On Sunday, the Giants will face the Panthers in Carolina, and will have to deal with dual-threat quarterback Cam Newton.
Newton can test a team through the air or on the ground, as evidenced by his 3,869 passing yards and 741 rushing yards last season.
When asked whether it is better to be aggressive when it comes to defending Newton or conservative and not letting him escape the pocket, coach Tom Coughlin said: “You’ve got issues with both, but you’ve got to close him in there and put pressure on him if you’re going to be able to control the pass aspect of the game as well. You can’t sit there and let him throw the ball.”
Despite the challenge Newton poses, the Giants defense is confident the Giants will return with a victory.
Last season, in Week 3, the Giants breezed past the Panthers, 36-7. They intercepted Newton three times and sacked him twice while holding him to only 6 yards rushing.
Linebacker Spencer Paysinger offered insight into how the Giants solved the dual-threat puzzle that is Newton and how they hope to do so again on Sunday.
“For the most part, we didn’t give him what he wanted,” Paysinger said after practice Wednesday. “We muddied up his signals so he couldn’t line up and read what we were doing. [We mixed up] our coverages and disguised really well. [We played] some guys differently and [made] his reads muddy.
“You want to take away his strongest aspect. He’s a great runner, but first and foremost, he’s a quarterback. He wants to get some passing yards, get the ball into his playmakers’ hand. If we can change up his reads, we’ll be successful.”
Defensive end Justin Tuck knows the blueprint to beating Newton starts with a simple defensive concept.
“We have to stop the run first,” Tuck said. “Teams that have gotten sacks on him have put them in situations to get sacks. This is a run-first offense — they have a great scheme and great running backs.
“When we stopped the run last week against Denver, we were playing better. When they got the run going in the second half, they were able to get play-action, move the football and score points. … When Cam is hot, he’s unstoppable. Hopefully we get him on a [day] where he’s not.”
Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who has gotten off to a slow start this season as he continues to recover from offseason back surgery, is confident in his team’s ability to neutralize Newton.
“He’s a good quarterback, but with our defense, we should be able to stop him,” he said. “I think that we play those types of quarterback very well. It’s going to be a challenge, and I’m all up for challenges.”