Tag: b.j. hill

Matt Peart, Dalvin Tomlinson were highest-graded Giants in Week 6

Rookie OL Matt Peart and DL Dalvin Tomlinson earned the New York Giants’ highest Pro Football Focus grades of Week 6.

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The New York Giants picked up their first win of the season on Sunday, defeating the Washington Football Team, 20-19, at MetLife Stadium.

It wasn’t necessarily a clean win for the Giants, but the result reads the same either way. What made victory No. 1 so interesting were those who contributed to it.

Rookie linebacker Tae Crowder factored in heavily, as did rookie offensive tackle Matt Peart, who stepped in for fellow rookie offensive tackle Andrew Thomas after his benching for disciplinary reasons.

In fact, Peart led all Giants (25+ snaps) with a 90.6 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, including a 93.4 run blocking grade.

Thomas, meanwhile, earned an overall grade of 72.6 and a run blocking grade of 79.5.

Neither Peart nor Thomas fared particularly well in pass protection, earning grades of 58.0 and 55.3, respectively.

Tight end Kaden Smith (23 snaps) earned the team’s highest overall grade with 90.6. Defensive lineman Austin Johnson (6 snaps) also fared well, earning a 90.0 grade.

But it was defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson who led that unit with an overall grade of 83.9. He was followed by fellow defensive linemen Leonard Williams (75.7 overall) and B.J. Hill (75.5 overall).

Ryan Lewis was given the highest grade among defensive backs, earning a 71.9. Surprisingly, James Bradberry recorded a grade of just 65.1, while Logan Ryan was tabbed with a 62.6 grade.

The lowest-graded defender on the day was linebacker David Mayo, who earned a 28.6 in his return from injured reserve.

Finally, the lowest-graded offensive player of Week 6 was left guard Will Hernandez, who checked in with a lousy 44.1.

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Giants roster outlook: Upgrades, downgrades or lateral moves on defense

Giants Wire examines the New York Giants defense and the changes made this offseason, offering a verdict on each unit.

The New York Giants went into the offseason knowing they had to make some changes on their 25th ranked defense.

General manager Dave Gettleman used his free agent money and seven of his 10 draft picks in an attempt to revamp and revive a group that simply allowed way too many easy scores to opponents in 2019.

Here is a quick rundown on each unit as training camp begins

Al Bello/Getty Images

Defensive line

Gained: Austin Johnson

Lost: Olsen Pierre

The Giants’ big move was made last October when they traded two draft choices to the Jets for Leonard Williams, an impending free agent. They could not come to an agreement this offseason, so they applied the franchise tag to retain Williams at a price of $16.1 million. He’ll be a starter along with Dalvin Tomlinson and Dexter Lawrence. B.J. Hill, R.J McIntosh and Chris Slayton are returning as well. Johnson will provide some veteran depth.

Verdict: Slight upgrade

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2020 Giants training camp preview: Defensive line

The New York Giants don’t have many sound units entering the 2020 season, but their defensive line appears to be one.

The New York Giants embark on their 2020 training camp this week with a boatload of challenges in front of them. They have a brand new coaching staff and a bevy of new players that all need to get acclimated fast.

With no preseason games to play and opportunities in practice limited because of the COVID-19 restrictions, the Giants are behind the eight ball this summer.

One unit that is fairly solid is the defensive line. The Giants will bring eight linemen to camp and likely keep six. It still has not been determined what the base defense will be, but it’s likely to be a 3-4 based on the personnel on the roster.

Here’s quick rundown of the group which will be coached this year by Sean Spencer (aka “Coach Chaos”), who is coming over from Penn State.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Leonard Williams

It seems like Williams has been in the NFL forever. The fact is, he just turned 26. Yes, he’s underachieved at times and is way overpaid, but after he came over from the Jets in that ill-advised trade last October, the Giants’ line played fairly well.

If Williams is going to play end however, he’s got to get the quarterback more than once per season. No matter what he does, anything short of a Pro Bowl-caliber performance this year will likely end his tenure with the Giants as he’ll be headed for free agency.

