James Bettcher

New York Giants: Where Is The Pass-Rush?

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New York Giants, Dalvin Tomlinson, Dexter Lawrence, B.J. Hill

The New York Giants‘ defense has been criticized heavily throughout the week. The criticism is completely deserved as the Giants’ defense allowed the Cowboys’ offense to gain a total of 494 yards of offense in week one. They also allowed Dak Prescott to have a career day with a perfect passer rating of 158.3.

Prescott was rarely pressured and usually had all day to throw. The Giants did not record a sack against the Cowboys and the entire pass-rushing unit seemed to have disappeared. This begs the question, where is the Giants’ pass-rush?

Lorenzo Carter’s Disappointing Start To The Season:

There was a lot of hype surround Lorenzo Carter entering his second season. Carter flashed his potential in limited playing time as a rookie and seemed ready for an expanded role in 2019. Lorenzo got off to a hot start at training camp but has fizzled out since.

Lorenzo Carter, despite all of his highlights in practice, was nowhere to be found in the preseason. He did not record a sack and rarely pressured the quarterback. The hope was that this was just due to limited playing time in the preseason, but, unfortunately, it was just more of the same in week one.

Lorenzo Carter is young and extremely athletic. He has a huge frame and a lot of speed. If he can develop his technique as a pass-rusher Carter could be a special player. But he is going to need to put it together soon if he wants to help New York turn their season around.

The Defensive Line’s Disappearance:

Like Carter, there was a fair amount of hype surrounding the Giants’ defensive line heading into the 2019 season. The Giants have a ton of young talent on their defensive line, but it has not been clearly evident so far this season.

B.J. Hill looked like a draft steal after recording 5.5 sacks in his rookie season. Hill was the only defensive lineman to perform up to his standards in week one. He was solid in run defense and finished with four total tackles on the game. Still, no signs of pass-rush in this unit.

Dexter Lawrence was maybe the most underwhelming player on the Giants’ defensive line in week one. Granted, he is a rookie, and maybe he just needs more time to acclimate to the pro-game, but he was almost nonexistent against the Cowboys.

The Giants’ second first-round draft pick in 2019 was meant to be an instant-impact rookie. Lawrence is an underrated pass-rusher, but even if it takes him some time to get that part of his game going, his giant frame and run-defense abilities should impact the game. Unfortunately, it did not in week one.

The Giants’ defensive line is young and inexperienced. That could be the reason for their lack of impact against Dallas. But the Giants’ pass-rush as a whole might have an even bigger problem than player performances.

Signs Of A Poorly Coached Defense:

The Giants’ defense looked unprepared and lost on Sunday in Dallas. Players blew their assignments left and right. Every piece of the defense struggled, even the proven veterans. Cornerbacks were constantly burned, the defensive line got no push, linebackers fell for every play action.

These are the signs of a poorly coached defense. The players seemed like they had no clue what to do at times. When running play-action, Dak Prescott was 12-13 for 192 yards and 3 touchdowns. This is inexcusable. The Giants’ defense just does not know how to defend against play-action.

This is a deeper issue than a lack of talent. The Giants’ defense is not coached well enough to scheme together pressure or to cover play-action passes. Giants linebackers bit on just about every play-fake, despite the Cowboys running play-action on almost every pass.

This lack of discipline in the linebacker corps needs to be fixed heading into week two. The Giants have a good matchup against a turnover-happy Bills offense, led by second-year quarterback Josh Allen. If the Giants want to beat the Bills, their defense needs to keep Josh Allen from having a career day like Prescott.

New York Giants could pursue Dolphin safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in trade

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New York Giants should consider Miami Dolphins defender, Minkah Fitzpatrick.

After a significant defeat to the Dallas Cowboys in week one of the regular season, the New York Giants could look to make a trade, in an attempt to bolster the secondary.

With rookies plastered across the defensive backfield for the Giants, they are in dire need of support, which is where Miami Dolphins safety, Minkah Fitzpatrick, comes in to play.

