I was listening to a podcast on the Giants defense, and these stats were discussed:
1) Despite playing 2 high safeties the 5th most in the NFL, we rank we have gone from the 7th best on giving up explosive pass plays through the first five weeks of 2020 to the 21st. Notably, by the end of 2020, we actually ranked 3rd best so the devoluition is even worse if you consider where were were at the end of the year. Isn't one of the express purposes of Cover 2 to eliminate these exact plays. SO we are playing more Cover 2, we sign Adoree, Mckinney is in his 2nd year, and yet we are giving up significntly more chunk plays than last year. How did this happen? Maybe the answer is below in piont 2;
2) In 2020, we ranked 10th in pressure rate. This year? 30th. How? To me, there are only two real differences. LW is not the force he was last year. He's good, but not 2020 good. The other is Carter and Ximines coming back. I'm not saying Coughlin and Cam Brown are not flawed players, but I some them in the backfield a hell of a lot more frequently than Carter/Ximines.
I just don't get it.
I want to fight this defense. I know i'd lose but I hate it so much.
I don't know why they let Fackrell go so easy. He's better than Ximines easily.
Specifically McKinney has been flat out bad in the deep half role. He's taking terrible angles and making mistakes left and right.
Yes the corners haven't been great, the pass rush stinks, but they're not even doing what they did well last year.
I said it before the cowboys game, and I'll reiterate - I'd love for the Giants to just go back to a primarily cover 3, single high look. What they're doing isn't working...move mcKinney and Love around, zone drop them into those throwing lanes (curl flats and hooks), and let Ryan stay covering the middle 3rd zone.
I get they WANT to play 2 man, but if the safeties are out for position, and the CB thinks they have help it just doesn't work.
I don't know why they let Fackrell go so easy. He's better than Ximines easily.
Good point. I forgot about Fackrell. Big big loss
Specifically McKinney has been flat out bad in the deep half role. He's taking terrible angles and making mistakes left and right.
Yes the corners haven't been great, the pass rush stinks, but they're not even doing what they did well last year.
I said it before the cowboys game, and I'll reiterate - I'd love for the Giants to just go back to a primarily cover 3, single high look. What they're doing isn't working...move mcKinney and Love around, zone drop them into those throwing lanes (curl flats and hooks), and let Ryan stay covering the middle 3rd zone.
I get they WANT to play 2 man, but if the safeties are out for position, and the CB thinks they have help it just doesn't work.
Combine that we us playing a lot of "light boxes" and getting gashed in the run as well, and it's all a recipe for disaster. It's odd. It seems like between the Cover 2 and the light boxes, Graham is really trying to mask deficiencies in the secondary. Wasn't that supposed to be out strength?
Outside of Martinez and Ojulari this year, it's just a bunch of mid to late round jags.
The teams drafts like they're still a 4-3 defense, with emphasis on dline. The playmakers in a 3-4 are on the mid level.
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(about as much as I could stomach)...and there really have been some serious breakdowns in coverage.
Specifically McKinney has been flat out bad in the deep half role. He's taking terrible angles and making mistakes left and right.
Yes the corners haven't been great, the pass rush stinks, but they're not even doing what they did well last year.
I said it before the cowboys game, and I'll reiterate - I'd love for the Giants to just go back to a primarily cover 3, single high look. What they're doing isn't working...move mcKinney and Love around, zone drop them into those throwing lanes (curl flats and hooks), and let Ryan stay covering the middle 3rd zone.
I get they WANT to play 2 man, but if the safeties are out for position, and the CB thinks they have help it just doesn't work.
Combine that we us playing a lot of "light boxes" and getting gashed in the run as well, and it's all a recipe for disaster. It's odd. It seems like between the Cover 2 and the light boxes, Graham is really trying to mask deficiencies in the secondary. Wasn't that supposed to be out strength?
Exactly. The usage of more cover 3 last year vs the cover 2 this year did a few things -
1. It automatically made it harder to run as there was an additional defender closer to the Los.
2. It led to more turnover worthy plays of the defenses because they were creative with the zone blitz/disguising who was rushing vs dropping. (Example see the first cowboys game - Fackrell INT).
This defense can work if the players play better, but they're not.
They can't stop anyone when it matters.
Our defense is on it's hands and knees flagging naked in the last two minutes of the half or game.
Talkin' Giants made a note how most of Williams's sacks came when it was just he and BJ Hill.
Also, when Austin Johnson is in, they don't have a bad run defense. Loss of Tomlinson has no bearing on the current defense. The absence of Martinez, bad OLB play, mediocre play by Safeties and Bradberry not being a lock down like he was last year.
Like 8.5 or 9 of Williams sacks came with Tomlinson off the field...that's a hot take that gets passed around that the numbers just don't back up.
It's a harder truth to swallow that the roster wasn't great to begin with, everyone is playing worse than last year, and a very important player got hurt.
No secondary could function under these conditions. The rules of the sport favor offense.
If Bradberry has to play like a top 5 CB without fail and no margin for error for 18 weeks, it's not a well-run defense.
No secondary in the NFL works with a pass rush this toothless.
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It feels like five decades ago that we were trotting out Strahan, Osi, Tuck, AND Kiwi all @ the same time. Hell, I'd settle for ONE of them right now.
and people on this site will tell you that management did a decent job with this roster even though LW on his best day isn't close to a game-changer like Justin Tuck.
Skillset and body-type wise, Leonard Williams is more of a Keith Hamilton or Leonard Marshall.
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It feels like five decades ago that we were trotting out Strahan, Osi, Tuck, AND Kiwi all @ the same time. Hell, I'd settle for ONE of them right now.
and people on this site will tell you that management did a decent job with this roster even though LW on his best day isn't close to a game-changer like Justin Tuck.
I don't think anyone is happy with the roster..but you're take makes it seem as if the defensive scheme and coaching are completely absolved.
It is a football truth that rushing the passer has a direct benefit to secondary play.
It is also a football truth that no matter how much you pay your DBs, it doesn't mean they can cover as long as it takes. The top corners in the league will look worse because they are exposed. Under the rules as they sit, pass defense is extremely difficult. It's even harder when you can't rush the passer.
They chose to build the defense on a highly paid veteran secondary without a pass rush. It's flawed. It only worked last year with their key players having career-best seasons at the same time.
So why let him go?
The construction of this team is appalling. I literally think I could do it better myself and I am just an untutored fan.
It is a football truth that rushing the passer has a direct benefit to secondary play.
It is also a football truth that no matter how much you pay your DBs, it doesn't mean they can cover as long as it takes. The top corners in the league will look worse because they are exposed. Under the rules as they sit, pass defense is extremely difficult. It's even harder when you can't rush the passer.
They chose to build the defense on a highly paid veteran secondary without a pass rush. It's flawed. It only worked last year with their key players having career-best seasons at the same time.
Sure I agree, but by the same token it is the responsibility of the coaches to put who is actually on the field right now in the best positions to succeed. So far, I don't think that's happened in 2021. I also happen to like Judge and Graham very much, and they have an opportunity to build a sustainable program with better roster construction.
The big question I have for them, is that they clearly went into the season with a plan to play more man coverage and attack the LoS than they did last year.
Theyve tried it, and it hasn't worked because a few key players aren't playing well. I want to see the adjustments, and not have to wait until mid November to see them.
As a fan of the Xs and Os, there are plays being left on the field with the group we have.
Probably never.
Let's remember that he played football for ODU, not big time college ball. He was another toolsy project "pass rusher".
The entire Defense is playing poorly, both veterans and young guys, highly paid and lower paid. Makes no difference...