New York Giants Need to Stay Healthy For Potent Offense
By Justin Groc
There is a lot to look forward to with the rise of the New York Giants offense. Quarterback Eli Manning has had a revival of a season, in first-year Ben McAdoo’s offense, by throwing for 4,410 yards with 30 touchdowns to 14 interceptions (five of them coming in one game).
Manning is clearly a top-echelon quarterback in the NFL even at this point in his career and benefited greatly by the quick decision-making in McAdoo’s schemes.
Rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. ended up making the upcoming Pro Bowl after posting 1,305 yards on 91 receptions for 12 touchdowns. He tied Michael Irvin’s NFL-record with nine consecutive games with at least 90-receiving yards, to finish the regular season.
The return of Victor Cruz will only bolster the Giants lethal passing attack even much more as he is also capable of putting up quite the amount of production. Tight end Larry Donnell was a pleasant surprise but cooled off to finish the season while having four fumbles lost, with at least a couple of them happening at crucial times that allowed games to slip away from the Giants.
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The only facets that need to be ironed out are the gelling of a young offensive line and a rushing attack that needs to consistently be a factor in deciding games.
Running back Rashad Jennings missed five games due to injuries but at times, mostly early on in the season, looked to be the type of back that can garner a lot of carries and be productive in all aspects of offense.
With the Giants being eliminated from playoff contention early on, the team gave Andre Williams loads of playing-time to finish the regular season. While he was ineffective when Jennings was out, Williams was able to come on late in the season by putting up 131 and 110 rushing yards against the Tennessee Titans and St. Louis Rams, respectively.
Those totals allowed Williams to lead the Giants in rushing yards with 721 and rushing touchdowns with seven. his 3.3 yards-per-carry need to be improved upon.
The Giants seems to be set at both offensive tackle positions with Will Beatty and Justin Pugh as the interior of the line is what needs to be cemented. Weston Richburg, who struggled mightily at times and was demoted to the bench during the Dallas Cowboys‘ return trip to the Meadowlands, will likely see time back at his natural center position.
Make no mistake about it that Richburg is expected to anchor the interior of the offensive line for many seasons to come. The Giants would be wise to address the guard positions within the upcoming 2015 NFL Draft with John Jerry likely hitting the open market and Geoff Schwartz remaining as a solid starter through the prime of his career.
There is a lot of talent on this side of the ball and things could be looking promising if the club can avoid the injury bug and fully understand McAdoo’s philosophy.