Fitzpatrick requested a trade from the Dolphins after a blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens last week. It was reported that several players on Miami requested to be traded, and Fitzpatrick, a former first-round pick, is one of them.

What would it cost for the New York Giants to trade for Minkah Fitzpatrick?

It has been reported that the Dolphins will seek a first-round pick in a potential deal for the safety. He was being utilized as a Swiss Army knife on the defense, playing slot cornerback and safety. However, he wants to stick to one position, and slot corner seems to be his strong suit.

The slot position is becoming more valuable in a league with quicker and more agile wide receivers. The Giants lack a star at the spot and could use Fitzpatrick’s abilities immediately. Ultimately, it comes down to his value and what the Giants would be willing to part with in terms of draft capital.

I imagine the Giants would be content with trading away a second-round pick for his abilities. In just his second year in the NFL, he is still on a friendly contract. He will earn $1,227,626 this season, with a dead cap of $13,457,268 that gradually declines over the next two seasons. His cap hit is very low as well, at just $3,738,130 this season and only reaching $5,233,382 by the year 2021.

By no means should the Giants consider trading their first-round pick away, believing it will likely be a high one and they need pass-rush help.

Defensive coordinator James Bettcher could use Fitzpatrick in many different ways, but he would likely utilize him in the slot position and extract the most value out of his skill set. He’s an incredibly talented defender that trends towards the top of PFF’s slot CB grades.

What PFF has to say about Minkah:

Only five other NFL defensive backs with 200 or more slot coverage snaps as rookies earned higher coverage grades in the slot as first-year players: Casey Hayward Jr. (90.8), Desmond King II (89.3), Leon Hall (81.5), Tyrann Mathieu (80.1) and Antoine Cason (79.4).

 

And Fitzpatrick’s slot success in the NFL is merely par for the course.

 

In his three-year career at ‘Bama, Fitzpatrick played a majority (66.3%) of his defensive snaps at slot cornerback and, much like his debut NFL season, played his best football at the position. His 90.5 coverage grade in the slot is currently the highest ever recorded among the 93 Power 5 defenders with 400 or more slot coverage snaps in the PFF College era (2014-18). He was truly in a league of his own playing slot cornerback at the college level, allowing just a 67.2 passer rating and 0.90 yards per coverage snap across a whopping 872 slot coverage snaps and 145 targets.

Overall, he would be a massive addition to a Giants team lacking an inside corner, but his price-tag could be too high. The Fins could falter and accept a lower bid, though, but we can only estimate they will not accept anything less than a first-rounder.

 

New York Giants: What will Jabrill Pepper’s role be in 2019?

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New York Giants, Jabrill Peppers

The New York Giants traded for safety Jabrill Peppers in the deal that sent renowned wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns.

Peppers is essentially Landon Collins’ replacement, but with less production throughout his career, it’s hard to say whether he will live up to the hype. One thing that the former Brown has working for him is his ability to coverer tight ends off the line of scrimmage, and the experience of playing free safety for an entire season.

The New York Giants will help Jabrill Peppers reach his potential:

The young safety is still finding his role in the NFL, but defensive coordinator James Bettcher will help him find his comfort zone — a place where Peppers can excel and be his raw self.

He’s fast, dynamic, aggressive…Peppers is a jack of all trade, a “swiss army knife” some would call him. The hunger to validate his worth in the NFL is driving him to not only be a better player but a better teammate. General manager Dave Gettleman made sure that the defender was included in the deal to send OBJ west, as finding a real safety that can necessarily, do it all, was a priority for the Giants and their aspirations for the defensive unit in 2019.

“I was born ready. I just finally get the opportunity and the spotlight to do it now,” Peppers, 23, said after Thursday night’s preseason win in Cincinnati, per the NY Daily News. “So I’m gonna make sure the [Giants] know they made a good decision.”

There’s a risk factor with Peppers, though, as he tends to lose himself in coverage at times and bite on plays where he needs to have more discipline. Additionally, the Giants featuring several rookies in coverage will force the unit to learn on the go. Peppers might be exposed due to the lack of support and experience around him; however, veteran Antoine Bethea will be a leader and mentor.

