The New York Giants entered the offseason knowing full well they needed to address their pass rush, having record only 30 sacks a season ago, finishing second-to-last in the league behind just the Oakland Raiders.
To some degree, they worked on correcting that problem, signing veteran edge rusher Markus Golden and selecting Oshane Ximines in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Will that be enough? The majority don’t believe so.
But perhaps the Giants’ pass rush solution — or at least a part of it — is already in-house. After all, Lorenzo Carter really came on at the end of last season and provided a glimpse into his ceiling, which is exceptionally high.
Now entering his second season, Carter is apparently “rushing with a plan” and has defensive coordinator James Bettcher giddy over what’s to come.
“He is rushing with a plan. When you see him rush, a year ago he was trying to get off the ball as quick as he could and use his hands when he could. Now, you see a guy that is aware of how he wants to rush, aware of techniques that he wants to rush with,” Bettcher told reporters on Wednesday. “Guys that get in there as pass rushers, I have been in there and have coached them before personally, you see their best growth in the two and three years. You start to figure out what they are as rushers. Whether you are Chandler Jones and a really bloody rusher or a speed counter guy. He is really starting to figure that out. He is building his pass rush toolbox right now.”
Not only is Carter “building his pass rush toolbox,” he’s quietly hitting the field every day and putting in max effort — arguably the most effort of anyone on the team.
“The second thing, he is practicing as hard as anyone on the field right now,” Bettcher added. “He is running around and has been a great example that we have been able to show defensively of just straining and effort, finish.”
The Giants need one of their linebackers to step up in a big way, and Carter answers that bell, it puts the team in a much better situation than they were in a season ago. It would also allow Bettcher to adjust his gameplan and use other players in different way, potentially returning Big Blue’s defense to its former glory.
