New York Giants: Will Smith be leading the way for Saquon?
By Curt Macysyn
Hopefully the New York Giants will return to the success of the past in 2018.
An initial component on the road to recovery is to walk the talk. Last season, team brass had a narrative that didn’t match the reality. Part of that problem was that both general manager Jerry Reese and head coach Ben McAdoo gave lip service to the team’s offense. Both guys vocalized a mindset that the New York Giants were going to be a physical team, especially up front.
Intrinsically, there’s nothing wrong to that approach. In fact, it’s played well in East Rutherford before. The biggest difference remains that neither McAdoo nor Reese apparently had a keen eye for personnel.
If you want to be big and physical up front, then you don’t draft Justin Pugh or Weston Richburg. You make sure that you are in a position to grab Jack Conklin or Garrett Bolles. Don’t get me wrong, Pugh was an effective offensive lineman for the Giants, he just wasn’t a mauler. Let’s not pretend he was.
If you peel apart the entire offensive line over the past several years, the approach was completely wrong. Guys like Weston Richburg, Ereck Flowers and Bobby Hart weren’t imposing their will on anyone. Instead of man on man, the mindset should have shifted to a zone blocking scheme. But that doesn’t sound as sexy as “imposing our will”.
And that’s how teams get to a 3-13 record.
Dreaded ’11’ Personnel Package
In order to buttress the o-line, tweaks could have been made to support existing offensive linemen. Instead, Reese drafted tight end Evan Engram. Once again, nothing against Engram, but he isn’t scaring anyone with his blocking prowess. The player procurement belied the philosophy. Or the philosophy didn’t fit the player procurement. You decide.
Somehow former head coach Tom Coughlin could marginally make ill-fitting pieces work. On the other hand, McAdoo could not. Quite frankly, he looked silly trying to instill a philosophy that didn’t concern itself one iota with the personnel on the field.
And shame on Reese for obviously not working in concert, first with Coughlin, and then with McAdoo in player procurement. That much seems obvious.
Even when we thought the duo had an epiphany, it was not to be. Early last offseason, the Reese/McAdoo tandem tried to get religion by rostering fullback Shane Smith.
At that time, it was a step in the right direction. Perhaps, they even saw the errors of their way.
But when the going got tough once the season started, McAdoo reverted to his safety blanket – the “11” personnel package. Hint: with three wideouts on the field at the same time, you’re not imposing your will on anyone.
New York Giants
I may not be completely on board with halfback Saquon Barkley as the No. 2 overall pick. My reluctance comes from contract realities, and not philosophy. If the coaching staff is going to emphasize the running game, then acquire the horses to do just that.
Going back to the Coughlin days, the New York Giants have had a red zone problem. Slice and dice any way you want, the team wasn’t effective in an important aspect of winning football. For example, in three seasons with the New York Giants, Rashad Jennings had four, three and three rushing touchdowns.
I’m not laying the blame completely at the feet of Jennings, however. The truth remains that Jennings could not create holes on his own. But if the team had a big, physical line, then things may have been different.
Mr. Smith goes to East Rutherford
With the additions of tackle Nate Solder and guard Will Hernandez, legitimate components are creeping back into MetLife Stadium. Which is why the team ought to hang onto Shane Smith.
Last season, Smith proved to be an effective blocker and pass catcher. He also contributed on special teams. This season he should be given a chance to function as lead blocker for Barkley.
Forget the H-Back argument. We saw the middling results that happened when Reese essentially replaced an injured Henry Hynoski with Bear Pascoe. When the Giants have had success in the past, there was Madison Hedgecock, Greg Comella, Maurice Carthon and Hynoski.
The best predictor of future performance is past performance.
For those who will say the NFL is a different league now, I don’t disagree. But you also can’t have it both ways. This administration has made the running game a clear priority. Why else draft Barkley so high?
Smith obviously realized he was swimming upstream with the previous administration. He senses more of a legitimate role under head coach Pat Shurmur.
"“Fullback is more of an offensive weapon, and I think that’s why Shurmur lines up people in different places. You have to know how to use one, I think. I worked on my hands a lot this offseason, and I think I’m catching the ball pretty well.”"
The time to litigate the Saquon Barkley draft pick is over. That decision has been made. It’s time to put the offense in the best place to succeed with an aging quarterback. With the right side of the offensive line still a question mark, keeping Smith could provide that extra boost to support Barkley on a weekly basis.