Coughlin offers helping hand to Eli

[Tempest]

http://espn.go.com/n...ng-helping-hand

 

 

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- There are times when Giants head coach Tom Coughlin strides to the podium on Wednesdays and the words that come booming out of his mouth to kick off the next game week sound suspiciously like the basic talking points he plans to give his team. He lays out the opponent the Giants are facing, he mentions whatever lingering predicaments their last game exposed, then he gets into how they can address all of it. And as odd as it seems to say this about a man who has won two Super Bowls, the leadership that Coughlin shows in moments like this is perhaps the most underrated part of what he does.

Coughlin is a coach in the best, most complete sense of the word. Part of the job description is that the good ones sense it's time to show the way in times like this.

The first-place Giants are a perfectly respectable 6-3 heading into Sunday's game at Cincinnati. But in the wake of last Sunday's stinging loss to Pittsburgh, the latest brushfire that Coughlin has to stamp out actually feels more like a bonfire: His quarterback, Eli Manning, has been struggling the past three games. What to do about it is the question.

And Coughlin blinked and looked unabashedly surprised Wednesday when he was asked if Manning has become so good he would just let Manning "fix himself." "Well, no," Coughlin answered. That's not how Coughlin looks at it at all.

If you haven't noticed, one of the hallmarks of Coughlin's Giants teams is players develop here. They just do. Players seem to get better after they get to Coughlin's Giants, and it doesn't matter if they're undrafted free agents or the No. 1 overall pick in the draft like Manning was, a freakish but raw talent like Jason Pierre-Paul or a seven-time castoff like backup running back Andre Brown, one of this season's revelations. The common thread is players just seem to rise closer to the players they're supposed to be under Coughlin and his staff. And the answer he gave Wednesday about how he's handling Manning's slump was a little insight into why.

 

Coughlin said he made a point to stop by the quarterback room where Manning was studying on Tuesday, which is an off-day for most NFL players but rarely for NFL quarterbacks. When Coughlin dropped in to talk, he didn't bark at Manning about his subpar 125-yard passing day against the Steelers, or the two off-games Manning had before that, like everyone else was. He didn't offer empty go get'em platitudes.

No, crusty ol' foot-stomping, occasionally red-in-the-face Tom Coughlin -- that guy the rest of us always see on the sidelines -- sat down with his franchise quarterback behind the scenes and simply asked him, "What can I do to help you?"

Not "You're a big boy, figure it out. You're the franchise. Play better."

"[What] little things I can tweak in terms of practice that may help us?" Coughlin asked Manning.

The relief Manning felt before Coughlin did anything else had to be palpable.

And then? Get this: Coughlin actually listened to him.

 

When the Giants took the practice field Wednesday, one of Manning's ideas about what might get him out of his funk was immediately implemented. Coughlin made sure the Giants got back to scheduling a passing drill that Manning likes but which they had gotten away from recently in which Manning and his receivers got to take live-action, full-speed, one-on-one reps against the Giants' starting cornerbacks and first-string defense -- not just reps against the scout team pretending to be this week's opponent.

 

Manning says the drill gives him and his receivers a chance to work on their timing, to work on getting open, to work on their sight adjustments to what the defense is throwing at them after the snap while Manning is also working on handling the pass rush and "doing a better job of reading their body language" -- in short, all of the things that Manning has been admittedly off on these past few weeks as the offense has slowed down.

And Manning was upbeat Wednesday about how it all went.

 

"That was one of my suggestions, yeah," Manning said. "We had gotten away from it the past few weeks. ... And I think we missed it.

"You want that competitive live action. I think most quarterbacks like the live one-on-one like that, you know. You know where you're going with the ball and you've got to trust your guys to win. ... You've got a pass rush coming, you've got good press man coverage going on. It's not scout team being told, 'Hey, play it this way. Or play it this way' -- it's going against our starting defense and you've gotta use your technique to get open. ... I get two reps with each receiver. ... So those are 10, maybe 12 reps that I'm not getting every day. And that's passing stuff where we can work on plays, and guys get to see how things play live, versus a live style of defense."

 

Manning didn't deny that he's taken a "good hard look" at himself these past few weeks. He agrees he can play better. But the fact that he doesn't have to figure it out on his own even if he is the franchise quarterback -- that image of Coughlin standing in the doorway of the quarterback room and asking him "What can I do to help you? What do you think may help us?" -- has to, well ... help.

Even the best franchise quarterbacks can sometimes benefit from a little leadership.

 

It's hard to miss how Coughlin has asserted himself since the Pittsburgh loss, which he termed the Giants' "most disappointing" in a while.

By Monday, Coughlin flatly told reporters he was confident that the ailing Giants offense could be fixed quickly. Said it won't take much time at all.

On Wednesday, Coughlin again made it sound as if what's ailing the Giants besides some slippage in execution is fairly simple. Leaning forward now at the podium, Coughlin smiled at reporters and dropped his voice into a near stage whisper as he said, "The one thing that nobody has picked up on, which is kind of interesting, is you don't get any continuity offensively if you don't get any first downs! We haven't had any first downs in two weeks! Make some first downs! "You make a first down and you'll have a chance to get some rhythm, get some continuity, get into your play calling. And when you don't have first downs, it's like this, OK? -- like throwing darts at a board."

NFL football isn't really that simple. But a good coach and a good quarterback who work together like Coughlin and Manning can make it seem that way. It feels more jarring when everything doesn't work.

Coughlin was asked now if he can do certain things early in the game just to concentrate on quickly getting some of those first downs he mentioned. Smirking now, he cracked, "Well, everything we have listed to call is to make a first down. And every one is a touchdown by the way, too."

Then he laughed.

Once again, he didn't sound like a coach who is worried his quarterback can't get fixed.

Just a coach who can help.

[Lughead]

ELI " let me call the plays in the green zone."

 

Ok that was me, wishfull thinking.

[Firstnten]

Haven't we all learned yet. Manning is consistently inconsistent. Yet the team wins games and championships.

[Mr. P]

ELI " let me call the plays in the green zone."

 

Ok that was me, wishfull thinking.

 

Eli: "allow me to change the play at the line of scrimmage if i dont like the initial playcall"

 

 

Oh wait he's had that all along.

[Clarence the Blue Puppet]

Eli "I play my best in the no huddle, why not try it more often?"

[Firstnten]

Manning is constently changing the plays at the line of scrimmage it's discussed ad nausea on almost every NY media sports outlet.

[Lughead]

Manning is constently changing the plays at the line of scrimmage it's discussed ad nausea on almost every NY media sports outlet.

Yes we know this. But he is given a running play and a passing play from the sidlines. It's up to him to read the D and adjust the play from there. Who knows if either play he is given at that moment is the ideal play? He could be given 2 plays that are lose/ lose either way.

[Firstnten]

Yes we know this. But he is given a running play and a passing play from the sidlines. It's up to him to read the D and adjust the play from there. Who knows if either play he is given at that moment is the ideal play? He could be given 2 plays that are lose/ lose either way.

 

He cloud also be given a play that had he not changed at the line could have been the "ideal" play. You can play that statement both ways. Sidebar: where are you getting he gets two plays called in? I've never heard that one. I've heard of scripted possesions. Is that what you are reffering too?

 

To throw some more gas on this fire. Manning’s wideouts are required to make reads and change their routes keying off the opposing teams defense. There have been a bunch of plays and examples of this, that the media as well Manning discussing openly. To clarifiy: As in wideouts not making the proper adjustments to defensive keys. And that has nothing to do with play calling.

[Tempest]

The other factor to consider is the play that he calls just isn't executed to the level required for it to work.

 

Yes we know this. But he is given a running play and a passing play from the sidlines. It's up to him to read the D and adjust the play from there. Who knows if either play he is given at that moment is the ideal play? He could be given 2 plays that are lose/ lose either way.

[Lughead]

Eli "I play my best in the no huddle, why not try it more often?"

Ohm Youngmisuk ‏@NotoriousOHM

Gilbride says going more no huddle is an option discussed to jump start offense

[Dragon]

 

 

He cloud also be given a play that had he not changed at the line could have been the "ideal" play. You can play that statement both ways. Sidebar: where are you getting he gets two plays called in? I've never heard that one. I've heard of scripted possesions. Is that what you are reffering too?

 

To throw some more gas on this fire. Manning’s wideouts are required to make reads and change their routes keying off the opposing teams defense. There have been a bunch of plays and examples of this, that the media as well Manning discussing openly. To clarifiy: As in wideouts not making the proper adjustments to defensive keys. And that has nothing to do with play calling.

 

That is one of the main issues with running so many option routes. They're great when executed perfectly, but you have to have your QB and WR completely on the same page. If they see 2 different things in the split seconds from the snap to the pass the play could be doomed.

[Storm]

Ohm Youngmisuk ‏@NotoriousOHM

Gilbride says going more no huddle is an option discussed to jump start offense

 

I believe absolutely nothing that Gilbride says. That guy has said for weeks that he'd give Brown and Wilson some reps.

[Iceman_NYG]

I think its a bunch of things -

 

1) Eli knows Nicks isnt 100% percent so he cant make the throws that he'd naturally like to make to Nicks often which spread our O a bit. Which is why Eli seems to be zoning in on Cruz more often than he'd like. And Cruz is getting double teamed and Nicks is not able to get open. That is a problem

 

2) I dont know why Wilson is not getting a few more reps in Playaction situations where Eli could pass to him out of the backfield. I havent seen that all season.

 

3) Martellus Bennett has regressed and needs to be given better plays to become useful. Once he starts getting yards - the O clicks automatically. We cant expect a passing game to click with one WR to zone in to and the playcalling on the running game being pathetic and not at all creative.

 

Our Offense is just like our Defense - We are geared to go for big plays and get a chunk of yards similarly to the way the D gives up yards. And then go and make a clusterfuck in the end-zone or turn it over.l

[Clarence the Blue Puppet]

Where has Barden been? Was that game just a fluke? Why start Nicks at 60% when Barden proved he can step up. Of course if Eli has no time (looking at you Diehl), it's a moot point.

[Tempest]

Yes it was a one game fluke. Hixon can definitely step in but I think Nicks is healthy enough to play, just not playing to the level we have come to expect. Is Nicks at 85% better than Hixon at 100%? Coaching staff seems to think so.

 

Where has Barden been? Was that game just a fluke? Why start Nicks at 60% when Barden proved he can step up. Of course if Eli has no time (looking at you Diehl), it's a moot point.

[TaylorBanksCarsonVanPelt]

I believe absolutely nothing that Gilbride says. That guy has said for weeks that he'd give Brown and Wilson some reps.

 

Bump...

[Storm]

I think its a bunch of things -

 

1) Eli knows Nicks isnt 100% percent so he cant make the throws that he'd naturally like to make to Nicks often which spread our O a bit. Which is why Eli seems to be zoning in on Cruz more often than he'd like. And Cruz is getting double teamed and Nicks is not able to get open. That is a problem

 

2) I dont know why Wilson is not getting a few more reps in Playaction situations where Eli could pass to him out of the backfield. I havent seen that all season.

 

3) Martellus Bennett has regressed and needs to be given better plays to become useful. Once he starts getting yards - the O clicks automatically. We cant expect a passing game to click with one WR to zone in to and the playcalling on the running game being pathetic and not at all creative.

 

Our Offense is just like our Defense - We are geared to go for big plays and get a chunk of yards similarly to the way the D gives up yards. And then go and make a clusterfuck in the end-zone or turn it over.l

 

haha, I love that analogy, well done. You think they set out to build that kind of team? It certainly causes us all a lot of....pain and actual physical symptoms of sickness week in and week out, lol....you'd think they'd try to spare us at least a couple times a year....