Everyone talks about the offensive line, but getting Manning and Barkley out of shotgun formation, and more under center is the main reason why the Giants averaged 27.5 ppg in the 2nd half of last year....
"In the first half of the season, the Giants ran only
15.6% of their pass plays from under center."
That means that 85% of there passing plays were coming out of shotgun formation. This was way too predictable. Now notice the change.
"In the second half that percentage has jumped all the way to
33.5%. Gaining consistent yards on first and second downs keeps the entire playbook open for a play caller, instead of forcing them into shotgun or straight drop back situations."
There is more...
"In the first eight games of the season, the Giants ran the ball from "under center" 60% of the time, but in their last five games since the bye, that percentage has jumped all the way to
87.4%.
Their 118 carries from "under center" since the bye is already 29 more than their number of carries in those formations in the team’s first eight games.
The reason why, notice what Eli Manning says...
Just our identity and being able to run the ball,” Eli Manning said. “I think that’s been the biggest difference since the bye. Just an emphasis on running the ball, the
play-action.
A lot more under center. Not as much shotgun. Not as much seven-step drop. Just having everything build off the run game.”
Here is the link to the article,
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There are so many factors that play into this when looking into the overall numbers. Make no mistake, the first 8 games the OL was brutal and Eli had to pass out of shotgun to get that extra half second.
By the second half of the season, the line started to play better, Saquon was tearing it up and it allowed for some play action to be utilized.