Giants' formidable pass rush comes to St. Louis/PD

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RamBill

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Giants' formidable pass rush comes to St. Louis
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_469a0a74-f1dd-5faa-888b-867ec9caa729.html

Over the past eight games, the Rams have a league-high 32 sacks. But over the past three weeks, no one can touch the New York Giants’ pass rush.

Led by two-time Pro Bowler Jason Pierre-Paul at defensive end and second-year defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, the Giants have racked up 22 sacks in the past three games.

“Certainly it’s something we’re aware of and need to be smart about what we’re doing,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said.

The Giants had seven sacks in a one-point loss three weeks ago at Jacksonville, followed by eight sacks in a 36-7 triumph two weeks ago at Tennessee, and seven more in last week’s 24-13 victory over Washington.

“A lot of the sacks have come on third down, obviously passing situations,” Schottenheimer said. “They do a good job to find ways to get ‘JPP’ isolated on different guys. They move him around some.”

That would be Pierre-Paul, who has a team-high 9 ½ sacks this season. He has been on a tear lately, because six of those 9 ½ sacks have come in the past three games. Included in his recent sack binge was a career-high 2 ½ sacks last week vs. Washington.

“Over the years, he’s developed more moves, counters,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “He’s really got a good up-field ‘under’ move. He plays hard. He’s playing well against the run. He’s going to give any left tackle problems if the quarterback holds the ball. We’ve seen that here the last couple of weeks.”

That was particularly the case last week against Washington, not just for Pierre-Paul but for the rest of the Giants’ pass rushers. Quarterback Robert Griffin III, who replaced the injured Colt McCoy after just one series, was sacked seven times and on several occasions simply held onto the ball too long looking for an open receiver.

“A lot of it’s been coverage sacks,” Schottenheimer said. “They’ve been covering guys pretty well in the back half. Quarterbacks are having to hold the ball and there’s no place to really go, and they’re getting home.”

The three-game spree has the Giants all the way up to fourth in the league with 41 sacks; the Rams, with 36 sacks, are tied for 10th.

A first-round draft pick (No. 15 overall) in 2010 out of South Florida, Pierre-Paul burst onto the scene during his second season. He finished fourth in the NFL with 16 ½ sacks in that 2011 campaign, also leading the Giants with 23 tackles for loss and 29 quarterback hits.

His production plummeted to 6 ½ sacks in 2012, and then shoulder and back injuries derailed his 2013 campaign. He missed five games that season and registered only two sacks. But he’s healthy again, and back on the map as a pass-rush threat.

As Schottenheimer mentioned, the Giants do move him around some on their defensive line. But he’ll spend most of his day lined up over the opposing team’s left tackle, making Sunday’s game a huge challenge for the Rams’ rookie left tackle, Greg Robinson.

“When you get forced to play against these great athletes on the edge, one thing you tend to try to do — you kind of panic and turn your shoulders a little bit,” Schottenheimer said. “Greg’s done that from time to time. All that does is shorten the edge, which means they close in on the quarterback (quicker).”

But it’s not all Pierre-Paul. Hankins was drafted in the second round in 2013 out of Ohio State as a run-stuffer at 6-2, 320. He didn’t have a sack as a rookie reserve, but has seven this season, which is a lot for a D-tackle.

“Yeah, he’s had a very good year,” Schottenheimer said. “You certainly notice him when he’s able to play the 3-technique and kind of press the shoulder of the guard and kind of get penetration. ... For where they’ve been with injuries and stuff, you see a lot of different numbers out there, but they’re kind of finding their groove right now.

“It’ll be a big challenge because if they can get you in the third down-and-long (situations), they can really create some problems for you.”

The Giants don’t blitz much under defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, a Rams assistant in 2003-04 under Mike Martz. But like most teams, the Giants will turn up the heat on third down with extra rushers.

Defensive end Damontre’ Moore (5 ½ sacks) and rookie outside linebacker Devon Kennard (4 ½) also can get to the quarterback.

“We’ve had a number of people get involved,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “I just hope we can continue to put pressure on the quarterback. That’s what the Rams do, and that’s what we’re going to have to do.”

After a shaky pass-blocking outing against Arizona, it’s up to the Rams’ offensive line to make sure that doesn’t happen Sunday. It’s also up to quarterback Shaun Hill to make sure he gets the ball out quickly.
 

SierraRam

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After a shaky pass-blocking outing against Arizona, it’s up to the Rams’ offensive line to make sure that doesn’t happen Sunday. It’s also up to quarterback Shaun Hill to make sure he gets the ball out quickly.

Davin Joseph snapshot vs. Cardinals-
-Stay warm Austin Davis
upload_2014-12-19_23-42-17.jpeg
 

DaveFan'51

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Led by two-time Pro Bowler Jason Pierre-Paul at defensive end and second-year defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, the Giants have racked up 22 sacks in the past three games.
And they did this against power-houses like The Redskin's, Titan's and the Jaguar's!:LOL:
 

moklerman

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And they did this against power-houses like The Redskin's, Titan's and the Jaguar's!:LOL:
I don't want to poo-poo JT's point, but I agree. These sack totals don't really illustrate the ferocity of the NYG as much as the ineptitude of the teams they were playing. The NYG defense has been struggling all year and may cost Coughlin his job so I don't really get the impression that it's your father's Giants defense coming to town.

2014 Sacks allowed:
#1 - Jacksonville/66(11.1%)
#2 - Washington/53(9.9%)
#4 - Tennessee/46(8.7%)

But, before I get too proud of myself, JT may actually have a point considering the Rams aren't too far down that list:
#8 - St. Louis/41(8.4%). However, that bears closer inspection as Hill's sack rate is only 7.0% compared to Davis' 9.3%.
 

Sleepy1711

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But, but, the Rams defense played against the Raiders, Skins, and the Cards! At least that is what I have read when someone saying about the Rams defense being legit.
 

LesBaker

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Getting 22 in 3 games in the NFL is nothing to dismiss, they can bring pressure too. Maybe not like the Rams but this IS a pass rush that they will have to respect and game plan for.

That said if Hill has time he will be OK and the Giants can't stop the run for shit so if you are in a fantasy league Mason is a really good option this week.
 

Merlin

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I don't want to poo-poo JT's point, but I agree. These sack totals don't really illustrate the ferocity of the NYG as much as the ineptitude of the teams they were playing. The NYG defense has been struggling all year and may cost Coughlin his job so I don't really get the impression that it's your father's Giants defense coming to town.

2014 Sacks allowed:
#1 - Jacksonville/66(11.1%)
#2 - Washington/53(9.9%)
#4 - Tennessee/46(8.7%)

But, before I get too proud of myself, JT may actually have a point considering the Rams aren't too far down that list:
#8 - St. Louis/41(8.4%). However, that bears closer inspection as Hill's sack rate is only 7.0% compared to Davis' 9.3%.

Exactly. If we had a good OL there'd be no worries on our end but our line is way too inconsistent.

This should be a win for the Rams, unless the OL just gets owned.
 

Robocop

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great so the Oline might shit the bed again. if they're getting slapped around again in the first half I better see some changes in the second. this is no way to end a season with those two (wells, Joseph) shitting the bed and bring the team down the last two games.