for display only
Big Blue Interactive The Corner Forum  
Back to the Corner

Archived Thread

State of NY Giants 2020

SGMen : 6/30/2020 2:40 pm
First, I grew up near Giants Stadium. I was a Jets fan from 1977-1986. I actually thought the 1986 Jets were as good if not better than the Giants but then injuries hit them and we weren't going to see a NY vs NY SB. But watching LT on Sunday's, well, the team grew on me and I switched sides in my youth.

I'm a fan. There, I said it, so I tend to see things with "rose colored glasses" every off-season. So here goes my off-season, pre pre-season, "State of the Giants" address based on what I've read recently and well think (wishful thinking, yes....):

1. D. Jones is going to be a very good NFL QB. He had no first team camp reps of merit and stepped in and did fairly well. Yes, he had those fumbles and a few interceptions he'd like back but he was a rookie and still learning. The fumbles are worrisome and that part of his game must be cleaned up, especially playing behind a weak OL that allows quick pressures, but I loved the way he hit guys in stride and how he won game 1 vs Tampa establishing his future reign.
I see Jones strength as his being able to hit guys in stride, especially on short to intermediate routes, which will allow players to make plays. And if a play isn't there the man can run and slide for good yards.
Simply, Jones will move the chains and be very efficient this year and beyond.
2. OL. Folks, I like OT Thomas but year one he will struggle some in pass protection as, after all, he is a rookie. He needs work on technique and he will be a solid OT. However, I expect his run blocking as a rookie to be fairly solid. He will be an upgrade over Solder at LT as a rookie.
OT Solder will start at RT and my prayer is he puts together one last "just good enough" type season. I think his young son's illness impacted his psyche. I also think we were poorly coached and clearly out of sync. He'll be no worse than Remmers or Flemming starts.
We have no quality starting OC on the roster. Perhaps Gates can step up but while he has some experience he is still an unknown. I see Scott Pulley starting the season.
The OG's will remain Hernandez and Zeitler and with better coaching they will be better, especially Hernandez and his run blocking.
Overall, if the OL can stay healthy and achieve "average" status (upgrade from bottom 5 in the league) this offense will generate yardage and points as needed.
OL: Thomas-Hernandez-Pulley-Zeitler-Solder (or Fleming)

Our receiving corps may be better than we think if they stay healthy and out of trouble. If Slayton improves his speed is deadly. If Engram stays healthy and improves his blocking, his speed is deadly. This group may end up being very good even if none of them is a 1000 yard guy. I see Off C Garret spreading the ball around and using RB Barkley a lot, and Barkley will lead the team in catches - watch.

As for the defense, the DL will be solid; the LB's will be below average overall; and, the DB's will start slow but really develop into a strength by season's end. I'm assuming Baker returns by game 3 or 5 from my predicted suspension.
I think the key to our D will be the development of our 2nd year guys: Lawrence as a pocket pushing, run stuffing force that handles 2 OL's. L. Williams as a run stuffer whose pass rush improves a shade. Tomlinson having a solid season. And the 3rd year guys McIntosh and Hiill be superb backups who get reps and keep guys fresh.
Connelley looked good in a small body of work. ACL's are tough but if he returns to 99% we have a good player I think. Martinez will call the shots and be "average" at best.
What we need is for rookie McKinney to be ready to play and play well out of the gates. We need speedy Ballantine to improve by leaps and bounds and for injured Beal to finally put it together. There is some serious potential here.
ST's - solid even with Rojas in jail.
Coaching - I like Judge. He has that "it" about him. And last year's staff was horrible so nothing but upside here I believe.
Schedule: I think we will start 1-3 as we play four straight against teams with established systems and we will be making mistakes with our new systems. It really is that simple.
If we start 1-3, perhaps we can go 7-5 down the stretch to finish a decent 8-8. I figure we can be anywhere between 6-10 and 9-7 as the NFL is so tricky with injuries, timing, etc.
Thoughts?
I am not expecting a  
Rick5 : 6/30/2020 3:16 pm : link
season at all and definitely not a 16-game season.
RE: I am not expecting a  
SGMen : 6/30/2020 3:37 pm : link
In comment 14926865 Rick5 said:
Quote:
season at all and definitely not a 16-game season.
That thought crossed my mind. My "thinking" right now (I am in the health field) is that if over the next two weeks we see a surge of CV19 but not a surge in hospitalizations of folks "less susceptible" we will have some kind of a season. Many believe that this virus can be deadly but only with certain populations whom we are now protecting better.
But only God knows the truth and a few weeks is quick.

