Christopher Slayton NFL Draft , slot work, and yards after the catch"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections New York Giants NewsGiants Training Camp 2016Giants vs. Eagles 2015, Week 17New York Giants NewsWhat does the Golden Tate signing mean for the Giants offense?New,126commentsShort targets, slot work, and yards after the catchEDTShareTweetShareShareWhat does the Golden Tate signing mean for the Giants offense?Raj Mehta-USA TODAY SportsBig changes have come to the New York Giants’ passing game. Out is Odell Beckham Jr. In is Golden Tate. The signing of Tate surprised some due to his age — he’ll turn 31 years old in August — and the money handed out — two years and $23 million of his four-year/$37.5 million contract are guaranteed.Surprise or not, the New York Giants will move forward with Tate as a big part of their passing offense. Still, though, the signing has raised a few more questions than it answered. What does Tate have left? How does he mesh with Sterling Shepard? What does this mean for the look of the passing offense? Let’s try to answer some of those questions.What Tate bringsTate has been a productive receiver throughout his career, though 2018 was a step in the wrong direction. Some of that came from a struggle to fit in with the offense after a midseason trade to the Philadelphia Eagles, but even his first half of the season with the Lions was below his typical standards.In 2018, Tate finished the season 55th among 83 wide receivers in Expected Points Added (EPA) per target, according to Sports Info Solutions. Even only factoring in his production from Detroit, Tate would have moved up to 41st, just below Sterling Shepard.While Tate struggled some in Philadelphia, Detroit’s passing offense nearly bottomed out. Though, Tate’s departure for the second half of the season also coincides with Marvin Jones’s trip to IR after Week 10.2018 Detroit LionsWeeksEPA/TargetPositive Play %WeeksEPA/TargetPositive Play %data provided by Sports Info SolutionsThat split does bring up an interesting note from Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders, who said teams are typically more impacted by the loss of a big-time wide receiver than they are by the addition of one.It’s an interesting observation because the Giants are on both sides of that study with the loss of Beckham and the addition of Tate.Still, even while receivers struggle to make an impact after switching teams — more so in the middle of a season — we can’t overlook how poorly Tate and the Eagles meshed after the trade. Philadelphia offensive coordinator Mike Groh admitted it was challenging to fit the receiver into the offense. It showed in his numbers. Here are Tate’s splits with the Lions to start the year and with the Eagles to finish:Golden Tate, 2018WeeksTargets/RecYardsYAC%Slot%First Down %Broken TacklesEPA/TargetWeeksTargets/RecYardsYAC%Slot%First Down %Broken TacklesEPA/TargetHis yards after the catch percentage dropped slightly, but more concerning was how he broke tackles and picked up first downs less frequently. At Tate’s best Christopher Slayton Buffalo Bills Jersey , that’s where he wins. It’s a skill set that doesn’t need tremendous athleticism to succeed and one that should age fairly well.Tate’s ability to break tackles and force bad angles to create yards after the catch doesn’t come from Saquon Barkley-like speed or agility. Instead, it’s balance, strength, and an understanding of angles.In the below play against the Dallas Cowboys, Tate created separation on a comeback and got cornerback Jourdan Lewis (27) to stumble on the break. A quick spin move got Tate into open space and a one-on-one showdown with safety Jeff Heath (38). Tate challenged Heath by running towards him to freeze the safety before Tate changed his path to the outside, which made it an impossible angle for Heath to close. It also helps Heath is one of the league’s worst tacklers.The below play with the Eagles did show this ability. It was a third-and-9 against Washington. Tate lined up as the most outside receiver, though still in a fairly tight split inside the numbers. That alignment gave Tate room to work and create separation on an out. It also allowed Tate the time to catch and turn up the field and be in a position to keep his balance through a tackle attempt by cornerback Greg Stroman (37). His broken tackle ability did show up in Philadelphia, just not as often. Tate averaged a broken tackle per every five receptions with the Eagles after that was once per 3.6 receptions earlier in the year with the Lions. His six broken tackles in less than half a season are still impressive — it would have tied for 16th among wide receivers for a full season — but since it’s such a big part of Tate’s game, any decline there makes a difference.Overall, Tate’s 18 broken tackles were the most among all wide receivers in 2018, per Sports Info