BIG BLUE REBORN
WITH A NEW COACH, FRONT OFFICE AND STAR RUNNING BACK, THE GIANTS WILL BE COUNTING ON A DYNAMIC OFFENSE TO FORGET THE NIGHTMARE OF LAST SEASON
T By PAUL SCHWARTZ HERE will be stretches when Pat Shurmur is making the call through his headset to Eli Manning, who shares it with his teammates in the huddle and what follows is magic. A quick slant to Odell Beckham Jr. that turns into a track meet won by OBJ. A screen to Saquon Barkley that picks up the first down, and a whole lot more. It is going to happen. It is merely a matter of when. And how often.
There is no reason to believe the 2018 Giants will be a great team and perhaps they will not even be a very good one, but they figure to light it up some days and nights and that will be worth the price of admission. Shurmur appears to have a firm hand on a situation that completely unraveled in 2017 under former coach Ben McAdoo, who was not equipped to slow the free fall, although it certainly was not all his fault. There are few better in the NFL than Shurmur at molding an offense to reach its peak potential.
There should be plenty of points, for and against, for a team that is not in rebuilding mold — heck, they stuck with the 37-yearold Manning for a 15th season — but is in transition, entering a season with a new head coach and a new general manager, Dave Gettleman, for the first time in 39 years. OFFENSE
You name it, the Giants have got it — unless, of course, you are not a believer in the completely revamped offensive line, a group that did not exactly look like road graders in the preseason.
If Manning gets the time he needs to scan the field and do what he does best — look downfield off play-action — watch out. He has weapons galore, starting with Beckham, the newly minted $95 million man. Beckham is sound of body (his fractured left ankle is fully healed) and mind (he has the security of a six-year contractual commitment) and that could translate to outrageous production.
He has plenty of running mates. Sterling Shepard is a quality No. 2 receiver, getting better by the day. Few tight ends can glide into routes with Evan Engram’s smoothness.
We forgetting anyone here? Oh yes, Barkley. The No. 2 pick in the draft is a force with the ball in his hands, and he will have it often. He cannot be
covered running routes out of the back- field and he drops passes as often as Manning uses Instagram.
The key here is the reliability of the line, anchored by Nate Solder at left tackle. The Giants are counting on Will Hernandez not playing like a rookie and Ereck Flowers resuscitating his sickly career with a move to right tackle.
The stunning release of Davis Webb, leaving rookie Kyle Lauletta and journeyman Alex Tanney as the depth at quarterback, is further reason this franchise must keep iron man Manning healthy.
DEFENSE
By any measure, this does not appear to be a top-10 unit, as the manpower is simply not there to overwhelm anyone. The best-case scenario is the offense controls time of possession and maintains the lead often enough to allow the defense to unleash the aggressive schemes of coordinator James Bettcher. Otherwise, where can this group dominate?
The line is run-stop heavy, led by Damon “Snacks’’ Harrison, a hard-to-move load in the middle. The inside linebackers are led by Alec Ogletree, acquired in a trade with the Rams, an established tackle-machine who did not look good in coverage this summer. The outside linebackers are led by Olivier Vernon, who should be a double-digit sack guy, but heads into the season with a sprained ankle.
The back end is led by strong safety Landon Collins and cornerback Janoris “Jackrabbit’’ Jenkins, a pair of Pro Bowlcaliber players. There are plenty of questions, though. Will corner Eli Apple grow up and play like the No. 10 pick he is? Can B.J. Hill cut it as a rookie starter on the line? Is rookie Lorenzo Carter an immediate contributor to the pass rush?
SPECIAL TEAMS
If last season was not such a disaster so early, it is highly likely rookie Aldrick Rosas would have been replaced by a veteran place kicker. Back for a second go-round, he possesses a powerful leg, but needs to prove he can be reliable and accurate from mid-range on field goals The Broncos parted ways with Riley Dixon after two seasons of decent punting and he signed with the Giants without any real competition in the building. Zak DeOssie is back for a 12th season as the long-snapper and remains one of the league’s best when it comes to getting involved in punt coverage.
There is no return man who scares an opponent — unless the Giants opt to use Beckham on punt returns and Barkley on kickoff returns, which they will do only in late-game desperation situations. Hunter Sharp alternated good plays with bad ones in the preseason.
COACHING
Shurmur readily agrees he is far more prepared the secondtime around as an NFL head coach after a two-year stay in Cleveland. He gives off an easy-going yet firm aura and has a way of explaining things simply, but without condescension. As a developer of offenses, he is widely respected in league circles and his concepts should be user-friendly for Manning. Shurmur will call the plays and, judging from his history as a coordinator, he will work the running game and will give his running backs ample opportunity to catch passes — hence the selection of Barkley in the draft. The Giants were impressed with the “adult’’ nature Shurmur exudes and he definitely is the man in charge.
Bettcher runs the defense and brings an aggressive approach in a 3-4 package that can be tough to deal with for opponents. Bettcher will have to be creative finding ways to pressure the quarterback.
Mike Shula, the offensive coordinator, will not call the plays and primarily will work with the quarterbacks. He will be a calm voice on game-day, aiding Shurmur.