Another key point....  
SGMen : 6/30/2020 3:38 pm : link
PS: the Leonard Williams trade will be worse than the Ogletree trade UNLESS Williams really puts it together in a way we have yet to see. Just made no sense to trade for him that late in the year with UFA pending. Just ridiculous.
RE: Another key point....  
Johnny5 : 6/30/2020 3:45 pm : link
In comment 14926873 SGMen said:
Quote:
PS: the Leonard Williams trade will be worse than the Ogletree trade UNLESS Williams really puts it together in a way we have yet to see. Just made no sense to trade for him that late in the year with UFA pending. Just ridiculous.

I think most people agree it was a dumb trade, especially because now we had to tag him. But (IMO) he is much better than you are giving credit for. The play of the whole DL picked up when he joined, but especially Dalvin Tomlinson. He is a good, smart athletic player that is a very good core piece to the DL - if we can sign him long term.
RE: RE: Another key point....  
SGMen : 6/30/2020 3:52 pm : link
In comment 14926877 Johnny5 said:
Quote:
In comment 14926873 SGMen said:


Quote:


PS: the Leonard Williams trade will be worse than the Ogletree trade UNLESS Williams really puts it together in a way we have yet to see. Just made no sense to trade for him that late in the year with UFA pending. Just ridiculous.


I think most people agree it was a dumb trade, especially because now we had to tag him. But (IMO) he is much better than you are giving credit for. The play of the whole DL picked up when he joined, but especially Dalvin Tomlinson. He is a good, smart athletic player that is a very good core piece to the DL - if we can sign him long term.
If we had made the exact SAME trade at the END of pre-season last year I'd be fine with it this year. I still feel we over-spent at the time we traded because a. our season was over, b. the Jets weren't going anywhere, c. who was competing for him really?
L. Williams is a top run defender and that is why we traded for him. Plus he is young. I have to figure mid-season DG may not have thought Shurmur would get axed and his learning the team was worthy as we'd retain him.

The jury is still out. But if Williams, Lawrence and Tomlinson area all superb against the run on their own then our defense will be much, much better. Stopping the run is key in the NFC East and for the playoffs.

Yes, it is a passing league so you want L. Williams and company to generate better pass rush but in the new defense perhaps they will?
Time will tell.
But as noted above and well said, lets hope we even have a season.
RE: I am not expecting a  
joeinpa : 6/30/2020 3:57 pm : link
In comment 14926865 Rick5 said:
Quote:
season at all and definitely not a 16-game season.


Thanks, I was afraid we might get through a thread about sports without being reminded there might not be a season.


RE: RE: I am not expecting a  
SGMen : 6/30/2020 4:00 pm : link
In comment 14926892 joeinpa said:
Quote:
In comment 14926865 Rick5 said:


Quote:


season at all and definitely not a 16-game season.



Thanks, I was afraid we might get through a thread about sports without being reminded there might not be a season.

Well, I'll admit I posted this to draw out some fans who want to talk football not politics, war, virus or the like. But we are SATURATED in our society today so our minds are simply FILLED with negative thoughts. Myself included. Having said that, lets play and assume we have some kind of season, even if its 14 or 12 games or something like that.
RE: RE: Another key point....  
LBH15 : 6/30/2020 4:16 pm : link
In comment 14926877 Johnny5 said:
Quote:
In comment 14926873 SGMen said:


Quote:


PS: the Leonard Williams trade will be worse than the Ogletree trade UNLESS Williams really puts it together in a way we have yet to see. Just made no sense to trade for him that late in the year with UFA pending. Just ridiculous.


I think most people agree it was a dumb trade, especially because now we had to tag him. But (IMO) he is much better than you are giving credit for. The play of the whole DL picked up when he joined, but especially Dalvin Tomlinson. He is a good, smart athletic player that is a very good core piece to the DL - if we can sign him long term.



NFL people disagree. It has been reported on this site that the professionals who do this for a living have touted the Leonard Williams trade as a shrewd move by Gettleman.
RE: RE: RE: Another key point....  
Johnny5 : 6/30/2020 4:48 pm : link
In comment 14926906 LBH15 said:
Quote:

I think most people agree it was a dumb trade, especially because now we had to tag him. But (IMO) he is much better than you are giving credit for. The play of the whole DL picked up when he joined, but especially Dalvin Tomlinson. He is a good, smart athletic player that is a very good core piece to the DL - if we can sign him long term.




