If it wasn’t bad enough that the Giants had to deal with the firing of offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, they also had to do so on a short week, prepping to face Philadelphia on Sunday after a tough loss to the Buccaneers in Tampa on Monday Night Football.
Didn’t seem to bother them, though, as the offensive players to a man said that not much changed without Garrett in terms of scheme or system, and the team actually communicated very well with the coaches all week.
“I thought overall the communication was pretty good. I think it was just getting a feel for their defense and what we liked against it. I think just kind of the planning process and going through the week, going through practice, kind of narrowing down the game plan,” quarterback Daniel Jones said. “Just kind of that process of figuring out what you're going to call in the game, I think, was good and pretty smooth, but I'd say that was kind of the thing we adjusted to well this week.”
It may have been emotional for some, but they certainly didn’t show any dysfunction on Sunday.
“Our focus was on the moment and controlling what we could control. That was going to give us the best chance to be successful,” Jones said. “I thought we did that as a group. All the coaches kind of together coming up with the plan and understanding what exactly we were going to do going into this game, they did a good job coming together and getting it to us.
And I thought from a player's standpoint, we handled it well, that communication and getting on the same page, getting everyone together.”
One thing of note was that the Giants had talked all week about getting the ball into the hands of their playmakers more – but for the second straight week, Big Blue’s only touchdown came from an unlikely source.
In Tampa, it was Andrew Thomas on a tackle-eligible play, and on Sunday, it was tight end Chris Myarick making a TD grab on his first career NFL catch.
Listen to New York sports talk now on Audacy and shop the latest Giants team gear
“That’s a play we’ve worked on a lot in practice, and Chris did a great job stepping in and making a play there,” Jones said. “In certain situations, the ball on the one-yard line, it's kind of those types of plays that you prepare for and count on. I thought guys from that other group stepped up and made plays throughout the day; Kenny (Golladay) came up big on that drive in the fourth quarter and a couple other guys stepped up to make plays.”
The Giants were without Sterling Shepard and Kadarius Toney, as well as red zone threat Kyle Rudolph, so adjustments had to be made, but head coach Joe Judge is happy with the overall plan that saw Golladay, Darius Slayton, Evan Engram, and Saquon Barkley do a lot of the heavy lifting.
“That was the emphasis, period. I see the game through players, and to me, it’s important we make sure that we're involving all of our guys. Sometimes we were able to put them in positions today to make plays,” Judge said. “I thought Kenny made some huge catches for us down the stretch, and there were two opportunities to get the ball to him in the end zone. It's all about players; we want to put them in a position to make plays, give them a chance to be successful. In terms of the plan, there's not going to be a secret. The reality is we're going to always look for a way to get the ball to our players, that's it.”
Barkley had 17 touches for 53 yards, and while 16 of them yielded only 21, he did have a big 32-yard run that not only gave him the confidence that he was 100 percent, but also brought out a Space Jam reference contrasting himself to the Monstars.
“I know I can do it, and I know I'm going to continue to get better and better as I continue to trust myself and my body,” Barkley said. “It’s not like Space Jam, where something came and took it from me; I’ve still got it, I just have to do it more, and be more productive in the run game for us.”
And, the thought about involving the playmakers also meant a lot to Barkley as a player.
“It means a lot as a player, especially when your head coach is coming out saying that. It makes you be like, 'I've got to take accountability and make the plays’,” Barkley said. “I think collectively they did a really good job today of calling the game. Like I said against Tampa, it's easy to point the finger, but we've got to point the thumb. As players, we made some plays here and there, made some key plays on drives, but we've got to have a sense of urgency when we're driving and find a way to get in the end zone, and try to put it in our hands and don't rely on the defense to finish a game for us.”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
