When a team loses like that today everybody needs to take a share of the blame. Where was the offense in the last 7 minutes? Nowhere! You can blame the special teams coach on the on side kick but they still had a lead. Yes, he should have kicked it bounds on the last play of the game but where was the tackling? Nowhere! Where was the defense in the last seven minutes? You got it: Nowhere! When you have a 21 point lead in the last eight minutes, you just can't or shouldn't lose.
There were several key screw ups by the Giants in the 4th Quarter. The first was on offense: Mario Manningham simply dropped the football in bounds as he was tackled around the legs. There is no excuse for that unforced fumble which gave the Eagles the football at the Giants 25 yard line, and gave them 7 points.
The next disaster belongs to the defense. On a medium depth pass play to the tight end, the Giants safety went for an interception, consequently missed the tackle, and turned a 15-20 yard gain into a 70 yard touchdown.
On the ensuing kickoff, if I saw the onside kick coming, how did the special teams coach and 11 special teams players all miss it?
Then, on third and goal from the 9 yard line, Justin Tuck allegedly lined up in the neutral zone (they never showed a replay, so I suspect the refs blew the call), costing the Giants half the distance to the goal and an extra down.
On the next play (3rd and goal from the 4-1/2), I said to my friend Scott, this is clearly going to be a quarterback draw, I hope the Giants have the sense to put a spy on Vick. They didn't see it coming, and he ran into the end zone untouched.
Then, on the next drive, at third down at the Eagles 40 yard line, the Giants two wideouts on the left side (Manningham and Hagen) both miss the fact that the Eagles are sending a corner blitz from that side. Manning reads blitz and puts up a soft, easy to catch throw to the location where the hot read should be in the flat. Neither receiver breaks off their route, and the pass falls incomplete, forcing the Giants to punt back to the Eagles with 3 minutes left. They drive down against an exhausted defense which has been on the field almost the entire 4th quarter without any rest, and tie the game.
Finally, the punter not punting the ball out of bounds when the play calls for him to do so with 13 seconds left. And the rest of the special teams failed to make the tackle. The Eagles win with no time on the clock.
Still, the biggest screw ups fall on the special teams, which, frankly, have been among the worst in the league since Coughlin was hired. He can't seem to field decent special teams, and, as far as I know, has stayed with the same, horrid, special teams coach for the past 4 seasons. That, and his failure to cut that rookie punter, who has now directly cost the Giants 3 losses with his inability to catch good snaps, shanking of punts, and admitted panic from a slightly high snap. He sucks, and needs to be cut.
Losing by a field goal is a much better result than I expected and we took another step toward a better draft position.
