{"id":1959,"date":"2023-08-03T12:11:23","date_gmt":"2023-08-03T12:11:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsbuzz24x7.com\/facing-unicorn-darren-waller-every-day-makes-giants-defenders-glad-hes-on-their-team\/"},"modified":"2023-08-03T12:11:23","modified_gmt":"2023-08-03T12:11:23","slug":"facing-unicorn-darren-waller-every-day-makes-giants-defenders-glad-hes-on-their-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsbuzz24x7.com\/facing-unicorn-darren-waller-every-day-makes-giants-defenders-glad-hes-on-their-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Facing \u2018unicorn\u2019 Darren Waller every day makes Giants defenders glad he\u2019s on their team"},"content":{"rendered":"

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. \u2014 \u201cUnicorn.\u201d \u201cLocomotive.\u201d \u201cAthletic freak.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s being compared to a mythical animal or high-speed transportation, Giants tight end Darren Waller has been making quite an impression on his new teammates since being traded to New York this spring. In the early days of training camp, all you have to do is keep an eye on Waller for a few minutes to understand why they keep bestowing such flattering monikers on him. You\u2019ll quickly learn \u201cathletic freak\u201d veers more toward truth than exaggeration.<\/p>\n

So now think about the defensive players tasked with guarding the 6-foot-6, 245-pound tight end. Think about 5-foot-10 cornerback Darnay Holmes trying to stop Waller from catching a perfectly lofted Daniel Jones pass, 2 feet above Holmes\u2019 head.<\/p>\n

Holmes never had a chance to catch up with the tight end as he jumped. On a play like that, the only thing he can do is try to limit the damage and make sure there are no yards after the catch.<\/p>\n

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Darren Waller easy pic.twitter.com\/vvA8vgLuWn<\/p>\n

\u2014 Talkin\u2019 Giants (@TalkinGiants) July 29, 2023<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThere really ain\u2019t much you can dive deep into that, because you look at a guy who\u2019s my height, his height \u2014 I\u2019m not a guy who\u2019s afraid of body type,\u201d Holmes said. \u201cBut at the end of the day, he got the good genetics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wide receiver Sterling Shepard, who also measures 5 feet 10, just shook his head and called the tight end a \u201cmonster\u201d as he brought up the aforementioned catch.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was telling D.J. (Jones), I was like, \u2018Man, look, that thing would\u2019ve been sailing over my head,\u2019\u201d Shepard said. \u201cThat boy Wall came out of nowhere! He looks good, though. He\u2019s a freak.\u201d<\/p>\n

But as the cornerback and others on defense will attest, going up against Waller only has its benefits. Giants defenders have been speaking to one another about those rewards.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m getting the best work I\u2019m gonna get,\u201d safety Jason Pinnock said. \u201cI\u2019m not going to face a tight end like Waller any other given Sunday. So this is the best work. He\u2019s the best in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

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It hasn’t taken long to recognize that Darren Waller is *different.* That and more in my early camp takeaways: https:\/\/t.co\/xxeK5aV5SF pic.twitter.com\/SCqgcvb3HW<\/p>\n

\u2014 Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) August 1, 2023<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

What makes Waller supreme in their eyes? It starts with Waller\u2019s length; he has a huge catch radius. But it goes beyond that, of course.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s fast because of his stride length,\u201d Pinnock said. \u201cEvery other safety or DB who\u2019s probably 5-foot-11-ish has to probably take two whole strides for his one. So you\u2019re playing catch-up the whole time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Safety Xavier McKinney noted Waller\u2019s great hands and ability to run routes like a regular wideout. Having to be on Waller puts McKinney on high alert because he knows every play is a chance for Waller to get the ball.<\/p>\n

Most conversations about Waller with Giants defenders\u00a0end the same way. They\u2019re just relieved that, come the season, Waller is on their side.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeast,\u201d cornerback\/safety Nick McCloud said. \u201cThere\u2019s no other way to describe it. It\u2019s just good work for everybody. Corner, nickel, safety \u2014 it\u2019s good work for everybody. He moves like a receiver, but he\u2019s big like a tight end. We definitely want him on our team rather than going against him.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Darren Waller makes safeties look so tiny pic.twitter.com\/BSKaryunB9<\/p>\n

\u2014 Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) July 30, 2023<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The feeling is mutual, and Waller is embracing his new opportunity.<\/p>\n

