LEARN TO SHARE
Giants’ O has multiple options, but just one ball
The way the Giants designed this, Eli Manning is going to have options galore after he takes the snap from center. If the greatest challenge for the 37-yearold quarterback is determining which of his many enticing targets gets the ball on a particular play, figure Manning, the offense and the team are all in fine shape.
It is too early to see this coming together, as Odell Beckham Jr. has yet to take part in any team work this spring, rehabbing from a fractured left ankle. The Giants know what Beckham can do, though, and are eager to pair him with an increasingly polished Sterling Shepard and tight end Evan Engram, oozing potential after an enticing rookie year. Lest we forget, running back Saquon Barkley was taken with the No. 2-overall pick in the draft to serve as an immediate weapon in the running and passing games.
That makes four possible game-breakers running routes at the same time, with Manning searching for the best matchup, probing for the greatest chance to hit big. Patience will be required of the players who must share the ball and divide the production.
“As long as we’re winning games, I don’t really care how it comes together,’’ Shepard said. “I just don’t want to have another season like last year, so whoever gets the ball, I know that you can trust in them to make big plays. I’m happy about that.’’
That is often the reasoning this time of year, but sometimes attitudes change once the season is underway. Receivers and running backs get paid based on their numbers, as does a pass-catching tight end such as Engram. Manning at this time last year thought he was preparing for a passing parade featuring Beckham, Shepard, Brandon Marshall and the rookie Engram. Injuries took Beckham and Marshall off the field well before Halloween and Shepard missed five games. At times, Manning had Engram, in his first season, and a bunch of bottom-of-theroster players at his disposal. If the group stays healthy, there will be a surplus of riches and Manning will be tasked with keeping everyone happy. Is that possible?
“Yeah, that’s a good question,’’ Engram said. “We definitely have a lot of talent, we’re going to utilize all of it as well. So, it’s definitely interesting to think about. But I mean, in practice, we’ve got guys making plays all over the field. So, the ball’s going to find the best player. We don’t really care where the ball goes, I just know we have a lot of talent.’’
Engram made it through 15 games and led the team with 65 receptions and six touchdowns. He was burdened with too heavy a load and asked to make plays down the field as the losses piled up. He sounds as if he will accept fewer catches for a whole lot more winning.
“Of course,’’ Engram said. “I know our locker room, and just the guys that I’ve been able just to mesh with and get to know, it’s a really unselfish team, a really unselfish locker room and I know based off last year, we would’ve liked a lot more wins at any cost. So, definitely I think we’re going to have the guys that are going to come in and compete and do whatever it takes to win a ballgame, to not really worry about personal accolades and numbers.’’
With Beckham and Marshall going down and out in Week 5, Shepard escaped from his slot- receiver duties and was needed more frequently as an outside target. That adds to his versatility. Engram can line up on the line, in the slot or on the outside and create mismatches, as he did in Tuesday’s practice, when he beat linebacker Kareem Martin on a deep pattern for a completion.
Barkley adds an entirely different dimension. The Giants seem more enamored of his pass-catching prowess than his actual ability to run the ball from scrimmage. It will surprise no one if Barkley, as a rookie, finishes second on the team in receptions to Beckham.
“We have all the pieces to the puzzle,’’ Shepard said. “We just have to kind of put it all together. I feel like we’re heading in the right path and we’ve just got to keep doing what we’ve got to do.’’