In Giants, Vikings Face Familiar Test
Austin Belisle
|
There’s a reason Ben McAdoo’s New York Giants offense looks so familiar; he’s a disciple of the school of Mike McCarthy. Before joining the Giants in 2014, McAdoo spent eight years in Green Bay, where he learned from McCarthy and helped shape Aaron Rodgers into a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
For two years in New York, he served as offensive coordinator under longtime head coach Tom Coughlin. There, he discovered the disciplined approach that’s helped shape his current coaching style; a style that combines the best of both McCarthy and Coughlin’s teachings.
“I’m trying to blend the two experiences that really have shaped my professional career,” he said, per the Washington Post. “I’m trying to blend those two together and come up with the best mix for this organization.”
That mix has come with mixed results for the Giants. They’re 2-1 this season, led by a no-huddle attack that can’t seem to get out of its own way. They’ve turned the ball over seven times this season, with three of those coming in a Week 3 loss to the Washington Redskins. Despite the blunders, the Giants have the personnel to hurt almost any defense.
At wide receiver, Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz, and Sterling Shepherd make up one of the league’s most explosive pass-catching units. They’re not towering threats like Alshon Jeffery or Kelvin Benjamin, but that doesn’t make them any less dangerous for defenses.
“Everybody is different. These receivers are different. They have three guys that are pretty talented (Sterling) Shepard, (Victor) Cruz, and (Odell) Beckham,” Zimmer said earlier this week. “They do a good job of…making it difficult for you.”
Like McCarthy in Green Bay, McAdoo often spreads his offense out, putting stress on defensive backs to cover the quick-twitch receivers in space. Both employ the no-huddle, and both rely heavily on a quick-strike attack to move the football. The Giants throw nearly 60 percent of the time, with Manning targeting defenses at every level of coverage.
So far this year, New York’s trio is thriving; the three have combined for 46 receptions, 708 yards, and three touchdowns through three games. Manning trusts his receivers to win one-on-one matchups, and that’s part of the reason they’ve been so successful. But it’s also a factor in New York’s -6 turnover ratio.
Because Manning has such faith his pass catchers, he has a tendency to fit throws into tight windows. When he’s not hitting Shane Vereen in the flat or Larry Donnell down the seam, Manning’s firing the ball to Cruz, Shepherd, or Beckham along the boundary. Their collective drop rate is relatively low, diminishing some of the risk in Manning’s fearless attempts, but its a perilous line to tip-toe.
The catches Manning’s receivers do make mask what some would consider ill-advised throws. He’s benefited from poor safety and cornerback play, which won’t be the case against the Vikings. Last week, the Redskins lost multiple 50-50 opportunities, which kept drives alive for the Giants and resulted in chunk gains for the offense.
Deep safeties were slow to react and corners didn’t fight for the football, clearing space in zone coverage and turning sure interceptions into first downs for New York. Of Minnesota’s cornerbacks, Xavier Rhodes is the most ill-equipped to match up with New York’s diminutive receivers. He’s a corner who thrives against bigger receivers, opponents he can “body” and jam at the line of scrimmage.
That’s not to say he’ll be at a disadvantage on Monday night; he’ll have support from Harrison Smith on the backend and disciplined zone coverage from Minnesota’s linebackers and cornerbacks underneath. Mike Zimmer will surely have a plan to stop the Giants, much as he did the Packers in Week 2. It’ll be a test for Captain Munnerlyn, Terence Newman, and Mackensie Alexander, but one they’ve shown they’re prepared to handle.
Monday night’s game will come down to individual talent; can the Vikings’ cornerbacks defeat New York’s receivers at the catch point? Turnovers have suddenly become a strength for Zimmer’s unit, and history suggests his team knows how to shut down Eli Manning. In their last meeting — a 2015 matchup against a Ben McAdoo offense — the Vikings intercepted Manning three times and held the Giants to 17 points.
