Big Blue needs big game from hurry-up defense
Dramatic fixes needed after miserable start
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — For so many of their 95 seasons, the Giants have been known for great defenses and legendary players who have delivered greatness to the franchise.
Lawrence Taylor. Harry Carson. Sam Huff. Michael Strahan. Andy Robustelli. Jim Katcavage. Emlen Tun ne ll. Carl Banks. George Martin. Justin Tuck.
And so many more over nearly a century of football.
It has been their calling card, through championship seasons and even in darker times. The 1970s were some of their worst years, but Martin and Carson and Brian Kelly and Brad Van Pelt and Spider Lockhart gave them something to hang their hats on.
We don’t know if any of the players from this year’s defense will fit into the pantheon of greats or whether they will be forgotten.
But after the Giants’ miserable performance against the Cowboys in last week’s 35-17 loss at AT&T Stadium — a game that wasn’t as close as the final score — we do know that there must be dramatic improvement for this group not to be linked with some of the franchise’s more contemptible defenses.
It is just one game and it is a young defense being rebuilt after nearly all of its established veterans were exiled by general manager Dave Gettleman.
Players do improve over time, and final judgments cannot be rendered until there is a more reliable sample size.
But that shouldn’t entirely diminish the level of alarm after what happened last week, when Dak Prescott stood in the pocket and was virtually untouched the entire game, torching the defense for 405 passing yards and four touchdowns.
The secondary was overmatched, partly because of its own mistakes but also because of a nonexistent pass rush against a superior offensive line. What was even more disconcerting: The Giants blitzed Prescott repeatedly, sending extra rushers a dozen times to help the front four.
And still nothing.
Let’s face it: This defense features few, if any, gamechanging players.
The Bills will visit MetLife Stadium on Sunday for the Giants’ home opener, and while Josh Allen doesn’t have Prescott’s resume, the second-year quarterback is to be feared nevertheless.
Allen has one of the best arms in the game, and if the Giants defend the deep pass against Buffalo as poorly as they did against the Cowboys, watch out.