NFL people disagree. It has been reported on this site that the professionals who do this for a living have touted the Leonard Williams trade as a shrewd move by Gettleman.

Well we know how you feel about it already... lol. Still if we sign him long term to a decent deal he is a good core player and it won't be a bad thing by any means. Really it's only a truly "bad" trade if we don't sign him long term.
RE: RE: RE: RE: Another key point....  
SGMen : 6/30/2020 5:03 pm : link
In comment 14926926 Johnny5 said:
Quote:
In comment 14926906 LBH15 said:


Quote:



I think most people agree it was a dumb trade, especially because now we had to tag him. But (IMO) he is much better than you are giving credit for. The play of the whole DL picked up when he joined, but especially Dalvin Tomlinson. He is a good, smart athletic player that is a very good core piece to the DL - if we can sign him long term.




NFL people disagree. It has been reported on this site that the professionals who do this for a living have touted the Leonard Williams trade as a shrewd move by Gettleman.


Well we know how you feel about it already... lol. Still if we sign him long term to a decent deal he is a good core player and it won't be a bad thing by any means. Really it's only a truly "bad" trade if we don't sign him long term.
If we sign L. Williams long-term AND he is a top run defender and "decent enough" pass rusher & leader; well, I'll agree it was a good move. But I still feel like "why mid-season" when all was lost? I know DG said about it but I'm still shaking my head.
But hey, I'm but a laymen so I'll let his play be the judge.
CoVid picked a good season to bomb...  
x meadowlander : 6/30/2020 5:08 pm : link
...because this team at best to me, looks like 7-9 - at BEST.

Worst defense the Giants ever fielded last season - I do not begrudge going after Thomas in the first round, but on paper I'm looking at NO pass rush and SLOW DB's. BAD Equation.

So yeah - partial or no season is fine with me for this year. Get MORE top 5 picks as they'll have to use last years Draft seeding BOOWAAHAAA!!!

Get a couple of pass rushers and another WR and now we're cooking.
If the 2020 season allows for Daniel Jones  
LBH15 : 6/30/2020 5:11 pm : link
to continue doing good things and clean up some of his bad, and a few "core" players begin to show through on both sides of the ball, then it will be a success.

The winning will eventually come if the above occurs.
put me in the group that thinks the Leonard Williams acquisition  
gidiefor : Mod : 6/30/2020 5:30 pm : link
is going to be much more impactful and yield greater value than the Ogletree acquisition

RE: CoVid picked a good season to bomb...  
SGMen : 6/30/2020 7:16 pm : link
In comment 14926948 x meadowlander said:
Quote:
...because this team at best to me, looks like 7-9 - at BEST.

Worst defense the Giants ever fielded last season - I do not begrudge going after Thomas in the first round, but on paper I'm looking at NO pass rush and SLOW DB's. BAD Equation.

So yeah - partial or no season is fine with me for this year. Get MORE top 5 picks as they'll have to use last years Draft seeding BOOWAAHAAA!!!

Get a couple of pass rushers and another WR and now we're cooking.
I definitely agree that last year's defense was the WORST the Giants ever deployed overall. The secondary was a mess and nothing at LB.
However, while the starting secondary isn't loaded with burners I don't think they are over-matched either. Peppers is the fastest, a SS, but even with his speed and athleticism he's never been a great cover guy.
CB Bradberry is a big, physical, quick for his size type. How often have wideouts just blown by his 4.50 speed? Baker plays faster than 4.52 and I do hope he learns something and plays after a suspension. McKinney is faster than 4.63 but by how much I am not sure. He is quick though. I really like Ballantine's potential as he was raw last year but got reps.
I think our secondary will "improve" as the season moves along.
RE: put me in the group that thinks the Leonard Williams acquisition  
SGMen : 6/30/2020 7:45 pm : link
In comment 14926962 gidiefor said:
Quote:
is going to be much more impactful and yield greater value than the Ogletree acquisition
Yes, I tend to agree given Ogletree's body of work with the Giants was subpar.
The idea here with L. Williams is we had to tag him and IMHO, overpay him this year, to retain him. That can change if they sign him longterm and he performs as expected.
I'm hopeful there'll be a season.  
SFGFNCGiantsFan : 6/30/2020 7:51 pm : link
And if there is, I got no expectations. Teams with first year coaches-like us-should get a mulligan this year considering everything that has gone down.

