New York Giants: Biggest Offseason Priorities
By Eric Mollo
Oct 4, 2015; Orchard Park, NY, USA; New York Giants running back Rashad Jennings (23) stiff arms Buffalo Bills strong safety Bacarri Rambo (30) as he runs for a touchdown during the second half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Giants beat the Bills 24-10. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
Running Back
Rashad Jennings has started to come on, but it’s too little too late for a Giants
run game that’s trudged through the entire season. Jennings doesn’t have a ton of tread on his tires, but he will enter next season at 31-years-old and the three backs behind him have not shown they could contribute at the very least as a two-down back. With Shane Vereen likely to handle passing duties next season, the Giants will need to look for a two-down back who can fight to pick up consistent yards, especially late in games.
The Giants biggest issue this season has been finishing games. While the defense deserves the majority of the blame for failing to stop opposing offenses time and again, the Giants have had trouble controlling the clock late in games because they don’t run the ball effectively.
It’s a two-way street: the Giants defense doesn’t stop teams late in games, but the unit shouldn’t always be in that position if they don’t have to be. Those late-game losses against the Falcons, Cowboys, Patriots, etc. didn’t have to end with the opposing team holding the ball for the final play. With an improved run game, the Giants won’t continue to find themselves in a position where the defense has to make a game-winning stop.