Turnovers + Field Position = Bad Grades

That's the story as we wrap up the most recent loss to Arizona and begin looking ahead to this weekend's matchup with the much-hated Phillies, er, uh, Eagles. Kind of forgot the sport there for a second.

At any rate, the Giants have a hard week of preparation ahead of them, with about a zillion problems to correct. Bad tempo on offense, receivers who need to learn how to fight off defensive backs for the ball, coaches who need to jigger their gameplans to play into this 5-2 team's strength. It's going to be a rough week all around as the Giants prepare to face the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year, right in Giants Stadium.

Here are the grades.

QUARTERBACK: Eli Manning came into the game with three interceptions and left with six. If that wasn't bad enough, he picked up two delay of game calls to turn manageable third-down situations into third-and-longs, stopping one promising drive entirely. He wasn't particularly accurate in a 19-for-37, 243-yard day, and his lone touchdown toss was more luck than anything. This was Manning's second straight stinker. What's worse, though, is that he's grown a penchant for throwing the low-percentage deep shot when he should be looking for shorter options, or even the run game, on short-yardage situations. Those things look nice on film when they hit, but more often they wind up going long or sailing out of bounds, as his deep toss to Mario Manningham did on third-and-2 from the Cardinals' 46. He actually had a run called there, but he checked out of it to heave it long. He did the same thing against New Orleans, time and time again. He also tried to force too many balls into tight spots. Time to rein in the arm. GRADE: F.

RUNNING BACKS: Ahmad Bradshaw's late fourth-quarter fumble cost the Giants the ball at the Arizona 42 when they trailed by seven. Other than that, Bradshaw was nothing more than ordinary in a 12-for-32 night, a departure from the previous six games, where he looked like the Giants' lead back. Brandon Jacobs took back that honor with his best outing of the season, a 13-carry, 76-yard, one-touchdown outing that produced a 5.8-yard per carry average. The problem was, he wasn't used nearly enough. Jacobs needs to be up around 20-25 carries, but that's not his fault. GRADE: C-.

WIDE RECEIVERS: Hakeem Nicks made one of those Johnny-on-the-Spot catches off a deflected ball and took it 62 yards for a touchdown. He gets a personal "A" just for that. And give Kevin Boss an "A" for holding onto that 25-yard catch despite a helmet-to-helmet hit. The other guys? Meh. Steve Smith was a non-factor in a four-catch, 69-yard day. Manningham ran a bunch of bad routes. And Domenik Hixon had a sure touchdown, only to have it stolen from him in mid-air by Dominique Rogers-Cromartie in the end zone. Can't let that happen. If Hixon comes down with it, it's a different ballgame. Actually, Antrel Rolle had a similar-type interception on the Giants' last play of the game, swiping it from Smith. GRADE: C-.

OFFENSIVE LINE: Second-round rookie Will Beatty made his first career start in place of injured RT Kareem McKenzie and did a solid job. At least he didn't give up a sack, which is something that can't be said for LG Rich Seubert. That whole middle of the line looked shaky both in the run and in pass protection. The Cardinals blitzed a lot, but their front three exerted plenty of pressure on their own. They never really got into a blocking rhythm on the run game, either. GRADE: C.

DEFENSIVE LINE: Can't blame these guys for the loss. They stepped up the pass rush significantly from their no-show against New Orleans. Mathias Kiwanuka harrassed Kurt Warner and had one of the Giants' two sacks as well as two quarterback hits. Osi Umenyiora was active, as was Justin Tuck, who forced a fumble. If anything, they can be criticized for not getting all the way home enough. But they did make Warner uncomfortable in a 20-for-36, 231-yard, one touchdown day. GRADE: B+.

LINEBACKERS: When Danny Clark gets a sack, you know something's going right. Clark hadn't had one of those since 2005 in Oakland. Antonio Pierce had 10 tackles, including one for a loss. Regardless of the improved performance, this group continues to miss the athleticism and speed of Michael Boley tremendously. GRADE: B.

SECONDARY: C.C. Brown had a much-improved outing over the previous week. But he could have stood in one spot and done that. Whatever, he didn't kill the Giants. Terrell Thomas had his second interception of the season and four breakups. Bruce Johnson, playing the nickel, was a real weak spot, especially the few times he was matched up against Larry Fitzgerald. Totally outmanned in that one. Corey Webster continued a strong season with a pair of breakups on Fitzgerald, and was key in holding him to six catches for 83 yards and no touchdowns. GRADE: B.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Yikes. I never thought I'd be writing this, but Jeff Feagles was a disaster. Seven punts for a 34.4-yard average, and four straight from deep in his own territory that never traveled more than 35 yards. He blamed it on the angles he took. Maybe Steve Breaston's return ability got into his head, because Feagles is more than capable of angling out a punt 45 yards downfield. Three of those four gave the Cardinals field position near or beyond midfield. The Giants' own return game was a non-factor. A year after they had an average starting field position at the 44 against the Cardinals, they fell back to the 27. GRADE: F.

COACHING: The offense never should have gotten away from the run because the game was never out of hand. Jacobs needs to get between 20 and 25 carries per game, and the Giants need to run between 30 and 35 times. Instead, they had just 26 carries for 107 yards. Once the Giants fell behind 17-14, the run-pass ratio shifted dramatically, 22-10 over the final 32 plays. Have to even that out, especially when Jacobs is on. The defensive gameplan wasn't horrible, as Bill Sheridan made better use of the blitz and the front four got pressure. Also, good use of Kevin Dockery and C.C. Brown to double-cover Fitzgerald. GRADE: D.

