Big Blue View mailbag: Defensive line, Eli Manning, Shane Bowen, more

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Taj Siddiqi asks: I am curious to know what is going on with the development of D.J. Davidson drafted fourth round 2022 and Jordon Riley drafted 7th round 2023. Are they any where near contributing this season. Have you heard any positive comments from their coaches or saw them being prominent during mini camp/OTAs?

Both seemed to have pretty decent college careers what is that holding them back in NFL?

Ed says: Taj, we have not had the opportunity to speak with position coaches yet this offseason. We may get that chance during mandatory minicamp next week.

It is really impossible for any defensive — or offensive — lineman to be “prominent” at this time of year. There are no pads and practices are non-contact.

As for Davidson and Riley, these are limited, rotational players drafted who have contributed some the past two years. Davidson was a fifth-round pick, and Riley, as you said, a seventh. What’s holding them back? I would ask, what more should be expected from Day 3 draft picks than what they have done?

There is a reason the Giants drafted Darius Alexander, and signed Chauncey Golston Roy Robertson-Harris, and Jeremiah Ledbetter. They are looking for upgrades. I would think both Davidson and Riley are going to have a difficult time making the roster.

rjalbro asks: The new travel ban that is being instituted, will that have any effect on the international games slated for this coming season?

Ed says: RJ, as far as I can tell, the answer is no. At least for the teams. The order includes “specific exemptions for the World Cup and Olympics, along with any “other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State.” I would think NFL games would fall under that umbrella.

As for fans who may be hoping to travel to those games, I would check on travel restrictions wherever you may be intending to go.

Al Fiume asks: Given what looks like a dangerous defense at least on paper, is there confidence Bowen will be creative enough? I feel Wink would have loved to coach this defense, he was always in attack mode.

Ed says: Al, here is the same answer I gave to this question a few weeks ago:

“ … the job of a coach is to put his players in the best position to succeed. That means figuring out what they do best and allowing them to do it, not simply plugging them in to a system and making them fit in.

“Do I think Shane Bowen might have been guilty of not being flexible enough in certain areas last season? Sure. But, he has now had a year to learn his players and you hope that both he and the players benefit from that.

“Bowen will never play the amount of man-to-man coverage Wink Martindale did. Few do. It is what both Deonte Banks and Paulson Adebo do best, though, and he needs to lean into that. Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll need to make sure he knows that.

“As for Abdul Carter, I think there are plenty of sub packages and ways to mix and match personnel. I have to believe the Giants will figure it out.”

Bowen was asked specifically about changing his scheme to fit players’ skillsets before a recent OTA. Here is some of what he said:

“I think that’s a big part of coaching. We got to make sure we’re doing everything we can to put these guys individually in positions they’re most successful at, right, to make sure we’re comfortable … doing our best to maximize their skillsets to what they’re most comfortable at, putting them in positions to do things … Always trying to evolve. You never want to stay the same.”

Douglas asks: There is nothing left to say until the first preseason game. So I have a totally different question. Perhaps I am looking at the Eli era through blue glasses, but did Eli ever make a bad mistake at a really big moment? He made plenty of bonehead plays during his career, but to the best of my recollection, not when the money was in the center of the table. What’s the most consequential mistake that you ever saw Eli make.

Ed says: Douglas, like every quarterback Eli Manning made plenty of mistakes. You don’t throw 244 career interceptions, 12th-most all-time, without making some bone-headed decisions.

I am not one of those people who can instantly recall every game, or remembers every detail of a guy’s career. So, let’s look at his advanced splits from Pro Football Reference. manning threw 78 fourth-quarter interceptions, so 32% of his picks were late in games. Some were desperation, but there were bad decisions in there, as well. He threw 34 red zone interceptions and 40 interceptions in the black zone, inside his own 20-yard line. Again, some of those had to be costly mistakes by the quarterback.