Expect to see Peppers used all over the field this upcoming season, especially in coverage and on unique blitzes dialed up by James Bettcher. He will have serious responsibilities on the defense, but his primary goal is to be an efficient tackler that minimizes the impact of opposing tight end — a significant weakness in the past season for Big Blue.

New York Giants: James Bettcher is building a vintage defense

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New York Giants, James Bettcher

When the New York Giants hired James Bettcher to take over the defensive duties, it was expected that the change would be significant. That expectation became a reality, as in his first season the unit saw fundamental struggles.

It is not easy to change the entire scheme of a defense and expect efficiency in year one, which is why 2019 should see a significant step forward in the productivity of the unit as a whole.

There will be challenges present due to the youth general manager Dave Gettleman has injected into the team, specifically the defense. Majority of the secondary has been overhauled — Drafting DeAndre Baker, Julian love, Corey Ballentine and signing, and Antoine Bethea. The team also acquired Jabrill Peppers, free safety, and the Odell Beckham Jr. trade.

Having two new safeties in Peppers and a Bethea should provide the Giants with an improved defensive backfield.

James Bettcher commented on how his defense is progressing:

“To develop young players now in this league, you need to teach them the process first. The process being, how can you take something from the meeting room and take it to walk-through. How can you take it from walk-through to your individual period? How can you take something from individual to team, and then run it full circle? To be able to do that on a Tuesday, on a Wednesday, on a Thursday, day after day for seven months to improve yourself as a player. I think their eagerness to learn, their ability to put their guard down and get coached, and know that it’s not about, Coach Shurmur always says, and I think he says it in a great way, ‘It’s not about attacking people, it’s attacking problems,’ and we’re trying to get better.”

The difference from college to the NFL is significant, especially when it comes to understanding playbooks and schemes. For rookies, it will take up a substantial portion of their time and focus as they learn how a defense operates at the professional level.

Luckily, the Giants have two established veterans in Janoris Jenkins and Antoine Bethea that have helped significantly in the rookies making the transition.

When asked about the youth and inexperience on his defense, Bettcher stated:

“I’ll answer that in two parts.”

“Because when I look at guys that don’t have experience I think about a lot of different things, and I’ve said this to our group. I call plays for the first time, so everybody that’s been something has done it for the first time. You wrote a story for the first time at one point in time, and although some people might have thought that you couldn’t do it, you were able to write something that was maybe beyond other people’s expectations. We will never be limited by expectations of others, whether we are playing our first game or our 100th game in the National Football League. We’re not going to be limited by expectations.”

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There will be hurdles the Giants face throughout the course of 2019, but they are essential ones that will make the team better in the long run. The quality of youth on the team is unlike anything we’ve seen in the past few years, especially in the secondary. The defensive line is also looking to take a major step forward with the drafting of Dexter Lawrence and Oshane Ximines.

 

New York Giants: DC James Bettcher Talks About Young Defense

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New York Giants, James Bettcher

With the second mandatory minicamp practice in the books, we can see slightly more about the current state of the New York Giants. The team’s defense is young this year following the departure of a number of veteran players including Landon Collins, Olivier Vernon, and Damon Harrison, but so far through the first two days, it’s been getting praise. That’s not just from head coach Pat Shurmur but from James Bettcher, the team’s defensive coordinator.

“They are working extremely hard and doing everything they are asked to do. Very aware of things they need to improve on,” Bettcher said about the team’s young players up front. “I think I said it before, we are really big on writing prescriptions for our players. The thing they individually need to improve on, we include our players in those conversations as well.”

Bettcher also claims that some of the more inexperienced players from last season are moving into a different role after picking up that experience. “When you talk about two or three of those guys that are young but not young anymore, they are veteran players. B.J. is a veteran player now. He played a full season and he started games, he is a veteran player now. Those guys are really aware.”

