patrick graham

New York Giants: Should Patrick Graham be considered for HC positions in 2021?

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New York Giants, Patrick Graham

The New York Giants managed to emerge victorious on Sunday over Cincinnati despite Daniel Jones injuring his hamstring. With 34-year-old veteran Colt McCoy under center in the second half, the Giants relied heavily on their defense and running game to preserve the win. With relentless play style and brilliant game planning by Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham, the Giants’ defensive unit held the Bengals to just 155 yards of total offense. It’s because of this that Graham’s impact should not go unnoticed.

Since their Super Bowl victory over the Patriots in 2011, here is where the Giants’ defense has ranked in both points and yards allowed:

2012:  Points: 12th, Yards: 31st.

2013: Points: 18th, Yards: 8th.

2014: Points: 22nd, Yards: 29th.

2015: Points: 30th, Yards: 32nd.

2016: Points: 2nd, Yards: 10th.

2017: Points: 27th, Yards: 31st.

2018: Points: 23rd, Yards: 24th.

2019: Points: 30th, Yards: 25th.

Through eleven games in 2020, the Giants’ defense under Patrick Graham currently ranks ninth overall in both points and yards allowed. A significant improvement from the past three seasons. The last time the Giants were ranked top ten in both of the above categories was also the last time they made the playoffs in 2016. Coincidence? Not exactly. The one noteworthy difference between the 2016 unit and the 2020 unit, aside from the coordinator, was the number of playmakers. In 2016, Landon Collins was a legitimate DPOY candidate, and Damon Harrison was the best run-stuffing DT in the NFL.

Collins and Harrison both have found new homes in Washington and Detroit, respectively, since the Gettleman regime took over in 2018, and the defense has been more or less completely overhauled. Now the Giants’ fresh young core with players like Julian Love, Jabrill Peppers, Dexter Lawrence, and Dalvin Tomlinson have a very bright future ahead of them. Not to mention significant improvements in the secondary with veterans like Logan Ryan and James Bradberry, who are both having stellar seasons. Just imagine if second-round pick Xavier McKinney had been healthy to start the season. Graham would have a field day with the possible packages of McKinney alongside Peppers and Love.

So what’s the common denominator? That would be Patrick Graham. If you are just a casual Giant fan, when the coaching staff was revamped after the 2019 season, the candidates chosen were not exactly the big names we were expecting. So far, fans should be very comfortable with what we have seen from Joe Judge so far. Judge’s decision to bring in Graham, who was most recently the DC for the Dolphins in 2019 and had also worked with Judge in New England in the early 2010s, will end up being one of the smartest hires of the offseason.

Graham, a Yale graduate, has already significantly improved this Giants defensive unit in just his first season. Defensive-minded coaches are always a gamble in the modern offensively driven NFL. However, with already three coaches fired during the season so far, and likely more to follow, don’t be surprised if Graham’s name will generate some buzz.

New York Giants: Bengals uncertainty part of the fun for Patrick Graham

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New York Giants, Patrick Graham

The addition of Patrick Graham as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants has been one of their best moves this offseason. Under Graham, new additions James Bradberry and Blake Martinez have stepped up to exceed expectations and others such as Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams have raised their game further than they were able to under the previous administration.

And the defense will play a big role in the Giants’ game on Sunday, when they face the Bengals. After all, the Bengals have already lost their starting quarterback for the season. It looks like the Giants have an advantage here, and even Vegas has favored them. However, the Giants have already lost one game this season to a backup quarterback when they were blown out by San Francisco.

This one isn’t a given just because the Bengals don’t have Joe Burrow. It’s also uncertain just who will replace Burrow. The Bengals have multiple options in Brandon Allen and Ryan Finley. Neither player has been named the starter just yet.

Giants defensive coordinator not scared of the mystery

According to Patrick Graham, the uncertainty is part of the fun.

“You’re seeing a little sprinkle in of a bunch of different, not a bunch of different systems, it’s what they do. I’m not sure what they’re doing to do. That’s the fun part of it,” Graham told reporters Friday about watching film on the Bengals before this game. “We have to prepare for all of it. What’s [Brandon] Allen do? We have to make sure we know what the quarterbacks do and see how it’s going to play into the system. To be honest with you, I don’t know what he’s going to do. We have to prepare for everything.”

