The last thing Dave DeGuglielmo wanted to talk about was the eight sacks the Giants gave up in their 26-7 defeat to the Cardinals.
However, they happened.
“Good teams can pass a block if everyone knows you have to throw the ball,” DeGuglielmo said on Tuesday. “Good offensive lines can. We were not a good offensive line recently. Yes, I feel terrible about it. awful for the guy who records the hits, that’s who I feel awful about. ”
Quarterback Daniel Jones took the blows and the attacking linemen took the brunt of their coach’s criticism. DeGuglielmo took over on the week 11 bye after Marc Colombo was sacked, after which the Giants defeated the Bengals and Seahawks, leading the line. The unit took a step back when a four-game winning streak came to an end and the colorful assistant didn’t mince words about the regression.
He was not happy with the way the line handled the tackle end stunts of the Cardinals’ defense line, failures that triggered several pockets.
“Well, I think if you watch the movie, it really hasn’t been handled well all year,” said DeGuglielmo.
The race averaged 4.6 meters per attempt, but it only ran 17 times, with a long gain of 16 meters.
“I don’t think our doubles teams were very good,” said DeGuglielmo. “We made that a point of emphasis and we just didn’t get to the opportunity. ”
Is it fair the way Jones struggled, working a tense right hamstring, unable to run, that it was like playing with one hand tied behind his back?
“That’s probably fair, to an extent,” said quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski. “That’s one of the better things he does, that’s what makes him who he is. I can think of some plays by heart where he broke a little and got out and you could tell he wanted to run, but he had to be a little bit smart about it. He threw one away and did what he had to do. Yes, certainly limited. ”
It’s no secret outside of linebackers coach Bret Bielema is interested in returning to college. He used to be the head coach in Wisconsin and Arkansas, and his name pops up often when an opening occurs. He is linked to the job in Illinois, where Lovie Smith was recently fired. Bielema is well versed in the Big Ten – he played in Iowa – and is from the state of Illinois.
“It’s always a blessing to hear your name being mentioned for various opportunities, but I’m really just focusing on my job, grilling here in the office for Sunday’s game,” said Bielema. “I am concerned about the job I have and hopefully people will take note of the job I do.”
Freddie Kitchens took a year in Cleveland as head coach. He went 6-10 in 2019 and then was fired and resurfaced as the Giants tight coach. The Browns enter Sunday’s game with the Giants 9-4.
“Well, first of all, I couldn’t be happier for the Cleveland fans,” said Kitchens. “They waited a long time for something like that to go to the games and cheer for. But no two teams are ever the same. We say that every year. This team plays very well. They are very talented, they have always been very talented. They are well coached. They play hard. They do whatever it takes to have a successful season. ”