Old, New Meet In Opener
Coughlin Returns; Shurmur Debuts
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The old and new will be crossing paths at MetLife Stadium when the Jacksonville Jaguars open the season against the New York Giants.
The game will be the first for Jaguars executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin against the Giants, the team he led to two Super Bowl titles before resigning in January 2016 after a dozen seasons as coach.
It also will be Pat Shurmur's first regular-season NFL game as coach of the Giants, a team that has made the playoffs once (2016) since winning the Super Bowl in February 2012.
“Those who are around know the history,” said Giants long snapper Zak DeOssie, who was a member of both Super Bowl teams. “We know Coughlin will have them fired up. It is the first game and everyone wants to get off on the right foot.”
The Giants are just looking to play a lot better than last season. They went 3-13 and saw coach Ben McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese get fired in early December.
Shurmur and new general manager Dave Gettleman have turned around much of the roster and they will get their first true peek at the new product this weekend in a very tough matchup.
The Jaguars (12-7) blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead against the New England Patriots in the AFC title game in January. A trip to the Super Bowl was within their grasp.
Here are some other things to watch:
Barkley-Beckham: There are no two players the Giants' faithful want to see more than running back Saquon Barkley and three-time Pro Bowl receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Barkley was the second overall pick in the draft and has the talent and explosiveness to give the Giants a strong running game for the first time since 2011. Beckham missed most of last season after breaking his left ankle in early Octo- ber. He did not play in the preseason, but has looked good with Eli Manning in practice.
Jags defense: Jacksonville is loaded on defense with six returning Pro Bowlers: cornerbacks A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey, linemen Calais Campbell, Malik Jackson and Yannick Ngakoue, and linebacker Telvin Smith Sr. The Jaguars were ranked No. 2 in the league last season, with Ramsey and Campbell making the All-Pro Team.
“When you have the kind of confidence we have, when you believe that we can be as good as we can, you can't wait to get there and just try to show it play after play,” Campbell said.
Secondary woes: New York has three veteran starters in the secondary, cornerbacks Eli Apple and newcomer Janoris Jenkins, and star safety Landon Collins. Untested Curtis Riley is the free safety. There is uncertainty about the nickel and dime backs with Donte Deayon, B.W. Webb and Michael Thomas in the mix. Depth is an issue. The team signed Antonio Hamilton, Mike Jordan and Kamrin Moore this week.
On the wide side: Blake Bortles has
to find a new go-to receiver with Marqise Lee out for the year with a knee injury. Keelan Cole, second on the team last season with 42 catches for 748 yards and three touchdowns, is starting along with veteran Donte Moncrief, who was signed as a free agent. Dede Westbrook is the third receiver for a team ranked No. 1 in rushing. The problem is the Giants are good against the run and that puts pressure on the wide receivers to step up
-line: The Giants spent almost $80 million to rebuild their line. Left tackle Nate Solder and right guard Patrick Omameh signed as free agents. Left guard Will Hernandez was drafted. Ereck Flowers was moved to right tackle from the left side, and Jon Halapio took over at center. The line protected well in the preseason. There were not a lot of holes for the running backs.
Eli-Ramsey: Watch to see if Manning throws at Ramsey. The Jags cornerback slighted the two-time Super Bowl MVP in the offseason, refusing to say Manning is good while adding Beckham is the one who really makes the Giants go.