Tidbits from weekly coordinator press conferences
New York Giants coordinators Shane Bowen, Mike Kafka and Michael Ghobrial addressed a wide variety of topics during their media availabilities this week. Here are some of the things we learned.
Facing an ‘elite quarterback’
Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen was asked about the growth in Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels’ game from Week 2, the first time the Giants and Commanders played, to now.
“I think early on, I don’t know how much (Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin) 17 was utilized going into that game for us. Obviously that connection has skyrocketed over the past few weeks here. He’s having a heck of a year. The shots down the field, they’re on target, they’re catchable balls,” Bowen said. “I think the run game is always a factor, the scrambles, everything with him. I mean even with the ribs last week; I think he had eight carries for 52 or something like that. So that’s always part of it, but you see the growth, especially in the passing game, you see the growth from him getting more comfortable back there. He can make every throw. He’s able to make every throw going into the first game too. So, elite quarterback as a rookie who can really do a lot of things that can hurt you.”
Brian Burns’ football IQ
Bowen said the thing that has surprised him about Brian Burns, acquired via trade this offseason, is how football savvy he is.
“I would say the daily approach, the weekly approach, the mental aspect of him. You never really know what you’re going to get from that standpoint. You guys see all the film just like we do and what he’s able to do from a skill set standpoint. But the football knowledge, the football IQ, the ability to talk protections, talk how offensive linemen are playing him. All those things correlate to being able to find success on the field,” Bowen said. “Those are those little advantages that he’s able to kind of create for himself because of that. So, I would say that’s probably the one thing just not really surprised by, just didn’t really know where that stood coming in.”
‘Not the expectation’
Special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial broke down what happened on the 73-yard punt return touchdown Calvin Austin of the Pittsburgh Steelers had against the Giants on Monday.
“Obviously that’s not the expectation when we hit the field,” Ghobrial said. “Our job is to make sure that we flip the field, that we tackle the ball well and when we pin the opponent inside the 20 it’s on those situations where we’re plus territory. So, every time we take the field, that is what is expected. On that specific play, whenever you give something like that up, it’s never just one guy. There’s a combination of things and I ultimately got to do a better job of coaching all those fundamentals the right way.
“To give you some points, we got to make sure that we’re matching hang and distance to tie everything together. We got to make sure that we’re spreading the net and having good spacing and distribution across the whole punt team. Credit to the (Pittsburgh) Steelers and Calvin. Obviously, a proven returner with real speed. That’s something we’ve obviously learned and we got to take it to practice and make sure we’re executing the next time we’re out there.”
Practice makes perfect
Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said the practice habits of rookie running back Tyrone Tracy are a part of his success thus far.
“I think Tracy, every day, has come to work, continuing to get better. Things that he sees in practice that’s maybe not super clean or not perfect, they get the adjustments, they get it fixed and the next day it looks a lot better,” Kafka said. “Going through that process with a young player potentially seeing some things for the first time, which happens. But he’s done a great job of seeing it and being presented with those things and keep on working on it.”
