Big Blue View
The New York Giants are back on the practice field as they prepare for Sunday’s matchup with the Chicago Bears, looking to clean up penalties, improve tackling, and find consistency on both sides of the ball after three straight losses.
On Thursday, media heard from offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, and special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial, who each discussed areas of emphasis heading into Week 10.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart’s yards per passing attempt (5.8) against the San Francisco 49ers was his lowest since a 5.1 average Week 5 against the New Orleans Saints. Was Dart, with a terrific 1.7% interception rate, too risk-averse against the 49ers?
“I think there’s a fine line there, and I think Jaxson’s playing pretty fast in terms of decision making, which is really good,” Kafka said. “What it allows for is it allows for those underneath receivers to kind of get some catch and run, right? So, sometimes when you’re designing plays on third down or first, second down, there are shots down the field where if they have it, they’re going to shoot it, and Jaxson’s giving those guys opportunities. If it’s not, and if a certain defender, whether you’re reading a flat defender or high-lowing a certain defender, if that guy gets depth, you check it down fast and now we’ve got to catch it and rely on catch and run. Sometimes you get it, sometimes you’re close and maybe we go for it on fourth down. That’s the part of playing quarterback that I think Jaxson’s doing a really good job with.”
The Giants have given up 105 points over the past three weeks. Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen didn’t mince words about the unit’s recent struggles.
“Obviously not good enough on Sunday — really these past three weeks,” Bowen said. “We’ve got to be better. We’re working hard at it.”
Bowen said the run defense and red zone performance remain major points of emphasis.
“We had some opportunities in the red zone, got them to third down, and weren’t able to get stops,” he said. “We’re finding ways from a technique and scheme standpoint to put guys in better positions.”
Bowen acknowledged that teams have attacked the edges of the Giants’ defense more frequently in recent weeks.
“Yeah, we’ve seen an uptick in perimeter runs,” Bowen said. “It’s something we’ve got to address — getting hats to the ball, wrapping up, and not letting runs bounce outside.”
Despite frustrations, Bowen said he was satisfied with his players’ effort against San Francisco.
“I felt like they battled,” Bowen said. “We’ve just got to start faster and finish late. They ran the ball a bunch there at the end — we’ve got to find ways to get it stopped.”
Bowen credited Brian Burns for setting the tone both on and off the field.
“He’s...
