New York Post

Big Blue on Big D debacle: Ah, flush it!

- By PAUL SCHWARTZ paul.schwartz@nypost.com

As the Giants gathered Wednesday to watch in painstakin­g detail every play they had run on offense Sunday night — there were just 56 of them, thankfully — they were forced to review the wreckage of their 19-3 season-opening loss to the Cowboys, frame by frame, mistake by mistake.

It was not easy on the eyes.

“There’ s positive sin everything, and there’s negatives,’’ left tackle Ereck Flowers said. “Try to fix the negatives.’’

Asked to point out the positives, Flowers added, “Does it really matter? We didn’t get what we wanted, so we’re going to go next week and go out there and get what we want.’’

No, in some ways it doesn’t really matter. What’s done is done, which is why several players hit on a theme based on doing away with any memory of what transpired in Arlington, Texas.

“We’re throwing Dallas, that game, in the trash, we’re definitely gonna take a breath and keep it moving,’’ rookie tight end Evan Engram said.

“We have to flush it,’’ running back Paul Perkins said.

“We are excited to move on, flush it,’’ guard Justin Pugh said.

As fervently as the Giants want to flush this stinker, it is impossible to dismiss this as an season-opening clunker. The Giants, dating back to last season, have failed to score 20 or more points in seven consecutiv­e games — counting the playoff loss in Green Bay. No other team in the NFL has an active streak longer than two games without reaching 20 points. The new season arrived with the same problems.

Before moving on to Monday night’s home-opener against the Lions, the Giants had to take the beating that comes with scoring just three points against a division rival, a dreadful showing without Odell Beckham Jr. — who sat out with a sprained left ankle. Flowers, always in the center of the storm as a high draft pick (ninth overall in 2015) not performing up to expectatio­ns, sensed a greater motivation when reviewing the debacle still fresh in the minds of the Giants.

“I think there’s more urgency to go out there, and [the desire to] do what we want to do,’’ Flowers said.

Eli Manning has seen this before, which is why he could lighten the mood when asked if he at least is relieved that the offensive woes cannot get any worse.

“It can a lways get worse,’’ he said, smiling. “So, I won’t say that, but hopefully it can get a lot better though.’’

Several players noted the Dallas defense had some surprises for the Giants.

“We had some unscouted looks we hadn’t practiced,” tight end Rhett Ellison said.

Pugh said: “Dallas did some things that I would say caught us off guard up front. There were a few wrinkles that they threw in there, which obviously is going to happen in Week 1.’’

Manning, under siege most of the night, knows the postmortem analysis can be uncomforta­ble, but must be tolerated.

“You can’t get too sensitive after the f irst game,’’ Manning said. “You can’t get defensive, can’t get sensitive. You just have to be confident in what you’re doing, understand what you need to fix and then go play fast.’’

It was impossible for the Giants to play fast in their opener, as the offensive line could not control the line of scrimmage.

“I mean, it is in our face,’’ Pugh said. “Every time I turn around, somebody is asking us what is wrong with the O-line.’’

Right tackle Bobby Hart, who sprained his right ankle early in the game, said he knew the offensive line would bear the brunt of the abuse.

“We got broad backs,’’ Hart said. “It’s New York, it’s gonna be a lot of criticism when things don’t go right. It’s the lay of the land.’’ So, what can change? “Just the urgency, man,’’ Flowers said. “We’re ready to put out what we know we can put out.’’

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