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PFF ranks Giants’ defensive line among league’s worst

PFF recently ranked the New York Giants’ defensive line among the league’s worst, citing their lack of a pass rush as the reason.

The New York Giants have a ton of young talent along their defensive line, highlighted by future superstar Dexter Lawrence, dominant run-stuffer Dalvin Tomlinson, do-it-all man B.J. Hill and the controversial but impactful Leonard Williams.

What they don’t have is one stand-out elite pass rusher who can take over games in the way Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul have for the team in the past.

Just how detrimental is that to the unit as a whole? If you were to ask those at Pro Football Focus, they’d tell you is damning.

PFF recently ranked all 32 NFL defensive lines and did not treat the Giants with kid gloves. In fact, they ranked Big Blue’s line among the NFL’s very worst.

26. NEW YORK GIANTS

The policy in New York under general manager Dave Gettleman has been getting bigger, tougher and meaner against the run on the defensive line.

Dexter Lawrence was their first-round pick a year ago, and Leonard Williams was acquired to add serious weight inside. Add Dalvin Tomlinson and B.J. Hill to the mix, and this team is awash with powerful run-stoppers. All four players earned a PFF run-defense grade above 70.0 last season, but none was a difference-maker as a pass-rusher.

That’s the positive. Now for the negative.

The Giants are short on interior players who can truly pressure the passer and instead will rely on just squeezing the pocket. And that strategy that could work if they had plus play on the edge — the problem is that they don’t have that proven commodity yet.

. . .

The Giants have a group of solid options but don’t have much in the way of proven players who can get after the quarterback in a league that has never been more pass-happy.

The Giants are expected to have linebacker Markus Golden back in 2020, which would help the pass rush from the second level, but that did little to sway PFF’s evaluations.

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Giants-Redskins Week 16: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

The New York Giants won their Week 16 game against the Washington Redskins. Here are the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams.

The New York Giants defeated the Washington Redskins in Week 16, likely losing out on the chance to draft all-world edge rusher Chase Young in the process, to improve their record to 4-11 on the season.

The game was an unexpectedly exciting back-and-forth battle from start to finish, but it was Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley who stole the show and stole the W for Big Blue.

Here’s a look at the snap counts that went into Sunday’s victory.

Offensive snaps: 70
Defensive snaps: 70
Special teams snaps: 34

Scott Simonson’s five snaps are very telling and it’s more about Kaden Smith and how highly thought of he is in New York than anything else. Even if Evan Engram were playing, you have to believe Smith would continue to be part of the gameplan.

On the defensive side of the ball, it’s curious to see B.J. Hill get just 17 snaps, especially when considering he was playing at a high level on Sunday. Still, the majority went to Dexter Lawrence, Dalvin Tomlinson and Leonard Williams.

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Giants’ 2018 draft class has stumbled in Year 2

The New York Giants’ 2018 NFL Draft class looked like a home run last season, but they’ve collectively gone downhill in 2019.

Last season, the general consensus was that the New York Giants killed it at the table during the 2018 NFL Draft at Jerruh World in Arlington, Texas.

Running back Saquon Barkley had a record-setting rookie season, leading the league in total yards from scrimmage en route to the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and a Pro Bowl invite.

This year, Barkley suffered a high ankle sprain in the Giants’ third game of the season, missed three games and hasn’t been nearly the same player he was in 2018.

Their two third-round selections — linebacker Lorenzo Carter and defensive lineman B.J. Hill — came into 2019 with high hopes of building on strong rookie seasons. It hasn’t happened. Carter has flat-lined and Hill has fallen into an abyss, recording no sacks, no QB hits and no tackles for a loss in the Giants’ first 12 games.

Their fourth-round pick, quarterback Kyle Lauletta, was released this summer at final cuts and is now on the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad. Defensive lineman R.J. McIntosh, the Giants’ last selection, is buried on the defensive line rotation and has yet to make an impact.

But the most disappointing pick from last year’s draft might be second round selection Will Hernandez, who had a very impressive rookie season but appears to be regressing this season.

