When the New York Giants look across the field on Sunday afternoon, they’re going to see quite a few familiar faces wearing a Seattle Seahawks uniform.
On defense, they’ll be going up against quarterback Geno Smith, who made history by starting in favor of Eli Manning, ending a 222-game iron man streak in November of 2017.
Smith currently leads the NFL with 1,182 yards passing.
“He’s playing at a high level. He’s a veteran now. He’s done a really good job when you study the tape. Last year and this year, here to start out, obviously, he threw for a bunch of yards in a back-and-forth game there for a while. He’s got command,” head coach Brian Daboll said of Smith on Wednesday. “I think Geno is a guy that leads it all. Does a good job of getting the ball to those playmakers.”
If he’s elevated from the practice squad, the Giants might also see wide receiver Miles Boykin, who spent time with the team this past summer before being released in late August.
When quarterback Daniel Jones is under center, he’ll be looking across the line at several prominent former Giants, including defensive end Leonard Williams, nose tackle Johnathan Hankins, and safety Julian Love.
“Again, another guy that he’s a very smart player,” Daboll said of Love. “We knew that, obviously, here. Instinctive. He’s made a couple really good plays for them at the start of this year. I know he’s out, has a quad. We’ll see where he’s at. But, that type of guy, with the right mindset, that works the right way, you really wouldn’t expect anything else.”
Through four weeks, Love is second among all NFL safeties with a Pro Football Focus grade of 89.9. His coverage grade of 85.6 trails only two players, ironically including ex-Giants safety Xavier McKinney, who leads the league at 89.5.
Williams, meanwhile, is seventh among interior defensive linemen with a PFF grade of 80.1.
It’s certainly interesting to see all these ex-Giants finding success league-wide while the team in East Rutherford continues to flounder.
