First-and-10: Ten Thoughts Ahead of the Giants' Week 9 Game Against Dallas

The Giants don't play until Monday night, but in keeping with my practice of sharing ten thoughts ahead of kickoff, here is this week's list.

The Numbers Behind Deferring

I recently saw an argument made imploring head coach Pat Shurmur to stop deferring to the second half when he wins the coin toss. So I wanted to do a little more digging into things to see if this notion that deferring is behind the reason for the Giants' slow start to games.

The Giants have won the coin toss in six out of their eight games this season and have deferred on every single one.

Of those six, they won two games (against Tampa Bay and Washington). And in one of those games (Tampa Bay), the Giants were behind 6-3 after each team had a chance at an opening drive.

In taking those stats even further, the Giants were only down 7-0 twice after exchanging opening drives this season--the first against Buffalo (who won the opening coin toss and let the Giants on offense first), and the second against the Cardinals, a game in which the Giants won the coin toss and deferred.

The concept behind deferring if you win the coin toss is if things play out correctly, you'll not only end up with the ball to close out the first half, but you'll get it to start the second.

Here is where the Giants have had issues.

Again, just looking at the opening drive of the second half in those five games the Giants received the ball to start the half (thanks to the deferral), the Giants offense has scored just six points (two field goals).

While a fast start would be nice, consistent long drives that are devoid of penalties and mistakes can help ensure a positive outcome.

Dave's Not Going Anywhere

A lot of upset Giants fans have been calling for Dave Gettleman to be fired.

Not only do I not think that happens, but I also don't think those calls are fair. For starters, it took multiple years for the Giants roster to deteriorate, so to expect Gettleman to turn things around overnight isn't a realistic expectation.

Gettleman also deserves some credit for doing two things Jerry Reese rarely, if ever did.

First, he hasn't been afraid to admit when he's made a mistake. Second, Gettleman has shown he's not afraid to be proactive in making moves. He's made trades of all shapes and sizes regardless of where we are in the calendar. He hasn't been afraid to cut guys that he's signed when they don't live up to expectations.

And although I can't conclusively prove this, I do get the impression he's much more on the same page with the head coach than the previous regimes to where he's not merely delivering the players he thinks are the best fit.

With all that said, the jury is still out as to whether the Giants will turn things around. There are some early, encouraging signs, but there is also still a long way to go before we get the answer as to whether Gettleman was right all along with how he rebuilt this Giants roster.

What about that Players-Only Meeting?

I suspect this storyline is going to get lost in the shuffle of the Leonard Williams trade and the build-up to Monday night football. Still, I’m curious to see what, if any, effect the players-only meeting called by the team leaders after the loss to the Lions has on their play going forward.

Usually, a players-only meeting isn’t a good sign for a team—you rarely see teams that are winning calling for such meetings.

This week the players were tight-lipped about what was said in the meeting, but the general takeaway is that everyone challenged each other to do his part and be accountable to one another.

But that’s a message that should have been in effect right from the start, so if the players needed reminding of that, then that’s a head-scratcher and a concern that could be underscoring a more significant problem that I’m not so sure a players-only meeting will fix.

So About No. 92...

In case you missed it, the Giants assigned Williams No. 99.

Williams had worn No. 92 with the Jets, but there was no chance of him getting that number, last worn by Hall of Fame defensive end Michael Strahan, with the Giants.

Oddly enough, the Giants never formally retired Strahan’s No. 92, and I'm not sure why that is.

No player has worn it since the great defensive end hung up his cleats for good after 2007, so why not make things official and formally retire the number already?

Giants need to be all-in on youth

In all the years I’ve covered this team, I can’t recall an instance in which I’ve been so confused about the direction of the club.

I understand what the Giants would like to do and what they are trying to do now that they have little chance of qualifying for a playoff berth. They are playing for the future and trying to get the youngsters who will form the new nucleus of that team ready to go.

But what I don’t understand is the selective approach. If, for example, you’re going to live with the growing pains of Daniel Jones at quarterback, Dexter Lawrence at defensive tackle, and DeAndre Baker at cornerback, why wouldn’t you want to “live” with the growing pains of Juliann Love at safety or, when he’s healthy, Corey Ballentine on defense?

I understand that coaches want to play the best 11 guys at any given time. Still, I think it’s rather short-sighted not to be giving Love and Ballentine the same opportunities the rest of the 2019 draft class has received, especially if those kids are part of the franchise’s future.

Why the Giants didn't wait until free agency for Leonard Williams

For all those saying the Giants could have waited until free agency to get Williams and not given up any picks, how many times has this club overspent on free agents only never to come close to getting the return on investment?

Too many. So by bringing in Williams for an eight-game audition, the Giants are potentially avoiding a bidding war that might lead to overspending.

If things fall into place, they should be in a spot to where they don't end up outbidding themselves for a player they had their eye on. They're also giving themselves an exclusive negotiating window where from the end of the season until the new league year when the salary cap not only rises, but the Giants will likely have a windfall of cap space.

How Leonard Williams Can Help the Giants Defense

Another reason why I like the Leonard Williams trade is that it gives the Giants a guy who can play the run and rush the passer, something that the Giants haven’t had outside of Dexter Lawrence this year.

Think back to the previous weeks when the pass defense was gashed versus when the pass defense has been solid.

There are a couple of reasons for that. First, if you look at the second half of the Tampa Bay game and Washington games, none of the quarterbacks those teams put on the field are exactly lighting things up in the passing game this season.

