Sack-happy Leonard gets set to cash in
Leonard Wiliams is going to get paid. The Giants’ defensive end racked up a career-high three sacks in Sunday’s finale victory to reach 11.5 on the season, into double digits for the first time in his sixth NFL season.
He also notched five quarterback hits and three tackles for a loss, including a hit on Cowboys QB Andy Dalton that forced a critical fourth-quarter interception in the end zone to rookie safety Xavier McKinney.
Williams is playing on the $16.1 million one-year franchise tag, and his price just went way up, even if Williams says money isn’t his aim.
“It’s never been about money for me,” Williams said. “I was kind of drafted high, made a lot of money already in my career. I feel like I was smart enough and I could retire now and still have enough money for the rest of my life, but it’s never been about the money. I think I more wanted respect and to show guys the reason why I’m in this league. It’s more about the respect to me than the contract.”
Williams’ production will earn respect in the form of dollars, though, whether he re-signs in New York or gets paid elsewhere. The Giants’ use of him at defensive end in the 3-4 scheme, and even at edge at points in Sunday’s 23-19 win over Dallas, is further proof that his cost will go up.
He is being paid as a defensive tackle on the franchise tag, for example, but Williams’ 2020 usage and production both suggest he belongs in the pass-rusher category, where players make considerably more.
Cowboys edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence makes $21 million per year, for example. He had 25 sacks between the 2017-18 seasons but hasn’t been over seven sacks in either of his two seasons since.
Williams, 26, had the kind of season this year that GM Dave Gettleman hoped for when he traded for Williams in the middle of last season.
Gettleman’s trade was an ill-conceived mismanagement of assets trading a 2020 third-round pick and 2021 fifth-round pick to try and help a losing 2019 team win down the stretch, though.
It amounted to buying the right to make Williams a first offer in-house. The Giants failed to get a long-term deal done with Williams last offseason, tagged him, and now the price is even higher entering 2021.
That said, for a franchise completely devoid of pass-rushing talent otherwise, Williams’ production in 2020 is a bright spot. And both Williams’ side and the Giants will be motivated to get something done.
“I’ve definitely seen a lot of the criticism and the hate and stuff like that in the press and the media and by the fans,” Williams said. “It feels good to prove them wrong but also show why Dave Gettleman took a chance on me. He obviously took a chance on me and it feels good to show him that it was the right choice.”
The Giants actually sacked the Cowboys’ Andy Dalton six times on Sunday, their highest one-game total since they had six in a loss in Washington on Nov. 23, 2017. Dalvin Tomlinson, Blake Martinez and Kyler Fackrell each had solo sacks.
Tomlinson, meanwhile, became the first Giants defensive player to start each of his first 64 games in the league since the NFL went to 16 games in 1978. Tomlinson was a Jerry Reese second round pick out of Alabama in 2017.
BAD BLUFF BY DANIEL
The Cowboys didn’t bite on Daniel Jones’ bluff this week that he was still too injured to escape the pocket. Jones had run the ball once in his previous two games while battling hamstring and ankle injuries, but he ran nine times in Sunday’s finale, including some designed runs, and gained just 17 yards.
The ruse of Jones lamenting his ailment publicly this week, and Judge lightly chastising him for his honesty, was sniffed out.
“Well that was Wednesday when we talked last, and through the week I felt a lot better,” Jones claimed, explaining the disparity between his words and his actions. “By the time we were here on Sunday, I felt good about running and we did it. They defended it well but felt a lot better and felt good here today.”
Jones finished the 2020 regular season with 11 touchdown passes, one rushing touchdown, 10 interceptions and six fumbles lost in 14 games. That’s 12 total TDs to 16 turnovers.
In Jones’ rookie season, he had 24 touchdown passes, two rushing TDs, 12 interceptions and 11 fumbles lost in 12 starts and 13 games. That’s 26 TDs to 23 turnovers.
So Jones through two NFL seasons has 38 TDs and 39 turnovers in 27 games (26 starts). That breaks down as 35 passing TDs, three rushing TDs, 22 interceptions and 17 fumbles.
POINT BREAK
The Giants failed to score 300 points for just the third time in the last 17 seasons. Joe Judge’s team finished with 280 points and a 17.5 points per game average with Jason Garrett running the offense.