The Broncos arrive, and Patrick Graham carries some stubble on his chin.
Coincidence? No.
The Giants defensive coordinator is more concerned and this week the target of his concern is basically everyone the Broncos went out on the field on offense. When he managed to analyze the wide receivers that veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will throw on Sunday, Graham looked exhausted.
“Then, yes, it’s hard,” Graham said. “That’s why I didn’t shave.”
The Broncos don’t have a reputation for being a thread pass game, but they don’t tell Graham that. He sees Courtland Sutton, KJ Hamler, Jerry Jeudy and Tim Patrick as a fearsome quartet, trying to harness the strength of the Giants defense, their secondary.
“They have people who can run,” Graham said. “Ask any coordinator, any head coach, any DB coach,‘ Who are the people who can lead you? “They have several of these guys. They could run for you. If it’s a foot race, they could run for you.” Then you have to talk about the tightest point. [Noah Fant]. There is another guy who could run.
“Then, if the ball is thrown deep, I start again with all the deep passes. There are other passes in football, but I’m starting with all the deep passes because that’s when they can score right away. They have two guys who could jump in and go get the ball with anyone, so right there you agree, well, some things to defend right there. So, do they have something inside? Yes, they have things inside.
“Two of the fast guys are playing inside, so now there are vertical seams inside. This is difficult right there, because who do they match? ”
Debutant Kadarius Toney could be the first Giants player to touch the ball in the regular season, if the Giants entrust him with return duties. This role requires ball safety as a priority, rather than the ability to break.
“Kadarius is gaining everyone’s trust,” special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey said. “He goes out here and works. He is a rookie, he tries to find his way and lead. He will try to find his place and he is doing well. He’s different, he’s a special athlete. ”
There are other players that the Giants can use to return throws. CJ’s board is on the first list of the unofficial depth chart, but is currently part of the training squad. Jabrill Peppers appears in second place and Toney in third place. Peppers appears as the main knitter.
“We have a lot of options in this place, which is good,” McGaughey said. “We will continue to work with these guys. We’ll keep shooting them and see who ends up there in the game. ”
It looks as if Nate Ebner, signed this week, will reclaim the place where he left 2020 as a key gear in virtually every special equipment unit. Ebner, this summer, was recovering from an injury that cost him once he made the American rugby team that competed in the Tokyo Olympics.
“It’s like anything else, you have to get in the shape of football and get used to the volume,” McGaughey said. “As for the scheme and everything else, it’s good.”