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New York Giants Training Camp Report 4th August 2012

Training camp update from Mike Garafolo of NJ.com

A look ahead to Week 3: Giants @ Panthers, Thursday 20th September

Continuing my look ahead to the regular season and outlining the background and story-lines that I will be following. Week 3 will see the Giants visiting the electrifying young Panther’s team for their first road game of the season.

The Panthers record in 2011 was not the greatest (6-10) but under first year head coach Ron Rivera and led by the outstanding first overall pick Cam Newton at QB no-one could complain that they weren’t exciting. Their games were always fun to watch:

NFL Top 100 Players 2011 – No. 40 Cam Newton

Newton posted record numbers for a rookie QB and dazzled with his highlight reel runs and rocket arm. The defense however didn’t shine and were ranked dead last in the league. Allowing over 6 yards per play and the fifth most yards in the league.

Ron Rivera’s background is as a defensive coordinator and with the benefit of a full off-season and the addition of some veteran free agents and rookies (including exciting rookie LB Luke Kuechly) I’d expect the unit to be a lot more solid going into 2012.

The Giants ‘D’ will have to be on the top of their game all day, Newton’s arm to threats like Steve Smith can take the top off the defense with deep balls and he has a big target/outlet in Greg Olsen in the red-zone and pass rush situations.

The real forte of the Panthers offense though is their running game. DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart and the recently acquired Mike Tolbert pack a heady combination of force, speed and quickness that, combined with the double threat of Newton as a runner, will require discipline to stop.

With such potent run threats the play-action passing game will come into play as well and the Giants safeties and line-backers will have to stay on their assignments and not get caught looking into the backfield or cheating to the line otherwise it will be an easy six points from Cam’s arm.

The Giants offense will have to help the defense throughout the game, lots of ball control passes, moving the chains and maintaining drives. The running game will have to establish itself effectively and early. If the Giants can eat up the clock and establish a lead then they stand a good chance. Too many ‘three and outs’ or turnovers and the defense will get tired and the Panthers will rack up points and grind out yards and the clock on the ground.

This will be a close one but one that I think the Giants should win if they are for real and can execute their game plan on a very short week (this game is only four days after their meeting with the Buccaneers). Probably a 17-14 score line.

Key Match-ups

Giants Pass Rush vs Panthers QB Cam Newton

In all areas on ‘D’ the Giants need to be disciplined but the d-line have to be wary in pass-rush situations of being led past Cam, allowing him to step up in the pocket and escape on the run. If Cam gets loose in the open field while the Giants are in man-coverage in the secondary then they will be looking at giving up 20 yards+ a time.

The ends need to keep Cam in front of them and the interior line-men need to maintain gap control and squeeze the pocket. If they can make Cam uncomfortable and force him to throw on the run or off-balance then his effectiveness will be significantly lessened. The more hits and pressure they can get (even if not resulting in sacks) the better off the Giants will be.

Panthers WR Steve Smith vs Giants DB Corey Webster

Smith has been in the league a long time and if 2011 is anything to judge by he has a lot of mileage left in him. Despite his short stature he his a powerful receiver and is comfortable running the interior routes of the passing tree (slant, quick-in, post) and using his strength to beat jams at the line and get open. Smith is also an explosive player going deep on ‘9’ (go) and corner routes.

With the injury to Terrell Thomas likely finishing his season before it begins, Corey Webster is likely to be leaned on a lot throughout the season by the Giants and will usually be matched up against the opposing team’s best receiver. Webster is physical and will jam and press Smith at the line, I’d expect a lot of Giants formations to have safety Kenny Phillips deep on Smith’s side of the field to give Webster support and allow him to play with an inside leverage technique to try and take away the quick slant routes and try to upset the timing and rhythm of the Panther’s passing game.

Panthers’ Running Game vs Giants Front 7

The Panthers’ DeAngelo Williams is a good all-round back and can run between the tackles when required but where he excels is using his speed to get around the corner in the outside running game (stretch, toss, pitch etc) and he has the quickness to cut back inside and take advantage of a gap. Expect him to be running behind big fullback Tolbert and often a pulling guard to kick out the block on the edge and spring him into the open field.

In 2011 the Giants’ opponents often liked running against the right hand side of the Giants defensive line and occasionally had good success with it If there is one knock on Osi Umenyiora (and potentially the reason that the Giants didn’t lock him up to a longer contract – and why he couldn’t command a first round pick in the 2011 off-season) it is that he is sometimes soft against the run. There were notable exceptions to this where he made big plays against good runners last year and JPP is athletic enough to blow up a running play from any position (often chasing it down from behind).

