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Camp Confidential: New York Giants

 

August, 6, 2013

 

 

By Dan Graziano | ESPN.com

 

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The buzzword around the New York Giants the past few years has been "consistency." As in, they need to find ways to be more consistent week-to-week, month-to-month in order to achieve their goal of making the playoffs. When they make the playoffs, the Giants are a threat to win the Super Bowl, as they showed two seasons ago. But in three of the past four seasons, they have failed to qualify for the postseason.

 

The issue, ironically, is that for all of their in-season inconsistencies, the Giants are actually one of the most consistent teams in the league year-to-year. Their regular-season win totals the past four seasons are 8, 10, 9 and 9. There are teams all over the league that would kill for that kind of consistency -- to stay annually in the division race deep into December and be in position to get themselves into what Giants general manager Jerry Reese calls "the tournament." But for the Giants, it's not good enough.

 

"I guess we are consistent when you look at it that way. So we need to be better," quarterback Eli Manning said before Giants training camp practice Friday. "We expect to be a team that can get 11 wins, that can get 12 wins in a season. So I think it's really just playing to our potential, is really what we're saying. We've got to avoid the bad games. We should be in every game we play."

 

There are multiple levels on which to attack the problem. Manning himself says he's working to improve his accuracy, especially insofar as it helps the Giants get back to hitting big plays in the passing game. Around him the offensive line and the receiving corps are working to get and stay healthy and be cohesive. The run game is transitioning to younger players. On the other side of the ball, the Giants hope the pass rush can rebound from a 33-sack season (the Giants' lowest team total in that category since 2009) and return to the dominant form that helped it win the Super Bowl two seasons ago. If that happens, they believe the secondary will play better and a defense that allowed the second-most yards in the NFL last year will necessarily improve its ability to control games and steer away from the annual potholes.

 

"Since I've been here, we've kind of fallen into that same trap. We've had that midseason letdown," said safety Antrel Rolle, who's entering his fourth season with the Giants. "And I'm not quite sure why that's happened, but we definitely need to break that mind frame and get above the nine, 10 wins, because we're better than that. Our standards are way beyond that."

 

The Giants are holding training camp this year at their regular-season practice facility, mere yards from the stadium in which the Super Bowl will be played six months from now. The view of hulking MetLife Stadium from their practice fields, along with the Super Bowl countdown clock Reese installed in the locker room, is making sure the Giants keep their very high goals in mind as they prepare for the 2013 season.

 

THREE HOT ISSUES

 

 

 

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1. Who will carry the ball? With mainstay Ahmad Bradshaw off to Indianapolis, the running game is in the hands of 2012 first-round pickDavid Wilson and Andre Brown, who was the Giants' goal-line back before an injury ended the 2012 season for him. Wilson has everyone excited because of his game-breaking potential, but it's clear that whichever of these guys shows the most as a pass-blocker will get the bulk of the carries.

 

"You really can't play unless you can protect the quarterback," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "Fortunately, those two young men as well as our other running backs have had the opportunity to look at Ahmad's film and get a better understanding of the complexities of our protection packages. Those two guys are very, very fast and very skilled, and we definitely believe in the balance theory. To play great football, we're going to have to run the ball."

 

Expect a carry split not unlike what the Giants have shown in years past. But if Wilson shows he can stay on the field for three downs, he could emerge as a star. No Giants back in recent memory has been as explosive a runner as he is.

 

2. Can they get to the quarterback? The pass rush is in flux as well. Osi Umenyiora is in Atlanta. Jason Pierre-Paul is recovering from back surgery and may not be ready for Week 1. Justin Tuck has 12.5 sacks in his last 32 games. Mathias Kiwanuka is moving back up to the line after a couple of years in the linebacking corps. And they only had 33 sacks last year. The Giants, historically, do not have the kind of success they intend to have without a dominating pass rush.

 

Tuck says he's rejuvenated after two tough years -- healthier than he's been in any camp since 2010. He's in the final year of his contract, and if he looks like his old self this year, he and the team will benefit dramatically. Toughening up inside at defensive tackle should help as well, and if Pierre-Paul makes a full recovery, this will be a driven unit capable of much bigger things.

 

3. Last stand for the old guard? "Me worrying about contracts or things that are going to happen in the future doesn't really help me in the present," Tuck said after practice last Friday. "I've never been a player that played the game for money or played for a big contract. If I did, don't you think I'd have been more inclined to play well the last two years and not have to worry about the contract now? I just want to go out there and prove to people that Justin Tuck can do still do his job very well."

