New Position

I have been named Editor of GMENHQ.COM...As a condition of employment I cannot post Giants news on other sites...so go over to http://gmenhq.com and follow along there!

I also write for http://Aerysoffsides.com on different topics.

Hope to see you at the Head Quarters!

This Weeks Preview Exclusively at GMENHQ.COM

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Here come the 'Fins

     The Miami Dolphins make their second trip to New Jersey in three weeks to play the New York Giants this Sunday at 1:00 Eastern. The Dolphins currently sit at 0-6, and rank near the bottom of most statistical categories.  They average 15 points a game and are a -7 in turnover ratio.  They  lost their starting QB Chad Henne a few weeks ago, and former Panther Matt Moore will take the snaps from center this week.  They have a decent running attack that they stick to relentlessly during the entirety of the game.  Daniel Thomas has rushed for 300 yards in 75 carries, and Reggie Bush has 230 yards on 60 attempts. They have allowed 22 sacks this season.

      On Defense they have a total of 14 sacks, with Cameron Wake having 5 of those.  Their starting secondary has a total of zero interceptions, with the team totaling only two.  They allow an average of almost 380 yards a game while yielding over 24 points per contest.

      The good news for the Giants this week is the health of their players.  Justin Tuck is back. Chris Snee is back.  The entire team is healing in time for the second half push.  While this is one of those games where the Giants might start slow, and look a little sluggish, I am hoping that the Seattle disaster a few weeks ago is fresh in their minds.  I hope they start quick, get the Dolphins down early, and cruise to an easy win before their schedule turns brutal.

Who are The Giants?

The Giants have a bye this week so we do a little thing coaches like to call Self Scout.  The Giants have used this as a learning tool since Tom Coughlin arrived.  It really helps to look at your own tendencies and see how you would game plan against yourself.

The Offense (B):  The Giants offense is starting to click at the right time.  Although the running game has not quite reached the level they will need it to, the overall offense is moving in the right direction.  When you see Eli feel comfortable with the likes of Victor Cruz and Jake Ballard you know the offense is working.  It is great to see guys step up and make plays.  Yes, teams will start to keep an eye on Ballard now, but that only opens up opportunities to get the ball to the backs, and to the other wideouts.  The O-Line continues to be the victim of injuries, but again this builds depth for the rest of the season.  All in all this offense which ranks 9th in points and 7th in passing is moving in the right direction.  The running game will prove to be the final piece of any success they enjoy this season.

The Defense(C):  It seems the defense has been struggling since day one.  They must rely on pressuring the QB and have to find a way to limit the running games of opponents.  Hopefully Justin Tuck will return in the next week or two and be able to stay healthy the remainder of the season.  This is a big piece of the puzzle.  The pressure that a healthy D-Line puts on the offense is key.  Not only in the passing game, but against the run.  Hopefully the second half sees the beginning of the career of “The Prince”.  Prince Amukamara will allow the safeties to return to their natural positions and should strengthen the defense overall.  Health is the key for this defense.

Special teams(B):  The most pleasant surprise here has been Steve Weatherford. Top ten in average and top 5 in return yardage against is a big reason the specials have been better.  Aaron Ross has stabilized the punt return position.  I still would look for Jerrel Jernigan to get a shot somewhere here this season.  He did dress for his first game last week.  The kickoff returns have been so-so, but no turnovers in either category is a goal achieved.  Lawrence Tynes has been stellar on kickoffs, but the confidence certainly isn’t there on the field goal front.

The Outlook:  30-16….That is the combined record of the teams the Giants will face after the Dolphins leave town.  Not only do the Giants face some traditionally good teams, they play them at all the wrong places and times.  IN New England, IN New Orleans on a Monday Night, IN San Francisco, IN Dallas on a Sunday Night, add to that home games against Green Bay and the cross town rival Jets.  This is a tough challenge.  Now, you never know what a team will look like when you finally play them, but it lays out as a very tough road.  Maybe the best thing that happens for the Giants this year is Philly, Dallas and Washington stay mediocre to poor, and the path gets a bit easier.  The Good news is this team can only get healthier.  Hopefully they will continue to improve on this front and have a complete team to compete with going forward,

A Positive Step

      If you read the post below, you know we called on the Giants to accomplish a few things in order to defeat the Buffalo Bills.  We asked that Ryan Fitzpatrick QB of the Bills visit the turf more than he had in the previous weeks.  He had been sacked 4 times in 5 weeks.  Welcome to Giants stadium Mr. Fitzpatrick.  Sacked three official times, and two other times he scrambled for one yard gains.  Next we asked the Giants to keep Eli upright.  No sacks recorded, and really not much pressure at all.  Eli was superb in the first half and steady throughout.  21/32 for 292.....and no turnovers.  The biggest key to this game was going to be turnovers.  Buffalo was an amazing plus 11, with 12 interceptions.  The Giants not only held onto the ball themselves, but forced Buffalo into two huge interceptions.
     Now, the Giants did not play a perfect game by any means, but they did seem to take a few positive steps.  They still need to trust one another on defense, and get a healthy offensive line in place.  The bye week comes at a very good time.  They should get Tuck, Snee, and Jacobs back for the Miami game.  They may even see the likes of  backup center Adam Koets, WR Ramses Barden, and hopefully "The Prince" will make an appearance.  With the toughest schedule in the league to face after the Miami Scrimmage, it will be a good time to be completely healthy.

Preview of the second half and a little self scout on Friday.

Who Are The Bills??

     The Bills are a surprisingly good team this year.  With wins over Oakland, New England and Philly already, they travel to New York to face the Giants Sunday afternoon.  I say the Bills are surprising because some of their stats belie their record.  They are 30th in yards per game on DEFENSE.  They give up a little over 420 yards per game, however they have 12 interceptions to counteract that fact.  They are 29th in the league in rushing defense, while forcing 5 fumbles in the process. They are last in the league in sacks with a total of 4.  To say that this was a stout defense would be a lie, but they manage to create turnovers, and that’s how they have won some of these games.  With all of that yardage and the negative statistics on defense, they are in the middle of the pack allowing 24 points per game.  They do have some injuries to their defense this week.  Their nose tackle Kyle Williams most likely will be out of the line-up Sunday as will Steroid freak Shawn Merriman, no great loss there.  Merriman has been missing in action for them for a while now, even when he has been on the field.  It is a bad stat when your safeties lead your team in tackles, but when your D-Line has a total of 30 tackles and no sacks thru 5 games, someone has to be stepping into the hole.

On Offense the Bills rank third in points scored with almost 33.  They are 4th in rushing yards and 13th in passing.  They are led by Ivy League (HARVARD) QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who seems to have found a system he can work within.  Head coach Chan Gailey has turned this part of the team around.  Fitzpatrick  now completes 66% of his passes.  He has 10 TD’s with 4 INT’s.  He has not fumbled the ball so far this year.  He is a possession Qb with the ability to throw the ball deep.  Again the stats say he averages 7 yards a throw, but he has only been sacked three times, and has thrown for a total of over 1200 yards.  Stevie Johnson and Fred Jackson are the stars of this offense.  The Bills know how to spread the ball around through the air, and can pound you on the ground.  This is a true west coast offense, one that can give the Giants fits if they are not careful.

Finally we face a team without a Special teams nightmare waiting to happen.  The Bills average 7 yards a return on punts with a long of 10, and 24 yards on kickoffs with a long of 25.  Hopefully the Giants can win a field position battle this week.

Giants need to avoid the turnovers this week, and turn both of the sack stats of Buffalo around.   The Giants should be able to keep Eli upright against a team with a total of 4 sacks, and hopefully can have Ryan Fitzpatrick visit the Meadowlands turf more times this game than he has all year…it would go as a big plus towards winning this game.

Giants in Trouble Now.......

     This is not usually a title you see from me...I am Mr. Positive.  I know it's a long season, but something disturbing occurred to me the other day.  When the Giants started the season, and lost to Washington on the road, we figured those things happen, they had lost their middle linebacker a few days earlier, and were still in disarray.  Then they beat a Ram team that had a very good defense and a top quarterback, then on to Philadelphia to play the top rated Eagles.  They defeated the Eagles and erased some demons.  They then traveled across the country and beat an improving Arizona team with top notch talent that had lost their two previous games by a total of 4 points.  Now here's the problem.  The Rams, Eagles, and Cardinals have not won a game since!  The Giants have beaten three teams with a total of two wins.  The Eagles which was thought to be their signature win for this young season can't beat anybody.
      If the Giants manage to beat Buffalo and Miami they will be 5-2.  Not a terrible start. But looming ahead are the likes of: Green Bay, New England, New Orleans, and of course two against the Cowboys, and another match-up with Washington.  If they get things straightened out and play well....can they get to 10?  Beating the Eagles, Cowboys, and San Francisco now only gets you to 8.  Can they beat the Cowboys twice?  Will the Jets be done by Christmas? Starting to look at Wild card spots this early can get depressing, and confusing.  I hope this team gets it's act together quickly.

Preview of The Bills on Friday