General

#Xavier McKinney sees Nick Saban-like approach in Joe Judge rules

#Xavier McKinney sees Nick Saban-like approach in Joe Judge rules

August 20, 2020 | 8:06pm

With so much attention paid to the pages Joe Judge is borrowing from Bill Belichick in his initial Giants practices, it’s easy to forget the first-time head coach worked under another all-time great, too.

Unless you are Xavier McKinney, who is fresh out of Nick Saban’s program at Alabama. Though Judge coached for Saban (2009-11) long before McKinney arrived in Tuscaloosa as a four-star recruit, developed into an All-American and became a second-round NFL draft pick, Giants training camp still feels like a familiar continuation.

“When [Judge] discussed some of his rules and how he wanted things to be handled and how we wanted us to be as a team, it was almost like a mirror version of how it was at ’Bama for me,” McKinney said. “As far as that, it was an easy adjustment for me. I have already been in this type of system.”

NFL speed is kicked up a notch, especially during a Judge-led practice with little idle time and no wasted reps by using multiple fields. But, given his comfort level within a tight ship, it’s no surprise the rookie safety McKinney keeps flashing as a much-needed playmaker.

Xavier McKinney
Xavier McKinneyGiants.com

There was a leaping interception on a blitz: “Once I go through all those progressions, that’s when I can kind of attack,” he said. “I felt the quarterback looking my way. I felt something behind me and it was almost like a reaction play. I used my instincts and tried to make a play for us on the goal line.”

And there was a diving near-interception of a deflected pass, though close calls and pass breakups are not good enough in McKinney’s mind: “No, never satisfied,” he said. “That’s my biggest thing right now. I know what I’m capable of. A lot of the time I go back and watch my film, and when we watch film as a team, I always study what I did wrong and what I can do better.”

Safety wasn’t atop the Giants’ weaknesses entering the draft because Jabrill Peppers — a key piece in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade — returned alongside Julian Love. Peppers’ season-ending, five-game injury absence created an opportunity for Love to rapidly improve as a rookie, allowing the Giants to pass over the position in free agency.

But McKinney, 22, was expected to be selected long before pick No. 36, so the Giants took value over need at pass-rusher and strengthened sub packages with a three-safety rotation. They want to be a “loud defense,” and Peppers could be freed to play closer to the line of scrimmage if McKinney can patrol center field.

“He has a lot of natural ability,” defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson said. “We’re going to really push him hard to make sure he continues to grow and becomes one of those communicators for us. The safety position is one that kind of sits back, sees it all and talks down to what’s beneath them. We’re certainly going to ask that of him.”

The Giants are asking a lot of a lot of young players: Fifty of the 81 players in camp are age 24 or younger. So far, the response to Judge’s tactics has been a collective “yes sir.”

“I think as a team we love it, to be honest,” McKinney said. “Everybody loves discipline, especially here. Right now, when we go out there, we focus on what we need to focus on, which is becoming a better team, getting better as individuals. Everybody on the team likes Coach Judge. I think we’re good on that.”

If you want to read more Sports News articles, you can visit our General category.

if you want to watch Movies or Tv Shows go to Dizi.BuradaBiliyorum.Com for forums sites go to Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com

Source

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button
Close

Please allow ads on our site

Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker!