Golden Tate

New York Giants: The one offensive player we cannot sleep on

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New York Giants, Darius Slayton

Finding value in the fifth round of the NFL Draft is very difficult, but skill-player positions have a higher probability of panning out in some fashion. For the New York Giants, they managed to secure a productive pass-catcher in Auburn product, Darius Slayton, during the 2019 Draft.

Slayton began his young career with consistent drops during rookie camp, which troubled the Giants brass and fan-base. Since his jittery inception into the league, Slayton has been nothing but fantastic in every facet. His route tree continued to grow exponentially with every passing week, and he has become a staple on the offense with rookie quarterback, Daniel Jones.

At 2-10 on the season, it’s hard to find any silver linings, but the speedy pass-catcher has been a glaring one. The expectation is that he can develop into a No. 2 wideout on the team, slotting in nicely alongside Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard.

On Wednesday, New York Giants’ Slayton was asked how much his chemistry with Jones has grown, per NJ.com:

“Tremendously. There is nothing like game experience. Getting out there and playing against NFL competition, I think it’s grown a lot.”

As the 18th receiver drafted in 2019, he ranks second among the crop with five scores and sixth in yards with 520. A majority of the players in front of him were top three round picks.

“He’s a really good player and you’re able to see all the different things he can do on the field,” Jones said. “So, I think he’ll continue to step up and make plays … I think he’s done a really good job so far.”

With Golden Tate missing the first four weeks of the season and Sterling Shepard dealing with concussion symptoms virtually all year, Slayton has been a constant after missing the first two games of the season with a hamstring injury. His first game in the NFL saw him corral three receptions for 82 yards.

Since then, he has continued to develop and progress alongside Jones, becoming the future at the wide receiver position for the Giants and establishing himself as a building block. I fully expect him to continue proving his worth on the field, and Jones’ progression will only help him reach his potential in the long-run.

Would the New York Giants consider signing Amari Cooper next offseason?

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New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, Amari Cooper, Wayne Gallman

The New York Giants didn’t hesitate to trade Odell Beckham Jr. last offseason in an attempt to add draft capital and promote the rebuilding of the team. They used the picks allocated to draft Dexter Lawrence and Oshane Ximines, a defensive tackle and pass rusher, both of whom have had limited success this season.

Lawrence has been the most influential of the rookie crop, aside from Daniel Jones, which shows the value they got from Beckham. They also received safety, Jabrill Peppers, in the deal, who has become a staple on the defense and will remain a starter for the foreseeable future.

However, the Giants lost their No. 1 wideout and have struggled at the wide receiver position this season, especially with the number of injuries that have piled up. This begs the question — should they consider signing a big-name pass-catcher next offseason?

Should the New York Giants pursue Amari Cooper in free agency?

To start, the Giants will likely avoid pursing a top receiver like Cooper, who’s preparing to cash in on a great season with the Dallas Cowboys. However, the talent and lack of drama he would bring compared to Beckham makes him an enticing option.

Pairing him with Golden Tate, Sterling Shepard, and Darius Slayton would be deadly, but you could make the argument that the Giants don’t need that much strength at the WR position. Alternatively, that money could be used to sign an offensive tackle or linebacker.

Cooper earned nearly $14 million this season on a one-year deal (Spotrac), which could lead to a deal worth over $15-16 million per season on a multi-year contract. That’s a ton of cap-space to allocate towards a position that isn’t necessarily a need. Again, GM Dave Gettleman would be better off investing in the offensive line, defensive line, or secondary. Those holes are far more pressing, despite the Giants wide receiver core lacking profoundly in separation yards.

Peppers, Tate sustain injuries in Giants’ loss to Bears

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New York Giants, Jabrill Peppers

New York Giants starting safety Jabrill Peppers will miss several weeks with a fractured traverse process and could miss several weeks. Head coach Pat Shurmur said on Monday he did not believe that Peppers’ season was necessarily over and that his ability to return would be based on how much pain Peppers could tolerate as the injury healed.

