If defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is working on a secret cloning machine, now would be a good time to reveal it.
As the Giants learned the last time they faced the Cowboys, sticking Pro Bowler James Bradberry by Amari Cooper achieves so much when Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb are also 1-caliber receivers.
“All three of these guys could fit into that label of being a top receiver for a team and a type of feature match,” said Giants coach Joe Judge.
What distinguishes the Cowboys trio? The statistics tell part of the story, as Cooper, Gallup and Lamb are responsible for 210 catches, 2,759 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in 15 games. Darius Slayton, the leader of the Giants in the reception of the courts, will be the fourth on the Cowboys.
“You get a lot of receivers throughout the league, which can be bigger, faster targets, which are threats from the field. Then you will get other guys who are probably smaller, faster, who are threats of capture and execution, ”the judge said.
“All the boys are good size, have very good speed, can increase their speed and maintain their speed on the field, they have good hands to make contested catches, but they do an exceptional job of expanding the games.”
The songs on the recent game tapes live fresh in the judge’s mind: Cooper on a tilt, Gallup on a screen, Lamb sits in the middle. All big winners without the risk of a deep blow.
You might think about running Ezekiel Elliott first when it comes to the Cowboys offense, but the receiving body is what makes this match so difficult for the Giants in so many ways.
“I get all these awards, block?” Graham said. “The thing I’m being shown is the boys coming in and blocking.”
And they are rewarded by air. Bradberry kept Cooper under control in a 5th week meeting, but Lamb had eight catches for 124 yards and Gallup made back-to-back catches covering 57 yards to set the winning goal.
“This is a special group,” said Xavier McKinney. “We’re definitely coming into the game ready and ready for a dog fight.”
McKinney missed the first rivalry game after leg surgery, but is now part of the Giants’ secondary strength: a three-fuse rotation with Jabrill Peppers and Logan Ryan.
McKinney is in the slot longer than expected before the injury in the training camp, although his debutant teammate Darnay Holmes (knee) is on the verge of returning after missing three consecutive games.
McKinney and Lamb once shared in a national football semifinal at College Football, when McKinney’s Alabama defeated Oklahoma, despite Lamb catching eight passes for 109 yards from Kyler Murray.
“I always thought he was a great receiver,” McKinney said. “It was definitely a problem to solve in college.”
Graham relied on covering the disguised area to protect his inexperienced defenders, but the defenders are beginning to find their weaknesses. There’s nothing veteran Andy Dalton hasn’t seen.
“He is very smart to understand where he has to go with the ball,” the judge said. “It doesn’t last long. Most of his passes are indeed completed in 20 meters. But that doesn’t mean it’s not an explosive piece. “