New York Giants News, 7/12 – Golden Tate: Eli Manning’s got a lot of juice left

New York Giants, Eli Manning, Golden Tate, Sterling Shepard

Good Morning, New York Giants Fans!

Is it just me, or does it seem like every time a new player comes to the Giants, Eli Manning suddenly has “a lot of juice left.” Either the veteran quarterback is looking fantastic in practice, or John Mara is a wizard brain-washing his loyal minions.

I’m betting on the former, but who knows what Mara, he’s done some interesting things during his time at the top. Regardless, the Giants are planning to let Manning battle it out with rookie passer Daniel Jones in a not-so-competitive competition.

As if we are really supposed to believe Jones has a shot at winning this battle? C’mon, how gullible are we…we’ve heard this story before. Eli is going to earn the starting job no matter what, and I have a strange feeling Jones is going to be the better-looking quarterback this offseason. His athleticism and technical prowess is impressive and is improving at a high rate.

Golden Tate, newly acquired wide receiver, stated in relation to Manning:

“What I can I see, Eli Manning‘s got a lot of juice left,” Tate told NFL Network’s Scott Hanson on Total Access on Thursday. “He’s still got some zip on his passes.

“I’ve been impressed. I think we have a really good problem. We’ve got a Hall of Fame-type of quarterback in my mind and we also drafted a guy, a young guy, so we don’t need Daniel to come in and save the day. We just need Daniel to stay on pace, learn as much as he possibly can in a great environment and just take it day by day. We don’t need him to come in tomorrow and win a game. We just need him to stay on pace. I think that’s good news in my mind.”

Seems like the entire team is on the same page here!

Nonetheless–

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Your top news of the day!

Jeremy Bergman (NFL.com) – Golden Tate: Giants ‘have a really good problem’ at QB

Chris Pflum (Big Blue View) – Who belongs on the Giants’ Mt. Rushmore of pass rushers?

Paul Schwartz (New York Post) – Giants’ special teams eying dynamic boost from Jabrill Peppers

John Fennelly (GMEN HQ) – New York Giants’ top 5 impending free agents for 2020

Alexander Wilson (Empire Sports Media) – New York Giants offensive is about to take a major step forward

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New York Giants News, 7/11 – Saqoun Barkley wins prestigious award

 

New York Giants offensive is about to take a major step forward

New York Giants, Eli Manning, Saquon Barkley

After New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman traded away star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. it immediately changed the entire dynamic of the offense led by head coach Pat Shurmur.

Beckham was no longer considered the best player on the unit and his influence against opposing defenses instantly disappeared. However, the Giants have played an entire season without Beckham over the past two seasons, which only attests to their ability to succeed without him.

Running back Saquon Barkley will now be the leader and featured playmaker on the team, and that is a good thing. Focusing on a running back over a wideout allows the offense to not only be more diverse, but more efficient.

Utilizing the run game, play action, and screens will all be a part of the plan for the Giants as they look to succeed post-OBJ era. There’s no question they can achieve even more after his departure, as the offensive line has received reinforcements and they have several capable pass-catchers in Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate.

The New York Giants can trust their star player:

Barkley’s ability to make the right decision on the field and off it instantly makes him the best player and most significant threat. He will draw more defenders to the box which will open up the field for Tate and Shep – both are great in open space and create separation.

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It will take constant efforts to stop the three options. Add in Evan Engram running up the seam and you have a very unpredictable offense that’s capable of dominating in all facets of the game. Again, though, it comes down to Eli Manning and if he’s capable of performing at a high level.

This will be his final opportunity to show he can be the player he once was. The offensive line receiving help should give him more time in the pocket, allowing him to move through his progressions. It will be interesting to see how the offense changes and progresses in its second year under Shurmur.

 

New York Giants: Why Signing Dez Bryant Is A Terrible Idea

The New York Giants have rebuilt their wide receiver corps in the 2019 NFL offseason. Recently the idea has been floated out there for the Giants to sign a surprise free agent receiver.

Bleacher Report recently suggested that the Giants should sign former division-rival Dez Bryant. The reasoning behind this suggestion revolves around the Giants’ lack of a true outside receiver.

Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard are both excellent receivers. However, these two both work better from the slot. They both can play outside but are more effective playing as a slot receiver.

Dez Bryant is a 6’2″, 220-pound wideout who dominated on the outside as a member of the Dallas Cowboys years ago. However, Bryant is nowhere near the same player he was in 2014. It would be a terrible idea for the Giants to sign Dez Bryant.

