Why the rest of the NFL needs to look at the Champs. Matt Bowen
We know it is a “copy cat” league when talking Sunday game plans and scheme. But looking at how Eli Manning and the Giants worked through the Falcons, Packers, 49ers and then the Patriots to grab the Lombardi trophy, why not try to build a team through personnel similar to Tom Coughlin’s 2011 championship club?
Here are the four things you need with the NFL scouting combine kicking off in less than two and half weeks back in Indy.
ICONWith Justin Tuck and Giants' talent up front, this defense can play coverage and still pressure the QB.
1. Pass rush: Look at the Giants’ talent up front this season: Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora, etc. This gives you options as a defensive coordinator and it also covers up some talent issues you may have in the secondary by having the ability to play Cover 2 or 2-Man. Rush four, drop seven and matchup to the spread offenses we see from Green Bay and New England by putting a top on the defense to take away the vertical passing game. A luxury when you don't have to rely on blitz-pressure vs. top tier QBs. Plus, in a year when offense was talked about on a daily basis, it was the New York defense that held Tom Brady and New England scoreless in the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl.
2. Production at QB: Hand the QB the game plan in the fourth quarter and let him go to work. Looking at the draft, there are only two prospects I see as NFL ready to step in as first-year players in Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III (and with that comes rookie mistakes). However, how about these three names that are going to be looking for work: Peyton Manning, Matt Flynn and Kyle Orton. As a longtime NFL scout told me: “Without a QB, you have no hope.” Outside of (a healthy) Peyton Manning, you aren't going to find the skill set of Eli Manning in the draft or free agency, but that doesn't discount the need for real talent at the QB position in today's NFL.
3. A true No.1 WR: The Giants had three playmakers in 2011 when you add in Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham on top of what Hakeem Nicks can do outside of the numbers. And going back to Super Bowl XLVI when the Patriots schemed to take Cruz out of the game, Nicks showed the value of having that “guy” who can win on inside breaking routes and create separation to move the sticks. And don’t forget about the matchups a legit WR can create in the red zone when the fade (or back shoulder fade) and the slant route come into play. Look at a team like the Bears with their lack of talent at the WR position. Time to add a real No.1 WR there? I think so.
4. Balance to the game plan: This might be more about play calling, but we still have to view it from a personnel standpoint as well. Talent along the offensive line, plus two backs in Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. That leads to play action for your QB plus the ability to run the ball in crucial situations (3rd and short, inside of the 5-yard line). I am firm believer that you still have to show some production in the run game to win in December and on the playoff stage in this league. That will never change.
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Able to bring pressure with 4 rushing
Top tier QB
Top tier WR
Effective OL/RB
Doesn't seem this is a uniquely NYG blueprint. It's just a question of efficacy. I would think DET, GB to start follow a similar blueprint. Purportedly IND, but they've been missing a couple of those pieces for a while.
if this superbowl (and the 07/08 game as well) taught me anything, its that with good WR's and a good pass rush, you don't need a marquee WB. just an adequate one.
It's not so much that the Giants won, it's that the Packers and Patriots found ways to lose. By playing above their ability levels, the players excelled at executing stupid schemes. The good teams need to save the NFL from the Giants.
You forgot a couple of the "real" keys:
1. Fake injuries. Both defensive injuries the Giants allegedly suffered resulted in free timeouts during critical parts of the game. Both "injured players" sat out the next play and returned right after showing no effects of the phantom injuries. The Competition Committee needs to require players to sit out the rest of the quarter on any clock stopping injury.
2. Trade a penalty to kill the clock. The 12 men on the field penalty in the last seconds of the game for the Giants was by design. It killed essentially 7 seconds (with only 15 or so left in the game) and resulted in only a 5 yard penalty. Why not just load 53 players on defense and see what happens? There is zero chance of a completion and you will kill the clock. The Competition Committee needs to require any defensive penalty in the last two minutes of the game require a reset of the game clock to the presnap time.
If the Bears can get a LT, WR and DE/T in the first three rounds and FA they can compete in the playoffs. If they can get Marques Colston or Dwayne Bowe in FA and that LT from Ohio State is there at 19 that would be a good start. They need another WR too. And maybe Mike Tice can start using Hester as a slot receiver rather than a deep threat, or even in a way that NO used Sproles. That guy has been wasted.
