Secondary
Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye were excellent for New York at safety. Adams earned himself another Pro Bowl selection, while Maye improved with each game.
Excellent is not a word that can be used to describe Gang Green’s cornerbacks, though. Brian Poole was a bright spot in the nickel, but the negatives outweigh the positives in this situation. Trumaine Johnson couldn’t cover anyone before his season came to an end. Darryl Roberts spent more time celebrating incompletions he had nothing to do with than actually forcing them himself. Nate Hairston contributed almost nothing. Maurice Canady is the definition of a question mark. Bless Austin showed promise, but got torched by the Steelers in Week 16 and found himself benched in New York’s season finale. Arthur Maulet came on strong at the end of the season, but he doesn’t exactly have a track record of success.
Adams and Maye grade out at A-. The corners grade out at a C thanks to a three-week stretch in which Austin and Maulet locked down opposing receivers. Since we’re combining the two units, that leaves the secondary’s grade in a middling state.
Grade: B