Okay. Let's hear it.

EP

Something New

I know you've all been waiting for me to make my formal entrance into the feature film world. Well, here it is. In my never-ending effort to unseat Martin Scorcese as America's premier film maker, I've gone high-tech to get a message across.

In this case, I've melded together interviews from Shaun O'Hara, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Eli Manning about the agony of losing to Arizona. You may want to take a sedative before viewing the most intense minute and 40 seconds you'll ever experience.

Note the advanced cinematic effects: transitions between players, the Citizen Kane upshots, the soft lighting that creates a feeling of global numbness in the face of environmental defeat.

Okay, it doesn't really have all that. It's just three guys talking about losing the game. But you get the picture. And hey, I'm not charging $9.50 to watch.

Moral of the story: Don't turn the ball over on two consecutive drives in the final four minutes of a seven-point game.

If you guys like the film, we'll do more down the road.

EP

Lack of Tempo

One of the biggest issues for the Giants Sunday was the tempo of the offense -- or lack thereof, shall we say. Underlining that whole problem were the two delay of game calls on Eli Manning that had Tom Coughlin rankled, to say the least.

"It was not what you want," Coughlin said. "I think it was due to the fact that we were trying so much to get ourselves into the right protection call. I don't want to play like that. I don't like it. It's not something that's new, but I don't want to be slowed down by it that much."

Manning had his own explanation, as you'll see on this video. Keep in mind that his first delay call turned a third-and-5 into a third-and-9, and the second one turned a third-and-2 into a third-and-7. The second one turned a third-quarter drive into a three-and-out, while the first one basically ended a nine-play drive that had put the Giants on the Arizona 39.

"I don't like it," Coughlin said. "There's no reason for it. There really isn't. At some point the chess game is over and you just live with what's there. "

He's had a few before Sunday, too. Just about one per game.

EP

Boss Sore

Amid all the other issues surrounding the Giants' loss last night, here's something else. Kevin Boss was sore around the neck area, but at least he doesn't have a concussion.

Tom Coughlin said he doesn't know if Boss will be available for practice Wednesday, but the helmet-to-helmet hit that sent him for x-rays after the game did not produce a concussion.

He was impressed with the 25-yard catch that caused everything, though. Antrel Rolle hit him immediately, and high, and Boss held onto the ball despite being knocked woozy.

"He's sore today, and rightfully so," Coughlin said. "He's taken a heck of a blow and he's sore in the shoulders and the neck area. Unbelievable catch."

Kareem McKenzie, meanwhile, said he'll continue to take things day by day in his comeback from last week's groin injury. He warmed up before the game, but the medical staff told him he wasn't ready to play.

"It was very difficult watching my teammates go without me," McKenzie said. "But you have to be mature about these things. I have to deal with it the best I can. You just have to be positive about these things and take it day by day."

More coming later.

EP

Poll Alert!!!!

You'll notice on the left-hand side there's another poll, this one suggested by our regular commenter Wayno2424. It asks what the Giants' biggest problem is right now.

We'll keep it open until 5 p.m. tomorrow, so vote, vote, vote. And leave a comment on this post defending your vote.

EP

Finally, the film

Here are the highlights I promised you. There's a couple of positives in there for the Giants amid the tragedy.

A Chat?

In my never-ending efforts to learn this stuff and, at the same time, give you guys something extra, I'm going to try to have a live chat on Friday at noon. Sound good?

All you'll have to do is come to this site, and I'll have a post all set up with a software my friend Patti Traina was good enough to show me. If there's a God in heaven, we'll be chatting directly to each other, in real time.

I'll continue to throw up reminders throughout the week. But for now, start getting your questions together. I figure we'll go a half-hour, between noon and 12:30 p.m. EST. I have a feeling it'll be a lively conversation.

EP

More Medicine

I guess because of the late hour the game ended last night, there are no highlights posted yet of the Giants' 24-17 loss to the Cardinals. As soon as I find something, I'll put it up because, you know, we're all adults here and we're mature enough to know you have to take the good with the bad. Right?

For now, here are some notes from the game, courtesy of Giants.com.

And here's a question for you. Down by 10, and the Giants driving at third-and-2 from the Cardinals' 46, would you try the deep shot to Mario Manningham, as Eli Manning did on a fourth-quarter throw that ultimately went out of bounds near the goal line, or would you try to run the ball and make sure you get the first down?

That, to me, was a huge play in the game, one that the Giants have tried before with mixed results. It is a low percentage pass, after all. I like high-percentage stuff, especially when you should be trying to get the ground game going. But that's just me.

Tell me what you would do.

EP

Game 7 Summary

Well, that wasn't pretty, either, but at least the defense had some fire to it tonight. But even the Giants can't commit four turnovers and expect to win. When Eli Manning throw three interceptions, one in the end zone, and Ahmad Bradshaw loses a fumble in the final minutes, about the only result one can expect is the 24-17 loss the Giants suffered to fall to 5-2.

There is probably reason to worry now, given two losses in a row and the fact that TE Kevin Boss was taken in for x-rays after a huge hit following a 25-yard catch in the fourth quarter. The offense had no rhythm, and they failed to come up with the truly big plays. The special teams actually hurt them this game. Jeff Feagles was a big culprit, hitting four punts in a row less than 35 yards, the first three from deep in his own territory.

The only good thing to this game was the defense, which put front-four pressure on Kurt Warner. But the ex-Giant completed enough passes to counter whatever little offense the Giants produced.