You want ONE bad mistake that has always stuck with me? I guarantee this will seem random, and I have no idea why this one play sticks with me. It also is not entirely Manning’s fault. Week 4 2012 in a 19-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles the Giants have the ball at the Eagles’ 26-yard line with 25 seconds to play, in perfect range for a game-winning Lawrence Tynes field goal.

Rather than play for the game-winning field goal they were already in range for, offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride dials up a deep pass on second-and-9. Manning completes the ball near the goal line to Ramses Barden. The receiver, though, is called for offensive pass interference, the Giants get pushed back 10 yards and Tynes comes up barely short from 54 yards.

The Giants lose the game. They fall a game short of reaching the playoffs. Change the outcome of that play, they make the playoffs. Why is Gilbride being greedy? Why doesn’t Manning check out of the play? Why throw the ball to Barden, aguy who had 29 catches in four years? The whole thing was completely unnecessary, and it cost the Giants a chance to defend their Super Bowl title.

In typical fashion, Manning took Gilbride and Barden off the hook by blaming himself.

Kölnerbigblue asks: As a follow-up to the question by the legendary Doug Mollin, have the Giants given any thought to using Jamie Gillan for kick-off duties to reduce the strain on Gano’s leg? It’s a different skill from punting but if we keep Gano, we should reduce the strain on his leg at his old age.

Ed says: Kolner, perhaps having Gillan kick off is worth consideration. Still, while what your are proposing takes away some stress from Graham Gano’s leg, it adds stress to Gillan’s. That’s a lot of extra practice and game kicks using a completely different kicking motion. Remember that Gillan missed four games last season due to a hamstring injury. With that in mind, it might be something the Giants want to shy away from.

With less emphasis on kicking for touchbacks, and the fact that height/hang time on kickoffs no longer matters, there is not as much stress on kickoffs as there once was for placekickers. So, it might not be a big deal.

Rodney Ellerstein asks: The league is a copy cat league as we all know. Do you see the Giants trying to use our running backs as the Detroit Lions use do theirs? Tyrone Tracy taking the roll of Jahymr Gibbs and Cam Skattebo as the David Montgomery. Both our backs have good hands and can be assets in the passing game. Getting the most playmakers on the field at once seems like a necessity. Any little wrinkle to keep some of the attention off Nabers and keep defenses on their toes makes us more explosive.

Ed says: Rodney, I don’t want to be flippant but I think the Giants will use Tracy as Tracy and Skattebo as Skattebo. Different players, different offenses.

Now, could they be used together on occasions? Sure. Remember, though, somebody has to come off the field for two running backs to be on the field. Who is that going to be?

Doug Mollin asks: In Tony’s Lessons for 2025 article, he closed with this line: Do they now have players who will make big plays at important times to win games? The 2024 Giants were in the thick of it in most of the games they lost, but rarely did anyone make a big play to seal the deal. Not the starters, and not the key reserves. Talent-wise, this Giants roster may not be far off from that of the 2005 team.

Do you agree that this roster has the potential for finally making some big plays when needed?

The whole defense to me seems capable of game changing plays, both the stars and the depth.

On offense, I don’t see the same kind of potential outside of Nabers. But, the floor has definitely been raised so maybe the offense helps by playing solid, mistake-free football more than game changing plays. Just get competent solid play and let the defense lead the way?

Ed says: Doug, if you read my position-by-position “better or worse?” series after the draft you know that I think every position on the roster is at least potentially better than it was a year ago.

There aren’t many, if any, positions on the roster where you think, “oh, he’s a good player, but he doesn’t have any help from the other guys at his position.”

Something I have said for years is that the Giants need “more game-changing players.” With guys like Malik Nabers, Paulson Adebo, Jevon Holland, Abdul Carter, Brian Burns and potentially improved quarterback play added to the roster over the past two years I think that the Giants have made strides in that area.

Tony DelGenio and I talked on my podcast this week about the idea that this is beginning to have a more “old-school Giants” feel, where it’s defense first and the offense doesn’t necessarily have to be prolific.

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