Tag: latest giants news

Giants’ Dexter Lawrence is NFL’s best 0-Tech/1-Tech pass rusher

Last year, New York Giants nose tackle Dexter Lawrence came into his own, racking up career highs in tackles (68), sacks (7.5), and quarterback hits (28) en route to Second-Team All-Pro honors.

In a recent article on Touchdown Wire, analysts Doug Farrar and Greg Cosell named Lawrence the top ‘0-Tech/1-Tech’ pass rusher in the NFL.

For reference, ‘0-Tech’ rushers line up directly over the center and ‘1-Tech’ rushers line up in the gap between the center and guard.

“Normally, the guys we think of as the best at those positions, and there are exceptions, but they’re usually more run players than pass players,” Cosell said. “Obviously, Quinnen Williams doesn’t come off the field [on passing downs]. Jeffery Simmons doesn’t come off the field. Dexter Lawrence had an unbelievable year last year, just with bull-rushing — just driving the center into the quarterback. There aren’t 100 of those guys. But normally, when you think of 0-techniques and 1-techniques, you think more in terms of playing the run.”

Last season, Lawrence wasn’t just the most productive pass-rusher from over the center or to the center’s shoulder — he was the most productive by an absolutely crushing margin. Last season, from 0- and 1-tech, Lawrence had one solo sack, three assisted sacks, 34 quarterback hits, 30 quarterback hurries. Those 47 total pressures ranked first in the NFL by more than twice as much as No.2 on the list — Vita Vea of the Buccaneers with 18.

Lawrence has become such a dangerous interior pass-rusher because he combines formidable size (6-foot-4, 342 pounds) with speed to and through the pocket you’d expect from a man 40 pounds lighter.

This year, the Giants have fortified the defensive front with more run support by adding veterans A’Shawn Robinson, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, and rookie Jordon Riley. That beefed-up rotation should give Lawrence a bit of a respite on rushing downs and he’ll be even fresher longer during games to harass the passer.

Last year, Lawrence was on the field on 76.4 percent of the Giants’ defensive snaps, which is unusually high these days for an interior lineman.

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USA TODAY ranks New York Giants fans among NFL’s worst

New York Giants fans are notoriously difficult to please. They have high expectations and when things aren’t going well, they voice their displeasure to the world. That has been a common reality throughout the history of the franchise.

Most would call that passion. However, that’s not how Mike Freeman of USA TODAY views it.

Earlier this week, Freeman released the inaugural USA TODAY Sports tiered fan rankings. He acknowledged immediately that the list will cause outrage but expressed his love for all of the league’s fans, including the Giants and New York Jets . . . kind of.

And Giants and Jets fans who think all the universes revolve around you.

That’s a tough way to start and for Giants fans, it didn’t get any better. Freeman eventually plugged them in at No. 31 overall, one spot behind Kansas City Chiefs fans.

Yes, Freeman says. You are among the worst fans in all of football.

Giants: Only Cowboys fans are bigger front-runners.

Prior to 2022, the Giants had been the NFL’s worst team for nearly a decade. It was a miserable stretch and yet, MetLife Stadium was packed to capacity every single Sunday and fans never quit on the team. They may have squabbled and griped over certain general managers, head coaches, players and, at times, the owner, but they never handed in their fan cards. That’s hardly what you would call a front-runner.

But Giants fans are harsh. They don’t treat the team’s beat or content creators particularly well, and they are not exactly kind to each other on social media. However, once tailgating season arrives and everyone gets together in person, it’s like family.

That’s more a trait of New Yorkers than Giants fans specifically. That’s the personality of the city and that may rub some outsiders the wrong way.

At the end of the day, we all know the truth: There are no fans worse than those of the Philadelphia Eagles, who Freeman ranked No. 5 overall.

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4 New York Giants make the cut

The NFL is entering its 104th season in 2023 and many great teams and great players have graced their fields and events for over a century. Over that time, every uniform number has been worn and made immortal by those players.

Which leads us to ask: which players wore each number the best?

In a recent article titled, ‘The best pro football player to wear every jersey number,’ Touchdown Wire’s Dug Farrar gives it his best shot.

For enthusiasts of the New York Giants, several members of Big Blue made the list:

  • Benny Friedman, No. 6
  • Emlen Tunnell, No. 45
  • Lawrence Taylor, No. 56
  • Roosevelt Brown, No. 79

All four are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Other Giants receiving’ honorable mentions’ include the following:

Kerry Collins (No. 5), Ray Flaherty (No. 6), Mel Hein (No. 7), Steve Owen (No. 9), Eli Manning (No. 10), Phil Simms (No. 11), Y.A. Tittle (No. 14), Frank Gifford (No. 16), Sam Madison (No. 29), Harry Carson (No. 53), Kareem McKenzie (No. 67), Sam Huff and Leonard Marshall (No. 70), Andy Robustelli (No. 81), Fred Dryer (No. 89), Jason Pierre-Paul (No. 90), Michael Strahan (No. 92) and Jesse Armstead (No. 98).

