Wake-up calls
First game proves Giants need to make better play choices
If Daniel Jones is going to be held to a make-or-break third-year standard, the Giants’ play-calling needs to help him. Sunday’s first offensive drive demonstrated that sometimes there may be forces working against him.
Joe Judge, Jason Garrett and the Giants’ offensive staff can’t repeat mistakes like this on Thursday night at Washington.
On the Giants’ third play against Denver from their own 28-yard line, Jones alertly launched a 42-yard pass down the right sideline to Darius Slayton after the Broncos had jumped offsides.
That gave the Giants 1st and 10 on Denver’s 30-yard line.
The next play call was inexplicable: a left-to-right jet sweep to Kadarius Toney, on the rookie first-rounder’s first career snap, running directly into the NFL’s active sack leader, Broncos edge Von Miller.
Six-yard loss. Someone missed their block on Miller, seemingly tight end Kaden Smith. Now the Giants were out of field-goal range.
Then, right guard Will Hernandez got smoked off the line on 2nd and 16 by Broncos end Dre’Mont Jones, caving in a Devontae Booker run for a 2-yard loss.
Then Jones and Sterling Shepard failed to connect on a messy thirddown incompletion. Punt. No points. This is how teams lose games. Judge’s explanation of the play call appeared to indicate it was part of the script.
“We knew what the play call was going into the game,” the coach said. “We talked through the opening script and the things we wanted to run early. Things aren’t necessarily run in a direct order, A-B-C, but we know the plays we want to factor in early to kind of go ahead and get certain guys involved.”
Still, situationally, the Toney play call was illogical and set up to fail. It was a bad decision given the Giants’ field position, given a struggling offense’s need for early points and confidence, given a hundred other reasons.
Jones, frankly, should have changed the play at the line. If he wants to take
command in his third NFL season, he can’t be a bystander when bad play calls come in.
Although it’s not clear if Jones had the ability to change that play call at the line, since it was part of the early game script. Jones wouldn’t answer on Tuesday whether he had another play in his helmet for that down.
“There’s certain plays through the game that we can check and get into certain looks and make sure we’re in a good look for what we want to run,” Jones said. “But those are different plays here and there, so I gotta do a good job seeing it and make sure we’re good to go.”
His turnover-prone play in the red zone remains a major concern, too, after his third-quarter fumble.
He was far from perfect, given a 49.0 QBR rating out of 100 by ESPN Stats & Info, ranked 18th among quarterbacks in Week 1.
But he had started the season opener with a great throw to put the Giants in scoring range and the coaching, not the QB’s play, backed them out of it.
That’s just unacceptable.
HOPEFUL ON ENGRAM
Tight end Evan Engram (left calf) was projected as a non-participant in Tuesday’s walkthrough practice, but Judge was optimistic he could make his season debut Thursday. “I hope so,” the coach said. Saquon Barkley (right knee) was limited, but is expected to play.
Left guard Shane Lemieux (knee) wasn’t at practice, and it looks like the Giants are going to shuffle their starting five. Center Nick Gates and Ben Bredeson are options at guard. Center Billy Price could enter the fold, too.
LB Cam Brown (hamstring), exclusively a special teamer, was also a non-participant.
PICK GOES BACK
The Panthers cut kicker Ryan Santoso on Tuesday, so they will keep the conditional seventh-round pick they had agreed to send the Giants in a trade if Santoso had stuck on the team.
The Giants’ Week 2 practice squad protections are WR/KR C.J. Board, C Matt Skura, TE Chris Myarick and DT David Moa. Their Week 1 protections had been Moa, Myarick and TE Ryan Izzo.