“When you see him rush, a year ago he was trying to get off the ball as quick as he could and use his hands when he could. Now, you see a guy that is aware of how he wants to rush, aware of techniques that he wants to rush with,” Bettcher also said on the subject of outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter. “The second thing, he is practicing as hard as anyone on the field right now. He is running around and has been a great example that we have been able to show defensively of just straining and effort, finish.”

Lorenzo Carter is expected to have a larger role this season with the departure of Olivier Vernon to the Cleveland Browns. With Vernon having a disappointing season last year, the expectations are on Carter to give the Giants better performances from the position.

Training camp will begin near the end of July after minicamp is over, which means there’s still time for players to learn and grow this offseason. However, it’s mostly been smooth sailing so far.

New York Giants: Why Jabrill Peppers Will Be The Best Player On The New Defense

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The New York Giants acquired Jabrill Peppers in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade.

The New York Giants have totally revamped their secondary this offseason. They let star safety Landon Collins walk in free agency, then went and drafted three (four if you count Sam Beal) cornerbacks in the 2019 NFL Draft.

But the Giants’ most important addition to their secondary came in their most controversial trade. When the Giants traded away Odell Beckham Jr., they got Jabrill Peppers in return. Jabrill Peppers is a solid young player who will be the centerpiece of the Giants’ new defense.

Jabrill Peppers Stats And Highlights

The Cleveland Browns drafted Jabrill Peppers with the 25th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Peppers was a great safety prospect coming out of Michigan. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com referred to Peppers as “the ultimate Swiss Army Knife on the collegiate level” during the 2017 draft process.

Peppers was a true playmaker coming out of college with 11 passes defended, 1 interception, 3 sacks, and 18.5 tackles for loss in his last two seasons. However, Peppers did not look like the player he has the potential to be while playing in Cleveland.

In his rookie season, Jabrill was a little disappointing. He put up only 57 tackles in 13 games. But this lack of production could be attributed more to the Browns than to Jabrill Peppers. The Browns forced Peppers to play free safety on 88.2% of his defensive snaps in his rookie 2017 campaign. When they decided to move Peppers around in 2018, the results were much better.

The Browns used Peppers as a jack-of-all-trades defensive back in 2018, like he was used in college at Michigan. Most of his snaps were played at safety (281 snaps), but he played a lot of snaps at linebacker (172 snaps), edge (133 snaps), and slot cornerback (108 snaps), too, according to Pro Football Focus.

This lead to a better statistical season from Jabrill Peppers. He played all 16 games and finished with 79 combined tackles, 1 interception, 5 passes defended, 5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries.

Giants’ defensive coordinator James Bettcher has proven that he knows how to use a versatile, hybrid safety. When Bettcher was with the Arizona Cardinals, he helped turn Tyrann Mathieu into a household name. Tyrann was awarded First-Team All-Pro in 2015 for his 89 tackle, 5 interception season.

James Bettcher knows how to get the best performance he can out of his players. Bettcher loves the versatility and Jabrill Peppers is the ultimate versatile safety. Jabrill Peppers will be the best player on the New York Giants’ new defense because of his versatile skill set and perfect match with Giants defensive coordinator James Bettcher.

New York Giants: Solid Free Agent Safety Option Still Available

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With the additions of Jabrill Peppers and Antoine Bethea, the New York Giants’ safety positions are in much better shape than they were at the beginning of the offseason. The New York Giants let their star safety, Landon Collins, walk away in free agency and were not left with many talents at the position.

However, general manager Dave Gettleman made it a point to fix the secondary this offseason. The Giants drafted three cornerbacks in the 2019 NFL Draft (four if you count Sam Beal). But they did not draft a safety.

Antoine Bethea is a solid veteran who fits defensive coordinator James Bettcher’s defense. Unfortunately, Bethea probably will not be around for too long, being that he is 34 years old. It would be wise of the Giants to add another young safety to the roster to pair with Peppers.

Luckily for the Giants, there is a solid free agent safety option still available:

Tre Boston Stats And Highlights

Free agent safety Tre Boston would be a solid addition to the Giants’ defense. Boston has been in the NFL for five seasons and has bounced around to three different teams. Most recently, Boston played for the Arizona Cardinals in 2018.

