Jevon Holland Says Teammates Will Create a Better NY Giants Defense

The Giants defense has now let two close games slip away from them. But one of their young leaders believes that from the ashes will rise a Phoenix.

New York Giants safety Jevon Holland | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Forget about the last two weeks, or what’s on the New York Giants' schedule beyond the Kansas City Chiefs, who just so happen to be their Week 3 opponent.

For safety Jevon Holland and his teammates, the goal is simple: focus on their training and parlay that into winning each day leading up to and including the next game. 

“I know I want to win, and we want to win,” he said Monday. “It's a one-week season, so it's 0-0 right now. We just want to go 1-0 this week. Really, what we want to do is go 1-0 on watching the film today and then go 1-0 on the off day. 

“And then we can worry about going 1-0 on Wednesday and then 1-0 on Thursday. Because, you know, if you win the week, then when you get to Sunday, you're just out there flowing and reacting. You're not necessarily thinking. So, one day at a time is definitely an emphasis that we're focused on.”

That might sound simplistic, but it’s really all the Giants have to go on after two disappointing losses against division opponents, in which, despite keeping the games close, New York let the games slip away in the fourth quarter.

The latest loss, of course, is the heartbreaking 40-37 overtime game against the Dallas Cowboys, a game for which the Giants' defense was on the field for 83 snaps, a marathon in which the Giants' defense’s play started to get sloppy toward the end due to fatigue.

“I'm proud of the way we fought,” Holland said. “Same thing as last week, we played a long game, a lot of snaps on defense, and had a lot of opportunities to close out the game. We just have to fall to the level of our training. 

“Once you're tired and the situations or stakes are rising, you have to fall to the level of your training. So, I think it's on us to really emphasize the details a little bit more.”

If they do that, Holland believes they can live up to the expectations they have of themselves.

“I know the caliber of players that we have in the room,” he said. “And I know what standard we have of guys in the room. I definitely wanted us to come out on top, no doubt. 

“But there are things that we were met with that the Cowboys' offense did that we're going to learn from, and we're going to be better from it. So, am I upset? Absolutely.

"Am I disappointed that we didn't come out with the W? 100%. Am I discouraged? Not at all. Because I know that the type of people we have in the room, the individuals we have collectively in our mindset, is only going to create an even better, more successful defense.”

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