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Whether you call it the Red Zone or the Green Zone like Tom Coughlin refers to it, the Giants have major issues when it comes to scoring from inside the 20.

Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride has expanded the playbook this year when it comes to the passing game but he has yet to address the issues in the zone.

Last year we were ranked twentieth in the NFL when it came to scores within the twenty yard line. This is surprising considering the potent running attack the NY Giants had last year. New York was the number one rushing team overall and had an ability to power run with Brandon Jacobs. They provided a change of pace with Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw who were great in the open field but seem to bottle down when we hit "The Green Zone".

The first two weeks of this 2009 season are a continuation of 2008 it seems. I watched both games and noticed how we moved the ball with ease especially in the Dallas game where our passing attack could not be stopped. As soon as Big Blue gets within the twenty yard line our offense stalls. The plays called by Gilbride have to be questioned sooner or later. We were one of the best regular season teams last year despite shooting ourselves in the foot (no pun intended to Plaxico, it was the leg) with our red zone deficiencies. Can we get away with these issues this year? We have till now but sooner or later our luck will run out and we will lose a game due to our lack of scoring the easy touchdown. It may even happen at the worst time during a playoff game.

Kevin Gilbride needs to be more creative when it comes to our green zone plays. We are too predictable, run on first down, run on second down and throw on third. The plays being called when we are not within scoring range are more creative and unpredictable, we need more of that when we are close to the end zone.

Brandon Jacobs also has some blame, he runs right into the pile instead of bouncing the run out and then looking for the hole to explode into. He also needs to be more assertive, he dances around as if he was a 185 pound back instead of his 270 pound frame. The G-Men could have had a very easy win this past Sunday vs The Cowboys if they would have scored within the twenty yard line. They made that game harder than it should have been, I cannot stress that enough.

Here is a stat for you, in 2008 the Giants had sixty nine plays within the red zone but only converted thirty five touchdowns. That is unacceptable!

Carlos Caicedo
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