James in Oklahoma: Kadarius Toney reminds me a lot of Stefan Diggs. Will offensive coordinator Jason Garrett will be able to utilize Toney to the max?
John Schmeelk: Diggs has developed into one of the best route runners in the NFL who can win outside or in the slotĀ - he has become a true technician. Coming out of college, however, Diggs and Toney were similar in their testing and posing a dangerous threat with the ball in their hands. If Toney can develop the technical parts of playing receiver the way Diggs has, he could be an excellent receiver in the league for a long time. Toney is a little more physical in space than Diggs and just as apt to run over a defender than run around one. Garrett has had similar "joystick" or "slash"Ā players in Dallas with Tavon Austin or even Dwayne Harris and he used those players on a lot of end arounds, jet sweeps and screen passes. These are the type of plays we will see for Toney early in his career, with his role being expanded as he gets more experience.
Peter in California: Does Elerson Smith have the kind of frame on which another 30 pounds can be added without diminishing his speed and quickness? If yes, I think he will be the draft choice everyone raves about.
John Schmeelk: Smith weighed in at 262 pounds coming out of school. Asking him to put on another 30 is not realistic nor needed and it would be surprising if he added more than 8-10. Getting into a NFL-level strength and conditioning program will only help his performance and get his body ready for the rigors of the game. For him, however, it is more about improving his technique and getting used to a higher level of competition than completely transforming his body.
Phil in Pennsylvania: I think the Giants should use more empty sets and the no-huddle offense this year and tell the rest of the NFC East to pick their poison!!!
John Schmeelk: There's a chance we see some "10" (1 RB, 4 WRs) or "1" (1 TE, 4 WRs) or "2" personnel (2 TE's, 3 WRs) groupings in some matchups this year. The offense has the personnel to role out those types of packages. The Giants ran a no-huddle on 279 plays last year, which was the second-most in the NFL and you can expect to see much of it again in 2021. But this will primarily be an offense that wants to maintain a run/pass balance and use play-action off of an effective running game. Opponents will see a steady diet of Saquon Barkley.
Single Game Tickets
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