The real question: How will the Giants O-Line protect Eli against the Pats Pass rush?

[mgcolby]

The question of the week has been “how will the Pats O-Line protect Brady against the Giants D-Line”….”the greatest front four evah” (Ok I exaggerated a bit, but you get the point). But IMO, the real question should be “how will the Giants O-Line protect Eli against the Pats rush”?


In the past two playoff games Eli has been sacked seven times and has been hit nineteen times. Six sacks and twelve hits allowed against SF and one sack and seven hits allowed against GB. San Francisco has a good pass rush, 7th in the league in sacks. But GB was terrible this season getting after the QB tied for 27th in the league with just twenty-nine sacks. San Francisco averaged 2.6 sacks per game during the regular season and they more than doubled that against the Giants O-Line.


The Giants O-line has done a poor job of protecting Eli this postseason and really most of the regular season. Injuries have certainly played a part, but overall the talent level is simply not there for the Giants O-line. With Eli taking a lot of 5 and 7 step drops in the Giants vertical passing attack, it puts a lot of pressure on an already mediocre O-line. If Eli wasn’t as mobile as he is, the numbers would be a lot worse.

In addition, the Giants O-line has not helped themselves out in the run game either, the Giants rushing numbers look impressive for the postseason as a whole. But when you break the numbers down, suddenly things don’t look so good, they have not been able to run the ball effectively outside of the Falcons game. In two games against opponents that were allowing an average of 94.5 YPG at 4.1 YPC, the Giants managed 90 YPG at 3.4 YPC. 85 yards at 3.3 YPC against San Francisco and 95 yards at 3.5 YPC against Green Bay’s, average at best, run defense is not getting it done.


The Pats defense on the other hand has eight sacks and fifteen QB hits in its two playoff games. How will the Giants O-line handle Wilfork shifting all over the line? Can McKenzie handle Big Vince and Deaderick on an every down basis? Can Baas handle a combination of Vince and Love one-on-one? All questions that the media should be asking.


The Pats O-Line has allowed 1 sack and 5 QB hits in two playoff games against two of the top ten teams in sacks. Baltimore was 3rd in the league in sacks with 48 (tied with the Giants) and Denver was 10th with 41. Denver did not sack Brady and only managed to hit him twice. Baltimore sacked Brady once and managed to hit him three times. The Giants defense has seven sacks and 13 hits in the past two games. Not exactly outperforming the Patriots pass rush. If the Ravens couldn’t get to him with four how are the Giants?


One other thing a lot of people and the media alike are overlooking is the fact that the Giants rush defense has been absolutely gashed the past two games to the tune of 148.5 YPG at 5.9 YPC. The Giants defense won’t be able to let the front four pin their ears back and go after Brady, while simultaneously stopping the run. The coverage the Pats receivers dictate, combined with the lack of overall talent for the Giants at Linebacker simply will not give them the ability to do so.

If the Giants drop seven and the Pats hit them with the draw its going to be a big gain, we saw how effective it was against the Ravens. The Ravens back seven is significantly better than the Giants back seven and both the run game and the passing game was there for the Pats. If the RB’s hold on to the ball there is no reason why we can’t neutralize the Giants pass rush and pick up big chunks of yards in both the running game and the passing game.

Edit: Incorrectly stated that GB hit Eli 5 times when the correct number was 7.

 

[Jangles]

Re: The real question: How will the Giants O-Line protect Eli against the Pats Pass r

I'm sorry, the Patriots what?

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Re: The real question: How will the Giants O-Line protect Eli against the Pats Pass r

Are you serious?

The Patriots do not have Justin Tuck, Chris Canty, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Osi Uminiyora (or something). Their defensive schemes do not involve bull-rushing the quarterback on every down.

How can you even ask such a stupid question? It has been declared by every analyst that Tom Brady will die from injuries while Eli Manning will stand on a 15-foot platform and throw to his magnificently magnificent receivers all game.

 

[mgcolby]

Re: The real question: How will the Giants O-Line protect Eli against the Pats Pass r

I'm sorry, the Patriots what?

Did I not spell it correctly?

 

[Holy Diver]

Re: The real question: How will the Giants O-Line protect Eli against the Pats Pass r

This is the real key I am watching for on sunday, and what I think will be the most important thing to watch.

The thing I find to be the most astonishing in this whole leadup to "The Ship" is how much disrespect the Patriots D is getting, as they have been making strides each week to get better....and are currently playing the best they have all season
If thats the case....

look the F out for #75



My guess is that Love, Deaderick, Ellis, Wilfork, Anderson, and Ninko are p!$$ed....and wanna show the world who is boss.