At the same time, defensive coordinator James Bettcher put more defensive backs to help stop the bleeding against his understaffed pass defense. That meant that he had to sacrifice some of the heaviness up front.

Now when you have a team that’s capable of running the ball, as we saw the Cardinals do, and you don’t have the beef up front to plug holes and create congestion, what happens is they run wild.

The addition of Williams, who admittedly doesn’t have impressive stats, is designed to give the Giants some beef upfront when they go to a five-, six-, or more defensive backfield.

With Williams and Dexter Lawrence pushing the pocket and the edge rushers closing in, the expectation is that they’ll produce a pass rush and have enough coverage on the backend.

It’s not a bad idea in theory, but if it doesn’t work, then something needs to change with how this coaching staff is doing business.

But About that Trade Compensation

So what about Gettleman’s decision to trade a third-round pick (likely one that’s going to come toward the top of the round if the Giants' season continues to sink) and a conditional fifth that will turn into a fourth if the Giants sign Williams to a long-term deal?

I believe Gettleman is banking on getting a third-round comp pick for safety Landon Collins, something he won’t know for sure until next year.

And if for some reason he can’t re-sign Williams, he’s banking on the compensatory pick process being in place in 2021, which would be the first year of the new CBA, assuming that gets done.

Now there will be some people who argue that Gettleman is sending the higher of his two third-round draft picks to the Jets for a player he may or may not be able to re-sign. But, Gettleman has also not been afraid to package up picks to move up in the earlier rounds as necessary.

Gettleman, who in a communique to their paying customers shared on the team’s web site, said that he initiated the trade to get Williams.

“I called the Jets G.M. and asked if Leonard was available. We went back and forth and came to an agreement over the weekend. But we didn’t finalize it. He had to speak to his ownership, and I had to speak with mine. We made the deal on Monday. Leonard came in and passed his physical on Tuesday, and he’s now a Giant wearing number 99.”

Gettleman has always expressed an affinity for staffing large men in the pit and believes Williams is the kind of player around whom the team can build.

“Leonard is a legitimate pass rusher,” Gettleman said. “He’s been to the Pro Bowl (in 2016). He’s the old man of the group at 25, which is really pretty funny. He’s never missed a game. He’s a great human being. He’s a great teammate.”

And he’s someone that Gettleman wants to re-sign, even though Williams, as of this writing, has yet to play a snap for the Giants.

“We gave up a three and a five. Our goal is to sign him long-term. He’s only 25-years-old. And talented. He’s a piece you can build around.”

The bottom line is Gettleman is at least trying to fix this team by being aggressive. Sure, some of the moves won’t work out, but for everyone who bemoaned Jerry Reese and his passive approach, doesn’t Gettleman deserve at least a little credit for being more proactive?

Why the Giants Won't Start Over at Head Coach

So what happens if the Giants end up with a record that’s the same or worse than last year’s mark?

I firmly believe that both general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur will be back in 2020 to continue the rebuild. I know that’s probably not what frustrated Giants fans want to hear.

Still, realistically speaking, I think that move makes sense because it allows Gettleman to keep building the core of your players he’s been putting together to give this franchise a more solid foundation.

I also think Shurmur will get another year to continue developing Daniel Jones. I know that there is a school of thought in which some believe 14 games is more than enough time for Shurmur to develop Jones, but if it takes two to three years to see what you have in a quarterback, then I can’t see the team pulling the plug on the head coach unless he loses the locker room.

I do, however, think there could be changes made on the defensive coaching staff if things don’t improve. James Bettcher, who had those great defenses in Arizona, has not been able to replicate that success here with the Giants, despite bringing over many of his former players to help jumpstart that process.

I have never been a fan of loading up on players who once performed for you because you know what you’re getting. I believe the coaches who are worth their weight in gold take raw talent and mold that into complementary pieces on the offense or defensive systems for which they are in charge.

While there is some benefit to bringing in a former player or two with a new coach—I’ve likened this to a restaurant that opens a new location and who brings in members of the corporate team to help get the new hires up and running—I think Bettcher has relied a little too much on his old players.

Just because a player was good years ago doesn't mean he's the same guy he was back then. And other than for Markus Golden, who among the former Cardinals players has made that much of a difference on defense?

Rosas' Struggles

A year after posting a Pro Bowl season, kicker Aldrick Rosas has had a few struggles of late.

Rosas has made four out of six field-goal attempts, which puts the Giants 27th in the NFL. He's also hit 18 of 19 PATs.

Special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey said it's not necessarily a technical problem with Rosas as it is getting into a rhythm.

"It’s kind of hard when you don’t have a lot of attempts," he said. "We’re talking about six field-goal attempts. It’s just getting in that game rhythm. We all, as a group, are kind of struggling with our rhythm, practiced a little bit, but it’s getting better."

McGaughey is usually very forthcoming with his responses, but in this case, it's challenging to wrap one's head around the fact that this is a rhythm issue. Rosas, like punter Riley Dixon and long snapper Zak DeOssie, has one job to do. Place-kicking is what he practices every day, including right through pre-game warmups.

If Rosas were kicking once a week, the rhythm theory might make more sense. But in an NFL game, you never know how many opportunities you're going to have to kick field goals, so to use the lack of rhythm as an excuse just doesn't cut it.

On the plus side, it was good to hear that McGaughey has zeroed in on trying to find ways to simulate a rhythm for his kicker.

"We’ve made some breakthroughs this week as far as our rhythm and cadence and everything with our snap, our holder, and our kicker," McGaughey said. "It will work itself out; it always does."

Let's hope it works itself out before it costs the Giants some games.

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