Injury Concerns

Dez Bryant attempted to make a comeback midway through the 2018 NFL season. Bryant’s comeback was almost successful as he was able to strike a deal with the New Orleans Saints. Unfortunately, Bryant suffered a gruesome injury.

Bryant tore his achilles only days after signing with the New Orleans Saints. Dez had to be sidelined for the rest of the season and was not able to play a down as a Saint.

Coming off of a serious season-ending injury makes Dez Bryant an even riskier signing. But Bryant’s injury is not the only concern when considering him as a potential late free agent signing.

Poor Recent Performance

Dez Bryant missed the 2018 season due to injury but also due to the lack of a free agent market. Bryant was not signed by New Orleans until November. He spent the majority of the 2018 NFL season as a free agent with no teams interested in signing him.

This was not due to injury. This was due to Dez Bryant’s poor performance during the 2017 NFL season. After being Dallas’s primary receiver for years, Bryant came crashing down to earth. He played in all 16 games in 2018 and received a healthy 132 total targets. Considering this, his performance was awful.

Dez only caught 69 of those 132 targets in 2018. To make matters even worse, Dez lead the NFL in drops with 12 (Pro Football Focus). A receiver who has not played football in over a year and dropped double the amount of passes that he caught for touchdowns is not what the Giants need right now.

The New York Giants have solid options for their third receiver position, such as Cody Latimer and Corey Coleman. It would be a terrible idea for the Giants to bring in a high-character, high-risk, low-performance player like Dez Bryant in 2019.

New York Giants News, 7/7 – Receiver corps is better than it seems

New York Giants, Sterling Shepard

Good Morning, New York Giants Fans!

The Giants lit up this past free agency period with a trade that sent star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns. Gaining a solid haul of draft picks and safety Jabrill Peppers could prove to hold more value, but one unit that certainly loses out is the receivers.

However, signing Golden Tate and extending Sterling Shepard presents optimism. The duo is diverse and capable of playing in the slot and on the boundary. The unpredictability and efficiency of both receivers should open up a door for Eli Manning that doesn’t require him to force-feed Beckham every week.

The simple fact about Beckham was that he required constant attention and pass-attempts, due to his elite talent. Having star running back Saquon Barkley, though, should present more than enough talent to compensate for the loss of Beckham, and the receiving corps isn’t even a deficiency.

Giants’ Russell Shepard went as far as to say:

“[The competition is] amazing, especially in the receiver room,” Shepard said, via Giants.com. “You’ve got a bunch of guys, obviously people know the Sterling Shepards, the Golden Tates of the world, but you have people like Cody Latimer, Bennie Fowler, and the list goes on of guys who want to prove what they can do and show why they deserve to be on this team.”

There’s hope when it comes to this group, as they have more than enough talent to succeed.

Nonetheless–

Your Giants top news of the day!

Dan Benton (Giants Wire) – Giants’ Russell Shepard: Don’t sleep on this group of receivers

Anthony Rivardo (Empire Sports Media) – New York Giants: Dexter Lawrence Is An Underrated Pass-Rusher

Dan Pizzuta (Big Blue View) – Ranking how NFC East teams are set up for future at offensive line

Dan Benton (Giants Wire) – Austin Droogsma: All I need is time to prove myself to Giants

Matt Lombardo (NJ.com) – Why Evan Engram is the Giants’ ‘secret weapon’

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New York Giants News, 7/6 – Corey Coleman V Cody Latimer

 

New York Giants News, 7/6 – Corey Coleman V Cody Latimer

New York Giants, Corey Coleman

Good Morning, New York Giants Fans!

As we head into training camp in a few weeks, the wide receiver group is preparing to shake out beyond Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard. The clearcut starters will retain their roles, but the No. 3 spot is still up for grabs as Corey Coleman, Cody Latimer, and even Darius Slayton compete for the job.

Slayton, though, doesn’t hold much of an advantage over the two veterans considering his lack of experience at the NFL level. Coleman and Latimer present the best options, but the question is — who is the better fit to win the third starting spot?

Coleman, a former first-round pick, has struggled to reach his potential at the professional level. A broken hand in his rookie season certainly didn’t help him in his quest, but he’s quickly fallen off since. He’s looking to break out in 2019, stating:

“I’ve got a lot of great people around me,” Coleman said, via Giants.com. “Starting from the ground up, you get to build a base. I get to know the Day 1 install instead of coming in halfway during the season [when it is] just game plan stuff. So it’s helped a lot.”

