Logan Ryan Says Giants Need to Show This Trait if They Want to Be Playoff Bound

Giants defensive co-captain Logan Ryan believes the Giants can be playoff bound if they strive to be this kind of team moving forward.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Dec 2, 2021 10:31 AM EST

The last thing Giants safety Logan Ryan wanted or needed was to test positive for the COVID-19 virus, which has an unpredictable effect on varying individuals.

Thankfully, Ryan, who is vaccinated, said his symptoms were mild and that he was feeling good despite missing two games' worth of action as his Giants teammates try to keep pace for the wild card spot in the NFC playoff hunt.

“Mentally it was the toughest part just not being there. I had hopes and thoughts and prayers that I could make it to both games,” Ryan said.

“I thought it was a possibility, and I packed my equipment for both. I did everything I could to try to get a negative test. I actually did, but it was just too close to game time.

“Trust me, I wanted to pull up in the parking lot with my uniform on and run in, right before kickoff, but the NFL doesn’t allow it based on protocols and stuff like that.”

For Ryan, missing the last two games—against Tom Brady and the Bucs and then the Giants’ NFC clash with the Philadelphia Eagles, was a tough pill to swallow given his familiarity with both.

But this weekend, Ryan will get another chance to face an opponent that offers more familiarity than most: The Miami Dolphins, whose coaching staff has some names with whom Ryan is familiar.

“I know this team. I like this game. We need it. It’s going to be a good challenge out there in the heat,” Ryan said. “I know (Dolphins Head Coach) Brian Flores well. I know (Dolphins Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach) George Godsey well. I know (Dolphins Defensive Coordinator) Josh Boyer--he was my coach in New England.

“So those three guys are coordinators, they were like running my scout team when I was on scout team in New England, so I know those guys really well. I know how they think. They know how I think. They know how our coaches think.

"It’s going to be a lot of familiarity on how the programs are run, how the defenses are run and the emphasis on getting the ball and playing physical.”

The Giants are counting on that familiarity from their defensive co-captain to help thwart a red-hot Dolphins team that has won its last four games and keep the Giants still slim playoff hopes alive and help the Giants win their first back-to-back games this season.

Ryan, who has been around some playoff contenders, knows full well what a playoff team is supposed to look like and said it’s critical that the Giants if they want to be considered a legitimate playoff team, need to find ways to play their best ball from this point out.

“A playoff team needs to be a team that’s resilient,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how it went. I was on a Tennessee team that was 2-4. We were 5-5 at one point. We fought our way back every game to make a run when it mattered, and this is the time of the year, the urgency’s up. This is the time of the year where you have to start playing well.

“A team like Miami, who lost six or seven straight, they just won four straight. They’re playing as well as anybody in football right now at finding ways to win. A playoff team finds ways to win – ugly, pretty, whatever it is. You have to find ways to win.”