I think the biggest problem on offense is our defense. The defense over the last 3 weeks has been as bad as any Giants defense I remember watching, and I think it’s getting into the O’s head that they need to make big plays to keep up with the other teams. That leads to abandoning the run way too early, and lot’s of ill-advised throws down the field.

I also think Eli’s foot is bothering him more than he’s letting on. He went from being the #2 ranked QB in the NFL 3 weeks ago to #15 this week. I know some of that is going from playing teams like the Chiefs/Bucs/Raiders to playing the Saints/Cards/Eagles, but no matter how much of a talent discrepancy there is, it’s not possible that that’s the only explanation. Heck, Donovan McNabb looked awful against a Raiders D that Eli picked apart.

All I can tell you about when Ramses Barden is going to play is when you find out you let me know, lol

I remember hearing about both Jackson and Barden before they were drafted. Both were thought to be raw. However, Jackson was close enough to being ready that he went in the 2nd round, Barden went much later. Jackson took at least year before he really even saw the field and a few more years after that before he was a reliable starter. If you think of Barden as a rawer Jackson you basically need to keep reminding yourself to be patient whilst waiting for him to excel in NFL.

and by all accounts he looked awesome in training camp (of course, in retrospect dominating the Giants secondary isn’t all that impressive), but the reports are that he’s really struggled memorizing the playbook and is still very raw. I think of him almost like one of those young latin american pitching prospects, who can throw 98 MPH but don’t really have much control yet. You know the talent is there, it’s just a matter of whether they can harness it or not.

trying to find you some injury updates, will keep you posted

Yes he has a broken bone in his foot, but can’t do any worse damage to it by playing. He hasn’t shown any signs to me that he is holding back, although the offense has been so inept lately its hard to tell who is playing well

The weaknesses right now are definitely in the linebackers. Not enough athletes there, one of the starters (Pierce) best days are behind them, and one of the other starters (Danny Clark) really shouldn’t be.

Has he run through any brick walls yet?

I have to imagine New York’s plan will be to take them away by applying pressure with their front seven since their secondary is rather pedestrian.

And CC Brown is absolutely awful and his counterpart at safety (Michael Johnson, I think) is not good either. They both struggle in run protection and can easily be manipulated so that they cheat up towards the box (and then get burned on play action. see: DeSean Jackson TD) and then even when they play pass they have trouble working with the CBs and getting good coverage. I expect to see a lot of deep corner and post routes, mostly run through play action (although with Norval, you never know).

to attempt to figure out the Giants game plan only leads to severe bleeding of the ears, take it from a guy with 30 years experience in trying.

The problem is, when you play “aggressive” on defense, it leaves your secondary exposed, and this secondary has been exposed more than Pee Wee in a dirty movie theater. I really can’t tell you what to expect on defense from the Giants.

Chris Canty’s labels from his the start of his college career:
Up-and-comer
Defensive Standout
Future Top 10 Pick
Injured sleeper pick
Late round pick
Starting DE
Impressive Rookie
Under-Producing Bum
Top free agent
sleeper free agent

on D it’s either Corey Webster or Mathias Kiwanuka. Webster had a stretch going back to early last season w/o giving up a TD, although he gave one up against the Cards. He hasn’t looked as dominant the last 3 weeks as he had most of last year and the first 5 weeks this year, but I imagine it’s pretty hard to be a good cornerback when you have literally no help from your safeties.

Kiwanuka is the overlooked guy on the D-line, but he’s probably just as good if not better than Osi at this point, and in a few games has clearly been the best player on the line. He’d be a starter on almost every other team in the league, b/c he can also be a 3-4 LB.

On O: I don’t know if Steve Smith still counts as underrated, so I’ll go with Hakeem Nicks. He’s been the one bright spot over the past few weeks. It looks like the Giants are gonna have a great 1-2 punch at WR for the next few years (and maybe even more if Manningham can remember to catch the ball). Also, the entire line often gets a lot of praise, but Chris Snee might be the best guard in the NFL, especially on pull blocking.

On Special Teams: Definitely Jeff Feagles. The guy is one of the best punters in the history of the NFL, and though his leg strength is almost completely gone, he’s still the best at directional punting. He’s like the Pedro Martinez of punters. He’s not Mike Scifres, but he’s definitely still in that top tier. He did have an awful game against the Cardinals two weeks ago, but it was the first time in his 6+ seasons with the Giants that he had a bad game, so I’m gonna give him the benefit of the doubt.

a few years ago, Tomlinson was definitely my favorite, but I haven’t really been a fan of the way he’s carried himself as his skills have declined. Still, he was awesome to watch in his prime.

On the flip side, I was never a big Rivers fan, but he started to win me over when he played with the injured leg two years ago, and the more I hear about him the more I have started to like him.

And I like Shawne Merriman as a player, but I hate the fact that you guys got him with our pick. That stings a bit.