Early in his tenure in New York, Waller praised the sense of empowerment he was feeling; with the Giants, there is an ability to add personality and offer input to coaches. Now, in the initial days of training camp, that open dialogue with coach Brian Daboll and others on the staff is translating to the field.<\/p>\n

Waller said he has a \u201ccertain freedom on certain routes to where it doesn\u2019t have to be super rigid or a way that it\u2019s drawn up in the playbook.\u201d He\u2019s learning from the coaching staff\u2019s history with tight ends like Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce, and he\u2019s able to offer input from his experience.<\/p>\n

Take how Waller might set up on a route in a third-and-short situation. The playbook will have its guidance, but Waller is permitted to improvise a bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can put your own little sauce on it and get open,\u201d Waller said. \u201cIt\u2019s encouraged as long as the fundamentals are there and your knowledge of what the defense is doing and your timing and the concept is there. So, it\u2019s little things like that. It\u2019s not anything drastic, but it\u2019s just really small details of a route that you probably can\u2019t even notice.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nuances may be imperceptible, but Waller\u2019s impact in just the first week of camp definitely is. He\u2019s been a favorite early target of Jones\u2019, and he owns a share of the team lead, with Darius Slayton, in receptions during 11-on-11 with 10.<\/p>\n

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\"go-deeper\"\/<\/div>\n
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GO DEEPER<\/p>\n

Giants practice report: Rookie CB Tre Hawkins has an impressive start<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The biggest key for the Giants this season will be keeping their star tight end healthy. Waller has missed 14 games over the past two years due to various injuries, most recently to his hamstring. The coaching and training staffs are cognizant of Waller\u2019s injury history, and they\u2019ve developed a plan they believe will keep him healthy. It might involve fewer reps or a day off, but Daboll said the \u201cthree days on, one day off\u201d practice schedule is conducive to players taking care of their bodies.<\/p>\n

If their plan works, the potential impact of Waller\u2019s assimilation into the offense is tantalizing to imagine. There likely will be a lot more tight-end-heavy packages \u2014 they were 16th in multi-tight-end looks last year \u2014 which should make it harder on defenses to know whether a run or pass is coming.<\/p>\n

Daniel Bellinger, who played 72 percent of the offensive snaps during his rookie season, and Lawrence Cager have been getting work with the first unit as the Giants experiment with multi-tight-end personnel this summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cHim making plays like that (a leaping catch) does nothing but open things up for everybody else,\u201d Bellinger said. \u201cIt opens up so many possibilities that (offensive coordinator Mike Kafka) can call, that Dabes can call. I think it\u2019s a lot of fun \u2019cause now we have plays that there\u2019s no really limit to them. We can move guys around. We can get guys in a certain spot, and it\u2019s like, \u2018OK, the defense is giving us this look, let\u2019s switch, and now a defense doesn\u2019t know what to do.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"go-deeper\"\/<\/div>\n
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GO DEEPER<\/p>\n

QB Tiers: How do Giants feel about Daniel Jones’ ranking? ‘I’ll ride or die with him’<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Bellinger\u2019s already been working on how to best complement Waller. He has studied various tight ends and has been paying special attention to how ex-Raiders tight end Foster Moreau previously worked with Waller in two-tight-end sets. While specific personnel will come with certain on-field situations, Bellinger\u2019s been picking Waller\u2019s brain for how he approaches routes and thinks about plays.<\/p>\n

Waller is happy to help in any way he can. He\u2019s also happy to take the compliments from the locker room, but he\u2019s more concerned about what he brings to the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess it\u2019s just for my size and my weight, and I guess the way that I run and the multitude of routes that I try to be comfortable running, and a lot of guys don\u2019t necessarily do that,\u201d Waller said. \u201cBut it\u2019s just coming in with a mindset of, \u2018I don\u2019t want to be limited in any part of my game.\u2019 Whatever they want to line me up and run at, I want to be able to do that and be effective at it and not just be like, \u2018Oh, man, I\u2019m not really that good at that,\u2019 or, \u2018I can\u2019t do that.\u2019 I want to be able to do everything and just present myself as a viable option to the quarterback every time I run a route.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Photo: Rich Schultz \/ Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe Football 100,\u201d the definitive ranking of the NFL\u2019s best 100 players of all time, goes on sale this fall. Pre-order it\u00a0here.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n