Behind Enemy Lines: Five Burning Questions With Giants Country Team Publisher Patricia Traina

Giants Country team publisher Patricia Traina answered five burning questions about the New York Giants, who the Los Angeles Rams will play in Week 6.

Nicholas Cothrel | Oct 15, 2021

The Los Angeles Rams will face the New York Giants after having a 10-day stretch since their last game. Will the Rams add to their win column? Or will the injury-riddled Giants come out on top?

Giants Country team publisher Patricia Traina answered five burning questions ahead of the Rams' Week 6 game against the Giants.

1. Daniel Jones has appeared to be playing the best football since he broke into the league in 2019. What has changed? Is there an area of his game that sticks out?

A couple of things need to be discussed here. First, this is year two of being in the same system for Jones, and that’s huge. Remember when Jason Garrett came in as offensive coordinator, he brought a completely different system than what Jones had been used to, so it took some time for him to really grasp the intricacies of it. As a result, Jones now makes quicker reads (a problem in year's one and two) and better decisions, and all that has enabled him to play faster.

2. What is your assessment of Joe Judge up to this point, and does it appear the players are buying into what he's preaching?

I like Joe and I think he’s the right man for the job. I can honestly say I’ve agreed with most of what he’s done and how he’s approached things. The players stay tuned in because he is transparent with them regarding what he’s asking them to do. He’s also not one to give preferential treatment to the stars on the team, and he gives the players a voice in certain things.

That all being said—and I realize this is in his DNA given where he’s worked prior to coming here—what worked at Alabama and New England isn’t necessarily working here. By that I mean, this attitude he took this past summer with getting the team ready was just plain awful. (He didn’t play the starters until the final preseason game, and I think that has been a colossal mistake as the team came out of the gate not only not looking ready for the season, but they threw away three very winnable games that were otherwise treated like an extension of the preseason.)

I also don’t like his handling of Daniel Jones when he gets injured. I thought last year he made a grave error in judgment allowing Jones to talk his way back into the lineup so soon after he suffered a hamstring strain that cost him a game and Jones only ended up getting hurt worse. And more recently, this talk about not ruling Jones out of this weekend’s game if he clears the concussion protocol is baloney. I get what Joe’s trying to do, but I’m sorry, in this instance, I’m not buying it and to me it shouldn’t even be a discussion. The discussion needs to be what is in the best interest of the player, not “let’s toy with the Rams.”

Other than that and maybe a few in-game management decisions, Joe is head and shoulders above the last two coaches this team has had.

3. Last year there was a lot of talk surrounding the turf at MetLife Stadium as it pertained to frequent injuries. Has there been a change to the field? Do you think the playing surface has anything to do with injuries?

Probably not. I mean Saquon Barkley tore his ACL playing on a grass field, right? Football is a violent game and injuries happen. They happen in games and in practice. It’s just how things go, and I think people, out of frustration, look to blame things that aren’t necessarily responsible for bad things happening, such as fields, for injuries.

Speaking of fields, I was an active media member when the old Veteran’s Stadium in Philadelphia was still functioning. If there was ever a case for the worst field in the NFL, that was it. That field actually had visible seams and gaps not to mention the AstroTurf became so worn out that when you got slammed to the ground, you were basically being slammed to concrete.

It was truly an awful field on which to play, and many players rightfully complained about it. You could make a case that that field caused its fair share of injuries, but there’s no way I’d put MetLife’s field in that category—and it’s not even close.

4. Azeez Ojulari has gotten off to an intriguing rookie season. What has he shown early on and how would you project his capabilities moving forward in the coming years?

Ojulari has shown an explosive burst and he uses his hands very well. He still needs to work on his run defense though as he doesn’t always get off his blocks quickly. But I’m hopeful he’s the next solid homegrown pass rusher. This Giants team hasn’t had one of those since Jason Pierre-Paul and that’s a big reason why this team has struggled to win.

5. Adoree Jackson received a chunk of money this offseason from the Giants. How would you say he's shown out for the team after five weeks? Average? Better than expected? Underwhelming?

In a word, “meh.” Jackson was brought here with high expectations and so far, I don’t know that he’s made any impact plays. Per Pro Football Focus, his NFL rating is 100—the second-worst of his career. He’s already given up a touchdown and has one pass breakup to zero interceptions (and one dropped interception). Where he’s been good is in run support—11 stops which is eight from his career-high set in 2019. But overall, I think it’s safe to say the Giants haven’t gotten the return on investment they were hoping for just yet from Jackson.

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Nick Cothrel is the Publisher of Ram Digest. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickCothrel.

Published Oct 15, 2021

NICHOLAS COTHREL

Nick Cothrel covers the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated.