Thoughts on the Giants' loss and the divisional round

You could probably see this one coming in the wake of the last month of the season. It was more of the same in the Giants' 23-11 loss to the Eagles: stagnant offense + no pass rush = bad loss.
It has become clear that Plaxico was a crucial component of the Giants' offense. Without him, the run would be ok, certainly not spectacular, but there is a lack of big-play potential in the passing game. Against the blitz, having Plaxico in a one-on-one situation is a great advantage for the Giants. He makes the rest of the offense a hell of a lot better.
Furthermore, the fact that the Giants' run a very traditional offense really hurt them without Plaxico. I wish they would have become more innovative, using some end-arounds, reverses, screens and especially short drag- and crossing routes to make better use of their receivers. Without Plax, the Giants needed some other way of loosening the D, and more creativity should have been incorporated (it just seemed like the offensive gameplan was no different than in the previous loss to the Eagles. And speaking of the Eagles, they don't have a great receiving corps, but they get it done).
Beyond that, it seems to me that Eli Manning is a mediocre qb. Yes, he had a magical run last year, and it was certainly the greatest 4-game run in NFL history (and I will remind you that the offense scored 24, 21, 23 and 17 points in that span and credit should be given the defense first), but put good players around him, and he can win. But a great qb can carry a team, can be called on to make 4-5 clutch throws every game that give his team a chance when things aren't working. Eli couldn't do that (note that he has never posted a qb rating pver 86.5 in his five years). In fact, he was downright awful. (A note on Manning's mechanics: can he please learn ot throw a freaking spiral!? The wind hurts Eli more because he throws wobblers.) The pick to Samuel was a killer. And it didn't seem like he made one great play. All those 3rd downs in Eagles territory went unconverted and the Giants had 0 tds.
When will a coach decide that he should practice a sneak play every week where a running back takes the snap from under center and plunges ahead for the first down? I don't trust Eli to make a yard on a sneak. How much better would it be to have Bradshaw under center? All it takes is a few reps in practice and you're set. Why hasn't a coach tried this? I've seen so many failed qb sneaks, it's about time. And I'm sick of Jacobs being unable to convert 4th and short. While Jacobs is a huge back, I think he has terrible field vision. He can't just run into LBs and linemen and expect to make 5 yards. He has to find the hole and hit it for three yards. On the 4th down play, he had a hole, but instead ran right into the defense.
Last word on the offense: Four words that should give Giants fan optimism for next year: innocent until proven guilty. Or, alternatively, plead it down, Plax! I hope the Giants allow Plax to come back next year. Everyone was ready to throw Plax away when the Giants were 11-1, but now, I think fans will be more willing to forgive. Losing will do that to you. And in addition, te Giants need to draft a solid receiver to replace Toomer. He's done.

The defense was pretty good, but it was not the super bowl defense we saw last year. There was no pass rush whatsoever, and this forced the Giants to blitz heavily, and more often than not, unsuccessfully. The front four really needs Osi back, and another problem is that the LBs are just not good blitzers. Blitzing is not simply a matter of rushing the line of scrimmage. A great LB doesn't just crash into the line of scrimmage (which is what Pierce seems to do every blitz) and get shut down by a lineman; blitzing requires not only skill in finding the perfect timing, spacing and gap, but when need be, having the one-on-one skills to get by a linemam. The Giants' LBs are really not good blitzers. Niether Pierce, not Clark, nor Blackburn is a disruptive blitzer (this is where the Giants missed Mitchell from last year). I think Umenyiora's return should help here because Kiwanuka will shift back to LB. And I think the Giants should draft another DE/LB or two. [If you think about it, the best blitzing/sacking LBs are ones that have line-skills: James Harrison, Shawne Merriman, Demarcus Ware--these gys have played d-line and can beat OLs one-on-one. The Giants need that.]

Say all you want about Carney's accuracy this season, but the fact was he was a disaster waiting to happen. He is 44, has no leg, and throughout the season, was incapable of hitting 45+ FGs. His numbers were inflated by kicking chippies all year. This was fine when the Giants' offense was rolling, but when points become a premium, y0u need a kicker who will nail those 46- and 47-yarders. He missed two crucial kicks against Philly. I expect the Giants to sign a new kicker for next year (Tynes shoudl be gone too).

With the Ravens, Eagles and Cardinals all winning, and with the recent history of having a 6-seed (Steelers), a 3 (Colts) and a 5 (Giants) winning the SB, it has become clearer that just getting into the playoffs is what matters. Getting a bye doesn't mean anything anymore. Whatever the reason is, I don't know, but that's just the way it is. There will now be a 9-win team playing for the SB for only the second time ever ('79 Rams). The freaking Arizona Cardinals are hosting the NFC Championship game! That says it all.

Looking forward to next weekend, there are some intriguing storylines. The one I like most is the Cardinals and Kurt Warner. The Cardinals have played unbelievable football the last two games. They have a very exciting offense (Larry Fitzgerald is the best WR in the league; he is a marvel to watch and seeing him go up for a long bomb over two defenders is one of the most awesome plays you'll see) and a defense that is living up to its potential and playing full throttle (playmakers at all levels of the D: Berry and Dockett up front, Dansby in the middle, Wilson and Rolle in the secondary). If Warner can somehow lead the Cardinals to an improbable SB victory, he would vault into the upper-echelon of alltime QBs. No joke. He would become the only QB to win SBs with two different teams and I really believe it would make him a hall-of-fame lock (looks at his stats: top 5 qb-rating all time, most accurate QB all time). Who the hell could have imagined that Arizona would be playing to go to the SB. It's ridiculous and awesome. I'm rooting for the Cardinals.