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Giants Week -- Can Manning and Gilbride Bag the Cowboys Nickel?
Posted by Rafael at Wednesday, December 07, 2011
The Cowboys finally meet the final member of their division, when they host the Giants Sunday night. This year's Giants offense does not resemble the most recent Tom Coughlin editions, which hammered Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw behind the best power running line in the East.
Jacobs and Bradshaw remain, but New York now rides on Eli Manning's arm. How much? They rank 32nd in rushing offense this season, and 4th in passing offense. Manning is having a career year, and may break the 5000 yard barrier.
The Giants are a passing team, that uses the three wideout, one-back set as its base. Long-time OC Kevin Gilbride charted the run-and-shoot for Warren Moon's Oilers in the early '90s, so he knows how to operate an effective spread attack.
In many ways, the '11 Giants resemble the Bills team which came to Cowboys Stadium last month. They also used the 11 personnel package as their base. The difference is with power. Buffalo had Fred Jackson in its backfield. New York has no one playing at his level. Conversely, the Giants have good tight ends and fullbacks and can go to power sets in the red zone, where Buffalo ran spread to compensate for its lack of these offensive ancillary players.
The Giants have three able receivers in Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham and breakout second year man Victor Cruz. The U-Mass product has made everyone in Giants land forget Steve Smith, having already topped 1000 yards receiving.
When the Giants have the ball, the contest will turn on the performance by Dallas' nickel. They opened with it against the Bills and expect the Cowboys to start in it again. We're not likely to see much of Bradie James or Keith Brooking but lots of two man line and one man lines with Jay Ratliff and Jason Hatcher starting as the defensive tackles and Demarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer playing 4-3 ends, sometimes with their hands up and sometimes in a three-point stance.
Here are three nickel looks Rob Ryan used against Buffalo. Look for these fronts from the opening kickoff:
Buffalo is in a queen left, slot right formation. This is standard for the Cowboys -- an offset I with the fullback opposite the tight end, and a slot formation with the two receivers opposite the tight end as well. Look at Buffalo's personnel, however. This isn't a power set. That F-back is C.J. Spiller, the backup running back and slotback. It's as if the Bills have their 3rd receiver in the backfield.
Dallas plays accordingly. They have what looks like a 4-3 base, but look at the seeming weakside linebacker lined up nearest the slot receiver. That's nickel back Frank Walker. Terence Newman has Stevie Johnson on the right side wide and right CB Alan Ball is ready to handle Spiller if he motions to that side. If he runs a pattern to his right? Then Sean Lee will cover him. Dallas is playing man under, with two safeties deep. They're both close to the line here, but drop a few yards just before the snap, to give the secondary a halo.
Here's another front against the 3-WR look. Dallas has what looks like a base 3-4, with three linemen, both regular OLBs, but only one inside backer. Keith Brooking has been pulled in favor of the nickel back, with Sean Lee the lone inside guy. The strong safety is tighter to the line. If Ryan calls for a five man blitz, and Spencer goes after the QB, the SS has the tight end. If Dallas rushes just four, they again have two safeties deep behind man coverage underneath.
In this case, Ryan sent six men at Ryan Fitzpatrick. You can see he's playing man under, with Abe Elam waiting for the tight end. It's man under with a single safety high, and Sean Lee on a delayed blitz. Buffalo skid its protection away from Demarcus Ware, and he got one his easiest sacks of the year.
Don't think that Ryan will attempt four quarters of straight man. He wants to generate rush but he also has a shaky left corner to protect. Look for Ryan to tease a lot of blitzes and either drop into more conventional zones or bring the heat and drop into fire zones. Manning is in the proverbial rocking chair at the moment. He's been around long enough (hard to believe he's already 30) to know all the coverages. He's been quite effective at getting rid of the ball before the pressure gets him.
His offensive line has been beaten up much of the year and his running attack has faltered, but Eli has grabbed some of his brother's mojo. He ripped up the Packers when they tried blitzing and he led a successful last minute touchdown drive against New England in the Giants last win. This may be one game where Ryan tempers his impulse to blitz heavily, and picks his spots for an all out rush.