That said, I want to see improvement. I'm not asking for a playoff berth, but signs that things are trending in the right direction. Yeah he hasn't coached a game, but Judge instills me with confidence. I think he has that 'it' factor. Time will tell, but I feel much better with him as the top dog than McAdoo or Shurmur.
RE: I'm hopeful there'll be a season.  
SGMen : 6/30/2020 8:27 pm : link
In comment 14927025 SFGFNCGiantsFan said:
Quote:
And if there is, I got no expectations. Teams with first year coaches-like us-should get a mulligan this year considering everything that has gone down.

That said, I want to see improvement. I'm not asking for a playoff berth, but signs that things are trending in the right direction. Yeah he hasn't coached a game, but Judge instills me with confidence. I think he has that 'it' factor. Time will tell, but I feel much better with him as the top dog than McAdoo or Shurmur.
I have to admit I "liked" McAdoo but not for any "it" quality but rather because I thought he was a young, smart hire from inside. Didn't see he didn't have what it takes and wasn't liked for awhile.
As for Shurmur, I wasn't as happy with him as with McAdoo because he had coached failure before coming to us but I too "liked" the hire.
Judge seems to have that "it" personality. I just think he will lead well and not take any BS.
Let’s talk about the LBers  
Dave on the UWS : 6/30/2020 8:28 pm : link
I don’t think they will “automatically” be below avg . I think Martinez will be a better acquisition then people think, being utilized correctly. If Connelly is ready to go, I think he fits next to him well. Connelly had a good 40’time, he wasn’t slow. It’s the OLB situation that I’m not confident about. Ximines, Carter and Fackrell have talent, they have to get it out of them. I would feel better with Golden here, another player to complete the picture.
There’s plenty of speed, athletic ability and potential in the DB roster. Coaches have to get it out of them as well.
Last thought for now....who leads the Giants in receptions?  
SGMen : 6/30/2020 8:30 pm : link
I see Garrett "taking with the defense" gives meaning I think we will run the ball a lot and throw a lot of short, safe passes that are "money" for a guy like d. Jones.

So I think Barkley catches 80+ balls for us on outlet passes and designed plays that put Barkley in space. I see D. Jones hitting these guys short in space and letting their athletic ability take over.
The Williams trade has gotten way too much attention.  
djm : 6/30/2020 9:29 pm : link
But what else is new. We’re talking about 2 mid round picks for a quality starting DT/DE who didn’t have a long term deal but was/is still financially controllable albeit with the short term tag. You’d think the giants traded the sun moon and stars for a trash can. Yeah it was a bit of a weird trade at the time, but its not that horrible.

As for the team we’ll see. Judge has a big job ahead of him. Let’s just hope he’s the goods. He won everyone over and deservedly so. Now go make it happen.
RE: The Williams trade has gotten way too much attention.  
SGMen : 6/30/2020 9:45 pm : link
In comment 14927065 djm said:
Quote:
But what else is new. We’re talking about 2 mid round picks for a quality starting DT/DE who didn’t have a long term deal but was/is still financially controllable albeit with the short term tag. You’d think the giants traded the sun moon and stars for a trash can. Yeah it was a bit of a weird trade at the time, but its not that horrible.

As for the team we’ll see. Judge has a big job ahead of him. Let’s just hope he’s the goods. He won everyone over and deservedly so. Now go make it happen.
Perhaps I've been reading too much about the trade's bad points. Perhaps, time will tell because if he makes our team much better (he did last year)than he will be worth it.
RE: Let’s talk about the LBers  
SGMen : 6/30/2020 11:07 pm : link
In comment 14927041 Dave on the UWS said:
Quote:
I don’t think they will “automatically” be below avg . I think Martinez will be a better acquisition then people think, being utilized correctly. If Connelly is ready to go, I think he fits next to him well. Connelly had a good 40’time, he wasn’t slow. It’s the OLB situation that I’m not confident about. Ximines, Carter and Fackrell have talent, they have to get it out of them. I would feel better with Golden here, another player to complete the picture.
There’s plenty of speed, athletic ability and potential in the DB roster. Coaches have to get it out of them as well.
I see Golden playing for the Giants this year, for sure, as it doesn't appear to have any suitors at the Giants tagged price. He makes us better.
I do like Ximines as he is quick. Carter has flashed but not enough to make me get the warm & fuzzies - LOL.
Fackrell has experience and one good year.
Connelley is key cause in 3 short games he really flashed some quickness and ball skills.
Blake Martinez makes us better but not much better. I'll believe it when I see it.
Coaching  
Dragon : 6/30/2020 11:52 pm : link
Is the first issue we will face it always sounds great to have good assistances but when the clock starts ticking there not much a HC can do when his assistant coaches are calling all the plays.

