Since Ben McAdoo took over as head coach of the New York Giants, he has chanted the mantra of “Evolution, not Revolution.” The idea is that McAdoo will not be blowing up the organization the way Chip Kelly did last year in Philadelphia. Instead, he would use the solid foundation of the Giants’ tradition to build the next Super Bowl winning team.
“Evolution not Revolution” – Coach McAdoo
Now that training camp has started, what does that mean in real world terms? What evidence do we have of real evolution? More significantly, what does that mean for the organization as a whole?
The first indicator we have seen of this evolution was in free agency. With plenty of cap space, general manager Jerry Reese managed to land three of the tops prospects available, according to ESPN.com on March 9, 2016. Significantly, these were all defensive players: Olivier Vernon, Janoris Jenkins and Damon “Snacks” Harrison. While this was expected due to the 2015 campaign being a defensive shambles, the selections themselves are significant. They strengthen a unit in dire need, while building on the same fundamentals that made the previous Super Bowl Winning Giants teams great – stout, physical defenders.
Speaking of fundamentals, that would be another example of evolution. Back in May, Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com reported that Giants center Weston Richburg lamented the lack of practicing fundamentals during team practices. Whether or not that inspired McAdoo is up for debate. What we do know is that the majority of OTA’s concentrated on three basic concepts: blocking, tackling and ball security – fundamental skills that seem to have atrophied throughout the league since the latest CBA limited practice time.
The return to basics seems to have continued into training camp. During the practices the last several days, NorthJersey.com reports that each positional group is expected to learn not only their primary role, but the roles of their other group members as well.
Look at the secondary to see this in action. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Janoris Jenkis, Eli Apple and the rest of the secondary have all been rotating between the outside and slot corner position.
It would be easy to dismiss this as merely finding the best fit for each position; and fair enough, that is likely one of the reasons. Yet, it also echos Coach McAdoo’s opening speech at training camp as seen on Giants.com, “…I know where it starts, between our ears.”
“…I know where it starts, between our ears.” – Coach McAdoo
This suggests the true evolution of the New York Giants: solid fundamentals, combined with smart, teamwork-oriented focus. No longer will players be responsible to learn merely their own positions, but they are now responsible for each others’ as well. It should give them a solid foundation combined with flexible depth lacking in previous years. Only time will tell if this evolution of the New York Giants will put that fifth trophy in the case. For now, the possibilities are enticing.