Giants could be ‘top-five’ defense

Saturday was the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. It appears the Giants’ defense has skipped over Neil Armstrong’s “one small step” sentiment, instead skipping directly to his “one giant leap” proclamation.

There are more question marks on this season’s defense than there are sure things. Expectations from outside the team are as low as they have been in years, and an already weak group will have to get by without stars Landon Collins, Olivier Vernon, Damon Harrison and Eli Apple, who all were on hand this time last year.

The feeling in the Giants’ locker room, however, tells a different story.

“I do believe this defense will be better, and we will be better,” linebacker Alec Ogletree said Wednesday as the Giants reported for training camp. “Our job is to go out there and make plays as a defense. Give our offense the ball back as soon as possible. Like I said, there’s no reason for us not to be a top-10 defense, top-five. We are going to be a great defense. We’ve got the right pieces here. We have to come out here and put in the work, do things better than we did last year.”

Of course, last year’s unit finished the season ranked 24th in total yards allowed, 23rd in points per game and tied for 30th in sacks.

If the Giants are to make the quantum leap their defensive captain predicts, they will have to rely upon new faces.

The Giants notably added safety Jabrill Peppers in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade and safety Antoine Bethea and linebacker Markus Golden through free agency. They will be relying on several rookies — lineman Dexter Lawrence and cornerbacks DeAndre Baker and Julian Love — to factor into their defense right away. Second-year cornerbacks Sam Beal, who missed all of last season, and Grant Haley will be competing for starting jobs as well. Outside of eight-year veteran Janoris Jenkins, the cornerback group has little NFL experience.

There is no pass-rusher on the roster with more than B.J. Hill’s 5.5 sacks from last year.

Simply put, the defense is void of proven playmakers. It’s a situation the Giants are reveling in.

“I’ll say this,” safety Michael Thomas said. “As somebody that’s been undrafted in this league, I’m blessed to see Year 8. I embrace that, I love that, being counted out by everyone. That’s cool. I know everyone in this organization, everybody in this building, we’re ready to work. We’re ready to go out there and put it on tape. I love having something to prove. In this game you gotta prove yourself every single day. Week in and week out. I love that. I embrace it.”

The Giants have a proud tradition of defensive excellence — a history the 2019 group expects to restore.

“Everybody has their own opinion of what we’re going to do this year and what our defense is going to be,” Ogletree said. “But we have our own goals. We have our own expectations. Like I said, there’s no reason why we can’t be a top-10 defense. It’s just about us going out there and doing the right things, putting in the work that’s going to cause us to be a top-10 defense. That’s what we expect.

“This organization has a great tradition of having a great defense, and we want to be part of that as well. It’s up to us and what we do. If we do it the right way, and everybody plays for one another and competes every day, then I think we have a great opportunity to be a top-10 defense. That’s our goal for sure.”

Thomas said he doesn’t care about proving doubters wrong. Instead, he said he wants the team to prove itself right. If the Giants hope to play winning football this season, they had better.

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