5 2014 Stats New York Giants Must Improve Upon in 2015
Stats tell a story.
Sometimes, it's a tale of terror.
That was the case when it came to these five statistics from the New York Giants' 2014 season. Because of these specific deficiencies, Big Blue won only six games and missed the playoffs for a third-consecutive year.
If the Giants are to avoid a sequel to last season, these stats must improve.
Read on to see the five figures on which New York must focus or falter.
Turnover Margin: -3
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Before a team can thrive in any aspect of the game, it must first respect and protect possession of the football. This is supposed to be a staple of Tom Coughlin's teams, but, as we saw in 2014, that prevailing sentiment doesn't always play itself out on the field.
The Giants turned the ball over three more times than they took it away in 2014. That minus-three margin ranked 20th in the NFL.
With 25 takeaways, the Giants finished in the middle of the pack, tied with six other teams for 13th in the league. It was their giveaways—all 28 of them (eighth-most)—that really bruised the team's margin.
Quarterback Eli Manning was to blame for 21 of the turnovers. While Manning cleaned up his act throwing the ball—with the exception of the game against the 49ers, when he threw five picks—he still fumbled seven times.
The next biggest offender was tight end Larry Donnell, who coughed the ball up four times. Backup tight end Daniel Fells and running back Rashad Jennings each fumbled once after catching a pass. Kick returner Preston Parker lost a handle on the ball once, but the Giants did not lose any fumbles on running plays in 2014—a small victory for a sloppy team.
In 2015, the Giants must improve their ball security. Manning showed he can cut down on mistakes by dropping his interception total from 27 in 2013 to just 14 in 2014. It's time for the team's fumbling issue to follow suit.
New York must also become more opportunistic on defense. The team's 17 interceptions ranked eighth in the league, but Big Blue must pounce on more loose balls than the eight they landed on last year.
Yards Per Rush Attempt: 3.6
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The second biggest key to winning games, after ball security, is establishing the running game. The Giants failed to do this in most games last year, as they repeatedly relied on Eli Manning's arm to dig them out of deep holes.
New York's offense averaged only 3.6 yards per rush attempt in 2014, a figure that ranked 30th in the NFL. Only the Chargers and the Cardinals were less effective on the ground.
A couple factors led to the Giants' struggle to run the ball, the most notable being the play of the offensive line. New York lost its finest run-blocker in Chris Snee to retirement just as the rest of the team was reporting for training camp. Snee's late decision, coupled with Geoff Schwartz's toe and ankle injuries, left an unprepared duo in free agency acquisition John Jerry and rookie Weston Richburg to fend for themselves as New York's starting guards all season.
Running back David Wilson was also forced into a premature and abrupt retirement during training camp, when a serious spinal condition made it wise to call it quits. When Rashad Jennings—who rushed 34 times for 176 yards (5.2 YPC) in a Week 3 win over the Texans—went down, the Giants had nowhere left to turn but to Andre Williams, a fourth-rounder in the 2014 draft.
A rookie running back lining up behind a patchwork offensive line is not a model for success. Williams, who lacks wiggle and a veteran's vision, was often caught in the backfield before the play even had a chance to develop.
Things should be better in 2015, so long as the Giants don't suffer a cataclysmic chain of events like they did last year. O-line projects to be one of the top positions addressed in this year's draft, Williams will have a year of experience under his belt and former Patriot Shane Vereen will give New York's offense an additional dimension at the running back position.
Yards Per Rush Attempt (Opponent): 4.9
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The Giants played poorly on both sides of the trenches in 2014. While they struggled to generate a ground game on offense, their opponents had no trouble running the ball against the Big Blue defense.
New York allowed opponents to rip off an absurd 4.9 yards per rush attempt last season, ranking dead last in the NFL.
The only quasi-effective run-stuffer the Giants fielded last year was Johnathan Hankins, and he has come along more so as a three-tech pass-rusher in his two seasons as a professional. The Giants lacked a player who could consistently eat space like a nose tackle in 2014. Even so, the defensive front had a bigger issue containing the edges.
New York's soft outsides were exposed in Week 10, when the Giants visited the Seattle Seahawks and were smoked, 38-17. The Giants surrendered 350 rushing yards in that game, allowing both running back Marshawn Lynch and quarterback Russell Wilson to eclipse the century mark. Lynch and Wilson combined for five rushing touchdowns.
The defensive ends have serious problems playing the run. Jason Pierre-Paul, now going into his sixth NFL season, continues to play a guessing game against the read-option. Damontre Moore can't get on the field except for in certain passing situations, since the 250-pounder isn't trusted to hold the left edge.
The Giants got bigger in the middle by adding former Jets tackle Kenrick Ellis (6'4", 349 lbs.) in free agency, but that won't do them any good if they don't improve at defensive end. Kerry Wynn and Robert Ayers Jr. may not buttress the unit enough. New York could target this position early in the draft.
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Yards Per Pass Attempt (Opponent): 8.0
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New York's defense couldn't stop the run, but it was just as easy to beat the unit through the air. Opposing passers had field days throwing against the Giants, so long as they avoided the occasional interception.
The Giants gave up an even 8.0 yards per pass attempt in 2014, and that ranked 29th in the NFL. Only the secondaries of Chicago, Washington and Atlanta were more porous.
Three quarterbacks—Tony Romo, Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger—averaged at least 8.0 yards per pass attempt last season. So, based on that average, any old quarterback could expect to have an elite outing when facing the Giants last year. Even Jacksonville's Blake Bortles managed to pull out one of his three wins as a rookie when New York came to visit in Week 13.
The season began with two solid starters at cornerback in Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Prince Amukamara, plus Walter Thurmond III working in the slot. But Amukamara and Thurmond, as well as backups Trumaine McBride, Bennett Jackson and Travis Howard, all landed on injured reserve before the season was over.
While the cornerback position had attrition to blame, the safeties had no such scapegoat. The deep defensive backfield was a goldmine, as the secondary gave up 13 pass plays of 40 yards or more on the season. Few Giants were more frustrating to watch than Stevie Brown, who blew coverages often until Quintin Demps was asked to relieve him.
The Giants should be better off at cornerback in 2015, as long as they stay on the field and off IR. However, the safety position is looking a little light with Antrel Rolle now a Chicago Bear. New York needs Nat Berhe, a fifth-rounder in 2014, to step into a starting role and maybe a draft pick to round out the defensive backfield.
Defensive/Special Teams Touchdowns: 1
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When nothing else is going your way, you sometimes need some magic to lift you out of a funk.
And the Giants experienced very little magic in 2014.
The Giants scored just one non-offensive touchdown all year, and it came at the tail-end of the season. In Week 14 against the Tennessee Titans, linebacker Devon Kennard knocked the ball free from quarterback Zach Mettenberger's grasp. Defensive tackle Markus Kuhn followed close behind with a 26-yard scoop-and-score, completing one of New York's most exciting plays of 2014.
It's worth noting that the Giants went on to win that game, 36-7, before going on a three-game winning streak. It's the electricity of plays like Kuhn's that so often propel teams into the playoffs.
There were no pick-sixes last season. No kicks or punts returned for touchdowns, either. Also no playoffs.
New York needs to take advantage of more opportunities to score on defense and special teams in 2015. Perhaps Steve Spagnuolo, in his second stint as Giants defensive coordinator, can conjure up a scheme that's geared toward the takeaway. It's conceivable that return specialist Dwayne Harris, an ex-Cowboy, will provide New York's special teams with the lift they need.
Whatever it is, the Giants must find that magic.
*All statistics courtesy of ESPN, Elias Sports Bureau
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