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Enough will the name calling. He's the engine that makes our offense go. He's Revin' MyRide

Do any of you REALLY expect Travis Beckum to become a regular contributor as a rookie? The 100th player selected in the draft to single-handedly revamp our offense? Really?? It will be a battle for him to beat out Darcy Johnson for the third TE spot. And unless he finds a role on special teams, it's no guarantee that he'll be active on gamedays. On top of that, considering his weaknesses as a blocker, it's hard to imagine many scenarios where he displaces Matthews or Hedgecock. Add it all up, and you're looking at someone that will have a limited role in his first season.

That's what you're arguing. My initial post was a response to the notion that Gilbride had ignored the run altogether. You're correct. I misread the play-by-play. In my experience, the criticism he receives far outweighs any accolades. And this isn't something specific to Gilbride; it applies to just about every OC in football. Fans hate offensive coordinators, apparently. I blame Madden Football. "Kevin the smart dude" -- along with the others -- is the intellectual equivalent of "Kildrive." Mindlessly dumb. Against Carolina, we produced 10 pts. on our first two possessions -- more than we scored offensively against the Eagles. Simply put, we ran the ball much better against Carolina than we did against Philly, as evidenced by our 7.3 ypc vs. the Panthers. I think Gilbride was dedicated to the run throughout the Philly game until game conditions demanded that we abandon it in hopes of a miracle comeback victory.

I think you just proved my point for me. I would guess there's five "Fire Gilbride" threads for every "Hey, he called a decent game," the latter of which is the Internet equivalent of pulling teeth.

Vacchiano misses the point. Again. If anything is clear about Coughlin's offense, it's that no change will be dramatic. Beckum projects as a situational player this year at best, and the Wildcat projects as something the Giants would never, ever use.

The play was designed to go to Boss, who shielded the DE inside before sliding parallel to the LOS. When the Eagles covered it, Eli forced a throw instead of throwing the ball away or taking a sack. It demonstrates that the play design and the QB's decision are often quite different, which jeopardizes any criticism of the OC since it's so hard to isolate his influence. Dangerous to his own team, yes.

I only brought up balance when it was suggested that we ignored the running game. We ran just as much as we passed (which is pretty rare in the game's modern landscape), and a strong percentage of those running plays were on the 1st and 2nd down. You can argue that we didn't run enough, but it's untrue to say we didn't run at all or were pass-heavy. We were actually on our own 30 (not midfield) when the INT was thrown. The point is that we were in desperation mode and had no choice but to throw. It's funny how perceptions can be so different. You see Gilbride as someone who gets too many accolades; I see him as someone who gets too much criticism. Truthfully, I don't really give him accolades or criticism because, to me, it's incredibly difficult to accurately judge the performance of a coordinator since we are at such an information disadvantage. But I know we've won a lot of games with him and Coughlin seems to trust him, so that's all I can reasonably ask. Reading "Kildrive" and "Gilfuck" and other not-so-clever pejoratives gets tiresome...and I'm yet to the see the propagatation of complimentary nicknames like, oh I don't know, "Gilbrain" and "Thrillride" and "Kevin the smart dude." That Panthers game was the aberration. We averaged something like 8.0 yards per carry against a team missing it's best interior run defender. In games where our running game wasn't historically unstoppable, we couldn't generate anything offensively. This isn't meant to be a strike at anyone; it's hard to win without your best player and that challenge extends into this season.

I don't know if the balance was forced, and the power entrusted in the QB to audible clouds the OC's thought process from our perspective. The concept of balance isn't so much an unassailable doctrine but rather a guiding philosophy. If the Eagles are going to crowd the LOS, then we have to make some plays through the air eventually, otherwise it will be busy afternoon for Jeff Feagles. Like I mentioned earlier, in this much ballyhoed 1st and 5 sequence, Eli admitted to checking out of a running play and into a passing play. It's also a bit misleading to say that the "passing game" was responsible for three turnovers (within the context that we lost the game because of those turnovers) when the final two turnovers occurred after the game was decided, including a play where Steve Smith managed to fumble without being touched by a defender. The first INT was obviously costly, but again we arrive at a situation where an ill-advised throw/decision can't reasonably be attributed to Gilbride. For those who forget, it was a play-action designed rollout (which Joemorrisr4prez mentioned as a sound play in incliment weather conditions) where Boss was the primary receiver underneath. He was covered and Eli forced a pass to Hixon that was intercepted by Asante Samuel. What happened on the field included several sequences where our running game was stopped on 1st and 2nd down, and we were left in challenging 3rd and longs. At that point, it doesn't matter who are OC is. It's losing football, and it starts with the players on the field. Truth be told, this ongoing history lesson is pretty futile. We were a terrible, undermanned offense without Plax. The Eagles would have beaten us 9 out of 10 times that day, just as they did, decisively, several weeks earlier. And, regretably, I'm not convinced this year will be much different.

