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The Broncos arrive and Patrick Graham wears thatch on his chin.
Coincidence? Nope.
The Giants’ defensive coordinator is one more worried, and this week the object of his concern is essentially everyone the Broncos have put on the field in attack. When he finished analyzing the wide receivers that veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will throw him to on Sunday, Graham looked exhausted.
“So, yeah, it’s tough,” Graham said. “That’s why I didn’t shave. ”
The Broncos don’t have a reputation for being a high-flying passing game, but don’t tell Graham. He sees Courtland Sutton, KJ Hamler, Jerry Jeudy and Tim Patrick as a formidable quartet, attempting to tackle the strength of the Giants’ defense, their secondary.
“They have people who can run,” Graham said. “You ask any coordinator, any head coach, any DB coach, the first thing, ‘Who are the people who can lead by you? They have several of these guys. They could run by you. If it’s a run, they might be running next to you. “Then you have to talk about the tight end [Noah Fant]. There is another guy who could run.
“Then if the ball is thrown deep – again, I start with all the deep passes. There are other passes in football, but I start with all the deep passes because that’s when they can score straight away. They have two guys who could just jump in and go get the ball with anyone, so there you’re like, OK, a few things to defend right there. So, do they have something inside? Yes, they have things inside.
“Two of the quick guys are playing on the inside, so now it’s vertical seams on the inside. It’s difficult there because who are they matched with? ”
Rookie Kadarius Toney could be the first Giants player to touch the ball in the regular season – if the Giants give him the kick-off return duties. This role requires the safety of the ball as a priority, more than the ability to escape.
“Kadarius wins everyone’s trust,” said special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey. “He comes out here and he works. He is a beginner, he tries to find his way and to lead. He’s going to try to find his niche and he’s doing a good job, he is. He’s different, he’s a special athlete. ”
There are other players the Giants can use to return kickoffs. CJ Board is listed first on the unofficial depth chart, but is currently on the practice squad. Jabrill Peppers is ranked second and Toney third. Peppers is listed as the main punt turner.
“We have a bunch of options there, which is good,” McGaughey said. “We’re just going to keep working with these guys. We’re going to keep rolling them and see who ends up there in the game. ”
It looks like Nate Ebner, signed this week, is picking up where he left off in 2020 as a key cog in virtually every special team unit. This summer, Ebner recovered from an injury that cost him a chance to make the US rugby team that competed in the Tokyo Olympics.
“It’s like anything else, he has to get in shape and get used to the volume,” McGaughey said. “As far as the plan and everything, it’s good.”
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