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When an organization is under a constant microscope like the New York Giants often are, there aren’t very many secrets. The team and its coaches and players are regularly dissected on national TV and radio, meaning even the casual NFL fan is extremely familiar with the Giants.
That makes it a bit difficult for pundits and analysts to pinpoint a specific “secret weapon” for the Giants, but Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report recently maned to come up with one anyway.
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When breaking down the secret weapon for all 32 teams entering the 2021 season, Knox settled on defensive coordinator Patrick Graham for the Giants.
The New York Giants only won six games in 2020, but they did come close to winning the weak NFC East. Perhaps the biggest reason why they remained competitive was the presence of assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.
Graham helped transform a defense that ranked 25th overall and 30th in points allowed in 2019 into the league’s 12th-ranked overall defense and ninth-ranked scoring unit. While New York added a few pieces during the 2020 offseason, including James Bradberry, Kyler Fackrell and Blake Martinez, Graham made the the unit become a whole.
“Coach Graham is a very, very smart guy. I know he went to an Ivy League school too. His football knowledge, his football IQ, is above a lot of guys that I have been around,” Bradberry said, per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
Even with all the offensive additions made by the Giants through free agency and the 2021 NFL draft, Knox still believes it will be Graham’s defense that leads the way.
A lot of the attention this offseason has been on the offense, including the return of Saquon Barkley from his ACL tear and the additions of pass-catchers Kenny Golladay, Kyle Rudolph and rookie Kadarius Toney. If the Giants are going to make a push in 2021, though, Graham’s defense will likely be leading the way.
Considering Graham drew head coaching interest this past offseason and is still viewed as a future head coaching candidate, he’s not the best-kept secret in the world. In fact, Graham is pretty well known and respected around the league, so calling him a “secret weapon” may be a bit of a stretch.
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