Deon Grant, Jacquian Williams Flop: Giants Players Fake Injuries Against Rams (VIDEO)

A couple of New York Giants defenders didn't display particularly gargantuan degrees of sportsmanship as St. Louis quarterback Sam Bradford piloted a relentless no-huddle offense late in the first quarter of Monday night's matchup. As the Rams marched, the Giants looked lost. They couldn't get their coverages set and they couldn't get subs onto the field. In an effort to slow down the Rams' offense after an eight-yard run placed the ball inside the 10-yard line, safety Deon Grant and linebacker Jacquian Williams dropped to the ground at the same time with phantom injuries.

Very subtle..

"Hate to see that," ESPN announcer Jon Gruden said. "He's not really hurt. That is a tactic defenses have used in the past against no-huddle offenses."

Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk pointed out Tuesday morning that faking injuries has been a problem at all levels of football.

While views on such gamesmanship vary depending on which sideline you're supporting, the flops seemed to work in the Giants' favor. The stoppage allowed the defense to catch its breath and for the coaching staff to get the desired personnel on the field. Given time to recalibrate, the Giants held the Rams to a field goal.

Although Grant went to the University of Tennessee, his dive was reminiscent of a strategy employed by Cal last year against a high-octane Oregon offense.

With acting like this let the Emmy and soccer jokes begin!

WATCH VIDEO AT THE TOP

Comments

[subherbanite]

11:20 PM on 09/23/2011

No, they just brought really, really bad flopping. If Deon Grant would've limped a few times toward the sideline before he dropped then it wouldn't have looked too bad.

[Dan Najera]

04:06 AM on 09/22/2011

Four Reasons why the Rams did not beat the Giants:

1. Steven Jackson, the motor of the Rams, and who is very good at catching passes and laterals in the flat, was out with an quad injury. A rusty Cadillac could not catch a lateral, thought the play was over, and stood there watching as the Giants D ran it in for a Touchdown.

2. Danny Amendola, the most sure-handed Wide Receiver and Kickoff/Punt Returner on the Rams roster, was out with a dislocated elbow. A Hawaiian rookie bobbled his first ever regular season game/nationally televised prime time punt return. Giants Special Teams recovered, setting up the Eli & the Giants Offense with amazing field position to score a Touchdown.

3. Ron Bartell, the only decent, experienced Cornerback on the Rams sub-par Secondary, is out for the season, maybe more, with a fractured vertebrae. And the Rams did not address their dire needs at Pass Defense aggressively enough in the off-season. Nicks, Mannigham, and even Hixon burned the Rams' Corners, Safeties, and Outside Linebackers on multiple plays.

4. The New York Giants Cheated.

PS: A shout out to the Philadelphia Eagles for last week. Thanks for the good times.

[hazbro24]

12:21 PM on 09/21/2011

The Giants didn't bring flopping to the NFL. Chuck Knox did back in the early eighties with the Seahawks. This was before the player had to leave the game for a play after an "injury" before he could come back in.

Joe Nash got "injured" several times in one game on defense but never left the game after miraculously healing after the clock had been stopped.

It's the reason the rule exists that a player has to come out for a play.

[Js420]

12:12 PM on 09/21/2011

Glad the NFL is tackiling this issue. Last year in college, we saw how teams did this to the Oregon Ducks all season long.

[Wide Stance]

09:55 AM on 09/21/2011

The Chargers did it against the Pats, too. There are a number of ways to take away the incentive of teams like the Chargers and Giants to cheat. Any or all of the following:
--

1) If the defensive team fakes an injury, disallow ANY other defensive substitutions other than the "injured" player. The player going off can't return for 5 minutes.

2) In the last four minutes of the half, and if the team is behind, run 20 seconds off the clock.

3) If the team faking injury is ahead, ADD 30 seconds back onto the clock.

and the ultimate way to stop this embarrassing nonsense:

4) Give the offense an extra down. If first down, give the team five yards.

[chefmike]

03:35 AM on 09/21/2011

PLEASE! The Giants excel at this; culminating in their SB victory over the Bills. Fake injuries ...kicking the ball away from the ref. anything to slow the K-gun down.

[cindithegreek]

10:55 PM on 09/20/2011

And the NYG are the only team to ever pull this stunt????? LOL...

[Wide Stance]

11:01 AM on 09/21/2011

They might be the first NFL team to prove that this behavior is done on the signal of a coach. That it is coached and that it is intentional is no longer a subject for debate after watching that video. The two players dropping at the *same time* was hilarious.

[cindithegreek]

11:03 AM on 09/21/2011

Coughlin advocated it??? Nah, not Colonel Tom.

[hazbro24]

12:22 PM on 09/21/2011

No, it's not. And players don't do this on their own. It's always the coaches.

[mfs171]

10:41 PM on 09/20/2011

They should be penilized with a first and goal...How lame is that? Giants really suck.

[lesshirkeyjr]

07:28 PM on 09/20/2011

This is nothing new to the NFL and that is why there is an automatic timeout charged to a team in the last few minutes of the game in order to help prevent this less than admirable strategy. There should be a segment on ESPN called NFL Thesbians and all of the flops should be called out in Primetime so fans and other athletes have a chance to heckle them for their poor acting skills at their next game.

[ThisAlreadyHappened]

06:29 PM on 09/20/2011

This is nothing compared to what Michael Boley did to this poor guy in the endzone:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsKuz7yX9Ps

[jwillif868]

06:17 PM on 09/20/2011

If you cant beatem...cheatem

[PweezyG81]

08:55 PM on 09/20/2011

Also known as the "Bill Belichick"

[Js420]

12:14 PM on 09/21/2011

hmmm, jets fan?

[mcq721]

06:11 PM on 09/20/2011

Pathetic, I thought football players were real men, obviously not the Giants, combined with the early phantom pass interference which espn refused to comment on, another NY team gets a suspicious win.

[Larkhill]

06:06 PM on 09/20/2011

Chargers did the same thing against the Patriots no-huddle on Sunday.

[Meerkatx]

05:20 PM on 09/20/2011

I recall back in the 80's the Seattle Seahawks did the same thing against the Bengals up tempo offense. This is nothing new and should end up with unsportsmanlike conduct penalty flags, fines for the coach and possibly a suspension for the coach or coaches involved.

[fredpa]

05:03 PM on 09/20/2011

The Giants play in, and are coddled by, the New York media. Let Arizona do this to beat the Giants or the Jets and all hell will break loose.

[blasterofparis]

06:41 PM on 09/20/2011

You are so right. The sports media in NY are notorious for going easy on the Giants. Its very well known that NY is the easiest place for any athlete to avoid criticism in the press. I'm sure Plaxico Burress was thanking Jesus he didn't shoot himself in Arizona, where there'd been hell to pay in the press and courts.

[Js420]

12:15 PM on 09/21/2011

actually had he done it in Arizona, he'd never would have gone to jail.