The New York Giants are 2-6 at the midway point and given the way they’ve played at times, it’s remarkable to think they’ve even managed to win two.
Defensively, their secondary leaks like a sieve, their pass rush is inconsistent and their linebackers are an obvious weakness. On the offensive side of the ball, things aren’t much better and turnovers are a predominant theme for an injury-riddled unit.
But as bad as the Giants have looked at times, they can fall back on the reality that they’re playing rookies at a clip that far out-paces all 31 other teams.
In fact, entering Week 9, the Giants had their rookies taking nearly 500 more snaps than the next closest team.
Let that number sink in for a moment… Giants rookies have taken nearly 500 more snaps this regular season than the next closest team. There are teams that haven’t given their rookies as many snaps as the Giants lead the league by.
General manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur have gone full bore with their rookies, with the likes of Daniel Jones, Dexter Lawrence, Deandre Baker and Darius Slayton all starting. Corey Ballentine also serves as the primary return man, while Oshane Ximines also sees his fair share of snaps.
Prior to his injury, linebacker Ryan Connelly had also earned a starting role, making the Giants one of the most rookie-rich teams in the league.
“As we all know, the young players can improve if they continue to work,” Shurmur said. “I’d like to think we’ve improved since that first time we played Dallas.”
Playing rookies as frequently as the Giants have tends to result in some poor play, and we’ve seen that in spades. However, it also helps explain some of the team’s futility and should give fans hope for the future because each and every rookie on the team has shown glimpses of stellar and even game-changing play.