 

Tuck's feelings echo those of teammates David Diehl and Corey Webster. All three are proud Giant champions who took a lot of criticism for their disappointing play in 2012. All three are determined to play better in 2013. All three are likely done in New York next year if they don't. The Giants are placing a big bet on the professional and personal pride of some of their title-team cornerstones. They're all talking tough in August, but it's got to translate into turn-back-the-clock production for the Giants' key veterans.

 

REASON FOR OPTIMISM

 

 

 

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Manning is always the biggest reason for optimism in East Rutherford. Steady, reliable and capable of making every clutch throw there is, the Giants' franchise quarterback is the sun around which their current universe revolves. With Victor Cruz back in the fold after an offseason contract dispute, Rueben Randle looking good as he prepared for his second season, the young legs in the run game, and a new tight end in Brandon Myers who caught 79 passes in Oakland last season, Manning is surrounded by exciting weapons on offense. And if top receiver Hakeem Nicks can shake his latest offseason injury bout and stay healthy all year, this is an offense capable of scoring a lot of points in a hurry.

 

REASON FOR PESSIMISM

 

The one issue on offense -- and it's a big one -- is the blocking. Bradshaw was a great blocking back, and as we've already discussed we don't know what Wilson and Brown can bring as blockers over a full season. Martellus Bennett was a great run-blocking tight end, and that's not a strength of Myers' game. Diehl is proud, determined and worthy of the benefit of the doubt, but he's coming off a bad season. Interior offensive linemenChris Snee and David Baas have struggled the past few years with injuries. All of the skill-position talent is exciting, but it could be undone if the Giants can't answer some of their big blocking questions.

 

OBSERVATION DECK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Rolle said that when Kenny Phillips went down with his injury problems last year, he had to play a lot in the box while fellow safety Stevie Brown handled the post safety role. Brown did collect eight interceptions in that role, but the Giants want him to be more versatile now that Phillips is gone and he's a full-time starter. Having a full training camp to work as a starter is helping Brown become the kind of interchangeable safety they need him and Rolle to be. "We already know he's a ballhawk and can go and he can go get the ball and do something with it once he gets it," Rolle said. "Now he's showing us that he can play in the box and definitely be a versatile safety."
  
• They don't want to talk about it because they don't want to give away their plans, but the Giants have worked on some different alignments of the defensive front seven this camp. Usually a strict 4-3 team, the Giants have tried some 3-4 looks or some hybrid looks that ask their defensive ends to stand up and either play outside linebacker or at least look as though they might. The idea is to confuse the offense and possibly to be in better position to react to the run-heavy, read-option offenses in Washington and maybe Philadelphia.
  
• Third-year cornerback Prince Amukamara is healthy and hoping to build on his solid second season. He said his goal is to play well enough that he's able to stay on one side and Webster on the other side of the field for the whole game, rather than having Webster assigned to the other team's No. 1 receiver regardless of where he lines up. The coaches say that's their goal for their cornerbacks as well, and Amukamara's strong camp is leading them to believe they can play that way.
  
• Former Eagle Cullen Jenkins has worked some at defensive end as well as tackle. His experience playing different positions in 3-4 and 4-3 fronts could help the Giants if they plan to be varied and have multiple looks on defense.
  
• Randle, the team's second-round pick in 2012, is a big-bodied outside threat who could keep Cruz in the slot where he's at his best. It's still premature to project Randle as Nicks' long-term replacement, but from what I saw he's a guy who knows how to use his size and his leaping ability to out-fight a defensive back for a ball in traffic. His speed becomes more of an asset the further he gets down the field, because of his long strides.
  
• The biggest-impact 2013 draft pick could be second-rounder Johnathan Hankins, who looks like a valuable part of the rotation at defensive tackle. Third-rounder Damontre Moore is at least a situational pass-rusher at this point, and it's easy to see the way those playmaking instincts help him get off the ball and into the backfield. First-round pick Justin Pugh isn't running with the first team (and he's actually out right now with a concussion), but they have worked him at tackle and guard and they believe he's going to be a valuable long-term piece for them at some position on the line. Right now, though, he's clearly behind Diehl at right tackle.
  
• We've come this far without mentioning linebacker, and I don't have much to report. Between their nickel packages, the three-safety looks they like so much, and the possibility that they might show some 3-4 here and there, it's just not a high-priority spot. Spencer Paysinger is making a push for the starting spot at weakside linebacker, with Keith Rivers on the strong side and Mark Herzlich in the middle at least so far. But I think the linebacker alignment could depend on who shows something on special teams.
  

[Herc]

here's the insider article on their defense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is Giants' secondary improved?

