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The New York Giants have taken steps in addressing their linebacker situation, which has developed into one of the defense’s biggest concerns through the first two weeks of the season.
On Tuesday, the Giants worked out linebackers Jonathan Goff and Leroy Hill.
Goff spent the first three years of his career with the Giants after they drafted him in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He tore his ACL prior to the 2011 season and then tore the same ACL last year as a member of the Washington Redskins.
Leroy Hill is a veteran linebacker who spent seven years with the Seattle Seahawks.
Signing Goff would be a smart move for New York. He has NFL experience yet he is still young. Goff recorded 80 total tackles in 2010 and he already knows this Giants system. He won’t need a grace period and could be poised to make an immediate impact.
Starting middle linebacker Dan Connor is out for the season and backup Mark Herzlich is not ready for a full-time role. He is too slow and not athletic enough to play in coverage schemes. Linebackers Keith Rivers and Spencer Paysinger looked slow and constantly out of place against the Denver Broncos.
The Giants like to use three cornerbacks with Terrell Thomas, but they won’t be able to play a nickel package for an entire game against good running teams.
On Sunday, New York allowed Knowshon Moreno to rush for 93 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries. Moreno compiled just 28 rushing yards the week before against the Baltimore Ravens. If they Giants can’t stop mid-level players like Moreno, they are going to get torched when they face greater competition, like Adrian Peterson, later in the season.
The Giants cannot leave the linebacker unit alone. Measures have to be taken because this current group is simply not talented enough to make a positive defensive impact.
Daniel Brennan covers the New York Giants for www.RantSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter @DBrennan30 and add him to your network on Google.
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