Tag: Leonard Williams

Did Giants tip their hand on Leonard Williams situation?

Did the New York Giants tip their hand on Leonard Williams by removing him from the game in Week 14?

The New York Giants traded for New York Jets defensive lineman Leonard Williams in October with the hopes he could come in and solidify their defensive front.

Williams hasn’t had quite the impact the Giants expected (he still has no sacks) but he has made an impact. His presence has allowed fellow linemates Dalvin Tomlinson and Dexter Lawrence to up their games.

So, why was Williams, the Giants’ new key defensive disruptor, not on the field for the Eagles’ winning overtime drive on Monday night?

From the New York Post:

Williams, dealt from the Jets to Giants in exchange for a third-round pick in 2020 and a 2021 fifth-round pick, was having a quality game, despite receiving just 51 of 89 defensive snaps. He had five solo tackles, one tackle for loss and deflected a Carson Wentz pass. He also was called for a rougher-the-passer penalty.

Head coach Pat Shurmur, who looks more and more over-matched with each passing week, was asked about the decision to bench Williams at the most crucial part of the game.

“We had a rotation going and that’s basically it,” said Shurmur. “For whatever it’s worth, I felt like the interior defensive linemen were pretty disruptive, and we liked the rotation we had to keep them fresh throughout.”

And Williams isn’t part of that rotation? Your most experienced lineman who had been balling all game?

Nonsense. This sounds like another instance of in-game mismanagement by Shurmur and his staff. Is it possible they forgot that Williams was on the roster and just didn’t call his number?

That may sound silly, but keep in mind this defense has been caught with 12 men on the field which indicates the sideline is not a tight ship.

There also is the possibility the Giants could already be phasing Williams out after he told reporters last week that would be seeking a “top dollar” contract in free agency.

None of this makes sense starting with the trade for Williams, who will be a free agent in March unless the Giants ink him to an extension before free agency begins in March.

Many have been critical of the trade, which will cost the Giants two draft choices whether they re-sign Williams or not. He could have been had in free agency without surrendering any picks. A baffling move by the Giants that is getting more baffling by this latest development.

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

The New York Giants fell to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, and here’s a look at the winners, losers and those in between.

The New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles squared off in a Monday Night Football game that was very legitimately a sidebar to the return of veteran quarterback Eli Manning, who was replacing the injured Daniel Jones.

Manning’s performance will be picked apart from every angle in the coming day, so for now, we’ll stick to the basics and provide our usual hot takes.

Here’s a look at the winners and losers who contributed to Monday’s loss.

AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Winners

Markus Golden – From the jump, Golden was playing at a different level on Monday night. Maybe it was the bright lights of prime-time, but he was a ball of energy and simply dominated the Eagles offensive line early on, tallying four QB hurries and one sack over his first nine pass rushing attempts. He fell off a bit later on, but that really speaks more about his hot start.

Leonard Williams – After making waves earlier in the week by saying he wanted to be paid at a tier below Aaron Donald, Williams had his best game as a Giant and perhaps his best game of the season. He collapsed the pocket, rushed the passer, stopped the run and snuffed out screens (the only one) with remarkable precision. He did have one awful roughing the passer penalty, but we’ll forgive him this one time.

Darius Slayton – Entering Week 14, Slayton had never caught a pass from Eli Manning. Ha! The rookie dominated the first half, hauling in five receptions for 154 yards and two touchdowns.  However, Slayton faded completely in the second half (not entirely his fault).

Oshane Ximines – It was a big night for the rookie edge rusher, who came up with two sacks of Carson Wentz and added a quality stop in the second half for good measure. A game to build upon.

Others: Janoris Jenkins, DeAndre Baker, Dalvin Tomlinson

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Leonard Williams demanding top dollar from Giants

Leonard Williams is openly demanding top dollar from the New York Giants in order to stay in town and continue losing.

New York Giants defensive lineman Leonard Williams is sick and tired of losing, and in order to stay entrenched in a negative culture, he’s going to require top money.

And no, that’s not a report or a product of rumors. Rather, Williams is upfront about it and with four games remaining this season, wanted general manager Dave Gettleman to know it’s either a monster deal or no deal at all.

“I know that I want to get a big contract, and I know that I am worth a lot,” Williams told NJ Advance Media. “If I don’t think they’re giving me what I think I’m worth, then obviously I think hitting free agency would make sense. Everything is going to have to match up.

“I definitely think I’m a top-tier interior defensive lineman, in that top percentage of the d-linemen. I wouldn’t say Aaron Donald [level]. But I would definitely put myself up there with a lot of those other top guys.”

Whatever is just shy of “Aaron Donald level” is what Williams expects to be paid. And if the Giants don’t offer it, the two 2020 NFL Draft picks that were used to acquire him are going straight in the trash.

But the Giants will have one advantage — so long as the money is there, Williams would be open to re-signing prior to free agency.

“Yeah, I would be, if I felt like they were offering me something that I think is worth it,” Williams added.

“I like to be committed to where I’m at. I like the fact that the GM and the owner wanted me here. I think it speaks volumes that they were willing to trade for me in a rebuilding year. I think that shows that they want me to be a part of this program.”

