Upon NY Football 2009

The 2009 NFL season kicked off on Thursday of last week, and a rare Monday Night Football double header concluded week one last night. Both the New York football teams secured wins, and gave fans their first positive signs for the upcoming year.

The Giants- The Giants began their defense of the NFC East title with an important divisional victory against the Washington Redskins.  Dominant defense and solid kicking led the G-men to a 23-17 win.

Offense- The Giants began the season with a solid, if not spectacular, ofeensive game. Eli Manning threw for 256 yards, with one TD and one interception. He hooked up with second-year receiver Mario Manningham on a nifty catch and run, with Manningham tight-roping the  sideline for a 30-yard score. Steve Smith was his favorite target in this game, catching 6 balls for 80 yards. First-round pick Hakeem Nicks was injured in the game, and had to leave with a sprained foot.  Overall, it seems that Manning still has to establish a repore with all his receivers, but the emergence of Boss and Smith as solid options when a completion is needed was nice to see.

On the ground, the Giants were not able to muster much, and the team also suffered to loss of third RB Danny Ware. Ware injured his elbow on the opening kickoff, and was not able to play for the rest of the game. Ahmad Bradshaw ran 12 times for 60 yards, and Brandon Jacobs had 16 carries for 46 yards. The Redskins huge offseason acquisition was Albert Haynesworth, and he always clogs up the middle on defense.

Lawrence Tynes, who has recleimed the starting kicker job he lost last season after injuring himself, was perfect on three field goals and two extra points. Two of his kicks bent nicely through the uprights after starting wide-right, suggesting that Tynes has a good handle on the often tricky winds at Giants Stadium. 

Ovwerall, this was a decent effort on opening day, against a Redskins team with a solid defense. Look for the Giants to continue to grow in sync as the games progress.

 Defense- On defense, the Giants showed what could be a formidable 11-man squad. Osi Umenyiora announced his return as a dominant defensive player with a bullrush from the edge, strip of Skins QB Jason Campbell, fumble recovery, and 37-yard runback for a TD. Osi missed last season with an injury, but showed signs of returning to his All-pro form with 3 tackles, a sack, and the aforementioned fumble-touchdown. While Umenyiora was out in 2008, Justin Tuck emerged as a star, and he showed no signs of slowing. He had four tackles and 1.5 sacks, combining with Osi to cause havoc from the edge. Corey Webster, who got involved in a pushing/wrestling match with Santana Moss, picked off Campbell and looked good in coverage. 

The giants added several weapons for new defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan, who replaces the departed Steve Spagnuolo. The variety of looks which the Giants can throw at an opposing offense, combined with the rotation of highly-skilled players, allows them to have fresh players coming at the opposing QB from all angles throughout the game.  The Redskins only offensive score came on a fake field goal from Washington punter Hunter Smith.

The Giants limited the Redskins to 272 yards of total offense, and  the game was not as close as the final score would indicate.

Overall- The Giants should be pleased with their effort in the first game out, but there are still areas to clean up. The running game needs to establish itself, and the team needs to take care of the ball better. Eli fumbled twice, and was picked off. The Giants will head into Dallas next week, and will need their offense to handle some of the load, as the Cowboys offense looked good against Tampa. However,  I was happy to hear Brandon Jacobs stoking the fires for this rivalry, when he was heard on the radio saying “the Cowboys receivers looked good, especially when they were wide open.”

I’m ready for a good game next week.