Over the second half of their Week 6 game against the Philadelphia Eagles and the first three quarters of Week 7 against the Denver Broncos, the New York Giants’ defense played five consecutive quarters of shutout football. Over the final quarter against the Broncos and Week 8 against the Eagles, that same defense gave up 71 points.
What gives?
“It’s disappointing, it’s frustrating,” Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said this week. “It’s been a drastic change here. I think just with our guys, making sure we’re getting back to who we are, right? And what we want to be about and don’t let one thing snowball on us and keep playing, keep finding solutions, keep working on the practice field. And I’m confident that we’re going to do that this week.”
How do the Giants, last in the league in yards allowed per rushing attempt (5.7) and 26th in points allowed, fix it?
“I think specifically on Sunday, it was probably one of our worst tackling games. I think tackling showed up,” Bowen said. “I think just making sure we’re defined in where we’re at in terms of gap control. Not lying to the guys behind us, it gets a little gray, then it gets a little loose. And then good backs find it, and they exploit it. So, making sure we’re doing a good job of being where we’re supposed to be, controlling our gaps.
“It’s not one group, it’s not one guy, it’s not the players, it’s everybody. All of us together in this thing and things we have to get fixed as we go here.”
Back to Banks
A couple of weeks ago, Deonte Banks was out of the cornerback rotation. Now, with Paulson Adebo nursing a knee injury and Cor’Dale Flott still in the concussion protocol, the Giants are having to rely on the thus-far disappointing former first-round pick.
“I think he’s been good even throughout training camp when they were battling it out, him and Flott. I think he’s been engaged,” Bowen said. “He comes in, he works every day. Never going to be perfect with any of these guys. There’s always plays, but I do think he’s taking the next step. And just being a pro in what it takes week in and week out.”
Replacing Skattebo
With Cam Skattebo lost for the season, the Giants will have to turn back to Tyrone Tracy and Devin Singletary as their primary backs. Fortunately, both have had success in the NFL.
“You have a guy like that [Skattebo] that gets hurt in that kind of way, it’s certainly a downer. But again, Tracy, Motor [Singletary], those guys are going to step up and do a heck of a job in terms of carrying the load in the run game, in the pass game,” offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said. They do a phenomenal job, and they’re pros, right? I mean, these guys are starters in the league and we have full confidence in those two.
“Any time we get a guy in the game, we want to build that play, that system around the strengths of those players. So, whether it’s Tracy, whether it’s Motor, we go back and we say, we know who these players are. They’ve been with us now for a little while, so we understand what they’re good at, we understand where their strengths and weaknesses are and so we try to put them in the best position to be successful.”
Mr. Robinson
Wan’Dale Robinson leads the Giants in receptions with 38 and yards receiving with 494. His 13.0 yards per reception average is well above his 9.1 yards per catch career average.
“I think Wan’Dale is probably, he is our most consistent receiver in terms of assignment, in terms of detail, in terms of knowledge of the offense,” Kafka said. “He’s been here, he has a lot of time on task on it. We’re playing him in a bunch of different spots, inside, outside, motions. Over the course of the years, you’ve seen him in the backfield too. So, he does a lot for us, he’s a critical piece of that, and he does a great job, whether we’re in different personnel groupings. I mean, he talks with everybody and communicates really at a high level. Really, he’s one of those main pieces, main cogs of the offense that kind of keeps this thing going.“
Keeping Gano healthy
Placekicker Graham Gano returned to action last week after missing four games with a groin injury. The 38-year-old has now missed time in three straight seasons due to leg injuries.
Special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial admitted the Giants will have to balance preparation with keeping Gano healthy.
“We’re going to exhaust every option in terms of just making certain that he is consistent and healthy every week. I know that’s something that he loves to stay connected to as well, making sure he takes care of his body,” said Ghobrial. “So, whether it’s monitoring some of the reps he’s taking, but at the end of the day, he still needs to get enough reps in those practices to make sure that he feels ready for the game and I don’t think you can shortchange that by truly cutting those reps by a lot.”
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