Jaylon Smith proved to the Giants in 4 video games final season “that I can still play at a high level,” the linebacker mentioned Thursday. Now the Giants are going to ask him to do it once more.
Smith, 27, a rangy and skilled inside linebacker, is anticipated to make his season debut Sunday in opposition to the Chicago Bears, and his major job is to fill a void on the heart of coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale’s protection.
“Every time I step on that field, I wanna play and I wanna ball,” Smith mentioned with a smile. “I’m thankful to be here, being able to run it back in the Big Apple. And I’m here earlier, too.”
Smith made 19 tackles in 4 video games with the Giants on the finish of final season with a sack and a cross defended. That included seven tackles, together with one for a loss, and a sack in opposition to these Bears in Week 17.
The Giants’ new regime didn’t retain Smith as a free agent within the spring. But promising seventh-round decide Darrian Beavers tore his left ACL within the preseason. And the staff’s plans to restrict Blake Martinez’s function led to a sudden late-summer launch.
That left Tae Crowder, Austin Calitro and rookie Micah McFadden atop the depth chart, which isn’t getting it performed.
Smith, a former Cowboys second-round decide from Notre Dame, signed to the observe squad final week and watched the Giants’ Monday night time loss to his former Dallas staff from the sideline.
But now he’s anticipated to play a big function in attempting to cease the bleeding within the Giants’ run protection in opposition to Chicago.
Martindale mentioned Thursday that “we’re still in the process of finding the right fits for who’s going to play inside.”
The defensive coordinator mentioned “I want guys who can run and hit and tackle” at inside backer. “We need to tackle better,” he mentioned. “We had too many missed tackles.”
“If you have a slow Mike [middle linebacker], you have a slow defense,” Martindale added.
The Giants are lacking defensive lineman Leonard Williams (sprained proper MCL) for a second straight sport, too. They’ve allowed seven yards per carry to opponents since Williams obtained damage in Week 2.
And Chicago’s offense barely passes the ball in any respect. Excluding their Week 1 sport in opposition to the 49ers in a downpour, the Bears have run the ball 67 instances (or 70% of the time) in comparison with solely 28 throws the previous two weeks.
Running again David Montgomery is injured and out Sunday, however main rusher Khalil Herbert is averaging 7.3 yards per carry (33 for 240) with three touchdowns. And quarterback Justin Fields has scampered for 95 yards and a TD of his personal.
The entire protection might want to play higher. An enthusiastic Smith hopes to be part of that.
“People know me and what I bring to the table,” he mentioned. “But none of that really matters. It’s all about what you do now. That’s the mindset I have. And I’m thankful to be here.”
WHY NO T.J.?
It would assist the Giants’ protection to have extra veterans like security Tony Jefferson on the sphere, particularly coming off a loss when Martindale’s protection couldn’t sort out and had 10 males on the sphere for an Ezekiel Elliott landing.
Jefferson is project sound and made a game-saving sort out on Christian McCaffrey within the fourth quarter of the Giants’ slender Week 2 win over Carolina. Unfortunately, he’s anticipated to be inactive for a second straight sport.
“Tony Jefferson, when he played, was very good for our defense,” defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson mentioned Friday. “He did a great job for us going in and functioning in our dime package. Anytime you take [out] a veteran player who’s played a lot, you lose something. You do. Because he’s got so much experience, he’s seen so much, he’s poised. So you lose a lot. But the other guys in there, we expect to play at the same level he plays at.”
Jefferson was elevated from the observe squad the primary two weeks of the season. The staff can solely elevate him yet another time earlier than having to signal him to the energetic roster.
GIANTS INJURY REPORT
OUT: DL Leonard Williams (sprained proper MCL), WR Wan’Dale Robinson (knee), WR Kadarius Toney (hamstring), CB Cor’Dale Flott (calf), CB Nick McCloud (hamstring)
BEARS INJURY REPORT
OUT: RB David Montgomery (ankle/knee), DB Dane Cruikshank (hamstring), DB Jaylon Johnson (quad).
QUESTIONABLE: DL Robert Quinn (sickness), Okay Cairo Santos (private), LB Matt Adams (hamstring), TE Ryan Griffin (Achilles), WR Velus Jones Jr. (hamstring), LB Sterling Weatherford (ankle).
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Source: www.bostonherald.com