"The Giants' five-game winning streak has been largely attributed to their improved play on defense and the great chemistry between Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress.
Not much is being said about New York's running game, which is odd, because the Giants have rushed for 516 yards the past three games. Admittedly, the Giants have faced some weak run defenses, including Atlanta's and the New York Jets', but 172 rushing yards per game is still impressive.
What is also impressive is how New York is gaining these yards. Take a look at the yards-per-attempt figures for each of the major run types over the past three games:
Run Type------------- Carries/Yards---------YPA
Counter ---------------31-158---------------5.1
Draw -------------------3-14 ---------------4.7
Dive -------------------2-2 ----------------1.0
Delay -----------------1-3 -----------------3.0
Isolation -------------10-28 ---------------2.8
Off-tackle ------------25-169 --------------9.0
Pitchout -------------3-19 -----------------6.3
Slant ----------------11-41 ----------------3.7
Stretch --------------9-47 -----------------5.2
Sweep -----------------4-34 ----------------8.5
New York is averaging at least 4.7 yards on six of these run types. When a team can post that type of production on a variety of runs, it makes it very hard for opponents to commit to stopping one type of play. For example, if a defense emphasizes protecting the edges to stop the slant/stretch plays, it leaves itself vulnerable to off-tackle and counter plays that go inside.
The tough part about being so varied in the running game is that it can be hard to find backs who can be effective on each type of play. This was something Tiki Barber excelled at. In Scientific Football 2006, I compiled season-long averages for running backs in the major run types for the 2005 season.
Barber was a rarity in that he gained at least 4.7 yards per carry on the counter, draw, slant and sweep plays. Larry Johnson and Shaun Alexander were the only other running backs to average this many yards on four or more run types (minimum 10 carries for each run type), so only truly elite backs are capable of doing this.
That leads to what I think is the most interesting part of the Giants' numbers during this period. Check out the run type metrics for Reuben Droughns, Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward:
Droughns
Run type------- Carries/Yards------ YPA
Counter -----------5-18 ------------3.6
Draw---------------- 0 -------------0.0
Dive ---------------1-0 ------------0.0
Delay ---------------0 -------------0.0
Isolation ----------1-3 ------------3.0
Off-tackle ---------8-72 -----------9.0
Pitchout ------------0 -------------0.0
Slant --------------3-15 -----------5.0
Stretch ------------1-13 ----------13.0
Sweep ---------------0 -------------0.0
Jacobs
Run Type---------Carries/Yards------- YPA
Counter---------- 16-96 -------------6.0
Draw ---------------0 ---------------0.0
Dive --------------1-2 --------------2.0
Delay ------------- 1-3 --------------3.0
Isolation --------5-16 --------------3.2
Off-tackle -------12-87 -------------7.3
Pitchout ----------2-18 -------------9.0
Slant ------------- 4-15 -------------3.8
Stretch ----------- 6-31 -------------5.2
Sweep ------------- 3-29 -------------9.7
Ward
Run Type-------- Carries/Yards------- YPA
Counter---------- 10-44------------- 4.4
Draw ------------- 3-14 --------------4.7
Dive ---------------0 ---------------0.0
Delay --------------0 ---------------0.0
Isolation --------- 4-9 --------------2.3
Off-tackle -------- 5-10 -------------2.0
Pitchout -----------0 ---------------0.0
Slant ------------- 4-11 -------------2.8
Stretch ----------- 2-3 --------------1.5
Sweep -------------1-5 --------------5.0
The smashmouth runner of the group is definitely Jacobs. He is averaging over 5.2 yards on the counter, off-tackle, pitchout and sweep plays, all of which emphasize muscling the opponent.
Jacobs is also a good edge runner, but the metrics show New York's best edge runner might be Droughns. He is gaining 7.0 yards per attempt on slant and stretch plays, and his history suggests he is best-suited for the one-cut-and-get-upfield type of runs.
Ward's most valuable trait in this scenario is probably his ability to run the draw play, so he has third-down back written all over him.
None of these three is in Barber's league, but the Giants don't need them to be. As long as each can fill part of the role Barber filled for this team, New York should be able to make a strong playoff push."
