Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Everyone might be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day but if you played football at Notre Dame, your birthday is celebrated two days later.
Everyone might be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day but if you played football at Notre Dame, your birthday is celebrated two days later.
OK, that’s not actually the case but it’s a pretty celebratory day for three Notre Dame football legends as Julian Love (22), Quenton Nelson (24) and Rick Mirer (50) all celebrate birthdays today.
Since all three were great and created countless memories with their highlight-worthy play while at Notre Dame, let’s celebrate the three today.
New York Giants safety Julian Love is a player who is expected to make a big jump in Year 2.
Last year’s NFL Draft class brought a ton of new talent into the league, but only three draftees made the Pro Bowl as rookies: Nick Bosa, Josh Allen and Mecole Hardman, and Bosa and Hardman missed the game because they played in the Super Bowl.
That’s about to change for some as this class enters Year 2.
The New York Giants had several rookies ball out last year – quarterback Daniel Jones, defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence and wide receiver Darius Slayton all impressed in their inaugural seasons as pros.
Other players such as cornerback DeAndre Baker also flashed. Ryan Connelly, a linebacker taken in the fifth round, earned a starting role in late September before blowing out an ACL and missing the rest of the season.
This year, other players from that class are expected to make a jump. The Giants, according to some draftniks, got a steal in Notre Dame defensive back Julian Love in the fourth round, but Love couldn’t get on the field the first three quarters of the season.
An injury to starting safety Jabrill Peppers paved the way for Love to get some playing time in the final quadrant of the year, finally giving us an idea of what he can do.
From Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report:
Maybe you didn’t watch much Notre Dame football between 2016-18, and nobody could fault you for tuning out the New York Giants last December. Under those circumstances, you might still be unfamiliar with emerging safety Julian Love, who hardly saw the field in the first 11 weeks but then impressed down the stretch.
The 2019 fourth-round pick had 34 tackles (five for a loss) while excelling inside and outside of the box as well as in coverage in the final five weeks of the regular season. He’s a polished former cornerback with strong tackling skills and the ability to hold it down in the slot, and he’s yet to turn 22.
If you check out tape on Love from late in season, it’s easy to get excited about his potential. His instincts and versatility indicate that Giants general manager Dave Gettleman might have gotten this middle-round pick right.
Peppers will be back and healthy for training camp, but the Giants other starter at safety, 35-year-old Antoine Bethea, may not be. He could be cut by the Giants this spring to make way for Love and other younger, more inexpensive options.
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His numbers don’t jump off the page at you as he intercepted four passes in his Notre Dame career which feels rather low for a two-year starter and regular contributor for even longer.
If you’ve been paying attention to NFL Mock Drafts or the off-season work to get to April’s NFL Draft, a Notre Dame player you’ve heard great compliments about over the last month has been cornerback Troy Pride, Jr.
Pride was a mainstay in the Notre Dame secondary over the last three seasons, appearing in 37 games in that time. His numbers don’t jump off the page at you as he intercepted four passes in his Notre Dame career which feels rather low for a two-year starter and regular contributor for even longer.
He also started all 13 games on Notre Dame’s 2019 squad that not only went 11-2 but also allowed the third-fewest pass yards in all of college football. If he wasn’t intercepting passes, he certainly wasn’t allowing big plays either.
Pride’s speed has been discussed at length and will be on full display at the upcoming NFL Combine. For those paying attention he’s been seemingly climbing draft boards for a while now and his rise doesn’t feel like a surprise.
The USA TODAY Wednesday gave names of 11 draft sleepers and mentions Pride:
It’s hard to fathom a two-year starter at Notre Dame who also ran track would end up on this list. Pride, however, hasn’t received widespread recognition, even after an impressive Senior Bowl week in which he flustered nearly all of his opposition. At 5-11 and 195 pounds, he won’t be confused for Richard Sherman or Patrick Peterson, particularly given he recorded just four interceptions in three years. But his quick feet and recognition skills allow him to stick close to pass catchers and deny them any easy opportunities.
His size will keep him from ever being seen as a truly elite NFL prospect and if he his ultimately limited in the league, that’ll likely be why. But his tape doesn’t lie and giving up a few well-thrown back shoulder throws this year may have urked some Notre Dame fans, but his skills and speed speak for themselves.
