AUTHOR: Anthony Fucilli TITLE: Time to turn things around DATE: 10/02/2006 09:58:00 PM ----- BODY:

Tom Coughlin and Big Blue had the week off to think about what went wrong and to think about how they are going to turn around this ship that has taken on water. Big Blue has to take on their arch enemy, the Redskins, at Giants Stadium this Sunday, in what originally looked like a game the Giants would win big. There are some serious doubts, and that is because the Redskins, off their victory in OT over Jacksonville, have discovered the big play, and the big play is how you win games in the NFL. For the first couple of weeks, the Redskins didn't have their running game because of the injury to Clinton Portis. And now that Portis is back, defenses have to worry about him, thus giving up something. And what they have given up is coverage on Santana Moss. Moss now comes into Giants Stadium with his eyes big looking at the Giants' secondary. Tim Lewis' defense loves to play the cover two. In the past, I've called it bend-but-don't-break, but this year it is breaking rather than bending. So now I will call it "cover who?" That's what is going on with the Giants' defense right now, cover who? Who has this guy? who has that guy? Ultimately, no one, and that has been the problem. When you have the blitz that usually makes the quarterback release the ball early, but the Giants haven't been blitzing. They've been trying to rely on their linebackers in the passing game because they realize Tim Lewis's cover two, or cover who?, has been built with cornerbacks Sam Madison and Corey Webster to give them some help as much as you can. And also with Will Demps and Gibril Wilson back there as safties to help them in the middle of the defense. But here is the problem, it's like the chicken and the egg: If you can't blitz beacuse you are afraid that you can't cover, then you can't get to the quaterback. If you can't get to the quarterback, you are in trouble with the secondary. And that's the big dilemma for Tim Lewis, Tom Coughlin and the rest of the Giants' coaching staff. Will they bring the heat? Because right now, if the Giants rely on a four-man rushing scheme, offenses have been able to contain Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. Maybe they will come up big this week. Maybe the Giants will bring more heat, but the big question is will they keep Santana Moss under wraps? Are they going to keep Mark Brunell sitting back there, throw it up and have Santana Moss run under it for 75 yards like he did at the end of last year against Tim Lewis's defense. That time it was Will Allen, but I don't think Giants feel comfy with Sam Madison back there either. You may be able to change corners, but I think the result is going to be the same. You have a 32-year-old Sam Madison and a safety trying to cover a speedster in Santana Moss. I don't like the matchup. However, I think the Giants are going to come out of the gate fast and furious on offense. I think they are determined to come out and show people they are not as bad as they seemed against Seattle. I think that home crowd is also going to be a benefit. But again, the Giants have to find out a way to stop someone first, and then let their offense take over. IT WAS WORTH A SHOT As far as the Jets, I don't understand why people are criticizing Eric Mangini's decision to go for it on 4th and 3. You see, when I saw the score at 14-14, I knew that field goals weren't going to beat the Colts, you are going to have to score touchdowns. When I looked at this game, I thought the Jets were playing with house money. No one expects you to win, Why not send a message? Why not tell your team we are building something here, we are going to gamble, we are trying to do things differently, we are going to try and win football games and establish something here. It was 4th and 3, maybe 4th and 2, but you had a quarterback in Chad Pennington, who was 44-0 in the endzone without an interception. I think Eric Mangini was ready to bet and gamble like he had done all day in different situations; onside kicks, 4th and 1's, reverses, QB sneaks by Brad Smith, options that Chad Pennington wouldn't throw an interception. It might not be complete, they might not score, but at the worst the Colts' offense would have to get back on the field on the 3-yard line and march 97 yards. I thought Eric Mangini's decision was gutsy. He sent a message to his team that he believes in them and believes that they are building something. I don't second-guess him. I think he did the right thing and his offense and defense will respect his coaches' desicion to leave it on the field with the players. To show them that they are building something here, and trying to win games, not kick a field goal and hope to win a game, but we are going to score TDs. The only thing you have to wonder is that Eric Mangini is a defensive coach, and like I said, they had difficulty stopping Tom Brady and I knew they would have difficulty stopping Peyton Manning. But Mangini had to come up with something better than he did to stop that Colts offense. I don't have a problem with his play-calling on offense, but I have a problem with his game-calling on defense.

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