The Giants’ linebackers will have a task in front of them, they will have to maintain clean gap control against a potential cutback or a QB keeper by Newton but they also need to be able to flow East/West to cover the edges against the run and try to prevent Williams turning the corner.

Spencer Paysinger, Jacquian Williams and Mark Herzlich are all young and fast enough to play a hybrid linebacker/safety role (which is increasingly the direction that the LB position is going in the NFL) all three are able to defend the edge and minimize running yards.

Free-agent Keith Rivers and long-time (on/off) stalwart Chase Blackburn and the perennially excellent Mathias Kiwanuka bring experience to the group as well and I hope to see some solid LB play against both run and pass.

On the interior of the line Chris Canty and (the newly slimmed down) Shaun Rogers will try to fill the gaps against the interior running game and Newton stepping up through the pocket.

The LBs and linemen will be tested in short yardage by the bruising Tolbert bursting through the A and B gaps and will need to be quick to meet him in the hole and shut him down before he can build up a head of steam.

Finally the pace-changing Stewart is the third head to the Panthers triple-threat running attack and is equally comfortable pounding it up the middle as he is looking for an edge.

It will be a long day for the Giants against the run, unless they can keep the Panthers in third and long situations or jump ahead quickly and force the Panthers to chase a lead through the air.

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Twitter: @anthonysavell

A look ahead to Week 2: Buccaneers @ Giants 16th September 2012

This week 2 match up is the Giants game that I am most looking forward to this season. This is for a very simple reason; I will be sitting in row 1 of Metlife Stadium with 80,000 other Giants fans. I will be writing a lot more about my day at the Meadowlands in the run up to it and afterwards (including copious photos) but what I want to do today is purely concentrate on the story lines around this game and the key match ups that I will be watching unfold on the field.

The last two meetings of these teams have been Giants wins in Florida, 24-0 in the 2009 regular season and and 24-14 in the wild-card round of the 2007 post-season.

This is a very different Buccaneers team to those that the Giants saw in those two games. Under Raheem Morris this young team had an excellent 2010 season (narrowly missing the play-offs with a 10-6 record) behind the arm and legs and exciting young QB Josh Freeman. In 2011 they failed to mature into that promise as a ‘youngry’ (young and hungry) team and finished with a disappointing 4-12 record and cost head coach Raheem Morris his job.

So the 2012 team is an enigma. They are certainly stacked with young talent but potentially may be lacking some veteran locker-room leadership. The question is which team will show up in New Jersey in mid-September? The focused and (at times) lucky Buccaneers from 2010 or the in-disciplined sloppy team that played in 2011.

I’m interested to see how new head coach Greg Schiano has been able to shape and lead this team through the off-season, pre-season and into week 1. He certainly is no stranger to dealing with, and getting results from, young players. Schiano spent the last 11 seasons as the head coach of Rutgers University.

Update 07/08/12: A nice article about Buccaneers training camp.

For the Giants, defending their position as champions, this is a game that they should win if they are going to be taken seriously. They will have a lot of time to prepare for this game and correct any issues from their game against the Cowboys, as their Week 1 game will played over 10 days before.

The key for them will be limiting Josh Freeman, not just hitting and sacking him, but holding him in the pocket. It is important that they force Freeman to win the game with his arm and not by leaking out of the pocket and gaining yards with his feet.

The other key will be stopping the Buccaneers bruising running game behind LeGarrette Blount. If the Giants can take an early lead and establish the run then the Buccaneers should struggle to win the game with Freeman’s arm.

My score prediction for this one is a comfortable win to the Giants if they execute their game plan – maybe 21 – 10.

Key Match Ups

Buccaneers Guard Carl Nicks vs Giants Defensive line

Carl Nicks is a big guard and a former pro-bowl player for the Saints but when the Giants get into a pass rush situation and move Tuck and Pierre-Paul into interior line positions whilst rushing Umenyiora and potentially Kiwanuka from the edges that is a lot of firepower for O-Lines to face. If the Bucs get caught in long 3rd down situations or chasing a big Giants lead then Nicks will be tested by the Giants line.

UPDATE: 03/08/2012

Carl Nicks is reportedly having an excellent training camp with the Buccaneers.

Buccaneers Secondary vs Victor Cruz

The Bucs’ Defensive Backs are young and athletic but Cruz made a living last season running the ‘option’ route from the slot and getting open against wily veteran backs. I’d be surprised if they have the talent to contain Victor Cruz from the slot as well as Hakeem Nicks and potentially Hixon or Randle outside the numbers.

