That last minute of clock was a torture chamber. At 5-1 on the verge of 6-1, we are invested in this underdog season. To possibly somehow blow that win at the end, after such incredible grit along the way, would have been too much to take. Longtime blog readers know that we subscribe to the Bill Walsh theory of close games- that you have to aim for 10+ points victory margins to minimize the variance and stupidity of the officials. The officials almost ****ed us today but the team slipped through. FANTASTIC! Superlatives don’t do this win (or this season) justice.
Saquon Barkley did not stay inbounds on TWO separate plays. I rechecked the first play at 12:21 on the highlights video, and it is very clear that you have already gotten the first down many yards ago so your job there is to cut back to keep the clock running. There are 3:30 minutes remaining, the clock goes down 35+ secs each down, your opponent only has 1 remaining timeout, and it is all about first downs AND clock. The second play, he is trying to give himself up but does not get it done there either. Terrible. Daboll admitted after the game that the Giants made it harder on themselves than it should have been. Good. I like that kind of honesty, responsibility and accountability… especially after a win. The Gmen are so well coached, but they can always get better.
There is actually a 3rd play on that same drive at 12:15 on the video where Barkley can do better to stay inbounds. I am not as tough on this one, but when looked at with all 3, it is clearly not acceptable. His job is to get the first down and then stay inbounds.
It’s like Groundhog Day every Sunday afternoon. The Giants are underdogs. They get outplayed during chunks of the game. They bend, but don’t break. They get some key stops or good fortune. Justin Tucker misses a FG. And then in the 4th quarter they turn it on and win games by the hair of their chinny chin chin.
It is time to talk about Daniel Jones. This is now his 5th consecutive terrific game. He is doing it with Moe Larry and Curly out there blocking and catching balls for him. Next man up? It’s more like next waterboy up. Neal, Bredeson, Bellinger and Robinson all got hurt. Neal may have an MCL, but early word from Jordan Raanan is that both his and Bredeson’s injuries are not expected to be serious. Bellinger could be the most significant story. Sorry Giants fans, but I spoke with an opthalmologist Giants fan after the game and he said that 2 of the 3 outcomes for Bellinger could be career-ending. I won’t go into all of the speculation because obviously those comments come from a television a thousand miles away, but the point is that a lot is at risk. Hopefully he is ok.
Back to Jones, yes, he lost his shifty rookie WR Robinson. He lost Bellinger. (We needed a mainframe computer to keep track of all the dropped passes.) He had backup backups blocking for him and he put the team on his shoulders. He is doing it every week. Maybe it is the coaching, I am not sure what, but he seems to have a better clock in his head re the pocket pressure, because he is actually beginning to step up in the pocket when he should. He is making so many good passes and going through progressions very well. He is making reads on his runs brilliantly at times. Simply stated, he is leading this team and taking care of the ball. The boneheaded plays are gone. They have been replaced by composure and order. The trend is fantastic. Both he and the coaching staff deserve tremendous credit. If the trajectory continues, he will earn himself a long term contract.
Back to the game. On the final drive, when the Jaguars have 38 men in the box (okay, I exaggerated, it was actually only 10) for an inside clock killing run by the Gmen, Jones fakes the handoff (12:36 on the video), goes right, and then runs a naked bootleg to the left side and there is no one there. Except Jones. 16 yards later he has converted a 2nd and 8 and makes sure to stay inbounds. This was the playcall I was yelling for near the end of the ATL NE Super Bowl (the 28-3 game) where Matty Ryan needed to do this for a wide open clock killing dagger against the cheaters (er I mean patsies). The Jones run should seal the win, except for the insanity that would follow. What gets me so excited is that we have the Offensive Coordinator who has the wherewithal to make this call. Just fantastic.
A reminder about media hype. Please by all means celebrate the resurgence of this franchise. The coaching is what is repeatable and that has me the most upbeat. The players will get upgraded and the young ones who are playing will get better with experience too. As far as this season is concerned, there are too many breaks that have broken the Giants way that we can get too enamored about the outlook. Missed FG by Tennessee. Special teams mishap vs GB but the ball finds its way out of bounds before any of 3 GB players can claim it. Lamar Jackson turnovers in Q4. Etienne fumbling into the end zone. Stopping the Jags on the final play at the half yard line. Winning teams win these games. This is great on-the-job training. The law of averages says this streak of good fortune cannot last forever. If just a few things go wrong the entire season, the Giants could easily be a 3-4 or 4-3 team, and that would not take a single thing away from where they are trending.
Wonder: “If you would have told me that the Giants and Jets would be a combined 11-3, I would have asked you what mental hospital you are receiving treatment at.” We will finish with Bill Parcells- you are what your record says you are. The Giants are 6-1. Enjoy it. I certainly am.