Youth this is a very young team that knows nothing about winning it’s hard to teach that when nobody has experience doing that on the field. Most expect us to start the season 1-4 if we get lucky once if not it could be 0-5. Then some believe we can maybe go like 6-5 from that point on but how do get so many young players to come together after such a terrible start.

Injuries we saw what being without one of our two stars on offense did to the team. I’m saying we have two stars and one budding star in Slayton everybody else on offense is very much unknown for many reasons. The more I see of Tate and Shepard they just look like the same player just
different number. I still don’t understand the signing of Tate did they not look at the film to see they had a player just like that already?

On defense we have so many questions and for sure not enough talent to answer half of them. They may win against also ran offenses like Miami, NYJ, Chicago and Washington but I don’t think we play six games against these types of teams. We only looked good against team's like these on defense to be the best you got to beat the best.

I was watching the Phins and Giants replay love both teams but in this short lifetime left to me I’ll most likely not see either one in the SB again before it’s ending. We have a lot still left to do to become a winning team it won’t happen soon but maybe we can start by becoming a competitive team which we are not at this point in the present rebuild.

Deals  
OC2.0 : 7/1/2020 5:24 am : link
I think the LW is big tbd. At first I had the same knee jerk WTF reaction but got over it.
2 signings I really would’ve liked to see were Littleton & Kwiatkoski. Raiders did a nice job getting those 2. Littleton, Ski, Connelly, & X Man could’ve rounded out a pretty stout front 7 imb.
To add to your optimism... Love and his versatility will help defense  
KingBlue : 7/1/2020 7:39 am : link
I think Love, McKinney and Peppers will have a huge impact on the improved play of the defense. I also wear rose colored glasses.

I really like our DL. I like the upgrades at LB with the new additions of Martinez and Fackrell,the return of Connelly and potential of Xman and Carter.

Call me crazy, but I think we are better than most believe.
RE: put me in the group that thinks the Leonard Williams acquisition  
LBH15 : 7/1/2020 8:07 am : link
In comment 14926962 gidiefor said:
Quote:
is going to be much more impactful and yield greater value than the Ogletree acquisition


Quite the hurdle.
It’s Spencer Pulley......  
Simms11 : 7/1/2020 8:56 am : link
and if he’s starting, I think our Oline will still be a mess. He’s just not very good and if DJ is constantly running for his life, instead of stepping up in the pocket, then the offense will still be lacking. I’m hopeful that Gates can make that jump, but with no OTAs or mini camps it’s asking an awful lot of an extremely inexperienced guy at that position.

LBers will be better IMO, especially inside. The OLB/Edge have to play the run better #1 and have to create more pressure. Fackrell and Ximines are key there.

Coaching and utilizing the players skill sets better will be a big improvement as well. That in and of itself could improve the record.
the only thing that annoys me about the Williams trade  
djm : 7/1/2020 10:01 am : link
is he isn't signed long term yet. Not sure i'd back this trade if he's signing elsewhere in 2021. Still time though.
here's the thing with young teams like this one  
djm : 7/1/2020 10:06 am : link
No one knows until the team wins. I don't care how in the know you might be, or how in tune you might be with NFL talent and NFL coaches and teams in general, no one knows where a team like this one will wind up. The roster is virtually unproven across the board, including QB. But what should give us some hope is there are some established vets in place and the young unproven player pool we are banking on isn't untalented. This isn't a bunch of mid to late round drafts. This ins't a bunch of journeymen. The roster is filled with blue chip talent.

Coaching. If Judge is the goods, this team will take a step forward in 2020. That doesn't mean we should fire the guy if the team looks crappy again, but i'd be a little concerned once again if the team limps to another weak finish. We need to see legit signs of growth. We need to see wins. Good wins.
Just so hard to know what we have...  
trueblueinpw : 7/1/2020 10:58 am : link
The new head coach is a complete unknown. He pretty good with the coach speak and the press and that’s not nothing but it’s right next to nothing and becomes entirely nothing when (if) the season starts. In a very uncertain time, with a new staff, and yeah Garrett has h/c experience and yeah that’s gonna help but this is a new staff that has come together on Zoom.

