Saturday, August 9, 2008

Giants first pre-season game not too important

The pre-season in the NFL is a very controversial topic because the starters don't play for the whole game. The Giants 13-10 loss though does raise a couple of concerns that could linger on once the regular season starts.
1. Lawrence Tynes
A 34 yard missed field goal in a dome on your first attempt? Tynes missed from a similar distance in the NFC championship game which nearly could've cost the Giants a shot at the Super Bowl. That is not the way Tynes should be starting off his pre-season. The Giants are going to need his leg in close games to help them by nailing kicks.
2. The Running Game
Although this was just a meaningless preseason game the running game last year was a strength, and in this game the Giants had 24 carries for 79 yards. Ahmad Bradshaw, a young star who didn't really emerge until Week 16 last year had three carries for four yards. Jacobs did have an explosive run early on in the game but New York's running game was really unimpressive.
That being said, a few players with some question marks showed that they could play. Terrelle Thomas, this year's second round pick showed that he could makes plays, finishing the game with six tackles. During the Second Quarter, Thomas playing at around Linebacker depth on the single Wide Reciever side came up and filled holding the Detroit Running Back to a 1 yard gain.
Sinorice Moss was drafted in 2006 to be a big play threat but injuries and lack luster performances have kept him off the field. Moss showed in this game that he could be the type of big play threat that the Giants have been looking for, by catching a 46 yard strike.
These games are just pre-season but the Giants play for the most part was not too impressive.

No comments: