Transformation

Giants plan on shaking up predictable personnel

PHOENIX — You knew what you were getti ng from the Giants on offense in 2016. They put three receivers on the field more often than any team in the NFL, with Odell Beckham Jr. and rookie Sterling Shepard logging nearly every snap and Victor Cruz, or another wide receiver, right behind.

This is called “11 personnel’’ — three receivers, one tight end, one running back — and the over-reliance on this package was one reason why the Giants f inished 26th in the NFL in scoring and 29th in rushing offense.

“Ideally you’d like to have more personnel groups, yes,’’ coach Ben McAdoo said this week at the NFL owners meetings. “That’s the way it shook out. Moving forward, we’ll see how it goes.’’

There is no doubt how this will go for the Giants on 2017. They will use their three-receiver package less frequently for a simple reason: They now believe they have the versatility they need to become more diverse.

Last season, McAdoo went without a fullback on the roster, with Will Johnson and Nikita Whitlock both injured. A replacement never was found, so the Giants scrapped the position from their playbook. What easily could have been explained away as stubbornness by the first-year head coach — and there might have been some of that as he stuck with what was not working — was more the lack of better options.

“It adds an element any time you have a fullback type in the backfield, it adds an element or physicality that’s tough to replace when you don’t have it,’’ McAdoo said. “Just didn’t work out last year, it’s not by design. I hear I don’t want to have a fullback on the roster, that’s news to me.’’

Last season, the Giants did not have a legitimate blocking tight end, so they f igured there was not much sense using packages with two tight ends. This is why in free agency they signed Rhett Ellison from the Vikings. He is primarily a blocking tight end and can line up at fullback.

“Rhett is a great kid, number one,’’ Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Wednesday. “He’s a great competitor. He’s tough. I walked up to him one day during the season last year and I said ‘Rhett, I want to tell you how much I appreciate how you go about your work, the things you do, the kind of person that you are.’ He’s going to fight and do everything he possibly can to help the team.

“He’s gonna block well in the running game, in pass protection. He can block defensive ends. And he’s a good guy in the locker room. He’s quiet, but he’s a good guy in the locker room.’’

There was no big-splash signing on the offensive line, but the addition of former Chargers first-round pick D.J. Fluker gives the Giants a huge man who can move bodies in the running game. McAdoo said Fluker is more of a guard than a right tackle. He certainly is competition for re-signed John Jerry for the starting right guard spot.

The Giants have not signed a new running back, yet their running game already is improved.

“I agree with that,’’ McAdoo said. “Rhett offers a lot right there to us as a pro-style tight end. He can help show the way to some of the young players we have in the tight-end room. Fluker’s a big man. He loves the game, provides a lot energy there.’’

The running back group is Shane Vereen, Paul Perkins and Orleans Darkwa. They signed Shaun Draughn, who has been with six teams in four years. The Giants will add another back, most likely in the mid-to-late rounds of the draft.

McAdoo said Vereen — limited to f ive games last season because he twice tore his triceps muscle — “is right there in the mix’’ for the starting job at running back. Darkwa played in 10 games but rarely was completely healthy. McAdoo said “if he’s healthy he can be an impact player for us.’’

Perkins, after an encouraging rookie year, sits atop the running back chart as far as potential.

“It’s tough to say one guy is going to be your running back,’’ McAdoo said. “You need a variety of players there, not just two, maybe three. He showed he’s a conscientious player. ... He’s dedicated to his craft, and not just as an offensive player. He has a lot of value as a special teams player as well. That’s important.’’