Big Blue Report: Thumbs up- Thumbs Down For Game 1: Giants-Cowboys

With the first game of the season in the books, lets take a look at who received thumbs up and thumbs down.

Thumbs Up: The Offensive line

Yes, the guys did a great job with pass protection and opening up holes for Saquon Barkley and Wayne Gallman. This had been a focal point of Dave Gettleman’s master plan of building inside out and the game plan has a chance to work.

The addition of Zeilter and Remmers have proven to be the point that Gettleman, Shurmer and Mara have said all along..give Eli protection, he can still play at a high level.

Thumbs Up: Eli Manning

Ok, with all the crazy Daniel Jones theories and judgment by media and fans a like, Eli Manning performed at a high level Sunday by completing 30-44, One touchdown pass to Even Engram in the first quarter.

Manning had no control what the defense could or could not do but showed that even at his age he still has plenty left in the tank. Manning led this team down the field with 500 yards of offense

Thumbs Up: Evan Engram

With Golden Tate out and the revamped receiver room, Engram became the #1 passing option for Manning. That is not exactly a great thing to hear but the truth is Eli does not have a lot of consistent weapons to throw the ball to.

Engram has 11 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. Health will be an issue for Engram this season but if healthy this could be a constant not just a good game.

Thumbs Down: The Defense

In every phase of the defensive side was a nightmare for this team. I have said this all offseason. This is a very young defensive group and we can not judge too much on what we saw during preseason.

Two years from now this group will be much better but this is the lumps they must take to learn and become more seasoned. This tto will take time and during the season the group will grow.

Thumbs Down: Pat Shurmer

Coach knows what the story and narrative was going into the season. This was tough because at times play calling seemed a little off as I felt that Barkley should have been utilized a little more.

Also multiple times I felt Shurmer was fighting the wrong battles with officials. Especially throwing the flag right before at halftime. Everything is a learning process but we will see how he reacts going forward.