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Snaps Lost: New York Giants

snaps-lost-NYGThe “Snaps Lost” series is a detailed look at the playing time void created by players that have left each team this offseason, whether they were traded, cut, left in free agency, or retired.

Because each unit plays a different number of snaps over the course of the year, we have created the “Full Time Equivalent” metric. FTE is the total number of missing snaps divided by the number of plays the team ran on that side of the ball. This is an equivalent measure of how many full time players (100% snap count) the team would need to add on to make up for their offseason losses, even though very few players actually play a full snap count.

For example, if a team had 1,100 snaps on offense and then lost seven players who combined to play 2,200 snaps, their FTE would be 2.0 (2,200/1,100). This ensures that a team who lost a high volume of players only has a high FTE if those players racked up some significant playing time. FTE can only fall between zero (no players left the team) and 11 (fire everyone!) for each side of the ball.

Each team will have a ranking following their FTE, with the first-ranked team in each category (offense, defense, and total) representing the team with the smallest portion of their playing time in need of replacement.

A few caveats before getting into the good stuff:
-Suspensions and injuries that may limit 2015 snap counts are not considered.
-Biggest Losses are purely in terms of snap count, not necessarily in terms of impact.
-All snap counts are Regular Season only.

New York Giants

Overall FTE Lost: 5.63, 19th

Offense

FTE Lost: 1.48, 4th

Biggest Losses: J.D. Walton (1145), Peyton Hillis (115)

Summary – Walton leaves on the heels of a -19.6 graded season at center, signing on to be a backup in Miami. Hillis has done little on his time with the Giants, and his release won’t affect the offense much at all. Not figured into the FTE Lost is Will Beatty’s offseason injury. Beatty figures to miss a significant, but as of yet undetermined, portion of the regular season, opening up some of his 1141 snaps from last year.

Replacement Plan – Hillis was already the third option at halfback, and replacing his 115 snaps can be accomplished by a shade more time from either Andre Williams or Rashad Jennings. Ninth overall pick Ereck Flowers will be in for an full-time role, most likely as the team’s left tackle while Beatty is out. Weston Richburg will move to center after a less than stellar season at left guard, but that playing time void can be filled by Geoff Schwartz (93 snaps in 2014) if he stays healthy after losing almost all of 2015 to injury.

Defense

FTE Lost: 4.15, 31st

Biggest Losses: Antrel Rolle (1071), Quintin Demps (641), Stevie Brown (588), Jacquian Williams (571), Mathias Kiwanuka (558), Zackary Bowman (458), Mike Patterson (429)

Summary – For all the continuity on offense, there’s no shortage of defensive changeover. Almost incredibly, their top three losses are all safeties. After five years in New York, Rolle looks to finish out his career in Chicago, agreeing to terms on a three-year deal this offseason. Demps remains unsigned, while Brown seems to have found a starting role in Houston. Elsewhere in the secondary, Bowman inked a one-year deal to compete in Miami. Both Patterson and Kiwanuka were near the bottom of our rankings at their respective positions and, combined, they played less than 100% of the Giants’ snaps. New York made no attempt to re-sign Williams after he landed on I.R. and may have to tough it out on the free agent market for a while.

Replacement Plan – One of the safety spots was accounted for when New York traded up in the second round to select Landon Collins with the 33rd pick, but opposite him is a big question mark. Nat Berhe has 32 NFL snaps to his name and will compete for the position, as will fifth-round rookie Mykkele Thompson and 2013 fifth round pick Cooper Taylor. Trumaine McBride looked solid in 2013 and can easily account for the loss of Bowman provided he’s healthy. After an excellent year rushing the passer, Robert Ayers would do well to see the field more often. He plays both inside and out, but even with a sizable increase in snaps he’ll need help to cover for both Kiwanuka and Patterson. That help will likely come from more of Cullen Jenkins and former Cowboy George Selvie, who signed on for a year, but don’t count out third-round pick Owamagbe Odighizuwa to find his way into the rotation. Finally, Jon Beason is slated to take Williams’ snaps if he can stay healthy, though at this point that’s a pretty big if.

 

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