It is that annual Spring ritual! Time to hype the team!!
Of course I say that in a joking manner. Every year, 32 teams are on the hype train in Spring and Summer. Some teams like the Texans can find that rare jewel, the Franchise QB. That is real. Other teams like the Gmen can find a Round 6 CB (Tre Hawkins) who fizzles.
This year, the buzz is Malik Nabers. As a Round 1 pedigree (1.06 overall), this is real. Beat reporters were gushing over him, comparing him to Odell Beckham. This is not surprising.
The WR corps will be a considerable uptick. Back to planet earth, what bears more watching is Evan Neal and the OL coaching staff. Neal has not been participating in team 7/7 & 11/11’s due to surgery this winter. We keep saying each year- how Neal goes, goes the OL and the team. At least this year we have an insurance policy in Jermaine Eluemunor, who will kick out from LG to RT if Neal struggles. This will keep the floor higher than last year. Hopefully a lot higher. But the best 5 player outcome will be if Neal can hold down RT and Eluemunor is with the 1st Unit at Guard.
RG Jon Runyan had kind words for the coaches:
“Coach Carm (Bricillo) and coach James (Ferentz) have been doing a fantastic job this off-season. We’ve really been enjoying it, liking their coaching. I can already see going back, watching a little bit of film from last season and where we are today, I feel like everything has just been meshing a lot better. Granted, we are in the beginning of June. We’ve still got a long way to go with training camp coming up, but I can feel everything moving in the right direction of where we need to be.”
Why does this matter to me? Runyan is a veteran from another system. This is his 5th year. He has made 50 starts in the past 3 seasons, starting every game except 1. He did not have to say anything about his coaches yet he is probably seeing the value of Scarnecchia er I mean Bricillo and Ferentz come through. Scarnecchia was a brutal technician. He got competency out of dogmeat and he got excellence out of pedigree. There is not teaching, only learning. Runyan is learning from these coaches. He is “liking their coaching,” which means he is seeing the value. That is very good from a veteran. Remember what Eluemunor said about Bricillo:
“Carm became my OL coach in my second year (with the Raiders). Carm helped me become a pro and a starter. He is going to put you in the best position to succeed. He will push you towards greatness… Carm is really technical, he knows what you are good at, what you can improve on.. and he will improve the things you are not good at, whether that is hand placement, eye coordination, making your feet more balanced, your core, knowing the guy you are going against, schematics. To have a guy like Carm break it down for you, and make it easier for you, takes a lot of weight off your shoulders. You can do your job and you can just play free.”
Eluemunor admits he “sucked” his first 5 years and he did not figure it out until his 6th year, 2022. What happened in 2022? Carmen Bricillo became his OL coach.
If there is going to be a turnaround in Evan Neal, if JMS is going to make strides, if Jon Runyan is going to go from Wonder’s “6/6.5” to an 8, and the Giants OL is going to come together, it is Bricillo and Ferentz (who, as a career backup, also has 2 seasons of overlap with Scarnecchia). Did you catch “making your feet more balanced”??? That is what Neal needs desperately. Wonder believes if Neal (Carm) can fix that, he will be fine.
IF the OL can finally hold it down, I have no doubts that the WR corps is going to get open. That puts Jones (or Lock) in a position to succeed. That is the Spring hype. Can Bricillo and Ferentz lever up Neal, JMS and the OL? All we need is for Neal to be average, which keeps Eluemunor inside and then everything flows from there.