The New York Giants are preparing for their trip to the desert this Sunday to face off against the Arizona Cardinals. They are coming off a disastrous season opener last Sunday night, a 40-0 drubbing at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys.
With a trip to San Francisco looming in Week 3, this week’s game against the Cardinals is practically a ‘must-win.’
The Giants experienced breakdowns in all three areas against Dallas. On special teams, they allowed field goal to be blocked and get returned for a touchdown.
On offense, they were manhandled and shut out and gained just 171 total yards in the game. They also allowed an interception to be returned for a score.
The defense, however, did not have as many embarrassing moments. They held the Cowboys to 265 yards of offense and two of Dallas’ touchdown drives began in Giants’ territory.
“I thought that for the most part of the game, we played well against the run,” defensive coordinator Wink Martindale told reporters on Thursday. “There’s one that got away from us we’d like to have back. That’s another one of the little things that you point out, and you need to fix it. It’s an ongoing process. We’re coming together. I told you last week, I think it’s going to take a little bit for that first group to gel, and I really like that we had a really good practice (Wednesday). I’m looking forward to having another one.”
Martindale was asked if the defense can reset the tone after a crushing loss such as Sunday night’s.
“I think a whole team. I don’t think you make it offense, defense or special teams; I think a whole team can. The biggest thing is, and (Brian Daboll) hit on this right after the game, you can never let one game beat you twice. So, you’ve got a choice in life. Stand up, dust yourself off and go play. That’s what our guys are going to do. I know how they are, and I know how they’ll react to it,” he said.
Martindale also drew on his experience when it comes down to dealing with the team’s problems.
“Lou Holtz, I worked for him at Notre Dame,” said Wink. “Everybody’s got problems. Ninety percent of the people in this room don’t care about your problems and the other 10 percent are glad you have them. So, what are you going to do to go fix it?”
We’ll see come Sunday.
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