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Fact or Fiction: Giants 'Hard Knocks' Edition

Jul 12, 2024 at 07:22 AM

The Giants.com crew is presented with four statements and must decide whether they are Fact or Fiction.

Brian Daboll could beat Malik Nabers in the 40-yard dash if the head coach started at the 25-yard line.

John Schmeelk: Fact – The question here is simple: Can Brian Daboll run 15 yards in under 4.35 seconds? Depending on the reports, that's about how long it took for Nabers to run his 40-yard dash at his Pro Day. I think this is an easy answer. If Daboll couldn't run a 4.2 second 15-yard dash that means it would take him over 11.2 seconds to run a normal 40-yard dash. And if I really needed to make sure I was right here, there's always the option of putting the plate of wings Daboll mentioned in "Hard Knocks" at the end of the track.

Matt Citak: Fact – In the second episode of Hard Knocks, members of the front office and coaching staff didn't believe Daboll could beat wide receiver Xavier Worthy in the 40-yard dash if the head coach started at the 20-yard line. After Worthy set a combine record in 4.21 seconds, this is not surprising. But with an additional five-yard head start against Nabers, who unofficially was clocked at 4.35 at LSU's Pro Day earlier this offseason, I think Daboll can just barely beat out the Giants' speedy wide receiver.

Brian Daboll swears he can run a 7.0 40-yard dash 😅

New episode of #HardKnocks Offseason with the @Giants premieres tomorrow at 9pm ET on @StreamOnMax. #Giants100 pic.twitter.com/HnAJA2G5TN
— NFL (@NFL) July 8, 2024

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The most interesting part of "Hard Knocks" so far has been discussions about free agents.

John Schmeelk: Fiction - Nothing that was said about free agents has surprised me much, though I was interested to see how Joe Schoen spoke to Saquon Barkley's agent before calling the player and communicating with him directly. I enjoyed the interviews with the players at the NFL Combine the most. We have seen parts of them on "Giants Life" before, but this was a more complete look at how they approached talking to players at different positions and tailored their questions based upon the scouting reports delivered by the staff beforehand. The way Brian Daboll peppered the quarterbacks with questions and continuously quizzed them on details of play calls was also fun to see.

Matt Citak: Fact – I almost went with the inside look at combine interviews for this one, but I'm giving the edge to the free agent discussions. Hearing Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll and other members of the front office and coaching staff discuss how they should allocate the team's salary cap space was a fascinating look into how front offices make tough roster-building decisions. You could feel the genuine excitement from Schoen when he found out the 2024 salary cap would be higher than expected, thus allowing them to consider free agents that they previously believed would be unattainable. This is the sort of football content I could watch endlessly.

The draft is more complicated than free agency.

John Schmeelk: Fact - It is always tougher to evaluate players coming out in the draft simply because there are more variables. We have seen free agents perform in pro systems, which should make it easier to predict how they will play on your team. The salary cap management does make it more complicated since all draft pick salaries are slotted, but the teams have salary cap experts that can manage that part of the process. Properly evaluating a draft prospect, however, requires you to not just evaluate a player, but a person. How mature is that person? Can they handle being a professional? How will they react to becoming a millionaire? How smart are they? That's before we even start evaluating their skills as a football player. There's a reason overall hit rates in the draft are not high. It is a very difficult thing to do.

Matt Citak: Fact – When it comes to free agency, front offices are contemplating signing players that already have at least some sort of proven track record in the NFL. While we do see every year some guys "bust" after signing big contracts, the miss rate on those types of signings is lower than the miss rate on draft picks, even ones as high as in the first round. There are so many factors that go into drafting a player that go well beyond a guy's production on the field. There is a reason why the pre-draft process consists of numerous events such as the Shrine Bowl, the Senior Bowl, the NFL Combine and pro days, on top of the normal scouting that goes on during the college football season.

The most underrated move of the Giants' offseason was re-signing Isaiah Simmons.

John Schmeelk: Fiction - I think the veteran additions of David Long and Tre Herndon could end up being very important in providing a backstop in a secondary that is full of very young players. Both have started games outside and inside in the NFL and should give some level of reliable veteran presence in a group that otherwise has a lot of inexperience.

Matt Citak: Fact – The Giants acquired Simmons in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals on August 25, right before the end of training camp. This didn't give him much time to learn the playbook and get to know his teammates before Week 1. Despite this, the 25-year-old still had a solid first season with the Giants, especially in coverage. Now heading into Year 2 with the team, Simmons already knows his teammates well and also had the entire offseason to learn Shane Bowen's defense. Speaking of Bowen, the defensive coordinator seemed to have some interesting ideas on how to use Simmons this year, as we saw in the first episode of "Hard Knocks." There's a reason why Simmons was selected with the eighth overall pick in 2020. If Bowen can unlock the versatile defender's potential, the sky is the limit for both Simmons and the Giants defense.