Eagles', Ravens' blueprint
One game that particularly caught the interest of the Giants coaches was not the game everyone probably would have predicted, like Philadelphia or Baltimore.
It was the Patriots game against the Cleveland Browns, on Oct. 7.
The Patriots won, 34-17, which seemed to fit in with all their previous blowout wins the first two months.
But the win was a lot tougher than the stat sheet revealed.
Two of the Patriots touchdowns followed interceptions in Browns territory (34- and 25-yard lines) and another came on a fourth quarter interception return (Randall Gay) for a touchdown.
And while Brady had a very good quarterback rating, 105.7, he completed only 22 of 38 passes for 57.5 percent, his lowest until the Ravens game eight weeks later.
"We learned the most from watching this game. Romeo knew the (Patriots) group," he said of Cleveland head coach Romeo Crennel, the former Patriots defensive coordinator. "The Browns played a two-deep (safety) scheme, mixing them up on third down, especially. Their players always put their hands on receivers at the line of scrimmage, especially on third down. It was the best we saw.
"Romeo didn't want to get beat giving up the deep pass. It was similar to what you saw the Eagles and Ravens do," said Giunta. "But the Browns did it better."
The Browns were the first team that decided Moss, who had averaged 7.8 receptions for 126.3 yards and 1.8 TDs the first four games, was not going to beat them.
Moss finished the Cleveland game with three catches for 46 yards and no scores.
"They also got a little pressure on Brady," said Giunta. "It was really the game that showed us the most."
He really means the second most, because the Giants-Pats game to end the regular season was their barometer, and specifically those notes.
And the defensive game plan was born.
