Breaking Down the New York Giants' Situation at Linebacker
Up next in my look at the New York Giants position units is the group NFL.com’s Chris Wesseling chose as the NFL's weakest position group last year: the linebackers.
2015 in Review
To understand the shortcomings the Giants linebackers experienced last season, there are two factors.
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First, this unit just couldn’t stay healthy.
As a result of that factor, the second, the lack of quality depth, combined with the problems the defensive front experienced led to Wessling’s preseason forecast of the Giants linebackers as the NFL's weakest position group coming to fruition.
The projected starting three linebackers last year were Devon Kennard at the strong side, Jon Beason in the middle and newcomer J.T. Thomas on the weak side.
All three suffered significant injuries, and all three ended up on injured reserve at some point in the season.
Let’s start with Kennard.
After showing promise his rookie season as an edge-rusher, Kennard struggled through his sophomore season thanks to foot and hamstring injuries. He finished last season having played in just nine games.
Having missed four games as a rookie due to hamstring and toe issues, Kennard has contributed to 21 out of 36 Giants games in his first two seasons and has unfortunately drawn the “injury-prone” label from critics.
Counted on to be Antonio Pierce II for Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, Beason’s inability to stay healthy continued to dog him.
He suffered a sprained knee in a preseason game that would cost him the first two regular-season games before he would return to the field in limited action for five more games.
With his legs no longer able to hold up to the rigors of the pro game, Beason landed on injured reserve on November 7, 2015, for the final time in his career, as he announced his retirement in February.
Thomas was one of those players the Giants faced the year before who had a strong showing against them.
To recap, in 2014 as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Thomas posted a season-high 13 tackles (10 solo) against the Giants in Week 13.
Unfortunately, he never got settled with the Giants, suffering a high ankle sprain early in the year that hampered him all season long.
When he finally returned to the field after missing three games, Thomas barely resembled the playmaking machine who came to play against the Giants the year prior.
With the injury situation spiraling out of control, the lack of quality depth at the position, combined with the defensive line's struggles, exacerbated the problem and hence was the second factor.
Mark Herzlich, primarily a special teams player, wasn’t anywhere close to being the edge-rusher Kennard showed himself to be, yet he was asked to step in for his ailing teammate.
Uani ‘Unga stepped in for Beason and was clearly in over his head before a combination of injuries and poor play led to Jasper Brinkley, a waiver-wire pickup in Week 1 who somewhat stabilized the position, relieving him at the position.
One the weak side, Jonathan Casillas, another newcomer signed during the 2015 offseason, filled in for Thomas.
Casillas’ first year as a Giant was bland. Originally signed to be the nickel/dime linebacker for the defense, he always seemed to arrive on the scene just a hair too late, sometimes not showing instincts or confidence in what was going on.
Whether that was a result of having too much heaped on his plate in that first season because of the injuries around him, or his play is hard to tell, but the Giants needed to get more out of Casillas.
When it was all said and mercifully done, the unit that per John Ewing of PredictionMachine.com had a power ranking of 7.97 (22nd in the league) before the 2015 season began, limped to the finish line after having contributed to the league’s worst-ranked defense.
To add to that, with the struggles of the defensive line up front, the linebackers' deficiencies were so exposed that it became painful to watch at times.
2016 Outlook: Where Can This Unit Improve?
Staying healthy as a group has to be the first, second and third priorities for this unit. General manager Jerry Reese had the right idea during free agency last year when he signed guys like Casillas and Thomas who could cover from sideline to sideline.
The problem is that injuries across the board forced Spagnuolo to abandon his original plan and go into survival mode.
It also didn’t help the linebackers that the safeties behind them were putrid on the whole. The middle of the field was often so wide-open, with opposing quarterbacks frequently dropping the ball in between the linebackers and the safeties that at times it seemed like the Giants were a man or two short on defense.
The other reason why keeping this unit healthy is so important is that Spagnuolo likes to use multiple fronts. How is he supposed to field a hybrid 3-4 front if he doesn’t have at least three solid options at linebacker?
Spagnuolo is known for being creative, but when he doesn’t have adequate talent to do what he wants to do out there, it puts him and the defense at a distinct disadvantage.
The X-Factor: The Defensive Line
Longtime Giants fans know the defense is built from the inside out. This year is no different, as in looking at where the bulk of the free-agency dollars went, three out of the four projected starters (ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon and defensive tackle Damon Harrison) took home the lion’s share.
Management's thinking is, a stronger defensive front will make the defensive back end better, including the linebackers.
This approach certainly worked in 2007 when the Giants defensive front was the king of the castle, making an otherwise nondescript group of linebackers (save for Pro Bowler Antonio Pierce) and safeties look like All-Pros.
General manager Jerry Reese is probably crossing his fingers that history repeats itself. Last year, according to Football Outsiders, the Giants finished 27th against opposing tight ends and 21st against running backs.
If that revamped defensive front resembles anything close to what it had on the field last year, it’s going to be another long season for this Giants defense, which, with the additions of Keenan Robinson, Kelvin Sheppard and B.J. Goodson, and the subtractions of Beason (retired) and ‘Unga (injured reserve) have kept up this unit's status quo.
