A True Test

                                                         

The bye has come and gone and the second half of the Giants season begins in the bright lights of Monday Night Football.  Sitting at a less than desirable 3-4 and coming off two tumultuous losses to division rivals, there is no question that a sense of urgency is starting to set in for Big Blue. However, it will not get any easier, the next 4 weeks will be the ultimate test of the team’s character and resolve as they face the Colts, Seahawks, 49ers, and Cowboys successively.  These will be very tough games where the Giants will have to bring an A effort, or suffer the same demoralization that was felt in both Philadelphia and Dallas.  Great teams always find a way to answer the challenge when it is placed upon them, but it will take excellence in execution to see it through.  Here are some of the elements that the Giants must work on:

Run the ball effectively - Since Rashad Jennings went down, the Giants running game has been non-existent.  The rushing attack looks more like the one Giants fans have been all to accustomed to seeing

Attack more on defense - If one thing was shown on Monday night by Washington, it was that going on the attack is still an effective form of defense.  The Giants have allowed too many quarterbacks to sit in a spacious pocket and pick them apart.  They must lose the conservatism and take more chances instead of relying on a worn down front line that has not done much thus far

Better offensive line play- Despite not yielding a sack against the Cowboys, the offensive line has looked out of sync in recent weeks.  This was compounded by the dismal performance it displayed against the Eagles, where Manning was sacked 8 times and knocked down on numerous occasions.  It is here where the running game must take shape, which will lighten the load for Eli and make the games more manageable on offense.

Quicken the offensive pace - The Giants saw success in a faster paced offense in week 7 and should look to it more often.  McAdoo’s new schemes are designed to produce points quickly and efficiently and with their personnel, it can work to their advantage. 

It will be a most interesting stretch that could decide the fate of the season, so it is imperative the Giants do all of this and more if they want to come out of it with a new found confidence in themselves.

Moving in the Right Direction

                     

The New York Giants season began with much uncertainty as the new look offense and revamped defense stumbled out of the gate.  The Monday night drumming at the hands of the Lions and the lackluster performance against a Cardinals team playing without starting QB Carson Palmer had Giants fans seeing deja vu with another 0-6 start on the horizon. Thankfully, despite the early hardships the team has rallied for 3 wins over the Texans, Falcons, and an impressive win over the Washington Redskins.  Eli Manning has looked much more comfortable in Ben McAdoo’s offense, finding a rhythm with his receivers and limiting the turnovers that have often plagued him in his 11 years as a professional.  The short win streak has not only alleviated any worries the any may have had about the team, it has also placed them in the thick of the tightly contested NFC East division race. 

As the week 8 bye approaches, the Giants will take on two of their most heated NFC rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. The high magnitude of these games are surely to ramp things up as the team would love nothing more than to seize control of the division before their week off.  As with any road games it will certainly be a nose to the grindstone atmosphere and nothing will come easy.  However, the new found confidence of the offense and a revitalized defense that may bend but not break, The Giants will see this as not a test, but an opportunity.