The NFL is back, and Sportsnet is breaking down everything you need to know about each of the 32 teams in the month leading up to kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 7. Today, the New York Giants.
Head coach: Ben McAdoo
Last season’s record: 11-5
Playoff result: Were blown out by Green Bay in the divisional round after their best players partied in South Beach.
Key free agent gains: The Giants made a splash by convincing a future Hall of Fame receiver to switch city allegiances. Brandon Marshall only had 59 receptions last year with the Jets, the fewest since his rookie season. However, he also endured one of the worst QB situations in recent memory.
The quarterbacks who have thrown Marshall 60-plus passes in his career are Jay Cutler, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Chad Henne, Kyle Orton and Matt Moore. It’s safe to say Eli Manning is the best QB he’ll have ever played with.
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Marshall will immediately be an improvement on the other N.Y. football team with Manning throwing him the ball and Odell Beckham Jr. taking coverage away from him. This is the first time Marshall won’t be the No. 1 target on his team. The Giants already had explosive wide outs and Marshall gives Manning another wide receiver he can trust. Marshall is 33 years old but still runs great routes and is the NFL’s most productive red zone receiver since 2012. Manning has the seventh-most red zone throws since 2012. At six-foot-four, Marshall now becomes the big red zone target Manning has been missing since Plaxico Burress.
They also added offensive line help with D.J. Fluker, who was disappointing with the Chargers before being released.
Key free agent losses: The ascension of Sterling Shephard made Victor Cruz expendable. Shepherd scored the most touchdowns of any slot receiver last season with eight. The fact Cruz was constantly injured and had declining production when he was healthy made this an easy and predictable decision.
Key draft picks: The Giants drafted Evan Engram out of Ole Miss with the 23rd overall pick hoping he’ll have a great connection with a quarterback from the same college. Engram is listed as a tight end but they’ll move him all over the field to create mismatches, a welcome luxury given the Giants haven’t received production from the tight end position in recent years. The last time the NFC featured a Pro Bowl rookie tight end was Jeremy Shockey, also with the Giants. Coach McAdoo is hoping for a similar breakout season from Engram.
Another rookie to watch is running back Wayne Gallman out of Clemson, who the Giants took in the fourth round. The six-foot, 215-pound Gallman is a punishing runner — his 153 forced missed tackles were the fifth-most in the 2017 draft class. The Giants only averaged 3.5 yards per carry last year, so Gallman could wrestle the lion’s share of the carries from Phil Perkins if he shows promise early in the year.
X-factor: The Giants have to support their declining QB and keep him upright. They’ve put superior talent around Manning in terms of skill position players, but that’s far from the case with his offensive line. The Giants did not do much to address the offensive line except the addition of Fluker. Bobby Hart at right tackle could be their breakout player, but the rest of their line is a mess. Ereck Flowers has not been good at left tackle; John Jerry is not much better at guard. Their offensive line could be one of the worst in football. Without an offence that can control the ball, they’ll have to lean on explosive plays and keep Manning safe in order to compete.
2017 will be a success if: Their defence doesn’t revert to the mean. Last year the Giants went from 30th in DVOA to second. A big part of that was incredible health on the defensive side of the ball. Their 10 starters, minus safety Darian Thompson, missed 10 games combined in 2016. The Giants are not a deep defence so in order to stay atop the league in productivity they’ll have to stay healthy.
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