Latimer will not let Corey take his job, though, as he showed ability in his first season with the Giants during the 2018 season. The former Bronco has great speed and hands, making him a deep-ball threat and solid on third-downs. He’s also a big enough body to be considered a red-zone threat.

While neither are particularly elite route runners, I anticipate Latimer will win the job based on his proven production and the quality we saw last year.

Nonetheless–

Your Giants top news of the day!

Dan Salomone (Giants.com) – Best is yet to come for WR Corey Coleman

Art Stapleton (NJ.com) – NY Giants training camp preview: Breaking down the defensive line

Grant Gordon (NFL.com) – Jabrill Peppers likely a kick return option for Giants

Ed Valentine (Big Blue View) – Giants’ 90-man roster: Patience with Aldrick Rosas paid off

Anthony Rivardo (Empire Sports Media) – New York Giants: Comparing Saquon Barkley To NFL Legends

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New York Giants News, 7/5 – Is Mike Remmers really that much better?

New York Giants: How does Cody Latimer fit into the offensive?

New York Giants, Cody Latimer

One of the more forgotten about New York Giants receivers, Cody Latimer, is hoping to not only break out of an injury funk but to also emerge as an impactful contributor during the 2019 season.

The Giants signed the former Denver Broncos second-round pick in 2018 to a one-year deal, but he only managed to feature in six games. During that stretch, however, he displayed enough quality and production to prove his worth and earn another prove-it year style contract.

Earning 190 yards and a touchdown in his lone season with the Giants, Latimer has the potential to be a solid pass-catcher veteran quarterback Eli Manning post-Odell Beckham Jr.

What does Cody Latimer bring to the New York Giants?

While only spending a small portion of 2018 on the field, he put on a show with his speed, averaging 11.0 receiving yards per target, easily the highest of his five-year career. He also averaged 17.3 yards per scrimmage touch, an impressive number that will likely hover around that range with Big Blue.

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Having both Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate as possession receivers, it’s expected that Latimer will play primarily as a deep-ball option. Additionally, he will have to fend of Corey Coleman for the No. 3 receiver spot — the final starting slot. Rookie Darius Slayton, who has emerged as a rising star during camp, could steal reps away given his elite speed and quick development since his tough inception with the Giants.

His 4.4 speed might scream deep-ball, but Latimer has good hands (68.8%) catch rate and can act as a red-zone option at 6-foot-2. The veteran seemed to already be developing chemistry with rookie passer Daniel Jones this spring, making him a better option and a potential keeper if Manning is replaced in 2020.

Latimer is an interesting player and one to keep an eye on. If he remains healthy he can play an important role on the offense.

New York Giants: Golden Tate A Top 10 Slot Receiver?

New York Giants, Golden Tate

The New York Giants are looking for several players to step up their production to help make up for the loss of Odell Beckham Jr., and to an extent, the aging of Eli Manning, and one of the ones expected to make a big splash this season is newly acquired Golden Tate, who joined from the rival Philadelphia Eagles this offseason and brings a strong ability to gain yards after the catch.

Tate should end up one of the top receivers on the team next to Sterling Shepard, who has more experience in the offense and recently signed a four year contract to secure his place as one of the top players on the Giants. While it looks like Shepard could be a star on the outside, Tate should be the first team player in the slot – a position that Tocuhdown Wire has rated him quite highly at.

According to Touchdown Wire, Tate is the 9th best slot receiver in the entire league, which would certainly be an upgrade for the Giants from the previous amount of production they received from the position. Here’s some of what they had to say about Tate.

As you’d expect from a YAC monster throughout his career, Tate is a very physical player. Built like a running back, he challenges cornerbacks with his upper-body strength at the line of scrimmage, and he’s eager to a fault when it comes to giving press coverage back within the first five yards of a route. He’s also learned to work option routes at all areas of the field, and though he won’t make anyone forget Beckham, he brings a lot to the table in a favorable offense.

Tate will benefit this year from the Giants having a bit more depth than they did last year. Cody Latimer should hopefully be healthy this year to play alongside Shepard and tight end Evan Engram, who also struggled with injury but should be back in action for the start of the 2019 season.

The Giants already improved their running game last year, leaving receiving as a logical step forward for improvement. We’ll see if Tate can help with making that step forward in a much needed area.

3 reasons why the New York Giants will be far better in 2019

New York Giants, Saquon Barkley

The New York Giants surely underwent a full rebuild in 2018 and are still putting the puzzle pieces together through the NFL draft and free agency. The primary method of growth should be through the draft, as following a youth agenda helps with building success for the future and beyond instead of plugging holes with aging veterans.