Missed Opportunities
Play No. 1
Manning’s outing against the Redskins last week wasn’t his best, but it could’ve been much worse. He finished the day 25-of-38 with 350 yards and a touchdown, nearly leading the Giants to a victory. His two late interceptions sealed the game for Washington, though, moving New York to 2-1 on the season.
Although the play above wasn’t an interception, it was very nearly a game-changing swing for the defense. The Giants lined up in 11-personnel, with Beckham split wide left and the other receivers on the opposite side of the field. Manning, stood in the shotgun, with a running back offset left and Donnell inline on the left of the formation.
The Redskins showed a Cover 2 look before the snap, and at the snap, stayed true to their alignment. The cornerbacks played man-press, jamming the receivers at the line before passing them to the deep safeties.
Zone responsibilities in Cover 2 create natural gaps in the coverage, including the deep corners, the middle of the field, and the flats. New York’s outside receivers, including Beckham, ran “Go” routes down the sideline to take advantage of such voids.
Seeing the alignment of the safeties — and the “open” middle of the field — Manning knew Beckham would come open between the cornerback and the safety in traditional man-press Cover 2. He did’t move his eyes from Beckham, and as soon as his receiver cleared the cornerback, he released the ball.
Given the deep safety’s depth, Manning’s throwing window was larger than it should’ve been. Such a throw is dangerous and typically known as an “Ambulance Throw.” It puts the receiver in position for a nasty collision, and that’s nearly what happened to Beckham on the play. But because of the safety’s slow reaction, Manning was able to fit the ball into an area where only Beckham could catch the pass.
Few other receivers would’ve hauled in such a ball; Beckham used one hand and skilled footwork to maintain possession, all while being hit. Had the safety rallied sooner, this would’ve been an interception. Harrison Smith made such a play against Manning last season, returning the interception for a touchdown.
Play No. 2
The Giants ran the same play earlier in the game, this time against different coverage. Matched up in man-to-man across the board, the Redskins lined up in a Cover 1 look, with a deep safety patrolling the backend of the defense.
Cruz was the split receiver to the bottom of the screen, tasked with beating press coverage on a fade down the sideline. He didn’t win the battle, as the cornerback jammed Cruz and ran step-for-step with the receiver. Manning missed his tight end in the flat, but that may have been on purpose.
It’s difficult to tell, but Manning seemed to intentionally underthrow the ball, giving Cruz an opportunity at a backshoulder catch. Cruz, knowing he wasn’t going to win down the field, adjusted his route and curled back at about 15 yards.
Despite missing multiple games over the years with a litany of injuries, Cruz still has undeniable chemistry with Manning. The two appeared to read minds on this play, adjusting on the fly to take advantage of the man coverage on the outside. Manning trusted his receiver to cut the route short, and Cruz knew to turn around beyond the sticks for the throw.
What resulted was a broken tackle and a gain that put the Giants in Washington territory. If the Vikings elect to stick to man coverage on Monday night, they’ll need to do two things well — tackle and read the receivers’ keys. Defensive backs are taught to read a receivers’ hips, as they usually indicate the next cut or change in direction.
The cornerback on this particular play was in perfect coverage, but Cruz won the 50-to-50 battle. Put in such a situation, Terence Newman shouldn’t have as much trouble breaking up the pass or hauling in the interception. Neither should Trae Waynes or any of the Vikings’ other cornerbacks.
Eli Manning has the arm talent to beat almost any NFL defense, but that same arm talent and trust in his receivers can also lose the Giants games. It did last week, when Manning threw two interceptions and nearly threw a couple more. His receivers are skilled enough to save him from poor-decision making, but sometimes, a throw is so bad that it’s almost considered a gift to defenses.
With a league-leading pass rush and even or superior talent at every level of the defense, the Vikings have a chance to put Manning and the Giants in a few difficult situations on Monday night. Mike Zimmer knows how to beat the Packers, and if Ben McAdoo’s offense is at all similar, he’ll have a game plan to move the Vikings to 4-0.
Simply put, the defense must take advantage of the opportunities Manning presents. There are sure to be a few given this year’s film.
You must be logged in to post a comment.