Tag: Isaac Yiadom

Giants defeat Seahawks, 17-12: Instant analysis

Instant analysis of the New York Giants’ 17-12 Week 13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.

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The New York Giants headed into their Week 13 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks 10.5-point underdogs and given very little chance after it was announced that Daniel Jones (hamstring) would be inactive.

That put veteran backup Colt McCoy under center as a starter for just the eighth time since 2012, and the Giants’ defense on the spot. McCoy did what he could and the defense absolutely balled out. The special teams, unfortunately, let the Giants down again in what suddenly became a very winnable game, as most Giants games have been this season.

This one was more than winnable. The Giants looked like a first-place team as they stepped up and bit the NFC West leaders on the road with a 17-12 victory, their fourth in a row. The win ensures they will remain in first place in the NFC East for at least one more week as Philadelphia lost to Green Bay and Washington, who plays Pittsburgh on Monday, cannot pass them with a win.

One thing was never in jeopardy and that was the point spread. The Seahawks never had more than a five-point lead in the game. That is when they did have the lead.

The Seahawks opened the game with a nine-play drive that stalled inside the 20 after back-to-back defended passes by cornerback Isaac Yiadom and safety Jabrill Peppers. Seattle took an early 3-0 lead on a 31-yard field goal by Jason Myers.  The Giants responded with an unimpressive three-and-out then rookie linebacker Tae Crowder sacked Russell Wilson on third down to force a punt.

The Giants’ offense picked up the pace on their second possession driving down to the Seattle 16 on 11 plays but ended abruptly when McCoy’s pass to tight end Evan Engram slipped through Engram’s fingers as he was hit and into the hands of Seahawks cornerback Quandre Diggs, who returned it 32 yards to the Seattle 36.

After two teams traded punts, Giants rookie defensive end Niko Lalos recovered a Wilson fumble on third down on the Giants’ 48 with a little over six minutes remaining in the first half. The Giants could do nothing, went three and out and punted again.

Seattle scored before the half when Riley Dixon had a punt blocked in the end zone for a safety to give the Seahawks a 5-0 halftime lead.

In the second half, the Giants finally found their legs on offense so to speak. On their second possession in the third quarter, they drove 80 yards on four plays, buoyed by Wayne Gallman’s 60-yard scamper down the right sideline. to the Seahawks’ 17. Two plays later Alfred Morris scored his first NFL touchdown since 2018 to give the Giants a 6-5 lead. McCoy then lobbed a pass to Sterling Shepard for the two-point conversion and an 8-5 lead for Big Blue.

After the Giants stopped Wilson and the Seahawks on fourth down near midfield, the running game got rolling again. This time Gallman and Morris led the Giants on another scoring drive ending with McCoy hitting Morris for a six-yard touchdown to give the Giants a 14-5 lead. Graham Gano missed the PAT, his first miss of the season.

With 11:21 remaining in the fourth quarter, Wilson threw the football into traffic and the ricochet landed in the arms of Giants rookie cornerback Darnay Holmes at the Seahawks’ 39. Four plays later, Gano’s 48-yard field goal extended the Giants’ lead to 17-5 with just under ten minutes to play.

Seattle bounced back with 6:09 remaining when Wilson hit running back Chris Carson for a 28-yard scoring strike to narrow the score to 17-12. The Seahawks would get one last shot to win the game when the Giants punted with 1:48 remaining. The defense once again made stand to preserve the lead and the win. From front to back they played lights out in this game.

Notes

  • Seattle was 5-0 this season at home and had been averaging 31.0 points per game through the first 12 weeks, which was third in the NFL. They were fifth in yards per game (391). Seattle fell short all of those averages, scoring only 12 points and gaining just 327 total yards in this game
  • The Giants entered the game averaging 142 yards per game on the ground over their last eight games. They racked up a season-high 190 yards against the Seahawks’ third-ranked rush defense.
  • Wilson started the day as the second-most sacked quarterback in the league  (35) and the Giants added to that total to 40 with five sacks, 2.5 by Leonard Williams.

Giants’ CB situation opposite James Bradberry remains fluid

New York Giants head coach Joe Judge wants to continue getting multiple players looks opposite James Bradberry.

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The New York Giants began the 2020 season with a glut at the cornerback position. Who knew they’d be where they are right now, still struggling to find the right combination at right cornerback.

James Bradberry, the prized free-agent signing this past March, has played at a Pro-Bowl level, mainly at left cornerback, for all 674 of the Giants’ defensive snaps this season.

His counterparts have been all over the map, however. The Giants are still seeking the right player/players to handle the role.

They began the offseason with a competition between former first-round pick DeAndre Baker and Sam Beal, a third-rounder who had yet to see any significant action.

