Seven Thoughts Following New York Giants Preseason Finale Against Jets

The Giants' preseason approach remains baffling. That and more takeaways following the preseason finale against the Jets.

Aug 24, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito (15) reacts after being sacked during the second half by New York Jets defensive end Braiden McGregor (91) at MetLife Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 New York Giants preseason is mercifully over. The Giants lost a 10-6 decision to the New York Jets. Over the next 48 hours, general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll will be hard at work putting together an initial 53-man roster that, in some areas, needs a lot of work.

Before getting into this week’s thoughts, a word or two about the Giants overall preparation in the preseason.

For the second year in a row, head coach Brian Daboll has insisted on holding out his starters whenever there has been a joint practice—he did so this year against the Lions and again against the Jets—believing that if they get quality snaps in the joint practices, all is rosy.

With all due respect to Daboll, this is a very flawed approach. A joint practice is conducted in a controlled environment. The quarterback can’t be hit, and often, plays that should end as sacks are allowed to continue, creating a false sense of accomplishment.

There is no live tackling. And unlike a game played at a faster speed and where anything goes, the joint practices are often scripted so that the coaches zero in on something specific they want to see rather than the bigger picture.

Despite those concerns, Daboll told reporters after the game that he likes where the roster is currently.

“I think we have good toughness, mental and physical toughness. We still have a week left to go in training camp,” he said. “I told those guys in there we're still focused on the New York Giants, and we'll have a bunch of good-on-good periods.

“We'll have another day in pads this upcoming week. The first day back will only be the 53 guys because you can't have the practice squad guys out there, so that'll be geared down. But there'll be pads, competitive periods, and things we still need to clean up. But I like the direction we're going.”

Again, Daboll has been coaching for a long time, and I’m sure he has his reasons behind what he does, but I really wish he’d rethink his approach on preseason snaps, especially when you have a team whose core went 6-11 last year when you have a new offensive line, new weapons on offense, and a new defensive coordinator.

You don’t have to play the starters an entire game—even a quarter’s worth of work would have been sufficient. And you don't have to be put off because you would have had your starters going against the Jets backups. The point is to get them the work so they’re ready for the start of the 2024 season.

Maybe this is much ado about nothing, but it’s the same approach they took last year, and we all know what happened. Hopefully, the Giants get off to a fast start this year—they can ill-afford to go 0-2 to start the season. But if they don’t, file away the approach Daboll took this summer as a potential reason.

Here are some other takeaways from what was a less-than-impressive showing. The Giants' backups were no match for the Jets’ backups in a 10-6 loss.

Jul 24, 2024; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants defensive tackle Elijah Chatman (94) runs on the field during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Facility. / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

When You Know, You Know

You know you’ve made the roster when you get a chance to be a spectator in the final preseason game. Usually, that honor is reserved for an established starter or key reserve.

But when you’re Elijah Chatman, an undrafted rookie free agent who initially had to earn an invitation to training camp back in the spring, and you get the night off, well, that just speaks to the hard work and showing this former SMU defender put into his game.

Chatman has been the summer's surprise for the Giants. In 72 preseason snaps, he’s recorded five pressures (one sack) and has one run stop and one missed tackle among his five total tackles. Whether he gets to play regular season snaps remains to be seen, but congratulations to the young man for working his tail off and earning a roster spot.

Some Snaps for the Starters

Although the Giants sat most of their starters, they did make it a point to get some work for guys who missed chunks of practice time this summer or who have had shaky showings.

The two most notable ones in this category were both offensive linemen. Center John Michael Schmitz, who missed ten practices with a shoulder injury (the same shoulder that kept him out of three games last year), was on a pitch count that ended prematurely when someone rolled up on his ankle.

Schmitz wouldn’t discuss his injury in detail, insisting he was fine and that it happens in football, but it will be interesting to see if he misses any practice time over the next two weeks leading up to the regular season opener.

When asked why Schmitz got some snaps, Daboll said, “He needs it. Offensive linemen need to lean on people, pass, run, and be in the trenches. He’s a second-year guy we're counting on being a starter for us, and he hasn't been out there.

“The guys up front that have been out there, they've had a lot of reps, and he needed to get them. (Tackle) Evan (Neal) needed to get them. Guys that aren't out there need them. Availability is important.”

So is continuity, especially among a unit whose projected starting five have yet to take a live game rep together.

Offensive tackle Evan Neal is another who received playing time. Neal, who had season-ending ankle surgery last November and then suffered a setback in the spring, began the summer on the PUP list. His ramp-up was slow because he didn’t get any live snaps in the Giants’ first two preseason games, so this week was supposed to be a good test for him.

At first glance, he had a mixed bag before his night ended early when someone rolled up on his surgically repaired ankle. Neal remains a solid run blocker, but his pass blocking was again all over the map.

Neal, who was on a pitch count—he played in 21 of the 25 snaps he was scheduled to play in against the Jets--told reporters after the game that he was going to have tests done in the morning, but he sounded confident that it wasn’t anything serious. 

Jan 8, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney (29) and offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Do Giants Have a Swing Tackle?

If anything happens to starting tackles Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemunor, the Giants are potentially in big trouble.

Backup tackles Matt Nelson, Josh Ezeudu, and Evan Neal all had rough evenings in the preseason finale. Of those, Neal, the former first-round draft pick, will probably be the top swing tackle, but his pass blocking continues to be suspect.

The main issue with Neal’s pass blocking is that he doesn’t match speed with speed. Against the Jets, his footwork and angles were off, so they opened too much space around his edge. He eventually settled down before his ankle issue forced him out of the game, but this inconsistency is maddening.

One name to watch for is Tyree Phillips. Phillips has been rehabbing from a late-season quad injury that required surgery, is said to be making great progress, and could be ready to help an NFL team in need.

You know, like the Giants, who could use a more consistent swing tackle.

Alarming Stat

The Giants’ passing game registered ZERO passing touchdowns in 89 pass attempts this preseason. This comes after last season when in 518 pass attempts, the Giants only managed 15 touchdowns. I mean, I get it that it’s preseason, and it’s not time to worry because teams aren’t showing their full plethora of plays and strategies, but you’d still like to see some scoring production.

For those wondering, the Giants averaged 10 points per game on offense, 31st in the league. Only the Atlanta Falcons had a worse average scoring rate (8.3 points per game).

Another Alarming Stat

Every year, we hope this changes, but it seems to stay the same. I’m, of course, talking about the run defense. The Giants allowed 122.3 rushing yards per game this preseason, 22nd in the NFL.

What about the pass defense? Believe it or not, opponents didn’t attack the Giants pass defense as much. New York allowed 172.7 yards through the air per game, 13th in the league. But the bottom line is they better get that run defense figured out because if they can’t stop the run, it could be another long year for the Giants.

One Tough Hombre

Giants Executive Director of Player Performance Aaron Wellman found himself in the line of fire on a third-quarter play when a Jets player ran into him on the sideline. Wellman immediately bounced back up to his feet as though nothing happened.

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