Most of the concerns in the media seems to be focused on Daniel Jones and the passing attack, but the running game will also be changing and will show the characteristics of a Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka coaching marriage.
Kansas City was 16th in rushing last year with 1,955 yards as Darrel Williams and Clyde Edwards Helaire split carries. Their rushing game which features a significant amount of RPO, or run-pass option, was right in the middle of the league. This is a pretty high ranking considering they only ran 38% of the time and the run game was only a compliment to their fourth-ranked passing scheme.
Conversely, the Bills who had the 6th ranked rushing offense didn’t lean as heavily on RPO which is surprising with how often Allen ran the ball. Instead, they mixed it up with screens, zone runs, and designed runs for Allen. They would pre-snap motion for the run as well as the pass.
Team |
Total Rush Yards | Rank | Rush by QB
ATT/Yards |
Rush by RB
ATT/Yards |
Rush by WR
ATT/Yards |
Kansas City | 1955 | 16th | Mahomes 66/381 | Williams 144/558 Helaire 119/517 | Hill 9/96 Hardman 8/46 |
Buffalo | 2209 | 6th | Allen 122/763 | D.Singletary 188/870 | McKenzie 9/47 |
New York | 1688 | 24th | Jones 62/298 | Barkley 162/593 | Toney 3/6 |
What Does This Mean for the Giants?
The Giants have a run-first offensive line until proven otherwise and I believe few would argue that Saquon Barkly wasn’t a bit more versatile than those listed in the chart above. The Giant’s run game will take advantage of Daboll’s spread formations and pre-snap movements.
Both KC and Buffalo would use their receivers on designed runs, and one can now begin to see the purpose behind the drafting of Wan’dale Robinson. The fact that he might be similar to Kadarius Toney, and Buffalo receiver Isaiah McKenzie for that matter, probably was not a mistake. Robinson and Toney will be used to cause confusion in the run game much like how Barkley is used to create confusion in the passing game.
A lot of the smoke and mirrors could take some pressure off of the young offensive line who at the same time is book-ended by some very large men. Daboll will make use of 6’5” 315-pound Andrew Thomas and 6’7” 350-pound Evan Neal to get to the second level on Daboll’s off-tackle or sweep runs. It has yet to be seen how well the Giant’s guards will be able to pull or how well the rookie tight end will block. Yet if they are serviceable, Barkley could have gaps to run through that he hasn’t seen since, ever.
Between the creativity displayed last year by new head coach Brian Daboll and the Giant’s current personnel, I would have to think the Giant’s run scheme will be as modern and crafty as we assume the passing offense to be.
Fans Should Stop Expecting a High-Flying Offense and Settle for Consistency