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New York Giants’ Andrew Thomas named to NFL’s All-Underpaid Team

Every NFL team has at least one player who makes less than he should. It happens at skill positions, on offense, defense, and special teams. According to Bleacher Report, that player for the New York Giants is Andrew Thomas.

It’s hard to rate offensive linemen because they don’t have any real stats. They are graded based on how well they protect the quarterback, which is the job of each man on the line, so even those grades should be taken with a grain of salt.

However, each team has its method for evaluating these positions. This method is what determines the team’s contract offer to the player. In Thomas’ case, BR says, he is entirely too talented to still be on a rookie contract.

Thomas has improved markedly in each of his first three seasons with Big Blue and should be in line for a raise as the league’s 32nd-highest-paid tackle.

Thomas has been a huge asset for the Giants and contributes in every game to the protection of Daniel Jones. He is in the fourth year of his rookie contract — a contract that was designed based on where he was selected in the draft.

The Giants previously picked up Thomas’ fifth-year option but it won’t be long now before the two sides begin working on a long-term deal.

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PFF ranks Wink Martindale among NFL’s best defensive coordinators

In the midst of the New York Giants’ surprising success in 2022, it was clear the regime they had in place was different from the previous ones. Because of their successful first season with Big Blue, both coordinators, Mike Kafka and Wink Martindale, warranted interviews for head coaching openings this offseason.

Martindale’s track record along with his success with Big Blue’s defense last year, earned him a spot on Pro Football Focus’ top 10 defensive coordinators.

6. DON MARTINDALE, NEW YORK GIANTS

Martindale may have moved from Baltimore to New York for his defensive coordinator duties, but his aggressive nature and play calling remained intact — and successful. No team in the NFL last year played more Cover 0 or Cover 1 (man coverage) than the Giants. Their coverage and pass-rush units were in sync, yielding 136 pressures and 24 sacks while in man coverage. At 60 years old and with 18 years of NFL experience, Martindale is still dialing it up with the best of them.

Martindale landed just behind Steve Spagnuolo of the Kansas City Chiefs (5) and two spots behind Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn (4).

Spagnuolo, of course, won Super Bowl XLII with the Giants before departing for a head coaching job.

Martindale is known for his aggressive play-calling which certainly contributed to the Giants’ success last season.

The defense should improve in 2023 after signing linebacker Bobby Okereke and selecting cornerback Deonte Banks in Round 1 of this year’s draft. The defensive line hopes to stay healthier this season and is set to have more depth following some key free agent pickups.

Martindale could climb the ranks on this list next offseason unless he departs New York in favor of a head coaching role. That would, of course, mean that Wink’s defense impressed yet again in Year 2.

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New York Giants’ Darren Waller named one of NFL’s offseason standouts

The New York Giants have fielded an underwhelming roster for the better part of a decade with some positions clearly lacking more than others. One of those positions was tight end.

Although they have found moderate success with the likes of Daniel Bellinger, Evan Engram, Larry Donnell and others, the Giants have lacked that true game-changing presence since the days of Jeremy Shockey.

This offseason, general manager Joe Schoen sought to correct that by acquiring Darren Waller in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders. And almost immediately, the athletic discrepancy was evident.

Waller flashed from the moment he arrived in East Rutherford, drawing praise from his coaches and teammates. And now he’s drawing that praise from members of the media, including ESPN who named him one of the NFL’s offseason standouts.

It took all of one play to see the difference Waller can make for this offense. On the first play of OTAs with the media in attendance, Waller blew by the nickel cornerback and caught a deep ball down the right sideline. It was the first of many plays in which Waller stood out because of his size and explosiveness. Most importantly, he looked healthy after two injury-plagued seasons. That’s the key. The Giants acquired Waller for a third-round pick in March.

The concern with Waller is his ability to remain healthy, which is something he specifically focused on improving this offseason. If he can take the field for 17 games, it’s entirely possible that he establishes himself as one of the league’s best.

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Lawrence Taylor selected to The 33rd Team’s best all-time front 7

If you ask New York Giants fans who the greatest player in the nearly 100-year history of the franchise is or was, most will say linebacker Lawrence Taylor, who terrorized opponents from 1981-1993.

Taylor is widely regarded as the best outside linebacker of all time and was the original ‘edge’ rusher that teams still seek out to this day.

In a recent piece for The 33rd Team, former college and NFL head coach and defensive guru, Dave Wannstedt, named Taylor as one of his all-time ‘front seven’ players in NFL history.

If we are talking edge rushers, it has got to be L.T. Bill Belichick, the greatest coach of all-time, said he was the best player of all-time, and his statistics back this up.

Taylor is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY). That speaks for itself.

But, more importantly, in my opinion, he played in that 3-4 New York Giants defense with Bill Parcells and Belichick, and he changed the game.

True. “L.T.” as he went on be known turned the Giants from doormats into contenders overnight. He was truly feared by offenses around the league from the very first moment he stepped on the field as a rookie out of North Carolina in 1981.

In 1981, the Giants rode the Taylor wave to their first postseason appearance in 18 years and eventually would win two Super Bowls with him.

