Whenever You’re Ready Giants – New York Giants vs. San Diego Chargers Week 9

Honestly, I’ve lost all faith in this team. I’ve talked about them, broken down their flaws and exposed their lack of will to win over the past three weeks. Entering into the Meadowlands is a San Diego Chargers team that doesn’t think too highly of the Giants organization and especially its quarterback, Eli Manning, who flat our refused to play for them in 2004 after being drafted by the team. The Giants defense has allowed 112 points in the past three weeks and the offense has only been able to produce 61 points during the same time. Everyone is impatiently awaiting the Giants of old to show up and take back their season.

Will the hatred from the Chargers, for this team and organization be enough to snap the Giants losing streak? Have the Giants lost enough games in embarrassing fashion and finally had enough of looking like pretenders? Will they bring that New York Giants pride onto the field and win a game for themselves and the fans of New York? Only time will tell but if they do, here’s how I think it can happen.

WHEN THE GIANTS HAVE THE BALL

The Giants were successful passing the ball in weeks 1-5, but heading into the winter months the running game will be key in securing more victories for the Gmen. Running backs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw are running the ball effectively, particularly Jacobs who is averaging 5.0 yards a carry in the past two games, which the Giants desperately need from the bruising back. Bradshaw is nursing a bone fracture in his ankle that at any moment could prove detrimental but so far has held up as he has gone on to average 5.8 yards per carry with significantly fewer carries than Jacobs.

Eli…Eli…Eli…YO kid what’s the problem? Seriously Eli I have no clue what’s wrong here but his performance has got to get better. Yes in week 9 teams have more film to go off of, and defenses are able to read your signals better and react to your tendencies, but the high errant passes, missing wide open receivers and the costly interceptions at key moments in the game is not how the Giants play football. The message here is simple dude, get better or suffer the wrath of a city ready to turn on you as quickly as they once loved you. There’s no time left in the season for inconsistent play. When Eli plays poorly the Giants lose, it’s just that simple. They’re not the New Orleans Saints who can drop nine turnovers in consecutive weeks and still win games. Take what the defense is giving you and use your weapons on the field.

Waiting for Eli to continue sleep walking through game however, is Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie who only has one interception on the season, but a nose for floaters similar to the ones Manning has been throwing over the past few weeks. The Chargers defense doesn’t showcase a scheme happy approach and at times have been pretty much incapable of stopping anyone, allowing an average of 23 points a game. But as with previous weeks, we know that the Giants are the team to make all records and numbers virtually disappear and succumb to the smallest weakness of their opponent.

WHEN THE CHARGERS HAVE THE BALL

With running back LaDainian Tomlinson being a mere shell of his former self with an average of 3.4 yards per carry and 3 touchdowns on the season, the Chargers have taken to their passing game as their means of winning games. And big plays are the staple of that passing attack with Rivers owning 18 passing plays of 25 yards or more. The wide receivers in San Diego create mismatches for opposing defense with their height and size, with Vincent Jackson, Malcolm Floyd and tight end Antonio Gates each 6-4 or taller. Rivers has 11 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions with 2,036 passing yards. These numbers on paper equal a LONG day on the field for the Giants defense who gave up a total of 161 yards on 3 big plays from the Eagles last week.

The numbers for the Giants defense are so atrocious that I’m going to spare my own feelings and those of the fans and not post them in this preview. I will however, point out that the secondary has yielded 15 passes of 20 yards or more yards in the last three games. *FAINTS* The devil is always in the details and that single statistic highlights the HELL that Giants and their fans have endured in the past 3 weeks.

With good news pretty much non-existent in the Giants camp, the anti-climatic news that safety Aaron Rouse would be starting in place of “safety and imposter NFL player” C.C. Brown could be taken as somewhat of a lift. But the jury on Rouse will be out until he makes some plays on the field to somehow eliminate the horror of what has unfolded in the backfield thus far. More encouraging however, was news that outside linebacker Michael Boley and defensive tackle Chris Canty are listed as questionable for the game and could see some time on the field.

The leaders of this Giants’ “defense” is being asked to step up in a major way in jump starting this unit and bringing it back to life or their season is dead. Middle linebacker Antonio Pierce is the pulse out there and he needs to get guys into position and keep the communication flowing when the Chargers offense steps in the field.

KEY MATCHUPS / PLAYERS TO WATCH

We all know what this game will be about. The play of quarterbacks Eli Manning and Phillip Rivers will be picked apart and compared and whoever puts on the greatest show will probably prevail for his team. In the only other meeting of these teams since 2004, the Chargers have a leg up on the match up beating the Giants 45-23 in 2005. However, at the time the team was still led by former Chargers quarterback Drew Brees and a heavy dose of Tomlinson rushing the ball. For Rivers it’ll be his first opportunity to show the Giants what they missed out on in trading him for Manning. And for Manning, he’ll be asked for the millionth time to prove to the Giants, that even after his Super Bowl victory, he was and still is the best decision for the franchise.

PREDICTION

I have asked the Giants to win for three straight weeks, and for three weeks they have come up painfully short. I’m no longer asking the Giants to win. I’m expecting them to decide just what they want to make of their season and their team and that process starts this week. This isn’t 2007 when no one expected them to play well. This is 2009 and after winning 5 in a row they are expected to be a good team and win when their season is on the line. If they are unable to do so then they are not the team any of us thought they were and the season will surely be lost.

FINAL SCORE

New York Giants 28 – San Diego Chargers 24

(Picture Source)