They stopped us at critical times, notably two 4th downs (QB sneak is one of the most high percentage short-yardage plays in football). And we were caught in numerous 3rd and longs, which obviously isn't ideal and was the point of the exercise. NFL.com does not have clear designations for "short" and "medium" and "long," so I really wouldn't wouldn't put much stock in those descriptions (for example, the "short" passes to Darcy and Smith in 1st quarter traveled more than 10 yards in the air, but were strangely classified as short). Plus, the QB throws the ball, not the offensive coordinator. Since there's no way to separate the play design from the QB's decision, crying foul at Gilbride remains a foolhardy approach. Also, when the defense crowds the LOS, the makes the short passing game less viable. That's where being able to challenge the defense downfield pays off.

In this case, it was suggested that Gilbride didn't call enough running plays. And that's untrue; we committed to the run at an exaggerated rate (57% before the final two desperation drives). And, as the above sequences show, the Eagles stopped our running game at the most critical times. You all wanted Gilbride to run the ball and he did ... and we lost because they stopped us.

Your recollection is a bit off. Bradshaw did not get his first carry against Buffalo until the 3rd quarter, at which time we were trailing 21-17. And I mentioned earlier that he had a really promising rookie season. But it clearly didn't translate into year 2; you might argue he regressed. I'm not over-blowing his pass pro liability because the staff kept him out for that exact reason... that and he fumbles. Neither of those characteristics sound like the ingredients for a good RB, and until he corrects them his performance will fall short of his ability.

