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Giants Defense Disgraceful; Sheridan Must Go

The Giants defense should be embarrassed (Andrew Mills/The Star-Ledger)

UPDATE - Sheridan was fired on Monday. Hooray.

This is just ugly. This afternoon in Minnesota, with nothing to play for (I mean, except for pride and all those millions of dollars they’re making) the New York Giants defense has put on another embarrassing display of football, and trail the Vikings 31-0 at the half.  Along the way, the Giants have given up over 300 yards and 20+ first downs, allowing Brett Favre to find Vikings receivers running free all over the field, and looking a lot like a high school football team in the process.

Defensive Coordinator Bill Sheridan should be out of a job by Tuesday, and Tom Coughlin should be looking over his shoulder as well.  The Giants went from 5-0 and early Super Bowl favorites to one of the more pathetic units in the league.  Granted, the defense was hit with some big injuries – namely to Kenny Phillips and Antonio Pierce – but with as much talent as is still on the Giants roster, there’s simply no excuse for giving up over 400 points this season (which has only happened twice before in franchise history), and missing the playoffs entirely.

Giants Defensive Coordinator Bill Sheridan is as good as gone (Andrew Mills/The Star-Ledger)

Michael Strahan just observed on the FOX halftime show that the Giants “mailed it in weeks ago”, which appears to be true on every level. The individual effort of the players has been disgraceful, but the schemes have been awful, and that all goes back to the coaching staff.  I doubt Coughlin is going anywhere after winning the Super Bowl so recently, but someone has to take the fall, and that person is going to be Sheridan.  The way he has mishandled this defense in taking over for Steve Spagnuolo – alienating Osi Umenyiora along the way – is reminiscent of the way Rod Rust replaced Bill Belichick in ’91/’92, turning a once powerful unit into a shell of its former self.  It’s a low point in the history of the franchise.

For his part, earlier this week, Sheridan said he wasn’t concerned about his job security, but after today’s miserable display, and after allowing  40+ points in 3 of their last 4 games, there’s simply no way that Giants ownership doesn’t make wholesale changes to the coaching staff and roster. And if there’s any justice in the world, the Sheridan era is over in New York.

Watch the game lowlights after the jump.

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