The New York Giants amassed a dismal 320 yards of total offense in their week 4 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The opposition earned 389 yards, with 170 coming on the ground. The Giants had just 65 yards on the ground, 45 of which came off of Saquon Barkley’s 10 total carries.
So, what can we derive from these statistics right off the bat? Well, Big Blue didn’t run the ball enough. When they did it resulted in success, and it took time off the clock, which is what you need to do when facing off against one of the league’s most explosive offenses.
If you take away a -7 yard carry from Barkley, he managed 5.9 yards per attempt. That’s more than half way to a first down for every touch, and head coach Pat Shurmur decided that utilizing arguably his most efficient weapon wasn’t a good idea. After the game, Shurmur admitted he wished he could have given Barkley more touches…too little, too late, coach.
When you keep the ball on the ground, you keep the clock moving and the defense honest. Instead, the Saints played a soft zone coverage which kept the Giants’ receivers infront of them to avoid any deep completions. This is what happens when your quarterback can’t escape the pocket and open up the game in other ways. The recipe for defeating the Giants is to simply put pressure on Manning and enjoy the ensuing three-and-outs.
How can the Giants change their offense to open up the passing game?
Let’s start off with the obvious. Throw more deep passes. You have to extend the field to give the receivers a chance to make a play. When you get into the habit of throwing the ball for short completions, it gives the defense the advantage by allowing them to keep more players at the line of scrimmage. Manning has been overwhelmed by pressure this season, and ultimately, it has resulted in Giants losses.
Shurmur needs to stick to the ground game and use the No. 2 overall pick in the draft early and often. It will give the offense more ability in the passing game and open up the play-action, which everybody knows is Manning’s strength.
The game-plan for the Giants this season should be as follows:
1.) Run the ball on first down
2.) Run the ball on second down or play-action
3.) Throw the ball on third-down
4.) REPEAT
This simple plan uses up clock and forces defenses to honer the run game. Barkley is one play away from a huge run at any moment, why not enjoy that probability?
EXTRA:Â
PITCH THE BALL ON RUNNING PLAYS…Barkley is one of the most elusive players in the league, let him use his skill-set efficiently.