Anyone that watched the circus that was the Eagles-Giants Sunday night football game last week knows that New York’s defense wasn’t all to blame for the team’s 45-38 loss. The Giants turned the ball over four times, allowed a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown, a fumble return for a touchdown and committed seven penalties.

That said, New York’s overall defensive game plan was pathetic, which is why they gave up 374 yards of total offense, 31 points (the punt and fumble returns shouldn’t be pinned up them) and countless big plays.

On Monday, head coach Tom Coughlin said that the Giants aren’t considering an immediate change at defensive coordinator. It’s too late in the season to make a change, so they’re stuck with Bill Sheridan at coordinator for the time being. That said, if the Giants continue to stumble and miss the playoffs, Sheridan would likely get the boot in the offseason.

Sheridan’s approach since taking over the reins from former coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has been perplexing to say the least. The Giants’ strength is their pass rushers, yet Sheridan has often had his defensive ends dropping into coverage instead of getting after the passer. That’s a stark difference from Spagnuolo’s philosophy, which was to rush the passer at all costs.

The Giants rank ninth in the league in total defense, which would indicate that Sheridan has been doing his job. But the results on the field paint a different picture. The defense’s effort Sunday night was horrendous and it marked the fifth time this season that the Giants had given up 30-plus points to an opponent. Donovan McNabb had plenty of time to find open receivers and still Sheridan wouldn’t dial up any pressure late in the game.

Sheridan catches a break over the next three weeks because the Giants will face the Redskins, Panthers and Vikings (a team that will likely rest its starters) to wrap up the season. But if he brings the same defensive philosophy into the playoffs (if the Giants make the postseason) as the one he has used this year, he won’t be long for New York.


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