New York Giants must continue progress against Bucs
By Curt Macysyn
In the NFL, if you’re not moving forward, you’re going backwards, and that mantra applies to the New York Giants.
That’s why the first half of the season became a mixed bag for the New York Giants. Let’s remember, that the franchise decided on a competitive rebuild, instead of tearing the old house down to the studs.
I think by virtue of the team’s record alone, the initial plan was a huge mistake.
At 2-7, no one can argue that things went according to plan. In fact, most, if not all of the 2018 free agent class, has largely been a bust. Both running back Jonathan Stewart and guard Patrick Omameh were monumental busts. And the decision to roll the dice on tackle Ereck Flowers was likely the worst decision that general manager Dave Gettleman and company made this offseason.
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Now, over the course of nine weeks, we see that the cards have been reshuffled. By my count, there are 21 players currently on the roster, who didn’t break training camp on the active roster.
On Sunday, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the New York Giants find themselves in uncharted waters – they are favored to win this ball game. How they respond to this reality will demonstrate how far the rebuild has come.
Make no mistake, no one predicts a 45-3 wipeout, but New York Giants fans should expect 60 minutes of solid football.
New York Giants: Offense
Recently, the fanbase got divided into two categories. There are the pro-Eli Manning fans, as well as the anti-Manning crowd. Real Big Blue fans should be somewhere in the middle. Believing that Manning has several more years under center with New York is sheer nonsense.
And blaming every single interception on the offensive line is also sheer nonsense. Manning still has to play better, and even in Monday night’s win, Manning left some plays on the field. On the other hand, he can lead the team to a few more wins, as well as shepherd in his replacement.
Running back Saquon Barkley has also been a topic of conversation this week, and he should be. With as much ink as this rookie received before playing an NFL down, he’s now seeing the pendulum swing in the other direction. Once again, Barkley can improve, and everything he does isn’t great. We’ve seen him leave too many yards on the field.
The improvement along the offensive line that we saw manifest itself against the San Francisco 49ers needs to continue this week against a downtrodden Buccaneers defense. There’s no way that Tampa Bay’s defense should be a factor in this game.
Finally, tight end play needs improvement, with both Rhett Ellison and Evan Engram having to step up. Improved tight end play can provide more options in the red zone.
New York Giants: Defense
Before the season, on these pages, we wondered where the pass rush was coming from, and that has been answered: the 2019 NFL Draft. Some of the snarky readers indicated that James Bettcher’s defense scheme would take care of everything. That’s a popular argument in every neighborhood bar, but the NFL isn’t college.
Don’t get me wrong, when margins are tight, scheme may matter. But scheme cannot take players without a particular skill-set and recreate them. It never happens. The New York Giants hope in creating a pass rush may come in the form of rookie Lorenzo Carter. There is a caveat. I am one of the few people who think this guy is a three-down linebacker, so let’s not jam him into the pass rush specialist role just yet.
Another free agent signing who never paid dividends is edge defender Kareem Martin. Pro Football Focus gives Martin a 55.6 overall grade, and his snap count has significantly decreased recently. Per PFF, he played 20 snaps against the San Francisco 49ers. The biggest selling point about Martin was his familiarity with Bettcher’s scheme. That only has value to a point. Carter has a 65.5 PFF grade in case you’re wondering.
Finally, the secondary will be challenged mightily this week, and New York’s two best players (Janoris Jenkins and Landon Collins) had better be up to the challenge. Much was made of Collins’ struggles in pass coverage, but that’s also why he slumped to the second round. Let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water.
Curtis Riley plays to a 54.9 PFF grade, and finding a strong cover safety remains an important project for the offseason. For those asking, Michael Thomas played 39 snaps last week, while Riley and Collins both played 73, so there was a three-safety look.
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Rookie cornerback Grant Haley played 31 snaps, while B.W. Webb didn’t leave the field. The Giants did not lose anything by trading Eli Apple, they just haven’t gained anything until injured rookie Sam Beal comes back healthy.
For more grades, advanced statistics and more at Pro Football Focus, subscribe to PFF’s EDGE or ELITE subscriptions at ProFootballFocus.com.