With the New York Giants opening up their 2016 preseason on Friday against the Miami Dolphins, I wanted to look at how things stack up in one of the team’s most competitive position battles, middle linebacker. In an interview published on Giants.com from August 2, 2016, linebackers coach Bill McGovern called the position “wide open”. Despite the calls of fans clamoring for the Giants to draft a linebacker in the first round for the first time since Carl Banks in 1984, the front office resisted and instead selected corner Eli Apple.
The Giants have not a had a stable presence at middle linebacker, also known as “Mike” linebacker, since Antonio Pierce retired in 2009. Jon Beason was supposed to fill that role, but age and ailments eventually caught up to him. Although defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme relies heavily on a dynamic pass rush, the importance of the “Mike” in a 4-3 defense cannot be understated, as he is responsible for calling out plays and relaying defensive signals to other players. There are a few options to take over this spot, but you would be forgiven for asking “who?”, as none of them are household names.
Jasper Brinkley :
The 31-year old Brinkley filled in admirably last season after starter Uani ‘Unga went down with injury. Brinkley had a strong nose for the football, forcing four fumbles and recovering one other in nine games started. He is practicing with the first-team defense at camp, after displaying a strong grasp of Spagnuolo’s defense down the stretch of 2015, and is my guess to start in the season opener.
Keenan Robinson:
Robinson is fairly injury-prone, having suffered injuries to his knee, shoulder, and each pectoral muscle during his career. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts to a new defense in New York after spending the past four seasons in a 3-4 scheme with divisional rival Washington. He profiles as a rotation linebacker, likely to find playing time at the “Mike” and on the weak side.
B.J. Goodson:
The Giants drafted Goodson in the fourth-round out of Clemson, where he recorded 146 tackles during his senior season, his only one as a starter. While his coverage skills remain a question, there is no doubt the team could use Goodson on the field, as missed tackles on final drives plagued the team throughout 2015, most notably in losses to the Cowboys and Patriots. He should find himself a role on specials teams during his rookie campaign.
It is an organizational principle to not commit heavy resources to the linebacker position, as evidenced by this lackluster group. However, if fans are wondering if there is a long-term solution here, the 23-year old Goodson is their best bet.