Questions
Who’s the man in the middle?
Ultimately the Giants want rookie Goodson to be the starting inside linebacker. However, it’s highly unlikely Goodson will assume that role this year, unless of course there is a rash of injuries.
Currently, the incumbent is Brinkley, who re-upped with the Giants on a one-year deal in the offseason. Last year, Brinkley’s play in relief of Beason and ‘Unga wasn’t that bad—despite playing in just 59 percent of the defensive snaps, Brinkley finished fourth on the team with 21 stops, according to Pro Football Focus.
Where Brinkley came up short was in coverage, finishing with a 106.4 NFL rating. However, it needs to be noted that with the injuries to Kennard and Thomas, Brinkley was often forced into a role that wasn’t necessarily a good fit for his skill set.
While Brinkley currently has the best feel for the defense, his biggest challenger right now is Robinson, whom the Giants signed as a free agent from Washington.
Robinson looks to be more of an every-down linebacker who can not only play run support but who can also hold up well in coverage. However, the big question mark with him is his durability, which has been a career-long problem.
How much can they expect to get from B.J. Goodson?
Goodson has not missed a practice since the rookie minicamp, which is good news. However, in a complicated system with lots of moving parts where the middle linebacker is the quarterback of the defense, it’s unlikely Goodson is going to be the opening-day starter unless there is a rash of injuries.
Where Goodson, who in addition to playing inside linebacker will also likely see some snaps at the strong side, can stand to make a contribution (beside specials teams) is in goal-line and short-yardage situations—roles currently held by Mark Herzlich.
On paper, the rookie draft pick should beat out Herzlich for a roster spot, but of course there is the injury factor that could potentially throw every forecast out the window in a snap, and there is also a matter of who performs on special teams.
Will the third year be a charm for Devon Kennard?
After failing to land outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, whom ESPN’s Dan Graziano notes was most definitely a high consideration for Big Blue in this year’s draft, the Giants need Kennard to stay healthy this season, his third.
Kennard, who played in a 3-4 base at USC, showed a great deal of promise as a rookie, recording 4.5 sacks and four quarterback hurries for a total of 8.5 pressures.
Despite being limited in his first two seasons because of injury, Kennard has registered 18.5 backfield disruptions (sacks, hits and hurries) while adding two batted passes to his growing resume.
A quick blitzer off the edge, Kennard, an every-down linebacker, can be a handful for offensive linemen to handle. Of course, when he’s not on the field due to injury, all the talent in the world won’t matter if he can’t use it.
Key Newcomers
Keenan Robinson, 6’3”, 238 pounds, Texas
Robinson joins the Giants after spending the start of his career with Washington. A fourth-round (119th overall) draft pick in 2012, Robinson has been snake-bit since entering the NFL, failing to play in a full 16-game season to date.
Robinson’s injury history is extensive. He suffered a pectoral injury late in his rookie season, which he re-injured the following summer, thus costing him the entire 2013 campaign.
Since then, his injuries have included injuries to his shoulder, labrum and biceps. Given his injury history, Robinson has missed 28 games in four seasons.
When Robinson was on the field, John Breitenbach of PFF, in his review of Washington's free-agent decisions, noted Robinson “missed almost a quarter of his tackles (15-of-70), including nine in a four-game stretch, and consistently struggled to shed blocks.”
It will be interesting to see if the fresh start with the Giants revives Robinson’s career.
Kelvin Sheppard, 6’2”, 249 pounds, LSU
Sheppard, signed as an unrestricted free agent from the Miami Dolphins, is a former third-round pick (68th overall) of the Buffalo Bills, with whom he spent two seasons. The Bills traded him after the 2012 season in exchange for defensive end Jerry Hughes.
After a disappointing one-year stint with the Indianapolis Colts in 2013, Sheppard was among the final training-camp cuts in 2014.
The Dolphins picked him up. He started one out of 14 games played. Last year, Sheppard posted his best season to date as a pro. His 105 total tackles in 16 games (13 as a starter) was the team's second-best, behind safety Reshad Jones.
Sheppard also posted a season-high two passes defensed last year.
Sheppard has missed just three games in his five-year NFL career. He’s accumulated 325 career tackles, with his 105 tackles last year being a single-season career high.
He has also accumulated 3.0 sacks, one safety, five passes defensed and one forced fumble in his NFL career.
Last year for Miami, Sheppard started 13 out of 16 games, the second-highest number of starts in his career. He started 15 out of 16 games in 2012 as a member of the Bills.
B.J. Goodson, 6’1”, 242 pounds, Clemson
Goodson, drafted this year in the fourth round, is the highest-drafted Giants linebacker since Clint Sintim was plucked out of the second round in 2009.
Ranked as College Football Focus’s seventh-best overall inside linebacker (based on a minimum of 75 percent of the defensive snaps), Goodson posted 62 defensive stops while adding 32 offensive backfield disruptions against the quarterback (including 6.0 sacks and 23 hurries) last season.
Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Advanced stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
Follow me on Twitter @Patricia_Traina.
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