Sun Nov 25, 4:00 pm (CBS) - Raiders at Giants
Giants and Raiders are overdue.
The Giants and Raiders could have met up in last year's Super Bowl, if the Ravens Tony Siragusa didn't slam dunk Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon into the ground on his throwing shoulder during the second quarter of their
playoff game. Gannon was finished for the half, and tried to come back later in the game, but was ineffective and Bobby Hoying took over again to finish the game.
Is running the answer for the 5-5 Giants?
The aging offensive line would have you believe that they're not so good at backpedaling on those pass plays as they are at smashing forward and knocking heads with their younger less experienced defensive opponents. Offensive linemen prefer to run block, and if the Giants players do it with their tough hardened powerful bodies, a knowledgeable
bag of tricks, extreme overconfidence, or a combination of all these, it doesn't matter, so long as it works. They claim they haven't been able to get into a rhythm with the current mix of play calling, especially with the lack of running plays.
In Monday night's loss, the Giants rushed the ball just 15 times, against 37 pass attempts, even though they were leading the game going into the fourth quarter. In trying to protect the quarterback, they gave up 4 sacks to the Vikings, a team that had only 10 sacks entering the game.
One thing is for sure, whatever the reasons are, this unit has to run block better and avoid the protection breakdowns. As a Giants fan, you don't want to see a scrambling Kerry Collins out there. He's been been sacked 27 times, and has been charged with 14 fumbles this season, including at least two in each of the past five games.
Is Ron Dayne the next Tyrone Wheatley?
Tiki Barber is effective being switched in and out of the offense in his dual role as running back and receiver. The question is, how does this switching affect a big power running back like Ron Dayne? What better time to look back to a time when Tyrone Wheatley, another Giants
first round draft pick, was trying to make things work out with the Giants? Back in April 1998, coach Fassel was thinking of Tiki Barber as his No. 1 running back with Wheatley, LeShon Johnson, and Gary Brown making up their mix of rotating running backs.
Wheatley had this to say about his durability, erratic performance and inconsistency on the field back then.
"A lot of the nicks and bruises are a product of my sitting on the sideline, going in and getting my two carries, then coming back to the sidelines," he said. "If you stay on the field, stay in the rhythm, those little things don't bother you. But if you keep coming out, your body isn't used to the pounding and the injuries that go along with it."
By the end of the 1998 season, Wheatley had dressed for just six games, and played in five. He carried the ball just 14 times for 52 yards and returned one kickoff for 16 yards playing behind Gary Brown and Tiki Barber.
In last Monday night's loss to Minnesota, running back Ron Dayne got just four carries for minus yardage.
Is Ron Dixon the next Tyrone Wheatley?
What happened to the player who was being called the Giants "kickoff return ace"? Last year he had two 97-yard kickoff returns, one to open the playoff victory against the Eagles, and the other against the Ravens in the Super Bowl. He became the only player in NFL history to return two postseason kickoffs for touchdowns.
The Giants' average starting field position this season is the 22-yard line. That's the worst starting position in the league, and certainly doesn't help you win football games. Dixon was pulled from kickoff returns in the second half last week.
Now Fassel says, "I'm going to leave Dixon in there and give him another chance. That (pulling up) is what bothers me. He's got to hit it up there. And where the scheme is, the blocking has to open a hole for him. If it isn't there, you have to find a hole and hit it. But you can't come up there and stop and lose us yardage. You have to hit it full speed."
Now that's what the coach used to tell Wheatley.
What about Tyrone Wheatley?
Former Giant Tyrone Wheatley, if healthy, will play his first game against the Giants, the team that drafted him in the first round in 1995. Wheatley rushed for 936 yards in 1999 and 1,046 yards last season for the Raiders. He's missed the past four games with knee problems and should be ready for this game although he may not be in it from beginning
to end.
The Raiders against the run.