The Giants will have a boost in beating whoever the Bengals start at quarterback, because of the addition of safety Xavier McKinney. McKinney is set to return from injury, and was expected in the preseason to play a big role in the defense. His debut, however, has been delayed until now due to that preseason injury.

What Xavier McKinney brings the defense

According to Graham, McKinney is eager to show off his skills after previously being limited to practicing in the classroom rather than the field.

“The thing is, he’s been grinding this whole time. Unfortunately for him, it’s been in the classroom. I feel bad for him. Now with the chance to possibly play, the thing he brings, he’s a good football player out there. That’s the simple way to put it, with some position flex. This guy can play in the deep part of the field. He can play down low. He can play all over the field,” Graham said of McKinney.

It looks like the secondary is definitely set to improve further with the addition of McKinney partway through the season – and at a much needed time. After all, the Giants are still in the running for the NFC East. A win over the Bengals would be a big step in keeping that hope alive.

New York Giants: S Logan Ryan confident and ready to tackle the rest of the season

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New York Giants, Logan Ryan

The New York Giants are fresh off of a statement victory against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 10. This win was crucial, as this was the firs time the Giants beat their heated rival Eagles since 2016. This win was also clutch as the Giants’ record improved to 3-7, keeping them in the hunt to win the NFC East.

It appears that the race to win the east will come down to the Giants and the Eagles. The Dallas Cowboys seem out of the hunt as they have been starting third and fourth string quarterbacks and dropping games ever since they lost Dak Prescott to a season-ending injury. The Washington Football Team has also lost its starting quarterback for the season. These teams are trending downward, along with Philadelphia, while the Giants are trending upward and starting to click on both sides of the ball.

The Giants are fortunate to see their offense finally get on track these past two weeks. New York’s struggles this season have occurred while in possession of the football. For the most part, the defense has been consistent and efficient in 2020. Mostly thanks to some clutch free agent signings by Dave Gettleman, Joe Judge, and company.

The Giants made a number of key free agent signings this offseason. James Bradberry and Blake Martinez standout as the team’s splash free agent signings. Both of them have been excellent in 2020. But the Giants’ third splash in free agency came much later in the process with the training camp signing of Logan Ryan. Logan Ryan has quietly been one of the best players and leaders on the Giants’ defense this season. And this defensive leader is confident in the direction that the Giants are heading to close out this season.

Logan Ryan’s 2020 Season

New York Giants safety Logan Ryan believes in his team and their future. Not just the long-term future, but Ryan believes in the Giants’ immediate future. When discussing the Giants today, Ryan said “We are putting in the work and I don’t think the Eagles are matching that. We are on a mission this year and no one is on our level.”

After an impressive Week 10 victory over Philadelphia, Logan Ryan is confident that the Giants are the better of those two teams. He believes that the Giants are going to win the race to win their division. And, if they continue to play the way they have the last two weeks, there is a good chance he ends up being right about that.

Ryan has been excellent for the Giants this season, manning the free safety position. The Giants signed Logan Ryan after rookie safety Xavier McKinney suffered a broken foot during training camp, an injury that has kept him out for the whole season to this point. McKinney looks likely to return to the lineup soon, but Ryan has been playing at a high level, so he will by no means be replaced by the rookie once he returns.

Through ten games, Logan Ryan has totaled a combined 59 tackles. He has also been a playmaker, forcing two fumbles, one interception, and even recording one sack. Ryan was signed to a one-year contract this training camp. Considering the leadership presence he has had on this team and the high level of performance he has contributed, it is likely Logan Ryan will play his way into a contract extension this season.

New York Giants’ dominant third-down defense was the key to victory in Week 10

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The New York Giants finally beat the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday for the first time since 2016. At 3-7, the Giants have entered the race to win the NFC, which has collectively struggled all season long. But the Giants are improving at a key moment in the season, playing behind and excellent defense that has kept New York in games.

