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