The reality is, GM Dave Gettleman is doing what Jerry Reese failed to do many times over. We are now beginning to see the benefits of good drafting.

Here are 5 reasons the New York Giants will be much improved in 2019:

1.) The secondary

Last season, the Giants pushed forward with Janoris Jenkins being the only trustworthy corner, and even he has struggled in recent years. Behind him, defensive coordinator James Bettcher was forced to utilize B.W. Webb who’s no longer with the team and Grant Haley, an undrafted corner out of Penn State.

Fast forward one year and the Giants are stocked full of cornerback talent. DeAndre Baker out of Georgia, a physical and tenacious player that will slot in behind Jenkins to start his career, Julian Love out of Notre Dame, an expected talent in the slot to compete with Haley, and Corey Ballentine, a late-round pick that has the tangible traits to develop into a solid player in the NFL.

We mustn’t forget about Supplemental Draft pick Sam Beal either, a young player that has shown flashes of quality during the offseason. He’s an unknown and is coming off a shoulder surgery that kept him off the field in his rookie campaign. There’s much more optimism around this group than before.

2.) The offensive line

In just two seasons Gettleman has managed to piece together an atrocious offensive line. Ridding the team of Ereck Flowers and swallowing his pride with Patrick Omameh. I for one, appreciate his releasing of Omameh after realizing the mistake he made instead of holding on to a below-average player for far too long (see Jerry Reese and Flower).

After signing left tackle Nate Solder and drafting Will Hernandez in 2018, he went ahead and brought in the No. 1 pass-protecting guard in Kevin Zeitler from last season and signed right tackle Mike Remmers.

Believe it or not, this line is finally in a place to provide Eli Manning with more than two seconds in the pocket. It will also benefit Daniel Jones exponentially once he takes over as the starter.

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3.) Saquon Barkley

Considering the fact that running back sensation Saquon Barkley eclipsed 2,000 all-purpose yards in his rookie season, it’s only fair to assume he will continue to improve at such a young age.

With an improved offensive line and a likely more efficient Manning, Barkley will reap the benefits of defenses unwilling to stack the box in fear of Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard dancing in the open field. We can’t forget about Evan Engram either.

Barkley has learned how to operate at the NFL level and avoid taking big hits. He’s an instant game changer and knows he’s more than capable of beating defenders in the open field. Moving forward, I expect him to be a more impactful factor as a blocker for Manning and to keep opposing defenses honest to open up the field for the receivers.

 

 

New York Giants: Every Position On Offense Ranked From Best To Worst

The New York Giants‘ offense had a rocky 2018 season. They struggled to score points outside of garbage time in the first half of the season. Fortunately, the offense came alive during the second half of the season, giving New York some hope and momentum for the future.

Today I will be taking a look at every position on the Giants’ offense and ranking them from best to worst. The best positions are those that need no upgrades or minimal upgrades. The worst positions are those that need imminent upgrades.

1. Running Back

The New York Giants’ backfield is undoubtedly the best position group on the roster. The Giants’ backfield features the 2018 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, Saquon Barkley. Barkley is arguably the best running back in the NFL after only one season.

Saquon broke numerous records as a rookie as he totaled 2,028 scrimmage yards and 15 total touchdowns. Barkley is an elite player for the Giants and is set to have a monstrous 2019 season.

However, the Giants have solid depth behind Saquon Barkley, too. Wayne Gallman proved himself to be a solid running back that could be capable of starting if the Giants did not have Saquon.

Gallman flashed his potential in 2017. He ran the ball 111 times, gaining 476 yards on the ground with 4.3 yards per carry. Gallman also provided quality snaps as a receiver in 2017. He caught 34 passes on 48 targets for 193 yards, 5.7 yards per reception, and 1 touchdown.

2. Right Guard

The Giants offensive line has gone through a major overhaul over the last two seasons. In the 2019 offseason, New York made a huge upgrade at the right guard position.

The Giants acquired right guard Kevin Zeitler in a trade with the Cleveland Browns. Zeitler should step in and be the Giants’ best offensive lineman from day one.

Kevin Zeitler is arguably the best pass-blocking guard in the NFL. Kevin Zeitler allowed only 11 total pressures in the entire 2018 NFL season. That is an incredibly impressive number. To put it in perspective,  Patrick Omameh and Jamon Brown combined to allow 39 pressures in only 14 games last year.

