Between blitz-happy coordinator Wink Martindale, No. 5-overall pick Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari, a year off setting the rookie franchise record for sacks, the Giants came into this preseason thinking their pass rush would be a definitive strength.
That still might be the case.
They also might be without Thibodeaux and Ojulari for Week 1 in Tennessee, as both are dealing with injuries picked up during training camp. Coach Brian Daboll described both as day-to-day on Wednesday, but there’s still little clarity on their status for Sept. 11, when the games start to count. Regardless, though, the Giants will at least still have Martindale and his scheme — and that gives them confidence they can pressure Ryan Tannehill whether their star edge rushers are playing or not.
“That’s gonna work,” defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence said following Wednesday’s practice. “Blitzing’s gonna work regardless of whoever’s in there. I don’t think that has to do with specific players. It’s all about scheming.”
There’s some logic in that — sending six players against five linemen is a numbers advantage. If it were a universal truth, though, then edge rusher wouldn’t be such a coveted position, and no one would think twice about blitzing all the time.
No matter how often they blitz, the Giants will need to find a way to get pressure with a four-man rush, and to do that, they’ll need something from the edge. That equation gets a lot more challenging if they are down Nos. 5 and 51.
“What gives me confidence is just seeing everybody throughout camp, throughout OTAs,” defensive tackle Leonard Williams said. “X-man [Oshane Ximines] and [Tomon] Fox and a lot of those guys that are gonna stand in place for [Thibodeaux and Ojulari] for however much time they miss. I don’t know how much time they’re gonna miss, but whoever’s in there, I have confidence that they know what they’re doing and they’re gonna execute their job.
“And I think me and Dex are gonna be able to do a good job of helping lead whoever’s up there rushing.”
If Ximines does record a sack this season, it will be his first since 2019. Fox, an undrafted free agent who made the team out of North Carolina, passed Lawrence Taylor’s career mark in sacks with the Tar Heels and will be a name to watch as the early part of the season unfolds.
Both Williams and Lawrence, who were named captains this week, saw a noticeable drop in their pass rushing numbers last season. Williams went from 11.5 sacks in 2020 to 6.5 in 2021, Lawrence from 4.0 to 2.5.
The hope is that Martindale can help those numbers recover.
“It’s hard to pinpoint one thing that goes into sack numbers or pass rushing numbers,” Williams said. “Sometimes if you’re in the second half or you’re down by a few scores, the [opposing] team is gonna run the ball. … I’m confident with coach Wink’s defensive scheme and confident in myself that I’m gonna execute it. I think those numbers are gonna go up.”
Lawrence said he loves the defense’s “fight” adding that the group has displayed strong accountability and communication.
All good qualities. All hard to substitute for high-end talent.
The Giants will hope it doesn’t come to that, which still seems possible right now.
But if it does?
“I feel pretty confident in the next two guys that step up behind them,” Lawrence said. “Rushing, you’re rushing as a whole unit. It’s not just the end, it’s the front, it’s the tackles, the DBs, the linebackers, it’s all of us buying into a rush plan. We gotta put pressure, they gotta cover.”
Simple as that.
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