Musings Ahead of New York Giants Week 1 Regular-Season Opener

Some random thoughts about the special teams, the first month of the season and the rookie class as the Giants get ready for the start of their 2021 regular season.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Sep 5, 2021 12:00 PM EDT

The New York Giants are set to return from a three-day weekend Monday as they gear up for their regular-season opener at home against the Denver Broncos.

Over the next several days, we'll hopefully get answers to some burning questions such as the statuses of the injured players (running back Saquon Barkley, tight ends Kyle Rudolph and Evan Engram, receivers Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney, and cornerback Adoree' Jackson).

Until then, here are a few thoughts as we prepare for the week ahead.

Giants Could Use a Positive Start

Players and coaches always like to say that the season is a marathon, not a sprint and that it's not how you start but rather how you finish.

But I sure wish the Giants get off to a fast start for a change.

Last year the Giants started 0-4 in the first quarter of the season. The last time they posted a 2-2 record in the first four weeks was in 2019, after rebounding from an 0-2 start.

And the last time the Giants got off to a fast start by posting a winning record in the first four games of the season was in 2009 when they went 4-0 in their first four games.

A fast start doesn't necessarily mean the team will win anything at the end--that 2009 team that went 4-0 to start the season finished 8-8 and didn't even make the playoffs that year.

But in this case, stringing together a few early-season wins to build up momentum could be just what the doctor ordered for a Giants team that has big aspirations.

"You’ve got to keep from losing before you can start winning," defensive back Logan Ryan said last week when asked about whether the Giants were at the point yet of being able to start winning.

"We’re all 0-0, so we haven’t had an opportunity to lose or win, but we’re going to see."

Ryan said he feels a lot better about where the team is this year, noting how everyone had to learn and adjust on the fly last year after the global pandemic wiped out spring football and forced teams to change up how they ran training camps.

"I think we’re a lot smarter than we were at this point last year," he said. "At this point last year, I was learning names and trying to figure out what position I was going to play. I’m just so much farther ahead in this system with this team and my teammates, understanding their strengths and weaknesses.

"That’s what these 10 days or whatever is it until Denver, it’s about getting a good game plan and learning it so we can execute it to win the game."

Don't Expect Much from the Rookies

In retrospect, it's a good thing the Giants loaded up on veteran talent in the off-season, given the state of their rookie class.

As things currently stand, the only member of their draft class the Giants figure to get an immediate impact out of is second-rounder Azeez Ojulari, projected to be the weakside starter opposite of Lorenzo Carter. Ojulari, who had a slight injury hiccup this summer, has looked very promising at a position unit where the Giants certainly can use a boost in their firepower.

Think about this for a moment. Last year defensive coordinator Patrick Graham generated a pass rush that led to 40 sacks, 12th in the league, based mostly on the scheme.

With the rest of the league having had an entire off-season to study what Graham did, it was of the utmost importance that the Giants find guys who can generate some pressure by winning their one-on-one matchups. In Ojulari, they might very well have that guy.

But in getting back to the rest of the rookie class, figure first-round pick Kadarius Toney will continue being brought along slowly as he gets his wind back following his bout with COVID-19 earlier this summer.

That likely means Sterling Shepard is going to see a lot of early-season snaps, with his workload potentially tapering off as Toney starts to get integrated more into the mix once he's physically up to it.

Third-round pick Aaron Robinson, who is starting the year on the inactive/PUP list, and fourth-round pick Elerson Smith, an outside linebacker who will start the year on injured reserve with a hamstring strain, are probably going to take the same path that Xavier McKinney took last year in that they won't start contributing until later in the year.

One of two sixth-round picks, running back Gary Brightwell, might end up not getting a game-day uniform if the Giants activate both fullbacks for special teams. And Rodarius Williams, the other sixth-round pick, could see spot duty in the sub-packages the Giants run.

It's an unusual way to continue a rebuild for a roster that has not had a winning season since 2016, and yes, it's a bit of a gamble as if the veteran talent added doesn't pan out, the Giants are in trouble. Planned or not, let's hope the strategy works out.

Something Special?

When former Patriots special teams coordinator Joe Judge was hired as the head coach, the hope was that his input, combined with coordinator Thomas McGaughey's, would help the Giants' special teams become a dominating unit.

That was not the case, however. According to Rick Gosselin, who ranks the NFL's special teams units every year by assigning a point total (one for best, 32 for worst) based on each team's standings in each of 22 kicking-game categories, the Giants (398 points) finished tied for 19th in the league with the Chiefs.

The Giants, who primarily struggled in punt and kickoff coverage, know they can be a lot better than 19th in those rankings. Given the number of players they kept to make up their core special teams units--fullbacks Eli Penny and Cullen Gillaspia, receiver C.J. Board, linebacker Cam Brown, and cornerback Keion Crossen just to name a few--it's clear that the Giants want a much better showing from their special teams units than what they got last year.

"They're growing as a group and as a unit and that's all we can expect," special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey said last week.

"I feel good about the group as a whole. They're young, they're conscientious. they're always looking to find a way to get better and they're picking up everything we're putting down. I think, more importantly, they're growing as a group and as a unit. That's the most important piece right now."

Don't underestimate the importance of that either. With there being question marks galore about the offense and whether the unit will be able to move the ball, let alone have to go the length of the field if they get pinned too deep in their own territory, starting field position is going to be paramount for the Giants, as the shorter the field they have on which to work, the fewer play options the offense will likely have to deal with.