How The Giants Ruined Christmas

The NY Football Giants quit this Christmas Eve against the New Orleans Saints. That's the way it appeared looking at their pathetic, uninterested performance. They ruined Christmas. Thanks a bunch. The game started out promising enough, with a wind-affected Eli Manning to Plaxico Burress bomb that Plax adjusted to beautifully. He slowed down to catch the under-thrown ball (something he's done alot this year) then juked two Saints defenders and outran them to the end zone. After that it was all downhill, as the Saints pushed the Giants around for the rest of the game on both offense and defense. By the end, it was apparent the Giants had nothing left. They had given up. With the playoffs on the line and the imminent retirement of one of their greatest players staring them in the face. This was supposedly Tiki Barber's last home game, but that didn't seem to matter. Nor, had they won, did the promise of a probable playoff berth. This team just doesn't care anymore. They quit. The New York Giants aren't supposed to quit. Would Lawrence Taylor or Phil Simms quit? Hell no. But these Giants did. Amazingly, they still have a chance to make the playoffs, at a pathetic 8 and 8, if they beat the equally inept Redskins this New Years Eve at 8:00PM. Frankly, I don't think they will.This team is defeated. Done. Over. After the horrendous spate of injuries that almost devastated the Giants midway through the season, I was willing to give Coach Tom Coughlin a pass. More than half their starting defense, including both all-pro defensive ends, was out with injuries. Offensively, Luke Petitgout, their starting left tackle and Amani Toomer, their all-time leading receiver (and Eli Manning's frequent safety valve), went down as well. But now, after the Saints game, I no longer think he's the long-term answer as the team's coach. It appears he's lost the team, I don't think there's any way he'll get it back. Up until this week, it appeared Coughlin's job was safe, as signs indicated Giants brass were willing to give him another year. After the Saints debacle, there has to be some doubt sneaking into their thought processes. At least, I hope there is. If not, next year is going to be rough. I just read that Coughlin is replacing Offensive Coordinator John Hufnagel with QB Coach Kevin Gilbride, who has experience as an OC, Head Coach and Buddy Ryan's punching bag. Unfortunately, this is not a good sign for a few reasons:

1. This smacks of desperation - Replacing your OC with one game remaining and the playoffs on the line is the sign of a coach who's clearly grasping at straws. He's Custer and this game is Little Big Horn. We know what happened to Custer.
2. Gilbride doesn't really impress me that much - At least some of the blame for Eli Manning's inconsistency this season must lie at his feet. He is, after all, the Quarterbacks Coach. How many times must we watch Manning horribly under (or over) throw a wide open receiver? Apparently, he's got more than enough arm strength to make any throw required of him, yet I've read his mechanics are screwed up. Now either Eli is just too dense to change his mechanics or someone isn't teaching him how to throw properly.

Either way, I doubt this change will correct the same mistakes they make every week. Will it make Eli throw better? Probably not. Good mechanics can be taught, but not in a few days. Will TE Jeremy Shocky be involved more? That's impossible to predict. Possibly. Or not. Will Burress give up on plays? We'll see what happens the next time Manning floats a pass 10 yards over his head into the waiting arms of a free safety. Will the defense suddenly decide to stop the run? The pass? Anything? I doubt it. I'm sure Redskins rookie QB Jason Campbell will look like a combination of Joe Montana and Dan Marino. Certainly better than he has all year. It won't be the fault of middle linebacker Antonio Pierce, who would chew off his own foot to make a play, no matter the score. If every player were like him, the Giants would not have lost 6 of their last 7 games. For comparison's sake, let's look at the Jets. Even with all their injuries, the Giants are still a vastly more talented team than the rebuilding Jets. Yet, the Jets consistently play harder and smarter than the Giants. They're playing hard every game for new coach Eric Mangini and they're about to make the playoffs with a 9 and 6 record. Many people, myself included, had the Jets winning 4 or 5 games this year at the most. The Giants, in contrast, play like they resent Coughlin. That's a bad sign. It won't go away in the off season either. Tom must go.