#Giants mailbag: Why ownership hasn’t had ex-players coach team

I hope Joe Judge is the coach in East Rutherford for the next 10 years. If he is not a winner, however, I find it odd that a franchise with such a storied past has not brought in any former players for the head job. — William Kreudl

Which former players are you referring to? I do not believe there are many former Giants players currently working their way up the coaching ladders at various places. Antonio Pierce is a rising coach at Arizona State. Chase Blackburn is a rising special teams coordinator for the Panthers.

I often hear from fans wondering why this former player or that former player is not coaching with the Giants. The one I hear most often is Carl Banks. Did you ever ask Carl Banks if he wanted to get into coaching? If he wanted to, he would have. He is a successful businessman and keeps his hand in football with his strong work as an analyst on Giants radio.

Most former players have no desire to put in the time and effort it takes to be an NFL assistant coach — the excessively long hours and commitment to do the job the right way. There is no doubt to me Chris Snee or David Diehl or Shaun O’Hara could be an offensive line coach if they wanted to go in that direction. None of them chose to go in that direction. Their former teammate, Rich Seubert, is a high school coach in New Jersey.

Do you think it is a good idea to split the snaps 50/50 between B.J. Hill and Leonard Williams this season? That would give the Giants the opportunity to see if their production is similar. If so, that would free up significant cap space going forward. — Kevin Finneran

I am not sure that is a good idea, imposing a playing-time split heading into a season. I realize fans are skeptical about Leonard Williams and the $16.1 million price tag for 2020. That’s a whole lot of money for a guy who stops the run and pressures the quarterback, but does not produce many sacks. I get it. He is an established NFL starter, though, and should receive the bulk of the playing time.

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There is ample opportunity for Hill to get snaps in a defensive line rotation. The better he plays, the more snaps he will get. I must admit I was disappointed in Hill’s 2019 season, as he did not build on his solid rookie year. This is a year of decision for him. I believe by the end of the season it will be readily apparent if Williams is worth re-signing and if Hill is worth keeping on the roster. These things have a way of working themselves out.

Which of the players entering their second or third season do you see as [being in the] long-term core of the Giants defense? — Howard Litwak

Here we go: Dexter Lawrence, definitely. Lorenzo Carter has to be or else he must be considered a disappointment. This is a huge season for him. I need to see more from Oshane Ximines, but I think he is trending in the right direction. I am very interested in seeing what the new coaching staff thinks of Hill. He was trending up after Year 1 and down after Year 2. I liked what I saw from Julian Love as a rookie, let’s see how it goes for him in 2020.

Given the new coaching staff and offense installed by Jason Garrett, which of the following Giants is likely to have the best season: Saquon Barkley at RB, Daniel Jones at QB or Darius Slayton at WR? — John Hoffman

You picked a good trio. I’ll go with Barkley. Take a look at Garrett’s track record with running backs. In his offense, DeMarco Murray and Ezekiel Elliott both became rushing champions. Not bad. Barkley can follow that path, as long as the offensive line gets its act together.

Garrett says there are times with his offense when he will throw it a lot and times when he will pass it a lot, with the one constant his desire to put pressure on the opposing defense. Some of his critics in Dallas will say Garrett was too reliant on running the ball.

Jones figures to improve in year No. 2, but Slayton might have a hard time surpassing his 48 receptions as a rookie if Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate and tight end Evan Engram stay healthy. Garrett will make sure Barkley gets his hands on the ball early and often in every game.