The New York Giants were elite on defense in 2016, but that doesn’t guarantee the same results in 2017. The players are well aware of that reality.
The New York Giants will return a vast majority of the players who anchored the No. 2 scoring defense in the NFL in 2016. Losing defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins hurts, but general manager Jerry Reese opened the checkbook to ensure that the foundational pieces were retained.
Although the pieces are in place for the Giants to perform at an elite level on defense in 2016, the players are aware that past results don’t dictate future success.
New York finished the 2016 season with an average of just 17.8 points allowed per game. Only the New England Patriots at 15.6 points allowed per game were better, and only eight total teams allowed fewer than 20 points per game.
According to Mark Cannizzaro of The New York Post, star cornerback Janoris Jenkins understands that the numbers may speak in New York’s favor, but there’s still work to be done.
"“Numbers are just numbers, man,’’ Jenkins said. “That is just something that you put on a piece of paper and you see a number. We have to understand that that was last year. Anything from last year, don’t expect that this year. It is just like we have to start all over again and keep building to get better.”"
He continued:
"“You can’t depend on paperwork from last year or plays that we made from last year, because it is a new year. Each team always gets better, always brings new guys in and we just have to concentrate on what we have to do.’’"
That’s the most important reality for New York to accept: every NFL team has changed in some shape or form.
What worked during the 2016 regular season may not work in 2017. That doesn’t mean Steve Spagnuolo and the defense can’t adapt or adjust, but it displays the need to do so in order to avoid being left behind.
For perspective: the Carolina Panthers ranked No. 6 in the NFL in points allowed per game in 2015, but fell to No. 26 in 2016.
Carolina admittedly lost its shutdown cornerback, Josh Norman, but it remains a cautionary tale about how quickly an elite defense can fall apart.
Fortunately for New York, both of its shutdown corners, Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, will return in 2016. It will also return All-Pro safety Landon Collins and a star-studded defensive line that features Damon Harrison, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Olivier Vernon.
The personnel is undoubtedly in place for elite execution, but performing at the highest possible level is a classic case of being easier said than done.
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The New York Giants are in for a test of their mettle and valor.