Key Matchups
-- WR Hakeem Nicks vs. CB Terence Newman -- The biggest possible mismatch. Nicks is big, fast and can outfight corners for the football. He ate up Charles Woodson for his second touchdown in last week's Packers game. He beat Tramon Williams as well.
Kevin Gilbride has targeted Newman in the past. In the first contest last year, he had Manning throw deep successfully on New York's first series. Newman has struggled against top wideouts since mid-season. Santana Moss, Sidney Rice and Brandon Marshall all beat him deep. Last week, the unsung Andre Roberts torched him in the second half. Ryan has to find a way to help Newman. Four quarters alone against Hicks spells big Giants plays.
-- WR Victor Cruz vs. CB Orlando Scandrick. Cruz plays the flanker in base sets and slides inside when New York goes three wide. He's cuts like he's being operated by joystick. He screwed the Packers slot CB Devin Bush into the turf a few times last week, showing route running ability that recalled Steve Smith in his healthier days. And we know how much Scandrick struggled with him.
-- NT Jay Ratliff vs. C Kevin Boothe and LG Mitch Petrus. Check the injury reports late this week. The Giants starting C David Baas missed last week's game after complaining of headaches. This forced a late shuffling, with starting LG Boothe playing center and Petrus making his NFL debut at LG.
They protected very well, allowing only one sack. If Baas is out again, I'd look for heavy inside games with Ratliff, Hatcher and the inside backers similar to those the Cardinals ran against Dallas.
-- OLB DeMarcus Ware vs. OTs David Diehl. Diehl and Ware have squared off many times in the past. Ware has dominated some of their duels and Diehl has stopped him on others. The Giants have moved Diehl inside to guard, but Will Beatty's season-ending leg injury has moved him back to left tackle. If Ware can gain the upper hand, Dallas could get top pressure with just four men, which would let Ryan play an extra safety behind his corners.
Posted by Rafael at Wednesday, December 07, 2011
The Cowboys finally meet the final member of their division, when they host the Giants Sunday night. This year's Giants offense does not resemble the most recent Tom Coughlin editions, which hammered Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw behind the best power running line in the East.
Jacobs and Bradshaw remain, but New York now rides on Eli Manning's arm. How much? They rank 32nd in rushing offense this season, and 4th in passing offense. Manning is having a career year, and may break the 5000 yard barrier.
The Giants are a passing team, that uses the three wideout, one-back set as its base. Long-time OC Kevin Gilbride charted the run-and-shoot for Warren Moon's Oilers in the early '90s, so he knows how to operate an effective spread attack.
In many ways, the '11 Giants resemble the Bills team which came to Cowboys Stadium last month. They also used the 11 personnel package as their base. The difference is with power. Buffalo had Fred Jackson in its backfield. New York has no one playing at his level. Conversely, the Giants have good tight ends and fullbacks and can go to power sets in the red zone, where Buffalo ran spread to compensate for its lack of these offensive ancillary players.
The Giants have three able receivers in Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham and breakout second year man Victor Cruz. The U-Mass product has made everyone in Giants land forget Steve Smith, having already topped 1000 yards receiving.
When the Giants have the ball, the contest will turn on the performance by Dallas' nickel. They opened with it against the Bills and expect the Cowboys to start in it again. We're not likely to see much of Bradie James or Keith Brooking but lots of two man line and one man lines with Jay Ratliff and Jason Hatcher starting as the defensive tackles and Demarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer playing 4-3 ends, sometimes with their hands up and sometimes in a three-point stance.
Here are three nickel looks Rob Ryan used against Buffalo. Look for these fronts from the opening kickoff:
Buffalo is in a queen left, slot right formation. This is standard for the Cowboys -- an offset I with the fullback opposite the tight end, and a slot formation with the two receivers opposite the tight end as well. Look at Buffalo's personnel, however. This isn't a power set. That F-back is C.J. Spiller, the backup running back and slotback. It's as if the Bills have their 3rd receiver in the backfield.
