The New York Giants didn’t play many of their starters on Saturday against the Miami Dolphins following a tough joint practice on Thursday. However, they still managed to carry the dominance from the practice over into the game, and most of the Giants’ rookies got at least a little action.
Right guard Sisi Mauigoa didn’t play, nor did cornerback Colton Hood. Mauigoa is dealing with a stinger suffered in the joint practice with the Dolphins, and he likely wouldn’t have played anyway.
Hood was reportedly
dealing with an undisclosed injury earlier in the week, but took part in the joint practices with the Dolphins. The Giants could have been sparing him the reps after a tough practice, or they have a significantly different opinion of his play against the Minnesota Vikings than did Pro Football Focus. I also wanted to get another look at UDFA tackle Ryan Schernecke after a promising performance against the Vikings. However, the All-22 tape the NFL provides cuts out before the fourth quarter at the time of writing. It’s frustrating, but I didn’t want to delay this piece waiting on the NFL.
So other than those players, let’s dive into the tape and see how the Giants’ rookies did in their second taste of NFL action.
LB Arvell Reese
Reese was on the field for all of 11 plays against the Dolphins. It’s a small sample size, but also a continuation of the play we saw from Reese against the Vikings.
The first play of the game saw him win his gap against a power run concept, blow up the fullback, then continue to assist on Chauncey Golston’s tackle. The second snap had him defend the running back, taking an accurate first step on (what looked like) an outsize zone run, only to quickly recognize the play-action boot, disengage, and defend the rollout.
We really didn’t need to see all that much from Reese to back up what he did last week. He’s explosive, agile, processes quickly, and hits like a truck.
WR Malachi Fields
The Giants’ third-round pick also played 11 snaps, eight of which came on offense and three on special teams.
Normally we use the phrase “quicker than fast” to describe slot receivers — guys like Wes Welker or Victor Cruz spring to mind — but that might be a perfect description for Fields. He is not a fast receiver, but he is quicker than any receiver with his frame has a right to be. It’s consistently impressive how easily he’s able drop his hips and change direction without having to throttle down.
It’s notable, then, that the Giants used Fields as a power slot on occasion. That versatility could give the Giants some interesting looks and options for how they deploy their offense.
Fields is showing a developing understanding of how to use his frame to leverage defenders before using his quickness to cut and uncover. Likewise, he seems to be developing an understanding of how his routes fit into the larger passing concept. Fields isn’t a route technician just yet, but he could become a very interesting player as that aspect of his game develops.
Interestingly, the Giants used Fields on punt teams to rush the opposing punter.
DT Bobby Jamison-Travis
I think it’s a mark of where Jamison-Travis lands on the depth chart that he too only played 11 snaps (including one play nullified by penalty). Granted, he played into the fourth quarter, but he played as many snaps as the other rookies who we know figure heavily into the Giants’ plans for the season.
Like Reese, it really didn’t take that many snaps to reaffirm what we saw on tape from Jamison-Travis in the first preseason game. He is a powerful young man, who knows how to use his frame and strength to execute an unglamorous job. He does an excellent job of firing his hands into blockers’ chest plates, pressing them to establish leverage, and creating piles on the offensive interior. Even his sack came because his strength allowed him to walk the center into the backfield and discard him as the quarterback tried to scramble.
OL J.C. Davis
Davis was on the field for an incredible 89 plays against the Dolphins, including se ven special teams plays (field goals and extra point attempts) and plays that were nullified by penalty.
It was a mixed bag for the young offensive tackle, and he definitely came away with some things to work on as well as things the coaches will love.
He definitely needs to continue to hone his technique as a blocker. Davis was pretty consistently lunging at defenders, getting his chest out over his feet and bending at the hips more than his knees. That didn’t hurt him too badly against the Dolphins, but there were enough plays where he was unable to establish leverage or anchor that it could have been ugly against more explosive pass rushers. Likewise, he also needs to improve his hand usage and try to consistently gain control of his opponents’ chest plates.
That said, Davis has solid feet and is a pretty smooth mover when he’s balanced. He also has enough play strength and is surprisingly fast when blocking in space. Davis also plays with some really impressive competitive toughness to hustle after plays and keep giving effort despite playing almost a game and a half worth of snaps.
LB Jack Kelly
Kelly played 32 snaps against the Dolphins, 20 of which came on defense and the other 12 were on special teams. Kelly is emerging as a core special teams player on the kick off, punting, field goal and coverage teams.
Kelly wasn’t exactly a starter for the Giants against the Dolphins, but his first defensive snap came in relief of Arvell Reese with 4:08 left in the first quarter.
Overall, Kelly has been impressive — and not just for a sixth rounder. He generally processes quickly and accurately, and has enough athleticism to cover some serious ground at the second level. The Giants have given Kelly a pretty big role on the field, using him in coverage, as a pass rusher, and playing downhill in run defense. He’s typically executed well, although there have been some instances where he’s overcommitted and taken himself out of the play. He bit hard on misdirection a couple times against the Dolphins, which created some voids Miami was able to exploit.
Aggressive play is certainly a forgivable sin for a rookie linebacker, though it definitely should be a teaching point going forward. Likewise, he does need to get more consistent in playing with good leverage when he takes on blockers.
K Dominic Zvada
There isn’t too much to say about Zvada here. He performed well when on the field for kick-offs, extra points, and field goals. He clearly has a very strong leg and the operation between he, long-snapper Ben Mann, and holder Jordan Stout is very crisp. Zvada also appears to have a very compact kicking motion on kick-offs, which should make his kicks consistent and repeatable. He does a good job of delivering the ball in the back of the landing zone, similar to a golfer dropping a chip shot softly onto the green.
It would have been nice to see Zvada attempt a longer field goal, but there’s enough evidence that he has plenty of leg and is an accurate kicker.
