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Warning signs were there of Giants' early exit

Tue 13th, January 2009

(Sports Network) - The road to this year's NFC title won't be going through New York following the defending world champion Giants' home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Sunday's Divisional Round of the conference playoffs.

At first glance, the top-seeded Giants' swift ousting from the postseason can be viewed as a shocking surprise. A closer look, however, shows that we all should have seen Big Blue's 23-11 defeat to the surging Eagles coming.

Not a whole lot was made of New York's three losses in a four-game span heading into the conference tournament, probably because of the amazing run the Giants made in an underdog role to capture the Vince Lombardi Trophy a year ago. That rough patch started with a 20-14 setback to the division-rival Eagles at the Meadowlands on December 7, a mere eight days after the well- publicized self-inflicted accidental shooting of wide receiver Plaxico Burress in a Manhattan night club.

Burress' irresponsible actions not only forced a premature ending to his 2008 campaign, they had a lasting imprint on his team's fortunes as well. Prior to the troublesome wideout's unfortunate incident, the Giants led the NFL with an average of 29.9 points per game. That number dipped to 18.8 points per game with Burress out of the lineup.

Eli Manning's play also suffered without his best receiver, the one member of New York's run-based offense who demanded extra attention from enemy secondaries, in the fold. The enigmatic quarterback did come through with a top-notch performance in a 23-7 victory at Washington a day after Burress' exploits -- a win that put the Giants at 11-1 entering the regular season's final month -- but never came close to matching that standard the rest of the way.

Over the final five games including the playoffs, Manning completed just 54 percent of his throws and averaged a shade over 150 yards per outing, while tossing just two touchdown passes and being intercepted four times. He was also sacked 12 times over that span.

Before that late-year regression, Manning had a 62 percent completion rate, averaged nearly 220 yards through the air and was sacked only 15 times in 12 games. In that stretch, the Giants' franchise face delivered 19 touchdown passes against just eight interceptions.

The Manning that was nearly flawless during New York's remarkable march to the Super Bowl last season was nowhere to be found in Sunday's matchup. Instead, Giants fans were treated to the 2005 version who failed to move the offense in a forgettable 23-0 postseason loss at home to Carolina that year.

Against the Eagles, Manning threw for 169 yards on 15-of-29 passing and was picked off twice, finishing the day with a season-worst 40.7 percent passer rating.

The Giants also failed to produce a touchdown in three red-zone opportunities during the season-ending loss, underscoring another problem area for the offense in the wake of Burress' absence. In New York's four losses down the stretch, the club had only one touchdown in seven tries within the opponent's 20-yard line.

"That is not going to win games in the playoffs," said Manning afterward. "You have to get touchdowns when you get down (in the red zone). We did some good things, we had some good drives, and we made some plays. When we needed to get something done, when we needed to get a spark and make a big play, that is when we didn't do our best."

SPAGS IN DEMAND

The Giants will find out in the coming weeks whether they'll still have defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, a hot commodity among teams currently searching for new head coaches, on board for next season. The 49-year-old is expected to have a second interview with the fellow Meadowlands-tenant Jets at some point this week, and has also previously talked with the Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos regarding their vacancies. Spagnuolo is reportedly also high on the St. Louis Rams' wish list and could soon be meeting with that organization as well.

Spagnuolo has a relationship with Rams general manager Billy Devaney, having worked as a scout with the San Diego Chargers in 1993 when Devaney was the team's director of player personnel. The two were also both employed by the Washington Redskins during the 1983 season.

The highly-regarded Spagnuolo had his choices of possible landing spots reduced by one on Monday, when the Broncos hired New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as their new head coach.

WELL-DECORATED

The Giants placed six players on the 2008 Associated Press All-Pro team released on Friday, with guard Chris Snee and defensive end Justin Tuck each garnering first-team recognition.

Snee was the anchor of a rock-solid offensive line that enabled New York to average a league-best 157.4 rushing yards per game during the regular season, while Tuck led the team with 12 sacks after taking over a full-time role following Michael Strahan's retirement over the summer.

Two other offensive linemen, center Shaun O'Hara and left tackle David Diehl, were named to the All-Pro second-team along with fullback and valued lead blocker Madison Hedgecock. Kicker John Carney was also a second-team choice, the first such honor of the 44-year-old's 20-year career.

Snee, Tuck, O'Hara and Carney will also be representing the Giants on the NFC squad for next month's Pro Bowl, along with Manning and longtime punter Jeff Feagles.

QUICK HITS

- The Giants did not register a sack in Sunday's loss, but the defense did force a safety in the second quarter when Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, under heavy duress from Tuck, was called for intentional grounding in the end zone. The safety was the first by the Giants in a postseason game since George Martin sacked Denver's John Elway in the Super Bowl during Super Bowl XXI.

- Running back Brandon Jacobs, who sat out New York's 20-19 loss at Minnesota in the regular-season finale with a sprained knee, returned to action and rushed for 92 yards on 19 carries.

- Carney made 3-of-5 field goal attempts against Philadelphia, failing to convert from 46 and 47 yards. It's the first time the veteran kicker missed two three-point tries in the same game since October 9, 2005 while with New Orleans.

- Reserve running back Ahmad Bradshaw opened Sunday's game with a 65-yard kick return and set a team postseason record with 180 yards on six runbacks.

OFFSEASON OUTLOOK

Among the items on general manager Jerry Reese's offseason to-do list will be determining the future of Burress with the organization. That decision could be made for him if Burress, who has a court date in March for two counts of felony weapons possession, ends up being suspended by the league or receives jail time.

Odds are that the Giants will sever ties with their problematic wide receiver, although Reese left open the possibility for Burress to return when the subject was broached after Sunday's loss.

"If everything goes all right, yeah," Reese told the Newark Star-Ledger when asked if Burress could be brought back next season. "Obviously, it's hard to replace (Burress' abilities). The guy has a presence out there and when you lose that, teams play you differently."

If the Giants and Burress do part ways, finding a No. 1 receiver will be the team's top offseason priority. New York could make a run at either Cincinnati's T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Tampa Bay's Antonio Bryant, the headliners of a relatively weak free agent crop at the wide receiver position, although it's conceivable both could be franchised by their respective teams. Arizona's Anquan Boldin, who's been embroiled in a contract dispute with the Cardinals over the past year, could potentially be available via trade.

Reese also has a tough call in regard to his stellar backfield duo of Jacobs and Derrick Ward, both of whom rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2008 and are set to enter unrestricted free agency. Jacobs seems more likely to be retained with a long-term deal, considering the Giants already have a player with a similar skill set to Ward in Bradshaw.

Hammering out a contract extension for Manning, who will be entering the final year of his rookie pact, will also be among the Giants' offseason goals.