In his lone season with Arizona, Tre Boston was a solid defender against the run and the pass. He tallied up 79 combined tackles, 1 forced fumble, 3 interceptions, and 9 passes defended. No matter where Boston has played, he has been a solid safety.

Tre Boston was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 2014. Dave Gettleman was the Panthers’ general manager at the time. This connection could lead the Giants to have some interest in Tre Boston.

Boston was not the full-time starter during his tenure with the Panthers. However, when he left the Panthers to play for the Chargers in 2016, Tre Boston showed what he could do as a full-time starter.

Boston starter 15 games for the Chargers in 2017. In that season, Boston was a true playmaker totaling 5 interceptions and 8 passes defended. He was again solid against the run with 79 combined tackles.

Tre Boston had two solid years of play with two different teams. This demonstrates his true young talent and his ability to handle adversity. At only 26 years old, if the Giants sign Tre Boston, they will be getting a dependable young safety to pair with Jabrill Peppers for the future.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUY83saY2LQ

New York Giants: What Is The Plan?

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New York Giants. Dave Gettleman, Pat Shurmur

The New York Giants have had one of the craziest offseasons in franchise history. From seeing a star player walk away in free agency to trading away your best player, then eventually disappointing the fanbase during the NFL Draft, it has been one bewildering move after the other for the Giants this offseason.

This leaves fans and analysts dying to know one thing: what is the New York Giants’ plan? On one hand, they seem to be building around Eli Manning and gearing up for another Super Bowl run.

On the other hand, the Giants look ready to move on from Manning and begin a new era. However, there are so many mixed signals. It is hard to decipher what the Giants are truly trying to do.

However, I think I have figured out what the Giants’ plan is (to some extent). Now, I will try to break that plan down.

Restore The Culture

General manager Dave Gettleman has made one thing clear about the new Giants team he is building: culture is key. In 2017, the Giants’ head coach Ben McAdoo completely lost the locker room. The Giants were experiencing major issues with the locker room’s culture. It was around this time that Landon Collins called Eli Apple a “cancer.”

Dave Gettleman has made it a point to clear the locker room of any “cancers” and establish the right culture in the Giants’ locker room. Gettleman has made it clear he does not like when players criticize their teammates in the public media. Landon Collins is no longer with the team and neither is Odell Beckham Jr. after his doozy of an ESPN interview with Lil Wayne.

Dave Gettleman has replaced any locker room problems with new, classy young men and excellent football players. Say what you want about Daniel Jones, but the kid is a leader. He is a good young man off the field that will always represent the New York Giants the best he can.

The same can be said about superstar running back Saquon Barkley. Saquon is a true leader on and off the field. He has been seen coaching up his teammates on Sundays and doing charitable acts in the offseason. Most recently, Saquon Barkley made one fan’s wish come true:

The Giants are in the middle of a rebuild. Gettleman’s first step towards rebuilding is to restore the culture. He has lost some talented players in the process, but by the end of the rebuild, the Giants will hopefully have filled the locker room with high-character, but also elite-talented people and football players.

Model The Quarterback Position After Past Champions (Not Future)

The Giants are clearly not interested in building their team the way the rest of the NFL is. The rest of the NFL is trying to think outside of the box and get one step ahead. It is a copycat league, and the Giants are one of few teams refusing to copycat the new wave.

Instead, the Giants are trying to copycat something else. Something reminiscent of the 1980s. The Giants are not interested in having a strong-arm quarterback who throws off platform 80 yards and makes plays outside of the pocket (such as Patrick Mahomes).

The Giants are interested in having a tall quarterback stand in the pocket, go through his progressions, and make the right read. On top of that, they do not want a social media personality as their signal-caller. They want a quiet, reserved, and humble quarterback to fiend off the New York media. This is why the Giants went with Daniel Jones over the likes of Drew Lock and Dwayne Haskins.

