JOE’S ON TIME
Judge’s clock management for Giants has been a huge plus despite 0-2 start
Silver linings only go so far for winless teams, but Joe Judge’s time management i n last Sunday’s loss in Chicago was a breath of fresh air. It gave the rookie coach’s team a chance to win.
Judge had all three of his second-half timeouts available and used them on defense late in the fourth quarter while trailing, 17-13.
That conserved time for a nearly game-winning Daniel Jones drive, getting the ball back with 2:02 to play at the Giants’ 40 after a missed Bears field goal.
“I thought we had time to move the ball,” Judge said. “Obviously had to use the timeouts in the four-minute aspect of it to make sure we had time when we got the ball back. That’s a situation we practice regularly.”
Previous coach Pat Shurmur’s time management was suspect in some key moments.
Shurmur let a Saints field goal drive run out the clock at the end of the first half in a 2018 loss without using any of his first half timeouts. And last season in Philadelphia, Shurmur let 20 seconds run off the clock in the final minute of the fourth quarter of a tie game. Eli Manning knelt on the ball after the Eagles punted, and the Giants never saw the ball again.
Last Sunday, a lucky Bears fourth down completion on a deflection to Chicago right tackle Bobby Massie almost killed Judge’s strategy, since he’d already used two of his three timeouts. But the defense held strong and Judge still had one more timeout to stop the clock with 3:43 to play after a first-down run by Chicago’s David Montgomery.
Once Cairo Santos missed a 50-yard field goal try, Jones drove the Giants 50 yards and got one shot at the end zone from the 10-yard line with four seconds remaining. The final play fell short due to a Golden Tate offensive pass interference penalty, but the fact that Jones had the time to get there was encouraging in itself.
AN NFL-WORST OFFENSE
Jason Garrett is the coordinator of the NFL’s lowest-scoring offense through two weeks with 29 total points, one fewer than Adam Gase’s Jets. Losing Saquon Barkley (torn right ACL) for the season and Sterling Shepard (turf toe) for at least three weeks won’t help in Sunday’s game against the 49ers, even with all of San Francisco’s injuries on defense.
“We have a long way to go offensively,” Garrett admitted Wednesday of the Giants’ 14.5 points per game average. “We’ve gotta get better running it, we’ve gotta get better throwing it. Obviously we need to score more points, be more productive on offense, moving the ball, scoring points on a consistent basis. But you go about it each day and try to improve.”
Tight end Evan Engram has struggled and needs to get going for the offense to have any chance. Judge interestingly said on Wednesday that “Jason [Garrett] has to put some ways to get Evan out there and get him the ball. They’re working hard on that right now.”
Judge insisted on Thursday that “I wouldn’t read too far into that quote” about Garrett and Engram. Judge said he was just discussing how they are constantly trying to “give our players advantages and make plays.”
But his original comment was clear: Engram needs to get going, especially to help the Giants generate more explosive plays. Darius Slayton’s 41-yard TD catch and Barkley’s 38-yard screen pass, both in the Week 1 loss to the Steelers, are the only Giants gains from scrimmage of 25 yards or more.
BALLENTINE’S BENCHING GIVES IKE A SHOT
Judge and defensive coordinator Pat Graham benched corner Corey Ballentine for the second half in Chicago after Ballentine lost Bears receiver Darnell Mooney for a late first-half touchdown catch on an extended play.
Ballentine’s benching was only a matter of time. The Giants traded a seventh-round pick to the Denver Broncos for Isaac Yiadom on Sept. 2 because it was obvious Ballentine wouldn’t hold up as a starting corner.
Yiadom, 24, replaced Ballentine for Sunday’s second half, when the Giants shut out Mitch Trubisky’s Bears offense (with help from the Chicago QB’s poor reads and turnovers). And presumably Yiadom will continue starting opposite James Bradberry.
“I’m very simple when it comes to corners,” Graham said. “Can they run? Can they tackle? Do they have toughness?”
The Giants’ defense is allowing the NFL’s lowest success rate on first and second downs so far, per Football Outsiders. The D is also fourth in fewest yards allowed per game (326.5) and 11th in points per game surrendered (21.5).
But their flaws have been exposed in key situations, especially on the back end. Most obviously, they have given up 78- and 80-yard touchdown drives, respectively, at the end of the first half in each of their first two games to the Steelers and Bears. Ex-Giants kicker Aldrick
Rosas pleaded as charged to two misdemeanors in a highspeed June hit-and-run and received three years probation and no jail time from a judge in Butte County (Calif.) Superior Court, Butte County DA Mike Ramsey told the News Thursday.
Rosas received three years probation, 30 days in county jail suspended, and was hit for associated fines and fees of around $1,800, the DA said.
He pleaded as charged to reckless driving on a highway and to hit and run and property damage. The state dropped the third misdemeanor charge of driving with a suspended or revoked license (due to a 2016 DUI conviction) because Rosas obtained a new license.
Rosas, 25, was arrested the morning of June 15 by the California Highway Patrol with “his hands, legs and bare feet … covered in blood” after witnesses said he T-boned a Ford pick-up truck going 90-100 miles per hour. The truck’s driver somehow wasn’t injured.
Rosas fled the scene of the accident on foot and was picked up by police about three-and-a-half hours later. The Giants cut Rosas in late July and replaced him with free agent Graham Gano.
GM Dave Gettleman pleaded ignorance on Sept. 3 to Rosas’ 2016 DUI conviction, saying “I didn’t know because I wasn’t here” for his initial signing in Jan. 2017. But co-owner John Mara contradicted Gettleman by admitting the Giants knew Rosas “had an issue with a previous DUI.”
UPSIDE FOR FREEMAN
Devonta Freeman’s one-year deal worth up to $3 million includes a limited guaranteed commitment by the Giants and upside incentives for the former Falcon. Per NFL Network, it carries a $1.07 million base salary (prorated to $944,118 for 14 games, since he signed after Week 2) with $300,000 guaranteed, per The Athletic.
The base value is $1.35 million ($1.224 million prorated). Incentives that could increase it to $3 million (or $2.874 million prorated, include: $280,000 per game active roster bonus; $1.15 million in rush yard/TD incentives; and $250,000 apiece for making the Pro Bowl and firstteam All-Pro.
NOTES: The Giants released linebacker Jermaine Grace from their practice squad after one Wednesday practice.