The message from the New York Giants this week after their 0-2 start to the 2018 season is that they’re not panicking over their 0-2 start, that they’ll keep on grinding to get better and they’re close.
What no one from the team has attempted or been willing to explain is how, after standing toe-to-toe with the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1, a team that is VERY good, the Giants somehow managed to regress in several areas in their Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Therein lies the concern with the Giants, who this weekend travel to Houston to face an 0-2 Texans team whose struggles are largely a result of their own stupidity as far as penalties and such. If the Giants regressed—and to be clear, the coaching staff hasn’t validated that observation, even if the tape would suggest otherwise—then how close can they really be to putting everything together?
By around 4 p.m. Sunday, we should have the answer to that question
The Offensive Line
The coaches and players say it’s all about communication and being true to technique, but the fact remains that the Giants offensive line took a step backward in its pass protection from Week 1 to Week 2.
If that’s not bad enough, the Giants lost starting center Jon Halapio for the season to a broken ankle. Halapio was starting to settle into his role nicely both in terms of executing and with the line calls until disaster struck.
“Ideally you keep everybody healthy and nobody gets hurt, but you have to plan for changes, for sudden changes,” offensive coordinator Mike Shula said.
“The difficult thing is you can’t get everybody equal reps so guys are going to have to step up, but guys are professional. It’s part of their job to be able to produce without a lot of reps. Injuries happen, unfortunately, but you deal with them and move on and next guy up.”
That is easier said than done. Although veteran John Greco has been there, done that, he’s not only going to have his hands full with getting the calls squared away against a Texans defensive front that’s better than what the Giants faced in Week 2, Greco also is going to have to be certain that the communication with the two guys next to him-rookie Will Hernandez and Patrick Omameh, is clear.
Hernandez has a world of potential, but has had his struggles in adjusting, at least on the onset, to a level of competition that’s miles and miles ahead of what he faced at UTEP.
Omameh, a veteran, is playing right guard for the first time in years, trying to adjust to having to do things differently than he has in the past while also having to do so next to a right tackle (Ereck Flowers), who also made the switch from the left side to the right side.
Their task won’t get any easier this weekend, not with a Texans defensive front that is led by J.J. Watt and who is just waiting to unleash all kinds of havoc on the Giants offensive backfield.
“He is still the guy and you have to know where he is, we have to know where he is at all times,” offensive coordinator Mike Shula said of Watt, who’s looking for his first sack since 2016.
“He’s productive at all the spots, too. It’s not like he’s just outstanding on our right side outside. He can play outside on our left and inside or play over the center. I mean he’s just so, not only talented and explosive, but his awareness is off the charts.
“Then you add in (Jadeveon) Clowney on the other side or when they’re together, so that’s why they’re really good on defense. We just got to continue to focus on ourselves, number one, and obviously be aware of those guys and execute our plan and like we spoke earlier, stay out of the long yardage situations, make first downs on first and second down and then finish in the red zone.”
Eli Manning
The poison arrows have started flying fast and furiously at the Giants 15-year starter, with critics saying that he’s done.
While Manning hasn’t been blameless in this equation, if a quarterback doesn’t trust his protection, he’s going to go into survival mode. We’ve seen that happen with Manning so far this year as well as last year and in fact just about every year since 2012.
While a quarterback can’t nor shouldn’t expect the set up to be perfect on every play, his protection still has to meet him halfway by not committing stupid mental mistakes, by finishing blocks and slides, and by winning more of their battles up front.
For those who have bemoaned the fact that Manning’s lack of mobility is killing this offense, look no further than the Seattle Seahawks, who have one of the most athletic quarterbacks in the game in Russell Wilson.
In two games, Wilson has been sacked 12 times.
Second, for some inexplicable reason, the Giants decided to abandon the running game early in last week’s loss. Despite the score being 10-0 at the half, the Giants’ run-pass ratio was eight runs to 20 passes—hardly the ideal balance that coaches claim they like to see.