He might not be some superstar in the NFL but assuming health (which can be risky) I have trouble believing his skill-set and speed won’t keep him cashing league checks for a good amount of time.
The New York Giants were recently given a letter grade of A- for their 2019 NFL Draft class courtesy of NFL.com.
The 2020 NFL Draft is just around the corner, so what better time to look back on the 2019 NFL Draft to see how teams and players did one year in?
That’s exactly what Nick Shook of NFL.com did this week when he graded the draft class of all four NFC East teams with the New York Giants earning the top letter grade of A-.
The Giants made the most of their haul from the Odell Beckham trade, which landed them, in part, the 17th overall pick, by selecting Dexter Lawrence, who had a solid rookie season. New York also might have found its franchise QB in Daniel Jones, answering a huge question for the team’s foundation. DeAndre Baker had a tough start but finished strong and stands to make a significant improvement in Year 2. Oshane Ximines was effective in his first season despite making just two starts, recording 4.5 sacks. Julian Love is an exciting young player for the back end of New York’s defense. Darius Slayton was an excellent find in the fifth round. Corey Ballentine struggled with a position change to the slot, but he could improve with more time.
Free agency/combine focus: Is New York going to attempt to retain Leonard Williams, who was acquired via trade with the Jets in October and is headed for free agency? Darius Slayton, who led the team with 740 receiving yards and eight touchdown catches, was a nice find, but with second-leading receiver Golden Tate (676 yards, six TD catches) at 31 years old, more capital needs to be invested at the position in a deep draft class. The Giants also need to decide whether they’re willing to pay to keep linebacker Markus Golden (10.0 sacks) and right tackle Mike Remmers, with the former serving as a pleasant revival and the latter helping bolster what was once New York’s most glaring weakness. The Giants are still going to need to address linebacker one way or another and decide whether to seek additional edge help or invest in Williams.
Shook also gave the Giants a nod for eventually finding a way to get tight end Kaden Smith onto their roster — a very deserving tip of the cap.
Comparatively, the Washington Redskins also earned a letter grade of A-, while the Philadelphia Eagles were given a “B” and the Dallas Cowboys given a “C-.”
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New York Giants safety Julian Love has been pegged by Pro Football Focus as a player who will make a significant jump in Year 2.
Julian Love’s first season in the NFL with the New York Giants didn’t go quite as planned. The fourth round defensive back out of Notre Dame, who many draft analysts labeled a ‘steal’ at the draft, couldn’t get on the field in 2019.
The Giants did not know what to do with Love, who isn’t quick enough to play on the outside and didn’t distinguish himself to the degree where they could play him inside.
It wasn’t until safety Jabrill Peppers fractured bone in his back in late November did the coaches decide to turn to Love. He started the final five games of the season at strong safety (and various other positions). His nine-tackle performance against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17 was his strongest of the year.
That finish on a high note has led some believe that Love is an ascending player. Pro Football Focus expects Love to make a significant ‘jump’ in 2020.
S JULIAN LOVE, NEW YORK GIANTS
At Notre Dame, Love played the vast majority of his snaps at wide cornerback, and he played well there, too, earning a 92.6 coverage grade across the 2017 and 2018 seasons. His transition to the NFL came with a position change, though, as the Giants asked Love to play safety as a rookie. This season, he split his time between playing in the box (176 snaps), slot corner (129 snaps) and even a little bit of free safety (77 snaps). As the table of his snaps by alignment below shows, that was new territory for the rookie.
Love didn’t see significant playing time until Week 12, but he made a good first impression to close out his rookie season by earning an overall grade of 70.5. The versatility to play safety, slot corner and wide corner — like he showed he was able to in college — serves the Giants well as they head into 2020. At the very least, Love showed that he deserves more playing time next season.
The Giants have brand new coaching staff with a new defensive coordinator in Patrick Graham and a new defensive backs coach in veteran Jerome Henderson, but Love figures to be a key in 2020 no matter who the coaches are.
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The New York Giants’ 2019 draft class has been ranked fourth overall despite a full year of relentless media criticism.
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The critics were not kind to the New York Giants and general manager Dave Gettleman during and after the 2019 NFL Draft. The general consensus was that they blew it again by over-drafting, specifically when the selected Duke quarterback No. 6 overall, bypassing several much-needed defensive studs still on the board.
