bj goodson

New York Giants: Ryan Connelly just booted BJ Goodson out of his spot

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New York Giants, Ryan Connelly

The New York Giants have struggled at the linebacker position for the past few years, but they may have found a solution in rookie Ryan Connelly out of Wisconsin.

The four-year linebacker in college enters the NFL as a fifth-round pick with light expectations on his shoulders. However, he is already making waves around Giants camp and during the preseason which elevated his status and made him a potential starter for the 2019 season.

He has seemingly developed very quickly during training camp, likely because he’s facing off against one of the NFL’s top running backs, Saquon Barkley.

Facing off against that quality of talent will help him develop his game and refine his skills to achieve success at the NFL level. Ultimately, if he can stop Saquon Barkley in the open field, he can stop any running back in the league. Connelly’s plan from the get-go was to earn the trust of his teammates and coaches by commanding the huddle and being a quality MIC linebacker. His job was to provide physicality and prove his development early on.

At this point, it seems that Ryan has completely pushed BJ Goodson out of the second starting linebacker position. It is quite fascinating, considering he managed to dethrone a multi-year starter in just one training camp. Additionally, injuries have played a part in his career, and he is questionable in coverage at times.

While Connelly is still growing into his new role, he’s a much better linebacker in coverage and is exceptionally instinctual in regards to shooting gaps and playing against the run.

On Friday night against the Chicago Bears, Connelly shot through the gap on a third-and-one running play, just barely missing the running back and falling short of making a big stop.

While he did miss the tackle, it showed his athleticism and ability to get into the backfield very quickly. It is exciting to see what he can do from the middle of the defense and what we should expect to see from him in the future. Missing a vital tackle against the Bears is part of the rookie learning curve, but that will slowly alleviate itself as he continues to earn more playing time and experience.

He has shown the coaching staff that he is tenacious player plenty of upside. That is all you can Asfoor for my fifth-round pick that is just getting used to the physicality and speed of the NFL.

“I think he’s shown us that he belongs on the field,” Giants coach Pat Shurmur said. “Like any young player, when somebody goes down ahead of you, you get in there and take advantage of the reps you have.”

New York Giants linebacker could steal playing time from BJ Goodson

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New York Giants linebacker, Tae Davis.

The New York Giants don’t have the most versatile and exciting linebacker corps, but they have the appropriate players to help succeed to a degree.

With Alec Ogletree and BJ Goodson acting as the expected starting linebackers, it minimizes the opportunity for other options, however, Tae Davis, second-year defender out of Tennessee, could steal playing time from Goodson.

Davis, who’s a solid cover backer, is better suited in passing packages where he can pick up tight ends and running backs coming out of the backfield. In fact, it’s possible he even fills in or rotates with Ogletree in specific scenarios. I believe, though, he will replace Goodson given Alec’s five interceptions in 2018.

Last season, defensive coordinator James Bettcher played Davis more on third downs. The undrafted rookie played in 14 games last season, starting in four. He tallied 33 combined tackles, 2.0 sacks, and four quarterback hits. I anticipate his numbers will take a jump in 2019 due to his developing skill-set.

Tae’s influence could be significant given his proficiency against tight ends. Landon Collins and Ogletree were often designated the assignment of locking down TEs last season, and the Giants ranked near the bottom of the league in defending them. Finding a solution for that problem was a priority this offseason, and Davis could certainly be it.

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How can the New York Giants make the most of Davis’ abilities?

Alec Ogletree is better suited playing closer to the line of scrimmage and stopping the run. With that being said, it promotes the usage of Davis more frequently, allowing Ogletree to spy on the quarterback while his counter-part drops back into coverage. Having Alec play in coverage wasn’t ideal last season, as he often found himself playing out of position. His numbers tell a different story, but he struggled nonetheless.

Locking down the tight end position will contain opposing offenses in a way the Giants haven’t experienced in quite some time. If David can reach his potential, the defense could be in a good shape heading into 2019.

Should the New York Giants take a flier on LB Rolando McClain?

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Should the New York Giants take a flier on Rolando McClain?

Will the New York Giants consider looking into linebacker Rolando McClain if he is reinstated?

After being suspended indefinitely in 2015 for repeated drug offenses, former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Rolando McClain was unable to return to the football field. Four years later and one important hip surgery later, he’s attempting to make an improbable return.

The Alabama star linebacker had massive expectation entering the league but failed to live up to them with the Oakland Raiders, being cut after just three seasons. In Dallas, he had flashes of quality, racking up over 80 combined tackles in two consecutive seasons with 18 total tackles for a loss over that span.

