New York Giants: 3 hot takes for the 2020 season

The New York Giants have plenty of work to do before the 2020 regular season commences. With just under a little month until the start date, the league has already gone through a massive COVID-19 testing scare. Luckily for them, it can be used as a consequence-free dry run for what might happen during the regular season. However, with the teams still intact and COVID-19 at bay, the Giants push forward in their development under new head coach Joe Judge.

The expectation for the Giants is that they will take significant steps forward in their growth and development. Ultimately, Pat Shurmur didn’t leave Judge with much success to build off of, so everything is starting fresh for the most part.

Best-case scenarios are always an ideal way to look at things, and what better way to exercise our football freedom of speech than by taking a look at some hot takes for 2020.

Three hot takes for the New York Giants during 2020:

1.) Daniel Jones will be a Pro-Bowl caliber quarterback in 2020

Jones finished his rookie campaign with 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Without a majority of his starting team active and a lackluster offensive line, Jones wasn’t given much support but still managed to succeed in some areas of his game.

Weighing 9 pounds less than he does now, Jones struggled to hold onto the football. He fumbled 18 times in 2019, losing 11 of them. This was a major issue for him and a focal point this off-season in his development.

However, he added 9 pounds of muscle mass and looks far stronger and composed. Learning a new playbook, Jones already has command of the huddle, and his pre-snap reads. This is a major step forward regarding the mental aspect of his game.

If he can utilize all of these new improvements, Jones could be a Pro-Bowl caliber quarterback in 2020. Considering his 2:1, TD:INT ratio, improving upon that with a healthy group of weapons should be expected. However, note the keyword “health.”

New York Giants’ quarterback coach Jerry Schuplinski stated:

“I have noticed his arm looks strong to me. I did some work with him when he was coming out in the draft when I was at a different place and it looked good. It looks even stronger now. I don’t know if that’s a testament to his work in the offseason and what he’s been doing. That’s one thing that jumped out to me,” Schuplinski told reporters on Sunday.

“I think as [quarterbacks] continue to build good fundamentals, get their hips and their lower body involved, that could increase it a little bit. That’s something that’s been a little eye opening to me, working with [Jones] on the field.”

Regarding pocket awareness and fumbling issues:

“There is a natural feel to that for sure, with pocket presence,” Schuplinski said. “I do think it can be developed. We’re working hard on developing a lot of that right now with some of the drills we do.

2.) Evan Engram will have his best and healthiest season yet

Evan Engram showed up to practice this year in the best shape of his life. Looking stronger and quicker, Engram has failed to stay healthy over three years in the NFL. His statistics have consistently decreased overall, missing eight games in 2019 with a midfoot sprain.

After receiving surgery to fix the issue, he is back and ready to go at 100%. Hopefully, a change in technique and fundamentals will help him avoid injuries, but a heavy, tight usage scheme deployed by Jason Garrett does not indicate his workload will decrease. If he can remain healthy, Evan could be one of the best tight ends in the NFL, and I think this could be the year it all comes together.

Joe Judge raved about Engram’s work ethic:

“The way he works every day and the attention to detail he’s shown to everything he is coached on–to me, it’s always a question of, ‘Can this guy reaches potential based on the way he’s working?’” Judge said. “I think this guy can.”

“A lot of guys have a lot of talent and aren’t as open to coaching,” Judge said. “What I see from Evan is he’s very in tune. He’s very intelligent. He’s very deliberate about how he works and what he’s focusing on within each period. He listens to everything you say, and he tries to apply every technique as detailed as he can. And that’s critically important.”

Engram has reportedly come back to the Giants in great shape:

“When I first took the job, he was still around here rehabbing a little bit,” Judge said of Engram. “Obviously we lost physical contact with the players through the pandemic separation, but he’s got showed up and that time off really in great shape, put on some good weight. He came in ready to really train. We talked earlier in the interviews about his interest in being in shape and training. And he came in ready to train.”

3.) Leonard Williams will have double-digit sacks

In a 1V1 rep against Andrew Thomas, defensive tackle Leonard Williams showed off his strength and power. Nearly snapping Thomas’ back in half, it was actually quite a good rep for the young offensive tackle. His primary issue was stopping his feet at the point of contact and not getting his hands underneath Williams’. However, the development and refinement of his technique have been a focal point for the coaches thus far. The hope is to translate his consistent quarterback pressures into sacks. Williams last had a successful sack season in 2016, when he recorded 7.0.

Everybody knows that Williams could be a dominant pass-rushing force, and considering his consistent health, extrapolating on his existing talents is a necessity for the Giants. Last season over eight games with Big Blue, he tallies 26 combined tackles and 11 quarterback hits. His ability to draw double teams makes him extremely productive and efficient.

Including Dalvin Tomlinson and Dexter Lawrence, Williams will finally have some support to rely on. The Giants are trying to build strong units around him, but it will take time. Considering he’s on the franchise tag at $16.1 million, the Giants need to see him expand his production to the sack category in 2020.

I think this could be the year he finally breaks out and shows what he’s capable of.