We''ve talked about the fact that the Giants did a number of things which the Eagles could learn from. They put together their game plan based on the talent on their football team. They got away from throwing the ball more than 30 times a game.
Early in the season, New York had been putting the ball in the hand of Eli Manning and letting him throw the ball all over the lot. They got away from that after the first quarter of the season because his interceptions were killing them. They relied on their running game to dominate the time of possession and control the game.
If you look back at their season they could have easily thrown up the towel and cried about injuries. Instead they had talent deep on their bench, so when one running back went down, another stepped up and excelled.
Look how many quality running backs they had on their roster. First of all, they lost Tiki Barber because he retired at the end of the previous season. For many teams that would have been a death blow.
At the beginning of this season they traded Ryan Grant and he went on to lead the Green Bay Packers in rushing in half a season. Brandon Jacobs began the season as the starter but he got hurt. Derrick Ward took over and was averaging 4.8 yards a carry before he was injured. Reuben Droughns stepped in for Ward then sustained a season-ending injury himself. Jacobs returned to the lineup and New York unleashed rookie Ahmad Bradshaw on defenses.
The Giants lost starting All-Pro tight end Jeremy Shockey but you didn't hear them crying about it. They put in rookie Kevin Boss and didn't miss a beat.
As for the Eagles, they need to stock their team full of outstanding playmaking wide receivers if they want to throw the ball all the time. You can't cry about injuries. You didn't hear the Giants crying.
Although he got the MVP award, Eli wasn't asked to be an exceptional quarterback for this team to win. All he had to do was take care of the football and stay away from turnovers. He threw 20 interceptions in the regular season but only 1 during their run to the Super Bowl title. They took the ball out of hands and didn't ask him to carry the football team.
The key to the Giants was their front seven and even more specifically their defensive line. Those guys had to dominate every game and they did. They shut down opposing running games and put pressure on the passer. Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck were the backbone of this team that just won the Super Bowl.
The Eagles have to consider their roster when they're deciding what kind of winning formula they need to put into place. If they want to be a throwing team then they have to stock the team full of playmaking wide receivers. If they want to be a running team which relies on its defense then they have to stock the team full of quality running backs. Injuries do happen but you've got to be ready for them.