Baker, as you know, had his career derailed by criminal charges (of which he is no longer on the hook for) causing the Giants to part ways with him. Beal, citing COVID-19 concerns, never hit the field. The Giants were left to make do with Corey Ballentine, rookie Darnay Holmes, and others.

The Giants added Isaac Yiadom and Ryan Lewis along the way and added them to the mix. Ballentine played his way out of the lineup and eventually off the roster. Lewis was getting an opportunity until he suffered a hamstring injury two weeks ago. Last week against the Eagles, Yiadom played 100 percent of the snaps. Holmes played in packages, which was on 66 percent of the snaps.

Head coach Joe Judge may mix and match at that cornerback spot the rest of the season. He’s liking what he’s seeing from the youngsters at corner.

“I expect all the guys to play, I really do,” Judge said of the situation. “There may be certain matchups that we may favor a certain guy for a skillset. There may be certain positions on the field, whether it’s red area versus backed up or in the field, that may be more of an early-down guy or a third-down guy. Every game brings a little bit of a different element on how you’re trying to match up the opponent. To me, I have no issue at all playing guys at any position and rotating them on through. As long as we’re getting production, we’re keeping guys fresh, we expect everyone at the game to contribute. In terms of the way I view the game, no, I have no issue with that at all.”

Linebacker Blake Martinez, the defensive captain, spoke about the revolving door at the open cornerback spot.

“I think that’s just a testament to the type of group we have,” he said. “Every single week we know that no matter who’s going in, just from the leadership from the top down on our defense and our team in general. Whoever is going to be in is going to be ready to go. For that given week, they’re going to know where to be. It’s just on us to make sure everyone is comfortable out there, everyone is calm. Especially me as a middle linebacker of the defense, just making sure if there are any questions, any adjustments, we get it expressed throughout the defense, all 11. No matter if it’s the second cornerback spot, the D-line, whatever it is. It allows people to play that much quicker.”

Judge won’t pin himself down on who he favors for the job, except that he has confidence in his players, specifically Yiadom.

“I’ve seen a lot of improvement from Ike. Yeah, that’s a guy who’s really worked tirelessly at practice. He’s really competed hard for us and shown a lot of things at practice. Then he got a shot in the game and he went out there and he’s been making plays for us. Yeah, he’s done a lot of really good things right now that have helped us. He’ll keep playing for us as well, as will (Madre) Harp(er), we get Ryan Lewis back and a number of other guys.”

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Daniel Jones, Dexter Lawrence were highest-graded Giants in Week 10

QB Daniel Jones and DL Dexter Lawrence were the highest-graded New York Giants in a Week 10 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

The New York Giants defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-17, in what may have been their best all-around team performance of the season.

The quality play was led by second-year quarterback Daniel Jones, who was close to flawless on Sunday. In a statement game, he certainly made one and his Pro Football Focus grade of 84.2 reflected that.

But Jones couldn’t have gotten the job done without some help from his offensive line and guard Kevin Zeitler certainly answered that bell. Before exiting the game with a concussion, Zeitler had earned a PFF grade of 77.1.

Other players on the offensive side of the ball who also played at a high level include wide receivers Sterling Shepard (76.6), Golden Tate (70.5) and Darius Slayton (69.7).

Despite his strong performance however, running back Wayne Gallman earned just a 57.3 (30.3 pass blocking grade).

On the defensive side of the ball, big Dexter Lawrence led the way with an overall grade of 72.5 and was followed by cornerback James Bradberry (69.5), safety Jabrill Peppers (69.3) and cornerback Isaac Yiadom (66.7).

Some of the worst grades on the team belong to linebacker Blake Martinez (29.3), linebacker Trent Harris (34.4) and guard Shane Lemieux (40.9).

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Report: Giants optimistic Golden Tate, Isaac Yiadom will play vs. Eagles

The New York Giants are optimistic that both WR Golden Tate and CB Isaac Yiadom will play in Week 10 vs. the Philadelphia Eagles.

The New York Giants dealt with a series of late-week injuries ahead of their game against the Philadelphia Eagles, which called into question the status of several players.

Unfortunately for running back Devonta Freeman (ankle), he landed on injured reserve and will miss at least three weeks. But the news wasn’t as bad for wide receiver Golden Tate (knee) or cornerback Isaac Yiadom (calf).

Although Tate and Yiadom were both listed as questionable for the Week 10 game, the Giants are reportedly optimistic that each will be able to take the field in some capacity against the Eagles.

As Dan Duggan notes, the Giants made no additional transactions by Saturday’s 4:00 p.m. ET deadline, which suggests they aren’t just optimistic that Tate and Yiadom, but certain they will.

