Defense
The Giants invested an unimaginable amount of money into their defense this offseason, specifically, the defensive line. After watching the Giants fall to the Packers, John Mara has to be wondering what Reese was possibly thinking giving the amount of money that he did to a group of guys who can’t get to the quarterback.
Olivier Vernon, at this rate, should be sending the Giants weekly payments of $1M per week since that is about what he is making this football season. On the other hand, or half a hand in this case, Jason Pierre-Paul has been excellent at stopping the run, but like his buddy Vernon, he has been a non-factor in the pass rush. It is great that Vernon and Pierre-Paul have excelled at stopping the run, but the fact of the matter is that they were not signed to solely stop the run, they were signed to the create some type of pass rush, which they have quite honestly failed at doing.
On the inside of that wealthy Giants’ defensive line, you have 650 pounds of defensive tackle in Damon “Snacks” Harrison and Jonathan Hankins. These two aren’t expected to have all that much of an impact in the pass rush, but with Vernon and Pierre-Paul giving the Giants nothing, you’d have to hope these guys can do something in terms of the getting to the quarterback. Anyhow, the concern doesn’t primarily lie on the defensive line as a unit; the concern lies on defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
Before I get into Spagnuolo’s failures thus far, you have to give credit where it is due, and the cornerbacks deserve credit.
Janoris Jenkins has been an absolute stud. He intercepted Aaron Rodgers twice last game, and had an incredible play breaking up a potential touchdown. Jenkins single-handedly kept the Giants in the game against the Packers, so it is fair to say he is earning his money.
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has definitely gotten worse from last year’s pro bowl season, but with him accepting and embracing his new role as the Giants’ nickel cornerback, he is as valuable as anyone on defense. Once you throw in the first round pick, Eli Apple, you have a great group of starting cornerbacks. Though Apple has had trouble staying healthy, he has been very solid, to say the least, when he has been on the field.
Then you add guys like Leon Hall, Trevin Wade, and newly acquired cornerback Coty Sensaaugh, and you may just have the deepest group of cornerbacks in the NFL. Now, as good as these guys have been, when the defensive line is allowing an opposing quarterback to stand in the pocket for seven-plus seconds, it makes it nearly impossible for the cornerbacks to cover the opposing receivers, understandably so.
So not only does the defensive line’s inability to get to the quarterback have a direct impact on the defensive line itself, but it also has an indirect impact on the cornerbacks being able to cover receivers.
When you have all of these complicated issues on defense, you have to look at the defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, as per where to place the blame. Spags has had quite a tenure with the Giants winning Super Bowl XLII, then leaving the Giants, and recently returning as the defensive coordinator. Spags is known for his unique blitz packages … so where are they? It is evident that rushing four guys on the defensive line isn’t working, so why hasn’t he tried to incorporate guys like Landon Collins or Jonathan Casillas into the pass rush?
The bottom-line is that Spags has been given a tremendous amount of talent on defense, and if he doesn’t figure out how to utilize it, he will likely find himself without a job by the end of the season as the Giants will not tolerate another defensive embarrassment like they witnessed last season.