From NJ.com:

The UTEP alum’s regression isn’t just dragging down the offensive line, but his poor play has impacted rookie quarterback Daniel Jones’ development.

The feeling of several scouts around the league is that Hernandez is frequently making the wrong reads based on the defensive fronts or flat out missing assignments. As a result of Hernandez’s inability to process what he’s seeing, Jones has seen an increased amount of interior pressure.

Hernandez has allowed 21 pressures, three sacks and has an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 59.3. The analytics outlet ranks Hernandez as 38th best offensive guard in the league.

Hernandez’ issues cold be chalked up to several things. He’s wedged between two faltering players in left tackle Nate Solder and center Jon Halapio. The Giants’ coaching staff is under fire for not developing players to the point where they can take the next step.

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Giants’ B.J. Hill not concerned about his lack of production

New York Giants defensive lineman B.J. Hill doesn’t appear concerned about his lack of production, but his dwindling playing time is telling.

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Last season, New York Giants rookie defensive lineman B.J. Hill set a team record for sacks by a rookie (5.5) and was named to several NFL All-Rookie teams.

One of the games that buoyed Hill last year was his three-sack performance in Week 12 against the Chicago Bears, who the Giants incidentally face this week.

“I just got in a groove that game,” Hill told the New York Post. “When you get hot, you get hot. Just like in basketball. That’s all it was.”

Unfortunately, Hill is right. That’s been his shining moment as a Giant so far. Coming into this season, there were high expectations for the former third round pick out of N.C. State — expectations that he has not lived up to here in 2019.

Through 10 games, Hill has yet to register a sack or even a quarterback hit. He also has no tackles for a loss. He isn’t outwardly concerned over his inability to fill up the score sheet this year.

“When other people are getting sacks, I’m happy for them,” Hill said. “Mine are going to come when they come. I’m not worried about it.

“I just come here and do my job, whatever the coaches tell me to do. Either way, I’m going to work as hard as possible. Whatever happens, happens.”

Since beginning of the season, Hill’s playing time has dwindled from playing 60-70 percent of the snaps to playing under 30 percent. He is seeing even less to accommodate Leonard Williams, who the Giants got in a trade with the Jets three weeks ago.

That has led many to wonder if the trade was prompted by Hill’s dearth of production. When the trade was first announced, it appeared as if Williams would become part of the rotation along with Hill, Dexter Lawrence and Dalvin Tomlinson. Now, it looks more like Williams was brought in to replace Hill.

Hill can play every position on the line and that will come in handy as the Giants continue to build and tweak their roster for the future.

“I’ve been all over, playing almost every position on the D-line. I can play them all,” Hill said. “I think the whole defense is still learning how to play with each other. On the D-line, we are all young, but we still have to go out and make plays.”

It’s too soon to give up on Hill, or any of the team’s young players for that matter, but at some point he’s going to have step up his game and get back to what made him so promising as a rookie.

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Giants players donate turkeys, coats to families in need

New York Giants players spent the early part of their week donating turkeys and winter coats to families in need.

Thanksgiving is just over a week away and New York Giants players are actively working to help families in need prepare for the upcoming holiday season.

On Tuesday, eight Giants players helped unload an 18-wheeler packed to the roof with 1,500 turkeys for the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, which is a part of the Stop & Shop Turkey Express program that will donate over 18,000 birds to various hunger relief programs.

“It’s awesome, it’s bigger than football, we just want to come out here and give some of our time to help give back to this community that is also who supports us, so we want to support them any way we can,” Giants defensive lineman B.J. Hill told ABC7.

In addition to Giants players helping to distribute turkeys for Thanksgiving, defensive backs Antonio Hamilton and Sean Chandler spent their Monday in Newark handing out more than 100 winter coats at the YMCA center.

“I come from very humble beginnings,” Hamilton told the families in attendance, via the TAPInto Newark. “Growing up, I went from house to house, shelter to shelter, actually. I just know how special it is to have a coat during the wintertime.”