Peppers had a 40-yard punt return in the Giants’ 19-14 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field but he was apparently injured returning a kickoff.

From Pro Football Talk:

The team announced that Peppers have a transverse process fracture in his back. Peppers was injured on a kickoff return in the first half of Sunday’s 19-14 loss to the Bears and said he was going for an MRI.

 

It was initially referred to as a hip injury, but the tests have cleared up exactly what sent Peppers to the bench. While the Giants did not say how long Peppers will be out, it seems likely he’ll miss a chunk of time.

The transverse process is located in the pelvic area and can only be treated through rest, very much like any other fracture in the pelvic area. The Giants have five games remaining and it does not appear likely that Shurmur’s diagnosis will coincide with the timeframe it might take for this injury to heal, which is usually four to six weeks.

In addition to Peppers’ injury, the Giants announced that WR Golden Tate has been placed in the NFL’s concussion protocol after sustaining a blow to the head while catching a touchdown pass from Daniel Jones in the fourth quarter on Sunday.

New York Giants news, 11/25 – Aldrick Rosas in danger of losing job, and Jabrill Peppers in serious pain

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New York Giants, Aldrick Rosas

Good Morning, New York Giants Fans!

Once again, the New York Giants walked away with more negatives than positives on Sunday against the Chicago Bears. The coaching was once again questionable, the offensive line was terrible, and the wide receivers couldn’t get any separation from coverage. A new deficiency popped up this week, though, the kicking team.

Kicker Aldrick Rosas missed two consecutive field goals and then proceeded to kick one out of bounce on a kickoff, giving the Bears excellent field position. The first missed attempt can be coughed up to a bad snap, which could put Zak Deossi, the longest-tenured starting Giant, to lose his job after this season.

Rosas, though, is on the chopping block after his fifth consecutive game with a missed field goal. Coming off a Pro Bowl season in 2018, Rosas has regressed significantly, a major surprise. His two missed attempts ultimately killed any sense of momentum for the Giants early on in the game, which kept the game within one score for the Bears heading into the second half.

Jabrill Peppers goes down:

Peppers, who returned a punt 40-yards in the second quarter, was knocked out of the game with a hip injury. Golden Tate, who also returned a punt in the first quarter, was smacked in the face and was checked for a concussion. Head coach Pat Shurmur needs to consider the potential for injury one kick returns, and putting two influential players at risk of serious injury is ludicrous.

The New York Giants’ strong safety was seen in the locker room after the game in tremendous pain, trying to convince himself that he can tough it out.

“I’m tough. I’m hoping it’s something I can tough through,” Pepper stated.

Nonetheless–

Your top news of the day:

Doug Rush – Giants vs. Bears Player of the Game: Kaden Smith

Ryan Dunleavy – Giants sink to familiar dark place in loss to Bears

Zack Rosenblatt – 7 Giants to blame in lackluster 19-14 loss to Bears: Pat Shurmur is disastrous, Saquon Barkley is (still) … off
Paul Schwartz – Giants report card: Pat Shurmur can’t get his team in sync

New York Giants news, 11/24 – 3 keys to beating the Chicago Bears

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones

Good Morning, New York Giants Fans!

Overcoming the Chicago Bears will be a challenge for the New York Giants, especially considering their inability to beat teams like the Jets, who were arguably worse before week 10. The Jets were coming off a disappointing loss to the winless Miami Dolphins, and the Giants were expected to perform better than they subsequently did.

The Bears represent a far more significant challenge, despite quarterback Mitchell Trubisky’s struggles this season.

Here are the three keys to beating the Bears in week 12:

1.) The offensive line

The front five for the Giants has been decimated with poor play the past few weeks, and against the Jets, they were without center Jon Halapio, right tackle Mike Remmers, and left tackle Nate Solder left the game early with a concussion. This week, they will gain back both tackles, which should open up the door for a better run game and more time for Daniel Jones in the pocket. However, even when the line was healthy, they were still playing poorly.