Meanwhile, rookie linebacker Tae Crowder (hamstring) will remain on IR headed into the bye week. He is expected back for a Week 12 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

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Giants’ Devonta Freeman out vs. Eagles, Golden Tate questionable

The New York Giants have ruled RB Devonta Freeman out and WR Golden Tate questionable vs. the Philadelphia Eagles.

The New York Giants were back on the field on Friday for their final full practice ahead of a Week 10 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, and all eyes were on wide receiver Golden Tate (knee) and running back Devonta Freeman (ankle).

Tate suffered a knee injury late during Thursday’s practice, which ultimately led to him missing his scheduled media availability. However, head coach Joe Judge dismissed the injury as minor and said he expects Tate to play on Sunday.

“It was just the end of practice. He just kind of bumped bodies with someone. We’re going to take a look at him today, see how he’s doing. We’re optimistic,” Judge told reporters. “But at the same time, I need to be fair to the player to give him an opportunity to go out there and see where he’s at physically. Look, the guy has had a tremendous week of practice. We’re looking forward to getting him on the grass Sunday. We’ll take a look at him today and see how he’s feeling.”

Tate also finally met with the media on Friday, and expressed a regret for causing the organization a distraction.

The news was not as positive when it came to Freeman, who suffered a reaggravation of his ankle injury during Thursday’s practice. He was not spotted on the field and has subsequently been ruled out.

It’s possible that the Giants place Freeman on injured reserve and officially activate rookie linebacker Tae Crowder (hamstring) at some point on Friday or Saturday.

“We haven’t fully decided yet,” Judge said of Crowder. “It’s something we’re going to talk about after practice today, the several roster moves that we’ve made recently, as well as some moves we want to make for the game. We’ll have some conversations after practice. We need to see where some guys are physically today after letting them practice for a couple of days.”

Meanwhile, Tate and cornerback Isaac Yiadom (calf), who was a late addition to the injury report, have been listed as questionable.

Defensive lineman Leonard Williams (not injury related), safety Logan Ryan (not injury related) and wide receiver Sterling Shepard (hip/toe) did not receive a designation and are expected to play vs. Philly.

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Giants vs. Washington: Statistics, numbers and broken records

The New York Giants defeated the Washington Football Team in Week 9 and here’s a look at some of the statistics, numbers and broken records.

The New York Giants defeated the Washington Football Team, 23-20, in Week 9 which improved their season record to 2-7.

Remarkably, the victory thrusts the Giants back into contention in the NFC East and with a win against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 10, would find themselves tied for the division lead in wins.

But getting back to Sunday, here’s a look at all the noteworthy stats and records to come from the Week 9 win:

  • The Giants have now swept the season series vs. Washington in consecutive seasons.
  • With the win, the Giants have now beaten Washington in five straight games.
  • The Giants gained a season-high 402 yards in Week 9.
  • New York’s 166 rushing yards represented a season-high.
  • The Giants have rushed for 100 or more yards in four consecutive games.
  • The Giants held Washington to just 37 yards on the ground, the lowest opposing total since October 21, 2013 (Vikings, 30).
  • The Giants forced five turnovers on Sunday and committed 0. That was their best turnover differential since September 25, 2014 (+5 at Washington).
  • New York forced three first half turnovers, which was their largest total over the first and second quarters since October 28, 2012 (at Dallas).
  • The Giants last forced and recovered a fumble on their opponent’s first play back in October of 1998 (vs. Atlanta).
  • With the win, Daniel Jones is now 4-0 in his first four starts against Washington.
  • Cornerback Isaac Yiadom recorded his first career half-sack.
  • With his three field goals, Graham Gano has now made 18 in a row.

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Giants-Cowboys Week 5: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

The New York Giants lost their Week 5 game against the Dallas Cowboys. Here are the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams.

The New York Giants fell to the Dallas Cowboys, 37-34, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Sunday, dropping their record to 0-5 on the season and potentially putting jobs on the line.

For the fourth time this season, the Giants battled and had a chance to walk away with a win, but simply couldn’t make the plays they needed to in the end.

Here’s a look at the snap counts that attributed to their latest loss.

Offensive snaps: 68
Defensive snaps: 66
Special teams snaps: 34

Cornerback Ryan Lewis has completely taken over as No. 2 alongside James Bradberry, seeing the field on 97% of all defensive snaps. By contrast, Corey Ballentine didn’t take a single defensive snap in Week 5. Ditto Isaac Yiadom.

Unfortunately, safety Nate Ebner and linebacker Devante Downs took two defensive snaps each, and wouldn’t you know it, the Cowboys scored a touchdown on one of those plays.

