In 2008 the Giants were one of the more prolific offensive teams. They were ranked No. 7 in terms of total yards, No. 1 in rushing attack, and No. 3 in points per game.
The Giants were a different team when Plaxico Burress was in the lineup, hopefully the additions of Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden will be sufficient enough to allow for the same type of success in 2009.
There were several plays that led to the Giants' success, but I decided to take time to narrow down key plays, formations, and different aspects of the offense that led to these staggering numbers.
Two Back Formation Run:
Typically seen on first down, Gilbride stuck to the Giants' bread and butter. With one of the most underrated fullbacks in the league Madison Hedgecock clearing the way, Gilbride let his work horse loose.
Brandon Jacobs is the key to success in 2009. He is coming off back to back 1000 yard seasons, but in both seasons he suffered some injury. Whether or not he can stay healthy for 16 games has to be lingering in the minds of Giants' coaches and fans.
Singleback Two Tight End Run:
What kept the Giants' offense so successful was the ability to gain yards on running plays from multiple formations. With Kevin Boss, Darcy Johnson, and Michael Matthews all being solid blockers, they paved the way for two 1000 yard running backs in 2008.
A favorite from this formation is the "Counter" play, which allows for the Giants' RB to cutback if he needs to, which is a staple of the running game. Fans of the Giants know all too well what this looks like, as Tiki Barber was a master of the cutback.
The Giants' offensive line as a unit might be the best run blocking group in the entire league. The Minnesota Vikings give them a run for their money, but they have holes on the right side.
Gilbride wasted no time establishing the run every game.
Play Action Pass:
This is Eli Manning's best friend in the offense. When the Giants have the running game going like they did almost every game, it opened up everything in the play book for Eli, particularly the play action pass.
Eli had one of the best QB ratings off of play action, and with the Giants' running attack it's no wonder he had so much success.
The best part of the play action pass is that it freezes the defense just enough to allow a WR to get over the top, which Plaxico Burress was especially good at.
At least once a game you would find Gilbride calling a play action fade or post for Burress, and coincidentally nearly every game you would find Plaxico making a big play for a long gain or a touch down.
If Eli is going to continue the success he's had since the 2007 playoff run, he will need the play action in his arsenal.
Eli Manning Callin' the Shots:
While he may not be his brother, Eli has developed a very important skill necessary for success; the ability to read the defense and adjust accordingly.
Everyone knows about Peyton Manning and how his whole career Tom Moore would just give him three plays to choose from, and based on what he saw from the defense he would call one of the plays at the line of scrimmage.
While Eli has not gotten to that point yet, he still reads defenses and calls audibles when he feels he needs to and does it very well. Expect more of the same from Eli in 2009 as he continues to improve his game.
The Deep Ball:
With every great running game brings the ability to force defenses to creep up to the line in an effort to stop the run, and every good team knows to make the defense pay with the deep pass.
It also works vice versa. The ability of Plaxico Burress to stretch the defense with his deep plays forced the defense to not be able to put eight men at the line of scrimmage in an effort to stop the run.
Both of these points are clearly noted with the Giants' offense before and after the Plaxico incident. Before the incident, the offense averaged close to 30 points per game, after they only managed 17 per contest, and that number is inflated by the 34 they scored against Carolina when Derrick Ward broke out for 215 rushing yards.
After the incident, Eli never threw for more than 200 yards, and the Giants failed to produce a 100 yard rusher in four of the final five games.
Hopefully the new wide receivers will be able to fill the void left by Plaxico in 2009.
0 comments:
Post a Comment