The biggest game (to date) of this Giants season will take place without Jason Garrett. The team’s first-year offensive coordinator tested positive for COVID-19, and the Giants announced former Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens will call plays against his old team in Week 15. The Giants converted their Thursday practice into a remote session and have announced no high-risk close contacts of Garrett have emerged. The former Cowboys HC may also miss the Giants’ Week 16 game against the Ravens. Hired as Cleveland’s running backs coach in 2018, Kitchens rose to the position of offensive coordinator that year and made the jump to become the Browns’ head coach in 2019. That ended in a one-and-done scenario, but Kitchens found his way to Joe Judge‘s staff this year.
Here is the latest on the NFL’s coronavirus front:
- In another blow to Big Blue, the team announced James Bradberry will miss Sunday night’s game. The Giants placed their top cornerback, and arguably their top player this season, on the reserve/COVID-19 list. This is not related to Garrett’s positive virus test, according to the team, which revealed Bradberry has not tested positive for the coronavirus. Bradberry came in contact with a COVID-positive person while receiving chiropractic treatment away from the Giants’ facility, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter). The Giants not having Bradberry will weaken their chances of knocking off a nine-win Browns team. Pro Football Focus rates Bradberry as its No. 6 overall corner.
- Not only will the NFL not follow the other three major American professional sports by using a centralized playoff location, the league will also not mandate teams be sequestered in home-market bubbles for the postseason. Teams may still provide hotel rooms for players who choose such an arrangement, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets, but the league and the NFLPA agreed they will not force players on playoff teams to be away from their families.
- Following the unusual Dez Bryant situation that left the Ravens a man down for their Week 13 game against the Cowboys, the NFL made another adjustment to its pregame roster policy. If a player must leave the field pregame because of a positive COVID test or because he qualifies as a high-risk close contact, teams may activate a replacement, Pelissero tweets. The usual rule of teams submitting their inactives 90 minutes before games left Baltimore down a player against Dallas, after Bryant was forced to leave the field shortly before kickoff. Teams will now be able to make an emergency activation in such instances.
Bradberry, wow that hurts. Not that they and any chance before of beating Cleveland, but that certainly cements it.
To be fair, everyone (including myself) said the same thing about Seattle. Totally agree that their chances are almost zero now.
One would think that even if the NFL is not instituting a bubble for the playoffs, individual teams will. Imagine losing your QB or something for a playoff game.
Giants are done…. Garrett hasn’t done crap…. can’t put up any points….
I think it’s more the offense than Garrett
Garrett certainly doesn’t help. He seems to run the ball on 95% of 2nd and long plays. If a fan at home like me can see something like that, NFL defenses definitely see a lot more.
Definitely. But I think a lot of their offensives woes are Jones and the Oline on pass protection. Plus Engram dropping easy throws.
Garrett is better then Putrid Pat Shurmur!!!!! Early in the season the Giants were not running enough. They have a Talented back like Gallman not being utilized in the offense. Giants have more wins this yr then they did last season. They should be 2-0 against the Eagles. Giants threw it a ridiculous 64.2% of the time last yr and should have had less then 4 wins. With 3 games left they are just 24 carries from last yrs total. Last yr 650 pass plays 362 runs. Thru the 1st 5 weeks this yr the Giants were at 65.3% pass. When teams run the Football and play defense they tend to beat the pass happy teams.
Playcalling costs teams games. But Garrett is better then Shurmur at that. In 3 of the Giants losses they ran it less then 20 times which NFL Teams are 9-53-1 in those games. in the Giants 5 wins 47.2% pass 152 pass plays 170 runs. In the Giants 8 Losses 308 pass plays 168 runs
64.7% pass. 34 runs on avg in wins. 21 runs on avg in losses. The Eagles are the most pass happy team in the NFC East.
It always amazes me how often fans overestimate the importance of play calling. 80% of all offensive plays are predetermined by the game situation (score, field position, down & distance, time remaining). Everyone in the stadium knows that a coach will call plays with the aim of getting the ball to his most dangerous weapon or exploiting a favorable matchup. Execution is far more important than play calling.
Browns threw the ball an insane 59.7% of the time last season with Kitchens calling the plays. This yr just 46.7% of the time last yr 6-10 this yr 9-4. Giants would be wise to start Colt McCoy with Jones banged up.