The Giants had a chance to take Shaun Alexander instead of Ron Dayne for their draft pick. Two weeks ago, Seattle's Shaun Alexander ran against the Raiders for 266-yards and 3 touchdowns in the Seahawks' 34-27 win over Oakland. Alexander's yardage total was the fourth best in league history.
If you're a Giants fan who wishes they had taken Alexander instead, Ron Dayne might be sharing your wish as well. It does make a difference that Shaun Alexander is used as a featured running back, while Dayne shares in and out time with Tiki Barber. Dayne comments that Shaun is a great back, but in a different situation. "He's the only back, and in the type of system they run, he's
always going to get the ball.".
In any event, and thanks in part to that one game, the Raiders have allowed 4.8 yards per rush, which is the worst in the NFL. If the Giants plan to do something with the running game, they should give it a shot here, although they didn't do all that well last week against a Minnesota defense that was ranked 27th in the NFL against the run.
The Raiders with the ball.
Michael Strahan is on a hot streak, but it will be hard to run down quarterback Rich Gannon, especially without Keith Hamiltion in the lineup, or with him playing as well as he can with a still healing separated shoulder. It's unlikely he will play, having made his injury worse by playing through it last week.
The need for a healthy Hamilton playing against the run and being effective in the pass rush is becoming very apparent, as the Giants, for the third week in a row, have allowed opposing receivers the time to get open and gain more than 100 yards.
That streak could easily continue as the Giants now will face Tim Brown and Jerry Rice. Jim Fassel called them "two of the most prepared receivers in the National Football League." Brown and Rice will go up against Jason Sehorn, playing on a bum right knee, and our two rookie corners Will Allen and Will Peterson.
NFL Fines.
Vikings receiver Randy Moss was fined $10,000 for taunting in the last MNF game against the Giants.
This follows Moss being fined $5,000 for taunting against Green Bay on Oct. 21.
Vikings rookie linebacker Patrick Chukwurah was fined $5,000 for kicking Luke Petitgout in the fourth quarter.
Giants offensive tackle Luke Petitgout was fined $7,500 for slamming Chukwurah to the turf during their fight.
Tough luck for some players.
Punter Gabe Lindstrom was waived by the New York Giants on Tuesday without actually getting a chance to play in his first-regular season NFL game. He was signed last week, but regular punter Rodney Williams made a fast recovery from a broken wrist sustained against Dallas on Nov. 4. Williams did just fine and averaged 49.7 yards on three punts.
Best Fassel quotes from last week.
``Hey, I'm not coaching as well. Kerry is not playing as well. (Offensive coordinator) Sean Payton is not as bright as he was a year ago,'' Fassel said. ``You name it. That's where it is.'' `We have made it extremely difficult on ourselves, not impossible, but extremely difficult,'' Fassel said. ``There is no reason,
if the light goes on with us, that we can't play a better brand of football.''
Notes:
Giants at 5-5, are 1 1/2 games behind the first-place 6-3 Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East.
Redskins will try for their fifth straight win, and could pull within a game of the division-leading Eagles when the teams meet at Veterans Stadium.
Raiders at 7-2 are tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the best record in the AFC, and have a two-game lead over Seattle in the West Division.
Giants will have a bye next week and then play Dallas, Arizona, Seattle, Philadelphia and Green Bay.
Giants tight end Howard Cross will play in his 202nd game, which is a club record.
Giants center Dusty Zeigler missed the second half of the game against the Vikings with a mild concussion.
Head coach Jim Fassel was the Raiders quarterbacks coach in 1995.
Defensive coordinator John Fox was the Raiders quarterbacks coach from 1994-95.
Next Game
Dec 9, Giants at Dallas at 1PM.
For those very organized fans.
If you use a Palm Pilot and want to keep the Giants schedule, and actually the whole NFL schedule on it, there is a free download available here at PFL.
Last Week's review, game 10 - Minnesota 28 - Giants 16
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