REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: Giants 38, Packers 10

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK

Giants 38, Packers 10

Michele Tafoya

 

“NOT A FRIENDLY PLACE IN HERE”

In a conference call Friday, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin told our Sunday Night Football crew that he wanted his defense to get physical with the Packers.

After all, the Green Bay offense is “loaded,” he said.

When referring to Green Bay phenom Randall Cobb, the two-time Super Bowl Champion head coach said, “He’s 190-pounds.  Tackle him!  Let him know it’s not a friendly place in here!”

Cobb found out early he wasn’t a welcome guest at Met Life Stadium, but no one felt the chilly reception more than QB Aaron Rodgers.

To say that Rodgers was sacked five times doesn’t adequately describe the duress he was under all night.

“When we’ve had success versus Rodgers it’s been because of pressure,” Coughlin told us on the call.  “If we don’t get (to the quarterback) we become vulnerable in a lot of ways.

“Our neutralization is our pass rush, if we got it.”

Oh, they had it all right.

The Giants had Rodgers hit, sacked or under duress on 51.5-percent of his drop-backs (17 of 33).  Coming into the game the Giants had been pressuring opposing quarterbacks on 23.2-percent of their drop-backs.

CREDIT THE COVERAGE

In our meetings with New York players, LB Chase Blackburn echoed Coughlin’s sentiments about pressuring Rodgers.  But he also said “We need guys in coverage.”

Indeed, the Giants’ secondary covered brilliantly, which helped the defensive front.  Big Blue’s defense held Rodgers to 14 of 25 (.560) for 219 yards passing with 1 TD pass (Jordy Nelson) and 1 INT (Corey Webster — who got burned on the Nelson TD).

BLOCKING UP

Eli Manning met with our crew right after practice Friday and answered all the questions about whether or not his arm was tired.  (“Maybe it was.  Sometimes you don’t realize you’re tired until you take time off.”)

But his clearest concern about facing the Packers was about the blocking of his offensive line.

“Hopefully we can block things up and have a little time.”

The Giants line did for Manning what Green Bay’s o-line couldn’t do for Rodgers.  They used some max-protection at times with the TE helping.

It has to be mentioned, however, that the Pack was without their best pass-rusher, Clay Matthews, who missed his second straight game with a hamstring injury.

Regardless, the Giants offensive front held up. Manning was sacked just once en route to 249 yards passing and three touchdowns.

And those three scores made Eli the Giants’ all-time leader in career touchdown passes (200), a spot that had been previously held by Phil Simms.

Credit the line as well for providing the running lanes for Andre Brown (64 yards, TD) and Ahmad Bradshaw (58 yards, TD).

BIG DIEHL?

How serious is David Diehl’s “stinger”?  It took him out of the game in the first half, and he was replaced by Sean Locklear.

Diehl has been the on-again, off-again starter at right tackle this season thanks to a knee injury suffered in Week Two versus Tampa Bay.  The Green Bay game was his third consecutive start and fifth of the season.

Maybe “Bay” teams are bad luck for Diehl.

But Coughlin made it clear to us Diehl had earned the start Sunday Night.

“We run better with Diehl,” the coach told us.  “And Diehl was our left tackle when we won two Super Bowls.  You can’t help but love the kid.  He works his ever-loving off.”

Will his ever-loving be ready to start again at Washington next week?

HAIL TO THEE, ALMA MATER

Manning told us during the bye week he traveled to Mississippi and “just laid low.”  Oxford clearly agrees with him.

Going back to the old college haunts must be good R-and-R for the Manning brothers.  Peyton had returned to Tennessee during the Bronco’s bye week and returned in Week Eight to throw for 305-yards and 3 TDs in a 34-14 victory over the Saints.

Wonder what a trip back to Gainsville would do for Cris Collinsworth at this point in the season?  Perhaps a longing for old college towns is what Makes Al Michaels wish the Arizona Cardinals would win more?

Me?  I can’t imagine a trip back to Berkeley, California, as being relaxing.  But it would be warmer than Met Life Stadium was on Sunday night.