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Jonathan Casillas is the ‘Sure-Thing’ the Giants Need at Linebacker

By Colleen Wagoner

Oct 25, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants linebacker Jonathan Casillas (54) gestures to the crowd going in the 4th quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 25, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants linebacker Jonathan Casillas (54) gestures to the crowd going in the 4th quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 25, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants linebacker Jonathan Casillas (54) gestures to the crowd going in the 4th quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 25, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants linebacker Jonathan Casillas (54) gestures to the crowd going in the 4th quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports /

While competition continues at the linebacker position, Jonathan Casillas has seemingly solidified his case for the starting nod at WLB. His leadership, combined with a strong off-season and  pre-season, should put little doubt in the minds of fans and Giants coaching staff that Casillas is a surefire starter.

When comparing Casillas’ performance of this season to last season, head coach Ben McAdoo had nothing but positive things to say:

"“[Casillas] seems like a guy that’s really taken ownership of the defense and the team. He has some leadership qualities and capabilities to him. He plays with a lot of energy and you look for that in your linebacker group. “"

The New Brunswick, N.J. native is entering his eighth season in the NFL season and second season with the Giants. After winning his second Super Bowl ring (2009 with the Saints and 2015 with the Patriots), Casillas was picked up as a 2015 free agent from the New England Patriots.

Casillas’ First Season with Big Blue

After a forgettable first season in the Big Apple, Casillas has emerged as the biggest off-season surprise. The Wisconsin graduate has been all over the field in both pre-season games; showing a very diverse skill set. Not only has he exhibited an ability to quickly diagnose and stop run plays, but he has batted away passes and made tackles on special teams.

Expect Casillas to be the Giants’ only three-down linebacker.

Depth at Linebacker

Veteran linebacker J.T. Thomas returns to the team today off of the PUP list. While Thomas started at the WLB position in 11 of the 12 games he appeared in last season, Thomas has a steep hill to climb if he wants to take it away from Casillas.

The Giants also have veterans Kelvin Sheppard and Keenan Robinson as weakside options, and both rookie B.J. Goodson and veteran Mark Herzlich are in line to be core special teams contributors.

J.T Thomas may find himself on the outside looking in.

There are plenty of question marks left unanswered with the Giants. Not to mention the bad taste that still lingers in all of our mouths from last Saturday. Fortunately, the defense has been the silver-lining and Jonathan Casillas has been the brightest light that will propel the team into week one.

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