 

New York needs to have injury luck and more production from D-line

 

 

Originally Published: August 6, 2013By Gary Horton | ESPN Insider

 

 

 

 

 

The New York Giants' secondary took a step back in 2012 for a variety of reasons. A combination of inconsistent play, too many injuries, mental mistakes and -- perhaps worst of all -- a usually terrific pass rush that disappeared, forced the back end of this defense to hold up in coverage for too long. The Giants were near the bottom of the league in most pass defense categories and gave up an alarming number of big plays; by the end of the season they played with little confidence.

 

 

This offseason, the Giants lost a key veteran in free agency -- safety Kenny Phillips -- and did very little to add to this group. However, after watching a lot of film on this defense in the past week, the back end of this defense could be improved this season if a couple things go right for New York.

 

 

Let's examine why the secondary could be improved for the Giants:

 

 

 

The scheme

 

 

 

 

It seems like this 4-3 defense has simplified its schemes under defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, and they will be very assignment-oriented. They prefer not to blitz a lot, with a real rush-four, drop-seven approach, and while they will play some combo coverages, they try to not put their defensive backs on an island in a lot of man coverages. We will see Cover 2 and Cover 3 looks, and the Giants really like to roll out their 4-2-5 "big nickel" package, which features three safeties. This look -- which takes a linebacker off the field and replaces him with a safety -- helps them athletically and in coverage, but could hurt their physicality versus the run.

 

 

If the Giants don't improve significantly from their lowly 33 sacks a year ago, it could force them to blitz more in order to apply pressure -- and that is not a good thing for this unit.

 

 

 

 

What about the pass rush?

 

 

 

 

When a team notches an impressive 48 sacks in 2011 and that number drops to 33 in 2012, it negatively affects the entire defense. With DE Osi Umenyiora now in Atlanta, there is a lot of work to be done to improve this front four. Jason Pierre-Paul must develop more counter moves and not just rely on his natural ability in order to build back up from the 6.5 sacks he recorded last season. Hybrid OLB/DE Mathias Kiwanuka probably will play a lot more snaps with his hand in the dirt, and both his edge rush quickness and athletic ability are excellent. This gives the Giants a potentially good three-man rotation at DE -- along with veteranJustin Tuck -- but there is no margin for error.

 

 

We know the Giants love their "NASCAR" package -- where they line up four athletic pass-rushers to get good blocking matchups -- but where is that fourth DE that they need to run it? For the first time in recent memory there are concerns about this unit.

 

 

 

The secondary personnel

 

 

 

 

The starters seem to be set, but there are some backups who are actually pushing the guys in front of them, and if this unit can stay healthy, the depth will be surprisingly good. Starting cornerbacks Corey Webster and Prince Amukamara have a chance to be solid. A year ago, these guys weren't healthy and gave up too many big plays, but they look like different players right now, with huge improvement in the mental area. Veteran Aaron Rossis back after a year in Jacksonville. He gives them a solid third CB and could be the nickel corner, covering the slot. If young Jayron Hosley continues to improve, and if talentedTerrell Thomas can return from an ACL injury, they could have five corners who they trust -- that would serve them well in sub packages.

 

 

At safety, starters Antrel Rolle and Stevie Brown are rock solid, and they combined for 10 interceptions a year ago (eight by Brown alone). As good as Brown was, though, he was caught out of position at times. However, Rolle covered up a lot of this unit's deficiencies, and he can even play over the slot receiver if needed. There is a lot to sort out among the backups with Ryan Mundy, Will Hill (suspended for the first four games), Tyler Sash and rookie Cooper Taylor -- and Mundy could fit in as the third safety in the "big nickel."

 

 

 

 

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The downside to this secondary

 

 

 

 

The biggest worries for the Giants are health and the lack of depth if the backups don't develop quickly. If both starting corners play tentatively or give up big plays (especially if the pass rush is subpar), if Ross has nothing left and if Thomas doesn't recover from his ACL injury, the corner position could be a big issue. At safety, we expect Rolle to be dependable, but what if Brown doesn't show the ball skills he displayed last season, and reverts to making mistakes that we saw before 2012? What if none of the backups develop into the third guy and "big nickel" producer? There could be some real trouble ahead if everything doesn't fall into place nicely.

 

 

 

What do we expect in 2013?

 

 

 

 

This is an assignment-oriented scheme that takes intelligent players to run, and the Giants have solid veterans who know this defense; as a result, they should not lose a lot of games because of mental lapses. However, my concern is in the situations when they are forced to match up athletically in single-man coverages. This isn't a group with a lot of speed and turn-and-run skills and, if they are not protected by a better pass rush to allow them to play the zones and soft coverages that they would like to play, they could be exposed.

 

 

However, what I see on film leads me to believe that things will come together, and they will be improved. If this Giants offense is as prolific as we expect, the defense just needs to be good -- not necessarily great -- for this team to succeed and make it back to the postseason.