Legendary New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan feels the players on the current team are too nice.
The New York Giants defense is nowhere near the type of group it was when legendary defensive end Michael Strahan was on the field. In 2019, Big Blue finished 25th in the league with 377.3 yards allowed per game. They additionally were the 30th-ranked scoring defense, allowing 28.2 points per game.
These defensive struggles most certainly contributed to the team winning just four games. All-in-all, it’s a group (and a ballclub) that must improve mightily in 2020, and the Hall of Fame pass rusher has some advice.
“Can’t have a bunch of nice guys and win. It doesn’t work. We need to find some dogs,” Strahan told David Marchese of the New York Times.
Strahan is using this mindset when discussing the team as a whole. Nonetheless, the defense was arguably the lowest point of the organization last year, which is why Joe Judge decided not to retain coordinator James Bettcher.
With a new coordinator in Patrick Graham — who previously served in that role in Miami — the Giants defense is hoping to return to their dominating ways of 2016. During that campaign, New York ranked 10th in total defense and finished second with 17.8 points allowed per game.
Strahan is pulling for the group to develop next year because, at the moment, it’s not bringing him much satisfaction.
“Defense is where I struggle, because there are times I’m watching, and I’m going, ‘Wow, this is pretty bad. We don’t have a playmaker, per se, on defense,’ and that’s been a little disheartening,” he said. “Where’s the guy who inspires everybody to play better?”
The Giants and their fans hope to find that guy very, very soon.