Logic would indicate that it's diffuclt to run against the Eagles in any direction, especially since the notion of their defense being undersized is a thing of the past. Their starting DL (Cole, Patterson, Bunkley, Abiamiri) averages 284. Our starting DL, by comparison, averages 289. Plus, their interior run defense has improved markedly since 255-lb. Stewart Bradley was moved to MLB, and it shows in their numbers (4th in yards per game and yards per rush). Logic also dictates that as a good team, you do what you do best. We attack the edges with great efficiency, so I can't fault our coaching staff for doing so against the Eagles (whose two weakest players, by the way, are their OLBs). And overall, we had modest success on the ground but it wasn't enough to swing the game in our favor. Nonetheless, we did run until they stopped us. Our first possession: 1-10-PHI 35 (14:51) 10-E.Manning pass incomplete deep right to 12-S.Smith. 2-10-PHI 35 (14:46) 27-B.Jacobs right guard to PHI 29 for 6 yards (27-Q.Mikell, 57-C.Gocong). 3-4-PHI 29 (14:11) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass short right to 34-D.Ward pushed ob at PHI 27 for 2 yards (22-A.Samuel). 4-2-PHI 27 (13:46) 27-B.Jacobs left tackle to PHI 24 for 3 yards (97-B.Bunkley). 1-10-PHI 24 (13:00) 10-E.Manning pass short right to 84-D.Johnson to PHI 11 for 13 yards (57-C.Gocong). 1-10-PHI 11 (12:15) 27-B.Jacobs right tackle to PHI 9 for 2 yards (20-B.Dawkins). 2-8-PHI 9 (11:39) 27-B.Jacobs right tackle to PHI 9 for no gain (98-M.Patterson, 95-V.Abiamiri). 3-8-PHI 9 (10:53) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass short left to 34-D.Ward to PHI 4 for 5 yards (55-S.Bradley). 4-3-PHI 4 (10:05) 5-J.Carney 22 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-93-J.Alford, Holder-18-J.Feagles. We converted a 4th and 2 by running the ball before Jacobs stalled inside the red zone, leading to a 3rd and 8 and eventual FG. Our third possession: 2-D.Akers kicks 74 yards from PHI 30 to NYG -4. 44-A.Bradshaw to NYG 21 for 25 yards (27-Q.Mikell). 1-10-NYG 21 (5:52) 34-D.Ward up the middle to NYG 21 for no gain (27-Q.Mikell, 57-C.Gocong). 2-10-NYG 21 (5:13) (Shotgun) 34-D.Ward right guard to NYG 23 for 2 yards (97-B.Bunkley, 20-B.Dawkins). 3-8-NYG 23 (4:28) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass short right to 12-S.Smith to NYG 34 for 11 yards (20-B.Dawkins). 1-10-NYG 34 (3:53) 34-D.Ward right tackle to NYG 34 for no gain (95-V.Abiamiri). 2-10-NYG 34 (3:05) 34-D.Ward left tackle to NYG 35 for 1 yard (55-S.Bradley, 58-T.Cole). 3-9-NYG 35 (2:20) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass incomplete deep right to 81-A.Toomer. 4-9-NYG 35 (2:11) 18-J.Feagles punts 45 yards to PHI 20, Center-51-Z.DeOssie. 10-D.Jackson to PHI 20 for no gain (57-C.Blackburn, 51-Z.DeOssie). PENALTY on PHI-37-S.Considine, Illegal Block Above the Waist, 10 yards, enforced at PHI 20. Our fourth possession: 1-10-NYG 36 (:03) 27-B.Jacobs right tackle to NYG 47 for 11 yards (20-B.Dawkins, 39-Q.Demps). END QUARTER 1 2ND QUARTER New York Giants continues ... 1-10-NYG 47 (15:00) 27-B.Jacobs right tackle to NYG 49 for 2 yards (98-M.Patterson, 93-T.Laws). 2-8-NYG 49 (14:27) 27-B.Jacobs left end to 50 for 1 yard (57-C.Gocong). 3-7- (13:41) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass incomplete deep left to 12-S.Smith. 4-7- (13:29) 18-J.Feagles punts 45 yards to PHI 5, Center-51-Z.DeOssie, downed by NYG-51-Z.DeOssie. Ball batted back by #24 - T.Thomas We see a lot of instances here where our running game failed to produce on 1st and 2nd down. Consistently converting 3rd and 9's is difficult. It's even more difficult when the wind was as bad as you believe. Our next four possessions ended in FG attempts (two makes, two misses) and fell behind 20-11 on the first play of the 4th quarter. We did not panic and stuck to the running game. Here's what happened: 4th QUARTER 2-D.Akers kicks 73 yards from PHI 30 to NYG -3. 44-A.Bradshaw to NYG 24 for 27 yards (50-T.Daniels). 1-10-NYG 24 (14:50) 27-B.Jacobs right guard to NYG 35 for 11 yards (58-T.Cole, 57-C.Gocong). 1-10-NYG 35 (14:21) 27-B.Jacobs right guard to NYG 40 for 5 yards (20-B.Dawkins, 55-S.Bradley). 2-5-NYG 40 (13:44) (Shotgun) 27-B.Jacobs right guard to NYG 42 for 2 yards (55-S.Bradley, 58-T.Cole). 3-3-NYG 42 (13:03) (Shotgun) 34-D.Ward left tackle to NYG 44 for 2 yards (20-B.Dawkins). New York Giants challenged the runner was down by contact ruling, and the play was Upheld. (Timeout #2.) 4-1-NYG 44 (12:39) 10-E.Manning up the middle to NYG 44 for no gain (98-M.Patterson, 97-B.Bunkley). Eagles go 3 & out and punt... 1-10-NYG 11 (10:22) 34-D.Ward left tackle to NYG 25 for 14 yards (39-Q.Demps). 1-10-NYG 25 (9:47) 34-D.Ward right tackle to NYG 34 for 9 yards (20-B.Dawkins). 2-1-NYG 34 (9:09) 34-D.Ward left tackle to NYG 39 for 5 yards (20-B.Dawkins). 1-10-NYG 39 (8:31) (Shotgun) 10-E.Manning pass short middle to 81-A.Toomer to NYG 45 for 6 yards (55-S.Bradley). 2-4-NYG 45 (8:05) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 27-B.Jacobs left end to NYG 47 for 2 yards (20-B.Dawkins). 3-2-NYG 47 (7:24) (Shotgun) 34-D.Ward right end to NYG 47 for no gain (75-J.Parker, 56-A.Jordan). Direct Snap. 4-2-NYG 47 (6:40) 27-B.Jacobs right guard to NYG 48 for 1 yard (97-B.Bunkley, 55-S.Bradley). We ran. They stopped us. And we were relegated to desperation mode for the rest of the game.