But the game is played out on the field and when the Giants’ rookies hit the gridiron, they panned out fairly well. In fact, Pro Football Focus recently ranked their 2019 draft class fourth out of 32 teams.
4. NEW YORK GIANTS
Why they’re ranked here: We graded Daniel Jones as our 24th-ranked quarterback overall, but he had more success than many expected, throwing 24 touchdown passes. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, the Giants’ second first-round pick, had the highest PFF grade of any rookie interior defensive lineman, and the team saw promising starts to the careers of late-round picks Darius Slayton and Julian Love.
How their top pick fared: Jones (No. 6 overall) showed flashes of high-level play, but carelessness with the football is something to work on moving forward. His 31 turnover-worthy plays — the plays our grading deem as riskiest, even if they didn’t always result in a turnover — were fourth-most in the NFL.
Best value pick: Wide receiver Slayton (No. 171 overall) was part of the year of the rookie wide receiver, significantly outperforming his fifth-round pedigree. His 18 receptions of 15-plus yards were fifth among rookie wideouts.
The class had its ups and downs. Cornerback DeAndre Baker, taken 30th overall, was downright awful for most of the season only to turn things around late in the year to somewhat salvage things. Inside linebacker Ryan Connelly was lost early on to a knee injury after showing poise and promise.
Third rounder Oshane Ximines was underused, as was forth-round pick Julian Love. Both have bright futures in this league. they just need to get coached up by the right people, who the Giants believe they finally may have.
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However, had Pride left a year early you’re looking at what, a very late round pick if he gets drafted at all?
Let me just start by saying evaluating passing games in the Senior Bowl is difficult. It’s difficult in that only very generic coverages are run, quarterbacks aren’t facing blitzes, nor do they have to worry about twists or anything wild being thrown at their linemen.
With that said, I still think making a huge play in the game as a defensive back is better than not making a big play.
Captain Obvious, right?
Well, Troy Pride, Jr. wrapped up his impressive week at the Senior Bowl with exactly that.
Troy Pride Jr. (@NDFootball) with the pick for the North!
📺: @seniorbowl on NFL Network pic.twitter.com/lWc1OjLKEA
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) January 25, 2020
People have taken notice of Pride who showed out in practices long before Saturday’s interception.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to see from @NDFootball CB Troy Pride at the #SeniorBowl knowing he’d have to play 1-on-1 close coverage with some bigger WRs.
But I know what I got: the best CB in Mobile this week. https://t.co/zlZml1M0uo
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) January 23, 2020
What I do know is that Pride is a fantastic example of what staying in school can do for a player. Yes, it’s easy to want the money and I’ll never knock a football player for seeking compensation for putting their bodies on the line like they do.
Had Pride left a year early you’re looking at what, a very late round pick if he gets drafted at all?
Now you’re talking a possible day-two of the draft type player as Pride proved Notre Dame’s pass defense wasn’t just a fluke but that is was one of the very best in college football in 2019.
There are many reasons to let pessimism fester if you’re the New York Giants, but nothing gets accomplished while looking backwards. Accordingly, the team should find optimism in several of their young players – quarterback Daniel Jones, running …
There are many reasons to let pessimism fester if you’re the New York Giants, but nothing gets accomplished while looking backwards. Accordingly, the team should find optimism in several of their young players — quarterback Daniel Jones, running back Saquon Barkley, defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence and so on.
While their talent is obvious, there is some talent littering the roster that isn’t quite as obvious. Or, in the case of defensive back Julian Love, talent we just didn’t get to witness until the season neared its end.
Recently, Pro Football Focus broke down a list of players for non-playoff team who can offer up some optimism going into 2020, and Love made the cut.
New York Giants: S Julian Love
Love only played three snaps prior to Week 12, but he played 405 snaps down the stretch and performed well in the run game and in coverage. Love finished with a 70.5 overall grade, good for sixth on the defense, while lining up in the box, over the slot, and at free safety. The former cornerback showed that he can be a versatile piece in the secondary.
In 15 games, Love recorded 37 tackles, six stuffs, three passes defensed and one interception while lining up all over the field — from linebacker to safety to cornerback.
As PFF alludes, Love has proven himself to be an extremely versatile player who offers a lot to the Giants defense. He’s a unique puzzle piece that can be used all over the board, and he’s only just now beginning to scratch the surface of his talent.
