The Giants played their first home game of the year on Saturday night against the Steelers. As usual, take every preseason play–good or bad–with a grain of salt. That said…
New York Giants Gameday Aftermath
Penalty-Fests are NO FUN: It was probably not a good Sunday morning if you’re the Giants regardless of the win. If there’s one thing that Tom Coughlin hates (and there are a lot of things), his biggest gear-grinder is the penalties. The Giants committed ten penalties for 109 yards, most of which coming in a sloppy eyesore of a first half that makes the preseason what it is. Regardless, a lot of the infractions were mental mistakes that can cause Mount Coughlin to erupt without impunity. The preseason is what it is, but it still didn’t make for a nice watch.
The Running Game Looks Vastly Improved: Rashad Jennings ripped off a 73-yard touchdown scamper. If the Giants can get that to be something that opponents have to account for, then the Giants won’t be starting 0-6 again. The o-line looked healthier and that can go a really long way.
Eli Basically Took the Night Off: 0-2. The second of which was a throwaway. The real battle is for the backup gig, and both Ryan Nassib (12-21; 81 YDs) and Curtis Painter (7-7; 68 YDs/1 TD ) had moments, but this looks like it could be one of the more interesting camp competitions. I’d still put my bet on Nassib, since he has already been christened as a potential heir apparent to Manning, but Painter certainly did nothing to hurt himself in a sparkling appearance last night.
Corey Washington is Creating a Bandwagon: For the second week in a row, the big rookie from Newberry College showed glimpses of what he could be. He hauled in the game-winner from Painter while showing some very nice body control. On a team like the Giants, there are a lot of smaller receivers. Washington is 6’4″, and for the second week in a row, he used his size to make a play. Again, you don’t want to make declarations on a virtual unknown, but Washington is seizing his opportunity.
Up Next: The Giants head to the heartland as they go to Indianapolis on Saturday to take on Andrew Luck’s Colts.
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