Oh...and don't sleep on #55

 

[Jangles]

Re: The real question: How will the Giants O-Line protect Eli against the Pats Pass r

Did I not spell it correctly?

lol I'm just being a smart ass

I hope the Pats Defense from the playoffs shows up. If it regresses to regular season form, ugh

 

[strongside]

Re: The real question: How will the Giants O-Line protect Eli against the Pats Pass r

For what its worth, I heard Phill Simms on w/ Felger. Made a point to say that he loved Ninkovich's matchup and thinks he could make some big plays.

 

[Sciz]

Re: The real question: How will the Giants O-Line protect Eli against the Pats Pass r

Anderson, Wilfork, and Ninkovich are all going to have big games. The Giants OL is not that good.

 

[meyerbudNYG]

Re: The real question: How will the Giants O-Line protect Eli against the Pats Pass r

The question of the week has been “how will the Pats O-Line protect Brady against the Giants D-Line”….”the greatest front four evah” (Ok I exaggerated a bit, but you get the point). But IMO, the real question should be “how will the Giants O-Line protect Eli against the Pats rush”?


In the past two playoff games Eli has been sacked seven times and has been hit seventeen times. Six sacks and twelve hits allowed against SF and one sack and five hits allowed against GB. San Francisco has a good pass rush, 7th in the league in sacks. But GB was terrible this season getting after the QB tied for 27th in the league with just twenty-nine sacks. San Francisco averaged 2.6 sacks per game during the regular season and they more than doubled that against the Giants O-Line.


The Giants O-line has done a poor job of protecting Eli this postseason and really most of the regular season. Injuries have certainly played a part, but overall the talent level is simply not there for the Giants O-line. With Eli taking a lot of 5 and 7 step drops in the Giants vertical passing attack, it puts a lot of pressure on an already mediocre O-line. If Eli wasn’t as mobile as he is, the numbers would be a lot worse.

In addition, the Giants O-line has not helped themselves out in the run game either, the Giants rushing numbers look impressive for the postseason as a whole. But when you break the numbers down, suddenly things don’t look so good, they have not been able to run the ball effectively outside of the Falcons game. In two games against opponents that were allowing an average of 94.5 YPG at 4.1 YPC, the Giants managed 90 YPG at 3.4 YPC. 85 yards at 3.3 YPC against San Francisco and 95 yards at 3.5 YPC against Green Bay’s, average at best, run defense is not getting it done.


The Pats defense on the other hand has eight sacks and fifteen QB hits in its two playoff games. How will the Giants O-line handle Wilfork shifting all over the line? Can McKenzie handle Big Vince and Deaderick on an every down basis? Can Baas handle a combination of Vince and Love one-on-one? All questions that the media should be asking.


The Pats O-Line has allowed 1 sack and 5 QB hits in two playoff games against two of the top ten teams in sacks. Baltimore was 3rd in the league in sacks with 48 (tied with the Giants) and Denver was 10th with 41. Denver did not sack Brady and only managed to hit him twice. Baltimore sacked Brady once and managed to hit him three times. The Giants defense has seven sacks and 13 hits in the past two games. Not exactly outperforming the Patriots pass rush. If the Ravens couldn’t get to him with four how are the Giants?


One other thing a lot of people and the media alike are overlooking is the fact that the Giants rush defense has been absolutely gashed the past two games to the tune of 148.5 YPG at 5.9 YPC. The Giants defense won’t be able to let the front four pin their ears back and go after Brady, while simultaneously stopping the run. The coverage the Pats receivers dictate, combined with the lack of overall talent for the Giants at Linebacker simply will not give them the ability to do so.

If the Giants drop seven and the Pats hit them with the draw its going to be a big gain, we saw how effective it was against the Ravens. The Ravens back seven is significantly better than the Giants back seven and both the run game and the passing game was there for the Pats. If the RB’s hold on to the ball there is no reason why we can’t neutralize the Giants pass rush and pick up big chunks of yards in both the running game and the passing game.

while I agree with you, those stats are pretty weak. 49ers front 7 is ridiculously good and underrated. They didn't get the press the Steelers and Ravens got, but they should have.

Take away the stats from that game and the numbers vs the Packers really was ordinary

But I do think a big part of this games success on how we can handle Wilfork

 

[mgcolby]

Re: The real question: How will the Giants O-Line protect Eli against the Pats Pass r

while I agree with you, those stats are pretty weak. 49ers front 7 is ridiculously good and underrated. They didn't get the press the Steelers and Ravens got, but they should have.

Take away the stats from that game and the numbers vs the Packers really was ordinary

But I do think a big part of this games success on how we can handle Wilfork

SF is good and I am not underrating them, however I find them and the Ravens to be a wash, when comparing how each O-line has done against good pass rushing teams. The Ravens and Giants although, different fronts, had the same pass rush numbers. And yes the Giants didn't give up a lot of sacks to the Packers, but they did allow Eli to get hit 7 times. That is not good considering GB was among the bottom five in terms of pressuring the QB.

