Steve Spagnuolo: Restoring A Proud Defensive Tradition

The New York Giants were once known for the way that they played defense. Some of the greatest players in Giants’ history were defensive players. Lawrence Taylor, Michael Strahan, and Harry Carson are all legendary to the Giants’ organization. Such a proud defensive franchise should by itching to change the debacle they called a defense last year. So far, things are looking up for the Giants’ defense and it all starts with Steve Spagnuolo.

Spagnuolo is credited with orchestrating one of the greatest upsets in NFL history. Yes, there was more to the 2007 Super Bowl win that just Spagnuolo’s defense, but it was a huge part of it. Way back when, Tom Brady played so well because he often went untouched when passing. Spagnuolo found a way to ruffle Brady’s feathers in that game and the rest is history.

Obviously this time around things are a lot different, but the goal is the same. The Giants have what appears to be a lot of pieces missing. However, Jerry Reese and Tom Coughlin are insisting that they are content with who they have and I agree as well. No one seems to realize what the Giants have achieved this offseason.

What the Giants did was take care of the biggest problem they had it 2015 which was depth. The Giants lacked depth at almost every defensive position, especially safety. Now it’s a very different story. The Giants managed to make some key signings this offseason and killed it in the draft.

Drafting Landon Collins and Owa Odighizuwa was nothing short of the best two defensive choices Reese could have made for his team. They instantly gained a quality starter with Collins and they may have the draft’s biggest sleeper in Odighizuwa. Both moves will work out perfectly for the team in the long run.

Spagnuolo’s goal should be to recreate the Justin Tuck and Michael Strahan pass rush. That could very easily be duplicated with Odighizuwa and Jason Pierre-Paul. This is where the depth comes into play as well. With those two leading the way, there is an onslaught of fantastic rotational players that Spagnuolo can throw into the mix.

Players like Damontre Moore and Kerry Wynn, who also seem to be very promising, can be a huge part of the Giants’ pass rush. It’s all about having non-stop pressure and it starts with having a good rotation.

The Giants competition for the safety position is still a mystery. All we know is that Collins will be the starting strong safety. Free safety is up for grabs and it seems like Mykkele Thompson is ready to take the reins. If Collins emerges to be the leader that Antrel Rolle was, things could be a lot better for Big Blue. The two rookies should compliment each other.

Next: New York Giants: Top 10 Giants Of All Time

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