ODU defensive line coach tells us what to expect from rookie edge rusher"

WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections New York Giants NewsGiants Training Camp 2016Giants vs. Eagles 2015 Andrew Adams Color Rush Jersey , Week 17New York Giants NewsOshane Ximines will “put his head down and get the job done”New,79commentsODU defensive line coach tells us what to expect from rookie edge rusherEDTShareTweetShareShareOshane Ximines will “put his head down and get the job done”Oshane XiminesODU Athletic DepartmentOshane Ximines was different. Old Dominion University assistant head coach/defensive line coach John Commissiong has been coaching college players since 1996, and he figured that out quickly when Ximines was still a lightly-recruited redshirt freshman just trying to adjust to the college game.“Right off the bat you could tell he was going to be a little bit different than some of the other guys,” Commissiong said this week via phone. “If you trust your instincts you say right off the bat [you knew he was special], but as a coach I’ve been doing it for a while. You wait to see how guys develop and see what kind of players they become. “Early on in his career you could see he did some things naturally that some other kids didn’t do and you’re sitting there thinking this young man has a chance to be pretty damn good. It was good to see him continue to develop along that path and get to where he is right now.”Where Ximines is right now is headed to New York Giants rookie mini-camp after being the 95th overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. Old Dominion re-started a dormant football program in 2009 and didn’t upgrade to FBS status until 2014, Ximines’ redshirt year. When the Giants selected him, Ximines became the first ODU player ever chosen in the draft. Teammate Travis Fulgham, a wide receiver, was selected three rounds later (184th) by the Detroit Lions.Ximines, now 6-foot-3½, 253pounds, got better every season for the Monarchs. 2015: 5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, 4 passes defensed2016: 7.5 sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss, 3 passes defensed, 3 forced fumbles2017: 8.5 sacks, 14.0 tackles for loss, 3 passes defensed, 4 forced fumbles2018: 12.0 sacks, 18.5 tackles for loss, 3 passes defensed, 4 forced fumblesXimines was twice named first-team Conference USA.Not bad for a kid who was the 123rd-ranked linebacker in the country coming out of high school and did not have any offers from Power 5 schools. Per the draft guide of The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, Ximines chose ODU over Appalachian State, Cincinnati and East Carolina.“He wasn’t a very highly recruited kid to begin with” Commissiong said. “When he showed up on campus, when he got here he just put his head down and went to work.”Ximines had, in fact, chosen ODU long before the Monarchs chose him. The Athletic [subscription only] tells the story:Commissiong, who has been with Ximines during the youngster’s entire time at Old Dominion, isn’t surprised by his development.“Knowing him and how he’s gone about his business and the things he’s been able to accomplish, not surprised at all Wayne Gallman Color Rush Jersey ,” Commissiong said. “He’s a very genuine person. He comes from a blue collar family. People who showed him how to put his head down and work hard to accomplish what you want. That’s how he goes about his business. What you see is what you get. No fluff to it.”Giants’ GM Dave Gettleman said when he selected Ximines that it wasn’t just the production that appealed to him, but the way Ximines went about it.“He has legitimate counter pass rushing ability, counter pass rushing moves,” Gettleman said. “Most of the kids coming out of college have their move when they come off the ball, or they come of the ball they know what they want to do, and if the tackle thwarts them, they don’t know what to do. They’re not power rushers, they get stuck. Oshane can counter punch.”On Sirius XM NFL Radio this week, Gettleman said Ximines has “a full arsenal, like a whole toolbox.”How did he acquire that toolbox?By, of course, working at his craft.“He’s an instinctive rusher and because of it he does different things,” Commissiong said. “He’s worked at it over the years. As a good pass rusher you have a plan as far as what you’re gonna do, however your plan doesn’t always work out exactly the way you want it to. When that doesn’t happen the ability to adapt and change and react to what’s going on in front of you a good pass rusher has to be able to do that. He definitely can do that.”Commissiong said “speed and athleticism” are Ximines’ pass rush calling card, but that he can use his hands and counter blockers.