Giants defense knows it has to clean up Week 1 mistakes
Kayvon Thibodeaux of the Giants lines up against Christian Darrisaw of the Minnesota Vikings during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
After the Giants allowed Sam Darnold and the Vikings to score 28 points in the opener, the challenge this week is to keep rookie Jayden Daniels and the Commanders in check.
“There’s a lot to improve on,” defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said on Thursday.
In preparing for the Vikings, the Giants had plenty of tape of Darnold.
Daniels is just getting started.
Asked what he’s seen from this year's No. 2 overall pick, Bowen said, “Explosive. He eats up grass. If he gets loose and he gets vertical, he’s eating up grass in a hurry.”
Bowen also noted that Daniels led the Commanders in rushing last week with 88 yards in the loss at Tampa Bay.
“I think he was decisive with getting the ball out. He went 17 of 24. Passer rating was above 90. Had a really good first game, in my opinion, for a rookie to go out there and do what he did.”
Outside linebacker Brian Burns said there is a key to rushing a quarterback like Daniels.
“You don't want to rush him too safe and not get any pressure and then he'll tear you up from the pocket,” Burns said. “But you also don't want to be too reckless, and he'll tear you up with his feet. It's going to be a group effort along all our guys.”
Bowen said Daniels' talent was apparent.
“We're going to have to be ready for everything," he said, "from being able to match and cover to also being able to keep him corralled and not let him get loose on us.”
Kayvon Thibodeaux, in his third season, was credited with only a single quarterback hit in Week 1. Burns had four tackles.
“Just like I tell all these guys, all 11 guys, when the plays are there for you to make, you got to make them. That's the expectation," Bowen said. "When you get one-on-ones, coverage, rushing, whatever that might be, find ways to win. You're not going to win all of them. They get paid, too. Find ways to win. Really, at other times, we got to be able to impact outside of the scheme a little bit, outside of those situations.”
Asked about Thibodeaux, Bowen said, “I would say it’s Game 1. It's Game 1. I don't think that's the level of contribution that he expects from himself or any of us. It is what it is. But again, when the plays are there, we got to be able to make them.”
Bowen added that Thibodeaux has done a good job playing withing the system.
The situation with Isaiah Simmons is odd and bears watching. After a decent season last year with the Giants, Simmons did not play Sunday. Bowen said he was “glad” that Simmons was frustrated by the situation.
“They should be frustrated,” Bowen said. “They should be disappointed. I hope they use it as fuel to come out here and improve and get better. And he has. He's approaching it the right way. I've been proud of him with how he’s responded. We're going to get him in there. He’s going to have his opportunities. When they come, he’s got to make the most of it.”
Simmons was drafted eighth overall by the Cardinals in 2020. After Sunday’s game, Simmons referred to the situation as “frustrating as hell.”
After an encouraging 2023 season, Simmons was expected to take on a sizable role in the defense. Not only did he see his role decrease from last season, but he did not play a single snap for the first time in his NFL career in Week 1.
The opposite of that situation was Dru Phillips who, on his first play, forced a fumble. That’s how a rookie can make a great impression.
Notes & quotes: Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers was added to the injury report on Thursday with a knee injury. Fellow receiver Darius Slayton has progressed to the next stage in concussion protocol. He was in a red jersey at practice, indicating he was not cleared for contact. Slayton will be able to play Sunday if, as Daboll said, “he keeps trending in the right direction.” . . . With Dan Quinn, formerly the Cowboys defensive coordinator, now the Commanders coach, Daboll said there are similarities [but with] different players. “There are always new wrinkles,” he said.
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