For a full statistical rundown of the game, I'm linking to the NFL site so you have all the stats at your fingertips. But here's my summary.

BIG PLAYS:

Eli Manning threw a great ball to Domenik Hixon that should have gone for a 47-yard touchdown and a 7-0 first-quarter lead. If only cornerback Dominique Rogers-Cromartie hadn't been there to spoil the party. Instead, Rogers-Cromartie went up with Hixon, got his hands on the ball, and wrestled it away for an interception and a touchback as the two tumbled into the end zone.

With the score tied at 7 late in the second quarter, Manning looked for Mario Manningham deep near the sideline. Rogers-Cromartie got his hand on that one and knocked it into the air -- right into the hands of Hakeem Nicks, who was standing about 10 yards away in an open area. Nicks took it 62 yards for a touchdown and a 14-7 lead.

After fair-catching a Cardinals' punt at the Giants' 17, down 24-17 in the fourth, the offense was moving the ball. But Bradshaw, struggling for extra yards, got the ball knocked loose and lost it with just over four minutes to go. "Ahmad is an extra-effort running back," coach Tom Coughlin said. "When he does that, sometimes the ball leaves his side. He was fighting to break tackles and the ball got knocked out."

The Giants' had one last shot, having moved the ball from their 1 to the Arizona 39 as the clock ran under two minutes in the game. But his throw to Steve Smith was intercepted by Antrel Rolle, and Kurt Warner kneeled out the rest of the clock.

THE VETS:

Eli Manning: A 19-for-37, 243-yard, one-touchdown day was ruined by three interceptions.

Jeff Feagles: Seven punts for a 34.3-yard average marked his worst effort in a long, long time. At one point, he hit four punts in a row that failed to travel 35 yards. He had one outright shank of 28 yards, but said the others were the fault of some bad angles he took to assure premier punt returner Steve Breaston wouldn't get a hold of one.

Mathias Kiwanuka: He had some good pressure and had one of the Giants' two sacks on Warner.

Kevin Boss: He showed toughness in grabbing that 25-yarder that ended in what Tom Coughlin thought was a helmet-to-helmet hit. He finished with three catches for 35 yards.

THE KIDS:

Hakeem Nicks: In addition to becoming the first Giants rookie since Bobby Johnson in 1984 to catch four touchdown passes in his first four games, he grabbed four balls for a team-high 80 yards.

Will Beatty: He made his first career start in place of Kareem McKenzie and didn't do badly. He didn't give up a sack, and his block on Manning's fourth-quarter scramble bought the quarterback enough time to hit Nicks for 12 yards and a first-down on the ill-fated fourth-quarter final drive.

THE UGLY STUFF:

As much as the offense lacked rhythm, they were still close enough in the fourth quarter to continue to run the ball. Instead, they went with almost a straight passing game, putting it up seven times in 10 plays on the final drive that ended with Manning's third interception. Manning wound up throwing 37 times, while the Giants ran only 26.

The interior of the offensive line had major problems keeping out the pressure and clearing running lanes. Shaun O'Hara had a bad day, and Rich Seubert gave up a key sack.

THE MISS:

Down 24-14 in the fourth and sitting third-and02 on the Arizona 46, Manning chose to throw deep to Manningham instead of finding someone on a shorter, higher percentage pass to get the first down. Manningham caught the ball, but was out of bounds. "They had an all-out blitz," Manning said. "It wasn't a bad opportunity to try to get something down the field, just try to make a play. But it was a bad throw on my part."

THE BUMPS:

TE Kevin Boss was taken for x-rays following his 25-yard catch. No word on his condition yet.


EP

The Game

UPDATE: Manning's second-and-10 throw to Smith is intercepted by Rolle and returned to the Cardinals' 22 with 1:08 remaining. Warner will kneel out the game. Final: 24-17 Cardinals. Giants' second loss in a row. Be back in a bit with a summary.

UPDATE: Jacobs goes for nine up the middle. Manning throws incomplete, but Jacobs picks up the first down with two yards to the 39.

UPDATE: Giants have two timeouts left.

UPDATE: Beatty jumped early to move it back to the 5. Bradshaw is thrown for a three-yard loss, and then gets hit with an unnecessary roughness penalty to put it at the 1. Second-and-18. Manning hits Nicks for three, and then Smith makes a tremendous catch for 34 to the Giants' 38. Manning's trying, but his throw to Smith goes out of bounds. Manning scrambles away from pressure, then gets good blocking from Beatty to buy enough time to find come-backing Nicks for 12 and a first down at midfield at the two-minute warning.

UPDATE: Interior line needs to stand strong here. Boss just made a great 26-yard catch, getting clocked by Rolle on the way down. But Bradshaw fumbled after a sizeable gain and the Cardinals recovered at their 42. Warner hit Fitzgerald for six on second down. Third-and-4, and Fitzgerald drops it to force a punt that Hixon fair catches at the Giants' 9 with 2:52 left.

UPDATE: This game isn't over yet. Manning has engineered more than his share of come-from-behind touchdown drives in the fourth quarter.

UPDATE: Warner to Fitzgerald for 10 off a blitz. Wells went for 10 and a first down to the Giants' 44. Wells went for two. Wells for 5. Third-and-3. Kiwanuka, who is having a solid game after I critizied him during the week, got a seven-yard sack, forcing a punt that Hixon fair caught at the Giants' 17. No choice here but to score a touchdown.