“He does a great job of studying his opponents, too,” Commissiong said. “What do they do? What are they susceptible to?”ODU Athletic DepartmentXimines has played both standing up and as a 4-3 defensive end for Old Dominion. Commissiong said he should also be able to drop in coverage because, as a former high school tight end, Ximines “has a pretty good understanding as far as routes he’s going to see, angles he’s going to have to drop out at, how to turn and run with people. He’ll be able to do it, and he has a fairly good understanding of it.”As with all small-school players, there will be a question of whether or not Ximines can adjust to the higher level of competition, and how quickly he can contribute to the Giants’ defense.“He’s coming from a small college. There’s going to be some people waiting to see what he can bring to the table because he’s not coming from a Power 5 school. He’s going to have to prove himself, and he knows this,” Commissiong said. “Getting in there, getting to work and showing what he can do, that he can contribute and be a factor for the team is going to be a big part of what he has to do here in the next few months.“I’m excited for him. He’ll do a great job of it. I know the young man and how he’ll go about his business. He’s gonna have to earn his stripes, but I know he’ll put his head down and get the job done.”As the one true pass rusher the Giants added in the draft they will need Ximines to do just that. Let’s open the mail!"It certainly has been an interesting week, New York Giants fans. The 2019 NFL Scouting Combine came and went. The Giants showed Landon Collins the door. They jettisoned outside linebacker Olivier Vernon in favor of top-tier guard Kevin Zeitler. Let’s open up the Big Blue View Mailbag and see what questions the week has brought.Gregg Schneider asks: With the Vernon trade it takes grabbing a QB at 6 off the table most likely. Do you think they will Edge or RT? Also do you think they will try to get 2 years out of Manning (as a note I don’t think he is done as a player yet) then go all in for Trevor Lawrence in 2021?Giants fans, subscribe to the Big Blue View podcast.Ed says: I’m not sure that the Olivier Vernon trade completely takes quarterback off the table at No. 6 in the draft. It certainly increases the Giants’ need to add talent to the defense Jon Halapio Color Rush Jersey , as does the decision to move on from Landon Collins. I think we have to see how the rest of free agency plays out before we can really hone in on the Giants’ draft plan. The way things are going I wouldn’t doubt more surprises are in store.As for Eli Manning, the Giants decision-makers seem to have more allegiance to him than many in the fan base or media. It’s year to year at this point, and we will just have to see. They have to find a long-term replacement, but it doesn’t have to be Dwayne Haskins.As for 2020, there are a lot of variables. One of them will be whether or not Manning has any desire to continue to play. I will be really surprised if the Giants kick the quarterback can all the way into 2021. I just don’t see how they can do that.Ed says: There were a few questions this week about Odell Beckham Jr. trade scenarios. Let’s dive in and discuss.I think the Giants are keeping Beckham ... unless one of two scenarios unfold.The first scenario? He gives them a reason to move on. That would mean another off-the-field distraction like last year’s unfortunate ESPN interview. GM Dave Gettleman can say what he wants about not signing Beckham to trade him, and coach Pat Shurmur can claim his relationship with Beckham is good, but I think there is only a thin rope tying Beckham and the Giants. Another incident could snap that line.The second scenario? Simple. The Giants just plain get an offer they can’t refuse. Gettleman’s “we didn’t sign him to trade him” was not a “we absolutely won’t trade him.” It left him some room. If, let’s say, the San Francisco 49ers offered the Giants the No. 2 and No. 36 picks in the upcoming draft in return for Beckham that would be kind of hard to turn down.Edwin Rosenberg asks: To me its a no brainer. Get Rosen for a 2nd round pick next year and use the 6th pick this year for an edge rusher. We need help putting pressure on QBs especially given our porous secondary. Your thoughts?Chris and Fiona ask: Excellent interview with Dan Kadar. I wonder what Dan would think of the Giants pursuing Josh Rosen, if put on the trade block. What is your opinion? Ed says: I’ll try to answer the various angles of the Josh Rosen question the best I can.On paper, Rosen to the Giants makes sense. Especially if, as one former NFL exec told me, the value for the Arizona Cardinals quarterback, is probably a second-round pick. The question really comes down to how the Giants value Rosen.The Giants had no interest in him in the draft a year ago. I have been told they really didn’t like him when he interviewed. Has that changed? Do they think he’s better than Dwayne Haskins? Or, at least, better than any of the quarterback options past Haskins?Evaluators are mixed. Some think he’s better than Haskins. Some think he will never be better than Eli Manning is right now. It