The New York Giants couldn’t get their running game going in Week 1, and starter Tyrone Tracy Jr. isn’t pulling any punches about not being able to impose his will on the ground.
Tracy, the second-year starter in Big Blue’s backfield, took aim at the play-calling of offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. Particularly in the red zone during the 21-6 defeat to NFC East rivals the Washington Commanders.
Speaking with reporters, Tracy addressed one notable and damaging sequence when the Giants shunned a running play at the goal-line. The 24-year-old conceded, “I have to do what’s called, but I definitely said we needed to run the ball on the 1-yard line. I feel like everyone felt the same — whether it’s offensive line, quarterback, running back. To do the play-action pass off the 1-yard line, you have to run the ball first,” per the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy.
Tracy’s lament about Kafka’s call at the one-yard line was merely part of a troubling pattern from his offense. One where “twelve of the Giants’ 13 red-zone plays were called passes, including six of seven when it was a one-score game in the first half.”
Giants Must Trust Running Game
Kafka ignoring a potential breakout star like Tracy in key moments was surprising. Never more so than when the coordinator called the number of a backup offensive lineman instead.
As Dunleavy put it, “All you need to know about how the one-dimensional offense started the season is that the first play call from the 1-yard line — in a situation made for the offensive line and Tracy to impose their wills — was an incomplete pass to backup offensive tackle Marcus Mbow.”
The play did not go well, with former NFL defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko breaking down what went wrong. Former Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers nose tackle Fehoko explained how “LG #76 is still trynna figure out what the play is as they break the huddle which tells me it ain’t a basic down hill goal line run 2) C #61 comes to the line of scrimmage overly communicating the offenses Mike ID and assignment. If OL are giving you the answers just know it’s too good to be true. Lol.”
Fehoko’s reference to guard Jon Runyan Jr. and pivot John Michael Schmitz struggling to control the line of scrimmage is significant. It speaks to how easily the Giants were pushed around up front by the Commanders’ defensive line on running plays.
Highlights from the Commanders should be a teach tape for the Giants ahead of Week 2’s game against another divisional opponent, the Dallas Cowboys.
These plays reveal a catch-22 situation for Kafka. He’s not likely to trust the running game without better blocking, but Giants O-linemen can’t reassert themselves without more runs being called.
Fixing the problem should begin with getting Tracy more involved.
Mike Kafka Needs to Feature Tyrone Tracy Jr.
The fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft did enough as a rookie to prove he has feature back qualities. Tracy averaged an impressive 4.4 yards per rushing attempt and broke six tackles, according to Pro Football Reference.
It’s time for Kafka, who was given back the play-calling duties after head coach Brian Daboll had been too pass-happy the last two seasons, to trust the Giants’ would-be workhorse. Kafka needs to feature more of the cutback runs that made Tracy one to watch during his debut campaign.
Those plays fit Tracy’s agility and explosive speed, but the Giants still have to have better blocking. Unfortunately, “the Giants run game almost always features at least one missed block. Tyrone Tracy Jr. makes the most of this but the execution just isn’t there from the RT spot. Eventually this team needs to add some plus run blockers to the mix,” per Dan Schneier of CBS Sports.
Until the Giants can add more muscle up front, Kafka will need to get creative. Maybe by overloading the line of scrimmage with a sixth lineman, or perhaps by putting formidable blocking tight end Chris Manhertz into the backfield as a fullback.
However they do it, the Giants must establish a more physical edge and the ability to control games on the ground. Getting quarterback Russell Wilson more comfortable in the offense is important, but balance is essential for a struggling unit and coordinator already under the microscope.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Tyrone Tracy Jr. Speaks Out About Giants Play-Calling, Run Game appeared first on Heavy Sports.