3. Left Guard

The Giants struck gold in the first two rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft. After drafting Saquon Barkley with the 2nd overall pick of the draft, Dave Gettleman drafted another stud in round 2.

Will Hernandez was projected to be a 1st-round pick in mock drafts leading up to the 2018 NFL Draft. Luckily for Big Blue, Big Will slid into the 2nd-round and fell right into the New York’s lap.

Hernandez was impressive during his rookie season. Hernandez allowed just 23 total pressures this season, earning him a 97.3 pass-blocking efficiency grade, third-best among rookie offensive linemen. An impressive stat that PFF notes is that Hernandez only committed two penalties on 1,027 snaps. That is incredibly clean and efficient play from the young “Hog Molly.”

4. Wide Receiver

The Giants’ wide receiver position suffered a huge loss in the 2019 offseason. New York traded away arguably the team’s best player in Odell Beckham Jr.

However, this position is still one of the team’s best on offense. The Giants signed young, up-and-coming slot receiver Sterling Shepard to a contract extension. Shepard has seen his yardage totals increase each of his three seasons in the league and is prepared to break out in 2019.

Alongside Shep is another proven talent in Golden Tate. The Giants signed Tate this offseason after trading away Odell. Tate has had three seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards and made the Pro Bowl in 2014 with the Detroit Lions. Since 2014, Golden Tate has lead the league in forced missed tackles with an insane 118 missed tackles forced.

5. Left Tackle

Left tackle might be the Giants’ most underrated position on offense. Nate Solder gets plenty of criticism, but not all of it is deserved. Solder struggled early on in the 2018 season but delivered during the second half of the season.

Nate Solder allowed six sacks and 20 total pressures through the first eight games. However, he rebounded in a big way over the second half of the year, allowing only one sack and 13 total pressures.

6. Tight End

2019 might be the year that Evan Engram finally breaks out and reaches his full potential. Evan has flashed his potential throughout his first two seasons but he has hit roadblocks along the way.

In his rookie 2017 campaign, Engram was a poor blocker and had a slight case of the drops. He was still a spectacular playmaker, totaling 722 yards and 6 touchdowns. Unfortunately, during his second season in 2018, Evan Engram suffered from injury causing him to miss 5 games.

When Engram was on the field he played great. When he was on the field and Odell Beckham was off the field, Evan played exceptionally well. Engram averaged only 36.7 yards per game prior to Beckham’s injury. After Odell went down, Evan’s average jumped all the way to 80 yards per game.

8. Quarterback

Eli Manning is a franchise legend. The 16-year veteran has won two incredible Super Bowls with the Giants and is top-ten all-time in just about every major quarterback statistic, such as passing yards and passing touchdowns.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Eli Manning’s time in New York will come to an end sooner than later now that they have drafted their next franchise quarterback in Daniel Jones.

Manning has been declining the past two seasons, which is why his position is so low on this list. According to Pro Football Focus, Manning has failed to grade above 70.0 in each of the last four seasons, and his 94 turnover-worthy plays over the previous four years are eight more than the next closest quarterback in that span.

Daniel Jones is a completely unproven rookie that has faced lots of controversies whether or not he was deserving of the 6th overall pick so he cannot push the quarterback position higher on this list.

I hope as much as anyone that Eli Manning proves us all wrong and rebounds in 2019. I hope as much as anyone that Daniel Jones shocks the world and becomes one of the greatest players in franchise history. But until we see them play at a high level, the quarterback position will be one of the worst on the offense.

9. Center

The center position is definitely one of the Giants’ weakest. The Giants have two players who will compete for the starting job in Spencer Pulley and Jon Halapio. Both players are capable of being starters, but they are not extraordinary.

Jon Halapio was injured in week 2 of the 2018 season. He was

Spencer Pulley was one of the lowest graded players on the Giants in 2018 according to Pro Football Focus.  Pulley played in 13 games for the Giants last year and started 9 of those games. Spencer Pulley certainly is one thing: durable. But he is not an elite talent and the Giants should not hope to see him starting in 2018.

10. Right Tackle

The Giants basically put a band-aid on a broken bone here in the 2019 offseason. Right tackle was the worst position on the Giants’ offense in 2018 and it still is in 2019.

The Giants began the season with all-time draft bust Ereck Flowers starting at right tackle. After 5 games the Giants wised up and cut Flowers. Chad Wheeler then took over the starting position and stayed there for the remainder of the season.

Unfortunately, Chad Wheeler was not too much of an upgrade. According to Pro Football Focus Chad Wheeler was the second-lowest-graded starting offensive tackle in the NFL last season. Wheeler also allowed an insane 45 total pressures in the 2018 season.

