Identity Or Die: The New York Giants on The Brink

The New York Giants are reeling.  As their losses become less of a slump and more of a characteristic, it has become increasingly difficult to determine where to place the blame on a team that finds new ways to lose each week.

The game in New Orleans appeared understandable for a team riding five straight wins against weaker opponents—though that's where mercy ended for Giants fans.

Losses to Arizona, Philadelphia, and most recently San Diego have created a fog that separates The New York Giants and any semblance of an idea regarding the identity of this football team and who should be held accountable.

Eli Manning was off against the Saints, Cardinals and Eagles—and his share in the responsibility for the string of losses is undeniable. Yesterday against San Diego, however, Manning was efficient if not superb and the Giants still found a way to fall apart in a game they statistically dominated.

A leaky defense has been a major problem for the Giants.  Against the Saints, Defensive Coordinator Bill Sheridan brought the blitz less than 30 percent of the time and allowed Drew Brees to pick apart a zone secondary lacking its best player in Kenny Phillips. Sheridan was adamant about getting to Kurt Warner the following week, but again his gameplan was unsuccessful.

The defense was laughable in Philadelphia, and yesterday Sheridan allowed the Chargers to march down the field in eight plays to put the Giants away at home. Much the onus in New York falls on the shoulders of a coordinator trying to fill the shoes of Steve Spanguolo—a coach responsible for much of the organization's 2007 success. Unless Sheridan can make some significant adjustments he's going to lose his job in the coming months.

Brandon Jacobs is still too young in his career to have lost a step.  The offense has been sporadic and Jacobs has consistently registered less than 20 carries, leaving him little opportunity to get into a rhythm.  At 270 pounds, the feature back in New York needs time to get his motor going.

Regardless of where the blame lies, the Giants need to make some serious changes if they're going to make the postseason.  They're a team that makes mistakes to negate progress and it falls on the coaches to find and commit to an identiy.  It feels as though Tom Coughlin and his staff keep feeling the water and have yet to jump in, and if the Giants can't find a part of their game to believe in they're going to have a difficult time going forward.