And a young QB that has a well established habit of turning over the football and maybe seems to struggle with progressions. I want DJ8 to be great but that’s far from certain to happen.

The O line is a mystery, will Hernandez be better (from his rookie year) or worse (like last year), is Solder done even at RT, is our “NFL ready“ first round LT really ready, who’s our C?

Will Barkley stay healthy, can he pass pro, can Garrett run him 30 times a game and pass the ball to him in space? Who are the other playmakers on offense? Golden Tate (nice player but getting older and not exactly keeping D-cos awake at night)? Slayton (could be a huge year for him)? Shep (a hit to the head away from an Al Toon career?) EE (I make the O/U for games started at 6 and I’m taking the U). Barks is stud, we all know this, but he’s got some ?’s and needs to be an every game player who makes plays every game. He hasn’t done this in two seasons for different reasons. But, like it or not, he hasn’t done it. Still, I’m actually optimistic about our offense.

The defense? We have a run stopping interior defensive line but nothing on the edge. In a passing league that likes to run outside. Uninspired LBs for the 20th season in a row. Maybe a surprise continues here with Connelley but, maybe not too. Martinez, who knows? I think the secondary is our strength. We need Baker to get straight, get on the field and get better at CB. X man Love could be interesting and I’m a well confessed Peppers fan. Hard to see too much at the 1st and 2nd level to be excited about talent wise. (Hey if we have another lousy start maybe we can trade for a run stopping DT that almost gets to the QB, but then doesn’t, who’s also an UFA at the end of the season b/c that’s how lots of teams build success and squeeze the juice). I mean, idk. But the days of Big Blue defense setting the tone and carrying the day seem still very far away.

The D-co, who knows and see above about the new H/C who has no apparent experience building an NFL defensive game plan. Or making in game adjustments. But, yeah, who knows?

Who’s our kicker?

Anyway, yeah, lotta questions.
RE: To add to your optimism... Love and his versatility will help defense  
SGMen : 7/1/2020 4:09 pm : link
In comment 14927125 KingBlue said:
Quote:
I think Love, McKinney and Peppers will have a huge impact on the improved play of the defense. I also wear rose colored glasses.

I really like our DL. I like the upgrades at LB with the new additions of Martinez and Fackrell,the return of Connelly and potential of Xman and Carter.

Call me crazy, but I think we are better than most believe.
I am with you and believe we are better than most may think. I say this because this is a YOUNG defense that added veteran leader types in Martinez and Bradberry.
If this defense wants to step up, the DL must dominate vs the run. I mean dominate where we push OL's around and allows the LB's to knife thru the line for tackles and gains of -1, 0, 1 or 2 the majority of the time. I love the way Connelley just bursts to the line and really hope he is ready for the season.
In order to really step up, the DB's must also gel. I think Baker's last 6 games showed he has potential. I believe Ballantine's reps last year showed he has physical tools but needs to learn the game since he came from such a small school. We could use a healthy Beal, Peppers.
Bottom line is our DB's may start slow but if they stay healthy this unit could rival the DL as a strength of the team.

As for LB overall, I still see "average" unless Ximines really comes together and becomes that 12 sack 30+ pressures guy who also is good vs the run. We need a front 7 blitz stud. I see us generating pressure from all sorts of angles: SS, FS, CB, ILB, OLB - blitzes from anywhere and such.

Overall, I still see us starting 1-3 at best because we play four straight established system teams to start the year and without a full camp and off-season we will struggle more. Mistakes in the NFL are deadely.
...  
christian : 7/1/2020 5:02 pm : link
Biggest questions by unit in my view:

- QB - Can Jones improve his near 2 turn over a game rate
- RB - Can the Giants generate more even and consistent production on a per game basis
- OL - How quickly can the Giants get Nate Solder off the field
- TE - Can Evan Engram play 14 games
- WR - Can another WR join Slayton and average more than 13 YPR

- DL - Is Leonard Williams a game altering player
- LBs - How game fast is the Connelly/Martinez combination
- Edge - Can you get 1800 quality snaps out of Carter/Ximines/Frackrell/Golden
- CBs - Baker
- Safeties - What 2 or 3 safeties are on the field is passing situations
RE: ...  
SGMen : 7/1/2020 7:47 pm : link
In comment 14927455 christian said:
Quote:
Biggest questions by unit in my view:

