Week one for the Giants is in the books. Let’s take a look at a tough night in Dallas.
Let’s just get this out of the way first: The fact that the Giants managed to only lose by five points in a game where they had no business being in position to win is somewhat a victory in itself. From the very first play from scrimmage, the Giants seemingly did whatever they could to give the Cowboys an easy win. It’s simple, really: It’s nearly impossible to win when you turn over the football two times, let alone six times. And Giants fans still believed in Eli and crew to get it done. And, somehow, they almost did.
“Good Job! Good Effort!” for the Giants Defense: Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell has had some checkered results in his now four-year tenure with the Giants. But his troops deserve many pats on the back tonight for even keeping the game within shouting distance for the offense. Having been left on the field for more than 37 minutes due to the offense’s complete inability to keep possession of the ball.
David Wilson’s Fumbling Quandary Continues: One of these days David Wilson will figure it out, right? Wilson’s physical gifts are so tantalizing, that the Giants coaching staff just can’t wait to give him the keys to turn the offense into a fearsome machine that is capable of scoring at any moment.
But leave it to Wilson to wreck the car while simply pulling out of the garage.
Wilson fumbled twice in yet another egregious episode that leaves everyone shaking their heads – even former players. To top it off, Wilson only rushed for 19 yards, but if you had something to do with all three turnovers just to begin the game (Wilson was in the wrong spot as the receiver on the screen to begin the dumpster fire), he didn’t deserve a chance to improve upon his paltry output.
The Giants were interested in Willis McGahee and Jonathan Dwyer earlier this week but didn’t sign either guy. While I believe they’ll stick with the Wilson and Da’Rell Scott combo, I don’t think anyone would be surprised if the Giants chose to bring a veteran presence in.
Eli Good, But it Doesn’t Look Great: It was a mixed bag for Eli, and like usual, it wasn’t all his fault. The lack of a running game put it all on him, and he put up some wild numbers (27-42/450 YDs/4 TDs/3 INTs) that made you pretty content if you had him as your fantasy starter. Two of his interceptions were due to Wilson and Scott. As Giants fans have grown accustomed to, you’re never out of it until the clock strikes zero.
It’s the Rueben Randle Show!: Yeah, Victor Cruz had three salsas, and Hakeem Nicks gashed the remade Cowboys defense on slants. What I was happy to see was the emergence of Rueben Randle; who seems to be the possession receiver the Giants thought they were getting in Ramses Barden. Randle had five catches for 101 yards, and most of them were with Cowboy DBs draped all around him. He’s a very exciting weapon. With the running backs clearly being an issue, Eli will need all the weapons he can find.
Up Next: Big Brother Peyton’s Broncos roll into the swamp fresh off Manning’s historic night in which he threw for seven touchdowns in a 49-27 romp over Baltimore.
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