Some will argue that Williams has not played well enough to warrant such a contract, and to some degree, it would be difficult to disagree with that sentiment. At the same time, he hasn’t played as poorly as some would suggest, as the Giants have seen their run defense do a complete 180 since Williams’ arrival, while he also leads the team in QB hurries and QB hits over that same span.

Still, Williams seems to be over-valuing himself and setting a bar the Giants won’t be able to reach unless it’s out of sheer desperation. Accordingly, Gettleman’s acquisition of Williams only looks that much worse now.

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Ex-Jet Leonard Williams has been a Giant disappointment

Since being traded to the Giants from the Jets, Leonard Williams’ production on the field hasn’t changed.

If you thought a change of scenery would help rejuvenate Leonard Williams, think again.

Williams has played in four games with the Giants since the Jets traded him for a 2020 third-round pick and a 2021 fifth-round pick. However, his play on the field hasn’t changed much since going from Gang Green to Big Blue.

Williams has racked up a total of 10 combined tackles, seven quarterback hits and zero sacks since joining the Giants. That’s just as many sacks as he had this year for the Jets, and only a few more quarterback hits. That number has slightly improved from five with the Jets to seven with the Giants, but four of those came against the Jets’ putrid offensive line when the MetLife Stadium roommates played two weeks after Williams was traded.

Williams has always been able to get close to the quarterback, but rarely does he finish the job and register a sack. We saw this in his time with the Jets. In his final two and a half seasons with Gang Green, Williams had 57 quarterback hits, but only seven sacks.

When the Giants decided to trade for him, it shocked the rest of the league. Not only were the Giants out of the playoff race, but he’s a free agent at the end of the season. Previous reports indicated that the Giants intend to sign him to an extension before the start of next season, otherwise the trade would end up being pointless. However, his performance throughout the 2019 season says he doesn’t deserve a massive payday.

Williams came out of USC in 2015 and was declared a can’t miss prospect, but it hasn’t worked out as many expected. His first two seasons with the Jets were impressive when he recorded 10 sacks 65 tackles and made a Pro Bowl, but the last three years have been a struggle.

It’s still too early to say that the Jets won this deal because Williams will likely be back with the Giants next season, so he has a chance to get better. Be that as it may, if Williams continues to put up numbers like these then it’s clear as day that the Jets got the better end of the deal.

Quinnen Williams needs to step into the spotlight

Quinnen Williams hasn’t performed up to the level the Jets expected him to when they draft him third overall this summer.

When the Jets took Quinnen Williams third overall in the 2019 draft, they wanted him to become a force in the middle of their defensive line. Not necessarily Aaron Donald, but someone along those lines and just as menacing.

Through 13 weeks of his rookie season, Williams hasn’t been what the Jets hoped he’d become. He’s tallied only 1.5 sacks, 23 total tackles, three tackles for a loss and four quarterback hits in 10 games (he missed two weeks with an ankle injury) and hasn’t yet lived up to the pre-draft hype as the best player on the board. It’s still early in his career, but Williams is at risk of turning into yet another first-round mistake for the Jets, especially considering players like edge rusher Josh Allen and defensive tackle Ed Oliver were also available with the third pick.

Williams needs to step up now as his rookie season winds down to prove to the team and the NFL he was worth the high investment. The Jets have spent five of their last 10 first-round picks on defensive linemen since 2011, and only Williams remains on the team after New York traded 2015 first-rounder Leonard Williams at the trade deadline.

Williams has talent. He’s shown it in flashes throughout the season. There’s a good amount of impressive reps from Williams on Twitter, including this play against Raiders center Rodney Hudson and this pressure on Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. Williams is a huge reason why the Jets have the No. 1 run defense as well – he has five solo run stuffs on the year which is fifth in the league – but that isn’t enough.

The Jets need production after investing such a high draft pick on Williams. It doesn’t matter if he’s getting penetration or thwarting rushes if offenses are still beating the Jets. Dominant interior defensive linemen can change the game. Guys like Donald, Ndamukong Suh and Fletcher Cox made names for themselves with game-wrecking plays throughout their careers. 

So far this season, three of the four defensive tackles picked ahead of Williams – Oliver (Bills, 9th), Christian Wilkins (Dolphins, 13th) and Dexter Lawrence (Giants, 17th) – have either more sacks, tackles or quarterback hits than Williams. Oliver has him beat in all three categories. Jerry Tillery, the fourth tackle pick in the first round (28th by the Chargers) is tied with Williams with 1.5 sacks. Stats aren’t the be-all and end-all for player evaluation, especially for a player who does most of his work in the trenches, but they are important for a defense like the Jets who lack a true playmaker on the line. The Jets drafted Williams to be that player. They traded Leonard Williams away because he didn’t turn into that type of player. Quality reps are nice, but it won’t be enough for the Jets to turn into a truly dominant defense.

This isn’t meant to disparage Williams as a player – he’s very good and has a lot of potential. But something needs to change down the stretch, either from Williams or the Jets defensive scheming. With so many injuries across the board, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams needs to unlock the beast in his young defensive tackle. Or, Williams needs to take it upon himself to move into another gear in the final four games of his rookie season.