Meanwhile, defensive back Adrian Colbert, who had two terrible personal foul penalties called against him, out-snapped Jabrill Peppers 50 to 23. That would seem to indicate that Peppers is not fully back from his ankle injury just yet.

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Giants will go with the ‘hot hand’ at cornerback

The New York Giants appear to have no plan at cornerback aside from James Bradberry, and will apparently go with the “hot hand” at CB2.

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With 2019 first-round pick DeAndre Baker on the commissioner’s exempt list and 2018 third-round pick (supplemental draft) Sam Beal sitting out the season due to COVID-19, what do the New York Giants do at CB2?

Rookie Darnay Holmes seems destined to win the nickel job, but that leaves the team with a glaring absence alongside James Bradberry, who is well-established at CB1.

The Giants did sign veteran Ryan Logan, but based on early indications, he will primarily play safety. There’s also Julian Love, who is likely to play most positions in the secondary based on scenario and circumstance.

Ultimately, there’s nothing concrete. And apparently, there’s not going to be.

We’ve heard things like running back by committee and rotational defensive linemen, but how about mixing and matching at cornerback? That’s apparently what the Giants are going to do.

“Right now, we’re looking to play as many of our players as possible at those positions. Keep them fresh and rotate,” head coach Joe Judge told reporters on Sunday. “One thing we haven’t had yet is a preseason game or a regular season game yet obviously. We’re going to make sure we use all of our guys, roll them on through, and we’ll see who performs the best. Whoever the hot hand is we may go with, but we’re going to make sure we keep rolling them on through and building the experience of the group as a whole.”

One of the first players likely to get a call is Isaac Yiadom, who was acquired from the Denver Broncos via trade last week and who picked up his playbook for the very first time on Monday (exactly seven days removed from kickoff).

“We like the way he plays on the line of scrimmage. He has some experience within the league. That goes a little bit of ways, but it’s our job as coaches to get him caught up to our system as fast as possible,” Judge added. “There won’t be much carryover necessarily from the other system, but we try to keep as many of the techniques similar for him so he can carry over as fast as possible. But we like the energy and effort he plays with, we like the physicality he shows on the line of scrimmage, and obviously, this is a guy that we remember when he came out of college not too long ago in the draft. We’ve known about this guy in the league for a while.”

This approach does not instill a lot of confidence.

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Broncos trade CB Isaac Yiadom to Giants for 7th-round pick

The Broncos are trading Isaac Yiadom to the Giants.

The Denver Broncos have agreed to trade cornerback Isaac Yiadom to the New York Giants in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick in 2021, according to The Denver Post‘s Ryan O’Halloran.

Yiadom (6-1, 190 pounds) was selected by the Broncos in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Boston College. He failed to live up to his early-round status, earning just nine starts in his career.

In 29 career games, Yiadom totaled 61 tackles, seven pass breakups and one interception. He served primarily as a rotational cornerback and special teams contributor when Denver’s starting cornerbacks were healthy. Last year, Yiadom was a fill-in starter for eight games.

A.J. Bouye and Bryce Callahan will serve as the Broncos’ top two cornerbacks this season. Yiadom was competing with De’Vante Bausby and Davontae Harris for the No. 3 cornerback role before being traded.

Denver also selected Michael Ojemudia in the third round of this year’s draft and the team signed college free agent Essang Bassey after the draft. Duke Dawson also has a chance to make the 53-man roster so the Broncos have plenty of options at cornerback even after trading Yiadom.

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Denver Broncos depth chart prediction: Cornerback

Which cornerbacks will make the Broncos’ 53-man roster this season?

As we continue our 2020 depth chart prediction series for the Denver Broncos, today we’re going to be looking at cornerback.

Previously, we predicted the QB, RB, TE, WR, OL and DL depth charts.

Here’s a way-too-early projection for the team’s cornerback room:

Cornerback Slot Cornerback 
A.J. Bouye Duke Dawson Jr. Bryce Callahan
Davontae Harris De’Vante Bausby Michael Ojemudia
Essang Bassey Shakial Taylor Isaac Yiadom

There’s a chance that Callahan could end up being the slot cornerback, like he was with the Chicago Bears. Callahan spent time on the outside last spring, though, and Denver liked Dawson as a slot cornerback before he was injured last season.

Bouye is a locked-in starter — Callahan and Ojemudia might be the favorites to start across from him, depending on how the slot situation shakes out. Harris and Bausby had stretches of strong play last year so they should have decent chances to make the team again this season.

Bassey was one of the top undrafted free agents available in April and he could be a sleeper to make the 53-man roster. Yiadom, a former third-round pick, will face fierce competition to make the team. Taylor will also face long odds, but he could make the squad with a strong training camp.

The Broncos carried six cornerbacks on their initial roster in 2019.

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