UPDATE: Arizona returned the kickoff to their 31. Just something to watch when the Giants get the ball again. Safeties Antrel Rolle and Adrian Wilson are both getting worked on on the sidelines.

UPDATE: Giants are struggling as Jacobs got stopped on third-and-2. But he takes it seven for a first down on the 28, after which Manningham srops a pinpoint pass at the goal line. Manning hit Smith for 11 yards. A first-down throw to Jacobs goes high incomplete under pressure. A completion to Smith gets it to the 4, and Jacobs can't get the first down on a two-yard gain. Tynes hit a 20-yard field goal, which the Giants needed anyway, to tighten things to 24-17 with 8:14 remaining.

UPDATE: Manning took a shot on third-and-2 (questionable, anyone) and threw it out of bounds to Smith. Feagles punted to the 12 and the Giants' defense is holding. Warner's long shot to a limping Boldin (he's got that ankle, remember) goes long and incomplete. Graham's punt is brought to the Cardinals' 49 by Hixon, and then an ineligible player downfield call on the punt puts it at the 44.

UPDATE: Another lousy possession. Third-and-14 after a n illegal procedure call, but a roughing the passer call accompainies a completion to Steve Smith for a first down at the Giants' 46. Manning's eight-yard throw to Manningham ends the quarter with the Cardinals up 24-14.

UPDATE: Hixon returns to the 22.

UPDATE: A minus-2-yard completion forces a punt that Ben Graham puts down on the Giants' 19. Jacobs got a nice seven-yard run up the middle. But then he's stopped around right tackle. The offensive line has not had a stellar day of blocking or pass-protecting. Manning's second delay of game call brings up third-and-7, and then he throws an interception to Adrian Wilson on a pass intended for Jacobs, Wilson returning to the 20. Wells brings it up the middle for 15 to the 5, but then loses a yard when Blackburn stops him on a pitch right. Warner dumps it off to Jason Wright for six yards and a touchdown. Cardinals 24-14.

UPDATE: Giants benefitted from a hold and a chop block, giving the Cardinals second-and-27. GIANTS NOTE: Nicks is the first Giants rookie WR with four touchdowns in four games since Bobby Johnson in 1984.

UPDATE: That's four straight punts that Feagles has hit it less than 35 yards, and not by design, either.

UPDATE: Kick's in the end zone. Ball on the Giants 20. Manning is sacked as DT Alan Branch beats Seubert, and the Giants can't move from there. Feagles is having an absolutely horrible game, hitting this punt 30 yards to the Giants' 48.

UPDATE: Third-and-goal from the 1. Hightower took it up the middle for a touchdown. Cardinals 17-14 with 10:19 left in the third.

UPDATE: Giants are still getting pressure, but Warner hit passes of 27 and 27 to the Giants' 7, and then Wells took it to the 3. Wells went for two yards to the 1 before an Arizona timeout.

UPDATE: Feagles' punts it 35 yards to the Arizona 45. Cardinals have clearly won the field position battle so far, but the defense is keeping them from doing anything with it.

UPDATE: And we're off again. Hixon returns to the 20. Special teams is leaving something to be desired tonight. Giants start with a three-and-0ut. Not a good sign at all here.

UPDATE: Have to say the pressure is vastly improved tonight from last week. They're not getting to Warner all the time, but they're making him uncomfortable. Next thing is to knock the ball out on him.

UPDATE: Manning kneels out the half. 14-10 Giants.

UPDTE: Warner's throw goes behind Fitzgerald at the goal line, and Rackers hits a 30-yard field goal with 15 seconds left in the half. 14-10 Giants.

UPDATE: Back to back timeouts from Cardinals and Giants with 0:25 left in the half.

UPDATE: Crowd's cheering DEFENSE. C.C. Brown must have heard them, as he made two nice stops in a row. It's third-and-3 from the 12.

UPDATE: I've said it before and I'll say it again. The more I see of Hakeem Nicks, the more I like him. That's four TDs in four games for him.

UPDATE: This one you had to see to believe. Manning tossed one to Manningham, who was covered closely by Rogers-Cromartie. The DB leaped with Manningham and tapped the ball, apparently for the breakup. But Hakeem Nicks was standing about 10 yards away, snatched the ball out of the air and went 61 yards for a go-ahead touchdown. But Breaston returned the kickoff to the 37 and, just before the two-minute warning, Warner found Boldin, who had beaten Bruce Johnson badly, for 44 yards for a first down at the 19.

UPDATE: Can't blame the front four right now. They're getting good pressure on Warner, but Warner's guys are adjusting well. Hightower was wide open as the heat came down on the quarterback. Hixon brings the kickoff back to the 25.

UPDATE: This offense is a disaster right now. Third-and-14 at the 13 thanks to Jacobs' four=-yard loss. Cardinals are getting pressure on Manning. Must be contagious. Feagles hit another clunker, a 33-yarder to the Giants' 46. Cardinals are moving thanks to a third-and-3 throw to Boldin for 13 yards to the 26. Warner missed Fitzgerald in the end zone, covered by C.C. Brown on second down. Giants are pass rushing, but Hightower caught one to the 13, and Wells brought it the rest of the way as he bounced away off the left side and went all but untouched into the end zone. 7-7 with 4:18 left in the half.

UPDATE: Danny Clark didn't bite on a second-down play-action and sacked Warner for eight yards, after which Hightower dropped an easy pass. Hixon fair catches on the Giants' 17.

UPDATE: Minimal movement on the possession, and then an 11-yard sack by Calais Campbell up the middle, and then Feagles shanks one for 28 yards to the Cardinals' 44.

