Through 11 weeks of the season, the Detroit Lions find themselves on the outside looking in when it comes to the NFC playoffs. It’s not a spot they could have anticipated finding themselves in, but there’s still time for them to figure out what it will take to get back into the playoff picture and chase their goal of winning a Super Bowl.
This week, we had the pleasure of connecting with Edward Valentine of Big Blue View to give us some insight into a New York Giants football team that’s going through changes. We got some insight into the makeup of this football team now that an interim head coach is running the show, who’s left to make a difference on offense now that their rookie quarterback is set to return, and much more in the lead up to this Week 12 matchup.
The Giants decided to relieve Brian Daboll of his duties as head coach after a 2-8 start this season. What’s your read on the team in wake of that decision, and how do you feel they responded to interim head coach Mike Kafka last week against the Packers? After losing four games where the team held a fourth quarter lead, is it fair to characterize them as a group that just hasn’t learned how to close out games?
Players have all been complimentary of the work Kafka has done so far. They say he has brought energy and a good message. They played hard on Sunday against the Packers, they just weren’t good enough to win.Yes, it is fair to characterize them as a team that doesn’t know how to win. That is particularly true on the defensive side. The offense fights, scraps, and claws and on a week-to-week basis over performs what you would expect it to be capable of without Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo. The defense has vastly under-performed expectations all season.
The defensive front for the Giants is an impressive group of talent. Brian Burns (37 pressures), Abdul Carter (35), and Kayvon Thibodeaux (32) are among the top-31 edge defenders in pressures according to PFF. Dexter Lawrence is t-10th in pass-rush win rate (14.2%) among interior defenders.
Interestingly enough, the Giants rank just 23rd in pressure rate (33.2%) according to NFL Pro, and their pass defense ranks 20th in DVOA. While the individual numbers of the Giants best pass rushers are impressive, why do these other metrics suggest they’re below average in stopping the pass as a unit? Should they be blitzing more than they do? They’re pretty middle of the road when it comes to blitz rate (25.9%) according to NFL Pro.
Pressures are all well and good, but aside from Brian Burns, no one in the front is actually MAKING PLAYS. Carter and Lawrence each have a half-sack. Thibodeaux has 2.5. The secondary is terrible. No one seems capable of making a play on the ball. Even when guys are covered, they find ways to catch the ball. The only real chance the Giants have against the pass is to get sacks, and Burns is the only one doing it.
Jaxson Dart looks like he could be back under center for New York this week. How much would his return move the needle for your confidence in this offense, and do you have any insight into how Dart might be used differently with Kafka at the helm?
It would mean a lot. Jameis Winston did a nice job on Sunday vs. Green Bay, but Dart is the future of the Giants’ offense and the engine that drives everything—especially without Nabers and Skattebo.
The interesting thing about Dart’s usage is that he is a really good runner, but the Giants might have become over-reliant on that and it probably contributed to Daboll’s firing. Dart was concussed on a designed QB run.
There has been a lot of talk about reinforcing with Dart that he needs to take fewer hits, or about the idea of using him less on designed runs. The other thing is, if the game is a blowout the Giants need to either get him out or stop slamming into the line with designed runs.
Losing their top receiver in Malik Nabers and their leading rusher in rookie Cam Skattebo, who have the Giants turned to with the opportunity for more targets and carries, and who has done the most with their chances?
Fourth-year slot receiver Wan’Dale Robinson is having an excellent year. The problem is he is 5-foot-8, 185 pounds with the shortest arms of any receiver in the league so it becomes difficult sometimes to get him the ball. Second-year tight end Theo Johnson is a promising player and a massive 6-6, 264-pound target. He is just inconsistent and drops too many balls. Isaiah Hodgins had five catches last week after being signed off Pittsburgh’s practice squad and practicing for two days.
Heading into Week 10, the Giants were playing more man coverage on defense than any other team in the league (44.4%). Is this something that runs consistent with Shane Bowen’s first year as defensive coordinator last year? What kind of defensive personnel groupings do the Giants tend to rely on?
Man coverage really isn’t what Bowen did in Tennessee. It’s really the personnel he has in New York. Bowen, honestly, is an uncomfortable fit as Giants’ defensive coordinator. He really wants to just rush four without a lot of games, stunts, disguise and play coverage behind it—and it’s not working. He isn’t getting the production to match the talent.
As for personnel groupings, does it matter if guys don’t get to the quarterback, don’t execute their assignments against the run, don’t run to the football, don’t tackle well and can’t play the ball in the air?
[Editor’s note: Fair questions!]
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