Dallas plays accordingly. They have what looks like a 4-3 base, but look at the seeming weakside linebacker lined up nearest the slot receiver. That's nickel back Frank Walker. Terence Newman has Stevie Johnson on the right side wide and right CB Alan Ball is ready to handle Spiller if he motions to that side. If he runs a pattern to his right? Then Sean Lee will cover him. Dallas is playing man under, with two safeties deep. They're both close to the line here, but drop a few yards just before the snap, to give the secondary a halo.
Here's another front against the 3-WR look. Dallas has what looks like a base 3-4, with three linemen, both regular OLBs, but only one inside backer. Keith Brooking has been pulled in favor of the nickel back, with Sean Lee the lone inside guy. The strong safety is tighter to the line. If Ryan calls for a five man blitz, and Spencer goes after the QB, the SS has the tight end. If Dallas rushes just four, they again have two safeties deep behind man coverage underneath.
In this case, Ryan sent six men at Ryan Fitzpatrick. You can see he's playing man under, with Abe Elam waiting for the tight end. It's man under with a single safety high, and Sean Lee on a delayed blitz. Buffalo skid its protection away from Demarcus Ware, and he got one his easiest sacks of the year.
Don't think that Ryan will attempt four quarters of straight man. He wants to generate rush but he also has a shaky left corner to protect. Look for Ryan to tease a lot of blitzes and either drop into more conventional zones or bring the heat and drop into fire zones. Manning is in the proverbial rocking chair at the moment. He's been around long enough (hard to believe he's already 30) to know all the coverages. He's been quite effective at getting rid of the ball before the pressure gets him.
His offensive line has been beaten up much of the year and his running attack has faltered, but Eli has grabbed some of his brother's mojo. He ripped up the Packers when they tried blitzing and he led a successful last minute touchdown drive against New England in the Giants last win. This may be one game where Ryan tempers his impulse to blitz heavily, and picks his spots for an all out rush.
Key Matchups
-- WR Hakeem Nicks vs. CB Terence Newman -- The biggest possible mismatch. Nicks is big, fast and can outfight corners for the football. He ate up Charles Woodson for his second touchdown in last week's Packers game. He beat Tramon Williams as well.
Kevin Gilbride has targeted Newman in the past. In the first contest last year, he had Manning throw deep successfully on New York's first series. Newman has struggled against top wideouts since mid-season. Santana Moss, Sidney Rice and Brandon Marshall all beat him deep. Last week, the unsung Andre Roberts torched him in the second half. Ryan has to find a way to help Newman. Four quarters alone against Hicks spells big Giants plays.
-- WR Victor Cruz vs. CB Orlando Scandrick. Cruz plays the flanker in base sets and slides inside when New York goes three wide. He's cuts like he's being operated by joystick. He screwed the Packers slot CB Devin Bush into the turf a few times last week, showing route running ability that recalled Steve Smith in his healthier days. And we know how much Scandrick struggled with him.
-- NT Jay Ratliff vs. C Kevin Boothe and LG Mitch Petrus. Check the injury reports late this week. The Giants starting C David Baas missed last week's game after complaining of headaches. This forced a late shuffling, with starting LG Boothe playing center and Petrus making his NFL debut at LG.
They protected very well, allowing only one sack. If Baas is out again, I'd look for heavy inside games with Ratliff, Hatcher and the inside backers similar to those the Cardinals ran against Dallas.
-- OLB DeMarcus Ware vs. OTs David Diehl. Diehl and Ware have squared off many times in the past. Ware has dominated some of their duels and Diehl has stopped him on others. The Giants have moved Diehl inside to guard, but Will Beatty's season-ending leg injury has moved him back to left tackle. If Ware can gain the upper hand, Dallas could get top pressure with just four men, which would let Ryan play an extra safety behind his corners.