No Plaxico. No problem for Big Blue
Posted by Sport.co.uk on: 07 October 2008 - 15:40
Author: Steven Rawlins
The New York Giants faced the travelling Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, fresh after a bye week and looking to keep this season’s unbeaten streak alive. The R&R must have done them good: Eli Manning and co. annihilated their West Coast opponents in a blowout 44-6 victory and without star wide receiver Plaxico Burress on board.
Defending Champions
At the start of this NFL season the Giants were not predicted to win the NFC East division. They were not even predicted to come second. For me, this came as somewhat of a surprise – did they not just beat the New England Patriots to win a Superbowl?
It’s true, some key defensive names are missing this season. Michael Strahan retired in June and London-born Osi Umenyiora picked up season-ending knee cartilage damage in the pre-season, but much of the offence, barring Jeremy Shockey’s dispatch to New Orleans, is still present.
Spagnuolo’s genius
More importantly, the Giants still have Steve Spagnuolo coordinating the defense, who is largely credited with turning the Giants D into the sack-leading machine it was last season. Spagnuolo was one of the names considered for the head coaching position at the Washington Redskins earlier this year, but he withdrew from the running, prompting New York to make him the highest paid defensive coordinator in the league with a three year, six million dollar contract.
Burress suspended
One key player in last season’s Superbowl victory who was noticeably not playing in Sunday’s game at Giants Stadium was wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who decided two weeks ago that he would not bother turning up for a team workout, and was unreachable by telephone. In response, the Giants suspended Burress for Sunday’s game and withheld his weekly pay package of $117,000.
This was an important measure for the Giants staff to take. Coach Tom Coughlin said that the team was making it very plain what they expect from their players in terms of responsibility and respect – the last thing he wants is a Terrell Owens or Chad Johnson character in the Giants locker room.
Hixon gets the call
Still, many Giants fans were worried that Plaxico’s absence would negatively impact the Giants offense against the Seahawks, who won 42-30 in the last match-up in 2006. Dominick Hixon, who used to return kicks for the Giants, started in Plaxico’s place after showing talent in the Giants’ exhibition games before the start of the season.
Preseason promise
I’m not usually fond of NFL preseason games. Exhibition football at best allows the media to draw pointless conclusions and make fuzzy predictions about the upcoming season. This year the Giants lost two of their pre-season games against the Lions and Jets which I think helped many people write off their chances of winning the tough NFC East division. At their worst, preseason games present opportunities for players to get injured in games that don’t mean anything: Osi Umenyiora as a case in point.
A capable replacement
One thing the pre-season is useful for, however, is gauging how well prospective wide receivers mesh with the team, and particularly with the quarterback. Hixon is one such prospect who looked strong in the preseason, scoring two touchdowns against the Cleveland Browns, so perhaps it wasn’t that surprising for Giants fans when Hixon stepped up in Plaxico’s absence and made his mark. The young replacement caught four passes for 102 yards and a touchdown, despite being sidelined for the second half with a concussion.
Offensive domination
Eli Manning spread the football around beautifully - completing 19 of 25 passes for 267 yards. On the ground, 6 foot 4, 264 pound running back Brandon Jacobs was almost unstoppable, relentlessly smashing through the Seattle primary for 136 yards, the second-highest yard total of his career. Scoring on every one of their first six possessions, the Giants battered the Seahawks for 523 yards of total offence, the most they have achieved since January 2002 against the Green Bay Packers. The final score of 44–6 was the most one-sided victory the Giants have managed since putting up 62 points against the Eagles in 1972.
Plax is back
Plaxico Burress will return next week for the Giants’ road game against the Cleveland Browns. This is the first time since 1990 that his team has started a season 4 and 0, and they will be looking to hold on to the top spot in the NFC East – a position which very few people would have put them in at the start of the season. Giants fans will be feeling confident, especially given their new-found offensive depth.