UPDATE: Giants got good pressure from Kiwanuka on third-and-4 pass, but then Dockery almost loused up the punt as he touched it and nearly had it recovered by a Cardinal. But the defender knocked it out of bounds and the Giants have it at their 31. Dockery gets a fumble and a 0-yard return.

UPDATE: That makes eight touchdowns in 13 turnovers on the season.

UPDATE: Thomas just intercepted an underthrown pass to Fitzgerald and returned it 13 yards to the Cardinals 29. Then Jacobs takes it to the 4 behind some nice blocking. Manning missed a fade to Nicks, but Jacobs brings it in on a cutback up the middle, carrying half a team with him. Giants 7-0.

UPDATE: Do hope there's more action going on in the Yanks' game than this one. Just a lot of back-and-forth here. One turnover each, and neither did a thing with it. Wells took it 13 yards up the gut for a first down at the 25 as the first quarter runs out. No score yet.

UPDATE: A delay of game marched them back five, and a dump pass to Bradshaw lost two more to bring up a punt that Feagles knocked out of bounds at the Arizona 12.

UPDATE: This is not stacking up as a good possession. Bradshaw for no gain, and then for minus-2. They pick up five yards on an offsides call. Another offside gives them third-and-2. Bradshaw's eight-yard gain gives them a first down on the 37. Some pressure off the right side forced Manning to throw away the first-down pass. That's Beatty who got beat. Manningham makes a nice sideline catch for 20 yards to move into Cardinals territory. Bradshaw gets four on a run. Manning's doing a good job of avoiding pressure, this time scrambling for no yards, which is technically a sack.

UPDATE: Warner completed to Boldin for 18 as Thomas gambled, but loses five on an illegal formation after that for first-abd-15 from the Arizona 38. Giants haven't done a bad job defensively, and they force a punt on three Warner passes, one that went for 10 yards to Jerheme Urban. Interesting note: they had both Dockery and Brown on Fitzgerald in front-back coverage. Hixon returned the punt to the 20.

UPDATE: Jacobs broke a nice one on the cutback right up the middle, for 17 yards, and then gets six on a completion. But it all goes for naught when Manning play-actioned a beautiful throw to Hixon deep, only to have Dominique Rogers-Cromartie wrestle the ball out of his hands as they tumbled across the goal line. Arizona gets the interception and the ball at the Arizona 20. Great idea, great throw, and one of the best interceptions you'll ever see by anybody.

UPDATE: Good pressure by Michael Johnson on Warner's third-down pass forces a punt to the Giants' 30. They're doing a good job stopping the run so far.

UPDATE: Incompletion forces a Feagles punt fair caught by Breaston on the Arizona 15. Giants need to get the pass rush going, but Warner is got the ball out pretty fast on his first possession.

UPDATE: Giants are moving on completions to Manningham and Hixon, and a four-yard gain, but Diehl jumped early to bring up third-and-11.

UPDATE: Call was reversed on challenge to a fumble caused by Tuck and a recovery at the Giants' 27 by Michael Johnson.

UPDATE: Ball was returned to the Arizona 34 after a short kickoff. Breaston started it off with a 23-yard reception. Warner hits Fitzgerald for a first deown and still no sign of that pass rush. But Tuck threw Hightower for a loss on a play where the ball came loose. Coughlin is challenging the down by contact.

UPDATE: Cardinals are receiving. We'll get an immediate look at that dormant pass rush.

UPDATE: Just another note. McKenzie's missed start ends the offensive line's streak of games playing as an intact unit at 37 straight. Will be interesting to see how Beatty, the second-rounder, holds up over a whole game.

Thought I'd try something new to give you guys a little more information on the game. Here's the game page from the NFL website with a few notes and stats, just to whet your appetite for the feast that is Cardinals-Giants.

Keep the comments right here. Keep 'em clean. Keep 'em edgy. Live-blogging begins in a little over an hour, baby!!!!

EP

Inactives

Here are the inactives. Kind of a surprise to me, since he took a lot of practice this week, but Kareem McKenzie is down in favor of Will Beatty, who makes his first career start at right tackle. Sinorice Moss is also down, which gives you an idea of how low he's fallen since Domenik Hixon got back.

GIANTS:
WR Ramses Barden
CB Aaron Ross
RB Gartrell Johnson
LB Michael Boley
T Adam Koets
T Kareem McKenzie
WR Sinorice Moss
DT Chris Canty

Also not that LB Clint Sintim is active. Look for him on the situational pass rush.

CARDINALS:
QB Brian St. Pierre
S Rashad Johnson
LB Reggie Walker
G Herman Johnson
G Brandon Keith
WR Early Doucet
TE Stephen Spach
TE Dominique Byrd

EP

Keep On Clicking

Worried that Giants football and the ALCS are going to get in the way of each other? Don't. I'm here for ya. I'll be live-blogging the game, as usual, from start to finish tonight. So put the Yanks on TV and keep the computer or blackberry on so you can check in right here to keep abreast of what should be an interesting football game.

As always, feel free to comment. Just leave them right there in the game blog.

Oh, almost forgot. A special thanks to Nasty 1, who gave this blog a good plug on my friend Rick Carpiniello's Ranger Report at my old newspaper. We've had Nasty here, and I'd hope he continues to pop in with some of his friends. And if you're a Rangers type, Carp runs a heck of a blog. Check it out at http://rangers.lohudblogs.com. I do believe he'll be at Giants Stadium tonight, so I'll pass all our thanks along to him.

