NY Giants’ Logan Ryan stepping up as defense’s leader
From racing to beat Daniel Jones to the NY Giants’ facility each morning to making Patrick Graham a ‘better coach,’ Logan Ryan is emerging as a leader of the defense
If NY Giants quarterback Daniel Jones wants to be the first player into the team’s headquarters each morning, that’s become a tougher task in recent weeks.
That’s because Giants defensive back Logan Ryan has made it his personal goal to beat the quarterback to the Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, even if that means parking his car before sunrise.
“I pride myself on learning from Tom Brady and being the first one to the building,” Ryan said Wednesday. Today, I beat Daniel, that’s on record. Maybe two days this entire season I beat Daniel Jones to the building.”
Arriving early isn’t just a matter of pride for Ryan, signed by the Giants days prior to the regular season opener. It’s about getting better, and helping his quarterback get better, too.
“We’re the first two in here,” Ryan said. “We talk a lot, he asks me questions about defense, I
ask him a lot of questions about offense.
“I’m trying to make it hard on the quarterback, I’m trying to make it hard on him every day. He makes it hard on me. We do talk a lot. I was a high school quarterback, I couldn’t even play in college. I don’t dip my toe in it too much. Anything he needs, he knows I’m an open book.”
Ryan’s sphere of influence goes far beyond his impact on Jones’ development or helping the second-year passer master reading defenses. The 29-year-old has become a kind of coach on the field for defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.
“This guy has a wealth of knowledge and he’s been in big games,” Graham said Thursday. “He’s been in the system before, he’s been in multiple systems. I think it’s his playing experience. Here I am, I’m a coach, I have a remote in my hand, I have a whistle out there on the field. The guys that have played, the guys that are playing, those are the guys that provide the insight for the players.”
The last two weeks, Ryan has seen an uptick in his playing time increase, and he enters Sunday’s NFC East clash against the Dallas Cowboys with 22 tackles and one forced fumble. He’s also been influential in the scheme Graham is crafting.
“He makes you a better coach because he asks the right questions,” Graham said. “He wants to know about the situations and sometimes he makes you think about it and you’re like, ‘you know what, I might have forgotten that and I need to hit that point.’ It’s our responsibility to be on top of everything. It’s those unique players that make you good as a coach. He makes you better as a coach because of his insight. You can see the leadership skills with the players. They gravitate to him.”
Next. 4 Bold predictions for Giants vs. Cowboys. dark
Matt Lombardo is the site expert for GMenHQ, and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday for FanSided. Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattLombardoNFL.