Any matchup against the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys is going to feel like a big one
http://www.authenticsnewyorkgiants.com/cheap-rhett-ellison-jersey , especially when it gets the primetime Sunday Night Football treatment. It might seem like hyperbole to say the course of the rest of the season for these two teams hinges on this game, but it might not be so out there with both teams sitting at 0-1. Consider there’s an average difference of 2.5-wins and 31 percent playoff probability between teams that start the season 1-1 and those that start 0-2. That adds more stakes to this divisional matchup.When these teams were contenders in 2016, the Giants had one of the league’s best defenses and the Cowboys rolled out one of the league’s best offenses. Those units dropped off in 2017, but they’ll both look to get closer to 2016 as the 2018 season rolls on. Here’s what to watch on that side of the ball come Sunday night:Landon Collins’s alignmentOne of the things to watch in the new James Bettcher defense was how Landon Collins was going to be used. He might not exactly serve the moneybacker role the Cardinals set up for Deone Bucannon, but Collins was often hovering around the line of scrimmage in the season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. On half (16-of-32) of Collins’s first half snaps, he was within five yards of the line of scrimmage, but never between the hashes. He was typically between the hashes and the numbers, split between each side. On only three plays in the first half did Collins line up at least 10 yards from the line of scrimmage.Collins wasn’t much of a factor, though, and most of his box score stats came in the second half. He was sent on a blitz three times per Pro Football Focus, but did not create a pressure.It’s likely the Giants remain in a single-high safety look against the Cowboys. In Week 1, Dak Prescott had and below average depth of target (aDOT) of 7.3 and his longest pass of the day traveled just 23.7 yards in the air from where he released it, the fourth-shortest long pass of the week, per Next Gen Stats. Prescott only tried three passes more than 15 yards down the field against the Panthers.Dallas doesn’t really have a deep threat that would warrant keeping another safety back in coverage, which should allow the defense to continue trusting the cornerbacks in man coverage.Blocking the boxBecause of the lack of talent at wide receiver and because the presence of Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys are going to want to run the ball. The Giants are going to want to stop the run. Earlier this week Landon Collins said, “we really just have to focus on stopping Zeke鈥?we do that, put the ball in Dak’s hands, I think we have a better shot at winning.”It would be a similar game plan to what the Giants ran against the Jaguars. Per Next Gen Stats, the Giants had eight or more men in the box on 57.1 percent of T.J. Yeldon’s rushing attempts, the third-highest rate for a running back with at least 10 carries in Week 1. But we know box usage is heavily influenced by offensive personnel and the Jaguars spent much of the game in heavy formations running with the lead.Dallas didn’t have that luxury against the Panthers. The Cowboys played catch up and Elliott saw an 8-man box on just 13.3 percent of his carries, the sixth-lowest rate for a back with at least 10 rushing attempts. Dallas wants to come out heavy and run the ball, but without the lead they don’t always have that opportunity. Prepare for play-actionWhat could make Dallas dangerous is knowing that defenses know they want to run, come out in those heavy run formations, and run play-action. It’s something the Cowboys didn’t do nearly enough of as a run-heavy team last season — just 22 percent of pass attempts last year included play-action, 19th in the league per Sports Info Solutions charting from Football Outsiders. They used it on 24 percent in 2016, at that time the third-highest rate in the league (smart teams are realizing more play-action is good for the offense).With a defense overly committed to stopping the run, play-action is a great way to create passing lanes
http://www.authenticsnewyorkgiants.com/cheap-connor-barwin-jersey , open receivers, and easy throws. It’s also something the Giants have been susceptible to in the past. No team had play-action used more on them last season than the Giants and one of the downsides to Bettcher’s aggressive looks at the line is that it can leave space for big gains off play-action if the defense doesn’t react right away. Last season the Cardinals allowed 9.0 yards per play on play-action, the fourth-highest number in the league, but they allowed 5.4 yards per play on non-play-action passes, the third-lowest rate in the league.The Jaguars used this aggression against the Giants in Week 1 with play-action and misdirection setting up Giants defenders to be out of position. If the Cowboys are smart, they’ll go to that well often, but there’s already been talk