ESPN.Com
The Giants lost to the Colts 20-12 in their second preseason game last night. After a poor showing from the Giants first team offense and defense, the Giants will go into their third preseason game against the Jets with much needed improvements.
Once again, the Giants came up short in the redzone. On the Giants opening drive, they had the ball at the Colts 7-yard line. After failing to get the first down, the Giants decided to go for it on fourth down. Andre Brown could not pick up 1-yard, and the Giants turned the ball over on downs. On the Giants second drive, they had to settle for a field goal after reaching the Colts 7-yard line again. Needless to say, Coach Coughlin was not happy. “We were down in scoring territory a bunch of times and didn’t come away with touchdowns, so that continues to be an area of concern for us,” Coughlin added. “Too many penalties tonight, starting with mine, which was foolish.”
Eli Manning was also intercepted on their third possession of the game, another area of concern for the Giants. Coach Coughlin knows that in order to win football games in the NFL, you must win the turnover battle. On a brighter note, Manning did connect with Hakeem Nicks twice for 40 yards. When asked by the Giants PR staff, “Do you think this was a good building block for you to go into the third game as you get ready for the regular season,” Nicks responded, “I definitely think it is. I think it was beneficial for me to get back out there and just get my feet back up under me; to get the long drives and just try to get that timing back with Eli.”
I continue to be impressed with the play of David Wilson. Although his stats might not show the full story, he looks very explosive and seems as if he can hit the ‘homerun’ at any time. A healthy dose of Wilson mixed in with Brown, and the Giants might be able to establish that running game they so desperately need, in order to take the pressure off of Eli and the passing game. Keep an eye out for 7th round draft pick Michael Cox out of UMASS as well, as he continues to impress. Although he only had 4 yards on 2 rushing attempts, he returned a kick for 36-yards and has 2 screen passes that went for 28 and 20 yards respectively.
Another area of concern for the Giants was their defensive play. Yes, they held the Colts to 20 points, however Andrew Luck was having a field day. Aaron Ross should have come down with an interception, which actually resulted in a touchdown for Reggie Wayne. We can just chalk that play up to be unlucky, and fortunate that it happened in the preseason. When the Giants PR staff asked Prince Amukamara about the progression of Andrew Luck, he responded, “He’s a great quarterback. He seems like he’s learned a lot. He’s got a great veteran quarterback with Hasselbeck back there and he seems like a smart guy. He went to Stanford. I think he’s a great quarterback. He’s progressing well.”
Look for the starters to go well into the third quarter in next week’s showdown with the Jets. This is where we will really get to see the Giants improvements and what we should expect to see during the regular season.
Justin Lerner: PureSportsNY