The Giants have every reason to be worried about 49ers Justin Smith when formulating their game plan for Sunday and they’d like a little help from the officials to help keep him in check.
Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride had tons of praise for Smith’s game when speaking to reporters about the 49ers star. He tempered it with his feeling that Smith gets away with things that should be penalized, however.
“Smith is a beast on the inside,” Gilbride said, via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. “He’s strong, he does as good a job of grabbing a hold of offensive linemen and allowing those twists to take place. He never gets called for it, so he gets away with murder.”
Trying to work the officials through the media is a time-honored tradition in all sports so it’s not surprising to see Gilbride level this charge ahead of the matchup at Candlestick this weekend. Given how rarely defensive linemen are flagged for holding offensive linemen, it would be surprising to see the lobbying pay off in any calls but it’s worth a shot.
Smith has yet to record a sack this season, although the 49ers pass rush hasn’t lost much effectiveness as a result. If the Giants want to keep him at zero on the season, they’re probably going to have to do it by themselves.