I agree. No coach or player is beyond reproach. It's just disappointing to see people spouting "Kildrive" and "Gilfuck" other equally unfunny nicknames. The guy coaches for our team, and was apart of a championship. Re: Spags, I think his pass extends from the general public loving defensive coordinators and hating offensive coordinators. It's a strange phenomenon. According to fans throughout the league, any decent DC is respected while any good DC is cannonized. Conversly, every offensive coordinator is an idiot. I remember having these conversations about Gilbride last year (what have you done for me lately?) and asking his critics to point to a "good" offensive coordinator. After a lot of posturing, someone brought up Josh McDaniels of the Pats (who we had just defeated in the Super Bowl). I went to the Pats message board and instantly found 100 points complaining about him...after a year where he orchestrated the highest scoring team in league history. Offensive coordinators = idiots. Weird.

I was at the game. The wind really wasn't that bad, and it certainyl didn't dissuade the Eagles from being aggressive with their passing attack. Jacobs ran the ball well. He averaged 4.84 ypc (his career avg. vs. Philly is 4.4). It's a real leap to contend that he was misused. Furthermore, you continue to complain that he was running parallel to the line of scrimmage -- a broad generalization thusfar absent of any proof -- and that his strength is running between the tackles. Unfortunately, his career metrics demonstrate that the opposite is true: Wide Left: 6.0 Left: 5.1 Middle: 3.6 Right: 4.1 Wide Right: 5.8 His 2008 season was no exception; it was completely commensurate with those numbers. So running him outside against Philly -- if that's what happened -- appears to be a pretty smart idea, even against a fast Eagles defense. And getting 92 yards on 19 carries seems to suggest that we weren't exactly getting stonewalled. Please keep in mind that the Eagles finished the season with the 4th ranked rushing D; you're implying that we should have been able to run right over them, when the truth is that they are one of the stingiest run defenses in football. Being successful on the ground against them was no small order. As for the audible, I it occurred on 2nd down. I certainly don't mind being aggressive on 1st and 5 (since if you're unsuccessful, you have two downs to gain just five yards), whereas 3rd and 5 is a passing down. Like I alluded to earlier, it's time to accept that Bradshaw really isn't especially good. He needs to make huge strides (pass pro, ball security) before he can ever rekindle the promise of his rookie season. For crying out loud, the guy had a negative DVOA (-1.4%) last year while Ward (25.9%) and Jacobs (22.8%) ranked 2nd and 3rd among RBs with more than 100 carries. He was also one of the worst return specialists in football last season, ranking 29th. But yeah, he should have been taking snaps away from two superior players...neither of whom is a liability to get the QB killed. Eli can improve in a variety of ways, including his performance in windy conditions. I don't see how that's relevant to Kevin Gilbride and his performance as offensive coordinator.

You've been suggesting that the Giants lost because the offensive coordinator was foolish and did not call enough running plays (or, at the very least, Gilbride drastically reduced their chances of winning). None of the available evidence confirms that viewpoint. We got pushed around by a superior team, and for that I blame the players on the field and credit the opponents in Philly. I don't think I'd classify that as a bad weather game. It really wasn't that windy. The conditions were worse three weeks earlier against the Panthers ... and way worse in Green Bay...

