Most hoping it’s first ‘stop’ in postseason
The past four years, he was an observer.
“Of course I’d be watching the games,’’ Janoris Jenkins said, “and wish this, wish that.’’
Wishes do come true. It took Janoris Jenkins five seasons to f inally make it into the playoffs, which gives him plenty in common with his teammates who have come together to form the hottest defense in the NFL, at just the right time. Aaron Rodgers for the past six weeks has been the baddest quarterback on the planet and he is battle-tested in the ways of the postseason.
The Giants , for all t hei r might on defense, are not.
“We’ve been playing in big games all year,’’ rookie cornerback Eli Apple told The Post. “We’re not worried about any experience type of thing. We know how to step up in big games.’’
The Giants finished second in the NFL in points allowed on defense with 284, an average of 17.8 per game. Of the 11 starters, nine have never stepped foot on the f ield for an NFL playoff game, meaning Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field for an NFC wild-card clash will not be business as usual for the vast majority of a defense that has carried the Giants this far.
Al l fo u r starters on the defensive line will be making their postseason debuts. Olivier Vernon never made it with the Dolphins, Damon Harrison never made it with the Jets, Johnathan Hankins never made it with the Giants and Romeo Okwara is a rookie from Notre Dame.
In the defensive backfield, all four starters have never played in a playoff game. Landon Collins is in his second year with the Giants so he’s never been this way before. Jenkins never made it with the Rams. Apple and Andrew Adams are rooki es. Technically, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is not a starter, but he is on the f ield more often than not in threecornerback packages, and DRC has played in two Super Bowls, so he certainly does not lack for experience.
At linebacker, Devon Kennard is in his third year with the Giants and therefore has never been to the playoffs. Jonathan Casillas has Super Bowl rings from his days with the Saints and Patriots, so he is a playoff veteran. Kelvin Sheppard, the middle linebacker, was in the playoffs with the Colts in 2013.
Among others who receive plenty of snaps on defense, linebacker Keenan Robinson was in the playoffs last season with the Redskins and cornerback Leon Hall played in four playoff games with the Bengals.
The Giants cannot act like they’ ve been here before because most of them on defense haven’t.
“I understand experience is big, but at the end of the day we still got to come out and play football, no matter if it’s a playoff game, however you want to look at it,’’ Jenkins said.
Casillas, the defensive captain, did not dismiss the lack of playoff experience as a possible factor, but he believes his teammates can rise above the novelty of this situation.
“I feel like the character that we have in the locker room, especially on the defensive side of the ball, the guys that I see day in and day out,’’ Casillas said. “The guys I see away from the facility, there’s no question about it. Are the guys going to be prepared, are the guys going to be ready, are the guys going to be ready for the speed? There’s no question in my mind about it.’’
The speed is what Adams, undrafted out of UConn, is gearing up for after a conversation with Casillas.
“It’s faster, J.C. said it’s faster, the speed ramps up a little bit in the playoffs,’’ Adams said.
Casillas cannot inject his playoff moxie into his teammates, but he can offer his advice.
“Work as hard as you can this week, leave no stone unturned,’’ Casillas said. “If you’ve got to cut communication off between your family and you, then so be it. This is it, we’ve got one week, or five weeks that’s how I look at it. You put everything into it because this what we all wanted to do in the beginning, this is why we play the game, to get to the Super Bowl.’’