It is completely understandable if Giants fans want to move on, want to forget what happened in loss No. 5, want to rid their memories of the slow start, mid-game surge and complete fourth-quarter meltdown that allowed the Eagles to leave MetLife Stadium with a 36-21 victory.
No doubt there wasn’t much from the Giants standpoint to recall with any fondness. There were breakdowns galore, and the most glaring failure was Eli Manning throwing interceptions on three consecutive fourth-quarter possessions, costing the Giants any chance at finally ending this maddening losing streak.
Tom Coughlin called the turnovers “terrible,’’ yet he insists they are a byproduct of Manning trying too hard to make a play. That’s true — but not a valid excuse. Haven’t we been down this road with Eli? Wasn’t this supposed to be a failing he learned to resist when things get sticky? Manning will never be a low-interception quarterback based on his reliance on down-the-field throws and his penchant for trusting his receivers to come down with the ball when he puts it in tight spots.
But after Manning threw a career-high 25 interceptions in 2010, Coughlin instilled in him the value of protecting the football. In 2011, he cut the interceptions to 16 and kept them down (15) in 2012. This season is a complete regression, and it is alarming Manning continues to make the same mistakes.
It got so bad that on one of this three — three! — intentional grounding penalties, Manning attempted a pass after he stumbled and fell, making a sickly sidearm throw while nearly flat on his back. No one wants to see the quarterback meekly taking sacks and trotting off the field on fourth down, but there is something to be said for making the best out of a bad situation.
Manning’s one-time backup, a possible future Hall of Famer, sees what is going on.
“Eli Manning is running for his life,’’ Kurt Warner said on the NFL Network’s NFL GameDay. “When you are a playmaker, you want to try and make every play. You feel like you can make every play. That is what Eli is doing right now. “No one is making plays around [me, so] I will take it all on my shoulders. I will make every play.” Unfortunately, when you do that, a lot of interceptions [and] a lot of things go against you.”
More day-after musings:
— Safety Will Hill insisted he was in good shape and could contribute right away after serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s drug policy. The coaching staff clearly agreed. In his 2013 debut, Hill was on the field more than any other player. He started in a three-safety alignment and was on for all 81 defensive snaps, plus all 27 special-teams snaps. It was a remarkable show of endurance. Hill was active with 11 solo tackles. His one down moment was a needless unnecessary roughness penalty in the first quarter for hitting receiver Riley Cooper with a helmet-to-helmet shot.
— Rookie defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, the second-round pick from Ohio State, is going to be a solid player. He made his NFL debut with 32 plays on defense, contributing five tackles, plus one tackle for a loss. He is one of those powerful and sneaky-quick interior linemen who make a difference in moving the line of scrimmage.
— Terrell Thomas got only one snap on defense. It’s a sign his surgically repaired knee is hurting more than he’s let on or that the Giants want Thomas to be fresh for Thursday’s game in Chicago. The Giants do not think Thomas can get extensive snaps one day and then play much four days later. The coaching staff was more comfortable with safety Antrel Rolle playing slot corner — where he spent the bulk of his 80 snaps — than Thomas in that role.
— Remember when Jacquian Williams was supposed to be an up-and-coming linebacker with the athletic ability to stay on the field for four downs? Williams got 13 of the 81 defensive snaps and clearly has been supplanted by Spencer Paysinger, who was on the field for all 81 snaps.
— Jon Beason is going to start very soon at middle linebacker. Beason was suited up on Sunday, two days after his trade from the Panthers, but the extent of his workload was seven snaps on special teams. He needs to get up to speed on the Giants system, and there is really only one full day of practice this week (Tuesday) before they face the Bears on Thursday, so it might be too much to ask for Beason to be ready. Mark Herzlich was once the starting middle linebacker after Dan Connor was put on season-ending injured reserve, but he played only 18 snaps on special teams and none on defense against the Eagles.
— Some notable numbers that incriminate the Giants: From 1990-2012, 48 teams started 0-5. None of them made the playoffs. … The Giants’ five-game losing streak is their longest since they lost eight in a row in 2004 – Manning’s rookie year. … The Giants were outscored in the fourth quarter, 14-0, for the second week in a row. They have been outscored in the fourth quarter this year, 61-21. … The Giants rushed for 53 yards, their fifth consecutive game with fewer than 100.
— It is going to be impossible to cure the offense without establishing at least a semblance of a running game, and that means the severity of the neck issue that forced David Wilson out of the game is a big question. Wilson hasn’t done much, but how much more does anyone want to see from Brandon Jacobs, who takes too long to get through the hole on the rare occasions the offensive line actually creates a hole? Without a ground game, Manning cannot survive. The game against the Eagles was the 20th regular-season game in Giants history in which they threw at least 50 passes. They are 1-19 in those games. The exception was a victory over the Buccaneers on Sept. 16, 2012, when Manning threw 51 passes. Manning threw 58 passes in the Giants’ victory in the 2011 NFC Championship Game in San Francisco. If more evidence is needed, consider this: This was Manning’s 28th regular-season 300-yard game. The Giants are 13-15 in those games.
— It did not say much about the instincts of the players on defense or their coordinator, Perry Fewell, that they could not make the mental adjustment when Nick Foles replaced the injured Michael Vick at quarterback in the second half. Players said they prepared for the elusive Vick and did not change up their pass-rush approach when the far less mobile Foles, a pure pocket passer, entered the game. They didn’t prepare for the backup quarterback? It is not as if Foles does anything special. He stands in the pocket and throws the ball. What’s to prepare for?
— Did you have a problem with Wilson doing not one but two back-flips in the end zone after scoring on a 5-yard touchdown run to give the Giants a 7-0 lead? Yes, we know the Giants have not won a game all season and Wilson has been a part of the problem, but c’mon, given what the Giants have been through, can anyone get too hot and bothered about a second-year player showing some emotion? His teammates get a kick out of the back-flips and the crowd seemed to be excited, at least for the moment. On the list entitled “Giants Issues,” Wilson celebrating too hard is far, far down the chart.
— Coughlin messed up by accepting a holding penalty, rather than declining and forcing the Eagles into fourth-and-4 from the Giants 47-yard line in the first quarter. Coughlin was certain Chip Kelly would have eschewed a punt to go for it on fourth down, which was shaky reasoning. Of course, Coughlin looked even worse when on third-and-19, Vick ran for 34 yards.