Giants Country

New York Giants FS Jason Pinnock: The Good, The Great, and The Ugly

We examine Pinnock's 2023 performance against the Miami Dolphins and assess his positives and areas for improvement in 2024.

Gene Clemons

Dec 11, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) makes an interception during the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium.
Dec 11, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) makes an interception during the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium. / Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
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The New York Giants have watched two starting safeties walk out the door over the last two offseasons. It's hard to keep replenishing talent when you lose it so quickly. 

Fortunately for the defense, they will return a veteran presence at safety as Jason Pinnock returns for his third season in Big Blue Nation. In 2022 he filled in well when Xavier McKinney missed time when he was injured during the bye week. 

When Julian Love left in free agency in 2023, Pinnock was there to fill the void left by the former fourth-round selection. Now he will be a focal point of opposing offensive coordinators. He will need to be the glue that holds everything together in a secondary full of young pieces. 

Looking at games to analyze Pinnock in coverage was difficult because he so often played deep middle which in the NFL can be 20-25 yards away from the line of scrimmage. It is difficult to assess how good your coverage skills are in a game like that. 

However, while looking at the Miami Dolphins game, you can see the positives and negatives of Pinnock’s game. It was a fun watch, and it illuminated things that he likely needs to address if he wants to continue his ascent. Let’s take a look at the good, the great, and the ugly of the fourth-year safety. 

The Good: Tackling

It's not always pretty, but Pinnock is going to get you on the ground. In 2023 he had 85 tackles, and 59 of them were solo. When you are the last line of defense, the tackles you make are likely to prevent a touchdown.

Even from so far away, Pinnock gets his body on the ball carrier and gets him to the ground. He attacks any part of the ball carrier's body to get them down. You can see him dive at his legs, push them out of bounds, or throw his shoulder into a back or receiver. 

This Miami team posed such a threat because all of their runners were home run hitters, so most of the time, it was a mad dash for Pinnock to get to them and get them in the ground before it became a track meet. 

When he could zero in on the ball carrier and get full acceleration, he could dislodge the football from a Dolphins ball carrier. 

The Great: Playmaking

Sometimes there's no way to qualify why someone is a playmaker. It can be defined as someone who constantly puts themselves in positions to make plays. Pinnock has done that since he arrived in New York as a rookie for the Jets. 

In his three seasons, he has five forced fumbles, including three with the Giants. He also had 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery during his time with Big Blue. 

Making plays at all three levels is impressive, especially when you spend the majority of your time in the back half of the field. 

In the game against the Dolphins, he was able to cause a forced fumble while Miami was threatening in the red zone. He also grabbed a tipped pass in the endzone and raced 102 yards for a touchdown. 

The Ugly: Attacking the Run Game

Against a team like Miami, you can't hesitate when attacking the run game because it allows them to cover ground quickly and possibly find a lane to strike for a touchdown. This was ultimately the Giants' undoing in the game. 

For Pinnock’s part, there were times when he seemed to take bad angles and was not able to catch the runner. Other times the action was coming right at him, and he was far too indecisive about where he wanted to fit, which allowed the offense to gain more yards. 

Other times it seemed as if he was caught up in the scrum and was never able to attack the ball carrier. Not being sure how he wanted to attack many times resulted in others not knowing where to expect the rusher to go. 

That lack of connectivity made run defense difficult against one of the best-rushing offenses in the NFL.

Coach’s Counsel

Pinnock has shown that he has what it takes to be a legitimate starter in this league. He flashed playmaking ability and exhibited the ability to tackle. Now he needs to do more of those things consistently. 

That should grow with increased football IQ. He will take better angles to the ball carrier or in coverage. He will be more definitive in his run fits and when he needs to run the alley, especially when he has to be lined up so far away from the line of scrimmage.

"Good, Great, and Ugly" Film Reviews:TE Daniel Bellinger|WR Wan'Dale Robinson|OC John Michael Schmitz|QB Tommy DeVito|LT Andrew Thomas|QB Daniel Jones|ILB Micah McFadden|ILB Bobby Okereke|CB Deonte Banks|OT Evan Neal

Published
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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