you get the ball or you Get the ball.
Spreading the wealth in the passing game is part of what the Giants have been aiming for in the first four games of the season, already in danger of slipping away, largely due to a scoring attack that simply didn't score enough points. It wasn't a department.
You can't really hide what the Giants want to do when they have the ball.
First option: Throw to rookie Malik Nabers.
Second option: Throw to Wan'Dale Robinson.
Third option: Anything.
Well, “whatever” isn't exactly the approach taken by head coach and offensive play-caller Brian Daboll.
Darius Slayton is a strong ball-runner, but is a distant third in the passing game pecking order.
Nabers is used in Overdrive.
When the Giants threw the ball, he was targeted 38 percent of the time (52 targets on 136 attempts), the highest target rate in the NFL heading into this weekend.
Robinson was not far behind with 38 goals.
Nabors and Robinson combined for 66 percent of Daniel Jones' targets.
Shall we share the ball?
Between the two players, of course.
“I try to do what I can to get the ball into the hands of the playmakers,” Daboll said. “I think those two are good playmakers for us, they throw the ball 40 times. [vs. the Cowboys] And they account for half of it, and the rest disappears. I thought Slay did a good job of creating separation. He had several chances. He might have had about five. [receptions] If over 100 [yards].
“We're asking them, especially our tight end guys, to block a fair amount. Use it for protection. But I think everyone has execution on their own plays, but… You certainly try to get the ball to guys like Malik, Wander, Slay that you think can do something with the ball in their hands.”
Is this sustainable?
Should it be?
Jalin Hiatt, a speedy receiver who is expected to make further strides in his second year, has not seen any action.
He was targeted only three times, and no prey was found.
Rookie tight end Theo Johnson has three receptions and Daniel Bellinger has two.
Five catches from the tight end position is basically an afterthought mode of operation.
Would having a tight end involved as a pass catcher make the offense more balanced?
“I think you can certainly say that,” Robinson said. “At the end of the day, guys have to go out and get open. I think DJ just goes through his reads, sees what he sees and gets the ball to whoever. We just have to keep going every week and do what we have to do and do what we can do as an offense just to go out there and make plays.”
Nabers returned from Thursday night's 20-15 loss to the Cowboys with a concussion and is now in compliance.
He doesn't appear to have any serious symptoms, and with the Giants next scheduled to play in Seattle on Sunday, 10 days between games could be beneficial to him.
I don't think any receiver would complain about seeing the ball fly at them too often.
However, too much activity can be a factor in wide receivers not being able to make the plays they need.
Through three games, the Giants were second in the league in dropped passes with 10, giving them an unacceptable drop rate of 8.5 percent.
And in Week 4, Nabors, Robinson, and Slayton all dropped, which proved to be costly as Jones wasn't helped by who he was throwing to.
“He's been playing great the last couple of weeks. He's been playing really good ball,” Slayton said. “To be honest, the rest of us either didn't take the penalty or didn't make a play on the ball.”
And catching the ball more consistently will help.
“We as receivers feel like we need to catch every ball,” Robinson said. “Especially when it hits our hands. So it's our responsibility. At the end of the day, even if it wasn't a perfect ball, we played those balls for Daniel. We have to make plays. For us, it's just a matter of watching it all the way through and making sure we don't try to do too much before we catch it all the way.”
