The Giants' front office enjoyed a comeback win over the Falcons on Sunday for a number of reasons, but in the back of their minds, seeing their first-, second- and fourth-round picks from the 2014 draft steal the show had to be up there.
Odell Beckham caught four passes for 44 yards and a jump-ball touchdown, and guard Weston Richburg played his best game of the season. Running back Andre Williams carried the ball 20 times for 65 yards and a score and caught both of his passes despite coming into the league with a reputation as a poor receiver.
Now, though, general manager Jerry Reese needs more from his young players than ever.
With running back Rashad Jennings out at least a few weeks with an MCL sprain, Williams will have to take a bulk of the carries and handle a bulk of the blitz pickup duties when Eli Manning drops back to pass. Peyton Hillis is a nice second option, but the Giants sound like a team prepared to ride the hot hand.
"I am very confident (in Williams taking a bigger role)," coach Tom Coughlin said Monday. "The other thing that he did that was great was the third-and-7 first-down run. A lot of that was on his own outside the flank of our blockers. He was able to pick up that first down. That was really indicative of people trying to tackle the ball and get the ball out, and he made that play. When you have a young guy, you really get into great, great detail even more about pass protection. He has done a good job when he has been in there. He is going to have to do even better."
Williams, who is also working on a "philosophical memoir" about his life, sought help from a sports psychologist this offseason to help him learn to catch passes. In the coming weeks, we'll see what kind of help he got for his money.
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