Robert Ayers Could Have a Breakout 2015 Under Steve Spagnuolo
By Christopher Gamble
@chriswgamble
Getty Images
With Steve Spagnuolo back in charge of the New York Giants’ defense it will be interesting to see how he recreates the success he had during his first stint with the team in 2007 and 2008. Gone are Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck, three defensive ends that gave opposing offensive lines nightmares. Jason Pierre-Paul could be gone if the Giants don’t place a franchise tag on him or re-sign him. Still, there is promise and there is also one player on the Giants’ roster who could enjoy a breakout year under Spagnuolo and that is Robert Ayers.
Ayers joined the Giants last year during the free agent frenzy that saw the team overhaul a lot of their roster from the 2013 season. He was coming off of a year that saw him record 5.5 sacks with the Denver Broncos in 15 games. Last season, he posted five sacks in 12 games for Big Blue and was one of their most consistent pass rushers until Pierre-Paul turned it on with a few big games in the second half.
Ayers is a talented speed rusher who should find a niche with Spagnuolo who helped make Umenyiora a star. He will find himself part of interesting packages in the new defense and will benefit from the hidden blitz packages that Spagnuolo used a lot during his first stint with the team. Assuming the Giants can re-sign Pierre-Paul, Ayers could give the Giants a potentially lethal pass rush. If Damontre Moore can live up to his talents then the Giants could have a rotation similar to the one that helped the Giants win a Super Bowl in 2007.
Obviously, there are a lot of things that would need to happen. Ayers would need to stay healthy and Moore would need to play smarter football which would allow him to stay on the field more often. The Giants would also have to re-sign Pierre-Paul. However, right now, Ayers looks to be an early beneficiary of the Spagnuolo hire. This could finally be Ayers’ breakout season.
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