I cannot remember ever feeling so down after a Giants victory. Yes, they got it done yesterday, albeit in ugly fashion by topping the Falcons 34-31 in overtime. Yes, I am thrilled with the win. Yes it puts them back in the mix for a Wild Card berth if not for the NFC East Crown.
But this team does not look good, particularly on defense.
Rookie defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan looks like, well, a rookie. The big blue wrecking crew (tongue in cheek; it isn't that these days) has surrendered just under 33 points a game on average the past five games. Unacceptable!
I knew that when we lost Steve Spagnolo to the St. Louis Rams there would be some dropoff. It was inevitable, Spags was a heck of a coordinator. But I was comforted by the constant assurances by Tom Coughlin and Jerry Reese that Sheridan was basically "Spags lite".
We were told that he looked over Spagnolo's shoulder the past two seasons and knew the defense as well as if not better then his mentor. Evidently, he was not paying attention.
Is it all Bill Sheridan's fault? Of course not. But let's be honest; when the Giants went out and allegedly improved upon one of the NFL's best defenses by adding Osi Umenyiora (back from injury), Chris Canty, Rocky Bernard and Michael Boley, you had to figure they would be dominant.
I have not forgotten about injuries. Losing Kenny Phillips and Jay Alford for the season hurt a lot. Not to mention the myriad injuries they have suffered since.
But yesterday, after a bye week, with time to rest, relax and heal, time to "self scout" and tighten things up, I expected a dominant performance against a slightly better then mediocre offense. Didn't happen.
The Giants, despite the loss of Antonio Pierce, were as healthy as they have been all season. Yet, they played a lousy game!
Giving up 31 points at home to a team without it's best player (Michael Turner, yes, I know they still have Tony Gonzalez, but Turner is the man in Atlanta this year) is pathetic! Consider they have a struggling quarterback in Matt Ryan---though this season it appears the cure to a struggling quarterback seems to be a game against the Giants once vaunted defense.
For the second straight game the Giants defense in crunch time went down like a cheap whore at a Shriners convention! They blew a game against the Chargers and did their level best to blow it yesterday against the Falcons.
Really, a 31-17 lead in the fourth quarter is not safe against a mediocre offense at home? Evidently not.
I don't want to sound negative---I am actually being realistic. This team is not going anywhere unless Bill Sheridan and his players on defense step it up.
You can get by against the likes of Matt Ryan and the Falcons with this pathetic defensive performance, but try it against the likes of the Saints or Vikings and it will get ugly early.
So, Giants fans, be happy with the victory, as I am. But do not feel overly confident because I don't know that we can rely on 384 yards and 3 touchdowns from Eli Manning every week...