Khalil Mack will line up opposite the Giants offensive line this Sunday, which will be bad news for Jones. They must step up and show they can play as a cohesive unit for the sake of their rookie quarterback.

2.) The pass-rushers

Only Markus Golden has shown any support in the pass-rushing department, as he’s logged 6.5 sacks and 15 QB hits this season. Putting Trubisky under pressure is a priority, so we should expect an array of blitzes from defensive coordinator James Bettcher. However, the outside linebacker must come to play against Chicago, or their offense will find its rhythm, similar to the Minnesota Vikings, who were stalling before pummeling the Giants defense.

3.) The tight ends

With Evan Engram and Rhett Ellison both scheduled to miss week 12, the Giants were forced to bring back Scott Simonson, who was cut after suffering a high ankle sprain during preseason.

Simonson is a capable blocker and pass-catcher, but he doesn’t have the elite speed Engram does to open up the middle of the field. We can expect him to garner a good percentage of offensive snaps and play a significant role in the run game, but his average skill-set will be the most he has to offer. I expect the Giants to work around him and focus on both Sterling Shepard, who’s returning from concussions symptoms, and Golden Tate.

Nonetheless–

Your top news of the day:

Paul Schwartz – Why Giants aren’t pushing the DeAndre Baker panic button

Anthony Rivardo – New York Giants: Can Darius Slayton Develop Into A No. 1 Receiver?

Matt Lombardo – Golden Tate creating explosiveness in new ways for Odell Beckam-less Giants
Mike Lupica – It’s just wrong for the Giants to be this bad for this long
Matt Citak – Giants vs. Bears Preview: 10 Things to Watch

What the New York Giants should do with Sterling Shepard this season

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New York Giants receiver, Sterling Shepard.

The bye week in the NFL is meant to help teams recover from the fatigue and physical toll the regular season takes on players. The New York Giants used it appropriately, and wide receiver Sterling Shepard is getting closer to return from a second concussion, picked up in the loss to the Minnesota Vikings several weeks ago.

Both Shepherd and cornerback Janoris Jenkins returned to practice on Monday morning, both suffering from concussion symptoms. Jenkins picked up his ailment last week against the New York Jets.

“They’re still going through it, so we’ll see what the week brings,” Pat Shurmur said after practice. “But we’re encouraged that they’ll make it through.”

The loss of Shepard has been detrimental to the Giants’ offense, especially for rookie quarterback, Daniel Jones. Shepard has earned 267 yards and one score over four games with Big Blue, and he was integral in their two wins on the season, racking up 176 total yards and his lone touchdown.

Also, he enjoyed a 77.8% catch rate during those two victories over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins.

The Giants’ number one receiver has been sorely missed the past few weeks, while free-agent pick-up Golden Tate has taken over a majority of the targets. Rookie pass-catcher Darius Slayton has also performed well in his absence. Having a full arsenal of weapons will give Jones a far better chance at success and operating the offense efficiently.

The New York Giants need to be cautious with Sterling Shepard:

The Giants need to be careful with Shepard, though, as suffering two concussions in one season can cause serious implications down the road. With CTE being a major disease for NFL players, being careful and shutting down Shepard should be on the minds of the Giants brass. Ensuring he returns in 2020 without any hindrance should be the priority.

Do the New York Giants have a No. 1 receiver in Darius Slayton?

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New York Giants, Darius Slayton

When the New York Giants drafted Auburn product, Darius Slayton, in the fifth-round of the 2019 NFL Draft, nobody expected him to be as effective as he’s been this season. Slayton began his career with Big Blue dropping passes at an astronomical rate, but he quickly alleviated that concern and shot up the depth chart.

Since his poor rookie training camp, Slayton has racked up 394 yards and five scores, putting out several impressive performances despite missing the first two weeks of the season. Slayton’s straight-away speed and growing route tree have made him a reliable option for rookie quarterback Daniel Jones.

The fifth-round pick reminds me of a Rueben Randle on steroids, but faster and better at running slant-routes.