Buccaneers TE Dallas Clark vs Giants LBs / Safeties

The long-time safety blanket for Peyton Manning’s Colts is one of the veterans the Bucs have added in the off season. Clark is a big target with sure hands and a knack for getting open. If Freeman can avoid the pass rush long enough to find him then he will have an out-let against the rush.

Clark can line up in the slot receiver position or in the traditional Tight-End position and he is a nightmare for a safety or linebacker in man-man coverage. This will be a sleepness night for Jacquian Williams, Antrel Rolle or Matthias Kiwanuka prior to covering him. If there is any doubt what kind of threat a big and skilled receiving tight-end is to the Giants then one only needs to watch film of the NFC championship game and see what Vernon Davis did to the Giants when lined up against a safety in man-coverage.

Buccaneers DT Gerald McCoy vs Giants O-Line

The Giants O-Line and particularly the Center David Baas struggled at times to block a determined pass rush and to open holes for the running backs last season. McCoy is a force on the interior of the line and can brush off blocks and blow up a running play in the backfield. He is the last person that you’d want to see landing on Eli on passing downs. Look for the Giants to double team him in the middle with center and a guard or leave a back into help out in 3rd and medium to long situations.

McCoy demands double teams and lineman consideration and will allow other rushers and blitzers to get free on the edges or through the A & B gaps.

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Don’t forget to follow me on twitter @anthonysavell

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Training Camp Report 01/08/2012

Training Camp Report 01/08/2012 By Ralph Vacchiano, New York Daily News

Shoes, Spiderman and Sustain

Why I’m excited about training camp and what it means for the Giants in the 2012 season.

Training Camp for me is the start of the NFL season. When everyone else has been getting excited about the Olympics in our biggest city, my attention has turned to the University Campus at Albany in up-state New York where the whole Giants team are gathered to practice and install the messages and plays that will lead them to success or failure in the season.

The message from the current Super Bowl Champion Giants has been that they want to see which team from last year is the real one.

Is it the team that went 9-7 and only squeezed out an NFC East title, along the way losing games that they should have won, their once proud run game sputtering throughout, the defense questionable and at times seeming soft and porous against run and pass.

Or is it the team that got ‘hot’ at the right time and once in the play-offs kept the high-octane Falcons to 0 offensive points, made the number-1 seeded and reigning champion Packers sputter and implode, knocked out a very good 49ers team with special teams in a close overtime game to win the right to humble the Brady-Belichick machine in the last NFL game of the season.

At the end of the day the 2011 Giants were one dropped Miles Austin catch and the tip of Pierre-Paul’s finger on a Dallas field goal away from missing the playoffs completely.

Shoes:

This week amongst news of injuries, recoveries and practices we’ve seen Eli Manning’s and Hakeem Nicks’ game shoes:

Spiderman

We also found out from punter Steve Weatherford’s twitter account that these multi-millionaires sometimes sleep on Spiderman bedding:

Sustain:

The message coming out of camp last year was ‘Finish’ – finish games, finish drives, finish the season and it worked.

This year the message is ‘sustain’ – don’t get complacent, don’t think you are better than you are. Eli Manning summed the message up succinctly:

“This past year, we showed our potential those last six games of the season … that we can play with anybody and we can compete and we can play great football, a matter of getting to that point, finding that style of football, the way to be successful, and then holding on to it for the season.”

Justin Tuck:

“You just can’t allow yourself to think about (the Super Bowl). You’ve got to be humble and remember the reasons why we turned around a team that was 9-7 to a Super Bowl team. So Eli’s right on.”

Tom Coughlin:

“The comparison between the last six and the first 14, you just kind of shake your head, I’m hoping we’re the team that finished.”

My main areas of interest going through camp and into the season broken down by position are:

(N.B. the following are my arm-chair opinions and I make no apology for them but if you think I’m mistaken about anything then please do comment!):

Defense (the key to the great Giants teams)

D-Line -can Osi and Tuck stay healthy and can Jason Pierre-Paul (still only 20) continue to mature his raw athleticism into technique to become a dominant force?

Update 4th August JPP is looking like having another good year:

JPP looking to continue Giant ascension.

D-Backs – With such a great pass rush the job of the D-Backs is lessened but the two elements must work in harmony and must cover long enough to let the pass-rush get ‘home’.

Deon Grant – will he return as he says he wants to? This would allow Perry Fewell to run his 3 safety formations from 2011. Or is Fewell confident enough with the development of Tyler Sash that he feels Grant is a ‘nice to have’ but maybe not an essential cog in the ‘D’

UPDATE 31/07/2012 The re-injury to Terrell Thomas could bring Grant back into the fold:

Prince Amukamara – will the 2011 1^st round draft pick mature and replace the hole left by Aaron Ross’ departure to the Jags?

