Defense failed on two big stops
Newsday.com
BY BOB HERZOG
December 04, 2006
At the end of the half and at the end of the game, the Giants' defense couldn't stop the Cowboys. Those two drives spoiled an otherwise solid defensive effort and led to yet another brutal ending for Big Blue.
'It's the same story after every loss. We still have to fix some problems,' said end Mathias Kiwanuka, who along with the return of linebacker Brandon Short, end Osi Umenyiora, and cornerback Sam Madison, couldn't prevent a fourth straight defeat.
The Cowboys grabbed a 10-7 halftime lead on Martin Gramatica's 41-yard field goal with one second left. That time they moved 50 yards in eight plays and needed just 1:12.
That drive was a stinging jab, but the one late in the fourth quarter, after the Giants scored a touchdown with 1:06 left to tie the game at 20, was a power-packed knockout punch. The Giants were sent reeling on the first play following the kickoff, when Dallas quarterback Tony Romo deftly moved to his left and outside the Giants' three-man pass rush. That gave tight end Jason Witten ample time to get well downfield, where Romo hit him with an accurate throw between free safety Will Demps and retreating middle linebacker Antonio Pierce. The 42-yard completion put the Cowboys on the Giants' 26 with under a minute to play.
Though the Giants yielded only two more yards, Gramatica was able to break their hearts with a 46-yard field goal that left only one second on the clock. 'At the end of the game, we have to find a way to stop guys and give us a chance to play in overtime,' Pierce said. 'You have to take your hats off to Dallas because they played good. Their quarterback played well. He bought more time and gave their receiver the opportunity to get deep. It was a good pass and catch.'
Tom Coughlin wasn't so magnanimous. The Giants coach said Romo, 'got outside of containment again. He was outside of containment for the majority of his big plays. He gets outside of containment, he floats out there, he creates more time.'
Indeed, Romo's quick feet and poise in the pocket frustrated the Giants' defense all day. The completion to Witten was the final dagger. 'I don't think it was a blown coverage. I think it was a reaction to the quarterback coming out of the pocket,' Coughlin said, trying to explain how Witten got open. 'We should have stayed in coverage, should have kept our depth, should have been able to break on the ball.'
Shoulda, woulda, coulda. Whenever variations on those words show up in postgame interviews, they usually accompany a loss. 'I believe if we had just gotten the ball back, or went into overtime, we would have gone down and scored,' Madison said.
Instead, to use Coughlin's begrudging description, Romo 'threw the ball right between the two defenders and got it in the crease.'
For the Giants, that meant simply: the end.
BY BOB HERZOG
December 04, 2006
At the end of the half and at the end of the game, the Giants' defense couldn't stop the Cowboys. Those two drives spoiled an otherwise solid defensive effort and led to yet another brutal ending for Big Blue.
'It's the same story after every loss. We still have to fix some problems,' said end Mathias Kiwanuka, who along with the return of linebacker Brandon Short, end Osi Umenyiora, and cornerback Sam Madison, couldn't prevent a fourth straight defeat.
The Cowboys grabbed a 10-7 halftime lead on Martin Gramatica's 41-yard field goal with one second left. That time they moved 50 yards in eight plays and needed just 1:12.
That drive was a stinging jab, but the one late in the fourth quarter, after the Giants scored a touchdown with 1:06 left to tie the game at 20, was a power-packed knockout punch. The Giants were sent reeling on the first play following the kickoff, when Dallas quarterback Tony Romo deftly moved to his left and outside the Giants' three-man pass rush. That gave tight end Jason Witten ample time to get well downfield, where Romo hit him with an accurate throw between free safety Will Demps and retreating middle linebacker Antonio Pierce. The 42-yard completion put the Cowboys on the Giants' 26 with under a minute to play.
Though the Giants yielded only two more yards, Gramatica was able to break their hearts with a 46-yard field goal that left only one second on the clock. 'At the end of the game, we have to find a way to stop guys and give us a chance to play in overtime,' Pierce said. 'You have to take your hats off to Dallas because they played good. Their quarterback played well. He bought more time and gave their receiver the opportunity to get deep. It was a good pass and catch.'
Tom Coughlin wasn't so magnanimous. The Giants coach said Romo, 'got outside of containment again. He was outside of containment for the majority of his big plays. He gets outside of containment, he floats out there, he creates more time.'
Indeed, Romo's quick feet and poise in the pocket frustrated the Giants' defense all day. The completion to Witten was the final dagger. 'I don't think it was a blown coverage. I think it was a reaction to the quarterback coming out of the pocket,' Coughlin said, trying to explain how Witten got open. 'We should have stayed in coverage, should have kept our depth, should have been able to break on the ball.'
Shoulda, woulda, coulda. Whenever variations on those words show up in postgame interviews, they usually accompany a loss. 'I believe if we had just gotten the ball back, or went into overtime, we would have gone down and scored,' Madison said.
Instead, to use Coughlin's begrudging description, Romo 'threw the ball right between the two defenders and got it in the crease.'
For the Giants, that meant simply: the end.
posted by The Gryphon at 8:12 PM
<< Home