about Scott Linehan’s future as offensive coordinator in Dallas, which shows you “smart” isn’t exactly something that would describe that offense at the moment.Causing confusionFor years, the strength of the Dallas offense has been the offensive line. But that isn’t really the case right now. Travis Frederick is sidelined indefinitely with a serious illness and Zack Martin dealt with a knee injury throughout training camp. With a reworked and not 100 percent line in place, the Cowboys had some communication issues up front against the Panthers.The Giants could easily exploit this by loading the line of scrimmage and disguising which defenders have what responsibilities — a hallmark of the Bettcher offense. Stunts along the defensive line could also test the communication skills across the offensive line. This is something the Giants could easily do to manufacture a pass rush, especially if Olivier Vernon is not available to play again. If the Giants can create some pressure just backfield penetration by confusing the offensive line, everyone else on the defense will have an easier job.The ghost of Jason WittenWith Jason Witten retired and in the Monday Night Football booth, he’s no longer a concern for New York Giants linebackers. For his entire career, Witten was a monster against the Giants, even as he slowed down significantly in the latter years. Without Witten, the Cowboys aren’t exactly deep at tight end. Geoff Swaim and Blake Jarwin combined for three catches for 18 yards on five targets against the Panthers.More good news for the Giants, they didn’t give up a touchdown to a tight end in Week 1 — well, not officially. Austin Seferian-Jenkins did score a touchdown against Alec Ogletree, but the play was called back because of an illegal hands to the face penalty against Andrew Norwell. Officially the Giants only allowed 25 yards to Jaguars tight ends and finished ninth in VOA (DVOA without the opponent adjustments) against tight ends in Week 1, per Football Outsiders.Film room: Are the Giants in trouble on the offensive line? Over the course of the 2018 offseason and preseason, the New York Giants have completely rebuilt their offensive line. The 2018 iteration of the Giants’ offensive line will feature a new starter at each position, which has prompted speculation that the line has been “fixed.” The left tackle, right tackle, and left guard positions have been locked down since early in the pre-season. The center and right guard positions, however, have been more unsettled. At center, the question was between 2017 starter Brett Jones and reserve guard turned center Jon Halapio. Jones played well at center after Weston Richburg was lost for the season to a concussion — Well enough that the Giants were able to let Richburg depart via free agency. At right guard, the Giants will be starting veteran free agent Patrick Omameh. Omameh was initially signed to replace Justin Pugh at left guard
http://www.authenticsnewyorkgiants.com/cheap-ray-ray-armstrong-jersey , but has moved to right guard after the team drafted Will Hernandez. Right guard isn’t a totally unfamiliar position for Omameh, but he hasn’t been a full-time starter there since 2014 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Behind Omameh, there former Cleveland Browns offensive lineman John Greco. He is also the backup center.But now, it seems that the offensive line is set after the Giants traded Jones to the Minnesota Vikings, naming Halapio a game-day captain against the Lions, and both he and Omameh have played all of the starters’ reps at their respective positions in preseason. Thus far, the perception of the duo’s performance has been mixed at best. Considering we likely won’t see them again until the Giants take the field against the Jacksonville Jaguars, we should take a close look at the film. Run blocking The part of the Giants’ imparative in hiring Pat Shurmur, completely rebuilding their offensive line, and drafting Saquon Barkley was to return to being able to run the football effectively. For a run play to be successful, the entire offensive line needs to block cohesively, as a unit. But, as this is taking the preseason play of the Halapio and Omameh under the microscope, we’ll be focusing on them. The Giants struggled to move the ball on the ground against the Detroit Lions and New York Jets, particularly with Jonathan Stewart at running back. The first offensive play against the Jets shows a recurring problem for both players that has hamstrung the Giants’ rushing attack.Play 1The Giants opened the game with old-school power football. They are in the “I” formation, with their two-tight end formation, and interestingly, Sterling Shepard is lined up in the backfield. The Giants run a counter play, with Shepard lead blocking for Stewart. The left side of the line gets a great push and this could have been a big play to open the game instead of just a 1-yard gain. To see where the play went wrong, we need to watch the center and right guard — specifically, their