If Manning is guilty of anything, it’s that he needs help—maybe a little more than some of his peers. While he’s done a little better job moving around in the pocket, don’t expect him to turn into Aaron Rodgers. Instead, expect Manning to go about upping his game much in the same way he’s always done so.
“It’s just doing our job. We got to find a way to get into a rhythm early,” he said.
“We hadn’t done a very good job at that and get some first downs, stay on the field. We were close a few times on sustaining drives. We were half a yard away on some things, on some third downs so I think we’re close on a few of those things and then there will be some opportunities to take some shots, we got to do that, but it’s also being patient, waiting for it.”
Manning believes the Giants offense, which has struggled to maintain consistency, is headed in the right direction.
“Yeah I think we’re close on things. You’re going against good players and they’re going to make plays sometimes and that’s fine, but when there’s opportunities and when things should be picked up or guys should be going certain ways, you got to do those things and give yourself an opportunity to make those plays when they can be there.”
Pressure DeShaun Watson
The Texans have two relatively inexperienced offensive tackles in Julie’n Davenport and Martinas Rankin. Meanwhile they have a quarterback in DeShaun Watson who is less than a year removed from a torn ACL, a factor that has made him a bit more judicious about when to take off with the ball versus when to sit in the pocket.
The problem is the Giants haven’t had such of a pass rush so far, not with outside linebacker Olivier Vernon turned into a spectator thanks to a high ankle sprain he suffered August 26 that has still not progressed far enough for him to return to practice even on a limited basis.
Rookie Lorenzo Carter has flashed into some plays as a pass rusher, but veteran Connor Barwin, who this week missed a day of practice with a knee issue (presumably the same issue that kept him on the side for several weeks in the summer) has only mustered up two pressures in 42 pass rush snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
Considering that Watson has completed 50% of his pass attempts while under pressure (as opposed to 65% when he isn’t under pressure) the Giants better hope that they can get the job done against the young tackles with only the minimum number of rushers.
The Giants Defensive Secondary
The Giants will be without cornerback Eli Apple this weekend thanks to the groin strain he suffered in last week’s game against the Cowboys.
Apple has been the Giants best cornerback so far this season, according to Pro Football Focus, who reports that Apple has been targeted in coverage seven times, allowing two passes to be completed for 15 yards and only one yard after the catch.
But here is where stats can be a little misleading. Janoris Jenkins, the team’s shutdown cornerback, has been targeted 12 times, allowing nine catches for 135 yards and a touchdown. However, he’s been burned for two long pass plays of 31 and 64 yards—and the 64-yarder was a result of a poor jam and a slip on the turf—accounting for 95 of the 135 yards given up.
The concern this week is Apple’s absence. With Apple out of the lineup, the presumption is B.W. Webb, their slot cornerback, will get the start on the outside where he will likely face Texans receiver Will Fuller while Jenkins is likely to see DeAndre Hopkins a lot.
“I think they have fine receivers, so anybody that we put out there, it’s going to be a challenge,” Giants head coach Pat Shurmur said about the matchups between the corners and the receivers. “We’ve got a good plan, we’re confident, and we feel like they’re going to play well.”
Plan aside, it comes down to execution and technique, and that’s where the concern comes in, especially with Webb and his potential matchup against Fuller.
A key to handling Fuller is to get a solid jam on him rather than allow for a free release. If he’s allowed to break free, he will burn a defender down the field.
This hasn’t necessarily been a strength of Webb’s over the years. On film, Webb seems at times to be late with getting his hands into the receiver just as he is breaking past the defender.
If Webb can’t get a jam into Fuller’s shoulders and chest before he starts his route, that won’t do him much good in terms of slowing the receiver down.
“We just have to play our game,” Webb said when asked about the effect of jamming Fuller and Hopkins. “Whatever the defense calls for us to do, we have to do that great. Whatever they do differently, we just have to make plays on it.”