Williams can do it. He’s shown the ability to blow up runs and pressure the quarterback. What he’s lacked so far is that play that sets Twitter ablaze. His sack on Ryan Fitzpatrick in Week 8 displayed all the skills that make Williams special, but it was against the Dolphins in a loss. If Williams can take the next step from a quality defensive lineman to a dominant one, he can shake off the bust moniker that’s slowly creeping into his professional evaluation.

5 Giants who are candidates for contract extensions

Here’s a look at five members of the New York Giants who are candidates for contract extensions ahead of 2020 free agency.

The New York Giants have a total of 17 players on their roster who are not under contract past this season.

Headed for unrestricted free agency are: Eli Manning, Leonard Williams, Marcus Golden, Mike Remmers, Michael Thomas, Russell Shepard, Cody Latimer, Zak DeOssie, Antonio Hamilton, David Mayo, Javorius Allen, Deone Bucannon, Scott Simonson, Alex Tanney, Corey Coleman, Cody Core and Riley Dixon.

It’s unlikely the team will bring Manning back. That would be counterproductive in a number of ways. DeOssie appears to have played his last down in blue and many of the others are veterans that can be upgraded through either the draft or free agency, where the Giants are positioned to be very active.

Here are five impending free agents the Giants could be looking to prioritize and extend:

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive lineman Leonard Williams

After surrendering a 2020 third-round pick and a 2021 fifth-round pick (that becomes a fourth rounder if they sign him) to land Williams, general manager Dave Gettleman will look foolish if he allows the former Pro Bowler to walk.

Gettleman might look even more foolish if he gives Williams an over-the-market contract. Williams has not brought enough to the table for the Giants for them to go above and beyond to retain him.

Williams is not worth both a third- and a fourth-round pick plus a contract that could  pay him double-digit millions per annum. No sense throwing good money after bad.

The Giants best bet is to let Williams walk and only bid on him if his price starts to drop to where it would be a bargain. I don’t foresee Williams getting signed for a while in free agency as he and his reps appear to be looking for a huge payday.

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

The New York Giants fell to 2-10 with a 31-13 loss to the Packers in Week 13, and here’s a look at the winners and losers from that game.

The New York Giants fell to the Green Bay Packers, 31-13, on a snowy Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium, extending their losing streak to eight consecutive games and officially eliminating them from the playoffs.

The game itself wasn’t as lopsided as many anticipated initially, but it got a little out of hand later on in the fourth quarter. And while that does represent some progress, as head coach Pat Shurmur would say, you don’t get any prizes for trying hard.

Here’s a look at some winners and losers from Week 13:

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Winners

Sterling Shepard: Because of the weather, Shepard wasn’t targeted as many times as he would have been under sunny skies, but he made sure to remind Giants Nation how valuable he can be when he’s on the field. He hauled in three receptions for 40 yards and one beautiful touchdown, and was open several other times throughout the game, but the Giants were simply unable to get him the ball. He did have one drop, but that shouldn’t define his performance.

Darius Slayton: Slayton is rapidly becoming a consistent weekly force and Sunday was no different. Ironically, he actually played better than his stats would indicate as one of his long receptions was called back due to a penalty. He finished the game with six receptions for 44 yards.

Janoris Jenkins: Jenkins entered the Week 13 game feeling quite confident and all but guaranteeing he wouldn’t give up a touchdown, and true to his word, he did not. In fact, Jenkins didn’t give up a single reception to a receiver in which he was covering one-on-one, and even had a pass defensed that prevented a score.

Others: Buck Allen, Aldrick Rosas, Kaden Smith

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Giants’ Leonard Williams doesn’t care about the Jets’ sudden success

New York Giants DE Leonard Williams isn’t at all interested in discussing the sudden success of the New York Jets.

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The New York Jets are 2-0 since trading defensive lineman Leonard Williams to the New York Giants ahead of the 2019 NFL trading deadline, with one of those victories coming over Williams’ new team.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Giants are 0-2 since acquiring Williams, meaning he’s experienced just a single win this season — a Jets victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6.

That’s a tough pill for Williams to swallow and not something he’s really interested in thinking about or talking about.

“The Jets? Yeah, I watched them. I tried to watch a bunch of the games [on Sunday],” Williams told reporters when asked about Gang Green’s latest win. “I mean, that’s good for them. I mean, that’s good for every team that won yesterday. I’m not a part of them, just like any other team that played yesterday. I’m part of the Giants now and focused on what we have to do.”

Ultimately, Williams said, he’s got tunnel vision when it comes to the Giants and getting his first win in blue — something the entire team desperately needs.

“I think it’s important that we get a win as quickly as possible,” Williams said. “As important as it is to get a win as quickly as possible, I think it’s important to stack a win as well, like getting two wins back-to-back would be really important and it would be good for the team’s morale and going forward for the rest of the season.”

Williams isn’t the only Giant desperate to get that first win, and it’s certainly not going to come about magically if he or anyone else is worried about the New York Jets.

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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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