The New York Giants are sitting atop the NFC East division with a 6-3 record, so maybe it isn’t time to hit the panic button just yet. But their sudden ineptness on the offensive side of the football is alarming and should be cause for concern in the upcoming weeks.
Built on an offensive attack featuring lethal downfield passing and a blossoming running game, New York was looking earlier like one of the NFL’s top teams poised for a run to defend their Super Bowl crown. The past two weeks, however, have shined a discerning light on a struggling offense and, with a slate of games remaining against teams that feature high-powered offenses, that run could be in jeopardy.
The G-Men have lived off of turnovers in their past two contests — against the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively — throwing for less than 200 yards in each and scoring just two offensive touchdowns despite scoring 49 total points.
The offensive line has regressed to its former self, providing quarterback Eli Manning with minimal protection and opening few holes for their running backs to run through.
Meanwhile, Manning and wide receiver Victor Cruz do not appear to be on the same page and it has hurt the Giants’ passing game. The quarterback has completed 47 percent of his pass attempts during the past two games and has had two boneheaded interceptions. The big play-connection between the two has seemingly disappeared and the signal caller looks lost on nearly every passing play.
Certainly, it is difficult to make solid throws with the amount of pressure Manning has seen recently. That should not excuse his abysmal play, however, which will need a dramatic boost if the Giants wish to continue playing competitive football.
New York’s inability to score in red zone situations might be the most worrisome reality though. The Giants have been successful on just two of their six attempts within the red zone (a fairly low number of attempts in two games for them as it is). They have relied heavily on kicker Lawrence Tynes, who has connected on seven field goals in those contests and leads the NFL in scoring and field goals made.
The talent has been insufficient and embarrassing at times, but there is one easy culprit to pinpoint in all of this — offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride.
Gilbride’s play-calls have always been an insufferable headache for Giants fans, but Big Blue has managed to succeed in spite of his questionable tactics. Recently though, it’s evident that his lackluster skills are negatively affecting the team’s offense.
His insistence to throw deep fade routes in third-and-short situations, or his refusal to throw the football toward the end zone at least once when in the red zone, have proven costly for the Giants in recent weeks. With a tough group of games ahead, such obnoxious coaching could cost the team more games… or worse, a playoff berth.
What can be done? Head coach Tom Coughlin took the blame for the Giants’ play-calling in their loss this past Sunday to the Steelers. But that doesn’t remove the impending certainty that Gilbride’s frustrating traits will continue.
Manning cannot continue to mask the coach’s mistakes, as evidenced by his recent struggles. He’s done a lot of carrying of the load over the last few seasons and, as clutch as he may be, it was inevitable that he would have his own hardships.
Gilbride must hit the film room, study the game tapes and note what has worked in the past for the Giants. He is an intelligent coach with years of experience. He has mentored some of the game’s greatest offenses, showcasing the run-and-shoot with the Houston Oilers back in the day and working it now with the Giants’ prolific assault.
With games still remaining against the Green Bay Packers, the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons (among others); the Giants should not feel comfortable in their current position. This team would love to add another Lombardi Trophy to its collection, but it will be highly dependent on the offense to attain that goal.
The team is struggling, but it boasts an offensive unit capable of being the very best in the NFL. That ability is not lost… at least not yet. But the proverbial finger is getting closer to the panic button with every substandard performance.
Louis Musto is a contributor for the Sports Journey Broadcast Network covering the NFL and NBA. You can follow him on Twitter @LouisMusto.