Giants focused on rushing the passer
By William Bendetson
ESPN.com
ALBANY, N.Y. -- The New York Giants were lined up in their 11-on-11 drill last Wednesday when Giants QB Eli Manning overthrew his intended receiver and Giants defensive back Sam Madison intercepted the pass. New York safety Will Demps was a little surprised to see an 11-year veteran make such a play.
"I doubted your hands," Demps said to Madison.
Jekyll and Hyde might best describe the Giants' defense last season. One never knew which defense to expect. Would it be the defense that registered four interceptions in a 36-22 victory over the Dallas Cowboys? Or the one that surrendered 31 points to the mediocre Chicago Bears offense in a 38-20 loss? It did not help that Osi Umenyiora, the Giants' star defensive end, suffered a hip injury in the win at Dallas.
"A lot of people don't realize from reading the newspapers that Osi is one of our leaders," said Giants linebacker Reggie Torbor.
The Giants have three great athletes on their defensive line: Michael Strahan, if he plays this season; Umenyiora; and Mathias Kiwanuka. When former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi drafted Kiwanuka, many wondered why the Giants would select another pass-rusher. The move, however, paid off last season, as Kiwanuka had four sacks and was a good fill-in for a defense decimated by injuries.
In the offseason, coach Tom Coughlin replaced defensive coordinator Tim Lewis with Steve Spagnuolo, who was the linebackers coach for the Philadelphia Eagles last season. Spagnuolo learned under Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, who is known for blitzing a lot in the 4-3 alignment.
"We basically have to take everything we learned over the past few months and throw it out the window," Madison said. "Guys need to put their thinking caps on."
Last year, the Giants' defense was almost a hybrid between a 4-3 and 3-4, forcing linebackers to pressure the quarterback as well as cover receivers. This year, New York's defensive linemen will be more focused on rushing the passer. Spagnuolo moved Kiwanuka to linebacker. The hope is to have Kiwanuka on the field at all times. Spagnuolo also has moved defensive tackle Barry Cofield from the two-gap to the one-gap. So instead of being double-teamed on almost every play, Cofield will become part of the Giants' rotation and have the opportunity to rush the passer.
"Our attacking style is different than last year," Cofield said. "We should be able to get more of a pass rush as we are not reading offensive linemen as much, so we can get up the field quicker. We want our D-line to play in the opponent's backfield. The challenge, though, is to focus on our technique and not blow assignments during the game."
We basically have to take everything we learned over the past few months and throw it out the window. Guys need to put their thinking caps on.
Sam Madison
Added Kiwanuka: "We have a new scheme and it really rejuvenated everybody, revitalized our optimism, as everybody is running around trying to get somebody. The biggest difference from last year to this year is we are going to come get 'em, blitz a lot and be in your face. The challenge is tailoring the new system to the talent of the players on the field and that takes time. We also need to tackle better. "
Despite all the optimism about the new schemes, the Giants face challenges. Can Kiwanuka successfully make the transition from defensive line to linebacker? Spagnuolo admitted earlier in training camp that Kiwanuka's progression has been in baby steps. Kiwanuka himself admitted that he has had a difficult time learning his new position.
With the Giants focused on blitzing more, their run defense could suffer. The Giants defended the run poorly in their preseason loss to Carolina, allowing 154 rushing yards. The signing of linebacker Kawika Mitchell, who had 82 tackles last season for Kansas City, should help the Giants' cause.
Last season, the Giants struggled to get off the field on third down, as opponents converted 42.9 percent of the time (24th in the NFL). The Giants were notorious for allowing a lot of long drives. They drafted Aaron Ross with their first pick, and he should be the third or fourth cornerback on passing plays. Cornerback Corey Webster missed four games last season, and his return should help.
The Giants also have 10-year veteran R.W. McQuarters, and Madison, who started most of last season. To further shake things up, Coughlin moved third-year safety James Butler into the starting role ahead of Demps. The Giants' other starting safety from last season, Gibril Wilson, should remain a starter. Of course, injuries can always shake things up, and the Giants are already dealing with their share. In Saturday's preseason victory over the Ravens, Demps dislocated an elbow and Madison pulled a hamstring.
Last Wednesday, the Giants' cornerbacks were lined up in a lot of single coverage, which should be expected as the Giants blitz more this season.
"We play press almost every play," Madison said. "We had some problems last year in the secondary, but the front line, linebackers and secondary all go together. When three of your top five defensive linemen go down, and you don't have a pass rush, it puts the secondary on their heels. Last year, we did not cover as well as we are now. We are forcing the offense to do what we want them to do instead of letting them dictate what we do."