Oh yeah, since Martz had Greg Olsen run out of town we need a TE too. I'm not sold sold on Kellen Davis.
@Len, I'm totally with you. i couldn't BELIEVE that time didn't get put back on the clock after that 12-men on the field penalty!
and after some team (Dallas?? ....idk) made a stink about it earlier in the season, i started to take notice. I think I saw the Giants defense fake at least one injury in every game i watched of theirs the rest of the season (granted, that was only like 2 or 3. but still....) I remember in the divisional playoff game, a fight almost broke out after finley went over to an "injured" giants player lying on the ground and obviously said something. my guess is that its common knowledge the giants do this (if I can pick up on it, you KNOW all th other teams are aware) and that Finley said something to the effect of "get your (female genetalia-donkey) off the field and quite cheating".
I think this article gets pulled out and dusted off after every Super Bowl. But how easy will it be to duplicate what the Giants have? I'm not a Giants fan but Jerry Reese has done a great job building this team. The talent and depth the Giants have on the defensive line is in a class of its own. And I think we can all now agree that Eli belongs in the top group of NFL quarterbacks. There aren't many teams who can duplicate this with what they have now. Maybe Detroit, I'm sure St Louis will try. And of the 3-4 teams, maybe Houston.
To me, depth on the both lines is most important. And obviously a quarterback with a good group of receivers. The Giants have that and their special teams were great in the post season. I see the rest of the team as average, talent-wise. But when they get on a roll, they are great.
That might be the problem, the Giant's tendency to go stale in the regular season. Most teams don't survive downturns like four-game losing streaks. Deserving champions they are, but to me they have caught lightning in a bottle twice. The Giants aren't quite consistent enough for me to copy their blueprint.
This isn't a new "blueprint" by any means, isn't this what every team strives for? Obviously, a 34 team would have to blitz to rush 4 defenders but other than that....
The fake injuries are getting way out of hand, especially w/N.Y. Something DEFINITELY needs to be done about it. I've seen N.Y. players fake injuries in 3 games this past season & 2 players "flopped" @ the same time during one game (Antrel rolle was one of them.). What a pathetic bunch of idiots.
LOL @ "not so much that the Giants won as much as the patriots and packers found ways to lose".....LOL! UTTERLY RIDICULOUS! All good though, "he got a ring, and I got one too..." Good night, thanks for coming out and continue to hate for the next 6 months! lol
So the Packers "found a way to lose" 37-20? Wow. By 17 points. Yup, that couldn't have been the Giants winning.................by 17 points.
The Patriots "found a way to lose" by having 12 men on the field and dropping a third down pass.
You cannot be serious.
@ BearMarket
I was at the Packer game (and several this season) and they were as flat as I have seen them. the giants played tough and won the game, but the Packers made several uncharacteristic mistakes, like all the fumbles and the botched cover of the hail mary pass which was set up by a timeout that was called because the defense wasn't set correctly (did happen all year), but the game until the very end of the 4th was closer than the final score, you take out the hail mary and its a 3 point game, it was a 7 point game when grant fumbled with 10 minutes left in the 4th. by the time you got to the end the players were just trying to strip the ball instead of tackling. as for the patriots, Gronk was the focal point of their offense, effectively losing him to injury killed them, and if brady doesn't overshoot welker on that pass the game is won. yes the Giants won all the games, but aside for the dominant performance over the falcons and the 4th qtr against the pack it wasn't a walk away win every time either
as for Hester, it would have been interesting if the bears had hired a creative offensive co-ordinater who would have devised a role for him around his skill set (like sproles) instead of trying to turn him into a #1 WR which he has shown he really isn't. as a Packer fan I'm glad they haven't because it would make them a better team. will be interesting to see what Tice does with him this year
LOL!
I laugh at the comments on here about the Giants not winning their games, but other teams "finding a way to lose". If this happened, or if the ball bounced this way or that way.....what a bunch of sour grapes. Of course the Giants were lucky to get some bounces their way, but you can't take away the fact that they consistently made the plays when they needed to. The games came down to a few plays here or there and people act like one team should be able to dominate everyone en route to a Super Bowl win. That's just not going to happen often in a league designed to have teams be as equal as possible via salary cap, etc.
