Giants Country

How the Giants' Run Game Can Replicate Its Week 1 Success Against Carolina

Coach Gene Clemons breaks down how the Giants might be able to use some of the Cleveland Browns' run-game tactics to find success against the Carolina Panthers.

Gene Clemons

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The Cleveland Browns rushed for 217 yards in Week 1 against Carolina. For Giants fans, they have to be excited by the thought of another quality rushing performance for Saquon Barkley and crew. 

The question becomes, how did the Browns do it? Where did they find the most success against a Panthers defense that last year allowed opponents an average of 113.8 rushing yards per game (18th), but which has some quality defenders?

And how can the Giants' brain trust duplicate those efforts?

The plays that the Panthers will be looking to defend better which the Giants will likely look to exploit are gap runs. The gap scheme takes advantage of frontside leverage and angles mixed with pulling blockers from the backside. 

Like man scheme, there is usually a hole, but the misdirection involved and bodies moving means that the running back must simultaneously be patient vision and explosive. 

Cleveland's Nick Chubb and the Giants' Saquon Barkley have this ability, and the offensive schemes employed in their respective Week 1 games speak to their reliance on gap schemes for explosive plays in the run game.

Let's look at some examples.

This first play is a guard wrap play, and ironically enough, both teams ran it to their right side for success. The tight ends did a good job of getting solid contact on the end man on the line of scrimmage, allowing the guard to get around to the second level. 

Although one is run under center and the other is from the shotgun, both backs start with a movement away from the hole. Patience is needed from the running back to allow the play to develop. 

Vision is used to read the blocks and decipher when the hole will emerge and the explosiveness gets them through the hole, understanding that these lanes close quickly in the NFL.

The second play is your classic buck play. This time the Browns run it from the shotgun, and the Giants run it from under center. 

The play side tackle blocks down, sealing defenders from pursuing the play. The play side guard pulls and kicks the first defender to show. The backside guard pulls and leads up to the next level. 

The back will attack and cut off the play side guard's kick-out block and follow the backside guard to daylight. Once they see daylight, the back is free to explode through the hole and look to outrun the oncoming defenders from the backside. It always hits faster than defenses think while not necessarily being a bang-bang play.

Both of these plays show that the Giants have an opportunity to be successful in the run game against the Panthers. Yes, Carolina will be working on improving their run defense, but how much can one improve in a week? 

It could get worse before it gets better, and the Giants should be looking to benefit from their opponents' deficiencies. If the Panthers try to commit too many to the box to stop the run, quarterback Daniel Jones must make them pay. 

It will be fascinating to see how it unfolds on Sunday. 

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Gene Clemons
GENE CLEMONS

Gene "Coach" Clemons has been involved with the game of football for 30 years as a player, coach, evaluator, and journalist.  Clemons has spent time writing for the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Bridgton News, Urbana Daily Citizen, Macon Telegraph and footballgameplan.com.  He has a YouTube channel called "Coach Gene Clemons" where you can find his popular "X&O The Joes" series as well as other football related content. 

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