If you were asked: Who leads the New York Giants in receiving touchdowns?

You might say, Evan Engram, Sterling Shepard, or Golden Tate. The reality is, Slayton is blowing them out of the water in the category with five. All of the Giants’ receivers serve a specific purpose – Engram can work in short-yardage to deep seam routes, Shepard is a consistent threat on third down and in the possession game, and Tate is best utilized in third-down situations and short crossing routes/WR screens.

After Slayton’s impressive week ten performance against the New York Jets, the idea of him being a No. 1 wide receiver bubbled to the surface. Logging 10 catches for 121 yards and two scores tells a story of dominance and efficiency. If he can continue to build his route tree and adopt more reliable hands, he can undoubtedly be an excellent pass-catcher for the Giants moving forward.

Even with Shepard and Engram in line to return in week 12 against the Chicago Bears, head coach Pat Shurmur will continue to look Slayton’s way in the passing game. Both Darius and Golden have been Jones’ top targets, and the developing chemistry will prove to be significant down the road.

New York Giants: Ranking the biggest needs for the team going into 2020 offseason

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones

With the New York Giants resting and self-evaluating on their much-needed bye week, let’s take a look at what this team needs most to return to contention.

Here are the top need for the New York Giants on both sides of the ball:

1. Left Tackle

Not only is Nate Solder currently injured, but he’s continued to look like a mediocre tackle since joining the team in 2018. With Daniel Jones struggling with ball-security and pocket awareness, protecting his blindside should be the #1 priority of the offseason. Even if the team plans to bring Solder back, they need to plan on upgrading the left tackle position. That would leave him either giving right tackle a shot or on the sidelines as a reserve offensive lineman. The team will need to at least attempt to upgrade the left tackle position, whether Solder is on the team or not.

2. Right Tackle

Usually, the left tackle is considered the blindside blocker, but the way Daniel is playing, both tackles are on the blindside. Daniel Jones has fumbled 13 times in 8 games. His eyes remain downfield for nearly the duration of every play, not exactly a typical habit for quarterbacks. If Daniel Jones does not grow out of his bad habits in the pocket, he will need a fantastic offensive line to hide those significant flaws. It’s also fair to wonder how long Daniel Jones could play this way without being sidelined due to injuries. Once a team drafts their quarterback of the future, it is imperative to protect him with adequate NFL tackles. The Giants do not currently have a suitable tackle on either side of the formation in Nate Solder or Mike Remmers.

3. Cornerback

Janoris Jenkins, DeAndre Baker, and Grant Haley were among the league’s worst cornerback groups in weeks 1-8 of the 2019 season. Jenkins’ play was spotty but decent, while the other two were torched in almost every game with ease.

Overall, Jenkins has been targeted 59 times allowing 32 receptions for 419 yards and three touchdowns. Baker has flashed here and there, covering Chris Godwin well in particular, but unreliable overall. He’s been targeted 53 times allowing 37 passes completed for 572 yards and four touchdowns. Grant Haley earned his playing-time through his tackling skills, which are a questionable trait to prioritize when he struggles mightily in coverage.

Haley has only allowed one touchdown, but giving up 28 receptions on 34 targets is too easy for quarterbacks. That’s over 80% of passes completed in his coverage. While Jenkins and Baker have struggled, Baker is allowing a 69% completion rate, and Jenkins’ currently stands at 54%. It’s hard to say this team has a single reliable option at cornerback going into the offseason.

4. Inside Linebacker

When the best linebacker on the team is a 5th round rookie who was expected to be a special teams contributor, there are serious problems. Alec Ogletree is the best available linebacker with Ryan Connelly injured, but he still isn’t finding his groove in New York. Once considered an athletic and rangy linebacker, he continues to get roasted in pass defense, and he is inconsistent against the run. The team sent BJ Goodson packing, apparently preferring guys off the street like David Mayo or James Bettcher’s former inside linebacker from Arizona, Deone Bucannon. In 4 out of 7 games without Ryan Connelly in the lineup, a member of the secondary has led the team in tackles. This unit needs two new starters going into 2020, planning for Connelly to be one of them on opening day wouldn’t be smart. Connelly’s ACL recovery could last into October or November.