All season long, Patrick Graham and the Giants’ defense has performed above its weight class. Entering the season, the defensive personnel looked like it could be a problem in 2020. But so far, there have been some serious bright spots and standout performers on the defensive side of the ball.

James Bradberry has been excellent all season long and continued his phenomenal season against Philadelphia on Sunday. Over the last two weeks, Bradberry has allowed just three receptions for 21 total yards. Bradberry has been dominant in his first season with Big Blue.

But the biggest surprise for the Giants defense, and the most rewarding treasure that New York found this offseason, is defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. Graham has been clever all season with disguised blitzes and coverages. He has also managed to get the absolute most out of each and every single one of his playres and positions, despite having an obvious lacking of talent in certain areas. Patrick Graham’s excellence was shown in full effect on Sunday, as the New York Giants shut Philadelphia down on third downs.

The Giants’ Third Down Defense in Week 10

The New York Giants’ defense was dominant on third down in Week 10. Philadelphia was 0-9 on their third down attempts this Sunday. The Giants’ defense made clutch stop after clutch stop to clip the wings of the dirty birds.

This has been a consistent theme in recent weeks for the Giants. In the last four games the Giants’ opponents are converting 26 percent of their third downs. This is serious improvement from 54 percent rate in the first 6 games (via Dan Duggan).

The Giants have shown improvement week to week this season on both sides of the football. Last week, New York forced five total turnovers. This week they allowed zero third down conversions. It is hard to lose football games when the defense is playing at that high of a level. The Giants will need to continue to perform at this level over the final stretch of the season if they want to seriously push for a playoff spot.

What makes the New York Giants’ defense so special?

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New York Giants, Joe Judge

The New York Giants have a special defense, no matter how you look at it. Entering the season, their defensive unit was supposed to be a weak point, led by new coordinator Patrick Graham. As a Yale graduate and one of the smartest coaches in the NFL, Graham joined a staff composed of veterans and a newbie in Joe Judge as the team’s head coach.

Ultimately, the defense was composed of new free agents and young players who hadn’t established themselves at the NFL level yet. But players are only as good as their scheme, and Patrick instituted a system that extracted strengths from his players and left the weaknesses behind.

Having played above their weight class this season through nine weeks, the Giants now feel their defense is a strong point, keeping them in games on a weekly basis while the offense struggles to replicate the same success.

However, Graham still takes losses personally, as we saw after the Giants’ loss in the waning moments against the Philadelphia Eagles several weeks ago.

After the contest, Graham stayed on the sidelines with his head down, soaking in the blame and realizing that his playcalling didn’t get the job done. Similarly, week nine’s content against Washington came down to the wire, but Patrick made all the right calls, giving safety Logan Ryan a chance to secure the game with an interception. His decision brought Big Blue to 2-7 and kept them in the NFC East race.

“I felt I let the team down. It was like a teacher letting his students down, they work so hard for Joe (Judge) and I made the wrong calls.”

The New York Giants know things are looking up:

There is one thing that can be said about the Giants this season, they are committed and disciplined to playing at a high-level. Whether they win or lose, this team is clearly trending upward, something that couldn’t be said the past few seasons with Ben McAdoo and Pat Shurmur leading the ranks.

“When we have success, it’s the players. It’s them and if we’re not successful, it’s because there is something I can do better. The success is because of the players.”

If there’s anything we can extract from this season so far, it is that Patrick Graham was one of the best hires the organization made this past off-season.

Of course, we can lavish about Judge and some of the minor coaches, but Graham has undoubtedly left his mark on the franchise on and off of the field. The players respect him immensely and play hard for him. They know that the future of this team is positive, and they want to be a part of it.

Giants’ Coordinators Graham, Garrett Discuss Ivy League Connection

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New York Giants, Austin Mack, Jason Garrett

When the New York Giants hired Joe Judge to be their head coach in January, many felt it was a risk. Judge was a longtime assistant in New England under Bill Belichick but had never been a head man anywhere in his 37 years on Earth.

That is why Judge and the Giants decided to stock the coaching ranks with veteran faces. They kept special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey and wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert but filled the other roles with familiar, accomplished faces from the outside.

The offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett, was the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys for the past decade. The Giants know him well and in turn, he knows them well. Garrett also played for Big Blue as a backup quarterback to Kerry Collins from 2000-2003.

Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham worked with Judge in New England and also had a stint with the Giants as their defensive line coach under Ben McAdoo a few years back. What many don’t know is that both men began their football journeys as players in the Ivy League. It is a bond that both men are building on.

Graham was a defensive lineman at Yale in the early 2000s. By admission, he wasn’t much of a player but knew of Garrett, the former Princeton QB, and his accomplishments. Ivy Leaguers stick together.

Garrett, 54, was a star at Princeton in the 1980s, going undrafted in 1989. His  15-year odyssey took him from New Orleans to the World League of American Football to the CFL before landing back in the NFL. Before his time with the Giants as a player, Garrett won two Super Bowl rings as Troy Aikman’s backup in Dallas.

As a coach, Garrett began his career as the Dolphins’ quarterback coach in the mid 2000s under Nick Saban in Miami. He soon moved onto Dallas where he became the offensive coordinator and then head coach. He told reporters on Tuesday about his respect for Graham.

“In regards to Patrick, just a great experience for me getting to know him. Obviously, I’ve known him from afar,” said Garrett. “Different people who have been around him have great respect for him. In the time we’ve been together, I have a tremendous amount of respect for him and how smart of a football guy he is, the different experiences that he’s had, and the ability to work together. When you’re a coordinator, often times you have to work together with the other coordinator to help get the practice to function the way you want it to function and how you can compete against each other. But also work together to put your units in the best situation you can. He’s been a real joy to work with right now despite the fact that he’s a Yale guy.”

With the Giants, Garrett is on the same page with Graham, asking players to be more aware and disciplined. Graham is dressing fundamentals while Garrett said “tolerate” is not a word in a coaches’s vocabulary.

Why the New York Giants’ defense could struggle in 2020

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New York Giants, Patrick Graham

The New York Giants have made it a priority to build around youth, especially on defense where they had seven rookies starting at one point in 2019. While this is good for the overhauling of the roster and establishment of a new regimen, the Giants haven’t been able to rely on any sort of consistency.

After the 2019 season, the Giants fired head coach Pat Shurmur, defensive coordinator James Bettcher, and several coaches. The defense had shown signs of life at times under Bettcher, but a heavy zone scheme played against their player’s strengths.

Bettcher utilized a very versatile and intricate system, and incumbent defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will bring a mesh of different concepts.

When asked about his schematic beliefs, Graham gave a simple answer: “Yes.”

Former Giant, Avery Moss, stated that Bettcher’s scheme was one of the most difficult he’s ever been a part of. Graham’s simply makes sense and offers a more siplisitic approach.

How will the New York Giants operate on defense?

Graham will look to be multiple with his system and defense, utilizing 4-3 and 3-4 base defenses. The diversity Graham promotes should create an adaptive defense, which can change based on the opponent. That’s the ultimate goal with any defense, changing the style of play to fit the strengths of the opposing offense. Whether they have a strong passing game, a strong running game, or both, the goal is for the Giants’ defense to hold up and bend but not break.

Often than not, the Giants’ defense was steamrolled in 2019, mainly due to a lack of experience and talent at nearly every position.

However, installing an intricate defense will not be an easy feat. The Giants will need time for their young players to adapt and develop within the system that Graham implements. That is why I believe the defense will struggle in 2020, especially without the significant reps during the preseason available. They will transition from training camp directly into the regular season, which will hurt the progression of the team and likely create confusion on both sides of the ball with new systems.

However, with a strong coaching staff in place, the Giants can hopefully put their team in a position of success. The 2020 campaign was always going to be problematic due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing it as a rebuilding year with the installment of new schematics makes the most sense, so I wouldn’t anticipate the Giants being a well-rounded team in the first year of coaching overhaul.

EXTRA:

Graham was quietly excited about interior defensive lineman Leonard Williams, mentioning his versatility.

He was also keen to mention Dexter Lawrence’s size and how excited he is to get him active on defense.