ESPN.com
ALBANY, N.Y. -- The New York Giants were lined up in their 11-on-11 drill last Wednesday when Giants QB Eli Manning overthrew his intended receiver and Giants defensive back Sam Madison intercepted the pass. New York safety Will Demps was a little surprised to see an 11-year veteran make such a play.
"I doubted your hands," Demps said to Madison.
Jekyll and Hyde might best describe the Giants' defense last season. One never knew which defense to expect. Would it be the defense that registered four interceptions in a 36-22 victory over the Dallas Cowboys? Or the one that surrendered 31 points to the mediocre Chicago Bears offense in a 38-20 loss? It did not help that Osi Umenyiora, the Giants' star defensive end, suffered a hip injury in the win at Dallas.
"A lot of people don't realize from reading the newspapers that Osi is one of our leaders," said Giants linebacker Reggie Torbor.
The Giants have three great athletes on their defensive line: Michael Strahan, if he plays this season; Umenyiora; and Mathias Kiwanuka. When former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi drafted Kiwanuka, many wondered why the Giants would select another pass-rusher. The move, however, paid off last season, as Kiwanuka had four sacks and was a good fill-in for a defense decimated by injuries.
In the offseason, coach Tom Coughlin replaced defensive coordinator Tim Lewis with Steve Spagnuolo, who was the linebackers coach for the Philadelphia Eagles last season. Spagnuolo learned under Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, who is known for blitzing a lot in the 4-3 alignment.
"We basically have to take everything we learned over the past few months and throw it out the window," Madison said. "Guys need to put their thinking caps on."
Last year, the Giants' defense was almost a hybrid between a 4-3 and 3-4, forcing linebackers to pressure the quarterback as well as cover receivers. This year, New York's defensive linemen will be more focused on rushing the passer. Spagnuolo moved Kiwanuka to linebacker. The hope is to have Kiwanuka on the field at all times. Spagnuolo also has moved defensive tackle Barry Cofield from the two-gap to the one-gap. So instead of being double-teamed on almost every play, Cofield will become part of the Giants' rotation and have the opportunity to rush the passer.
"Our attacking style is different than last year," Cofield said. "We should be able to get more of a pass rush as we are not reading offensive linemen as much, so we can get up the field quicker. We want our D-line to play in the opponent's backfield. The challenge, though, is to focus on our technique and not blow assignments during the game."
We basically have to take everything we learned over the past few months and throw it out the window. Guys need to put their thinking caps on.
Sam Madison
Added Kiwanuka: "We have a new scheme and it really rejuvenated everybody, revitalized our optimism, as everybody is running around trying to get somebody. The biggest difference from last year to this year is we are going to come get 'em, blitz a lot and be in your face. The challenge is tailoring the new system to the talent of the players on the field and that takes time. We also need to tackle better. "
Despite all the optimism about the new schemes, the Giants face challenges. Can Kiwanuka successfully make the transition from defensive line to linebacker? Spagnuolo admitted earlier in training camp that Kiwanuka's progression has been in baby steps. Kiwanuka himself admitted that he has had a difficult time learning his new position.
With the Giants focused on blitzing more, their run defense could suffer. The Giants defended the run poorly in their preseason loss to Carolina, allowing 154 rushing yards. The signing of linebacker Kawika Mitchell, who had 82 tackles last season for Kansas City, should help the Giants' cause.
Last season, the Giants struggled to get off the field on third down, as opponents converted 42.9 percent of the time (24th in the NFL). The Giants were notorious for allowing a lot of long drives. They drafted Aaron Ross with their first pick, and he should be the third or fourth cornerback on passing plays. Cornerback Corey Webster missed four games last season, and his return should help.
The Giants also have 10-year veteran R.W. McQuarters, and Madison, who started most of last season. To further shake things up, Coughlin moved third-year safety James Butler into the starting role ahead of Demps. The Giants' other starting safety from last season, Gibril Wilson, should remain a starter. Of course, injuries can always shake things up, and the Giants are already dealing with their share. In Saturday's preseason victory over the Ravens, Demps dislocated an elbow and Madison pulled a hamstring.
Last Wednesday, the Giants' cornerbacks were lined up in a lot of single coverage, which should be expected as the Giants blitz more this season.
"We play press almost every play," Madison said. "We had some problems last year in the secondary, but the front line, linebackers and secondary all go together. When three of your top five defensive linemen go down, and you don't have a pass rush, it puts the secondary on their heels. Last year, we did not cover as well as we are now. We are forcing the offense to do what we want them to do instead of letting them dictate what we do."
posted by The Gryphon at 5:27 PM
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