Solutions. Second place was Michael Thomas with 11. Just two other receivers (Stefon Diggs and D.J. Moore) had 10. Only one player overall had more broken tackles on receptions than Tate this past season — Saquon Barkley.Fit with Sterling ShepardOne of the reasons Tate’s broken tackle and yards after the catch ability needs to be highlighted — and monitored — is because of where he’s typically targeted and where he succeeds. Tate can get down the field, but he does most of his damage closer to the line of scrimmage.The chart below shows Tate’s catch rate over the past two seasons by depth of target (green) and against the league average (orange). He’s surprisingly well below average up to about three yards past the line of scrimmage then significantly above average up to 10 yards before he remains just above the expectation line until about 28 yards down the field.source: airyards.comBecause most of Tate’s work is shallow and comes from the slot — 83.6 percent of his targets came in the slot in 2018 — there was been a question of how he will fit an offense with Sterling Shepard. Shepard to this point in his career has also done his best work in the short areas of the field and from the slot. But Shepard has also shown more of an ability to win deeper down the field and on the outside. Here is Shepard’s catch rate by depth over the past two seasons:source: airyards.comIt would not be surprising to see Shepard get moved to the outside more often and get more of those down the field targets. It’s something that makes more sense when you compare where Tate and Shepard have been targeted in the past.source: airyards.comOver his career, Shepard’s average target has come just shy of 10 yards down the field, while Tate is closer to six. Shepard won’t suddenly step into an Odell Beckham role, but he is a better fit as a consistent outside receiver than Tate at this point.Shepard did struggle more when Beckham was out for the final four games of the 2018 season and he was forced to play outside more. But that could also be attributed to a lack of legitimate threat at the other wide receiver spots. It could be argued just having Tate on the field as another receiver to consider in coverage could help open up better opportunities for Shepard — his outside targets with Beckham in the slot are much better than those without Beckham on the field.Strengths between Tate and Shepard do overlap, but there are enough differences they won’t be pigeonholed to the same roles. Both receivers have the ability to move around, but the most likely scenario will see Tate in the slot and Shepard on the outside most often.Can you run an offense through YAC?An underrated question with Tate’s addition is can a passing offense succeed while relying so heavily on creating yards after the catch? The 2018 Giants were already a YAC-heavy team. 52.3 percent of their passing yards came after the catch, the eighth-highest rate in the league last season. 55 percent of Evan Engram’s yards came after the catch. 110 percent — yes, that number is correct, one hundred and ten percent — of Saquon Barkley’s receiving yards came after the catch. Shepard profiled as more of a downfield receiver at just 36.7 percent. But Tate — 53 percent YAC in 2018 — will be replacing Beckham, who picked up just 32.4 percent of his 1 Color Rush Christopher Slayton Jersey ,052 receiving yards after the catch.Typically downfield passing creates better results. For example the average EPA per target among the 200 most targeted players from 0-5 yards past the line of scrimmage last season was 0.17, per Sports Info Solutions. Among the top 200 targeted receivers 20 or more yards down the field, the average EPA per target was 0.46.However, as a whole, there is no correlation between how good a passing offense can be and how much they rely on yards after the catch. The below chart shows all offenses from 2015 through 2018 plotted by YAC% and Football Outsiders’ passing DVOA. R-squared here — how predictive one stat is of the other — is .0001. No correlation exists.Though there is a bit of a difference at the extremes. The 10 offenses with the highest YAC percentage over the past four seasons averaged a passing DVOA of 5.2 percent, which would have ranked 22nd as a single team in 2018. The 10 offenses with the lowest YAC percentage in that time have averaged a passing DVOA of 18.9 percent, which would have ranked 11th. The reality is, teams should probably strive to be somewhere in between.Across the league, the average depth of target has dropped as completion percentages have risen. Five of the top 10 YAC percentage teams since 2015 came this past season. It’s also been a way teams have worked to cover for limited or aging (or both) quarterbacks. The 2018 Steelers and 2017 Saints were among the most YAC-heavy offenses over the past two seasons to pretty good results, but so were the 2018 Jaguars and