- QB - Can Jones improve his near 2 turn over a game rate
- RB - Can the Giants generate more even and consistent production on a per game basis
- OL - How quickly can the Giants get Nate Solder off the field
- TE - Can Evan Engram play 14 games
- WR - Can another WR join Slayton and average more than 13 YPR

- DL - Is Leonard Williams a game altering player
- LBs - How game fast is the Connelly/Martinez combination
- Edge - Can you get 1800 quality snaps out of Carter/Ximines/Frackrell/Golden
- CBs - Baker
- Safeties - What 2 or 3 safeties are on the field is passing situations

1. D. Jones - we won't know until the games really start but we do know he has worked hard this off-season to overcome his deficiencies, particularly with his fumbles. He has gained strength and is ready to play!
That is all you can ask for in an off-season, especially a limited one.
2. S. Barkley is our running game and our only "proven" super-star. He must stay healthy and we must really utilize his receiving skills in space because that is where I think he can really kill teams.
3. OL - very hard to say what we'll have on the field game 1 but what I am pretty sure of is that we will see mistakes/missed assignments due to a shortened off-season. If for any reason Solder can't rebound a bit and handle RT, if his game has fallen off that much, well we cut him. We can't carry him as a backup if he can't win a starting job. It would be Gates or Fleming for RT. I'm actually more worried about OC because we only have Pulley and I predict he will start and that will be a major hole up the middle to Jones whose fumbling had a lot to do with immediate pressure.
4. CB Baker must return and be ready to go, a man who has learned from his mistakes. If he does somehow get convicted and sentenced for even a really short jail stint he'll be suspended for the year I'd say. We should know soon.
5. Safeties will be Peppers, Love, McKinney. I'm actually more worried about the slot unless McKinney or Love handle that somehow.
6. DL will be strong and I suspect L. Williams will be solid just not a probowl player due to his lack of pass rush excellence. But together as a unit I truly believe they shut down the run very well right out the gate.

Judge is a concern only in the sense that he has never been a HC. Will he handle the early failures well?

I still predict a 1-3 type start and that first win may be game 4 vs the Rams. I just see us looking "lost" early and it will cost us big plays.
...  
christian : 7/1/2020 8:26 pm : link
I think the Giants will continue to struggle in pass coverage. I love the Bradberry acquisition, and I love the McKinney pick. From there it gets iffy.

In obvious passing downs, I won’t be surprised to see Peppers come off the field. I can see Love, McKinney, Bradberry, Baker, Ballentine. I think those are the 5 best covers on the team, but I think Baker, Love, and Ballantine have a ton to prove.

I’m not a Peppers fan at all. His coverage numbers, while not as atrocious as the year before, were still unimpressive. And with Bethea off the field, I think he’s a major weak link now.
RE: ...  
SGMen : 7/1/2020 10:16 pm : link
In comment 14927584 christian said:
Quote:
I think the Giants will continue to struggle in pass coverage. I love the Bradberry acquisition, and I love the McKinney pick. From there it gets iffy.

In obvious passing downs, I won’t be surprised to see Peppers come off the field. I can see Love, McKinney, Bradberry, Baker, Ballentine. I think those are the 5 best covers on the team, but I think Baker, Love, and Ballantine have a ton to prove.

I’m not a Peppers fan at all. His coverage numbers, while not as atrocious as the year before, were still unimpressive. And with Bethea off the field, I think he’s a major weak link now.
Bethea was the worst FS I have ever seen. Period.
Peppers is a SS that works best close to the line of scrimmage and with plays in front of him. The "hope" as I gather would be that with his speed and athleticism he'd improve in coverage overall as he is fairly young. I hope he improves a bit but I'm not holding my breathe. The rest of the secondary has upside talent. That is about the best you can say: McKinney, Love, Beal (if healthy) Ballantine, Baker are all young and I think they will be good by mid-season or so.
I'm also now adding this tidbit: shortened preseason games means....  
SGMen : 7/1/2020 10:24 pm : link
....means we likely can't unveil too much of the offense and defense.

I see this team being vanilla: run, run, pass short.
On defense, a lot of basic stuff and not too much blitzing early.

We are going to be learning the offense and defense as the season goes. That means unless we really have those 2-3 bread n butter running plays that teams still struggle to stop (thinking like the Hogs had back in the day) and a total run stuffing defense that perhaps plays well inside the 20; well, we are going to really struggle now early
Back to the Corner