E-GIANTS
Dave Klein was the Giants' beat writer
for The Star-Ledger from 1961 to 1995.
He is the author of 26 books and he is one of
only four sportswriters to have covered all the Super Bowls.
Dave has allowed TEAM GIANTS to reprint some of his articles.

IS KEVIN GILBRIDE OPERATING A RUN-AND-SHOOT OFFENSE?

By Aaron Klein
Nobody likes Kevin Gilbride.

At least, nobody outside of the New York Giants organization likes the oft-criticized offensive coordinator.

They call him "Kill-Drive."

Except, it seems, no one called him that when they won the Super Bowl three years ago, or when they put 31 points on Carolina, or 34 on Houston, or 41 on Dallas and Seattle (right, that Seattle).

They beat Chicago, 17-3, and while 17 points isn't much to write home about, with the defensive performance that night, the Giants would have had a tough time losing regardless of what the offense did against the now NFC North champions.

Of course, in games against two other eventual playoff teams --- Philadelphia and Green Bay -- the Giants were less than stellar on both sides of the ball. Games slipped away, like losses to Philly, Tennessee and Dallas. The abomination at Indianapolis showed just what happens when the uniforms on the field are empty.

Now the season's over and we've all heard that the Giants will retain head coach Tom Coughlin, who said publicly that he had no current plans to make any changes on the coaching staff. That was before defensive coordinator Perry Fewell started interviewing for head coaching jobs, before anyone remembered the special teams coach Tom Quinn had not already been banished from the kingdom and before Gilbride's name popped up as a potential candidate for the head coach's job at the University of Connecticut.

Still, it seems that Gilbride will be around for another season (if there is another season this year), but the questions that hang over East Rutherford are big ones: Does his idea of an offensive system fit the personnel? Is his philosophy a winning one? Is he utilizing quarterback Eli Manning correctly?

What you've been seeing over the recent years is Gilbride's updated, evolved and heavily-edited version of the old Run-and-Shoot, which he ran as offensive coordinator with the Houston Oilers back in the 1990s.

What's that, you ask? The system involves plenty of coaching adjustments and off-balance changes, but more importantly it involves adjustable routes by all receivers, single-back formations with four wide or even two wide and two slots (you've seen that with Steve Smith and, say, a back or a tight end instead of another receiver).

The quarterback has to count how many defensive players are in the box and then call an audible since five or less guys in the box requires a running play, more for a passing play. There are formations with motion designed to test the defense, which could tip its hand as to whether it is playing zone or man coverage or even blitzing.

Of course, there are masked defensive coverages, delayed blitzes and changing zones to deal with, all of which make it even tougher for offense's like the Giants', especially with injured offensive linemen and receivers.

Gilbride's version of the Run-and-Shoot has managed to cut down on the abundance of sacks that were a risk factor in the original scheme, and does create plenty of mismatches in the secondary. That's why it works when a guy like Hakeem Nicks is healthy, even against nickel and dime coverages. Why do you think they miss Plaxico Burress so much?

Gilbride also utilizes tight ends, though more as blockers or slot receivers, and sometimes incorporates a fullback --- both almost obsolete in the original Run-and-Shoot --- when the situation calls for one or both on the field.

That the Giants have consistently finished high in the league in scoring and yardage is largely a testament to Gilbride and his system.

Remember, though some argue this point... defense wins football games, a key detriment to the original Run-and-Shoot. Teams that ran it in its purest form scored a lot of points and saw their quarterback explode statistically, but still never won anything.

Why do drives die?

Many reasons, including missed blocks, dropped passes, interceptions and fumbles, along with the changes that sometimes worked but sometimes did not.

Gilbride may not be known for flashy creativity, but he is respected by many insiders as one of the better coordinators when it comes to adjusting during each game, half, quarter or drive.

It's a version of the Run-and-Shoot, and adjustments, changes are a given.

He scripts, yes, like many coaches do, the first 15 plays so he can see what the defense is giving him on particular plays and in particular situations. Maybe that explains the slow starts and strong finishes.

Look, Gilbride can't control the defense, so when that unit lets the other team back in a game, Gilbride is trying to get the offense back in the game when he had already given the team a comfortable lead (See: Philadelphia game).

The offense may not seem complex to the average viewer, but it is a complicated system, which is why you see Manning making lots of audibles and calls just before the snap. Some have argued that the offense takes too long to get going and that's why Manning has had so many delay-of-game penalties.

However, when the team has to get into two-minute mode, it does it well, usually.

Heck, sometimes the adjustments are too frequent and sometimes things just don't work. Remember, the other team wants to stop the offense early and often, so just because we all know the ball's going to Brandon Jacobs, it does not mean that the opposing defense is sure of it. On the other hand, everyone has to do their jobs, too. It comes down to execution.

More than anything else this season, turnovers killed more drives than did Gilbride. Manning led the league with 25 interceptions, killing 25 drives alone. They weren't all Manning's fault, but the stat goes to the quarterback, not the receiver who ran the wrong route on a timing pattern or who played hot potato with the defensive back instead of fighting for the ball, or at least making sure the DB would get the pick. The Giants were 10th in the league with 26 fumbles, another 26 drives killed; five of them were Manning's.

Interestingly, though he had just 10 interceptions in 2008, 14 last year and the big 25 in 2010, he threw 20 in 2007, the year the Giants went to the Super Bowl and won. In fact, that year his completion percentage was 56.1, his worst since 2005, and his rating was 73.9, his worst since his short rookie season.

A lot of the offensive problems happened on the field. Firstly, the offensive line was banged up and shuffled all season, which hurt blocking schemes and limited the success of many plays/drives.

The receivers were banged up and by the end of the year, it was tough to recognize them. That means bad routes and route adjustments, dropped balls, poor downfield blocking and no mental connection with Manning.

Then there was Manning himself, whose interceptions and lousy completion percentage took a toll. Sure, some of that is on Gilbride and he'd admit it without hesitation. Manning's interceptions have increased over the last three seasons and that falls on Gilbride and quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan.

What's next? Almost assuredly, Gilbride will be back along with the rest of the staff, unless something is done with Quinn.

Guys will get healthy and return to the field, though some will be released and others will be brought in. Hopefully they'll be the right fit for Gilbride, though sometimes it feels as though he and Coughlin are forcing square pegs into round holes, although injuries dictated many of those decisions.

Chicken-or-egg question for you: What comes first, the system or the personnel?

Wait 'till next year to find out.

Send questions, comments or criticisms to aklein22@verizon.net.

Check out Dave's website at E-GIANTS where you can subscribe to his newsletters which run much more frequently than what is available here.
- Team Giants

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