Dolphins to a much worse payoff.The Giants appear to be building their offense this way, giving the quarterback shorter and easier throws that allow the skill players to do much of the work. One could make the argument it would be easier and better for the long term to find a quarterback who doesn’t have to be masked by building an offense around shorter throws, but the Giants have a structure that will most likely heavily rely on yards after the catch. There’s no guarantee it won’t work, but there’s no guarantee it will either. Some thoughts as the draft closes in"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections New York Giants NewsGiants Training Camp 2016Giants vs. Eagles 2015, Week 17New York Giants NewsValentine's ViewsValentine’s Views: Time for the Daniel Jones era? Plus, Dave Gettleman’s legacy, and moreNew,249commentsSome thoughts as the draft closes inEDTShareTweetShareShareValentine’s Views: Time for the Daniel Jones era? Plus, Dave Gettleman’s legacy, and moreDaniel JonesNell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports[EDITOR’S NOTE: I wrote this a few days ago, and thought there was enough value to push it back into the discussion.]The NFL Draft is just hours away. Here are a few things I’m thinking about as we get closer to finding out what the New York Giants will do.Get ready for Daniel Jones?Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports didn’t say it, but if you connect the dots it’s not hard to believe the team he is talking about is the Giants.The thought that the Giants could choose Jones as the heir apparent to Manning — perhaps even as early as the sixth overall pick in the draft — horrifies some. If Jones is indeed their guy that should Youth Christopher Slayton Jersey , however, surprise no one.Jones and the Giants have looked like an obvious match for months. The connection to the Manning family via Duke coach David Cutcliffe, who trained both Eli and Peyton back in the day. The fact that David Morris, backup to and roommate of Eli Manning at Ole Miss, is Jones’ personal quarterback coach. The similarities in temperament. The idea that on the field Jones reminds some of Manning with better mobility.If Gettleman chooses Jones at either No. 6 or at No. 17 there are plenty of self-made draft analysts and media know-it-alls who will snicker. The narrative will almost certainly include some version of calling him Clueless Dave and proclaiming that his plan must be to make sure the Giants continue to flounder.Thing is, this is Gettleman’s choice — and his mistake if that’s what it turns out to be — to make. One of the things I think you have to give credit to Gettleman for is that he thinks for himself. Emory Hunt of Football Gameplan is one of my favorite draft analysts, and it’s not because I always agree with him. I often don’t. Thing is, Hunt doesn’t do “group think.” When he gives you an opinion you know it’s his and not just some version of what everyone else thinks.“If you’re going to do this you want to do it your way and not be influenced by others,” Hunt told me during a recent podcast. “At the end of the day if you’re going to do something on your own what’s the purpose of crowd-sourcing or group-thinking with everybody else?“If you’re going to be wrong, be wrong by yourself.”That, in a nutshell, is how I see the position Gettleman is in. I’d be willing to bet that Gettleman shares that philosophy with Hunt. I think his actions prove it.A year ago, he called the idea he had to take a quarterback at No. 2 “hogwash,” said positional value was a “crock” and then did what conventional wisdom said you aren’t supposed to do — he took a running back No. 2 overall.He keeps defending Eli Manning when analytics, many fans, and — again — those media know-it-alls keep loudly telling him he’s wrong.He traded Odell Beckham Jr.So, yes, Gettleman is going to do this his way. You know what? I’m OK with that. I think you should be, too. Disagree with him, sure. That’s fine. Don’t you want the organization’s ultimate decision-maker, though Womens Christopher Slayton Jersey , to have his own convictions and the courage to follow them? Isn’t that better than being wishy-washy, not being able to make up your mind and simply doing what the group tells you to do? In your own job isn’t it more satisfying to succeed or fail doing things your way? Following what you believe in? I think it is. You may fail spectacularly. Then again, you may succeed.If there had been an Internet back in 1979 I can only imagine how badly George Young would have been panned for taking an unknown quarterback out of Morehead State in the first round. The selection of Phil Simms worked out OK.Ernie Accorsi had the courage of his convictions when he made the move for Eli Manning in 2004. At the Combine in February Gettleman said “no guts, no glory” when it comes to finding an heir apparent to Manning.Passing on a quarterback last year took guts. Taking one this year,especially if it’s not the one the majority believes should be the choice, will take guts. Passing on quarterbacks and waiting until 2020, thus putting yourself in the position of having to listen to the wailing about the need for a quarterback of the future, would take guts.Whatever the results, he has to live with them. He should follow what he thinks is right.Dave Gettleman when he became Giants’ GM.Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY SportsA difference-making draftGettleman can say otherwise, as he did on Thursday when I asked him about the added pressure to get this draft right, but this is a make-or-break draft for the Giants.All of the moves they have made in recent months pointed to positioning themselves for this draft. They have 12 picks, two in the first round. There is the possibility they will pull the trigger on an heir apparent for Manning. This draft and a 2020 offseason in which the Giants will have oodles of cap space, are the ones that could lift the Giants out of the pit they have fallen into in recent years. Mess it up, it could doom the Giants to also-ran status for the foreseeable future.Gettleman said on Thursday that “There’s pressure getting it right every year.”True, but I do think he understands the added weight of this draft. For the Giants and for himself.Remember what Gettleman said at his introductory press conference after being named GM?“My plan is to come in here every day and kick ass. That’s my plan, OK? And I’m going to keep doing it until they either take my key card or the Lord calls me home.”At that point in time, Gettleman might not have seen the finish line. After a battle with lymphoma, though, I think he does. Gettleman has talked a few times this offseason about retiring to Cape Cod. I don’t recall him talking about that before. I think his health situation made him realize that the Lord will be calling him home sooner rather than later, and that perhaps he would like to spend some time enjoying his family and his health while he can. Before he does that, you know that he wants to believe he left the Giants franchise in better shape than he found it.That might be part of the reason he could be tempted to dive into the quarterback pool this year if he has a chance. Maybe there are better options next year Color Rush Julian Love Jersey , but the Giants might not be in position to take advantage.Gettleman has said he dreams of finding the Giants a franchise quarterback, and you wonder if he thinks there won’t be many more opportunities for him to do so. This draft could be the one that defines his Giants’ legacy. “Thick” positionsForgetting quarterback for the time being, let’s take a look at how Gettleman might attack the draft? If you truly understand how to parse Gettle-Speak, his words Thursday during his pre-draft press conference spoke volumes.He loves the defenders at the top of the class, saying there will be a premier defender available at No. 6 regardless of what else happens. Even if he loves Jones enough to want him with that sixth pick there is likely to be at least one defensive player that gives him pause.Gettleman named linebacker Alec Ogletree and safeties Jabrill Peppers and Antoine Bethea as defenders who have a “dog mentality.” He also said that “I have always been a big believer that if you look at the great defenses, they have a lead dog in every level. A legitimate playmaker at every level of their defense. I said it at the postseason presser and I will say it again, we need some defensive playmakers.” He admitted that “we have to keep adding to that mix” up front. Translation — I’m drafting a big-time defensive lineman/edge player if I can.The “thick” positions, those with solid choices throughout the draft, are offensive tackle, wide receiver and defensive back. Translation — grades being equal early in the draft, those are the positions where you can wait and still get a good player.It “won’t be fun” to sit and watch nearly 60 players come off the board between the Giants’ picks at 37 and 95. Translation — somewhere in there you can bet that I’m using some of the eight Day 3 picks I have to move up.Draft coverageYou have read every word of our draft coverage over the past few months, right? Oh, you haven’t? Well, check out our 2019 NFL Draft Hub Page to get caught up.BBV Radio podcastsIf you haven’t listened to our podcasts yet, please give them a try. I think you will find them to be worth your time. You can find and subscribe to Big Blue View radio from the show’s home page.You can find all the shows on our Big Blue View Radio Hub Page.You can also find the shows and subscribe on all your favorite podcast apps:Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSSFinally, be sure to check out the home page for all of the shows across the expanding Vox Media Podcast Network.