Newly acquired Pro Bowler already loves the Giants
No need to mince words here.
The new league year is here, and that means that all the news of the past few days has become official as of 4:00 pm yesterday. (March 15th)
This includes trades, with the Giants announcing their newest addition via social media.
Waller was formally introduced in a press conference, answering a variety of questions and letting his true feelings be known.
Waller was admittedly, "thrown off guard" by the trade, but he's focused on the present and what he's going to do for the Giants.
I believe wholeheartedly in myself, and I believe that through action and through consistent performance, Giants fans will believe as well," he said. "They can have questions at this moment about my health. Those are legitimate concerns, but I'm somebody that I believe I've addressed those issues. I'm willing to come out here and to be the best I can be to be a weapon for this team, a tool that this team can use to get to that next level that they want to go to. That's exactly what I'm going to do."
The key sentence in that quote is "a tool this team can use to go to that next level they want to go to."
The Giants will enter 2023 with a completely different mindset compared to the previous season.
They are no longer in the business of being a "cinderella" playoff team of sorts, or a good story that no one really worries about.
Upsetting the Vikings in the wildcard round should have proven that, but a lack of difference-makers in the passing game has yet to make the media bullish on their 2023 projection.
Until now.
If Waller can maintain the health he alluded to, he knows, the Giants know, and the whole league knows how impactful he can be.
In back-to-back seasons during 2019-2020, waller played in 16 games, totaling over 1100 receiving yards and averaging 11 yards or more in both seasons.
A Pro Bowler in 2020, Waller has been plagued by injuries the past two seasons, but they were largely due to a lingering hamstring.
An injury that is based on soft tissue rather than tendon and ligaments, it was likely overuse that created the issue with the pressures of playing stopping any ability to appropriately rest the tear.
But even through injuries, inter-squad turmoil, and unwanted noise, Waller still performed when on the field in 2021-2022.
A six-foot-six, 260-pound pass catcher that can stretch the middle of the field vertically on posts and seam routes, Waller is the ultimate weapon for a quarterback like Daniel Jones.
With Saquon in the backfield, the Giants offense will pull extra defenders toward the line of scrimmage. This will be especially true when New York goes 12 personnel (one back two tight ends) with Waller and sophomore tight end Daniel Bellinger on the field.
Everyone in the stadium will be preparing for run, allowing play-action concepts to become made to order. A concept old as football itself, this is where Daniel Jones is most comfortable and where the Giants offense did their best work last season.
As if giving up a mere third-round pick for Waller wasn't enough to enthrall you, Giants fans should rest assured, knowing their decision-makers are solving problems, while mutually adding to their strengths.
