Matt Nagy heard John Harbaugh’s less than flattering comments about the New York Giants’ play-calling in scoring situations in Week 2, and the offensive coordinator has responded.
Nagy reacted to his head coach’s withering criticism of a goal-line sequence during the 28-6 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football, in typically blunt fashion.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, September 24, Nagy admitted, “I look back at that stop that they had inside the five, and I’m [Expletive] at myself for not calling a pass. That’s just being real, right? How can I be better? How can I help our guys out?”
Nagy was lamenting his having called four-straight runs with the Giants at the Rams’ five-yard line and down by two touchdowns late in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Three different running backs carried the ball, but the nett result was the Giants actually went backwards and had to settle for a field goal.
Harbaugh was far from impressed with the negative stretch of plays, but his comments went beyond this dire series. The man in charge was annoyed by repeated failures by Nagy’s offense to score, even after the unit was hamstrung by losing starting quarterback Jaxson Dart to what’s turned out to be a season-ending knee injury.
Nagy’s reaction is to reassess how he uses personnel inside the red zone. The issue’s taken on greater importance with the Giants set to rely on journeyman backup QB Jameis Winston.
Matt Nagy Promising Changes After John Harbaugh Criticism
When it comes to making better use of personnel, Nagy’s focused on two players. He revealed wishing he had primary running back Cam Skattebo take the lead in the red zone.
Instead, Skattebo’s number was only called once near the goal-line. The Giants gave two carries to veteran bruiser Najee Harris, whose arrival in August offered a potential threat to Skattebo and other runners on the depth chart.
Nagy acknowledged the Giants “definitely need to be better at making sure that guys are getting the right opportunities at certain times.”
The man with the call sheet knows that process has to start with getting an All-Pro more involved. Six-time Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard went “from 53% of the snaps in the opener to 31% in Week 2,” according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic.
Nagy’s clear Ricard “needs to play more. He’s a great weapon for us. Sometimes when you get into these games, whether it’s a certain package that you have, none of it’s intentional.”
Regardless of intent, Nagy must put together a more coherent strategy for this depleted Giants’ offense. Getting Ricard onto the field more often to power a formidable running game is the best way to begin helping Winston replace Dart, but it’s not the only thing Nagy can do to ease the transition.
Giants Facing Major Shift on Offense
Nagy’s downplaying the extent of the challenge posed by going from Dart to Winston. The play-caller told the media, “Obviously, Jaxson (Dart) is a dual threat quarterback. That’s one of his strengths. It’s what he does well. And so, when you lose that part of it and what he does well, that’s part of the playbook. You know, that’s stating the obvious. But at the same point in time, we look at it with Jameis that here’s a guy that’s played a lot of football games in his career. We have ultimate trust in him.”
That’s good coach-speak, but those words can’t mask the significant style shift needed for Winston. He’s a more traditional and static dropback passer than Dart.
It’s why a trade for a more mobile Nagy favorite remains a viable option for the Giants. In the meantime, coaches must give Winston what he needs.
They can start by changing their plans for a returning franchise icon who already has a rapport with Winston as one of his trusted receivers. Fortunately, Nagy’s already talked about expanding the workloads of key role players.
It’s all part of the process of getting the Giants’ offense back on track without Dart, so Nagy can avoid more public calls outs from Harbaugh.
Giants’ OC Reacts to John Harbaugh’s Criticism of Play-Calling