Terrel Thomas – is he fully recovered from the knee injury which kept him out all lastseason (his back stiffened up in practice today but the knee seemed strong)?

UPDATE 31/07/2012 Bad news for the DBs:

Linebackers – will this young group continue to grow and find their roles and what does the addition of Keith Rivers mean to the LB corps?

Offense:

QB – no question who the starter will be but can Eli continue to make great decisions, protect the ball and put the team on his back when the running game sputters?

Receivers/Tight Ends (a lot of interesting stories to follow in this group)–

Hakeem Nicks – can he get back to full strength and on the same page as Eli early in the season after breaking his foot in the off-season?

Ramses Barden – can he create in games like we hear he does in practice?

Domenik Hixon – coming off his second consecutive season ending knee injury will he be able to fill in for Manningham (now with the 49ers) and Nicks (until his return).

Reuben Randle – how ‘NFL-ready’ is this exciting talent that the Giants viewed as a steal falling to them at the end of the second round.

Victor Cruz – can the salsa dancing sensation continue to produce at such a high level and dominate from the slot position again?

UPDATE 20:40 28.07.12 Mike Garafolo tweeted from camp:

@MikeGarafolo: Anybody looking for Cruz letdown should probably keep looking. He looks as explosive as he was last year plus more polished. #nyg

Travis Beckum – can he come back from his knee injury in the Super Bowl and step up to fill the hole left by Jake Ballard’s injury and subsequent poaching by the Patriots?

Martellus Bennett – can he break out and fulfill that potential that he flashed but never maintained in Dallas? Will he keep his weight down and stay healthy?

Adrien Robinson – this is one of my favourite storylines. The Giants look on this young tight-end as needing technique but rivaling JPP for raw athletic ability. Look for him to make a big contribution either late in the season or in 2013.

Running back – a key position for the Giants. Last year was statistically one of their worst ever running the ball. This is something that they’ve always prided themselves on.

Ahmad Bradshaw – I’m rooting for 44 to have a big year. I’m not going to lie, I’m going to miss the joint celebrations of Bradshaw and Jacobs

David Wilson – one word from me: “Exciting.” In Eli’s words: “The thing about David Wilson is he’s the fastest running back we’ve ever had. I mean, this guy’s; quick, he’s explosive, so that’s kind of exciting.”

Andre Brown – hoping to see this guy step up and perform. Lots of promise but it’s time to see production.

DJ Ware and Da’Rel Scott – These guys have been with the team a while and except for occasional flashes (and 2-point conversions) we’ve seen little from them. It’s time for one (or both) of them to step into the sizeable hole that Jacobs has left in the roster.

O-Line – In 2011 this group were oft-injured and not the same group we’d seen for so many years. We need more consistency and better center play in 2012.

Special Teams – can we get a return game going?

Really good to see Justin Tryon back. He wins my prize in 2011 for sheer grit. Tackling and hanging onto Reggie Bush with an already fractured arm, breaking it completely in the process and ending his season. Tough kid.

Also expecting continued performance from Devin Thomas – my undisputed MVP of the NFC championship game.

UPDATE 5/08/12 –

UPDATE 07/08/12: A look at the Giants’ Special Teams unit

The forgotten 1/3 of the game will be big (maybe make or break) for the Giants this season.

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What are you looking for from your NFL team as they move through camp, the pre-Season and into the Season?

Don’t forget to follow me on twitter @anthonysavell.

Bucket List Nov 2004 – July 2012

November 2004. It started with a flat mate, a video game and a holiday television program, all roughly around the same time.  One evening after work,  Ben, a long time friend and flat-mate (also the first person I met in University) casually knocks on my bedroom door holding a copy of ESPN 2K5 with a player I’d not yet heard of (Terrell Owens),  in an Eagles ‘uniform’ (I called it a ‘kit’ at the time) I’d eventually learn to despise on the cover. With our ‘popcorn ready’ and controllers in hand,  Ben (a long-time Packers fan) began to teach me the rules of the NFL.

A few evenings later and a holiday program I was watching over dinner with my girlfriend showcased a few nights in New York – a holiday we realised we could probably afford and would both like to take. Our trip was booked within days. The stars had begun to align.

Our sessions on the Xbox were nightly, then at the beginning of February we watched the Super Bowl highlights on TV in my room – the first NFL action I’d really paid attention to. I still hadn’t chosen a team to follow- the Patriots were the best in the game (video and in reality), but with a British idea of favouring the underdog (but still not good enough to play with a really mediocre team) I played with recent Super Bowl runners-up the Panthers. It is worth noting that at this point I was a video game fan, not an NFL fan. It is also worth noting that the Giants and Jets were really bad in this game! The Jets’ signal caller was Chad Pennington; the Giants’ was Kurt Warner – a rookie player called Eli Manning was keeping the bench warm on the starting depth chart behind him.

