Defense in rush to improve
The Giants defense was supposed to be the least of their worries this year, but through three winless games they are a far cry from the dominant force of last season.
A year after giving up the second fewest points in the league and having the third most interceptions, the Giants currently rank 20th in points allowed while forcing just two turnovers but zero interceptions.
To top it all off, they have the worst rush defense in the league after allowing 193 yards on the ground to the Eagles in their 27-24 loss on Sunday.
“I didn’t know that because I don’t look at it,” defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said about being ranked the worst rush defense. “I certainly wouldn’t have expected that. But, one bad game like that. That’s what happens.”
Part of the reason it has been happening is because the Giants have not done a very good job tackling.
LeGarrette Blount consistently escaped tackle after tackle on Sunday, a growing problem that seems to have gotten worse as the season has progressed.
“These last two games, the tackling has not been very good,” Spagnuolo admitted. “It’s the first thing we talk about.”
The good news is that Spagnuolo does not have to go much further from there.
“Tackling and stopping the run. We didn’t have to talk about a bunch of other stuff,” he said. “Didn’t have to look at stats and what goals we did or didn’t get. It all begins right up there.”
For a defense filled with veterans and All-Pros it is not an issue one would expect and has definitely caught players like Damon “Snacks” Harrison off guard when they re-watch the game on film.
“It’s very surprising,” Harrison said. “Nobody saw that coming. But it’s all things that we can get corrected and get corrected fast. It’s not a matter of guys not being able to do it. It’s just actually doing it and doing it with authority.”
It would help if the Giants defense can start to get healthy, too. The defense continues to be decimated by injuries, with linebacker Jonathan Casillas(ankle/wrist) and defensive end Olivier Vernon (ankle) the latest to miss practice.
On the other hand, middle linebacker B.J. Goodson, who missed the last two weeks due to a shin injury, appears to be on his way back. Goodson had 18 tackles against Dallas in Week 1.
“If we can get him back, that certainly would help some things,” Spagnuolo said.
As for interceptions, Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston threw three last week against the Vikings, which is favorable for the Giants, but they still realize they need to force the quarterback’s hand.
“You can’t hold a guy to what he did last week,” Janoris Jenkins said. “Each and every week, you only come out to get better and we’re just going to do what we’ve got to do on the backend.”