Week Two, Rams at Giants: Offensive Game Plan.

Anthony Bafaro

The key to the Rams offense on Monday night is simple; keep Sam Bradford upright long enough for him to identify whom Corey Webster is covering, then throw it to anyone else. 

As a result of losing CB Terrell Thomas and 2011 first round pick Prince Amukamara to knee and foot injuries respectively, the Giants are reluctantly relying on Aaron Ross to help Corey Webster shut down opponent’s top receiving options.  The result of this reliance in week one was Rex Grossman throwing for over 300 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 62% completion percentage (8% higher than his career average).  Let me be frank; Aaron Ross is not good.  He does not have the ability to provide consistent coverage on any WR in the NFL (except, of course, for Brandon Gibson) and even on the occasion that he finds himself in a position to make a play, he is failed by his distinctly below average ball skills and a tackling ability that is reminiscent of Linehan era game film. 

So which receivers are most likely to benefit from the Giants decimated defensive backfield?  There are several possibilities.  The Giants also lost starting MLB Jonathan Goff for the season and this may open up the middle of the field for rookie TE Lance Kendricks and rookie slot receiver Greg Salas, but the big play opportunities will most likely be on the outside.  Mike-Sims Walker was added via free agency this off season to bolster an abysmal WR core in St. Louis and he may have a better set of pro tools than any receiver on the roster.  Unfortunately, due to a shortened preseason and a week one matchup with Nnamdi Asomugha, the rams have yet to benefit from this acquisition.  On the opposite side of the field, dressing in place of the injured Danny Ammendola, is fan favorite, former Missouri Tiger Danario Alexander.  Danario is consistently injured himself, undergoing a string of knee surgeries before his professional career even began.  Having said that, he is  6’5”, runs a 4.4 40, has a 41” vertical, and in limited playing time has shown a propensity to make big plays on game day.  Both of these receivers will undoubtedly be looking to establish themselves in week two after being non factors in week one and I believe the game plan will oblige them.  The Giants still have a very good man-coverage corner in Corey Webster, but he cannot cover both sides of the field on his own.  The Aaron Ross side should provide big play opportunities for the Rams all day.

Of course, none of this matters if Sam Bradford ends up on his back, or worse, on the training table.  Coming off of a great rookie campaign, Roger Saffold was not especially sharp in the season opener against the Eagles.  Jacob Bell and Jason Brown continue to be disappointing, relative to their pay grade, and Jason Smith, the 2^nd overall pick in the 2009 draft, is almost worthless in pass protection.  Smith not only looks lost when dropping back, but also appears to be overmatched physically when trying to establish a pocket.  (A prime example of Smith’s inept pass protecting ability came with 14:03 left in the 2^nd quarter in week one.  Smith came off of the line of scrimmage a full second later than his line mates, then was apparently confused by the very straight forward, four man rush of the Eagles as he drifted inside to the already blocked Cullen Jenkins, allowing Jason Babin to fly off the edge, unabated, and steamroll Bradford).   The Giants will be without All-Pro DE Osi Umenyiora and the equally dominant Justin Tuck is listed as questionable.  Unfortunately for the Rams, they still have Jason Pierre-Paul.  I was not sold on Paul when the Giants took him 15^th overall in the 2010 draft, attributing much of his collegiate success to his line mate, and former Ram, George Selvie drawing a lot of double team attention, but Paul had a good rookie season, collecting 17 tackles and 4.5 sacks to go along with 2 forced fumbles and 6 pass deflections all while being an almost exclusively third down end.  He’s now getting regular playing time with the injuries to Osi and Tuck, and recorded 5 tackles, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble in the season opener against the Redskins.

New offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has a big play mentality.  Those big plays take time to develop.  How much time, is defined by how well the receivers match up against the defensive backs of the opposition.  The current state of the Giants secondary is on the opposite end of the spectrum from what the Rams faced against the Eagles, so there should be more opportunities for Bradford to get the ball off quickly.  Never the less, even if Justin Tuck does not play, and especially if he does, the entire offensive line needs to step up their play in pass protection; if not, the Rams will limp and hobble out of the Meadowlands with an 0-2 record and a fresh batch of bumps and bruises for Sam Bradford.