The Giants are in search of a recent slate with their new regime.
With Joe Choose and Dave Gettleman out the door, Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen hope to present the Giants that ‘new car smell,’ sort of feeling.
Nevertheless, there are a number of leftovers within the locker room from the earlier regime together with two essential items to the Giants success (once they’ve had it, which wasn’t usually) over time.
Linebacker Blake Martinez and Broad receiver Sterling Shepard.
Final season, Martinez was declared out for the yr in Week 3 after tearing his ACL. Martinez racked up 151 mixed tackles in 2020, main the Giants and fourth within the NFL.
An ACL damage isn’t one thing to fiddle with. Restoration will be brutal and it’s at all times in query if the participant can return to type.
“Yeah, for me right now, it’s just focusing day by day, trying to get each checkpoint, doing things the trainers have me doing for rehab and then all of the strength staff, what they have me doing in the weight room,” Martinez mentioned. “All I can say is it’s going well and just excited to keep chopping wood and make that progress.”
With questions on restoration and general well being for the 28-year-old linebacker, the Giants and Martinez agreed to a pay lower.
Martinez accepted a pay lower of $8.4 million that may scale back his cap hit quantity to $14 million.
“I think their (the Giants) big motto is that obviously, they wanted me to stay here,” mentioned Martinez. “Obviously, you’re coming back from a knee injury, coming out here and showing us that you could be the Blake that you were before is obviously what we’re looking for.”
Somebody who finds themselves in an analogous boat to Martinez is broad receiver Sterling Shepard.
Shepard, like Martinez, suffered a significant damage ending his 2021 season. The 29-year-old tore his left Achilles tendon in Week 15 in opposition to the Dallas Cowboys.
With the identical uncertainty coming off an damage that at occasions, has ended gamers careers, the Giants and Shepard additionally agreed to a pay lower. It has not been reported the quantity that Shepard agreed to take off of his authentic $12.5 million wage in opposition to the cap.
“They wanted me here, and I wanted to be here,” mentioned Shepard. “We were able to work something out that made sense for both sides, I’ve moved on from it. Just looking forward to getting to know these guys and getting to know this playbook and trying to do my part and win games.”
Whereas each Martinez and Shepard performed beneath the Choose/Gettleman regime, Shepard has been round for fairly just a few head teaching/playbook adjustments.
That is now the fourth head coach that Shepard will play beneath throughout his six-year profession with BIg Blue. He got here into the NFL beneath Ben McAdoo who then bought changed by Pat Schurmer, then moved onto Joe Choose, and alas, now enjoying beneath head coach Brian Daboll’s offensive scheme.
Having performed beneath so many various play callers, Shepard appears to be the best man to ask how this new scheme beneath Daboll seems to be going up to now.
“Yeah, it’s (the) first day so I just got my hands on the playbook,” Shepard mentioned. “I’ve seen guys in this offense, you’ve got Cole Beasley, Stefon Diggs, and those guys I’ve seen those guys operate. It has a chance to be explosive. We just have to do our part and work hard.”
You’ll be able to perceive the cautious optimism from the Giants veteran receiver.
Simply as there’s a new sheriff on the town on the offensive facet of the ball, the Giants introduced in former Ravens defensive coordinator Wink Martindale to fill in for the well-respected Patrick Graham.
Martindale’s Ravens protection completed within the prime 5 from 2017-2019 in opponents factors per recreation and led the NFL’s greatest statistical protection in 2020. The Giants are hoping Martindale brings that very same components over to Metlife Stadium.
“Oh yeah. Everyone loves to make sacks, and make big plays,” Martinez mentioned. “Wink, it’s the first day with him today, just being able to see the culture and his mindset and just the way he kind of commands the room. I think it was just a great start to OTAs today and kind of, as I said before, just excited moving forward with him.”
The Giants veterans are hoping {that a} clear slate results in a step in the best course for his or her franchise. Whereas nothing is assured, there are positives to the Giants state of affairs.
You understand the saying, the definition of madness is doing the identical factor over and over and anticipating totally different outcomes.
The Giants cleaned home, now it’s time to search for some totally different outcomes.
