Osi Out Vs. Run?

There's a rumbling -- nothing official yet, mind you -- that Osi Umenyiora will be pulled out of the defensive front in favor of Mathias Kiwanuka on running downs for the time being.

Though nobody was talking about it today, that's the word. And it would seem like a legitimate possibility, too, since Umenyiora has been getting his lunch handed to him on first and second-down runs to his side. At times, it's almost seemed like he'd reverted to his early, pre-Pro Bowl years when basically all he could do well was pass rush.

Perhaps getting him out of there will help the defense against a Dallas squad that rang up 251 ground yards against it in their first meeting in Week 2. But more to the point, it would allow Umenyiora, who lost 2008 to knee surgery, to cut back on the wear and tear and do what he does best, which is to rush the passer. Meanwhile, Kiwanuka has had an overall decent year, and would add to the run defense.

It's no secret that the Giants haven't been very physical against the run lately. Even defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan noted that to television before Thursday's debacle in Denver, where they gave up 138 rushing yards. Now, with the season on the brink, it's time for some changes, and it could be that playing Jonathan Goff at middle linebacker isn't the only one. This one would make a lot of sense.

"We've been very inconsistent about our physical play," Sheridan said today. "The guys know that.

"We're inconsisent on defense. We look like world-beaters on a lot of downs, and others we don't look that way. That, to me, has been our Achilles the entire year. That's what's frustrating. Nothing is happening to us consistently all the time. Half the time, we look exactly how you want to look."

Here's Kiwanuka talking in general about the need to pull together the defense.



Sheridan could have lumped in the defensive tackles with that, or the entire middle defense when it comes to pass and run. There could be some changes there, too, as Aaron Ross continues to increase his work at safety. They're giving him snaps on first and second down now, perhaps with a look to the future. Sheridan said he wouldn't be put in on run downs this week, however. So, if Michael Johnson's groin injury keeps him sidelined, expect to see C.C. Brown and Aaron Rouse starting.

Don't worry, though. Brown might see minimal time. The Giants could go heavy on the nickel because of Dallas' liberal use of the three and four-wide packages. That would enable Ross to replace Brown in the sub package, with Bruce Johnson or Kevin Dockery handling the nickelback duties.

"He's developing and doing a good job," Sheridan said of Ross. "You'll see more of him. He's been taking reps on first and second down since he's been playing safety, but we wouldn't just throw him in there. He's in the sub, which is mainly coverage. First and second down, we'll play the other guys."

Then again, if it did come down to the 6-foot, 197-pound Ross sticking his nose in on the run, Sheridan said he'd have no doubt about his ability to do that.

"He's not a 220-pound safety like you'd like," Sheridan said, "but I'd have no reservation about Aaron being physical. Absolutely not."

He might want to check with Ross about that, however. Ross has long maintained, "I'm a corner." But he's willingly playing a cover safety in order to get back on the field after missing nine games with hamstring problems. But his heart lies in outside coverage, and there are doubts here that his runner's body would hold up against the consistent pounding a three-down safety takes.

Still, Tom Coughlin isn't afraid to fill Ross' plate.

"He is coming," Coughlin said. "He is in a position that is obviously not corner so he is getting more and more information fed to him each week; having a greater amount of responsibility. Plus, he keeps up the corner, plus he keeps up with nickel. So he has a lot of jobs.

"In that situation, we are trying to get our best people on the field."

Here's Ross talking about the transition.



While we're at it, here's an interesting article from Football Outsiders that criticizes Sheridan's much-scrutinized blitz schemes. It's the second article down with the heading "Aces Low." Good diagrams, too.

EP