NFL Draft Prospect: Sam Darnold

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The next prospect that should be looked at is Sam Darnold, a quarterback from the University of Southern California. It is no secret that Eli Manning is getting older. I do not have any contacts with Giants executives so I do not know their feelings on Davis Webb. The Giants drafted Ryan Nassib a quarterback from Syracuse a few years ago and he did not pan out. If the Giants higher ups are not to fond of Davis Webb, Sam Darnold could be an option. However, in a recent development, Darnold is not set on entering the draft. Regardless, lets take a look.

Darnold is a good size at 6 foot 4 inches. He is not necessarily a rushing quarterback but can but when flushed out of the pocket can make some plays and or avoid a sack. He seems comfortable in the pocket. He has a good arm but not necessarily a cannon according to scouts. And he is rather accurate. Scouts say that he could improve his intangibles and going through his reads faster but most quarterbacks at college need to improve these. According to some sources he is a good leader as well. Which is a major positive for teams when going through the interview process.

If the draft happened right now. The Giants would be picking third and the only team above them that might have interest in Darnold, assuming that he enters the draft, might be the Cleveland Browns. Based on DeShone Kizer’s rough start. So depending on Davis Webb and obviously if Darnold enters the draft. Darnold could be a good option to be drafted and hopefully become the Giants next franchise quarterback.

 

NFL draft prospect: Saquon Barkley

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As this dismal season drags on, I look forward to the draft. The Giants are now 1-6 after suffering a loss to the Seahawks. Doing recaps of these games just make me angry so I have decided to start looking into draft prospects. This week it is the outstanding running back out of Penn State, Saquon Barkley. Barkley will likely be off the board in the top 10. So unless the Giants have a complete turnaround, they will likely have a good chance at getting him. Running back is not necessarily a need but he is a great talent and Jerry Reese has shown that he will often take the best available talent. Lets get to Barkley

Barkley is 5 foot 11 inches and weighs 223 pounds. He runs a 4.33 40 yard dash, benches 380 pounds and can squat 525 pounds multiple times. He is very explosive as was demonstrated by his 69 yard run versus Michigan on Saturday on his first touch of the game. Some analysts, including Daniel Jeremiah, say he is a better draft prospect than Ezekiel Elliot was. That he has a great combination of size, power, explosiveness and elusiveness. Todd Mcshay saying that he is the best prospect since Adrian Peterson. He is in the running for a Heisman. He had a statement game against Michigan, who Penn State dismantled. They face Ohio State coming up another big challenge and another opportunity for Barkley to further showcase his stuff. Perhaps his biggest effect on the field, as I have observed, is how the defense is drawn to him. Trace Mcsorley is a good quarterback for Penn State. I was watching the Michigan game, and they ran several options. Each time the linebackers were looking for Barkley and often over pursued allowing Mcsorley to break off huge runs. The Giants would be wise to continue to watch him as the College Football season heads toward the playoffs.

 

Props to Mike Sullivan

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The Giants beat the Broncos on Sunday, which came as a surprise to most. This is because the Giants opened as 9 point underdogs. Before Sunday, all facets of the Giants had been bad. Offense, Defense, Special Teams and even coaching. A large part of this was the recent injuries sustained. Sullivan went into the game without his three best receivers, starting center and running back. Yet some how he managed to put up 23 points. In fairness, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnulo and defensive players deserve a pat on the back as well. They played spectacularly well. Even returning an interception for 6. However, this article is not about the defense because that is how they should be playing. They have all the players, they just need to perform. Like they did on Sunday, exceptionally well. So back to Sullivan. He took on the play calling duties and the offense prospered, even with all of the injuries. The offensive line, which had been poor all year played very well after being reshuffled. Justin Pugh went one on one with Von Miller most of the game and did an excellent job. Others such as D.J. Fluker opened up massive holes for Darkwa to run through, racking up 117 yards. Eli had a good day while not throwing many passes because of the dominant run game. Evan Engram picked up some of the receiving core slack catching 5 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. Sullivan calling the plays made the offense appear rejuvenated. When McAdoo was calling them, sometimes the offense looked stagnant or repetitive. If I had to guess, Sullivan will most likely keep the play calling duties next week against the Seahawks. It will be interesting to see if the offense continues to play well under Sullivan’s play calls. Because, I think I can speak for most Giants fans in this, Sundays game is what we expected game one. Especially with play makers like OBJ still in the lineup. So keep up the good work Mike Sullivan.

Week 6 Preview: New York Giants vs. Denver Broncos

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And so the season drags on. For the Giants and the remaining fans, the season cant end soon enough. However it is only week 6 and the Giants face a good Broncos team. Lets look at some of the match ups.

Offense: The Giants have Eli. Thats about it at this point. Perkins is hurt, three wide receivers are done for the season and Sterling Shepard is injured. The offensive line is sub par. The Broncos have an average offense with a good a running game lead by C.J. Andersen. Average is far better than the what ever the Giants have.

Advantage: Broncos (This might be a trend throughout)

Defense: The Broncos have one of the best defenses in football. Especially with Von Miller coming off the edge. Against the Giants offensive line, this spells disaster for Eli. The Giants defense is pretty good, when they are at full strength. Landon Collins, Olivier Vernon, and Johnathon Casillas all didn’t practice. And obviously the whole DRC predicament. With all this being said, you can probably guess who gets the edge.

