Giants Coordinator Corner: Coaches focused on rookie improvements

The New York Giants coordinators are focused on rookie improvements entering Week 16 of the regular season.

It’s been a long season for the New York Giants, but things are winding down. Not much has been accomplished thus far — just three wins in the first 14 games — but the players keep going and the coaches keep working.

This week, the Giants will travel down to Washington to face the Redskins, another 3-11 team seeking a path back to respectability. The game has some meaning to it. The winner gets to stay out of the NFC East basement while the winner betters their lot in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Giants’ three coordinators briefed the media on their respective units as the next to last regular season game approaches.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive coordinator Mike Shula

Rookie wide receiver Darius Slayton (44 receptions, 690 yards and three touchdowns) was considered a player who could “stretch the field’ out of college but the fifth-round draft pick out of Auburn has shown he is much more than that.

Shula was asked about Slayton’s route running and how surprised the Giants are at how advanced he is.

“I think Tyke (Tolbert) has done a great job with him. I think we probably didn’t give him enough credit as a route-runner coming out of college,” Shula said. “I know those guys are well-coached down there at Auburn. They have a little bit different offense than we do, but they still run a lot of the same routes. We saw a lot of big plays, just like everybody did, when he was coming out in the draft. But he’s really good at really running all of the routes for a young guy. For example, one of the easiest things, you would think it’s easy, but a lot of the time, especially for young guys, just getting the proper depth.

“He’s probably as good as any rookie as I’ve ever seen, as little as that is, at just getting depth because as we know, the timing is so important. If you’re short, the quarterback is going to be late with the ball. He’s done a good job with that.”