All of the previous NFL Super Bowl champions feature quarterbacks more similar to Daniel Jones than to Kyler Murray or even Patrick Mahomes. Murray and Mahomes have incredible potential and are examples of the league’s evolution towards a more collegiate style of play. The Giants have no interest in this.

The Giants want to replicate the past champions. Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback of all time, stands tall in the pocket, goes through his progressions, and makes the right read. Eli Manning has done that his entire career. Each of the past Super Bowl winners has had a playstyle similar to the pocket-passing, make-the-right-decision playstyle that Daniel Jones possesses.

Let’s look at the last 10 Super Bowl champion quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Nick Foles, Peyton Manning, Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Ben Roethlisberger. Only two of these quarterbacks (Wilson and Rodgers) have ever rushed for 250+ yards in a season.

Besides Wilson and Rodgers, this list compiles some of the best pocket-passing quarterbacks over the past decade. None of these guys (besides Wilson and Rodgers, again) are known for making plays out of the pocket. Daniel Jones, like seven of the last eight Super Bowl champion quarterbacks, is a pocket-passing quarterback whose game emphasizes reading the defense and making the right decisions.

Model The Rest Of The Team After Past Champions

The 2018 New England Patriots were not a team with an impressive pass-rush. Instead, the Patriots had an exceptional secondary and a defensive scheme that generated the defense’s pressure. This is what the Giants’ defense is being molded into.

The Giants seemed to fully commit to this defensive gameplan in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Giants drafted three cornerbacks in their ten draft picks.

Defensive coordinator James Bettcher has an aggressive scheme that aims to generate pressure in unique ways through the scheme, rather than through the players. This all ties into the Giants’ desire to model the team after past champions, especially the 2018 Patriots.

This modeling can be found on the offensive side of the ball too. The Giants have fully committed to a run-first offense lead by Saquon Barkley. Countless Super Bowl teams were lead by a strong running attack and a quarterback who makes plays when he needs to. A great example is, again, the 2018 Patriots.

Tom Brady threw for 262 yards and 1 interception with 0 touchdowns in Super Bowl LIII. Meanwhile, the Patriots picked up 154 yards on the ground, led by rookie running back Sony Michel who had 94 rushing yards and a touchdown. The Giants seem fixated on replicating this kind of success.

The Giants want the offense to run through Saquon, with Daniel Jones being the complimentary piece. It is the opposite for many teams across the league, but the Giants are all in on this old-school approach.

It is also worth noting how similar the Giants’ receiving corps is to the 2018 Patriots. The Pats have not had a superstar receiver since Randy Moss. The Giants just traded away their superstar receiver. The Patriots win Super Bowl after Super Bowl by running with short, quick, slot receivers all over the field. The Giants are looking to do the same.

Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard will play in the Giants’ offense similar to how Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola played in the Patriots’ offense for all those years. Dependable, slot receivers are the key to New England’s offensive success and they will be the key to New York’s success soon too.

Another interesting note is the Patriots’ and Giants’ collective commitment to the tight end position. Trading away Odell Beckham Jr. was definitely a move influenced by Evan Engram’s increased effectiveness with Odell off the field.

Engram will breakout with more targets in 2019. Like Rob Gronkowski was with the Patriots, Evan Engram will be the Giants’ biggest matchup advantage and receiving weapon.

The Giants are looking to replicate the Patriots’ offensive and defensive schemes. Let’s all hope they are able to replicate New England’s success, too.

New York Giants: How DC James Bettcher Can Maximize his Impact in 2019

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New York Giants, James Bettcher

When the New York Giants hired James Bettcher to be the defensive coordinator in January of 2018, there was a sense of optimism for those in and around the organization. There was no hope for a defense that was ranked 27th in points allowed and 31st in yards allowed per game the prior year.

Bettcher was known for his aggressive style in Arizona which ranked in the top 5 in blitz percentage each of his three seasons as defensive coordinator, according to pro football focus. Bettcher’s defense also ranked in the top 6 in yards allowed per game from 2015-2017.

