Another Music City Miracle / Winter Meetings Recap

(Photo By Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Seven weeks. 63 days. The losing streak began in Philadelphia in early October, and trickled into early December after a gut wrenching defeat in Jacksonville. The New York Giants defense suffered losses in the secondary, as well as the defensive line. The injuries resulted in a lackluster pass rush, and accordingly, the Giants were ranked dead last in total defense over the seven week span. But it was not until December 7, when winning ways returned to Big Blue as they traveled to Nashville to take on a floundering Titans squad. New York flew out of the gates, commanding a powerful and early 17-0 lead, as Eli Manning connected with his new favorite target Odell Beckham Jr. for six, along with a Josh Brown field goal and a defensive fumble recovery for a touchdown. The first quarter displayed success in all three phases of the game, as New York entered the locker room with a dominant 23-0 halftime lead. Over the seven week losing streak, the dilemma for New York was the performance in the second half, and how they could manage a lead and also hold on to one in the latter stages. Consistency and effort was a factor in a handful of the losses, which lead many to question how Big Blue would once again hold on to a three score lead, which they had in Jacksonville the week before and unfortunately lost. Luckily, the tides were changing, and the luck finally found the Giants sideline, as New York's opening drive in the 3rd resulted in a breakout 50 yard touchdown run from rookie RB Andre Williams, New York's longest rush of the season. Midway through the 3rd, the game was clearly out of reach for Tennessee, as they trailed New York 30-0 with an absence of offense and defense. The Giants eventually surrendered a touchdown due to a foolish interception by Manning, but as the final whistle blew, New York was back on top, as they crushed the Titans 36-7, snapping their long and cruel seven game losing streak.

Here's this week's breakdown:

The Defensive Power Surge

(AP Photo/James Kenney)

An issue from the early stages of the season was the lack of consistency on a young and vulnerable defense, but New York found a groove in Tennessee, shutting out Zach Mettenberger's Titans, surrendering only 207 yards to Tennesee's offense. A fortunate improvement was the Giants' ability to force turnovers, as they tallied two interceptions and a fumble which lead to points. Another factor was the ability to attack the quarterback and force pressure, as the Giants sacked Mettenberger and back-up Jake Locker for a combined 8 sacks for a total loss of 60 yards. Collectively, New York appeared to be having fun, considering that their competitive edge and spirit disappeared for two consecutive months. "Fun" may be an accurate description of the defense's success last Sunday, which is surely needed this Sunday at home against the depleting Redskins.

A Structured Offense

(Photo By Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

On the other side of the ball, the offensive struggles have consisted of maintaining a steady passing and ground game, and since the first few weeks in September, New York had failed in keeping the defense honest in approach, as Rashad Jennings sidelined due to injury lead rookie Andre Williams with most of the dirty work. The ground game showed signs of greatness in Jacksonville the week before, but Ben McAdoo's offensive scheme took advantage of Tennessee's lackluster defense, tallying 142 yards on the ground and 260 yards through the air. The Giants finished with 19 first downs, 8-18 on third down, and averaged 6 yards per pass. Another statistic that should stand out is the total number of plays for New York. Big Blue totaled 73 plays, their second most on the season (78 at Washington 9/25), as well as dominating time of possession at 34:43. Eli Manning held control of the offense from start to finish, which was long awaited for this new offensive gameplan. Another positive was the performance of the offensive line, which gave Manning lengthy time in the pocket, allowing minimal pressure from Tennessee's defensive line. Of course, we cannot forget the production from Odell Beckham, as he tallied 130 yards on 11 receptions (the most recorded by a Giants' rookie WR). New York's rookie sensations made the Giants the first team in NFL history to have 130 rushing and passing yards from rookies. That just may be the silver lining of the season.

W2W4

Tennessee marked the Giants second blowout on the year, and with Washington entering MetLife Sunday afternoon with a mentally questionable quarterback in Robert Griffin III and a staggering defense, expect New York to pound the ball up the gut, as well as test the Redskins' secondary through the air. Sunday will show a little bit of everything from the playbook, as there are no doubts in mind that New York will not route Washington. The swagger of the defense must be present to force costly mistakes, and with both sides of the ball excelling, Big Blue will surely be on their way to two consecutive wins, and most likely sole possession of third place in the NFC East.

Prediction: New York 38, Washington 19 (NYG -8.5)
________________________________________________________________________________


Now, back to baseball. It has felt like an eternity since the final out of the Yankees season in early October at Fenway Park. So far, the Winter Meetings in sunny San Diego have lived up to its hype, as many teams across the league have shown interest in free agents and trading block all-stars. As of now, the Yankees have succeeded in signing lefty relief specialist Andrew Miller, as well as filling the void at shortstop with the young Didi Gregarious from Arizona. But the losses of David Roberston to Chicago and Brandon McCarthy to the Dodgers have left holes in the Yankee pitching staff, leaving free agent candidate Max Scherzer as a near must to the Yankee rotation. 

(AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

Scott Boras, the king of baseball agents, has made it clear that his client Scherzer is worth the big bucks, and has lead many to believe that New York is the only team that can afford the money requested. Reports have discussed nearly $200 million for the right-handed ace, which alone is a daunting decision for the front office. The process will be quite simple: there will not be any negotiation between Boras and Brian Cashman. The Yankees will be given a number, and they will either take the number or walk. If New York does walk away from Scherzer, the status of the rotation remains up in the clouds. James Shields is a name still on the market, but there does not appear to be any mutual interest between the Yankees and Shields. With Scherzer as "Plan A" and Shields as "Plan B", "Plan C" will be investing in less-popular names, such as Josh Johnson, Jake Peavy or Edison Volquez. Those three names will not attract the fan base, but a trade or signing of at least two starting pitchers must occur by Spring Training, as the status of Masahiro Tanaka, Ivan Nova, and CC Sabathia remains uncertain to the managerial staff. If all fails, the Yankees will surely be engaged in next winter's free agent pitchers, which consists of aces David Price, Johnny Cueto and Jordan Zimmerman. It's only early December, but moves will be made soon and rapidly in the Bronx.