So remember, Yanks on TV, Giants right here for constant, real-time updates.

Later,

EP

Game 7 Scouting Report

ARIZONA CARDINALS (3-2) vs. GIANTS (5-1)

THE TEAMS: The Giants remained atop the NFC East despite an horrendous 48-27 loss to the Saints last week. The defense allowed 497 yards of total offense and allowed Drew Brees to throw for 369 yards and four touchdowns. He completed 15 straight passes at one point, many of them at faltering safety C.C. Brown. The Cardinals have had an up-and-down year so far, losing to the weak 49ers the first week of the season but rebounding four games later to pound the Seahawks 27-3 to remain tied with San Francisco for the NFC West lead. Former Giants quarterback Kurt Warner went 32-of-41 in that game for 276 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He completed his first 12 passes. One of his two main targets, Anquan Boldin, did sprain his ankle during that game and may be less than full speed this week. The team is basically the same that went all the way to the Super Bowl last season, except that the defense is better.

THE HISTORY: Since the Cardinals moved to Arizona in 1988, the Giants have gone 13-2 in games at Giants Stadium. Don't let that fool you, however. Most of those Cardinals squads were horrible. This Arizona team is basically the same one that went to the Super Bowl last season, so the oft-used term of patsy no longer applies. "They've pretty much got the same character of guys," defensive end Justin Tuck said. "I know in past years people would say you could kind of take Arizona lightly. That's no longer the case. That's a good football team. You can throw that whole 'softness' out the window." Keep in mind the Giants' primetime history. They're 13-16-1 on Sunday nights.

THE INJURIES: Giants -- DT Chris Canty (calf), CB Aaron Ross (hamstring), and LB Michael Boley (knee) are out. T Kareem McKenzie (groin) is probable. QB Eli Manning (foot), RB Ahmad Bradshaw (foot and ankle), G Rich Seubert (shoulder), WR Mario Manningham (back), RB Danny Ware (elbow) and LB Antonio Pierce (back) are probable.

Cardinals -- TE Stephen Spach (ankle) is out. WR Anquan Boldin (ankle) and RB Beanie Wells (hip) are questionable. WR Steve Breaston (knee), T Levi Brown (knee), G Reggie Wells (thumb) and CB Domenique Rogers-Cromartie (finger) are probable.

WATCH THIS: You'd be hard-pressed to get me to believe anyone's air attack is more dangerous than the Saints' at this point. But the Cardinals come pretty close. For one thing, they use a lot of three and four-wide sets, which means fewer people to pass protect but more targets for Kurt Warner. If Boldin does play, Warner will have four legitimate targets at any one time, whether it be in receivers Larry Fitzgerald (35 catches, 360 yards, five TDs), Boldin (29-306-1), Steve Breaston (23-320-1) and TE Jerheme Urban (15-172-0), or any three of those and Tim Hightower out of the backfield. Hightower had 12 catches for 121 yards in the opener against San Francisco, the franchise's second-most receptions total for a running back.

Because of that, expect to see a lot of nickel, with Kevin Dockery in there, and a lot of blitzing. Certainly more than last week, when the Giants brought the extra pass rusher just 11 times on 33 called pass plays. They never got near Drew Brees, partly because of his quick delivery. But Warner holds the ball more and is a lot more of a stationary target than Brees. Teams have sacked Warner 10 times so far, and the 2-1 pass/run ratio the Cardinals have employed this year should make any guessing games on run-pass options easier. You can also knock the ball out on Warner, as shown by his 45 fumbles in 53 career games with the Cardinals. The front four of Osi Umenyiora, Fred Robbins, Barry Cofield, and Justin Tuck will need to pressure hard. But to get that, Tuck could be played inside more, in place of Cofield, the better to get fellow pass rusher Mathias Kiwanuka on the field with Umenyiora and Tuck at the same time. " This game in particular because there is going to be so much three- and four-wide receiver sets, they will be out there together," defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan said. "And I know it probably seems a little weird at times seeing any one of those three guys on the sidelines because Mike Waufle rotates them through. But in the big picture of things the plan is that they will be fresher for the long haul and they will be able to go harder when they are in there for the 35 or so snaps that each of them basically gets every game. But in this – because we are going to be playing a lot of dime and nickel, three and four wide, then the three of them will be in there collectively, sure."

Those numbers should help. But the Cardinals' offensive line is a bulky group to handle. It ranges from 305 at center Lyle Sendlein to 338 at right guard Deuce Lutui. So the going might be tough, especially in the middle. That's why Sheridan will probably dial up as many blitzes as he can while playing the nickel and dime extensively. The corner blitz with Terrell Thomas, so effective a couple of weeks ago, can be expected, as well as the safety blitz with C.C. Brown.

Speaking of Brown, he'll have to raise his game about 10 notches from last week's dismal performance, as much to find personal redemption as to help defend the 6-foot-3, 217-pound Fitzgerald. The coaches spent the week schooling Brown and the other DBs on going up to challenge passes. Fitzgerald, in addition to speed, can leap with the best of them. He had 13 catches for 100 yards last week against Seattle. So every pass Warner throws will have to be contested if the Giants, still statistically the No. 1 pass defense in the league, expect to come out of this one alive. Covering the intermediate zones will be paramount this week, since Warner doesn't often look deep. The Cardinals' longest completion so far went for 40 yards.

The Cardinals have the 31st-worst rushing offense, but that's mainly because they throw the ball so much. Hightower has three rushing touchdowns and is fast enough to get to the corner. But passing is the Cardinals' real game, and linebackers like Danny Clark and Antonio Pierce will have their hands full keeping up with him.