The Giants have Alec Ogletree, BJ Goodson, and Tae Davis at the position, none of which are consistent players in the middle of the defense. Testing out McClain on a veteran minimum theoretically couldn’t hurt. Even bringing him in for training camp doesn’t spell trouble.

However, his past issues could be a deterrence for general manager Dave Gettleman who’s trying to piece together a high-class organization after years of mayhem.

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McClain, who’s turning 30 years old over the weekend, commented on his potential return, according to the NFL:

“Every time I got in my linebacker position, it was bone-on-bone grind,” McClain said. “Not only do I feel good, I’m recovered and I’m rested. I feel better now because I know I’ll be playing with two legs.”

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While getting reinstated is the primary obstacle the former defender faces, the more challenging problem could be finding a team to give him a chance at a comeback. I don’t see the harm in bringing him in and throwing him into the mix during training camp or pre-season, but then again, finding a younger rookie with potential could be a better usage of playing time and developmental assets.

I see the Giants ultimately taking the latter route.

 

New York Giants: BJ Goodson could lose snaps to Tae Davis

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New York Giants linebacker, B.J. Goodson.

The progression of the linebacker position for the New York Giants has been interesting to witness over the past couple of seasons. Trading for Alec Ogletree, a generally overrated player to be the MIC linebacker and command the defense was a sign of desperation.

While Ogletree did record five interceptions last season, he missed a ton of tackles and was bad in coverage. In addition, BJ Goodson, who showed promise early on in his career, has struggled with injuries at times or hasn’t left a mark big enough to justify a starting position.

With that being said, Goodson could lose reps to Tae Davis, a second-year player looking to take his game to the next level. Davis is a quality linebacker in coverage, which will see defensive coordinator James Bettcher utilize him more on third-down over Goodson.

The New York Giants might have found their solution in coverage:

His impact could be significant, as limiting tight end production has been a struggle for Big Blue in recent years. Tae, in fact, has been used in dual linebacker blitzes during minicamp, which could actually indicate and even great role than expected.

In just four starts last season, Davis racked up 33 combined tackles, two sacks, and one pass defended. As an undrafted rookie, his production wasn’t bad, and it should skyrocket in 2019.

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Playing Tae alongside Alec Ogletree would allow Bettcher to utilize the MIC linebacker to blitz more and play closer to the line of scrimmage. Goodson, who isn’t refined in coverage, forced Ogletree to drop back which generally didn’t pan out. Having a linebacker that can follow running backs out of the backfield and lock of tight ends will promote a different style of defense and might even extract more value out of Ogletree.

Check out this clip – you can see Davis read the receiver’s route and athletically make the play resulting in an incompletion. I expect him to see more playing time, if not overtaking Goodson for the second starting job.

New York Giants: A linebacker position war could be forming

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New York Giants linebacker, B.J. Goodson.

The New York Giants drafted Wisconsin linebacker Ryan Connelly in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, an instinctual player that has the ability to shoot gaps and stop runners in the backfield. Considering he’s a late draft selection, there’s not much to justify him earning a starting role immediately.

Veteran linebacker BJ Goodson has been the player of choice for the Giants in recent seasons, given his tackling efficiency and run-stopping prowess. However, he’s not much of a force in the passing game as his coverage skills are below average. Connelly is an above average LB in coverage and can stop the run at an average level.

Whether his skill-set makes the transition to the NFL is yet to be seen, but he certainly has the tangible qualities to adapt with a bit of development.

The New York Giants could see a position battle between the two:

This summer will be full of position battles, one of which could emerge between Goodson and Connelly. There’s a clear favorite here, but Goodson’s injury history has derailed his career at times, playing in just 22 of a total 32 games the past two seasons.

Connelly’s health has been solid and consistent, which could present him with an opportunity in 2019. Goodson did play in 15 games last season, but was ineffective for the most part, collecting 61 combined tackles, three QB hits, and four passes defended.

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Compared to Tae Davis, a reserve linebacker for the Giants, his stats look very weak. Davis managed 33 combined tackles in just four starts for Big Blue, adding four QB hits, two sacks, and one pass defended. Davis is also a much better pass-defender, which could provide him with an opportunity to grab the starting job.

This position battle could end up being a three-player war between Goodson, Connelly, and Davis. I imagine all will play in some fashion regardless, whether it be in specific packages or on special teams.