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The summer months aren’t just for rest and relaxation. For offensive playmakers on the New York Giants, this is a valuable time to study and better understand the team’s new playbook.
Several wide receivers were featured on the most recent episode of the Giants Huddle podcast, and veteran Sterling Shepard revealed one aspect of head coach Brian Daboll’s offense that he finds “overwhelming.” That aspect is pre-snap motion.
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“Moving parts all day long,” Shepard said, via Giants.com. “It kind of gets overwhelming whenever you look at the motion list too. They have it broken down on our [tablets], so when you look at the motion list, it’s so many different motions that you can do. It’ll be good getting a lot of our playmakers moving around. It’s going to be tough on defenses.”
Historically, Daboll and Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka have both leaned heavily on pre-snap motion. Daboll’s Bills used it on 34.3 percent of offensive snaps last season, according to Seth Walder of ESPN, while Kafka’s Chiefs used it on 64.5 percent of offensive snaps.
The Giants, on the other hand, used pre-snap motion on just 21.1 percent of offensive plays last year (per Walder). That was one of the lowest rates across the entire NFL.
Although he admitted they are a bit overwhelming, Shepard explained how the pre-snap motions will help the Giants offense better understand opposing defenses.
“It’s good because you get a man-zone read,” Shepard said, via Giants.com. “[That’s] the number one thing, and this offense is all about playing fast, so anything that you can catch an inch on with what the defense is about to do is good. That’s what the motions are really for, getting those man-zone reads.”
Wan’Dale Robinson Has Thrived in Pre-Snap Motion
Second-round rookie Wan’Dale Robinson is very familiar with pre-snap motion. He did a lot of it in college at Kentucky, and it helped unleash his game-breaking potential.
Here’s a play where Robinson went in motion before the snap, then took a handoff and sprinted for a 65-yard gain.
Robinson described what he likes about going in motion on the Giants Huddle podcast.
“It just allows you to get a lot more one-on-ones and get a lot of space,” Robinson said, via Giants.com. “Create mismatches for the defense. They have to communicate and things like that. Whenever you’re moving and playing fast, defenses can’t communicate, and you get a lot of big plays out of that.”
Robinson was the No. 1 All-Purpose Back in the country coming out of high school (per 247Sports) and was used a lot as a running back at Nebraska, before transferring to Kentucky. That versatility and familiarity with pre-snap motion will make him a potentially valuable contributor in New York’s new-look offense.
Kadarius Toney Likes the ‘Freedom’ of This Offense
Second-year wide receiver Kadarius Toney is another player who could benefit from playing in a free-flowing offense with lots of pre-snap motion. After a lackluster rookie season, the former first-round pick says Daboll’s offensive scheme is closer to the one he experienced in college.
“[The offense is] kind of like Florida in the way you have leeway in route-running and stuff like that,” Toney said, per Giants.com. “You’re just able to win. You don’t have to run the pen-and-paper version of your route every time. A lot of offensive coaches have the pen-and-paper mentality like you have to run it exactly like that every time. But Dabes gives us a lot of freedom, a lot of leeway to win. That’s the object of playing football — to win. He just gives that option.”
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