Rueben Randle makes bold statement: is he right?
So there I was looking for something to write about when I found Michael David Smith’s Pro Football Talk article on what Rueben Randle told the NY Daily News. Randle made a bold statement and in doing so gave me a golden conversation piece for Giants fans.
"“I’d say close to unstoppable,” Randle told the New York Daily News. “Just the type of players we have on this side of the ball, if we can protect Eli, give us time to get open downfield, there’s not really a coverage you can put out there to stop us.”"
This is a pretty bold statement. When you look at the offensive line’s performance in the first preseason game, you have to wonder if he missed something. After Manning and his weapons seemed out of sync in our first glimpse of the 2015 Giants in action, you start to think that this is just lip service.
But Randle has a point. He said that if Manning has the pass protection, the Giants have too many weapons to be stopped. Odell Beckham Jr. and eventually a healthy Victor Cruz make a pretty amazing combination. Randle has started to really grow as a receiver and his strong performance last season gives some credibility to his confidence.
The Giants have a really talented offense around Manning. The question really is do they have enough talent in front of him. The offensive line is the main concern and it isn’t even close. Randle didn’t say that the Giants offense was so good that it couldn’t be stopped. He said that Manning and his weapons were too good to be stopped if the offensive line does its job.
Odell Beckham Jr. creates good separation in man coverage and is always open above his head. He sits in the window in zone coverage and burns the defense with savvy route running. If you press him he burns past you and if you play off and soft he nickel and dimes you. The great thing about Odell Beckham Jr. is that while he is the Giants best receiver, he isn’t the only one with that kind of versatility.
Randle figures to be a strong weapon for Manning on the outside. When Cruz really returns to action he will be a formidable force in the slot. Odell Beckham Jr. is an absolute star and Larry Donnell is a 6’6″ security blanket for Manning.
You have to love the confidence displayed by Randle. The Giants have talent in the passing game, he is very right on that one.