Advantage: Broncos

The Broncos are 9 point favorites, for obvious reasons. And this will be a tough game considering all of the negative things surrounding the Giants right now. It will be interesting to see how the Giants play knowing that their season is essentially over. I expect some good effort from the players that are now in starting roles because off all of the injuries. All that being said here is my prediction.

Broncos 24-7 Giants

Well, the Season is all but Over

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I started this blog to write about my favorite football team the New York Giants. I had planned on blogging about each game. I figured I would enjoy doing it. However, as I’m sure as you all know, this season has gone horribly wrong. When I write about the games I find myself become saddened and angry instead of the planned enjoyment. To alleviate this stress, I plan to start blogging about the upcoming draft. Yes it is a long ways away. But the Giants will likely have a very early pick. Providing some optimism for the future of Giants football.

Possible Pick: OT Mike McGlinchey, Notre Dame

In most of the big boards out McGlinchey is the top ranked tackle. Depending on how early the Giants pick, this could be considered a reach. However, the offensive line is the Giants most glaring need in my opinion. As long as OBJ had a full recovery and Wayne Gallman continues to progress the offense seems in good shape. Eli appears to still have it but he will certainly be a question in the future. The defense seems to be in good shape. Some attention could be needed in the linebacker core. Back to McGlinchey. He is listed at six foot eight inches and three-hundred and twelve pounds. So he is by know means undersized. Some scouts are impressed with his pass blocking. Saying that he is atheltic and has good knee bend. And can generate some movement at the point of attack in run blocking. He could have been one of the top tackles in last years draft but decided to go back for another year. This should help him fine tune and and prepare for the NFL. And depending on how things shake out, should be considered by the Giants front office.

 

What is going on with Brad Wing?

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The goal of this article is not to place the blame for the Giants struggles solely on Brad Wing. However, the last two games especially, Wing’s punts have been a part of the problem. Lets go back to the Philadelphia game. The game was tied and appeared to be going into overtime. The Giants had the ball left with :51 left in the game and had to score or run out the clock. The Giants went three and out and on came the punt squad. If Wing pinned them deep the game could have went to overtime and who knows what would have happened. Instead he shanked a 28 yard punt and gave the Eagles a shot which Jake Elliot took and nailed a 61 yard field goal. Game over. Again not solely on Wing. Before the Giants punted Vereen ran out of bounds stopping the clock. And even with the poor punt the Eagles were on their own 38. The defense just had to hold. Instead they allowed a 19 yard completion to Alshon Jeffery. On comes Jake Elliot, 61 yards later, game over. Fast forward to the Buccaneers game. The Giants were in the midst of a  comeback. When Brad Wing shanked a 15 yard punt this time. The Buccaneers capitalized on the good field position and scored a touchdown. The Giants ended up losing by two. So the usually reliable Brad Wing has been one of the host of problems for the Giants this year. That has contributed to this dismal season. However, there is always hope. The Giants are the favorites against the also 0-4 Chargers next week. Until then, keep the faith Giants fans.

 

Deangelo Williams Anybody?

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On twitter, a Giants fan asked Williams about joining the Giants. He simply responded “I’m available” (His tweet) . This pickup would add a power back to the worst running game in the league. The Giants average 48.7 yards a game on 47 attempts total. Williams averaged four yards a carry and had eleven touchdowns in 2016 when he was the featured back. He wouldn’t need those numbers, he could specialize in short yardage and power situations. Granted the Giants don’t often line up in the power I and Full Back Shane Smith didn’t play a single snap in week 3. But he couldn’t hurt the running game and would specialize in goal line situations. He likely wouldn’t prosper because of our offensive line, or lack there of. But would be a good addition, none the less.  Previous Giants power running backs like Brandon Jacobs have excelled in New York. The Giants struggled against the Eagles in goal situations on Sunday.  For example when the Giants had three shots from inside the three to punch the ball in before half and failed. Williams could have certainly be utilized. If not to run the ball, as a distraction for receivers like Odell Beckham and Evan Engram. Defenders would have to honor the run and couldn’t bail and drop into coverage immediately. He seems interested but I don’t know about the Giants. They reportedly had a shot at Legarrette Blount in the off season but didn’t take it. Perhaps they thought that a power back didn’t fit into the system. But its pretty clear the running game needs help. This could be it.

Hot Take of the Week

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The Giants struggles as of late are not because of one person. However there is certainly blame to go around. In this hot take, the blame is going on Jerry Reese. Coming into the season the Giants line was ranked 29th by Pro Football Focus. And no changes had been made from the previous season. It is difficult to determine when a player is a bust. However Ereck Flowers must be getting close. He has a 40.9 PFF ranking and is struggling in his third year. It seems that Reese was banking on some players on the line devolving. However it is evident that there has been no progression. It is on Reese because he has done a good job putting a talented offense full of potential together but neglected a key aspect. Eli is by no means a mobile quarterback, but he can make some impressive throws down field and hit the open man when he is not on his back. He has some talented skill players around him including Odell Beckham Junior, Evan Engram and Paul Perkins, among others. If a little bit of focus was devoted to the offensive line the offense has plenty of potential. Same thing with the defense, it is stout, but for some reason five defensive players have been taken in the last two drafts. While only one line has been taken, in the 6th round. Look at the Raiders offensive line for example. It is one on the best in football and thus so is there offense. At this point McAdoo needs to do his best to turn things around. The trade market needs to be examined and this off season there needs to be changes.

Check back in later for a preview of the Giants vs Eagles game.