While there was a slight improvement in ranking from 2017, Bettcher’s first season with the Giants was widely considered a disappointment. The defense couldn’t get to the quarterback, stop the run, or stick out close games. While finishing tied for second to last in sacks (30), Bettcher’s defense also cost the Giants four wins in 2018 by failing to get a stop on the last possession.

Where It Went Wrong for the New York Giants?

After further analysis as to why the defense underachieved, it is obvious that the lack of success was personnel related, rather than scheme. In fact, James Bettcher had to abandon the main source of his success due to a lack of talent.

As stated above, Bettcher ranked in the top 5 for blitz percentage every year he was in Arizona. In New York, the defense only blitzed 26.3% of the snaps, which ranked them 22nd in the NFL. For reference, each of Bettcher’s defenses in Arizona blitzed between 37% and 47% of the snaps from 2015-17.

After losing six of their first seven games, the Giants knew the season was a wash and realized they must start building for the future. They responding by trading both former first-round pick Eli Apple and All-Pro nose guard Damon “Snacks” Harrison for a fourth and fifth round pick, respectively. Bettcher also lost his best defensive player in Landon Collins who tore his labrum and required season-ending shoulder surgery after week 13.

The Giants did not have enough talent on the defensive side of the ball to execute Bettcher’s scheme. In a defense that needs at least five new starters, Dave Gettleman and Pat Shurmur are well aware that the Defense must be improved to be successful in 2019.

Off-Season Additions:

Instead of signing big name free agents with limited cap space, GM Dave Gettleman made the conscious decision to sign defenders who held great value but were not expected to bring in top dollar. The two most notable defensive signings include Antoine Bethea (2 years, 6.5 million) and Markus Golden (1 year, 4.75 million), who both played under James Bettcher in Arizona.

Bethea, who will be turning 35 before the season starts, is still a great value pickup for the Giants who has a lot of football in him. In a failed system under former head coach Steve Wilks, Bethea still managed to make a team-leading 121 tackles along with 3 sacks. Bethea played the best football of his career under James Bettcher in 2017, grading out as PFF’s 9th best safety in the NFL. In that same year, Bethea also led the Cardinals with 5 interceptions; the most he’s had in his 13-year career.

Bethea will be joined by teammate Markus Golden (28), who is playing on a one year prove-it deal for New York. Golden’s 2018 season was greatly hindered by an ACL tear the year prior. Like Bethea, Golden played his best under James Bettcher. He totaled 12.5 sacks in 2016, which tied for third in the NFL. Golden also produced 16 tackles for loss in 2016 along with 4 forced fumbles. A one year contract is beneficial for both sides. For Golden, who is looking for a chance to prove he can get back to being a quality pass rusher, a familiar defense could be a perfect fit. For the Giants, who were already in the market looking for an edge rusher, Golden can come in to replace Olivier Vernon for a fraction of the cost.

Replacing Landon Collins:

As apart of the Odell Beckham Jr trade, the Giants acquired swiss army knife Jabrill Peppers from the Cleveland Browns along with a first (17) and third (95) round pick in the 2019 draft. Peppers, a New Jersey native, played three years at the University of Michigan before being drafted 25th overall by the Browns in 2017. Peppers struggled his rookie year, mainly due to playing deep safety for 88% of his snaps. At Michigan, Peppers played around the line of scrimmage and was considered an undersized outside linebacker. It was clear that Peppers was playing out of position as he only posted a PFF grade of 60.5.

Year two was a different story for Peppers. His new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams valued his ability to play multiple positions around the field. In fact, Peppers lined up in the box for 329 snaps, at cornerback for 155, and at deep safety for 281. Peppers coverage from the safety position also improved from a 61.5 to a 77.3, per PFF. Peppers finished the season with a total grade of 77.6, a 17 point improvement from his rookie year. GM Dave Gettleman was adamant in Peppers being involved in the Beckham trade, knowing he must replace a talent like Landon Collins. If used correctly, it won’t be long before the new #21 in blue will be looking similar to the last one.

