EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — After forcing a fumble on one of his three sacks and leading the New York Giants with 12 tackles last weekend, standout rookie Arvell Reese gave the lion's share of the credit to first-year defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson.
“Coach D-Will put me in those situations, allowed me to go make those plays,” Reese said after helping to hand Philadelphia a seventh consecutive loss. “(Wilson is) putting us in the right situations, putting us in the perfect position to go make plays.”
The Giants statistically have the fifth-best defense in the NFL since Wilson took over, a big reason why they're 5-2-1 and alone in first place in the NFC East going into their game Thursday night against Washington. They ranked 28th out of 32 teams last season on the way to finishing 4-13.
Wilson is dialing up more blitzes now than early on, and the pressure is making up for the absence of Brian Burns and Tremaine Edmunds.
“A mark of a great coach is the ability to adapt to your personnel, your circumstances, the opponent, all those things, and have a system built that’s able to do that,” coach John Harbaugh said. “Dennard and the whole coaching staff have done a great job of that. We’ve had our ups and downs. People find ways to move the ball on you. It’s hard to be perfect, but I think they’ve done a great job of adapting, and the players have done a great job of adapting and applying.”
Reese is in the middle of it all, showing why team brass chose him with the fifth pick in the draft and envisioned the Ohio State product as an every-down linebacker, not just an edge rusher. Harbaugh raved that Reese “does everything” — and while going full speed.
The stats back that up. His sack-fumble of Eagles quarterback Joe Milton in 2.29 seconds was the fastest by any player since the middle of last season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
“That’s just Arvell being Arvell,” said Micah McFadden, who stepped into the starting lineup when Edmunds was injured. “All I saw was the dude’s legs go in the air and the ball was laying right there. He had a great game. It’s fun playing next to him.”
Reese is the front-runner for AP Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, leading this class and the Giants with 68 tackles. He is the only player — not just rookie — with 65-plus tackles, eight or more of them for loss, along with at least one interception.
“A guy that plays that violent, his ability to rush the passer, his ability to play in coverage — I don’t think people give him enough credit for just how smart he is,” said cornerback Greg Newsome, who has fit in so well in Wilson’s system that he got a contract extension last week. "He’s off the ball, and then he has to go in this gap, rush this way and then he has to rush this way. That takes a lot, and for you to put that much on a plate for a rookie, that shows you how talented he is.”
The only player on the roster younger than Reese is fellow-21-year-old and first-rounder Sisi Mauigoa, taken with the 10th pick that New York got from Cincinnati for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Trading Lawrence in April, long after the first wave of free agency, opened a void, and late signings D.J. Reader and Shelby Harris are a big reason for the unit's turnaround.
The 32-year-old Reader in particular has thrived in his 11th year in the league.
“He's been an anchor for us,” Harbaugh said. “Maybe he is playing the best (football) of his career. ... He seems like he’s getting stronger every single game.”
That appears to be true of the defense as a whole, though there have been several late stops that sealed victories. Jevon Holland against Tennessee and Deonte Banks versus Arizona each had a game-saving interception in the final minute, and McFadden and Jason Pinnock were key to forcing Houston to go four-and-out in overtime.
“Guys are just stepping up,” linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux said. “As long as guys continue to believe in themselves no matter what the role is, they’ll continue to shine when their play comes.”
Responding to criticism on the Fox broadcast from tight end-turned-analyst Greg Olsen about his body language on the sideline on Sunday, top receiver Malik Nabers explained that he's a demonstrative player no matter the situation.
“Just don’t tell the world who I am if you don’t know who I am,” Nabers said Tuesday. “If I make a play, my body language is, I’m a mean guy, raging, slapping my helmet, screaming — never really smiling. But that’s just how I play the game of football.”
Two days after leaving with a hip pointer and returning to help beat Philadelphia, starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy declared himself healthy enough to play against the Commanders. It is set to be his first home start and third overall since New York acquired him from Minnesota.
Running back Cam Skattebo also is returning from the torn hamstring muscle that sidelined him against the Eagles. After the Giants did not trade for Jonathan Taylor or any other running back, and with Tyrone Tracy still out with his hamstring injury, Skattebo figures to be the No. 1 guy again.
“They know what I’m capable of," Skattebo said. "They know what I can do. As long as the guys up front take up of what’s going on up front and I can take care the rest, we’re going to be in good shape.”
Rookie cornerback Colton Hood had a splint on his left ring finger after practice. Harbaugh said Hood dislocated it during a special teams drill but would be fine.
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