 

New York Giants: Markus Golden talks return to North Jersey

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New York Giants, Markus Golden

The New York Giants placed the unrestricted free agent tender on linebacker Markus Golden in April. After going unsigned through July 22, Golden can only play for the Giants this season, and he has reported to training camp. He’ll make roughly $4.1 million in the 2020 NFL season.

Golden feels “good” about returning to North Jersey (quotes per Giants.com’s Dan Salomone).

“I feel good about being back. It’s a good place…At the end of the day, I love playing ball.”

After going unsigned for the bulk of the offseason, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reported that Golden was “motivated” by his free agency failing to gain traction.

Golden feels that if people don’t know his game by now they’re “not worth proving it to.”

“If you don’t know what I can do by now, you’re not worth proving it to.”

Golden says he plays football for his family and “to win.”

“I play the game for my family. I play the game to win.”

The Giants signed Golden to a one-year deal last offseason. He played off the edge and started 16 games for the Giants. Golden totaled 72 combined tackles, 10 sacks and 27 quarterback hits. For his career, the Missouri product has totaled 191 combined tackles, 29 sacks and 69 quarterback hits.

Among the new faces in the team’s edge rotation is Kyler Fackrell, who the Giants signed to a one-year, $4.6 million deal in free agency. The former Green Bay Packers pass rusher is a season removed from totaling 10.5 sacks and played under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham in 2018 (Graham was the Packers inside linebackers coach and defensive run game coordinator in 2018).

The Giants selected Penn State’s Cam Brown with the 183rd pick and Minnesota’s Carter Coughlin with the 218th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. They also have third-year player Lorenzo Carter and second-year player Oshane Ximines returning. Carter and Ximines totaled a combined 70 tackles and nine sacks in 2019.

New York Giants: Sterling Shepard, Leonard Williams, and Saquon Barkley Speak With Media

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New York Giants, Saquon Barkley

Training camp is here for the New York Giants and with that comes the first official player interviews of the 2020 NFL season. New head coach Joe Judge was the first to speak with the media, doing so on Wednesday. You can read those quotes here.

Yesterday, Daniel Jones, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Blake Martinez spoke with the media. Today, it was Sterling Shepard, Leonard Williams, and Saquon Barkley’s turns to speak. The three players each completed ten-minute interviews via Zoom today. Here are the highlights:

Sterling Shepard:

Sterling Shepard is the longest-tenured player on the New York Giants’ roster. Sterling was drafted by the Giants in 2016 and has played a prominent role in the team’s offense ever since. Could 2020 be the year the Shepard gets himself a Captain’s Badge? Shepard said he “be happy to wear that badge and take that role” if the team votes him a captain but whether he gets it or not, he will “find a way to lead” in “whichever role” they have him in.

“(I will) just set a good example for the young guys and kind of teach them about some of the different rivalries that we have and how important those games are to the New York Giants as an organization.” – Sterling Shepard via Giants.com

Shepard also expressed excitement for the Giants’ new offensive scheme, coached by Jason Garrett. Sterling noted that “it’s an offense that utilizes everyone’s skill set.” The fifth-year slot receiver also gave some insight into Joe Judge’s virtual offseason program: “When we were going through the OTA period on the Zoom calls, the coaches would have some trivia questions for us, so we did this Kahoot! challenge to kind of get guys going and understanding the history of the organization.”

Saquon Barkley:

Superstar running back Saquon Barkley spoke with the media today and gave some insight to his offseason. Barkley considers the Giants’ current regime and roster to be “a fresh new start,” explaining that this is a team of young players who “are learning every single day, on the offensive side, and on the defensive side. Learning a new scheme and system and trying to focus on the little things to get better every single day.”

Saquon made it clear that head coach Joe Judge is instilling a new culture for the Giants:

“The Giants are known for being tough, physical and doing the little things right. That’s something that coach Judge and all the coaches have made a focal point for us in the short time that we have been here. That’s what we try to attack every single day and try to get better every single day.” – Saquon Barkley via Giants.com

Barkley also discussed his teammate and quarterback, Daniel Jones, stating that he is “definitely excited for DJ.” Barkley said that they have grown closer and that they have been hanging out and working together.