Eli Manning needs to have a better game than last week. But a lot of that will depend on whether a still-hurting offensive line can keep folks like 3-4 linebacker Bertrand Berry out of the backfield. Berry generally will line up over David Diehl at left tackle. Berry leads the Cardinals with three sacks, but their defense has 13 from nine players, thanks to a mixture of up-front pressure and liberal blitzing. That should open up some big-play possibilities for Steve Smith, Mario Manningham, and Domenik Hixon. Also expect to see an expanded role for Hakeem Nicks, who now has three touchdowns in three games and continues to earn field time as a third receiving option.

Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw also need good games, but that will be tough against a top-rated rushing defense that has allowed 58.6 yards per game. Part of that is because opponents are throwing a lot against them, averaging 265.2 passing yards per game on about 38 passes per game as opposed to 21 rushes. Then again, teams have fallen behind and have become one-dimensional. "Sometimes teams can get away from it because coaches get discouraged or whatever it is, they think they are wasting downs," said Jacobs, whose 3.6-yard average indicates the continuance of a tough start. "That won’t be the case here, we will stick to it. As long as we don’t have to abandon the run we will be fine. We just have to go out and prove it."

Hixon will return at kickoff and punt return after a banner day against New Orleans. Field position is a must, especially if the offense is to get back on track. And it appears Lawrence Tynes has turned a corner on his field goals, having hit his last five straight. The Cardinals counter with Neil Rackers, who is 7-for-8 in field goals.

PREDICTION: The Giants are nothing if not resilient. They've maintained an even-keeled approach to this game, recognizing the blowout in New Orleans represents just one loss. They'll come back, but this won't be easy. It could easily turn into a shootout, but the Giants win 35-27.

GUEST PREDICTION: Vinny DiTrani of the Bergen Record has been covering the Giants since, oh, forever, so he's seen his share of rebounding after horrible losses. He thinks the Giants are on their way back. When asked about returning from the Saints setback, he said, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." Well, actually Clark Gable said that. What Gable's grade-school classmate Vinny said was, "Giants 24-21. They'll bounce back from a dismal Big Easy loss." But he didn't pick them to cover. That's Vincenz!

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Something Nice

Former general manager Ernie Accorsi will be inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame tomorrow. You may remember that it was Accorsi who built the Giants' 2000 Super Bowl team and then handed over a well-stocked club to then-rookie GM Jerry Reese for the 2007 Super Bowl championship year.

Accorsi, a former sportswriter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Baltimore Sun, is most known for his nine years with the Giants. But the Hershey (Pa.) High graduate also served as GM of the Colts and Browns after working in the sports information departments of St. Joseph's University and Penn State.

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RB Ahmad Bradshaw was out of his boot and back in practice this morning, right on schedule to play Sunday. The only ones out of practice were DT Chris Canty (calf), LB Michael Boley (knee), and CB Aaron Ross (hamstring).

EP

Terrell Thomas

Got some Terrell Thomas video for you, describing the practice week and game philosophy for Arizona. I have a feeling he's going to have a big day Sunday.

EP

Friday, Ed, Need I Say More?

It's Friday morning, and that means our weekly Q&A swap with Ed Valentine of Big Blue View. He's always entertaining and informative, and a great switch from me gassing at you all week. But, hey, if you just can't get enough of the Big Ern, you can check out my answers to the same questions over at Ed's blog at http://www.bigblueview.com/. And even if you don't want me, he runs a great operation over there, so check it out, anyway.



And now, here's Ed:


1. What would you do to solve the C.C. Brown problem at safety?


"Well, Ernie, some folks here at BBV will love your idea of execution, I think. We have talked plenty about 'Bad, Bad C.C. Brown' this week at Big Blue View. Like here and here. I have been saying since training camp here in Albany that Brown is horrible in coverage, and it would be an issue if he ever had to play a large number of snaps. The Saints were the first team the Giants have played who could expose him. If he's out there I think everyone else will continue to target him. What can the Giants do? I don't know if Aaron Rouse is any better -- there is a reason Green Bay dumped him. But, he can't be worse so I think he has to at least split time with Brown for now. I keep hearing about moving Terrell Thomas to safety, but Aaron Ross has to be healthy first. Even then, the Giants aren't deep at corner and we don't know how quickly TT could adjust, so that is risky. The best solution would be to figure out how to get a pass rush so there aren't so many passes headed in his direction."


2. How do you think the Giants will rebound from a terrible loss like they had in New Orleans?


"It's one loss. The Giants have had bad losses in each of the past four playoff seasons under Tom Coughlin, and they always rebound. It's a testament to Coughlin and the maturity of this team's core. Emotionally, they will be fine. Defensively, I'm not so sure. Sunday's game was not the first time I did not like what I saw from Bill Sheridan's group. The defensive line has not played up to its ability level, the secondary is thin and without Michael Boley the linebackers just aren't very athletic."



3. If Anquan Boldin's ankle prevents him from playing Sunday, does the secondary have a decided edge in the passing game?

"Well, Boldin is terrific. I'd feel better, though, if it was Larry Fitzgerald who was hurt. Maybe Larry could go clubbing and ... ah, never mind. That's in bad taste. The secondary needs to get all of its players on the same page. There was so much miscommunication last week that it was ridiculous. I can live with passes getting completed, but blown assignments and guys running all over the field wide open is just not the way the Giants play defense."

