Jason Garrett knows Giants’ offense has to ‘become more explosive’
The second day of New York Giants minicamp was highlighted by media sessions from all three of the team’s coordinators who are set to implement changes based on the new players added to the roster this offseason.
Here’s a look at what special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett had to say.
Special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey
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Special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey will have full use of the roster in the return game, including starting safety Jabrill Peppers and first-round pick Kadarius Toney, who the Giants hope to use in multiple roles this season. Someone mentioned that Toney was nicknamed "The Human Joystick," but McGaughey sloshed that name off as it was used by former Kansas City Chiefs' returner Dante Hall in the early 2000s. "He is what he is. He's electric," McGaughey said of Toney. "He can do some things. But right now he just has to get in here with all the rest of the rookies and get acclimated to what we do and how we do it. You saw his tape in college. You know his ability and what he can do with the ball in his hands, but right now he just needs to get in here and gain the trust of his teammates. That job as a punt returner in this league, that's a huge job and huge responsibility. That's the main focus right now. "When you see a guy with those type of traits as a coach, obviously you get excited because those are unique skill sets. That's why he was drafted in the first round. He's a very talented player. He's electric with the ball in his hands. But you know, again, it's a value pick. You get a guy that can play in the slot. He can play outside, and then he gives you return flex. I mean, that's a bonus... Again, the value at that spot was good for us and obviously we took advantage of it. Can't wait to get him in here and getting him going and coaching him up and seeing what he can do."
Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett
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Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett will be charged with turning the offensive into a league power after finishing 31st in the NFL in his first season. He was asked how all the new additions could help improve the offense in 2021. "I think any time you add pieces, whether it's in the draft or free agency, you're obviously doing that to help improve your team, create competition, get guys out there that can help you and make plays and become more explosive," Garrett said. "We are excited about the additions we have. We are trying to get those guys acclimated. We are also excited about the guys who were with us before and they have a year under their belt now. They will learn from those experiences and hopefully continue to grow. That's the process we are in right now. "We take it day-by-day. We are excited about this opportunity today, Wednesday. You learn from Tuesday. You try to get better on Wednesday and keep moving forward. So the guys are working hard. We love their approach. They are embracing what we are doing and hopefully we are getting better each and every day."
Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham
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Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham now believes the Giants have the personnel to play more man to man this year. "I know we didn't play a ton of man last year but we picked spots to play man," Graham said. "Again, like those guys last year, they did a good job what we asked them to do. Like we mixed up more zone and then we had man in the pass. But again, I don't know what the recipe is going to be for this year yet. But I don't want to be -- I'm not saying you were, but I don't want to be disrespectful of the guys that were here last year that aren't here. I mean, Adoree' brings another element, Aaron Robinson, Darnay, they bring another element to it. Will we probably be in more man? Possibly. "But it's always good to have that problem, so we are going to try to do what's best for that game, that game plan. But you need to play man-to-man coverage in this league, period, point-blank and obviously six wins last year, we didn't do enough on defense, so the hell with that; we are looking at all options, whether it's the blitz more, blitz less, play less zone, play more man, we need a whole lot of options. Six wins is not going to cut it." No, it's not....
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