Tag: tae crowder

Giants’ rookie class ranked near very bottom of NFL

Pro Football Focus ranked the New York Giants’ 2020 rookie class among the very worst in football.

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The 2020 NFL regular season has come and gone, which means most rookies now have a full 16-game slate under their belt and can be better evaluated.

So how does each team’s draft class stack up? That’s precisely what Pro Football Focus recently decided to break down.

The news was not good for the New York Giants despite the overall production they received from their rookies. They ranked near the very bottom of the league.

27. New York Giants

Why they’re ranked here: Fourth overall pick Andrew Thomas’ 54.7 pass-block grade (second-worst among left tackles) didn’t help the Giants, nor did any other rookie from the 2020 class. Darnay Holmes (110th overall) failed to crack the top 100 cornerbacks in PFF grade this season, and Shane Lemieux (150th overall) was the lowest-graded guard in the NFL with a 32.2 PFF grade.

How their top pick fared: While Thomas showed some progress during his rookie campaign, there were still way too many lows. He gave up five or more total pressures in five different outings en route to 57 total pressures allowed on the year. Ten of those resulted in a sack (most allowed by a tackle).

Thomas obviously struggled to start his rookie campaign and we later learned it was partially due to an injury that required offseason surgery. However, he improved drastically down the stretch and became one of the Giants’ more consistent offensive linemen.

Also, despite his PFF grade, Holmes became an important fixture on the Giants’ over-performing defense alongside safety Xavier McKinney, who hauled in a game-sealing interception in Week 17.

Lemieux, meanwhile, eventually overtook Will Hernandez as the team’s starting left guard and there was a noticeable improvement on the ground shortly thereafter. However, as PFF alludes, there were some very real concerns with his pass protection.

Not included here were offensive tackle Matt Peart, who played well and may start in 2021, as well as linebackers Cam Brown, Carter Coughlin and Tae Crowder, all of whom flashed at one point or another.

The Cincinnati Bengals topped PFF’s list, while the Denver Broncos checked in at No. 32.

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Several Giants earn ‘honorable mention’ for The Athletic’s All-Rookie Team

Six New York Giants rookies earned “honorable mention” as part of The Athletic’s 2020 All-Rookie Team.

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The 2020 NFL regular season has come and gone, which means it’s time for analysts to begin breaking down what they saw and handing out various rewards and honors.

The Athletic was among the first to get things underway, announcing their 2020 All-Rookie Team on Thursday. And while no one on the New York Giants was able to crack the roster, a handful received honorable mentions.

Tristan Wirfs (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) earned the starting spot at offensive tackle and Michael Onwenu (New England Patriots) was named the runner-up, but two Giants rookies also got a shout: Andrew Thomas and Matt Peart.

Thomas struggled to start his season but rebounded nicely towards the end, while Peart certainly flashed after he was thrust into the offensive line rotation.

On the interior, Damien Lewis (Seattle Seahawks) was named the starter with Jonah Jackson (Detroit Lions) the runner-up but again, a Giants rookie received a shout: Shane Lemieux.

Like Peart, Lemieux was added to the O-line rotation and played well. He eventually took over the starting job from Will Hernandez, but was a notably better run blocker than pass protector.

At linebacker, Patrick Queen (Baltimore Ravens) unsurprisingly received the most praise with Kenneth Murray (Los Angeles Chargers) being named the runner-up, but Tae Crowder also earned a tip of the cap.

Crowder appeared in 11 games (six starts) for the Giants, recording 57 tackles, three QB hits, one sack, one pass defensed, one fumble recovery and one touchdown. He also received hefty praise from his teammates, including defensive captain Blake Martinez.

Meanwhile, at cornerback, Trevon Diggs (Dallas Cowboys) drew the starting nod and L’Jarius Sneed (Kansas City Chiefs) was named the runner-up. Giants rookie Darnay Holmes drew the honorable mention.

In 12 games (five starts) as a rookie, Holmes recorded 30 tackles, two QB hits, 0.5 sacks, one fumble recovery, five passes defensed and one interception. He played much better down the stretch and looks to be a long-term piece to the Giants’ defensive puzzle.

Finally, Antoine Winfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) earned the starting nod at safety with Jeremy Chinn (Carolina Panthers) named the runner-up. And although he only played late in the season, Giants rookie Xavier McKinney earned the honorable mention.

In six games (four starts), McKinney recorded 25 tackles (one for a loss), one pass defensed and one interception. The INT was off the arm of Andy Dalton in the final moments of a Week 17 tilt against the Dallas Cowboys.

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Sterling Shepard, Dalvin Tomlinson were highest-graded Giants in Week 16

WR Sterling Shepard and DT Dalvin Tomlinson earned the New York Giants’ highest Pro Football Focus grades of Week 16.

The New York Giants were blown out of the water in Week 16 against the Baltimore Ravens, falling by a score of 27-13 — and it wasn’t even really that close.

At halftime, the Giants already trailed 20-3 and while they did play better over the final two quarters, it wasn’t nearly enough to dig themselves out of the hole they had created. However, several players did stand out on each side of the ball.

Offensively, wide receiver Sterling Shepard earned our Player of the Game and that was proven just as he earned the team’s highest Pro Football Focus grade of the week, checking in at 81.2.

Just behind Shepard (25+ snaps) were tight end Evan Engram (70.7), wide receiver Dante Pettis (69.1) and right tackle Cam Fleming (63.2).

Quarterback Daniel Jones earned just a 59.7, while wide receiver Darius Slayton got slapped with a 50.6.

On the defensive side of the ball, defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson reigned supreme, earning a grade of 77.8. Right behind him were cornerback James Bradberry (72.9), defensive lineman Leonard Williams (71.3) and linebacker Blake Martinez (64.0).

Veteran safety Logan Ryan, fresh off a three-year contract extension, had one of his worst analytical games of the season, earning a grade of 42.7.

The lowest-graded Giants of Week 16 were cornerback Isaac Yiadom (38.6), linebacker David Mayo (34.8) and linebacker Tae Crowder (28.0).

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Giants-Cardinals Week 14: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

The New York Giants lost their Week 14 game against the Arizona Cardinals. Here are the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams.

The New York Giants took a major step backwards on Sunday. One week after upsetting the powerhouse Seattle Seahawks on the road, New York was embarrassed by the Arizona Cardinals, 26-7, at MetLife Stadium.

The Giants were out-coached, out-played and out-classed in every single aspect. It was a jarring dose of reality for a young team with a first-year head coach.

Here’s a look at the snap counts that attributed to the Giants’ eighth loss of the season:

Offensive snaps: 49
Defensive snaps: 79
Special teams snaps: 28

Fullback Eli Penny was back to single-digit snaps on Sunday. Is it any surprise the Giants offense struggle? We say that tongue-in-cheek, but his successful play percentage is through the roof and the Giants came up small in several and-short situations in Week 14.

On the defensive side of the ball, it looks like rookie linebacker Carter Coughlin and Tae Crowder are earning themselves full-time jobs. Coughlin in particular played well against Arizona.

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Giants upset Seahawks: Winners, losers and those in between

Here are the winners, losers and those in between from the New York Giants’ Week 13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. 

Upset alert! The New York Giants pulled off an incomparable upset on the road over the Seattle Seahawks to improve to 5-7 and squeeze a tighter hold on their division.

What’s even more impressive? They were without quarterback Daniel Jones (hamstring), which meant veteran Colt McCoy got the start and won his first game since October 27th, 2014.

After being shutout in the first half, the running game came alive and Patrick Graham’s defense pitched a near perfect performance yet again as the Giants became the first team in the NFC East to beat an opponent with a winning record this year.

With today’s win, the Giants have now won four games in a row for the first time since 2016.

Here are the winners, losers and those in between from the Giants Week 13 upset over the Seahawks.

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’ Brandon Williams questionable vs. Bengals

New York Giants DB Brandon Williams (ankle) is questionable against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12.

The New York Giants took the field on Friday for their final practice ahead of a Week 12 game against the Cincinnati Bengals and were re-joined by cornerback James Bradberry, who had missed several days this week due to a personal matter.

In addition to Bradberry, kicker Graham Gano (COVID-19), safety Xavier McKinney (foot) and linebacker Tae Crowder (hamstring) also re-joined the team.

Although the team has not yet made any official transactions — head coach Joe Judge implied he’d like to wait one more — expectations are that both Gano and McKinney will be activated in time to play on Sunday.

The positive injury news continued elsewhere as wide receiver Sterling Shepard (hip/toe) practiced for the third consecutive day. Ditto guard Kevin Zeitler (concussion).

The only real negative is that defensive back Brandon Williams was limited with an ankle injury. He was new to the injury report and listed as questionable.

Williams was the only Giants to receive a designation.

The official injury report can be found below:

Did not participate: N/A

Limited participant: WR Sterling Shepard (hip/toe), DB Brandon Williams (ankle)

Full participant: CB James Bradberry (not injury related), G Kevin Zeitler (concussion)

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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 injury report: Devonta Freeman, Sterling Shepard limited

New York Giants WR Sterling Shepard and RB Devonta Freeman were each limited in practice on Wednesday.

The New York Giants were back on the practice field for a walkthrough on Wednesday as they prepare for a key NFC East battle with the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 10 — a game that could go a long way in determining the division winner.

Before they hit the field, the Giants officially designated rookie linebacker Tae Crowder (hamstring) to return from injured reserve.

Although it’s no guarantee that Crowder is activated by Saturday’s deadline and plays against Philly, he was back on the field with his teammates which began his 21-day window.

Meanwhile, defensive lineman Leonard Williams and defensive back Logan Ryan were not at practice on Wednesday. Both were excused for personal matters.

Finally, tight end Kaden Smith (concussion) was participating in the walkthrough after exiting a Week 9 game against the Washington Football Team, but only on a limited basis.

Ditto wide receiver Sterling Shepard, who traded a shoulder injury for a hip injury, and running back Devonta Freeman, who is recovering from an ankle sprain.

Did not participate: DT Leonard Williams (not injury related), DB Logan Ryan (not injury related)

Limited participant: RB Devonta Freeman (ankle), WR Sterling Shepard (toe/hip)

Full participant: N/A

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Giants designate Tae Crowder to return from IR

The New York Giants have designated rookie linebacker Tae Crowder to return from injured reserve.

New York Giants linebacker Tae Crowder, Mr. Irrelevant, has been designated to return from injured reserve.

The last pick in the 2020 NFL Draft will be returning to his teammates this week in practice. However, Crowder is not officially on the active roster yet.

New York has until Saturday at 4:00 p.m. ET to activate him if he’s to play on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. This starts his 21-day window for reactivation though. If he’s not activated in 21 days, he’s shut down for the year.

However, that is not expected to be the case and Crowder should make it back in time.

The former Georgia Bulldog recently had his best game of his short pro-career before being placed on IR due to a hamstring injury. In Week 6 against the Washington Football Team, Crowder recorded 10 tackles and a fumble recovery. This fumble recovery by Crowder proved to be game-changing as he ended up returning it for the winning touchdown.

On the year, Crowder has 18 total tackles and nine solo tackles. The rookie linebacker will look to build on these totals if he is promoted to the active roster.

If and when promoted, the 255th pick will likely slide into a featured role as he started the previous two games before his hamstring injury.

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