 

[Patstopia]

Re: The real question: How will the Giants O-Line protect Eli against the Pats Pass r

I'm sorry, you must have it. Eli loves to be hit! It doesn't effect him in the least. He is ELIte. Obviously he will be so busy completing passes over Edelman to worry about our puny line.

 

[juny]

Re: The real question: How will the Giants O-Line protect Eli against the Pats Pass r

i wonder if bill is dusting off the old game plan from giants-bills supr bowl and dare the giants to run the ball.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

Re: The real question: How will the Giants O-Line protect Eli against the Pats Pass r

No matter how many times Eli gets hit, he'll get back up and his confidence won't be shaken. didn't you learn that from the SF game?

 

[Patspsycho]

Re: The real question: How will the Giants O-Line protect Eli against the Pats Pass r

i wonder if bill is dusting off the old game plan from giants-bills supr bowl and dare the giants to run the ball.

I think he will dare them to run the ball inside. I believe we will be in the 4-3 nickel, with an emphasis on sealing the edges and forcing their run game to stay inside, as well as containing Eli and forcing him to stay in the pocket. When Bradshaw runs on the outside or Eli breaks free and scrambles outside is when the Giants usually make a big play.

 

[Holy Diver]

Re: The real question: How will the Giants O-Line protect Eli against the Pats Pass r

No matter how many times Eli gets hit, he'll get back up and his confidence won't be shaken. didn't you learn that from the SF game?

was he sacked 6 times that game?

did they score after a muffed punt on their 3rd possession in OT?

Did the niners drop 2 INTs?

(Trust me, I live in the bay...the niner's fans seems to think the G-men got the better bounces that day)


I bet the game comes down to something similar...bounces, momentum, and conversion of turnovers.

Either that or whoever gets the most points by the time the game is over.

 

[NinjaZX6R]

Re: The real question: How will the Giants O-Line protect Eli against the Pats Pass r

I do want some hits, sacks and these from Eli

Derp

 

[PatriotSeven]

Re: The real question: How will the Giants O-Line protect Eli against the Pats Pass r

No matter how many times Eli gets hit, he'll get back up and his confidence won't be shaken. didn't you learn that from the SF game?

Ask Tebow that question.

At the start of the third quarter, Tebow tore cartilage on his first rib where it attaches to his sternum, bruised his lung and had fluid buildup in his pleural cavity, an NFL source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

The injuries came as the result of a hit in the pocket when Tebow was pressured after throwing a pass. Even so, he was determined to finish the game with his teammates regardless of the score.

Eli was lucky and if that's the kind of job the Giants are going to do to protect him, I feel worried for him. Don't be silly. Defensive players don't suffer that type of punishment in a football game that Eli took, and just because he did, and came out ok, it's not something I would count on.

I think his main advantage is his own weakness, is his strength. Very flexible. Goes with the hit, versus against it, and things don't break. His body is literally like a rag doll when he gets hit.

But with the right hit, he could be seriously injured.

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

Re: The real question: How will the Giants O-Line protect Eli against the Pats Pass r

I agree. Alot of people are still living in 2007 and think the Giants are unstoppable.

First of all they are very light up front. They are very quick and get backside pursuit and beat their blockers consistently. I feel very good with the Pats OL going against the G-Men DL

I personally agree with or D-Line. they are peaking right now at the right time. think what we did against Ray Rice and the big guys led by Wilfork how they collapsed the pocket.

the Pats need to stay disciplined and keep Eli in the pocket. he's alot like Big Ben in how he scrambles. I think Eli is in for a long day with the amount of trash talk the Giants have done.

the Giants have overestimated their ability and underestimated the Pats. the pats are playing it cool. this is going to be an interesting game

the giants better pray for getting plenty of turnovers and PI calls.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

Re: The real question: How will the Giants O-Line protect Eli against the Pats Pass r

Ask Tebow that question.

Sorry, my comment was offered as sarcasm. But, he did stay in the pocket, but this game has all the pressure in the world and a few hits will make his release a bit quicker. The key here will be to keep him contained (to help the secondary).

I think his main advantage is his own weakness, is his strength. Very flexible. Goes with the hit, versus against it, and things don't break. His body is literally like a rag doll when he gets hit.

But with the right hit, he could be seriously injured.

You have to think our maligned defense and VW in particular are going to be on for this and they should have a good game. If Giants D is peaking at the right time, you have to say ours is there as well and I have nore confidence in our O-Line.

 

[Bonzo]

Re: The real question: How will the Giants O-Line protect Eli against the Pats Pass r

Well, judging from the SF game, it doesn't appear the Giants O-Line is really all that interested in their quarterback . . .

And, in response to all this "unflappable Eli persevered the SF pass rush" business, I'd like to remind that NY only scored 10 points that weren't resulted from botched punt returns.