In situations like the playoffs where games come down to a few plays making the difference between winning and losing, it is the team that can take advantage and make plays that wins. The Giants happened to capitalize and the other teams did not execute. It is tough to win 4 games in the playoffs being simply "lucky" without executing and playing better than your opposition.
The Key is to get hot at the right time - quick - out of the last 10 superbowl winners, who was the only team to end the regular season with a looking ugly losing streak:
The NO Saints. And they beat a team in Indy that also looked ugly (granted, voluntarily) late in the year.
There's no "secret recipe". Everyone knows it:
1. Get hot at the right time - play your best FB late in the year
2. Have very good QB play
3. Win the turnover battle
4. Be able to pressure the QB.
5. At least be able to keep the D honest with play action.
That's it.
Football 101.
The NYG caught lightning in a bottle this year. I'd expect a new team to do the same next year.
The great teams are the ones that are in the mix every single year. It gives you the best shot to catch "it" in January and win a couple...
Lots of opinions here on how "lucky" the G-men got. Being a fan of the team, I admit that there was definately some luck involved (dropped passes, fumbles etc..) but that's par for the course in this league. I've watched the supposedly unstoppable teams get every call it seems at times. The G-men had a lot of tough calls go against them this year (even though replays showed otherwise). One thing I have to say I felt good about-they have a clutch QB with a great receiving corp and the best d-line in football. Obviously those are 3 areas that can help hide any weaknesses and win a Super Bowl. Maybe a few times at that. People forget that this team lost about 12-14 players to season ending injuries (starters at that).
SB history is filled with adequate QB's surrounded by excellent teams. There might even be a 3 and 4 time SB winner in that argument. Difficulty in doing that now is maintaining an excellent team under the cap versus several excellent pieces.
Does anyone else see the irony in Brady losing in 2 SB's after becoming an elite QB?
I would say most of that is true. Add in a K in the top 10 and a P in the top 10. That will add 1pt per game or 16 per season and 3-5 yards per punt, above average. Maybe a PR and KR who can add 10 extra yards per game total. 160 extra yards per season or a ok half in the course of a season. If you add all those up, and this is without me doing the exact numbers but if you can make the longer field goals, more punts in the 20, 160 extra positive yards in returns then you are playing 17 games against 16 over the season. It makes me wonder about another stat I would like to see, points per yard total.
I am curious to see who Bowen would think have the potential to pull that off next season. Who will be 2012 Giants or 2011 Packers?
I would maybe say:
(Total Pass Yards - (Sack Yards * 1.25) + (Rush Yards - (1st and 2nd down rush negative yards *1.1) + KR Yards + PR Yards+ (Fair Catch Total or Down inside the 10 Total * 2) + (PR TD + KR TD * 3)) / Points Allowed.
The only reason I put weights on it is a sack usually puts the offense in a bad spot, worse then a 1st/2nd negative rush. A fair catch/Down in the 10 eliminates anything and puts the O in a bad spot (See Superbowl Safety). PR and KR TD are both hard to rate and might be under weight in that. A KR TD is about 80 yards of Offense in 1 play but that is accounted for with KR and PR yards. Average yards per would make more sense but would take me getting paid to write about this and not giving comments.
These points are fairly obvious aren't they?
Green Bay had a top ranked defense in 2010 and they were a team strength down the stretch.
Surprise, they are a bottom ranked sefense this season and become a turnstyle for points generating QB's. The Giants were the aggresive D this season and it helped carry them
Most teams in the SB have pretty productive QB's
Most have a defined priority in the WR rotation
Most at least try for some semblence of a running game if only to keep the D honest
The Packers, Saints and Patriots to the contrary this year, defense still is key in the end
1. If any team has a gripe about finding ways to lose it was the 49ers. They had the Giants offense starting to quit. The fumble inside the 25 gave the giants the field goal. Giants capitalized on a miscue plain and simple. Giants won on the road in green bay by 17. They killed the patriots in time of possession and basically played keep away in the 4th quarter.
2. Matt on the 12 man penalty I am almost positive that Buddy Ryan came up with a 12 man defense long ago for the exact same situation. His belief was burn the time take the five yards and make sure the pass is not completed. Can u comment.
Your article described Detroit's blue print to a tee.
