newjerseynewsroom.com

BY SAM HITCHCOCK

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

COMMENTARY

It’s funny how the universe works. Even though the unanimous opinion is that the New York Jets have a much easier schedule than the grueling slate the Giants got assigned, that is definitely not the case this week. In the NFL, slipping below .500 is very treacherous and, with both the Giants and Jets 2-2, both teams are running that risk.

The Giants get an alleviating elixir to push them ahead in the NFC East division in the form of the Cleveland Browns for Week 5. In contrast, the Jets may as well have been handed a cyanide pill. I am referring to the Houston Texans, but Santonio Holmes’ injury is deathly as well.

The Giants would appear to have a win giftwrapped this week, but Big Blue has a checkered history in the past decade of blowing games where they are heavily favored. One of the most notable implosions is the 2008 defeat to the Brownies, 35-14, when the Giants were coming off their Super Bowl win in ‘07.

In Sunday’s contest, they will face soon-to-be-29-year-old rookie Brandon Weeden. He is a player who has seen improved success of late (although one could make the case he had nowhere to go but up), but still holds the notorious distinction of posting the worst QBR for any signal caller making his first career start over the past five seasons. Here is a pick-six’s worth of points for the Sunday afternoon matchup.

POINT ONE:

Manning’s aerial crusade may be put on hold for the first half against Cleveland, as the Giants and Browns will both look to control the line of scrimmage by pounding the football early and establishing a dominant physical tempo in the trenches. The more successful of the two will be able to use their opponent’s overloading to expose the back end.

An effective rushing attack sets up the pass, and for New York this could prove vitally important due to the slew of injuries the Giants have had among their receiving corps, most recently to Rames Barden, who suffered a concussion. If Hakeem Nicks stays inactive, it will be his third straight week. Manning still has big-play weapon Victor Cruz and Domenix Hixon, with second round rookie target Rueben Randle the “Next Man Up.”

The Giants’ running game managed only a whimper in Week 4 against Philadelphia, with Ahmad Bradshaw returning for an uninspiring 39 yards on 13 carries (he did injure his neck so maybe he rushed back?) and Andre Brown accruing 14 yards on five carries. Big blue may find some offensive equilibrium from first round pick David Wilson, who showed some nice burst and vision on special team returns in their loss against Philly.

POINT TWO:

Cleveland has rookies Trent Richardson in the backfield and Weeden behind center. Richardson has proven to be the much more effective rookie so far, and head coach Pat Shurmur will want to consistently feed Richardson, letting him physically impose his pad-level force on second and third level defenders as he glides between gap openings.

New York held Eagles’ LeSean McCoy to no impact in the first half of last week’s game, but in the second half he and Michael Vick were able to sustain long drives and keep Manning on the sidelines by imposing their will outside the tackles. Browns’ offensive coordinator Brad Childress will want Weeden to be the steward for the offense, recognizing the pressure by the perennially excellent but underachieving Giants’ pass rush and avoiding costly giveaways.

POINT THREE:

The biggest matchup in this game is the Giants’ secondary versus Weeden. Against Baltimore last week, Weeden went 25-52 with 320 yards and zero touchdowns and one interception. His incompletion percentage was under 50 percent, but he was not given any assistance by his wideouts, who routinely dropped balls. Both the Browns’ receivers and the Giants’ secondary are plagued by injuries, and a weak receiving corps for Cleveland (Greg Little, Travis Benjamin, Josh Gordon, Josh Cribbs, and Mohamed Massaquoi) has been further debilitated by Benjamin, Cribbs, and Massaquoi all being well below 100 percent. Additionally, Little is listed as healthy, but his hands appear more dead than alive.