Top 5 Giants Players To Watch In Week 1
The New York Giants kick off the regular season against the Tennessee Titans at 4:25 PM on Sunday. After a mostly encouraging showing in the preseason, the Giants will be looking to continue their rebuild by showing weekly progress.
Considering football is a team sport, every player will have a key role. But let's narrow the scope and look at five specific Giants whose performance might very well be the nudge the Giants need to get over any humps.
RB Saquon Barkley
Barkley reaffirmed on multiple occasions just how good he feels and how ready he is to produce at the high level we’ve expected from him since his phenomenal rookie season in 2018 when he amassed over 2,000 all-purpose yards (1,307 rushing yards on 261 carries and 721 receiving yards on 91 receptions).
Since averaging an impressive 5.0 yards per carry in that award-winning rookie season of his, things have slid downhill for Barkley, mainly due to injuries in each of his last three seasons (a high ankle sprain in Year 2, a torn ACL in Year 3, and an ankle sprain last year). The toll of these injuries has made Barkley’s breakout rookie campaign feel more like a one-hit-wonder as the heroics he achieved continue to fade away with each season that passes.
The good news is that Barkley has a lot going for him this year in his quest to be the guy he was in 2018. He has an improved offensive line (at least on paper), and a more favorable scheme focused on getting him into space. He also had a full offseason to train how he wanted, free of having to set aside time for rehab.
So what better test for Barkley than to go against a Titans run defense that last year ranked second in average rushing yards allowed to opponents (84.6/game)? This first game against the Titans will be a testament to whether he can make that come to fruition, seeing that the Titans were second against the run last season, allowing just 84.6 rushing yards per game and fourth in average rushing yards per attempt (3.91).
Giants' Interior Offensive Line
No, this isn't a specific player, but rather three. But it's also three very important ones. As of this writing, Giants head coach Brian Daboll has not named the starting left guard from a candidate group that includes Ben Bredeson (projected), rookie Joshua Ezeudu, and newcomer Jack Anderson. But whoever that starter is, he, along with center Jon Feliciano and right guard Mark Glowinski is certain to have their hands full with Titans interior defender Jeffrey Simmons.
Simmons finished third in sacks on the Titans last year (8.5) and second in tackles for loss (12) behind edge Harold Landry III. Simmons also got his mitts on six passes and is arguably enough of a load for any offensive line interior to handle, let alone one that might not have spent a lot of time together beforehand working on perfecting communication.
The good news is that the Giants' interior offensive line fared well in the preseason, albeit mostly against backup players. In 100 combined pass block snaps over three games, Glowinski, Feliciano, and Bredeson allowed just one pressure. If they can replicate that performance and keep Simmons from crashing the pocket, they'll give quarterback Daniel Jones a fighting chance.
IDL Dexter Lawrence
Teams do not stop Titans running back Derrick Henry; they can only hope to slow him down. And while several Giants defenders will be tasked with keeping the NFL's rushing leader from 2020 from wrecking the game, one guy to focus on is interior defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II.
The thought of the 6-foot-4, 243-pound Lawerence crashing into the 6-foot-3, 247-pound Henry is enough to send shockwaves throughout the Nashville area. Last season, Lawrence tied for 11th in run stops (28) amongst NFL interior defensive linemen while tying for third for fewest missed run-game tackles (three) among interior defensive linemen with at least 300 run-game snaps.
Again, Lawrence is only one piece of the puzzle that will try to corral that Titans running game, which last year, despite missing Henry for several games, still finished fifth league-wide in average rushing yards per game (141.4).
ILB Tae Crowder
New York Giants middle linebacker Tae Crowder, the 2020 "Mr. Irrelevant," suddenly finds himself very relevant these days.
Following a quiet rookie campaign in 2020, where he posted 57 combined tackles and 18 stops in 11 games played (403 snaps), Crowder doubled his numbers in 2021 when he was tasked with taking over the signal caller duties following the torn ACL suffered by Blake Martinez.
In 1,099 snaps, Crowder led the team in total tackles (130), tied for first with stops (37), had two interceptions, and recorded the first forced fumble of his career. The high-motor linebacker was a tackle machine yet showed spurts of his versatility as well, providing an invaluable level of efficiency.
Last season, Crowder tied for 23rd among linebackers in run stops (26). Crowder, who projects as the new starter in the base defense now that Martinez is no longer on the team, will very much be a part of trying to corral Henry, who also has received at least 20 pass targets in each of his last three seasons.
Henry, as already noted, is tough to bring down--he has averaged 3.75 yards after contact and has forced 258 missed tackles in his career. Last season, Crowder led the Giants linebackers with ten missed tackles in 454 run defense snaps.
CB Aaron Robinson
A continued area of concern on this Giants' defense is their cornerbacks, a concern that developed when the team was forced to cut James Bradberry due to salary cap issues.
Second-year man Aaron Robinson has moved into the starting lineup to replace Bradberry. He has had his share of challenges in the preseason after a decent (albeit shortened) rookie campaign in which Robinson, in 268 snaps, allowed 57.1 percent of the pass targets against him to be completed for a decent 84.4 NFL Coverage rating.
In 57 defensive snaps this preseason, Robinson was targeted 12 times, allowing six completions for 70 yards. He also drew two penalties and allowed one touchdown while breaking up just two passes.
Luckily for the Giants, the Titans no longer have Julio Jones (now with the Bucs) or A.J.Brown (traded to the Eagles) among their receiving corps. That said, the new Titans receiving lineup--Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, rookie Treylon Burks, and veteran Robert Woods--aren't exactly pushovers to cover.
Whether Robinson will be assigned to cover a specific receiver or simply play his side remains to be seen. Regardless, Robinson needs to tighten up in coverage and play better than he did in the preseason.
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