12/24/06 Saints-Giants sidebar for the Louisiana Gannett Newspapers
(Writer's note: I covered the Christmas Eve Saints-Giants game at the Meadowlands for the Louisiana Gannett Newspapers. The Shreveport Times was the first paper to post the story on its website. As always, I will attach all the newspapers' URLs to the blog entry. ---- Denis Gorman)
Saints defense was magnificent
December 24, 2006
By Denis Gorman
Special to The Times
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. "" Sometimes statistics are misleading. Sometimes, though, they simply tell the whole story.
In the Saints' 30-7 win Sunday over the rapidly fading Giants, the defense was, to borrow a word from coach Sean Payton, "magnificent." The Saints allowed only 142 yards of offense, 83 yards on the ground and 59 yards passing.
"We got them off the field a lot on third down," Payton noted.
Uh, yeah.
Even more impressive than the 142 yards allowed was the fact that the Saints did not allow the Giants one play that started inside the 50-yard line. Contrast that to the Saints' offense running 50 plays on the Giants' half of the field.
The lone blemish on an otherwise sterling defensive effort was Plaxico Burress' 55-yard touchdown catch on the games fourth play. On the play, Eli Manning took the snap, pumped once and saw Burress streak past cornerback Fred Thomas, who slipped on the play. Manning laid the ball into Burress who dove into the end zone with his arm outstretched.
"We've been allowing points early on," Thomas said after the game. "(But) we're a team that doesn't get rattled easy. It's kind of something we thrive on."After that, though, the Giants couldn't do anything right on offense. In his last home game as a Giant, Tiki Barber found running room to be nonexistent. Manning was blitzed repeatedly and he responded by rushing his throws. When he had time, his receivers dropped balls, eight of them to be exact. Manning finished the day 9-of-25 passing for 74 yards, the touchdown and an interception.
"We had a great first drive and then after that we couldn't do anything," Manning said. "They double blitzed us and we didn't have an answer for anything We weren't in rhythm by any means and we could not get first downs. We kept being three-and-out. We couldn't keep the ball in our hands."
Seven times the Saints forced the Giants to go three-and-out. Giants coach Tom Coughlin, who professed not to hear "Fire Coughlin" chants from the few remaining fans midway through the fourth quarter, said the Saints' ability to stop the Giants was the key to the game.
"Our first few runs were good. We did have some decent plays, but the key issues there (are) we didn't sustain them," Coughlin said.
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061224/SPORTS/312240008/1001/SPORTS
http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061225/SPORTS/61224009/1006
http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061225/SPORTS/612250313/1006
Saints defense was magnificent
December 24, 2006
By Denis Gorman
Special to The Times
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. "" Sometimes statistics are misleading. Sometimes, though, they simply tell the whole story.
In the Saints' 30-7 win Sunday over the rapidly fading Giants, the defense was, to borrow a word from coach Sean Payton, "magnificent." The Saints allowed only 142 yards of offense, 83 yards on the ground and 59 yards passing.
"We got them off the field a lot on third down," Payton noted.
Uh, yeah.
Even more impressive than the 142 yards allowed was the fact that the Saints did not allow the Giants one play that started inside the 50-yard line. Contrast that to the Saints' offense running 50 plays on the Giants' half of the field.
The lone blemish on an otherwise sterling defensive effort was Plaxico Burress' 55-yard touchdown catch on the games fourth play. On the play, Eli Manning took the snap, pumped once and saw Burress streak past cornerback Fred Thomas, who slipped on the play. Manning laid the ball into Burress who dove into the end zone with his arm outstretched.
"We've been allowing points early on," Thomas said after the game. "(But) we're a team that doesn't get rattled easy. It's kind of something we thrive on."After that, though, the Giants couldn't do anything right on offense. In his last home game as a Giant, Tiki Barber found running room to be nonexistent. Manning was blitzed repeatedly and he responded by rushing his throws. When he had time, his receivers dropped balls, eight of them to be exact. Manning finished the day 9-of-25 passing for 74 yards, the touchdown and an interception.
"We had a great first drive and then after that we couldn't do anything," Manning said. "They double blitzed us and we didn't have an answer for anything We weren't in rhythm by any means and we could not get first downs. We kept being three-and-out. We couldn't keep the ball in our hands."
Seven times the Saints forced the Giants to go three-and-out. Giants coach Tom Coughlin, who professed not to hear "Fire Coughlin" chants from the few remaining fans midway through the fourth quarter, said the Saints' ability to stop the Giants was the key to the game.
"Our first few runs were good. We did have some decent plays, but the key issues there (are) we didn't sustain them," Coughlin said.
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061224/SPORTS/312240008/1001/SPORTS
http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061225/SPORTS/61224009/1006
http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061225/SPORTS/612250313/1006
posted by Denis P. Gorman at 10:40 PM
<< Home