all just comes down to how the Giants feel about Rosen. That I can’t answer right now.Chris Hynes asks: Following the Combine, lets pretend that 3 QBs are taken in the top 5 picks (come on Denver, make that trade), which defensive player would you like to fall to the Giants? Outside of the Big 3 (Bosa, Williams & Allen) who would you want from Ferrell, Sweat & Gary? Ed says: Well, Chris, I have doubts about your scenario. I will, though, play along. Listen, we can argue all day long about Clelin Ferrell, Montez Sweat and Rashan Gary. I think you need to put Ed Oliver and Devin White in this discussion, too. Some evaluators might add Brian Burns if we’re focused just on front seven defenders. I don’t think you go wrong here with Oliver, Gary, White or Sweat.Greg Alvarez asks: Do you think There is a chance of Chauncey Gardner-Johnson ‘being there’ at pick 37? You dont need detective Clouseau to find where he fits into the Giants scheme. The only knock on him that I can think of is that there is a nonzero chance that he’s actually just a DC area gardener whose wealthy patron just passed away, leaving Chauncey to make his way through this world as a complete innocent. Your thoughts?Ed says: Yes Kerry Wynn Color Rush Jersey , I think there is a chance Florida safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson could be available at 37.The Draft Network’s Jon Ledyard says of the 5-foot-11, 207-pound Gardner-Johnson:Would he be the right pick for the Giants if he is available at that point? No idea, to be honest. We have to see how free agency plays out. Do the Giants spend big money to acquire a free safety like Adrian Amos or Tyrann Mathieu? Do they take a quarterback in Round 1? What are their needs at the time? Who is on the board?All of that said, the kid looks like a good player.Lord Panaka asks: Why wouldn’t the Giants use the Transition Tag on Landon Collins? It’s a lower cap hit and if a team offers him more, won’t the Giants get more than just a compensatory pick?Ed says: This is a question many people have had. Good friend Patricia Traina pushed the transition tag idea, partially because the cost would have been $9.53 million vs. $11.15 million for the franchise tag. Here’s the thing. I think it came down to whether or not the Giants really wanted to keep theplayer, even at that $9 million + price tag. From Over The Cap, here is the how the transition tag works:The key part of that, for me? “No draft pick compensation if a transition player is signed to a deal with another team.” Use the transition tag, decide not to match an offer, you don’t get a compensatory pick. Not using the transition tag tells me the Giants had no intention of matching an offer for Collins or getting into a bidding war. in more ways than one.Ed says: I like Flowers a lot. I wrote about what he could bring to the Giants here. I think the Giants like him a lot, too. I think that if the Giants choose to spend big money to replace Olivier Vernon then Flowers will be one of the guys they look at. More likely, the Giants would dip into what is supposed a deep edge rusher pool in the draft.Hunter Monaghan asks: It seems to me that everyone that is complaining about the defensive holes we keep opening up is forgetting a) that we had Collins, Harrison, Apple, OV, etc... and the defense still played poorly and couldn’t hold up to make key stops when we needed them and b) that when our defense was a top 2 defense in the league recently, our offense couldn’t score points if their life depended on it. I would never say offense is more important than defense, but would you agree that Getty is at least trying to move on from something that didn’t work and try a new strategy and that he’s doing it well? We tried having a top defense and relying on OBJ as the sole playmaker on the offense and that got us a first round playoff knockout and a terrible locker room chemistry. Now we’re trying to have a stacked offense (we put up a ton of points second half of the 2018 season, right?) with an offensive line and trying to fill holes in the defense. I think we’re just evolving and I’m all in for it.Ed says: Hunter, I think that right now the offseason is just getting started. There are some who saw the Landon Collins move and thought, ‘Gettleman is nuts. He doesn’t have a plan.’ Well, maybe he is nuts. I do believe, though, that he has a plan. I think free agency hasn’t started and the draft is six weeks away. I’m sure the Giants understand that they have a lot of work to do, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I think this trade puts them in a position to take advantage of the strength of the draft, which is really on the defensive side of the ball. The Giants have made the playoffs once in seven years, and they can’t just maintain the status quo. I don’t think it’s about having a good offense or a good defense. I think it’s about trying to have both. Let’s see what unfolds the rest of the offseason.