Oct 282019
 
Leonard Williams, New York Jets (December 24, 2017)

Leonard Williams – © USA TODAY Sports

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GIANTS TRADE FOR LEONARD WILLIAMS…
Although not official, the New York Giants have acquired New York Jets defensive end Leonard Williams by trade. According to The NFL Network, the Jets will receive the Giants’ 2020 3rd-round pick plus a 2021 4th-round pick if the Giants and Williams agree to a new contract before free agency. If they do not, then the Jets would receive the 2021 5th-round pick. The Jets will also pick up $4 million of Williams’ 2019 compensation. Williams is in the final year of his 5-year, rookie contract and is scheduled to make $14,200,000 in salary this year.

The 25-year old, 6’5”, 302-pound Williams was the sixth player taken overall in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Jets. In four and a half seasons with the Jets, Williams has started 70 games, accruing 240 tackles, 17 sacks, one interception, and two forced fumbles. His best season was 2016, when he was credited with 68 tackles and seven sacks. In seven starts this year, Williams has accrued 20 tackles and no sacks.

GIANTS SHOPPING OTHER PLAYERS…
The NFL Network is reporting that the New York Giants have shopped and are open to trading linebacker Alec Ogletree, cornerback Janoris Jenkins, and possibly left tackle Nate Solder.

MONDAY PAT SHURMUR CONFERENCE CALL…
New York Giants Head Coach Pat Shurmur addressed the media by conference call on Monday to discuss the team’s 31-26 loss to the Detroit Lions:

Q: What was your reaction last night when you heard the players wanted a players only meeting? What is your history and experience over the years with players only meetings and what does it say that they want to do that?
A: I think it’s good, I was made aware of their comments after the game. I think we are all disappointed that we lost, I think it’s pretty obvious we fell a couple plays short of winning that football game. I think they are going to get together and discuss it, that’s a players only thing. I think this was addressed after the game with the coaches and the players, we need to keep working, we have to be very intentional with how we do things, which we have been, but we have to find ways to get better at everything we do so that shows up on game day and we make more plays.

Q: As you look at Daniel through six games, how would you assess the totality of his development? Where have you seen the most progress?
A: I think there’s areas in each game where he has shown improvement just playing quarterback. Just focused on yesterday, I think we had the play where he gets hit, the ball goes backwards, and it becomes a fumble, but he stays in the moment and he just keeps playing. I keep saying this each week, but he’s tough and he’s resilient and he competes, and he fights and he tries to do everything right. There’s plenty of production, things he did in terms of getting us in the right protection. There were some run checks he executed properly, I think he made some nice throws, he scrambled around, a couple of zone reads. I think the important thing for him is to continue to put more good plays on tape, continue to get the ball off on time and try to eliminate the mistakes that can wrongly affect the game.

Q: You alluded to those pre-snap checks, are you guys as a coaching staff adding more of those to him in terms of stuff he can check out of at the line of scrimmage?
A: It’s been part of what he has been able to do since we put him in against Tampa. I think that’s part of what he’s able to do and you have to be able to do that. Defenses are too good, they are too multiple, and they do things within plays that changes need to be made. That’s part of why he’s had success.

Q: Where do you think is the biggest area he can still grow in this learning process?
A: I think he can improve in all areas of his game. That’s what happens with a young player, he goes through the game, there are a handful of throws that he maybe could throw better. There’s a couple times maybe he could have done something different with the football. You are always working on your decision making, your timing, your accuracy and just in general what the quarterback has to do to in terms of managing the game. That’s constant, that’s a continual process for a rookie, as it would be for anybody that’s even a veteran.

Q: Any news on the injury front, particularly Sterling Shepard?
A: No, not really. Everything we did today was in the meeting room, we weren’t on the practice field. He’s still in the protocol, so to speak, he’s been out there running around. We’ll just have to see what the week brings.

Q: The trade deadline is tomorrow, what are your expectations for that?
A: I really don’t have anything expectation wise, there’s really nothing to add to all that.

Q: There has been talk of Janoris Jenkins possibly being moved, how would you look at that, losing a good player if that were the case?
A: I guess it has been rumored that he is being moved all the time. I don’t know of any conversations to do that. It’s purely hypothetical with regards to him.

Q: How much input do you have around these times? Obviously, Dave (Gettleman) makes the decisions of who stays and who goes, but can you kind of characterize what kind of input level you have?
A: We talk about everything. We talk about everything with regard to how the games play out, we talk about everything personnel wise. Put trades aside, we’re always making little roster adjustments each week, depending on covering up for injuries or trying to improve the roster. We talk. It’s pretty fluid in terms of our conversation.

Q: They seemed to want you to return the kickoffs. Why were you unable to get anything going there?
A: I think it just pretty much came down to execution. I thought they… That’s something that they do. That’s part of what they do. As we looked through it today, it’s a block here and a block there. It’s not the same thing every time. But I certainly think we need to clean that up moving forward.

Q: How did you think (Deone) Bucannon played in his first time out after you had a chance to check out the film?
A: He had a handful of reps in there. I thought he did a pretty good job really for the first time out. Obviously, look forward to giving him more reps as we go. So, pretty good outing for the first time.

Q: Is there anything you could do, you could figure out to try to avoid some of these slow starts? 14-0 in the first quarter the last two games is really unprecedented around the Giants. Is there anything you can do to help the defense, help the offense change something, do something to change, because these slow starts are really putting your team behind these last four games?
A: Yeah, I think that’s true. I think we just need to play better early. We find a way through the middle and the later part of the games to make enough plays. Defensively, we get settled down throughout the middle and later in the game and make plays that are significant. Then certainly, you don’t like the turnovers that go for scores. That’s something that you obviously want to avoid at any point. But you’re right, because what happens is you have to get away from some of the things that you had planned to do when the game was in the balance. You never want to do that.

Q: My colleague, Ian Rapoport, I just saw on Twitter, is reporting that Leonard Williams from the Jets has been traded to the Giants. Do you have a reaction to that?
A: I don’t. I don’t. Again, I wouldn’t comment on all of that until anything was public.

Q: I know after the game, you said there weren’t any injuries you knew of. Has that changed at all?
A: No, not really. Just I would call them game soreness. Nothing. No injury changes. Nothing significant. We actually, as games go, we pulled out of this one pretty well.

Q: What do you think of the way your d-line has played, and I’d hearken back as well to Paul Schwartz’s question about the slow starts that have been apparent the last couple of weeks?
A: Each guy up front has had an impact and played pretty good at times. Forget just the d-line. I think we’ve been inconsistent in all of the groups. Yesterday was probably one of B.J. Hill’s better outings. Going forward, I think Dexter Lawrence is battling and playing hard, and Dalvin (Tomlinson). Those are the three guys that come to mind right now that are very steady. I think we have to get better and certainly we all have to play better to win these games. But I think they’re making improvements.

Q: Where would another starting-caliber defensive lineman sort of fit into the mix in your estimation?
A: On our defense? I think we’re looking to upgrade in really every area. So yeah, he’d be in the mix if we added one.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts of Monday’s media conference calls with the following players are available in The Corner Forum:

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The players are off on Tuesday and return to practice on Wednesday.

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Eric Kennedy

Eric Kennedy is Editor-in-Chief of BigBlueInteractive.com, a publication of Big Blue Interactive, LLC. Follow @BigBlueInteract on Twitter.

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