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Giants news, 12/13: Kayvon Thibodeaux status, Abdul Carter, more

Good morning, New York Giants fans!

From Big Blue View

Other Giant observations

Giants survey results: Fans want Joe Schoen out, are frustrated with Abdul Carter | The Athletic

Given the Giants’ struggles amid multiple GM and coaching changes, fans have continued to emphasize ownership’s role in the last decade of dysfunction. The numbers were pretty similar this year, with 78.2 percent of respondents here having limited confidence (a vote of 1 or 2) in ownership to steer the franchise in the right direction compared to 72.5 percent last year. But the reality is the team is still partially owned by its founding family, and that’s not likely to change soon. While the Giants sold a minority stake in the franchise this year to Julia Koch and her family, it’s still the Mara and Tisch families making the major decisions — for better or worse.

Stats show how elite Andrew Thomas has been

A lot of names are flying around, but we pared down this annual list to the most interesting candidates. Dan Graziano’s ranked the top nine head coach candidates based on what I’m hearing, and included one wild card at the bottom who might not be available. They are: Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator, Denver Broncos; Chris Shula, defensive coordinator, Los Angeles Rams; Jeff Hafley, defensive coordinator, Green Bay Packers; Matt Nagy, offensive coordinator, Kansas City Chiefs; Joe Brady, offensive coordinator, Buffalo Bills; Robert Saleh, defensive coordinator, San Francisco 49ers; Jesse Minter, defensive coordinator, Los Angeles Chargers; 8. Klint Kubiak, offensive coordinator, Seattle Seahawks; and Arthur Smith, offensive coordinator, Pittsburgh Steelers. The wild card: Kevin Stefanski, head coach, Cleveland Browns.

Giants’ return to respectability starts with competing in NFC East | New York Daily News

Sunday is an opportunity for the Giants to accomplish something they rarely do: Win a game in their division. The Giants have a 5-17-1 record in the NFC East in Joe Schoen’s four years as GM, good for a measly .217 winning percentage in the division.

And they are 1-3 this season so far with a loss to each division foe, one win over Philly and two games remaining: one each against Washington and Dallas. Sunday’s game technically means nothing for the Giants (2-11), who were the first team eliminated from the playoffs for a second straight NFL season. But if the Giants want to stop being a league-wide punch line, they can start by winning some games in their own division.

Q: Your team speech the day after the New England game made the rounds. Are you surprised that people are surprised you have that side to you?

Kafka: It’s one of those things, the team meetings, they’re such a special, unique part of the team because you’re just in there with literally everybody on the team. Those messages, that was an example of something getting kind of cut up and sliced, which is fine, but the team meetings, the group meetings, those individual meetings with the players, those are so special in terms of the players and the coaches. I think it’s cool for the fans to get an inside look of what that looks like. It’s not necessarily like that every time. There are different messages for different weeks, different days, but you try to build something that I think can reach the players and do what’s best for the players. I don’t really necessarily mind how people think or view us. All I care about is how the guys inside that team meeting view me and view the messaging and view the team. So that’s really kind of where my mind is at on it. It is what it is…It’s raw. It’s different. But that’s really special in terms of the access. It’s really cool for the fans to see that because it is kind of a sacred space.

Baldy: Kafka not an option for Giants next year

11 Outrageous Next Gen Stats entering Week 15 | NFL.com

10. Abdul Carter outside the box score. Browsing Abdul Carter box scores can be misleading. The third overall pick of this year’s NFL Draft has 1.5 sacks and 13 quarterback hits this season; however, Next Gen Stats has painted a clearer picture of Carter’s impact. The rookie has a 20.7 pressure rate after facing a double team, the highest in the NFL by almost five percentage points (Danielle Hunter, 15.8; minimum 25 double teams). Additionally, Carter has 28 quick pressures this season. The list of players with more would all be Defensive Player of the Year candidates if Myles Garrett didn’t exist: Micah Parsons (34), Nik Bonitto (34), and Will Anderson Jr. (32).

The Giants will score 30 or more points. As badly as this season has been record-wise, the Giants have a .05 EPA per play with Dart on the field. That would put them 13th, one spot behind the Seahawks. And that’s good enough to put up a huge number against the Commanders’ defense.

Is prominent Giants player running out of chances to earn long-term contract? | NJ.com

Thibodeaux last played Nov. 9 in Chicago. This would be his fourth straight missed game since then, after he played the first 10 this year. He hasn’t practiced at all since that Bears game.

At this point, Thibodeaux is still due to play next season on his fully guaranteed fifth-year option, which is worth $14.7 million. Whether the Giants rip that up and give him a long-term deal will partly depend on whether Schoen keeps his job past this season.

Eli tests Giants superfan

How Fernando Mendoza can reshape Giants and Jets’ future at NFL Draft | The Record

Last Saturday night, Fernando Mendoza introduced himself to the football world and the NFL landscape by leading the Indiana Hoosiers to their first Big Ten championship since 1967.

Here’s this prized quarterback, aspiring national champion and the sport’s hottest draft prospect having arrived in the Big Apple for the Heisman Trophy festivities ready for his moment.

The Giants’ Hannah Burnett is a rarity in the NFL: A female area scout. “I just try to be myself. Showing them I’m here to do a job just like everybody else is, just like the guys are. I take my job extremely seriously.”

This week’s opponent

3 keys to Commanders vs. Giants | Commanders.com

Despite being held to just 107 rushing yards last Sunday, the running game remains the best thing about the Commanders’ offense. Although they’re 13th in rushing attempts, they rank fourth in rushing yards per game and seventh in rushing yards per attempt. They’re particularly effective when running to the left, as the combination of Laremy Tunsil and Chris Paul has created several running lanes.

The Commanders are set up to have a strong day on the ground at MetLife Stadium. The Giants are 31st in rushing yards allowed per game and allow the seventh most rushing first downs in the league. They’vealso allowed the third most rushing touchdowns this season. And one more thing: they’re allowing 5.8 yards per carry — the most in the league.

Despite offensive troubles largely due to injuries, Washington remains one of the NFL’s better rushing teams — ranking fourth in yards per game and seventh in yards per carry. Two weeks ago, the Commanders nearly upset Denver by rushing for 143 yards against the NFL’s second-best run defense. Now, they’ll face the league’s 31st-rated rush defense. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said they have leaned more into the run game this season because they’re not as “wide open” with what they can do compared with 2024. “It’s been the best thing that we’ve done, so we got to definitely lean on that,” he said. RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. (groin) could benefit if healthy — he has averaged more than 5.0 yards per carry in three of his past five games.