Certainly, the most exciting part of Saquon Barkley’s media session came when he discussed his expectations for himself in the upcoming season. Barkley is only focused on improving, despite being one of the best running backs in the league already:

“What I want to seem from myself is just growth,” he said. “I feel like I have been saying this answer so much in my first two years. I’m really focused on trying to get better in every area of my game. I feel like I have so much more room to continue to grow and there is so much I can continue to add to my game. I would say some big focal points are pass pro(tection), in between the tackles, outside the tackles, catching the ball, ball security. Every single day try to focus and try to get better in every area of my game. I am a big stickler when it comes to stuff like that. Definitely when our coaches sat down, they really have us focused on the details and all the little things matter. That’s the focus and where I want to improve my game, which I guess you could say is everything.” – Saquon Barkley via Giants.com

Leonard Williams:

The Giants’ newly acquired defensive lineman, Leonard Williams, also spoke to the media today. Williams was acquired in the middle of the 2019 season via trade in what has been a controversial and polarizing move amongst the fanbase. The Giants placed the franchise tag on Leonard Williams this offseason after the two sides failed to come to an agreement on a long-term deal.

Williams discussed this, saying he thinks “it’s always in the player’s interest to get a long-term deal, but that’s something that worked itself out between my agents and the organization.” Leonard said he is not disappointed that there was no deal agreed upon, he is simply “looking at it as an opportunity.”

But Williams also made it clear that he is ” just happy to be here, play with this team again, and learn about the guys that I’ve been with since last year.”

The media asked Leonard Williams about his injury. The disruptive defensive lineman showed up to training camp with a hamstring injury and was placed on the non-football injury list. When asked about it, here is what Leonard Williams had to say:

We can’t really talk about injuries. If somebody wants to get more information on that, you might have to bring it up with Coach (Joe) Judge or someone else on the team. I’m definitely making strides on it and doing the best that I can to get out there with my teammates. – Leonard Williams via Giants.com

When asked about learning that new defensive scheme that Saquon Barkley mentioned earlier, Leonard Williams referred to new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham as a “genius.” Williams said he loves the new scheme and that he loves working with the team’s new defensive line coach, Sean Spencer.

Overall, the Giants’ three young stars sound excited about the upcoming 2020 NFL season. The players are optimistic about their new coaching staff and seem focused on improving after a disappointing 2019 season.

New York Giants: Blake Martinez details how he will impact the defense

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New York Giants, Blake Martinez

The New York Giants added several new faces to their defense in the offseason, former Green Bay Packers linebacker Blake Martinez among the most notable. New York and Martinez agreed to a three-year, $30 million deal in free agency.

Martinez, 26, finished with 155 combined tackles, three sacks, and one interception last season. For his career, the Stanford product has totaled 512 combined tackles, 10 sacks, and three interceptions.

The Giants are learning a new defense under first-year head coach Joe Judge, which will be administered by new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. They’ve been doing as such virtually this offseason due to COVID-19 restrictions.

How Blake Martinez intends to help the New York Giants:

Regarding his new Giants teammates, Martinez said on Thursday he wants to “make it seem like we’ve been friends for the last six months” at training camp (quotes are courtesy of tweets by Giants.com’s Dan Salomone).

Martinez has familiarity with Graham as the latter was the Packers inside linebackers coach and run game coordinator in 2018. Martinez has said that Graham is “one of the smartest coaches” he has ever been around (quotes per Giants.com’s Michael Eisen).

“He’s probably one of the smartest coaches I’ve ever been around,” Martinez said. “Just his ability to get you ready within four to five days. Every single week my third year when he was my inside linebacker coach, I went into the games on Sunday feeling like I knew exactly what plays were going to happen and exactly what I had to do within our scheme. It just made each game so easy to play. That was the biggest thing I got from him throughout that year and got me so excited to be able to work with him again, obviously, coming up again this season.”

Martinez will spearhead an inside linebacker unit that includes David Mayo, who re-signed with the Giants on a three-year deal in the offseason, second-year player Ryan Connelly and seventh-round draft picks T.J. Brunson and Tae Crowder.

Martinez says he wants to be the “rock” of the Giants defense and thinks the team will be “in a good spot” if they make prudent decisions from a health standpoint.