81
× SAQUON BARKLEY BECOMES FOOT-
BALL’S BEST TAILBACK. On run designs,
Barkley is not quite as efficient or dis-
ciplined as the Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott,
but he has an unparalleled ability to create
his own space. With east-west fluidity and
thick thighs that allow him
to break tackles and burst
downhill from any angle,
the 6-foot, 233-pound
second-year star draws the
first legitimate comparisons
to Barry Sanders. And re-
member, Sanders never
dominated as a receiver the
way Barkley does.
× NEW YORK HAS A QB
CONTROVERSY. With Corey
Coleman out with an ACL
injury and Golden Tate
suspended four games for
a PED violation, the Giants open the sea-
son with the NFL’s worst receiving corps.
Also, their offensive tackles lack the an-
chor strength (Nate Solder) or quickness
(Mike Remmers) to secure the edges. Eli
Manning’s struggles with accuracy and
messy-pocket decision-making worsen.
But fans who want a QB change must wait.
Head coach Pat Shurmur knows that Man-
ning’s high football IQ allows New York
to check in and out of plays at the line
of scrimmage, which is critical in an of-
fense built around its mismatch-making
pieces, Barkley and tight end Evan En-
gram. Those adjustments are the Giants’
only hope on offense, and they would lose
that by giving the ball to first-round rookie
Daniel Jones from Duke.
× THE DEFENSE ATTACKS. After using
safe zone coverage to survive the growing
pains of his young defensive backs last
year, coordinator James Bettcher dips into
the bag of blitzes that defined his play-
calling in Arizona. He can do this because
he is more comfortable with
the coverage now that veter-
an Antoine Bethea is at free
safety. Bettcher also trusts
the route-jumping prowess
of cornerback Janoris Jen-
kins and is more confident
in the starter opposite him,
be it first-round rookie
DeAndre Baker (Georgia)
or 2018 supplemental third-
rounder Sam Beal. This
helps a D thin on proven
edge rushers.
× THE RUN D DOMINATES.
B.J. Hill and Dalvin Tomlinson, al-
ready one of the league’s best young de-
fensive linemen tandems, are bolstered
by the arrival of first-round rookie Dexter
Lawrence (Clemson). The Giants align in
condensed defensive fronts, leaving oppo-
nents with no option other than to run
outside, where they must contend with
speedy linebacker Alec Ogletree.
WHAT LIES AHEAD
The offense is saddled with iffy tackles and inferior wideouts, so the Giants need to
get big plays from a defense that is good but not great. That makes for a long season.
SI’S 2019
PREDITION
4 – 12
2018 RECORD 5Ð 11
SEP T. 8
@ DAL
SEP T. 15
VS. BUF
SEP T. 22
@ TB
SEP T. 2 9
VS. WAS
OC T. 6
VS. MIN
OC T. 1 0
@ NE
OC T. 2 0
VS. ARI
OC T. 2 7
@ DET
NOV. 4
VS. DAL
NOV. 10
@ N YJ
NOV. 17
BYE
NOV. 24
@ CHI
DEC. 1
VS. GB
DEC. 9
@ PHI
DEC. 15
VS. MIA
DEC. 22
@ WAS
DEC. 29
VS. PHI
St
re
ng
th
QB
23
RB
2
WR/TE
31
OL
30
FRONT 7
18
DB
23
JIM
MC
ISA
AC
/GE
TTY
IM
AGE
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ARK
LEY
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RO
BB
INS
/GE
TTY
IM
AGE
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NEW
YORK
