Game overview:
Two games on Thursday night for preseason Week 1...both games featured one team beating the crap out of their opponent.
The Patriots won big...but more so because the Panthers were so pathetic that any opponent was gonna dominate.
But in this game...we saw the Giants whacked the Lions, not because Detroit is hapless...but because the Giants were the far superior, more aggressive team. This was a wakeup call...an announcement event – don’t take the Giants lightly...they might have a shot at winning the NFC East (keeping in mind this could be a down/topsy-turvy year for the NFC East).
I don’t type that because I just watched the Giants beat the Lions 2nd/3rd/4th(non-1st)-teams in rainy, wet conditions in a random preseason game. I type it partially on what I saw here, but also...what I saw here was a continuation from their joint practices this past week. The Giants out-Lion’d the Lions much of their week together...the team that played like Dan Campbell envisions this week was the Giants.
I don’t suggest the Giants are better than the Lions overall today, they aren’t. I’m more noting – the Giants suddenly look like a younger/early stages version of the Lions that rose to power the last few years on Dan Campbell. I previously said, “The Giants out Lion’d the Lions.” Really, what I should’ve said was...they “Out-Dan Campbell’d Dan Campbell’s team”...this whole week.
This past week of joint practices showed a feisty Giants team who got into several fights with the Lions in practices. The Lions 1st-team was better than NYG’s, but the Giants out-attituded them. And in this game, and in practices -- the Giants’ backups manhandled the Lions backups. The Lions have a depth problem on several fronts, thinking big picture for them to make a Super Bowl run.
Yes, NYG GM Joe Schoen has been shown to be a (Hard Knocks) joke of a negotiator and bad businessman in general...but whether he’s to blame/get credit or not, I want to compliment the Giants suddenly having a lot of young talent and useful players, especially on defense. And I’ve made fun of Brian Daboll for his 2023 antics, but I have to credit him here – he has the Giants playing like ‘they believe’. The Giants don’t seem to be aware that they’re supposed to be bad in 2024.
I’d also like to thank the Giants for making me some extra coffee money. When I heard reports (‘heard’...because my NFL+ membership wouldn’t allow me to actually watch this game live...I’m so glad I pay a premium for that...as it gets worse and worse/less and less every year) that Drew Lock got hurt early, and I knew the Giants were gonna have to turn to my man Tommy DeVito for the rest of the game...so I instantly started (coffee amount) betting NYG when Lock went down, laying the points to Detroit, in-game...and I collected on it all as NYG held off a 1st & goal late opportunity by Detroit (if they scored a TD it would’ve have cost me ALL the coffee).
It was fitting that the G-Men had a goal line stand at the end of this game – a perfect microcosm for this whole game; the cherry on top. The Giants just imposed their will on the Lions...who had no answers. At the end of this game, Daboll and Campbell had a nice hug...I think Dan Campbell was impressed/respectful of how well Daboll’s Giants played his squad in this game/this entire week.
If only the Giants had a better QB...
Scouting Notes from the game:
-- The best thing that I saw from this game...the thing that surprised me and got my attention the most was – how good the Giants defense is. It’s got holes; it’s not great...it was facing the Lions backups...I get all that...I’m not saying they’re great, but they are much better than I gave them credit. The Giants D has a lot of young talent, and it’s overall aggressive. The Giants defense swarmed the Lions backups all game here...especially when it was crunch time on goal-to-go drives and 3rd and 4th-downs, the Giants D just overwhelmed the Lions, as they should if they’re ‘good’. They needed to overwhelm the Lions backups...and they did.
And it wasn’t their 1st-team D mismatching with the Lions that I’m talking about. It was their depth, their backups...they just kept coming in waves throughout the game with UDFA rookies making plays deep into the game. I was super-impressed here.
I kept noting different plyers that I did not expect to even think about from this game on defense for NYG. A couple guys to point out:
CB Dru Phillips, a rookie who is going to start Week 1 as the nickel CB...he might be the spiritual leader of this defense. Phillips had one tackle, a TFL that he really blew up the play on...and he was involved in three separate fights/skirmishes in the joint practices.
UDFA DTs Elijah Chatman (3 tackles, 1 sack) and UDFA DT Casey Rogers (1 tackle, 1 TFL) both played well, as UDFA DTs for this team. Chatman is already listed as a 2nd team DT.
LB Dyontae Johnson (4 tackles, 1 sack, 2 TFLs) was all over the place.
There were two other defenders that I want to discuss, as well...we’ll do that in the SUBSCRIBER EXTRA EDITION of this game report.
All that to say...4 sacks, 8 TFLs, 1 pick, no TDs allowed – this was a fine effort by the Giants D and their new D-C Shane Bowen.
-- The Giants ran with their starting WRs for a bit in this game, including Malik Nabers (0 targets), who was battling Terrion Arnold (0 stats) just about the entire time Nabers was in.