hands. Both Halapio and Omameh are slow getting their hands up off the snap, letting Jets’ defenders engage them first. Omameh is blown up, quickly losing leverage and being shed almost immediately. Halapio’s late hands let the nose tackle get his hands into the center’s chest plate, allowing him to control Halapio until Stewart gets close to the line of scrimmage. Then the nose tackle simply sheds the block and makes the play on Stewart.This was a problem which consistently cropped up when the Giants ran the ball with the starting offensive line.Play 2The Giants can scheme their way around this.Here we see the Giants running up the middle, and instead of putting Halapio and Omameh on islands with defensive linemen, they double team one lineman. The angle makes it difficult to see, but their hands still appear to be late. But, together they are able to dig him out of the hole and create a crease. On the other side of the line
http://www.authenticsnewyorkgiants.com/cheap-b.j.-goodson-jersey , Will Hernandez and Nate Solder double team the other defensive tackle, with Hernandez coming off the block to take out a linebacker at the second level. This play was undone by missed blocks on the perimeter of the left side. Sterling Shepard was unable to block safety Jamal Adams while Evan Engram struggled to block outside linebacker Josh Martin.The Giants’ run game, as we’ve seen it, can be effective, but they will need to be careful in designing the scheme to manipulate the defense, as in this play. Here, the Giants line up with the bulk of their personnel on the left side of the formation, forcing the Jets to match, leaving the right side of their defense lighter. The Giants then run to that lighter side, once again getting Shepard involved as an extra blocker.Halapio and Omameh double team the nose tackle, and Halapio is able to get his hands up, get the tackle’s chest, and establish leverage. With the nose tackle under control, Omameh is able to work to the second level — though he isn’t able to get in front of the middle linebacker. The run ultimately goes for five yards, largely due to the double team on the right tackle, a good block from Ereck Flowers (with an assist from Shepard), and some nifty running by Wayne Gallman. Pass protectionFor all the fretting over edge pressure, Eli Manning has always been a quarterback who could make due with questionable offensive tackle play as long as he has a firm interior pocket. We have already taken a look at this play from the skill position perspective, but now we turn to the offensive line. The Jets bring five rushers on this play, while the Giants keep six blockers to protect Manning. As this is a three-level read, the Giants need to give Manning the time to read the deep, intermediate, and the short areas of the field, as well as find his check-down option if need be. As it so happens, Solder, Hernandez, Halapio, Flowers
http://www.authenticsnewyorkgiants.com/cheap-kerry-wynn-jersey , and Rhett Ellison all have one-on-one blocks, while Omameh is left without an assigned rusher. Focusing in on Halapio and Omameh, the two do a much better job of getting their hands up to engage defenders off the snap. Halapio, in particular, is able to get the snap off crisply while still getting his hands on the nose tackle first, inside his shoulders, and establishing leverage. Omameh remains close by, but doesn’t engage, likely so he can pick up any late pressure along the interior when it is clear that the running back is releasing into a route. Manning gets some pressure from the right side as Ellison is forced back by OLB Jordan Jenkins. However, the pocket in front of him holds up long enough for him to step into the throw, delivering an on-time and accurate pass.Final thoughtsWhen the Giants were rebuilding their offensive line, it was widely assumed that the decision to go with Halapio and Omameh would lead to a line that could run block but would struggle to pass protect. So far, once teams began to game-plan in the preseason, the opposite has been the case. There have been a few culprits, but upon slowing the tape down, the inconsistent hand usage stands out. It shouldn’t be surprising, really. Omameh was a left guard in 2017, and relearning movement patterns he hasn’t used consistently in three years takes time. Halapio, on the other hand, has had to learn an entirely new movement pattern. The action of snapping the ball and immediately taking on a nose tackle or 1-technique is even quicker than what is needed for a guard. The two probably shouldn’t be written off yet. They will continue to get practice throughout the season, as well as game experience. Players can, and do, improve throughout the season, but this will also be an area which demands attention. If the duo does not improve and force the Giants to limit themselves continually scheme their rushing attack around them, the decisions to move on from Brett Jones and D.J. Fluker could loom large.
gửi bởi linhui95 » Thứ 3 06/11/18 11:24 