“I, too, grew up in a real small town, which is very poor,” Hamilton later added. “I was blessed with the opportunity, with good parenting and my grandparents, to push me to keep going forward so I could get the opportunity to do something.”

Chandler also recognized the significance of giving out coats to those in need.

“This is something big even though it’s something small,” Chandler said.

It’s nice to see the Giants remaining giants in the community and pitching in to help those less fortunate as the holiday season arrives.

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Stock up, down after Giants’ 34-27 loss to Jets

Whose stock is up and whose is down following the New York Giants’ loss to the New York Jets in Week 10?

The emotions are still settling in after the New York Giants lost to their equally inept co-tenants, the New York Jets, 34-27, on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

Several players flashed while others crashed. Here’s quick rundown from Sunday’s game.

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Up: Wide receiver Darius Slayton

Slayton, coming off a down week against Dallas (one reception for six yards), exploded all over the Jets’ secondary grabbing 10 of 14 targets for 121 yards and two touchdowns.

Slayton, a fifth round pick out of Auburn in this year’s NFL Draft has forged a sold rapport with quarterback Daniel Jones and now has five receiving touchdowns on the season, tied for the NFL lead among rookies.

Stock Down: Running back Saquon Barkley

No question Barkley’s performance is concerning. He’s been back from his high ankle sprain for three games now and does not appear to have fully recovered from the injury.

Barkley carried the football 13 times against the Jets, gaining just one yard and his pass blocking, an aspect of his game he prides himself in, has taken a step back. He was blown up twice by Jets safety Jamal Adams, with both plays resulting in fumbles by Daniel Jones. One was recovered by Barkley. The other was taken on for a touchdown by Adams.

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There’s no rhyme or reason to Giants’ defense

The New York Giants have the worst defense in football and there appears to be no rhyme or reason to their approach.

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The New York Giants have surrendered 289 points in 10 games this season, the most in the NFL. There are a ton of reasons and theories behind the huge step back they’ve taken in Year 2 under defensive coordinator James Bettcher.

Many say the scheme is at fault. Others point to the dearth of talent while some blame the organization for stocking the roster with too many rookies and inexperienced players.

No matter which of those are the culprit — and all three are salient points — there isn’t much the team can do about it 10 weeks into the season. To install a new scheme would take as many weeks as they have left in the season.

Adding players isn’t a real option mid-season (although they’ve been doing that where they can) and as for gaining experience, we all know there’s only one way to accomplish that — by playing the rookies.

There have been some interesting nuances this season and a few moves that had fans and pundits questioning the team’s direction.

Last year as a rookie, B.J. Hill was a budding star, playing in all 16 games (starting 12), racking up 5.5 sacks, eight QB hits, six tackles for a loss and two passes defensed.

This year, Hill has been invisible, especially on the stat sheet. Through 10 games, he has no sacks, no QB hits and no tackles for a loss.

When the Giants traded for Leonard Williams two weeks ago, we suggested that Williams was not going to be added to the defensive line rotation along with Hill and the others, but rather as a replacement for Hill. So far we are right about that. Hill’s snaps are way down since the trade.

Duggan also points out the decreasing usage of the Giants’ prized third-round pick, linebacker Oshane Ximines, and the fact that they continue to play packages that favor speed over bulk.

Deone Buccanon was picked up because he is a Bettcher disciple from their days in Arizona, but he hasn’t made any type of impact. He was released by Tampa Bay for a reason and now we know why. He doesn’t appear to be the same player he was a few seasons ago.

The scheme might be too complicated for some of the young players. Most defenders are trained to attack. The Giants haven’t shown much aggression on defense. Instead, they are usually on their heels, conceding way too much yardage underneath in fear of surrendering big plays, which they’ve ended up doing anyway. More than any team in the league in fact.

No doubt, there will be more changes to this defense in the offseason. A bona fide pass rusher would go a long way, as would a solid addition at each level of this defense. Granted, doesn’t every team need that?

A return to the “get after it” style would benefit this group rather than having a slew of young players standing around wondering what their assignments are.

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