InmanRoshi
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Just some things I noticed rewatching game on All-22
This was a good tackling football team on Wednesday Night, and perhaps the reports of Garrett's more physical approach to training camp this year paid off. Giants wide receivers and backs got very, very little yards after contact, and Nicks and Cruz are great YAC guys ... Cruz maybe the best YAC in the league last year. Bradshaw is a very good open field runner too, although NY media speculates that he's lost something from his foot injuries. Maybe an unsung, non-memorable play that exemplifies the tackling came when Eli hit Hynoski on a quick out and Spencer immediately brought him down for a small gain. Hynoski isn't going to remind anyone of Marshall Faulk, so on first glance you really don't appreciate Spencer's tackle. But on All 22, you see that Spencer had nothing but green field behind him, and even Hynoski could have moonwalked 60 yards into the endzone if Spencer doesn't get him on the ground.
In the first quarter a Giants defender ran free off the edge untouched, and Romo used his spin move to leave the guy standing by himself in the pocket. On first glance one might think that the OL allowed a jail break. That defender running into the backfield was actually the outside linebacker who blitzed off of JPP's backpocket off the outside edge . The Cowboys employe an empty backfield, so there was no RB to pick up the blitz. I'm guessing a WR missed his hot read assignment and was supposed to run a hot route to that linebackers vacated area. Romo bailed out someone's mental error.
Our OLBs can get a lot of credit for the goalline stand after Romo's INT. On 1st down the Giants tried to run a strong side stretch run and Spencer just masterfully stacked and shed his guy at the LOS and spilled out the RB to the sideline. The all 22 might give me a better appreciation for Spencer than I previously had. On 2nd down they tried another outside run to Ware's side, and Ware just stood Marty B up to set the edge and forced Bradshaw to cut back insidde into the teeth of the Cowboys pursuit.
Something that doesn't get mentioned enough, IMHO, is how much the injuries on the OL during training camp hurt the rhythm of the running game. It's not only that the OL unit needs some collective cohesion, it's also getting DeMarco getting some feel and timing down with them. The first half the running game and Murray just seemed discombobulated, despite the OL getting some push in their individual assignments. Murray was just half a step slow or half a step fast hitting the hole. As the game wore on they just seemed to get on the same page with their timing better. I also think Murray might have had some early jitters in the game too, and started displaying more of his patience and his vision as the game went along and he relaxed a little bit.
Nate Livings may never have the athletic ability to be a great guard, but he has the raw strength and mentality to be a good guard ... and maybe even a very good guard. A lot of people may remember the play where JPP basically swatted away Tyron Smith like Reggie White 1996 using the hump move to tackle D. Murray in the backfield, but what got overshadowed on that play is a 322 lbs. Linvell Joseph flying sideways after Livings catches him telegraphing a hard inside move and pushes him. On the 13 play drive in the 4th Livings makes two critical combo blocks on a 9 yard and 15 yard Murray runs. He also anchors really well in pass protection and does not get pushed back no matter how big the guy pushing on him. He plays with a little nasty streak too. I imagine he makes a lot of guys wake up sore the next morning. One of those offensive linemen who has that one last shove/punch to throw on his guy right before the whistle blows.
2 plays really showed off how much Dez has progressed as a WR in the offseason. On that square in where he tried to run it in 60 yards after the whistle is blown, he makes a great adjustment. He saw the deep safety shift down into the box during pre-snap, and he runs that square in slips right behind that safety. Romo fires the ball before Dez is out of his break into that area, showing trust Dez is going to be where he's supposed to. His route running is also much cleaner and more crisp. That 9 yard out route he he tapped the two 2 feet in during the 3rd quarter, he buckled Corey Webster's legs planting that foot and making that out cut. Really clean route.
Brandon Carr was left isolated one on one almost all night with zero coverage behind him as the over the top safety shaded to Claiborne's side on most plays.
Romo was a thing of beauty on that 38 yard sideline pass to Dez over the sidelines right before half. Kenny Phillips was actually the only deep safety shading over Dez when the ball was snapped to take away that play. Romo used Jedi Mind Powers to lead Phillips back into the middle of the field with his eyes and away from Dez. By the time Phillips realized he was being manipulated the ball was aleady in the air, Dez was breaking free down the sidelines and it was too late.