The Giants knew they needed to upgrade the right tackle position in the 2019 offseason, but it was slim pickings. Towards the end of free agency, the Giants finally found their guy. Former Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Mike Remmers signed with the Giants.

Remmers is an upgrade, but he still is not on the level the Giants need their right tackle to be. Remmers allowed 42 total pressures in 2018 and is coming off of back surgery. Mike Remmers was playing out of position at guard in 2018, so he should be a bit better at right tackle in 2019. However, the Giants should still be looking to upgrade this position again soon.

New York Giants: Eli Manning Will Utilize His Receivers Differently In 2019

New York Giants, Eli Manning, Golden Tate, Sterling Shepard

Eli Manning and the New York Giants are entering a new era in 2019: the post-OBJ era. Odell Beckham Jr. was controversially traded during the 2019 NFL offseason after five rocky seasons with the team. Beckham Jr. was an incredible talent, but a controversial player.

The Giants were a highly competitive team only once while Odell was on the roster. In 2016 the Giants made it to the playoffs after an 11-5 regular season. Other than that 2016 season, the Giants never had a winning season during the OBJ-era and their best record was 6-10.

Now the New York Giants’ offense is not lead by Beckham, but rather by the 2018 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, Saquon Barkley. Along with Barkley are a couple of other receivers. Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard will now be Eli Manning’s primary receivers, and he will have to utilize them much differently than he utilized Odell Beckham Jr.

No More Forcing The Ball To Beckham

Many NFL analysts and Giants fans alike have been highly critical of Giants quarterback Eli Manning for the way he forced the ball to Odell Beckham Jr. even though he was heavily covered. It happened time after time during the 2018 NFL season.

Eli Manning threw 8 interceptions during the first 12 games of the season, the games that Odell was present for. Beckham missed the last 4 games of the season. Of those 8 interceptions, 4 of them were passes intended for Odell Beckham Jr. while he was blanketed in coverage (1 v. CAR, 1 v. WAS, 1 v. PHI, 1 v. CHI).

The worst of them all came in Week 12 on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles. Eli and the Giants were playing a near perfect game in the first half. But then, Manning got Odell-induced-tunnel-vision. The Giants were leading 19-11 with 20 seconds left in the first half. Big Blue was in field goal range, so all they had to do was play it conservatively, kick a field goal, and take an 11 point lead at halftime.

Instead, Eli Manning decided to force the ball into triple coverage down the middle of the field, despite having Saquon Barkley and Corey Coleman wide open underneath. Take a guess who this pass was intended for. Yep, Odell Beckham Jr:

Here is another red zone interception from Manning intended for Beckham. The Giants were yet again in a prime position to score points. Eli felt the need to force the ball to Beckham in the red zone constantly, and sometimes it came back to bite him. Take this pick versus Washington as an example:

Sterling Shepard And Golden Tate Are Reliable And Quiet

Eli Manning will not feel pressure to force the ball to anyone in 2019. There is no longer a big-name superstar receiver demanding the ball in high volume on the Giants. Instead, Manning has two reliable, quiet receivers to get the ball to in Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate.

The Giants offense will be missing a superstar. However, Eli Manning will no longer have tunnel-vision for that superstar. Losing Odell Beckham was tough for Giants fans. But there is a silver lining.

2019 might finally be the year that Sterling Shepard surpasses 1,000 receiving yards. Shepard has seen his yardage total increase every year and posted a career-high 873 yards in 2018.

According to Pro Football Focus, Shepard dominated the intermediate range of the field a season ago, hauling in 19 receptions on throws targeted 10-19 yards past the line of scrimmage. All 19 of those receptions achieved a first down, and 14 of them went for well more than 15 yards. On those receptions, his 19.5 yards per catch ranked fifth among all NFL receivers.

Sterling Shepard has proven himself to be a reliable receiver in only three seasons. His veteran counterpart, Golden Tate is also as reliable as they come. Tate has had three seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards and made the Pro Bowl in 2014 with the Detroit Lions.

Since 2014, Golden Tate has lead the league in forced missed tackles with an insane 118 missed tackles forced. Here is a play that Giants fans will love where Golden Tate puts his elusiveness on display and embarrasses the Dallas Cowboys defense:

The New York Giants’ offense will be much different in 2019. However, the loss of Odell Beckham Jr. does not mean the Giants’ offense will be bad; just different. Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard are two excellent receivers who will be reliable and productive for the Giants in 2019.