People do not realize what a game-wrecker Taylor was as a pass rusher. That’s how he made his living. So much so that when he would drop into coverage, offensive live coaches and coordinators would put a smile on their faces and clap.

His dominance on the line forced offenses to turn protection to whichever side Taylor was on. Coordinators wanted to make sure you got a big offensive lineman blocking L.T. rather than running the opposite way and expecting a running back to block him.

That’s what most teams did. When L.T. was on the field, you must use the lineman to him to give you the best chance to slow him down.

As a six-decade follower of the Giants and the NFL, I can personally tell you that Wannstedt got this right. Taylor was a player with skills that the NFL had never seen before — and perhaps have not seen since. He was playing on a different plane than the other 21 bodies on the field.

Rounding out Wannstedt’s front seven are: linemen Reggie White, Aaron Donald and’Mean’ Joe Greene and linebackers Junior Seau, Derrick Brooks and Ray Lewis.

A solid front if there ever was one. This is all debatable as many would ask where players such as Deacon Jones and Bruce Smith landed on Wannstedt’s list.

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PFF ranks Giants’ Brian Daboll among NFL’s top 10 head coaches

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll had an impressive first season. He and Joe Schoen worked to take the Giants from the bottom of the league to making a postseason appearance. Not too shabby for a first-time head coach, and people noticed.

Pro Football Focus recently ranked the top 10 head coaches in the NFL. Andy Reid topped the list, followed by Bill Belichick and Mike Tomlin. Daboll rounded out the bottom in the 10th spot thanks to “an immensely impressive first year as the Giants’ head coach in 2022.”

New York’s overall offensive expected points added per play jumped from -0.169 to 0.015 from 2021 to 2022. The team’s EPA per pass went from -0.197 to 0.026, and its EPA per rush went from -0.079 to 0.095. And this was all with mostly the same players from one year to the next. The difference was Daboll, and he has an even more talented team heading into 2023. He is a head coach who can raise both the floor and ceiling of a roster no matter where it is in its rebuild or winning window. Those are characteristics of a great head coach.

Not only did Daboll turn this team around, but he did it without making a lot of changes to the roster. The majority of the players who played last season were there the year before.

Daboll is a great head coach. He knows how to get players to buy into his plan, and he knows how to get guys to work together. All the talent in the world doesn’t matter if the players aren’t on the same page.

Daboll took a Giants team on its last legs, its starters replaced by second- and third-string players, and led them to the playoffs for the first time in a decade. That performance earned him AP NFL Coach of the Year honors in 2022, begging the question, should Daboll have been higher on this list?

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CBS Sports lists Giants’ Darren Waller among league’s top tight ends

The tight end position is one of the hardest to rank because of the variability in the job description. Some tight ends are asked to block a lot, some are asked to run routes and make big plays, and some are asked to rush.

Still, there are ways to compare players, and CBS Sports has done just that.

New York Giants tight end Darren Waller is often discussed as one of the top five tight ends in the league, but CBS Sports put him at No. 6 because of regular injuries.

Waller hasn’t played more than 11 games over the past two seasons and was limited to nine in 2022. When he is on the field, however, he’s a tremendous receiving threat that has two 1,100-yard seasons on his résumé. It’ll be fascinating to see how head coach Brian Daboll — a former tight ends coach — utilizes Waller’s talent in New York’s offense this season. The Giants desperately needed high-level pass catchers to be injected into their offense and will get that in Waller, if healthy. Waller could easily reinsert himself as a top-five tight end in the league with a solid season in New York.

Waller has appeared in 74 games over his career, tallying over 3,500 yards and 19 receiving touchdowns.

Giants quarterback Daniel Jones can always use another target, so hopefully, Waller remains healthy enough to give him that extra (and more dynamic) option this season.

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New York Giants win the lotto in Touchdown Wire’s NFL reset mock draft

As part of an offseason exercise, our friends over at Touchdown Wire decided to conduct an NFL reset mock draft. That meant putting all current players into a pool and then drafting them similarly to what you’d see in the Madden video game series.

Ensuring that every team had the same odds of acquiring a top player, the draft order was determined at random. And as luck would have it, the New York Giants ended up with pick No. 1 overall.

Jackpot.

1. New York Giants: Patrick Mahomes, QB

There is very little question about who this pick was going to be, and it was essentially a lottery ticket that the Giants sprint to the podium. Patrick Mahomes is the best player in football at the most important position.

In this alternate universe, the Giants now field the league’s most dynamic player and top quarterback in Patrick Mahomes.

As far as other current Giants, nose tackle Dexter Lawrence went to the Dallas Cowboys at No. 28 overall.

One of the most underappreciated players in the league, the Dallas Cowboys do not take his talent for granted having to face Dexter Lawrence twice a year. They will continue a defensive focused rebuild and this is a great starting point.

Running back Saquon Barkley, left tackle Andrew Thomas and quarterback Daniel Jones went undrafted in the one-round mock.

If those of us at Giants Wire were able to continue this draft and make the first selection of Round 2, Thomas would warrant serious consideration.

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