'Mistake after mistake after mistake'
Giants 'confused' after humbling 31-7 loss to Cowboys
Posted: Tuesday September 22, 1998 01:23 PM
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Danny Kanell (lying on ground) and the Giants are still dumbfounded after a 31-7 beating by the Cowboys AP |
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (AP) -- For a quarter, the New York Giants played the
Dallas Cowboys even.
They were boring but tied 0-0.
Then Deion Sanders
returned a punt 59 yards for a touchdown, the Cowboys went on to win 31-7
and suddenly the Giants looked like they did two years ago, when they
finished last in the NFC East, not like they did last season, when they
were unbeaten in the division and ended Dallas' five-year run at the top.
They left the field mystified, particularly since they had hoped to start
well before taking on the heavy part of a schedule that includes Green Bay,
San Francisco, Kansas City and Denver. Instead, they're 1-2 and even this
early are fighting for survival.
"I'm confused right now where this team is mentally," said Jim Fassel, who
won coach of the year honors last season for taking the Giants from last to
first in his rookie season.
"We're not showing the mental toughness or focus I expect, but that's my
job and I'll get it right. We were totally out of synch. No matter what we
tried, we just made mistake after mistake after mistake."
The mistakes included 11 penalties for 92 yards a week after 15 for 90
yards in a loss in Oakland. Five were illegal procedure calls, three of
them by left tackle Roman
Oben.
That's not supposed to happen at home before a record crowd of 78,039.
"I'm mostly angry with myself," Oben said. "I think everybody in this
locker room has to look at themselves after a game like this."
There's more to it than that, of course. Last year, the defense carried the
Giants. This year the offense was supposed to improve and it hasn't -- on
Monday night, there were several dropped passes and missed blocks that
might have turned around the game.
The defense has also let down, in part because of injuries.
It lost Jason Sehorn,
one of the NFL's top cornerbacks, to a knee injury in an exhibition game
and All-Pro linebacker Jessie Armstead has been
playing on a sprained ankle.
Moreover, the Giants lost three interceptions and a fumble Monday night, a
minus-four turnover ratio for a team that led the NFL last season at
plus-25. And they had no sacks after coming into the game with 13, tied
with Kansas City for the NFL lead.
But there is also some internal dissent.
"Some people here aren't very hungry," said All-Pro defensive end Michael Strahan, who had
four sacks in the first two games but was shut out with the rest of the
defense Monday night.
"I'm not going to point any fingers, but they know who they are. Some guys
here really want to win, but a few people are dragging us down. I'm not
going to let this thing ride and leave it up to the coaches. As a player, I
mean to speak up."
If that's not a problem, nothing is.
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