Let’s face it, what was supposed to have been the Giants strength this season, has proven to be a weakness throughout the games leading up to it. Eli Manning and his weapons have been out of sync on the field, and unproductive in the red zone.
Throughout the four games in August, Manning has only racked up two passing touchdowns on 52-attempts. Without Victor Cruz, Manning just doesn’t look comfortable in the pocket. Some plays he overthrew receivers, other times, they can’t locate the ball.
And the red zone numbers aren’t much better.
Big Blue has gone just 2-11 from inside the 20-yard line throughout these four games, something they’ll need to remedy now that Andre Brown is out with a broken leg.
The whole pre-season was a disaster from an offensive standpoint.
With their game against Dallas approaching fast, New York needs to figure out a way to get David Wilson more involved in the passing game. The second year back out of Virginia Tech holds the key to opening up this offense with Cruz working his way back from injury and Hakeem Nicks getting back into game shape.
Wilson possess true breakaway speed and an uncanny ability to escape would-be tacklers, so the obvious solution to Manning’s woes is getting Wilson the ball in space. If they can get a few screens and swing passes to Wilson early, and force Dallas to respect the short game (no pun intended), Cruz and Nicks can work more freely over the middle and down the field.
The Giants have never had a back like Wilson before under the Manning/Coughlin era, so the pair need to adjust and incorporate his skills, or see a once promising offense fall to the bottom of the league.
Kyle McMorrow | Featured Columnist