5. Right Pass-Rusher

With Lorenzo Carter experiencing highs and lows as a pass rusher, he’s not a defender the team should rely on going forward. One week he’s forcing Tyron Smith to hold him, and the next week, he’s getting handled by Chuma Edoga, a rookie left tackle who was questioned for his work ethic entering the draft. He currently has 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble but disappears in too many games to rely on him. Oshane Ximines is ahead of him in terms of technique, and both are talented enough to be on the 53 man roster, but this team needs a new starter on the edge. Neither has shown any ability in run defense.

6. Center

Last year the team signed Spencer Pulley to a three-year-deal and praised Jon Halapio as a starting-caliber center. Unfortunately, the team has received little impact from either player heading into their week 11 bye. It’s fair to ask if Saquon Barkley has been operating at 100% since returning, but he’s getting absolutely no push up front to work with. With Kevin Zeitler and Will Hernandez being the team’s best linemen, the issues in the middle have come from Jon Halapio and Spencer Pulley. Usually, quarterbacks see pressure coming up the middle, but Daniel Jones’ reckless abandon for his body and health brings a very high standard for offensive line play.

7. Left Pass-Rusher

There’s nearly just as much of a need for pass-rushing help on the left side, but Markus Golden has been a bright spot. He hasn’t made an impact in each game, but 6.5 sacks are enough of an effect through 10 weeks to return as a rotational piece in 2020. Markus Golden might not be a preferred starter, but he is serviceable. His contract was only a 1-year deal if he plays elsewhere in 2020, the team would be in serious trouble at both edge spots. With no depth behind Golden, to begin with, a left pass-rusher is a need regardless of where Golden plays in 2020.

8. Free Safety

Jabrill Peppers has been a pleasant surprise at the safety position, but he’s more like a rangier Landon Collins than a center-field ballhawk. He almost exclusively lines up in the box, leaving a significant need for a conventional free safety going forward. For the time being, Antoine Bethea is offering what he has left in the tank paired with Jabrill Peppers, but he doesn’t have much to offer. Michael Thomas is an adequate option on the backend of a roster but not someone who should be penciled in as a starter.

9. Wide Receiver

Golden Tate has proven to be an adequate pass-catching option, but the team has little depth behind him. Sterling Shepard is arguably the best wide receiver the New York Giants have but could be considering retirement after the 2nd concussion in 2019. Darius Slayton is currently the #2 wide receiver and just torched the Jets for over 120 yards and two touchdowns, but he’s shown typical rookie ups and downs. Behind Slayton, the team has Cody Latimer and Bennie Fowler, who are replacement-level wide receivers.

Any receiver on this roster has definite limitations. Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard are primarily slot receivers with limited explosiveness on the perimeter. Darius Slayton has shown some ability underneath but is best used down the field. Adding a ”do it all” wide receiver would greatly help Daniel Jones. As it stands, the Giants wide receivers are among the leagues worst in terms of separation.

10. Kicker

Aldrick Rosas had a promising start to his career, but he’s missed three extra points in the last three weeks. He might be granted a longer leash in a lost season to prove it’s just a slump. However, signing a proven veteran with a large body of work would be the safe option for the 2020 season.

Why wasn’t a Pass-Rusher at the top of the list?

While there’s no denying this team needs an edge rusher badly, that hasn’t been the most considerable concern. Currently, the team doesn’t have a single adequate option at inside linebacker or cornerback, depending on how you feel about the roller-coaster ride of Janoris Jenkins.

The New York Giants also need to worry about keeping Daniel Jones up-right and protecting the football. This will require much better offensive tackles than what’s currently available to the young quarterback. His development is what’s most important right now. Nate Solder and Mike Remmers haven’t been very helpful so far.

