Tag: Eli Penny

Expect Giants, Jason Garrett to utilize Eli Penny more in 2020

Under offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, the New York Giants are expected to utilize FB Eli Penny quite a bit more in 2020.

It’s no secret what the New York Giants want their offense to look like in 2020. Their best player is third-year running back Saquon Barkley and from where things stand at the moment, all things start with him.

When Joe Judge took over the team earlier this year, he told reporters that the first thing this Giants team needs to do is run the football. The Giants rushed the ball only 362 times in 2019. Only the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins — two teams who were behind on the scoreboard most of the season — rushed the ball less.

The Giants were also behind on the scoreboard most weeks, losing 12 of 16 games last year, but many expect them to take a different approach to just about everything they do going forward.

When the Giants did run the ball, they ran it fairly well to the tune of 4.7 yards per attempt, which was sixth-highest in the NFL.

The high ankle sprain Barkley suffered in Week 3 ground the Giants’ rushing attack to a halt. He missed the majority of that game plus the next three. When he did return it took him another month and a half to get going again.

This year, you can expect the Giants to look to pound the rock very much like the Dallas Cowboys under Jason Garrett did with Ezekiel Elliott the past few years.

“I think you’ll see the Giants start and end with the running game,” NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell said on a recent podcast. “They clearly have one of the top two or three running backs in the league with Saquon Barkley. You have to believe Barkley will get 270 to 300 carries, so that will be the starting point of the offense.”

Cosell believes the Giants will employ fullback Eli Penny quite a bit this season. The fullback position, which had been recently seen as an antiquated position, is back in style after the rushing success of some teams last year such as the 49ers, Seahawks and Ravens.

“The use of 21 personnel, with a fullback, is something that teams are going to try to replicate because of the success of Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers last season,” said Cosell. “The Giants also have a fullback on the roster, and the Cowboys used a fullback under Jason Garrett, as well. The Giants have Eli Penny, and the fullback has sort of become back in vogue in the NFL.”

But Cosell also believes the Giants will benefit from having all of those tight ends on their roster. Expect the 12 personnel to be employed as well as the Giants have two former Stanford tight ends in the fold (Kaden Smith, Levine Toiolo).

“Stanford is a school that lines up and plays what would be viewed today as old-school football,” Cosell said. “Where they line up and run the ball in base-personnel, and Kaden Smith has that background after performing well down the stretch last season. They have the ability to line up in two-tight end sets and run the ball.”

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2020 NFL Free Agency: A look at the Giants’ newest contracts

With NFL free agency all but over, here’s a quick breakdown of each new contract the New York Giants handed out.

The New York Giants have done substantial work to their roster this offseason, including the big additions of cornerback James Bradberry and linebacker Blake Martinez.

Initially, there was some confusion over the new contracts and how bonuses were structured, but the vast majority of that has been cleaned up thanks to The Athletic.

Here’s a quick breakdown of each new contract:

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Linebacker, David Mayo

Deal: Three years, $8.4 million with $3.5 million guaranteed. $2 million roster bonus in 2020. $50,000 workout bonuses all three years.

Base salary (cap hits):

  • 2020 – $1.5 million ($3.55 million)
  • 2021 – $2.25 million ($2.3 million)
  • 2022 – $2.5 million ($2.55 million)
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Giants, Eli Penny agree to two-year deal

The New York Giants and fullback Eli Penny have agreed to a two-year contract extension.

The New York Giants and fullback Eli Penny, who was scheduled to become a restricted free agent, agreed to terms on a two-year deal on Wednesday night, according to multiple reports.

The 26-year-old Penny originally signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent out of Idaho in the 2016 NFL Draft. He remained with the team for three years before signing with the Giants in 2018.

In 30 career games with the Giants, Penny has primarily served as a blocking back, but has also gained 64 yards on 22 carries, adding 59 yards on 10 receptions.

Penny’s return to East Rutherford is a good indication that the Giants will lean heavily on the ground game and will rely on a traditional, but multi-faceted fullback to lead the way.