#1WR = Calvin Johnson ; QB that can carry an offence = Matthew Stafford ; Pass Rush = the young and deep unit the Lions have now ; Balanced Offence = Lions run about as well as the Giants [if not slightly better] but Linehan does not give up on mixing in run plays even if they don't go very far.
As someone else said, this is football 101. It goes without saying that the balanced offence and effective QB require some minimum level of blocking. Patriots problem was they could not take advantage of the weak Giants O Line.
You can see the Giants player trying to run off the field!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! freakin sore losers on here
There are four reasons the NYG won and they differ slightly from what you mentioned Matt.
1. QB play...This one you nailed and it all starts here. Without a QB you do have no chance so the personnel man you spoke to is right on especially when you consider how much of a passing league its become.
2. Pass rush is clearly 1A on this list. Eli was great all season but the team didnt start winning until week 16 vs the Jets. During that game the offense was completely shut down and it was Eli's worst game in a few years. But it was the best game the defense had played all year to that point. They were dominated in time of possession but Sanchez and the Jets didnt do squat. That coincided with Tuck's resurgence and getting Osi, JPP and Kiwanuka on the field at the same time.
3. Coaching....Not that Tom Coughlin isnt a great coach, he is severely underrated with a career win % around .600 and now 2 SB wins. But also realizing when the scheme is not fitting his personnel. Through the first 11 games or so the Giants defense was really struggling. Part of the reason why was because Perry Fewell was changing schemes and coverages and it definitely confused the players. Coughlin put a stop to it and basically made it a cover 2 the rest of the way. Realizing why your team is struggling and fixing the problem was a big reason why the Cowboys, Jets, Falcons, Packers, 49ers, and Pats couldnt put up more then 20 points the last 6 games.
4. This relates to 3...But one of the other unnoticed adjustments the NYG made was that they started to treat other teams TE's like WR's and started jamming them with Boley, Jacquain Williams and Chase Blackburn (who we all remember sucking wind after his INT of Brady). The last6 games the NYG played they faced many of the leagues great TE's starting with Keller, Witten, Gonzalez, Finley, Vernon Davis, and concluding with Gronkowski/Hernandez. Lets look at how the NYG linebackers did:
Week 16 vs Keller: 8 catches/77 yards/9.63 YPC/0 TD
Season Averages: Well below his average of 12.01 YPC
Week 17 vs Witten: 7 catches/69 yards/9.86 YPC/0 TD
Season Averages: Well below his average of 11.92 YPC.
WC Game vs Gonzalez: 4 catches/44 yards/11 YPC/0 TD
Season Averages: Right at season average of 11.61 YPC but almost everything came late in the game after the NYG had built a substantial lead.
Division Round vs Finley: 4 catches/37 yards/9.25 YPC/0 TD
Season Averages: Well below average of 13.27 YPC, Almost 1 TD per game (15 in 16 games)
NFC CG vs Davis: 3 catches/112 yards/ 37.33 YPC/2 TD
Season Averages: 11.82 YPC.
Note: Both TD's for Davis came split out wide as a receiver. When confined to the normal alignment of the TE position he was limited to 1 catch for 11 yards and was consistently jammed at the line throwing off timing of routes.
SB vs Gonkowski/Hernandez: Gronkowski had 2 catches/26 yards/13YPC/0 TD. Hernandez had 8 catches/67 yards/8.38 YPC/1 TD (first TD scored vs a NYG LB lined up inside during this stretch)
Season Averages: Gronkowski averaged 14.74 YPC and 1.06 TD's per game. Hernandez averaged 11.9 YPC and .8125 TD per game (13 TD in 16 games).
My point here is that when TE's were lining up at their normal TE position they were consistently below their season averages and were consistently not red zone threats. It took the greatness of Tom Brady to finally squeeze in a TD to Hernandez. The NYG LB's, largely no names except or Boley, consistently took away and jammed TE's. This illustrates not only the adjustments teams made but also just how much the TE means to teams in terms of how their performance affects the offense. With the exception of the Jets, all 6 of those teams are prolific passing teams with good skill players. Yet without their TE's they could muster very little in terms of points vs a NYG defense that was previously very average. Schematically, going to the cover 2 consistently eliminated all threats of the TE being a factor.