Outlook:

While the New York Giants lost two valuable pieces this offseason in Landon Collins and Olivier Vernon, there is plenty of hope for the defense in 2019. With 12 picks in the upcoming draft, the Giants will certainly look to upgrade the defense with more than half of those. Similar to last year, another strong draft could spring the Giants in position to greatly improve their defense. The Giants have a huge decision to make as it pertains to picks 6, 17, and 37. Will Dave Gettleman take one of the elite defenders at 6 or do the Giants believe that they’ve found their next franchise quarterback? What remains consistent through all is that the more talent in place for the defense, the more effective James Bettcher will be in executing the scheme that got him to New York originally.

New York Giants: Should The Giants Trade For Chiefs’ Pass Rusher Dee Ford?

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Beginning on February 19, NFL teams were officially allowed to apply the franchise and transition tags to impending free agents. The New York Giants have yet to place a tag on safety Landon Collins, but a few other teams have used their tags. The deadline to use the franchise tag is Tuesday, March 5th.

The Kansas City Chiefs officially placed the franchise tag on edge defender Dee Ford on Saturday, March 2nd. However, the Chiefs will be listening to trade offers for Ford. The Chiefs recently made a change in their defensive scheme, which is why they are willing to trade Ford.

Highlights From Dee Ford’s 2018 Season

Dee Ford is a 3-4 edge defender. He is a stand-up outside linebacker that is great at rushing the passer. In 2018, Ford had 13 sacks, 7 forced fumbles, and 55 tackles. He was Pro Football Focus’s 11th ranked edge defender with an overall grade of 87.7. He even earned PFF’s number 1 ranked pass-rush grade in 2018 with a grade of 91.0.

Why The Giants Might Want To Trade For Dee Ford

With the Giants having the 2nd least total sacks in the league in 2018, Ford could be a big upgrade off the edge. The Giants are reportedly shopping Pro Bowl edge rusher Olivier Vernon. If the Giants do not find a trade partner, they could cut Vernon to free up a large amount of cap space.

Regardless of wether the Giants trade or cut Vernon, they will still have a massive hole to fill at the edge position. Dee Ford could fill that hole.

Olivier Vernon was good in 2018, but has been inconsistent during his entire career with the Giants. In 3 seasons with the Giants, Vernon never reached 10 sacks in a single season. He has only done this once in his career. He had 11.5 sacks with the Dolphins in 2013. Ford has reached 10 sacks twice in his career. He had 13 in 2018 and 10 in 2016.

Former Giants general manager Jerry Reese signed Olivier Vernon to a massive contract back in 2016. Current Giants general manager Dave Gettleman inherited Vernon and his gargantuan contract last offseason. With Vernon not playing up to his contract, it makes sense Gettleman is considering moving on from the veteran.

An interesting scenario that could take place is a Vernon for Ford trade. Olivier Vernon played under the Chiefs’ current defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo when he was with the Giants. Spags helped Vernon have a career-year in 2016. This might lead the Chiefs to have a lot of interest in Vernon.

Vernon could go back to being a 4-3 defensive end for the Chiefs, while Dee Ford could continue his career as a 3-4 outside linebacker with the Giants. It would be a high-risk, high-reward trade for both teams. But if Spagnuolo can get the best out of Vernon in Kansas City, and Dee Ford can continue to progress his talents in New York, both teams could walk away from this trade very happy.

Why Dee Ford Is A Risky Player To Trade For

Dee Ford did have PFF’s highest pass-rush grade in 2018, but that grade came out of no where. In Ford’s first four seasons in the NFL, he was nowhere near as good as he was in his fifth season. Dee has been wildly inconsistent throughout his career.

In 2017, Ford dealt with a back injury. This forced him to play in only 6 games and total a measly 2 sacks. It took Ford 5 years to finally hit a real stride, then, once he did, his defensive coordinator was gone. Maybe a change of scenery will bode well for Dee. Or maybe he will regress back to his previous playing talent.

If the Giants trade for Ford, they will be hoping to progress his talents. The Giants have lacked a serious pass-rushing threat for years now. If Giants defensive coordinator James Bettcher can figure out a way to elevate Dee Ford’s talents, trading for him could be a brilliant move.