I had an idea that I wanted to support a New York team – I was unsure which one and I leant towards the Jets but only very casually. I couldn’t name more than two players on the team and had never seen the team play a down. Nevertheless I returned from New York (we fell in love with the city) with an ‘ESPN Monday Night Football’ branded ball for Ben and (I’m ashamed to admit it now) a Jonathan Vilma Jets jersey – hey we all make mistakes, look at Plaxico… he played for them!

That was about it for a few years. I returned to New York. I continued to play 2K5 but I didn’t follow the NFL or keep up with it- except to visit Ben (now living in Cambridge) to watch the Seahawks lose in the Super Bowl to the Steelers. I rooted for the Seahawks and started a season (franchise) with them in the video game on my return home.

That was it really until September 2007.  I was aware that there was an NFL game being played at Wembley but I thought I’d missed the tickets. A Ticketmaster email alerted me of a few late released tickets and on impulse I bought two. My girlfriend was about to learn about the NFL and I was about to find my team and the second love of my life. In the excitement leading to the game I bought an Eli Manning shirt from Footlocker. My soul-searching lead me to a conversation with a girlfriend who – to be fair – didn’t really care:

Me: It’s fine to support a different New York team – I support the city, not the club.
Lucy: Yeah it’s fine
Me (still unsure): After all I never really followed the Jets and this is my first real NFL game… I’ll just switch allegiance to the Giants or support both?
Lucy: It’s fine.
Me (knowing Ben will still take the piss): Good.

October 2007: Giants @ Dolphins. Wembley Stadium.

We got to the game and in the pouring rain and mud I watched the eventual Super Bowl winners grind out a close win against a very poor Dolphins team. My highlight? Eli running in for a long touchdown (for a Manning) just under where we were sitting. Lucy was sold on the sport, the pageantry and the merchandise. I had found my team.

I avidly followed the rest of the Giants season. Cheering a win in Buffalo (silently – Lucy was asleep) and applauding a valiant attempt in a meaningless week 17 game to stop the Patriots going undefeated (we lost by 3 points but we’d win the one that counted). In a frigid game in Greenbay I watched as Coughlin’s face froze and Tynes kicked the Giants to the Super Bowl in overtime (for the first time). I cheered silently and hopped around the bedroom. Lucy was asleep.

She was awake and watched the Super Bowl with me – her in a Manning shirt; me in an Umenyiora one (a fellow Brit). I struggled to watch (through my hands) for the final drive. I learnt the name Tyree and watched Brady get beaten badly by a D-line who were unstoppable.

I haven’t missed a televised Giants game since (Sky Sports and NFL Gamepass) from their ‘oh so close’ 2008 season; through their depressing, under-achieving 2009 and 2010 seasons; to their ‘our schedule should be scared of us’ fast finish in 2011 which culminated in the ‘Still a Cruz and Nicks game’ Super Bowl drive.

Every single one of those games I imagined how great it would be to be there roaring with the crowd. In October 2010 on our 5th visit to NY I watched from a Manhattan bar as they knocked Romo out for the season on Monday Night, but they were hundreds of miles away in Arlington, Texas. The next day I visited the deserted Meadowlands stadium – the cab driver thought we were mad to bother going there. I wandered round the car park took a photo and returned to Manhattan.

This off-season I took the plunge. For two nights in September I’ll be in New Jersey, in week two. What’s more I’ll be in Row 1 as my heroes run out to face (and hopefully beat) the Buccaneers. I’ll be wearing my JPP Elite Nike jersey (a present from Lucy) and I will be in the car park amongst the fans tailgating all morning, soaking it all in.

This blog is the story of a UK NFL fan fulfilling a dream and ticking something off his bucket list, but it will also be the story of a (heavily Giants biased) NFL season from a UK fan’s point of view.

Far less exciting (but still pretty good) I will be in Wembley for the first time since 2008 (Chargers at Saints) watching the Rams play the Super Bowl XLVI runners-up at the end of October.

October 2008: Ben at the Chargers vs Saints game. Wembley Stadium.

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How did you get into following the NFL? How did you find your team? What’s your dream NFL experience? What games have you been to and what are your memories of them?Post your comments and experiences below. I’d also like ideas for a cardboard sign to take to the game…

Don’t forget to follow me on twitter @anthonysavell to find out when new posts are added to the blog.