4. Should the Giants reinstate Domenik Hixon as a starting receiver over Mario Manningham?

"No way. I LOVE Hixon in the return/third or fourth wide receiver role. The game he had Sunday was possibly the best ever enjoyed by a Giants return man, and he has to stay in that role. He is a decent receiver, but nothing special. Returning kicks, however, he is definitely special."

The floor's open, folks. What do you think?

EP

Osi's Head

It's no secret that Osi Umenyiora's production at defensive end is down, down, down this year. This once-fearsome pass rusher, whose 13 sacks made him a Pro Bowler in 2007, has exactly seven quarterback hits in six games, and has registered just three sacks.

Questions about the knee that underwent extensive, season-ending surgery in 2008 have arisen. But Umenyiora said today that whatever problems he's having getting to the passer lie not in the knee, but about three feet or so above it.

"The knee's not an issue at all," Umenyiora said. "It's 100 percent mental."

He's not talking about any self-doubt about the durability of the knee. He's talking about scheme and his freedom to pass rush within it.

"What teams have done is make a conscious effort to confuse our D-line," he said. "They're showing us pass and they run, they're showing us run and they pass. It keeps us off-balance a little bit.


"But as a D-lineman, once you get in that mindframe that you're going to rush, you gotta rush. You can't be sitting there thinking 'I'll take what they give me.' You've got to know exactly what you've got to do. That's where a couple of our problems have come this year.

"I don't want to be over there thinking it's a run when it's a pass. I just want to take off. That's what I'm definitely going to start doing a lot more of."

Not that the rest of the defensive line is doing much of anything, what with Justin Tuck leading with 3.5 sacks and Mathias Kiwanuka contributing all of two sacks. But at least Tuck had pressured the quarterbacks regularly before last Sunday's debacle in New Orleans, where nobody got within spitting distance of Drew Brees. If Umenyiora's befuddlement has affected anyone else, it is probably Kiwanuka. He's looked defenseless and out of sorts for quite some time.

But Kiwanuka is a spare part on the outside at this point. Tuck and Umenyiora are the all-important cogs, and Umenyiora hasn't exactly lived up to his history.

It sounded today like he was still wrestling with a scheme that has to make provisions against both pass and run on individual plays.

"You never know what Arizona's going to come with," he said, ignoring the fact that coach Ken Whisenhunt has effected a 2-1 pass/run ratio with Kurt Warner. "We're going to be expecting one thing, and they're going to try to come out with something else. We have to do a much better job of adjusting.

"We do have responsibilites. We can't just take off like that. But sometimes we have the green light to do that, and that's when we have to do a better job of executing."
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I had fully intended to show you a video of Osi talking about rebounding from last week's loss and about defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan's demeanor this week, but something went wrong with the clip. Maybe a bad cell in there somewhere.

But this is just as entertaining. Here's a video of Sheridan putting the heat on the Giants' defense to ramp up the heat on a Cardinals team that has a decidedly different look to its passing attack.

It should be noted here that the Giants' unit has gone sackless in three games this year.


Interesting side note: Sheridan later admitted he should have dialed up more blitzes last week. He only blitzed 11 times in 33 called passes, and most of those were stopped cold. That's a big change from the last two years under Steve Spagnuolo, who would order up blitzes like some people order up margueritas at happy hour.


He said the Giants haven't blitzed much all season because the front four was getting sufficient pressure against weaklings like Tampa Bay, KC, and Oakland. But he said that will necessarily have to change now that the Giants are facing truly dangerous passing attacks.

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Bradshaw Back In Boot

Tom Coughlin said Ahmad Bradshaw actually surprised him yesterday by taking a limited practice, and his appearance back in the boot protecting his sprained foot and ankle was little more than a reversion to his schedule of the past couple of weeks.

"It's just the way it was supposed to be," Coughlin said. "He worked a little bit yesterday. And to be honest with you, it surprised me, too. But he wanted to work. And felt like he was good enough to do that. So he did. But today he was right back to where he has been for the last couple of weeks."

So figure him as questionable at worst, but expect him to play Sunday night.

EP

Practice Notes

Just came in from practice and it looks like there is some potentially bad news on Ahmad Bradshaw. He was out there, but not practicing and wearing the boot again on his right foot, one day after taking his first midweek snaps in a couple of weeks. I'd have thought he'd be practicing again today. Have to ask Coughlin if he set himself back.

The good news was that Antonio Pierce's stiff back yesterday wasn't serious. He was back working today. The only ones not practicing besides Bradshaw were DT Chris Canty (calf), LB Michael Boley (knee), and CB Aaron Ross (hamstring), the last of whom was on the sidelines doing lunge-type exercises with a trainer.

Here's some video.

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The Safeties

Today we start off with a couple of video on two safeties in question, the eminent C.C. Brown and his backup, Aaron Rouse. It is significant that, through their lack of activity at the trade deadline, they plan no changes in that spot despite Brown's horrendous performance last week. Instead, it's apparent the staff is intent on coaching Brown, HARD, to attempt to round him into shape for another air attack in Arizona.

Tom Coughlin said yesterday that Rouse could see more action, too, so I would expect at least a close-to-even split between the two. And if all that coaching doesn't change Brown, expect a complete switch with Rouse taking the main strong safety responsibilities.

Here's Brown first, talking about some of the coaching he's receiving.

And here's Rouse, who the Giants picked up off Green Bay waivers three weeks ago, talking about a possible ramp-up of his snaps.

Do you guys think the Giants are handling this right?

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