Saints Expose Giants' Defense

Going back to their first Super Bowl victories, the Giants have always been defined by their defense.

Sure they had Phil Simms and some others, but this is a team that loved defense. The fans love their defense. The NFC East is all about the defensive side of the ball, and stopping the other team from moving the ball.

So when, exactly, did the Giants turn in the old San Diego Chargers, a team that couldn’t stop any body? Because that’s what it looked like Sunday, as Drew Brees drove the Saints all over the field on the way to an easier-than-it looked 48-27 victory.

It was like Brees had the keys to the hot rod, and he could drive it wherever he pleased. The Saints scored on their first two possessions, compiled 626 yards of total offense and easily won the battle of undefeated teams.

The biggest problem for the Giants was their pass rush, because they hardly laid a hand on Brees. He was only sacked one time, completed 23-of-30 passes for 369 yards and made every key play. He threw the ball all over the lot, and the Giants never could stop him. You had the feeling if Brees lined up Saints owner Tom Benson at wide receiver, he could’ve hit him for a 10-yard completion.

The defensive line was virtually invisible the entire game, which is hard to believe with a unit that features Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Mathius Kiwanuka. This was a team that was supposed to make offenses cringe, and they hardly laid a hand on Brees.

Absence a pass rush, the Giants’ secondary got torched all game long. The team undoubtedly misses Kenny Phillips and Aaron Ross, both of whom are out with injuries. Ross should return soon, but Phillips is gone for the year. Their replacements, Terrell Thomas and C.C. Brown, were beat time and again yesterday.

Granted, Brees played a terrific game. He marched the team down for a touchdown on the opening drive of the game, and his touchdown pass to Jeremy Shockey late in the first quarter made it 14-0.

He continued to riddle the Giants’ pass defense the entire game, throwing touchdowns to four different players. The Saints were able to run the ball, too, rushing for 133 yards, including 72 by Pierre Thomas.

Through the first five games of the season, the Giants made it look easy. They had surrendered just 71 points, and were dominating against a weak schedule that included Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Oakland, who had a combined one victory entering Sunday’s games.

Sunday, on a big stage against a quality team, the Giants’ defense was exposed time and again. If this is a team that wants to return to the Super Bowl, it has to find answers for its defense.

Jets Need to Show Saints Something

New York is What-Have-You-Done-Lately town, and that will certainly be evidenced by the New York Jets in Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints.

The Jets have shown in three games thus far that these are not the Same Old’ Jets.
Things have a way turning around quickly in this town, however, which is why Sunday’s game at New Orleans is critical for Gang Green.

Certainly, the Jets have taken care of business so far. They are 3-0, beat New England at home, and have shown an aggressive defense that is capable of shutting down any one. Coach Rex Ryan has injected new life into the team, and first round quarterback Mark Sanchez has played as well as any one had any right to expect.

What was impressive in Sunday’s win over Tennessee was how the Jets were able to capitalize after getting a turnover. The game changed when Titans’ rookie Ryan Mouton fumbled a punt deep in his own territory. The Jets scored a few players later on Mark Sanchez’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Jerricho Cotchery, and the defense allowed very little the rest of the way in a 24-17 victory.

The Saints and quarterback Drew Brees might be the Jets’ toughest test yet this season. It is on the road, and Brees and Co. have been putting up staggering offensive numbers. If the Jets are as good as people think they are, this will be a good chance for them to show it.
”People are going to say what they want to say whether you win, lose or draw, Ryan said at Thursday’s news conference. “ I think people realize now that the Jets have a pretty darn good football team. That’s important to us.”

The Jets don’t necessarily have to beat the Saints on Sunday, because there is still a lot of season left. Nobody expects the team to go undefeated and losing on the road to an upper-echelon team is not going to end their season.

The one thing that positively cannot happen, however, is for the Jets to lose ugly. Their defense can’t surrender 40-plus points, Sanchez and the offense can’t survive multiple turnovers and the defense has to show that it can stop one of the marquee teams in the league.

If any of those things happen, many of the good vibes that have been generated by the good start will get washed away. New York is a town that breaks legs jumping on and off bandwagons, and if things get rolling in the wrong direction, people will be quick to dismiss the team’s good start as a fluke.

That’s not Ryan’s fault, but that’s the way things are in New York. If Ryan wants to keep the faith among the team’s hard core (and long-suffering) fans, it needs to play well against the Saints. Otherwise, many of the good feelings engendered from their September sprint will be wiped away.