by Bill Young
The New York Giants suffered a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles last week. If not for Jets coach Rex Ryan, Giants coach Tom Coughlin would be getting all the headlines this week for running on the field to lecture his punter after the punter failed to kick the ball out of bounds and away from DeSean Jackson. In fairness to the punter, the Giants blew this game long ago and seemed likely to lose it in overtime.
The offense lost its composure and QB Eli Manning was unable to stop the bleeding in the fourth quarter. Defensively, the Giants got tired and the blitzes that were so effective for the first three quarters of the game were no longer getting to QB Michael Vick. This fatigue was most evident in the rushing lanes that pass rushers took. Because the defensive players lost their discipline and did not coordinate their pass rushing lanes, Michael Vick was able to use his immense athletic talent to elude all of the rushers and escape multiple times for long gains.
In the fourth quarter, at the end of the season, it is expected for the defense to be a little tired. The strain of facing the Eagles explosive offense did not help matters. The real issue was the successful onside kick in the middle of the fourth quarter. How does Coughlin not have the Giants prepared for an onside kick after the Eagles scored to make it 31-17? That was the Eagles only hope. What else were they going to do?
Ultimately, this loss will most likely send the Giants out of the playoffs as the Packers look like a formidable team coming off their surprisingly close contest with the Patriots. While one loss should not define a coach's legacy with a team, it will certainly sting, making it easier for ownership to fire Coughlin in the offseason. Then, a new start could enable the Giants to regain the glory of a few years ago.
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