* = Rookie
The Premier Madden League’s new cycle is about to kick off. Coach Burn has been officially hired as the new head coach of the New York Giants. The Giants are bringing back Burn for another cycle after having him as their coach just a few cycles ago. Coach Burn had this to say about being hired as the new head coach, ” I am excited to be here with this team. The team has changed dramatically since I was head coach and we will be installing a new approach to the team.” I have seen the roster and I will be going over both the offensive and defensive depth charts. We went through the offense in the last article and in this one we will finish with the defense. We will go position by position and have a small breakdown of each player on the starting roster, starting with the Defensive End.
Left Defensive End: A’shawn Robinson 74
Robinson was brought in as a free agent and he will be a stop gap at end on base plays only. Beyond that he will be used as a backup whenever he is needed. He will only be kept for one season, with his replacement being drafted next season.
Right Defensive End: Leonard Williams 82
Williams is on his last year of his contract and a decision will need to be made at the end of the season on if the Giants want to re-sign him or not. Williams is a good usable player, however, he isn’t the fastest or strongest guy. He is someone who can take up space and move people while scoring a few sacks per year. He will be used primarily as the second defensive tackle when not in base formations.
Defensive Tackle: Dexter Lawrence 94
Lawrence has always been a good player, however, he exploded last season into one of the best defensive tackles in the game. He is the Giants only superstar on defense. He has one of the best abilities in the game, inside stuff and will look to be the primary guy in stuffing the opponents run game. WIth teams committing two players to block him, it will free up the Giants edge rushers and help out the defense tremendously.
Left Outside Linebacker: Azeez Ojulari 76
Ojulari is a pass rushing specialist. He has 86 speed, 91 acceleration, and 77 strength. He has all of the right tools to get to and take down the quarterback. This is exactly the position that Coach Burn will have him playing in his defense. With defenders doubling Lawrence, look for Ojulari to get double digit sacks this season.
Middle Linebacker: Bobby Okereke 81
The Giants linebacking core suffered desperately when it came to pass defense. They didn’t have anyone who could run sideline to sideline and cover running backs and tight ends. They went out and signed free agent Okereke to do just that. With his 89 speed and 90 acceleration, he will command the middle of the field, while also running sideline to sideline if necessary.
Right Outside Linebacker: Kayvon Thibodeaux 80
The rookie sensation from last year didn’t live up to his own high expectations with the number of sacks he ended with, however, for the Giants leadership he was as good as advertised. His physical gifts of 88 speed, 90 acceleration, and 81 strength help him propel off of the line of scrimmage, making his way straight to the quarterback. He had a lot of quarterback pressures last season and this year he has vowed to seal the deal and get those sacks. With Lawrence and Williams in the middle, and Ojulari on the other side, someone will always be facing a lineman one on one. When it is Thib one on one versus anyone, we like his chances.
Cornerback:
Adoree Jackson 81: All of these young cornerbacks that were brought in have to have some guidance and this is where Jackson comes into play. At 27, he is getting a little older, however, he still boasts some impressive physical feats with 93 speed, 94 acceleration, and 93 jumping. He will be the top cornerback of the roster and will mentor these young guys to eventually take over and dominate.
*Deonte Banks 76: The Giants had a major need at corner this offseason and picked up one of the best in the draft. Banks is 6’2 with 94 speed, 97 acceleration, and 96 jumping. He is a defensive coordinator’s dream cornerback. He has some work to do in improving his zone coverage, however, he can do anything that is asked of him. The Giants will be leaving him alone a lot with their man blitz scheme and given what we’ve seen so far, he will have a strong case for defensive rookie of the year come season’s end.
Aaron Robinson 71: The Giants boast one of the fastest defensive back groups in the league. For the third and fourth string corners to be the slowests on the team is not a luxury that most teams have. Robinson has 93 speed, 91 acceleration and will be used a lot in the slot when he comes back from his injury. He has a four week injury, however, it will most likely be turned into eight weeks with how the injured reserve system works.
*Tre Hawkins 65: 6’2 92 speed, 94 acceleration, 89 jumping for a rookie corner would make most defensive coordinators salivate. He is a very raw player who will look for guidance from his peers, however, to not use him would be a disservice to the team. He will play as the fourth corner on the team, with the expectation that when his man and zone rating increase, he will become a starting player.
Safety:
Xavier Mckinney 80: At 86 speed, Mckinney is the slowest defensive back that the Giants starting lineup has in it. Although he isn’t the fastest player, Mckinney has the coverage ability to keep up with most in the league. He is on a contract year and Coach Burn is still unsure whether he wants someone so slow on his starting unit. It will be up to Mckinney to change that notion this season, or maybe he is blessed with a speed coordinator which would render that question moot.
Isaiah Simmons 79: The newest player on the Giants roster is quite possibly one of the most useful on their team. The Cardinals tank year started by accepting a trade that sent Simmons to the Giants for a 7th round pick. Simmons hasnt had the best time in Arizona, however, any player that is only 25 years old and 6 ‘4 with 93 speed, 92 acceleration, and 93 jumping is always worth a 7th round pick. Simmons will be at safety and sub linebacker for the Giants. He is in for a resurgence on this track defense.
The Giants don’t have the best overall players on defense, however, they do have one of the fastest teams on defense. Starting out the league with a team full of fast players will always help a rebuild. Coach Burn will immediately get this team bumped up in ratings and soon, they will be a team not only with speed, but coverage ability as well. We know that the Eagles and Cowboys roster is chalk full of high overall superstar players but the Giants organization has a good feeling about their team and ability to compete for the division crown.