Well, the Eagles tossed it around no problem. So maybe we should have passed more. But it's really clear that we made a concentrated effort to run the ball (Jacobs also averaged 4.8 ypc; it's not a supportable claim to say misused), with a 57% run percentage through 3.5 quarters. Perhaps the more reasonable conclusion is to admit the Eagles kicked our asses that day. Which they did...just as they did several weeks earlier

Considering that we ran the ball the same number of times, yes that equates to balance. That's the definition of balance. And again, the Eagles threw the ball 40 times. They were imbalanced in the wrong direction and won. Unlike the Ravens game, our running game didn't "crush" the Eagles. And as the numbers I referenced earlier indicate, it certainly wasn't from a lack of trying. If we threw the ball only 14 times against the Eagles, I'm guessing we probably would have score less than 9 offensive points. You're really barking up the wrong tree with that example since it was played during a different era, was decided by shutout, and was played in conditions that were 100x worse. It wasn't even that windy this year.

They'll go with the guy who can contribute more. And there's a pretty long list of post-hype guys that made major strides after they were dismissed as busts; among them, Amani Toomer. Moss will have a chance to cement his role in training camp and preseason just as Barden and Nicks will have their opportunities to supplant him, so it's silly to make any proclaimations several months in advance. You never know what can happen once they lace 'em up...

This Eagles playoff loss has to be one of the most misremembered and misinterprited games in recent memory. We had 31 rushing attempts to 30 dropbacks, achieving the balance that Coughlin emphasizes throughout the season. Furthermore, we fell behind 23-11 with 4 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter; excluding the two subsequent desparation drives (where we passed the ball on every play), our run/pass ratio was 31:23. Gilbride committed to the run to an extreme measure -- exactly as you knuckleheads asked him to do. You bring up the Ravens game as if it was a masterful example of how to win in poor conditions. Before running out the clock after the game has been decided, our run pass ratio was 26:22...in other words, when the outcomes were still in question, we ran the ball less frequently against the Ravens than we did against the Eagles. BTW, care to guess what the Eagles run/pass ratio was that day? 44 dropbacks, 24 runs. AND THEY WON THE GAME. So this (patently false) argument about Gilbride costing us the game because he didn't call enough running plays is totally misguided and foolish. Let's also not forget that Carney missed two FGs, and I'm guessing those six points would have been useful in the latter stages of the game. Bradshaw gets ignored because he's unreliable in pass protection and has not, to this point, demonstrated acceptable ball security. But hey, let's try to get a walking sack/turnover on the field as much as possible in place of our two 1,000-yard RBs. Re: the 1st and 5. Eli publicly admitted to calling an audible from a run play to a pass play during that sequence. You're right, Manning and Gilbride should watch the '86 NFCCG. At that time, they'll realize that it's quite easy to win when your defense pitches a shutout.

Yeah, a guy who orchestrated a championship offense. What an enormous liability...

All he's saying is that Moss enters camp as the third receiver behind Smith and Hixon. It's purely an experience/production thing. Nicks and Barden -- as rookies -- will obviously have to make their way up the depth chart. They won't enter camp ahead of a veteran, and the competition will sort itself out in the end...

I just don't see him getting a uniform so that he can impact 5-10 plays in a game. Dressing a 5th-6th WR who doesn't/won't contribute on specials generally isn't justifiable. If he outplays the other WRs, then sure, he'll be out there. But if his sole specialty is being tall, it won't be enough to activate him on gamedays. Moss will probably be a healthy scratch most weeks as well, if he sticks...

Entering a game with only two active TEs is a risky proposition; if one gets hurts, then you can't really use any 2-TE sets. They could insert a back-up OT at TE, but no one would respect him in the passing game. Plaxico Burress himself caught 0 TDs as a rookie (and he was a top-10 pick). I really wouldn't expect much better from Barden, even if he suits up (which seems unlikely) ... especially since our success rate on fades is something like 1.2%...

Judging by the WR's ahead of him, he's probably going to be a healthy scratch most weeks. Smith, Hixon, Manningham, Nicks are all in front of him. Possibly Moss as well. And Tyree's contributions on specials would warrant a uniform on gameday ahead of him, too. Being potentially useful in the red zone really isn't enough to put him on the field instead of Tyree or an 8th DL or a 4th RB or 7th LB that plays on all ST units...

Sorry, but it's over now that we spent premium picks on two rookie receivers. Boldin was never really a serious option. His age and injury history, coupled with his price-tag were enough to diminish any interest on our end. I also can't reiterate enough that Hixon and Manningham remain big parts of the team's future plans.