These Giants pass the chemistry test
‘Snacks’ finds his right food group in Big Blue
THERE is a sign just outside the locker room at the Giants’ training facility that reads: “Push Each Other. There Is No Tomorrow.”
It ’s a message that speaks to these 2016 Giants, who have pushed themselves in every way all season, all the way to a 4:40 p.m. kickoff Sunday against the Packers at Lambeau Field.
Some teams h ave cliques aligned by whatever draws them together and excludes others. Some teams have indifference, an all-business 9-to-5 approach that leads to superficial relationships, and some teams seem like they can’t stand each other (i.e. the Jets).
But the Giants will tell you they have adapted a one-for-all, allfor-one mentality, a bond of brothers that almost reminds you of a college team.
“I don’t know who did the scouting and brought this group together ,” defensive lineman Damon “Snacks” Harrison said .“But the group of guys that were here before and the guys they brought in, you don’t see that too much, the different groups that genuinely get along on and off the field.”
The camaraderie is genuine and made it natural for vets and rookies to push each other to success. Odell Beckham Jr. made the AllPro team Friday as expected, as a second-teamer on offense. But the Giants’ real representation is on defense, where f ive defenders were voted to the first and second teams.
It’s a testament to the team’s success this season and their dominating play of late. Safety Landon Collins and Harrison were voted to the first team, while def ensive backs Dominique RodgersCromartie and Janoris Jenkins and defensive lineman Olivier Vernon were named to the second team.
Individual honors are good and the acknowledgment is appreciated, each of them said. But the Giants had just one goal as they concluded their final full practice before heading to Green Bay: Beat the Packers on Sunday and advance past the wild-card round. While some might fear Aaron Rodgers and his six-game winning streak, the Giants are ready to embrace the stage.
“It ’s going to be one for t he ages,” Collins said. “We’re excited to play against a Hall of Fame quarterback and make plays.”
The stakes will be at their highest, but that is what this team is built for. It’s why general manager Jerry Reese spent all that money on the defense and drafted wisely. Collins doesn’t make All-Pro if Rodgers-Cromartie and Jenkins aren’ t showing him how to be great and instructing rookie Eli Apple on how to be professional. It has raised everyone’s production.
“We’ ve all jelled together ,” Cromartie said. “It’s not separated. When we go outside of football it’ s everybody together: linemen, line backers. Everybody hangs together. You get that family knit. Anytime you know a guy, like you really know a guy, you go to battle for them.”
Great Giants defenses of the past are revered because they connected with their fan base: unified, tough and determined to defend grass. These Giants are like that and earning their own legion of admirers.
Representatives of the New York’s Finest Football team stopped by the Giants’ facility Friday to meet with the secondary that calls itself “NYPD,” which s ta nds for New York Pass Defense. “What about the New York run defense ?” Harrison joked after swiping a knit cap that read “nypd” across the brim.
With nicknames and notor i - ety come high expectations in the post season. Harry Carson and Lawrence Taylor and later Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora are known for Super Bowls. Now it’s up to Collins, DRC, Harrison and the rest to prove they can become Giants legends.
“There’s a lot of history here,” Vernon said. “You see guys who played here before back in the day because they’re around the building. The fans love their Giants. You can appreciate that being here and playing here. We have work to do.”
The individual hardware is nice. But these Giants are more about team. That’s why they’ll push each other come Sunday, because there is no tomorrow.