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Four New York Giants were named among Pro Football Focus’ Top 50 Rookies of 2019.
The New York Giants had a grand total of zero All-Pro’s and zero Pro Bowlers in 2019, but they did have four rookies land on Pro Football Focus’ list of the Top 50 Rookies of 2019.
Checking in with the highest Giants rookie grade was defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence (76.1), who had a stellar debut campaign.
9. DI DEXTER LAWRENCE, NEW YORK GIANTS
Lawrence slowed down the stretch, but his hot start lands him at No. 9 in PFF’s rookie rankings, as he still ranks 20th in PFF overall grade among all at his position. His pass-rushing could still use some work — he managed just 30 total pressures on 412 pass-rushing snaps and finished the year tied for 43rd among interior defenders in pass-rush win rate (9.6%) — but the return on investment has still been higher than anticipated for the 17th overall pick.
Next up may come as a bit of a surprise based on order, but not necessarily the appearance itself. That’s because for anyone watching, safety Julian Love (70.5) played some legitimate quality football once his defensive snap count increased.
13. S JULIAN LOVE, NEW YORK GIANTS
After playing mostly out wide at Notre Dame, the Giants had Love move into the box and in the slot, and over the last six weeks, Love earned the ninth-best PFF grade in the box and allowed just 19 yards on his 80 coverage snaps at that alignment.
Wide receiver Darius Slayton (70.3) checked in slightly after Love. And again, this came as no surprise to Giants fans, who watched the rookie establish himself as a legitimate offensive weapon for Big Blue.
22. WR DARIUS SLAYTON, NEW YORK GIANTS
Former Auburn Tiger Darius Slayton produced numerous highlight-reel plays in 2019 and picked up seven receptions that resulted in a gain of at least 30 yards — tied for the 16th-most in the league. Slayton ended the year with a 70.5 receiving grade that currently ranks sixth among rookie players at the position.
And finally… Quarterback Danny Dimes himself, Mr. Daniel Jones (65.7), checking in pretty far down the list.
34. QB DANIEL JONES, NEW YORK GIANTS
Daniel Jones has pretty much been as expected at the NFL level — he produced an average rate of positive plays but put the ball in harm’s way at an alarming rate. The sixth overall pick’s turnover worthy-play rate on the year ranks second to last among all quarterbacks, one spot worse than the perennially turnover-prone Jameis Winston. Most of those turnover-worthy plays stemmed from his recurring fumbling issue, though, as he fumbled in 10 of his 13 game appearances this season. His 17 fumbles on the year is the most in the NFL.
Jones, who set countless rookie records on both the franchise and NFL level, was just “average,” says PFF. That was, of course, hardly expected or anticipated as most assumed Jones would completely bomb out and not be in the running for the Offensive Rookies of the Year Award.
PFF was better in 2019, but their take on Jones continues to prove how flawed their analytics are.
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As for the corner backs coach, current safeties coach Terry Joseph has spent time coaching the secondaries during his stops at North Carolina, Texas A&M and Nebraska so him overseeing all defensive backs wouldn’t appear to be a ridiculous thought.
Sports Illustrated/Bryan Driskell is reporting that former Notre Dame All-American and corner backs coach Todd Lyght will not return to the coaching staff in 2020. Driskell’s report cites personal and family reasons as to why and not a firing.
The two-time consensus All-American corner and former Notre Dame captain has been coaching the position since 2015. In that time he’s seen Irish corner backs KeiVarae Russell and Julian Love selected in the NFL Draft.
What happens next on the Notre Dame coaching staff remains to be seen. Obviously all eyes are on if Tommy Rees gets elevated to offensive coordinator if someone gets hired from the outside.
As for the corner backs coach, current safeties coach Terry Joseph has spent time coaching the secondaries during his stops at North Carolina, Texas A&M and Nebraska so him overseeing all defensive backs wouldn’t appear to be a ridiculous thought.
As for who the up-and-coming defensive corner back coaches are in college football your thought is as great as mine. I’ll admit lack of knowledge on such names and save you the b-s others may feed you.
The departure of Lyght comes on the 31st anniversary of Notre Dame winning their last national championship, a title Lyght was a big part of.