So the question here is really; Is the future of the 4-3 defense so simple as:
- 4 pass rushers up front playing 2 gap
- 2 coverage LB's in the game at all times
- Cover 2 zone/man from your DB's
There are four reasons the NYG won and they differ slightly from what you mentioned Matt.
1. QB play...This one you nailed and it all starts here. Without a QB you do have no chance so the personnel man you spoke to is right on especially when you consider how much of a passing league its become.
2. Pass rush is clearly 1A on this list. Eli was great all season but the team didnt start winning until week 16 vs the Jets. During that game the offense was completely shut down and it was Eli's worst game in a few years. But it was the best game the defense had played all year to that point. They were dominated in time of possession but Sanchez and the Jets didnt do squat. That coincided with Tuck's resurgence and getting Osi, JPP and Kiwanuka on the field at the same time.
3. Coaching....Not that Tom Coughlin isnt a great coach, he is severely underrated with a career win % around .600 and now 2 SB wins. But also realizing when the scheme is not fitting his personnel. Through the first 11 games or so the Giants defense was really struggling. Part of the reason why was because Perry Fewell was changing schemes and coverages and it definitely confused the players. Coughlin put a stop to it and basically made it a cover 2 the rest of the way. Realizing why your team is struggling and fixing the problem was a big reason why the Cowboys, Jets, Falcons, Packers, 49ers, and Pats couldnt put up more then 20 points the last 6 games.
4. This relates to 3...But one of the other unnoticed adjustments the NYG made was that they started to treat other teams TE's like WR's and started jamming them with Boley, Jacquain Williams and Chase Blackburn (who we all remember sucking wind after his INT of Brady). The last6 games the NYG played they faced many of the leagues great TE's starting with Keller, Witten, Gonzalez, Finley, Vernon Davis, and concluding with Gronkowski/Hernandez. Lets look at how the NYG linebackers did:
Week 16 vs Keller: 8 catches/77 yards/9.63 YPC/0 TD
Season Averages: Well below his average of 12.01 YPC
Week 17 vs Witten: 7 catches/69 yards/9.86 YPC/0 TD
Season Averages: Well below his average of 11.92 YPC.
WC Game vs Gonzalez: 4 catches/44 yards/11 YPC/0 TD
Season Averages: Right at season average of 11.61 YPC but almost everything came late in the game after the NYG had built a substantial lead.
Division Round vs Finley: 4 catches/37 yards/9.25 YPC/0 TD
Season Averages: Well below average of 13.27 YPC, Almost 1 TD per game (15 in 16 games)
NFC CG vs Davis: 3 catches/112 yards/ 37.33 YPC/2 TD
Season Averages: 11.82 YPC.
Note: Both TD's for Davis came split out wide as a receiver. When confined to the normal alignment of the TE position he was limited to 1 catch for 11 yards and was consistently jammed at the line throwing off timing of routes.
SB vs Gonkowski/Hernandez: Gronkowski had 2 catches/26 yards/13YPC/0 TD. Hernandez had 8 catches/67 yards/8.38 YPC/1 TD (first TD scored vs a NYG LB lined up inside during this stretch)
Season Averages: Gronkowski averaged 14.74 YPC and 1.06 TD's per game. Hernandez averaged 11.9 YPC and .8125 TD per game (13 TD in 16 games).
My point here is that when TE's were lining up at their normal TE position they were consistently below their season averages and were consistently not red zone threats. It took the greatness of Tom Brady to finally squeeze in a TD to Hernandez. The NYG LB's, largely no names except or Boley, consistently took away and jammed TE's. This illustrates not only the adjustments teams made but also just how much the TE means to teams in terms of how their performance affects the offense. With the exception of the Jets, all 6 of those teams are prolific passing teams with good skill players. Yet without their TE's they could muster very little in terms of points vs a NYG defense that was previously very average. Schematically, going to the cover 2 consistently eliminated all threats of the TE being a factor.
So the question here is really; Is the future of the 4-3 defense so simple as:
- 4 pass rushers up front playing 2 gap
- 2 coverage LB's in the game at all times
- Cover 2 zone/man from your DB's
Feb 07, 2012
11:20 AM
Someone said the TOP in that game was 37-22 Giants? Shouldn't have been close.