This was a good tackling football team on Wednesday Night, and perhaps the reports of Garrett's more physical approach to training camp this year paid off. Giants wide receivers and backs got very, very little yards after contact, and Nicks and Cruz are great YAC guys ... Cruz maybe the best YAC in the league last year. Bradshaw is a very good open field runner too, although NY media speculates that he's lost something from his foot injuries. Maybe an unsung, non-memorable play that exemplifies the tackling came when Eli hit Hynoski on a quick out and Spencer immediately brought him down for a small gain. Hynoski isn't going to remind anyone of Marshall Faulk, so on first glance you really don't appreciate Spencer's tackle. But on All 22, you see that Spencer had nothing but green field behind him, and even Hynoski could have moonwalked 60 yards into the endzone if Spencer doesn't get him on the ground.
In the first quarter a Giants defender ran free off the edge untouched, and Romo used his spin move to leave the guy standing by himself in the pocket. On first glance one might think that the OL allowed a jail break. That defender running into the backfield was actually the outside linebacker who blitzed off of JPP's backpocket off the outside edge . The Cowboys employe an empty backfield, so there was no RB to pick up the blitz. I'm guessing a WR missed his hot read assignment and was supposed to run a hot route to that linebackers vacated area. Romo bailed out someone's mental error.
Our OLBs can get a lot of credit for the goalline stand after Romo's INT. On 1st down the Giants tried to run a strong side stretch run and Spencer just masterfully stacked and shed his guy at the LOS and spilled out the RB to the sideline. The all 22 might give me a better appreciation for Spencer than I previously had. On 2nd down they tried another outside run to Ware's side, and Ware just stood Marty B up to set the edge and forced Bradshaw to cut back insidde into the teeth of the Cowboys pursuit.
Something that doesn't get mentioned enough, IMHO, is how much the injuries on the OL during training camp hurt the rhythm of the running game. It's not only that the OL unit needs some collective cohesion, it's also getting DeMarco getting some feel and timing down with them. The first half the running game and Murray just seemed discombobulated, despite the OL getting some push in their individual assignments. Murray was just half a step slow or half a step fast hitting the hole. As the game wore on they just seemed to get on the same page with their timing better. I also think Murray might have had some early jitters in the game too, and started displaying more of his patience and his vision as the game went along and he relaxed a little bit.
Nate Livings may never have the athletic ability to be a great guard, but he has the raw strength and mentality to be a good guard ... and maybe even a very good guard. A lot of people may remember the play where JPP basically swatted away Tyron Smith like Reggie White 1996 using the hump move to tackle D. Murray in the backfield, but what got overshadowed on that play is a 322 lbs. Linvell Joseph flying sideways after Livings catches him telegraphing a hard inside move and pushes him. On the 13 play drive in the 4th Livings makes two critical combo blocks on a 9 yard and 15 yard Murray runs. He also anchors really well in pass protection and does not get pushed back no matter how big the guy pushing on him. He plays with a little nasty streak too. I imagine he makes a lot of guys wake up sore the next morning. One of those offensive linemen who has that one last shove/punch to throw on his guy right before the whistle blows.
2 plays really showed off how much Dez has progressed as a WR in the offseason. On that square in where he tried to run it in 60 yards after the whistle is blown, he makes a great adjustment. He saw the deep safety shift down into the box during pre-snap, and he runs that square in slips right behind that safety. Romo fires the ball before Dez is out of his break into that area, showing trust Dez is going to be where he's supposed to. His route running is also much cleaner and more crisp. That 9 yard out route he he tapped the two 2 feet in during the 3rd quarter, he buckled Corey Webster's legs planting that foot and making that out cut. Really clean route.
Brandon Carr was left isolated one on one almost all night with zero coverage behind him as the over the top safety shaded to Claiborne's side on most plays.
Romo was a thing of beauty on that 38 yard sideline pass to Dez over the sidelines right before half. Kenny Phillips was actually the only deep safety shading over Dez when the ball was snapped to take away that play. Romo used Jedi Mind Powers to lead Phillips back into the middle of the field with his eyes and away from Dez. By the time Phillips realized he was being manipulated the ball was aleady in the air, Dez was breaking free down the sidelines and it was too late.
