For the second consecutive season, the New York Giants were the bottom feeders in their division. How can they win the NFC East for the first since 2011?
As has been the case four times in the past two seasons, going from last to first in the NFL is far from uncommon. Of course, that’s proven to be the exception in the AFC East when it comes to the New England Patriots, who have captured a league-record 10 straight division titles, Hence, good luck to the New York Jets in 2019
But it has been a totally different story when it comes to the NFC East. All told, the club that finished last the previous year has rebounded to grab the top spot five times in the last seven seasons. While it wasn’t the case in 2018, the Dallas Cowboys did bounced back from a 3-5 start to win seven of their last eight games and win the division for the third time in five years.
So are the New York Giants capable of rising from the basement to win the NFC East for the first time since 2011? Here are three things that would help their cause if they can somehow show some improvement in all of these areas.
3.Better offensive line play
Stating the very obvious.
When you look at the overall numbers in terms of sacks allowed by the New York Giants this past season, some may think that the figures may have been a whole lot worse if you watched Pat Shurmur’s offense in 2018. Quarterback Eli Manning was dropped 47 times in 16 games and if he had not managed to get off a slew of passes to running back Saquon Barkley, who knows what the final figures would have looked like.
Veteran left tackle Nate Solder got big money to leave New England a year ago and disappointed in his first campaign with Big Blue. Meanwhile, 2018 second-round pick Will Hernandez had a solid rookie season at left guard. Chad Wheeler took over at right tackle in Week 3 and held onto the job the remainder of the year. Meanwhile, center Jon Halapio looks to bounce back after missing the final 14 games of ’18.
Gettleman did address the offensive line this offseason with the addition of veteran right guard Kevin Zeitler, part of a trade with the Browns that sent pass-rusher Olivier Vernon to Cleveland. In any case, this tweaked unit as a whole needs to step up its game – especially in regards to pass protection.
Next: No. 2
2. Stretch the field offensively
A year ago, the longest pass play by the New York Giants covered just 58 yards. And of course, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is now a member of the Cleveland Browns. This past season, the prolific big-play performer finished second on the team with 77 catches, good for 1,052 yards and six scores – this despite missing the final four games of 2018.
To offset the departure of Beckham, general manager Dave Gettleman opted to sign veteran wideout Golden Tate. The highly-productive pro split time with the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles this past season after being dealt to the then-defending Super Bowl champions. He finished the year with a combined 74 catches for 795 yards and four scores while averaging only 10.7 yards per grab. Sterling Shepard averaged 13.2 yards per reception this past season, totaling 872 yards and four scores on 66 catches. Wide receivers Bennie Fowler, Cody Latimer and Russell Shepard are back as well, the trio combining for 37 receptions, four for scores in ’18.
But could the team’s best deep option actually be tight end Evan Engram? The 2017 first-round pick missed five games in his second season. However, he averaged 12.3 yards per catch, snaring 45 passes for 577 yards and three scores.
So is Gettleman done addressing the passing game this offseason? In any case, the Giants’ pass protection must be better if Eli Manning is going to find receivers deeper downfield. And that would be a big plus for an offense that appeared to be very limited this past year.
Next: No. 1
1. Find a consistent pass rush
It’s been an area of concern for quite a few years. These days, the pass rush of the New York Giants has been less than potent and it’s enabled opposing quarterbacks to have their way more times than not in recent seasons. In 2014, the club finished with an impressive 47 quarterback traps. Since then, they’ve totaled 23, 35, 27 and 30 sacks, respectively, the past four seasons.
In 2018, oft-injured Olivier Vernon paced the club with seven QB traps, followed by defensive end B. J. Hill (5.5) and outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter (4). Those were the only three players on the team with more than two sacks. And of course, Vernon is now in Cleveland as part of a deal that enabled the Giants to obtain veteran right guard Kevin Zeitler.
General manager Dave Gettleman did add some help to the front seven in free agency in outside linebacker Markus Golden and defensive tackle Olsen Pierre. The former played for current defensive coordinator James Bettcher and put up big numbers in his 3-4 scheme. The club did use a third-round pick on Old Dominion edge rusher Oshane Ximines, who could make an impact on passing downs.
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Simply put, Bettcher must come up with some creative ways to put the heat on opposing quarterbacks. That starts with the other teams in the NFC East, where the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins all feature quality offensive lines. But vast improvement in this area could add up to bigger things for the team.