The New York Giants are 6-3. As week 11 of the NFL regular season begins it feels really good to say that as a Giants fan. Credit can be given to players on both sides of the ball. Odell Beckham, Jr. is still impressively setting records and fans finally got to see Rashad Jennings make a decent run last week, but the real difference makers have been on the defense. Now there are several defense players that have stepped up, but this season, especially in the last three weeks, Landon Collins is one of the main players that has really proven himself and impresses week after week.
A Difference Maker in Landon Collins
Off-Season Success
Watching the success of this defense, you must admit comes as a bit of a surprise. Hearing names like Janoris Jenkins and Olivier Vernon being signed was exciting. Hearing about all the money spent made it seem like the Giants were really trying to secure as much as they could defensively and not rely as much on the draft alone. But as everyone knows, these things don’t always work out.
To add to things Steve Spagnuolo was preparing for his second season during his second stint with the Giants as defensive coordinator and the 2015 season did not go well with the Giants being ranked 30 and 32 in points and yards allowed respectively. This was another reason fans thought they needed to keep expectations low. But this defense has really come together and been reliable when things on the other side of the ball don’t seem to be working as well.
As starting safety, Collins is a product of the second round of the 2015 draft for the Giants. Coming from Nick Saban’s always highly selective defense, Collins had a quiet start his rookie year. He had his first interception late in the year in a loss to Philadelphia, but this season the talent all around on defense, as well as his own development as a player have definitely elevated Collins’ play.
The One to Watch
Through nine games, Collins already has 75% of the tackles he did from all of last season combined with 80. Along with four interceptions, with one returned for a touchdown that made you wonder if maybe he should be playing some offensive snaps as well, one forced fumble, three sacks, and seven pass deflections so far this season. Impressively enough, Collins had all four interceptions in the last three games, which often has been the difference in a close Giants win. Which means Collins is making plays when it matters most and helping the team secure wins that otherwise may have slipped away.
More to Come
Collins is exciting to watch, his passion for the game and to think that it is only his second year in the league. There is a lot more to come from him and undoubtedly he will only continue to get better. While fans wait for the Giants’ offense to improve on the scoring front and lessen the turnovers, the defense has proven that defense does in fact win games. With three division games remaining and seven games remaining in total, the Giants need Collins’ help to secure a top spot in the NFC East and make it the play-offs.