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Giants have some decisions to make on their restricted free agents

The New York Giants have some decisions to make when it comes to a small handful of restricted free agents, including kicker Aldrick Rosas.

NFL Free Agency formally begins on March 18 at 4:00 p.m. ET, but teams will be busy doing some housekeeping before the floodgates open. The New York Giants may make several moves before the league’s March Madness period begins.

Firstly, they need to make decisions on their restricted free agents by assigning tenders to them. They currently have four RFAs in house they either need to tender or release: center Jon Halapio, fullback Eli Penny, linebacker Devante Downs and placekicker Aldrick Rosas. Another player, wide receiver Amba Etta-Two, is an exclusive rights free agent.

Long snapper Colin Holba was scheduled to become a restricted free agent, but the Giants signed him to a two-year deal in November.

Odds are they tender Halapio and Rosas and let the others walk. That is, if the new coaching staff believes in both players. The Giants have been inquiring about centers this offseason and Rosas, after a Pro Bowl 2018 where he made 97% of his kicks and PATs, fell off slightly in 2019.

Penny is a player the previous coaching staff liked but, as we said, there’s a new sheriff in town (actually a Judge) and they may opt to either go with a different player or no fullback at all.

As for the unrestricted free agents, it makes little sense to sign Leonard Williams to a deal before the new league year. That would make the 2021 pick they traded to the Jets a fourth-round pick instead of a fifth, so they’ll likely wait.

There’s also no rush to sign any of the others until after March 18. They want to go into free agency will every available penny and if they have designs on bringing any of these players back (Michael Thomas, David Mayo, Mike Remmers, Cody Latimer, Russell Shepard, Scott Simonson, Corey Coleman, Cody Core), they’ll do it with the leftover money or not at all.

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Giants-Packers Week 13: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

The New York Giants lost their Week 13 game against the Green Bay Packers. Here are the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams.

The New York Giants fell to the Green Bay Packers, 31-13, on a snowy Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium, extending their current losing streak to eight games, which is the second-worst such streak in franchise history.

Although the Giants managed to hang around for three quarters, the wheels came off in the fourth quarter and the Packers never looked back.

Here’s a look at the snap counts that contributed to New York’s latest loss.

Offensive snaps: 67
Defensive snaps: 67
Special teams snaps: 22

An interesting development on the offensive side of the ball was the use of Buck Allen and Eli Penny in place of Wayne Gallman, who did not receive so much as a single snap in Week 13.

Defensively, R.J. McIntosh has had his role almost completely wiped away, while Julian Love has been completely thrust into the starting role.

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Giants fall to Bears: Winners, losers and those in between

The New York Giants fell to 2-9 with a 19-14 loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 12, and here’s a look at the winners and losers from that game.

The New York Giants lost their seventh consecutive game on Sunday, falling to the Chicago Bears, 19-14, at Solder Field in what may have been the ugliest display of football all season (if not longer).

The Giants did have a chance to pull off a miracle at the end, but Daniel Jones was unable to channel his inner Eli Manning and watched as his final fourth-down attempt fell harmlessly to the ground.

Here’s a look at Sunday’s winners and losers (and those in between):

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Winners

Julian Love: Love wasn’t just eased into the defensive rotation, he was straight-up thrown into the fire. The results? They were largely positive. While it wasn’t perfect, Love made several key plays, including his first career interception off the arm of Mitchell Trubisky. He also made two other potential touchdown-saving plays.

Markus Golden: On a defense that simply doesn’t play well at all, Golden continues to make his presence felt and Sunday was no different. Not only did Golden record another sack, he added several other pressures and a couple batted balls at the line of scrimmage. He also came up with a huge 3rd-and-1 stop late in the fourth quarter, giving the Giants an opportunity for a last-minute win.

Riley Dixon: It’s a sad day when a punter is one of the few players to appear in the “winners” column, but here we are. But don’t let that be a reflection of Dixon himself, who had quite a day, averaging 51.4 yards per punt with four being downed inside the 20.

Others: Golden Tate, Jabrill Peppers

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