I have some serious, must-read thoughts on this matchup and its implications for Dynasty/Fantasy, that I will expand on in the SUBSCRIBER EXTRA NOTES. I really wish we could’ve seen Nabers get some targets, but Drew Lock (4-10 for 17 yards, 0 TDs/1 INT) is so awful that he couldn’t make it happen.
One other NYG WR note...one of our UDFA faves, WR John Jiles (0-0-0/1), got in the game late and saw a target...and it might have been a big play, but he was held by the back of his jersey (no call) and couldn’t catch up to the pass as it was incoming. He looked good in his routes, but it was a limited view because he entered the game as NYG was trying to run out the clock more.
-- Speaking of Drew Lock...he got hurt after a couple series and was replaced by Tommy DeVito (8-15 for 92 yards, 0 TD/0 INT) – and that’s when I knew it was time to in-game live bet on the Giants, and it came through!
DeVito looked good...10x better than Drew Lock, in which I have to say... Can we stop already with Drew Lock? The guys looks like a dream at QB, physically, tools-wise...but he sucks at the actual playing of QB. He has no business making this team, but he probably will or NYG would be admitting a massive mistake signing him. They guaranteed him $5M, which is equivalent to setting five million one-dollar bills on fire in your backyard.
I think DeVito would be the #2 if something happened to Dan Dimes. Sure, Lock would get the first chance...but he’s not making it a half before they’d yank him. DeVito is inching closer and closer to the throne...
-- The Giants RBs were dominant in this game, and I have something very important/actionable to tell you about this situation...if you’re in it with this certain player...or are considering grabbing him...
The three RBs we saw in this game:
1) Rookie Tyrone Tracy (5-26-0) started, and he looked bigger and better than I remembered/scouted. He’s not great, but he’s not bad. He IS the #2 RB that will work with Devin Singletary.
2) Eric Gray (4-52-2, 4-46-0/4) was all but dead and buried in this backfield competition prior to this game but is now ‘the belle of the ball’ after scoring two TDs and amassing 98 total yards. He looked fine, but he was definitely the third best/most talented of the 3 RBs for NYG...I don’t care what the stat sheet said.
Everyone is going to go crazy, in deeper FF leagues, for Gray as a pickup...a possible #2 back for NYG now. It’s not happening. Gray is nowhere near as good as Tracy nor the #3 back in the game we’re about to talk about.
I would not advise anyone to chase Gray here...and if you already have him, now is the time to deal him. We’re at peak Eric Gray value right now.
3) UDFA rookie/not-rookie Dante Miller (12-63-0, 2-7-0/2) definitely provided a spark when he entered the game. He’s a very fast (4.2s/4.2s) unbridled runner. He was energized and confident in his time in the game...that’s what I wanted to see from him.
The Giants are going to come out of the preseason with Singletary #1, Tracy #2, Miller #3 as a satellite, gadget RB for homerun hitting hope...and Eric Gray will either be the #4 or cut.
-- Have I mentioned the Lions played in this game as well? It didn’t go well in any phase of the game, really.
All the Lions RBs looked very pedestrian and like future to-be-released guys. Rookie Sione Vaki (4-29-0) looked the best of the bunch, but even he looked skittish/tentative. The Giants RB group were just better than anything the Lions had – the Giants RBs were more confident, aggressive, and quick.
-- FINALLY, we got to see Hendon Hooker (5-9 for 36 yards, 0 TDs/0 INT) debut in the NFL...and...it...was...a...disaster. The Lions should just fold their cards on that one and not go on with the charade any longer.
Hooker looked uncomfortable...and he always, to me, looks like he thinks he’s faster a-foot than he is...so he scrambles and here the backup lineman were all over him...he did rush for 34 yards on 4 scrambles but it did not look as good as he probably thinks it did.
I cannot support the Lions for the Super Bowl if they are going to insist on Sudfeld-Hooker to backup Goff. Maybe Hooker has some upside someday, but it’s not now...now is the time for the Lions to go for a title, not to play Dynasty football and daydream about ‘what if’ Hooker is good someday. He doesn’t look legit at all.
-- No one really stood out among the Lions WRs either, in this game. The one thing that did catch my eye was how much the Lions fed the ball to Antoine Green (3-13-0/3) right away...like they were trying to test him, and he did fine. He’s battling for a #3 spot at WR...but probably works in/out with Kalif Raymond at the #3/4 role.
Camp hype WR Daurice Fountain (0-0-0/3) did not help his cause here to be in that race.
-- The Giants passing game was sloppy with wet conditions but still too many drops/missed opportunities. QB-turned-TE Tyree Jackson (2-34-0/4) got some work here but had a key drop and doesn’t really look like he’s ever gonna be ‘back’ from all his various injuries that have hurt his career.
The starting WRs that work with Drew Lock, got starved to death. Then the backup WRs that worked with DeVito were mostly let downs.
-- Jake Bates (1/1 FG from 53 yards) had been struggling in camp since ‘winning’ (for now) the starting job last week. But he did fine here in his one attempt...blasted it home easily from 50+.