New York Giants: An Increased Role In The Offense Leading To Success For Darius Slayton

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The New York Giants suffered a disappointing and embarrassing loss on Sunday to the in-town rival New York Jets. The team overall played a pretty poor game, but there were a few individual performances to be pleased with, on offense especially.

Daniel Jones had an excellent game throwing the football with 4 touchdown passes, 0 interceptions, and 308 passing yards. He did fumble 3 times, however, it was still a game with more positive plays than negative from the rookie. Jones demonstrated strong chemistry with two of his receivers on Sunday.

Golden Tate was a reliable target for Daniel Jones, catching 4 passes for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns. Tate’s production is expected as an 11-year veteran being payed

But what is not expected is for a fifth-round rookie receiver to be the most efficient and productive receiver on the team. Darius Slayton had the best game of his career so far against the Jets, but he has been quietly putting together an excellent season.

An Increased Role In The Offense

Darius Slayton’s breakout performance against the Jets was directly correlated to his increased role in the offense. Slayton received a career-high 14 targets on Sunday. He caught 10 of these 14 targets for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Head coach Pat Shurmur has received a lot of criticism this season for his offensive play-calling and the way he uses his players. He had been using Darius Slayton primarily as a deep threat this season, as indicated by the following Player Chart by Next Gen Stats from Week 8:

Darius Slayton’s routes against Detroit were all deep routes over 15 yards. In this game, Slayton did manage to grab two impressive deep touchdown catches. However, his skill set was being limited because he was not being targeted on quick routes underneath, which he is actually pretty good at, as demonstrated on Sunday.

Here is Darius Slayton’s Player Chart from Week 10 against the New York Jets. Notice, he only ran three routes 15 yards or deeper, but ran a hefty dosage of routes under ten yards, resulting in a lot of completions and one huge catch and run for a touchdown off of a slant route:

Credit where credit is due, Pat Shurmur did an excellent job of getting Darius Slayton involved in the offense. He will need to continue to get Slayton involved during the Giants’ last six games of the season in order to continue the rookie’s development into his second season.

New York Giants: Golden Tate fed up, can’t keep doing “knuckle-headed” things

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The New York Giants couldn’t get out of their own way on Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys, failing to stop Dak Prescott on offense in the second half and succumbed to a superior defense. Rookie quarterback Daniel Jones started the game strong, connecting with Cody Latimer on a touchdown in the first half.

However, Jones struggled in the second half, turning the ball over three times in the 37-18 loss. Big Blue had several decisive moments, including Golden Tate’s one-handed catch on third down, but the reality is, not even stellar catches like that can supplement bad overall play.

The Giants are still far away from being a good team, and it’s starting to get to some of the veteran players, who are fed up with watching the rookies make the same mistakes over and over again. Cornerback DeAndre Baker headlines the rookie mishaps, after stating his struggles with the playbook and defensive scheme.

Here’s what Baker had to say after the game:

“Just the plays and everything like that,” Baker said was what he needed to improve the most. “The playbook. Just knowing the plays. Knowing what I need to do. Knowing my assignment.”

Shurmur did mention that slot corner Corey Ballentine was partially at fault for Amari Cooper’s late-game touchdown to seal the victory. It also seemed like veteran Antoine Bethea was out of position and left his zone to help track a receiver who was already double covered, giving Cooper the room to run for the touchdown.

All of these struggles combined have gotten to some of the vets, including Golden Tate and safety, Michael Thomas.

Tate stated after the New York Giants loss to the Cowboys:

“We played extremely undisciplined football,” said Tate. “It’s hard enough to win in this league, but when you’re doing, I guess, knuckle-headed things, it certainly doesn’t work in your favor.”

Thomas commented:

“Got some young mistakes right now,” flustered safety Michael Thomas said, holding back details. “They want to get better. That does nothing for you right now, but in the long run it’ll pay off.”

Wanting to get better and being better are very different things. These hurdles were expected for the youngster on the Giants, and this year of experience will prove to be essential down the road. However, the product on the field is abysmal, and being mindful of a clear rebuild year is necessary.