Tom Coughlin isn’t the only one upset about the way the Giants performed on Sunday night.
Safety Antrel Rolle feels that the team wasn’t physical enough in their 17-10 loss to the Eagles. The Eagles played like the desperate team that they are and the Giants couldn’t match their aggression. Rolle stopped short of calling himself and his teammates soft, but said that there wasn’t enough intensity on the field.
“At the end of the day, you play within the lines, you play within the rules, but you don’t take [stuff] from nobody at the end of the day,” Rolle said, via Jorge Castillo of the Newark Star-Ledger. “And that’s my attitude. You don’t take [stuff] from anybody and last night I felt like we took a little bit. Like I said, man, I don’t know what’s going to change and I don’t know how it’s going to change, but in order for us to be where we want to go, things are definitely about to change.”
Rolle was particularly upset about the hit Eli Manning took from defensive lineman Trevor Laws after a first half interception. Laws drew a flag on the play, but it was wiped out when Chris Snee retaliated for a hit that came a beat after the Giants tackled Jamar Chaney. Rolle said he wants other teams to fear the Giants, with particular emphasis on receivers coming over the middle.
It would help if the Giants did a little more to cover those receivers. In each of their last two losses, the Giants defense has given up tons of yardage to receivers in the middle of the field. Brent Celek converted three first downs on passes over the middle by himself on Sunday night. That problem, along with an offensive line that has struggled for most of the season, needs to go away or all the intensity in the world isn’t going to make much of a difference.
The self-analysis is certainly on point, but you can’t help but wonder whether things are actually “about to change” for the Giants. In each of the last three seasons, the Giants have had a maddening habit of showing up with listless efforts in games where they absolutely have to win. We hear a lot after the fact about the issues with intensity and effort, but the same problems keep returning on the field.