Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Risers and Fallers from New York Giants' 2021 Preseason Opening Loss
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. --The New York Giants lost their preseason opener to the New York Jets, 12-7, but the game wasn't nearly as close as the score indicated.
Not that it mattered, mind you, as it's only preseason. But what did matter was that the Giants offense, which other than for four-fifths of the starting offensive line sat its starters, couldn't get anything going.
Still, there were a handful of players who when given the opportunity to shine did so, and then there were others who struggled. So without further ado, here are the risers and fallers from the Giants' preseason opener.
Fans in the parking lot of MetLife Stadium before the start of the New York Giants vs. New York Jets preseason game on Saturday, August 14, 2021. T
Michael Karas/NorthJersey.com via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Risers
WR David Sills V - Receiver David Sills V hasn't played in a game since the 2019 preseason when a broken leg ost him last year. But in his first game action since his injury, Sills, a hee's done in practice, made the most of his opportunities.
Sills finished as the Giants leading receiver, catching three out of five pass targets for 49 yards, including a big 37-yarder just before the two-minute warning in the first half on a drive the ultimately stalled. Those weren't exactly Victor Cruz-like numbers, but Sills continues to make a very strong vase to earn one of the final roster spots at receiver.
NT Danny Shelton - Shelton is not only a large human being but also a mobile and somewhat athletic one who came through on a big 4th-and-1 to drop Jets running back Ty Johnson for a loss of one yard on the Jets first series of the second quarter.
The Giants took over on downs on their own 43-yard line, but unfortunately, what was shaping up to be a promising drive ended on Corey Clement's fumble.
LB Carter Coughlin - Coughlin put his versatility to good use this evening at both inside and outside linebacker. He finished with five tackles (four solos), including one tackle for a loss. He also recorded a sack and forced a third-quarter fumble while delivering solid edge contain.
The performance was simply a continuation of Coughlin's strong summer in which he admirably filled in for starter Blake Martinez when Martinez was on the reserve/COVI-19 list.
WR Matt Cole - With the Giants in search of a pair of solid punt gunners for the season, Cole delivered a nice case when he beat a solo block and managed to stop a punt from going into the end zone, also doing a nice job of keeping himself from going into the end zone. Cole also had two assisted tackles on special teams--not bad for a guy who was added to the roster after the start of training camp.
Fallers
OL Kenny Wiggins - Never mind that Wiggins, who was filling in for Shane Lemieux as the starting left guard, suffered an ankle injury. Simply put, Wiggins, against different competition, had his share of struggles.
He allowed a quarterback pressure and a sack on the Giants opening drive, and while he did later redeem himself once the Jets put in their second and third-string defense, he suffered the ankle injury.
RB Corey Clement - Clement has drawn rave reviews for being a better and more decisive runner than Devontae Booker this summer. Still, this week, Clement reminded everyone why the Giants gave a bigger contract to Booker, who had three carries for 12 yards.
Clement, who has fumbled once every 27.1 regular-season carries in his career, lost the handle on the ball deep in the red zone, a huge stain on an otherwise impressive showing.
Ask any coach what he values most about ball handlers, and they'll tell you the number one characteristic they look for: ball security. Based on this game alone, Clement probably didn't cost himself a roster spot, but he will unless he cleans that up.
CB Rodarius Williams - The sixth-round rookie has impressed in practice, but although he finished as the team leader in tackles with eight (six solos) and had that big fumble recovery off of linebacker Tae Crowder's forced fumble, he had his share of struggles in some of his coverage assignments, which were inconsistent, soft, and often confused.
He seemed physically overwhelmed by the abilities of the Jets wideouts, whether it was starters or backups. He finally made a first half play with a nice solo tackle to keep a receiver in bounds at the end of the half.
Having given up so many completions, it wasn’t surprising to see that he tied for the team lead in tackles with eight. And against the run, Williams wasn’t much better, failing on several contains and avoiding contact.
The good news is that it’s only one night, and there is lots to learn from. We’ll see what this young man is made of in the coming weeks.
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