tuck, arguably two of the best D Linemen in the league. Pierre Paul is no slouch but Trent Williams looked flat out bad against him today.

[Ruhskins]

Originally Posted by rbanerjee23

I would be more than a little concerned about TW and the rest of the line .. not only was the giants secondary depleted, their D line was missing Osi and Tuck, arguably two of the best D Linemen in the league. Pierre Paul is no slouch but Trent Williams looked flat out bad against him today.

Well we won the game, I think the o-line protected Grossman for some crucial plays. I do think the o-line needs to improve their play though, b/c we will see better pass rushing teams than the depleted Giants.

[hooskins]

I wont mention our safety who struggled, but we need landry back ASAP. Any of you haters still think we are better without him?

[Beemnseven]

Yeah, watching Demarcus Ware tonight should scare the daylights out of everybody. We'll see him in two weeks, and they better figure something out quick. You also have to figure this was the first full game for all of these guys to play together and there are going to be some kinks to work out.

I was surprised that with all the pressure, we didn't see any screen passes. At some points, I thought playcalling in anticipation of obvious blitzing situations was a bit suspect. They have to do a better job of setting up some plays to get the ball out quicker.

Overall though, I have a tough time complaining tonight. Great win. And they needed this one bad.

[12thMan]

Beemn, I was thinking the same thing about Ware. He's gonna eat our lunch.

[Swarley]

My only other gripe that Smoot didnt touch on was the drops by Armstrong and Gaffney.

[44ever]

My biggest ? is why no RB rotation??? I really expected to see Torain and Helu. Hightower did what I expected in the 1st half but was very one dimensional the 2nd. Why the heck have 3 great backs and only use 1? With that said, Great Game! HTTR!!!

[SmootSmack]

Well, Armstrong and Gaffney each had a couple of nice catches as well so it can slide today.

[rbanerjee23]

Yeah, Armstrong dropped two catches but kind of made up for it with that sick diving catch where he barely missed the endzone.

The only reason I bring up the OL play was because there were some plays where Grossman was getting plastered and I actually felt bad for the guy. Great win though, as I said somewhere else, we were neck and neck with the Giants the whole game and dominated them in the second half.

People are going to bring up how depleted the Giants team was ... mofos, look at the redskins, half our team are new players from our RB, C, DT(2), DE ... and the list goes on. Lots to be positive about today.

[Ruhskins]

Originally Posted by rbanerjee23

Yeah, Armstrong dropped two catches but kind of made up for it with that sick diving catch where he barely missed the endzone.

The only reason I bring up the OL play was because there were some plays where Grossman was getting plastered and I actually felt bad for the guy. Great win though, as I said somewhere else, we were neck and neck with the Giants the whole game and dominated them in the second half.

People are going to bring up how depleted the Giants team was ... mofos, look at the redskins, half our team are new players from our RB, C, DT(2), DE ... and the list goes on. Lots to be positive about today.

I'm sure people will bring this up, but what they forget is that our team couldn't beat the teams we were supposed to beat. I do hope that we do well against good teams, but also I want to continue to see us do well against inferior teams and not play down to the level of our competition.

[FRPLG]

I thought our protection issues were exacerbated by poor recognition a lot. Either by Rex or the line there seemed to be ample opportunity to diagnose and react to the pressure. Most of their pressure was artificially generated via overload it seemed. A couple times Rex just needed to see it and get rid of the ball faster. I have to think the ability to do so will come with more time on the field in the scheme.

[GusFrerotte]

Yeah, I thought they would bring in another RB and give HT a break. They need to mix it up with HT and give the opposition new looks with more options with running plays and putting in the guy that might best run that specific play. The days of the feature back are slowly slipping away into history.

[diehard]

Originally Posted by rbanerjee23

Yeah, Armstrong dropped two catches but kind of made up for it with that sick diving catch where he barely missed the endzone.

The only reason I bring up the OL play was because there were some plays where Grossman was getting plastered and I actually felt bad for the guy. Great win though, as I said somewhere else, we were neck and neck with the Giants the whole game and dominated them in the second half.

People are going to bring up how depleted the Giants team was ... mofos, look at the redskins, half our team are new players from our RB, C, DT(2), DE ... and the list goes on. Lots to be positive about today.

[Applause] This win shouldn't be downplayed one bit.

[rbanerjee23]

Originally Posted by FRPLG

I thought our protection issues were exacerbated by poor recognition a lot. Either by Rex or the line there seemed to be ample opportunity to diagnose and react to the pressure. Most of their pressure was artificially generated via overload it seemed. A couple times Rex just needed to see it and get rid of the ball faster. I have to think the ability to do so will come with more time on the field in the scheme.

But that's true of any OL/QB ... Rex looked a lot worse on some plays because of the OL play and the fumble was 20% Rex's fault and 80% the OL's fault. Hell, one play, I saw Pierre Paul run by Williams where Williams just fell down. That has got to be fixed.