Rumors circulating right now are that Coughlin will get the boot, which may be a little rash in my opinion. Coughlin may not have had his best season coaching, but they finished at .500 and went 4-2 in the division. The problems may lie more on the field than off.

It’s obvious the Giants miss former defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, but it’s not like the Giants lack in talent, although some of the talent may think they have a little more talent than they’re actually blessed with…..Brandon Jacobs I’m looking your way.

What the Giants don’t seem to have is any leadership. They’re kind of like a ship in the middle of the ocean just letting the current take them wherever. Guys tried to step up, like Jacobs and Antonio Pierce. The only problem is that just because you’re a total mouthpiece doesn’t mean you make a good leader. Talking the talk is one thing, walking the walk is another. In all fairness both these players finished the season injured, but prior to that they weren’t doing much anyways.

I’m sure the Giants would love Eli to be the leader they thought he would be after his little streak through Super Bowl 42 and into the following season. But Eli needs everyone around him to be playing great for him to be able to perform at a high level consistently. He’s not the kind of player that can lift a team up and carry them, like his brother.

This offseason is going to be an interesting one for the Giants. I expect to see a lot of changes, maybe even Coughlin getting the boot. Things will not stay status quo for New York. The Giants team that takes the field next year may look quite a bit different.

Technorati Tags: New York Giants, NFL, Tom Coughlin

The playcalling yesterday on the Giants second to last possession was questionable, real questionable. New York marched all the way down the field and had a first and goal on the 4 yard line, that’s when things got stupid.

Jacobs takes the ball on first down to the 1 yard line, then Chris Snee gets called for holding. This was followed by an incomplete pass on the first down replay, an inside hand off out of shotgun on second down, and another inside handoff out of shotgun on third down. They wound up settling for a field goal, oh yea, and a loss. San Diego then proceeded to march down the field, with relative ease I might add, and puched it in for 7. Game over. It seemed Coughlin was happy settling for a field goal and relying on his defense to save the day.

Why in the world would you run on second and third down? Out of shotgun? The running back has to gain four yard just to get back to the line of scrimmage. He picked up 5 yards on both carries but still. You give the defense a better chance of reacting to the play. It just seemed dumb at the time. They got San Diego to use two timeouts, but the incomplete pass on first down goes agianst the whole let’s get them to use their timeouts philosophy. Poor playcalling.

So much for leaders stepping up for the Giants. This might not seem like a problem but it’s going to be, if it isn’t already.

Technorati Tags: New York Giants, NFL, San Diego Chargers, Tom Coughlin

Eli Manning plays good when everyone else around him does, and right now he’s surrounded by inexperience at receiver. He’s not getting a lot of help from his running game either, Brandon Jacobs isn’t living up to the hype he creates for himself.

Antonio Pierce is another guy who can’t live up to his own hype. These guys need leaders to be leaders and the Giants just don’t seem to have any. There is a lot of young talent on that team but the lack of true veteran leadership is showing. It’s time for guys like Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck to step up and be leaders, these are the guys they need to start filling that role.

New York can’t afford to keep sliding, not with the way Dallas and Philadelphia are playing. Coughlin knows this and he’s trying to create a sense of urgency for his players, which is probably what they need. The law of averages says they come out and win against San Diego this week. If they don’t they could be in for a disappointing finish to their season.

Technorati Tags: Antonio Pierce, Eli Manning, Justin Tuck, New York Giants, NFL, Osi Umenyiora, San Diego Chargers, Tom Coughlin