New York Giants news, 10/15: How can Giants get the passing game going?

Good morning and happy weekend, New York Giants fans! Let’s start your day by checking on some news and notes from Friday.

“Stay the course” in the passing game

Wide receivers coach Adam Henry, asked Friday about the difficulty the Giants have been having recently in getting big plays from Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard and Victor, said the Giants simply need to “stay the course.”

“You have to make the most of the opportunities that you are given because at certain times you don’t know if the ball is coming to you. So you have to have that mindset as a receiver,” Henry said. “We just have to do better as a group in execution and precision in the pass game. It is a combination of everything, so it is not just one group or one person, we just have to play better as a group and as receivers.”

There have been some questions about why the Giants have not moved Beckham and Cruz around more, particularly into the slot on occasion. Shepard has been in the slot on 93.9 percent of his snaps. Henry said moving receivers around is “most definitely” something the Giants might do more of.

“All of those guys have intangibles and we can move them around and things like that,” he said.

It’s all about the run game

How do the Giants force defenses to change their approach and, hopefully, open more opportunities for their wide receivers? By running the ball better.

“Any organization I’ve ever been to says, ‘We have to stop the run and run the ball,” said running back Rashad Jennings, who has played for three teams. “It never changes. I’ve never been to a team where they’ve said, ‘We have to pass it.’ We have to stop the run and run the ball. It never will change in the history of the game.”

“Running the ball will get teams out of playing two safeties deep and high,” quarterback Eli Manning said. “And if they are playing man and underneath, you should have good angles to get to the linebackers and the block. The best way to get safeties back down and get a little more man and one high zone coverages is to run the ball successfully. But we are going to get a mix and different coverages, different looks and we are going to be prepared for them all.”

High school teammates square off

Giants’ center Weston Richburg and Ravens’ tight end Crockett Gillmore were teammates at Bushland High School, with a graduating class of just 82 students.

“I talked to him (Wednesday) on the phone,” Richburg said. “We’re just excited. This is just a cool deal for two guys from the same town to be playing each other at the highest level. Our high school is still less than 15 years old. We’re the first two players to make it to the NFL from our school.

“I’ve had a couple of reporters (from the Amarillo area) doing interviews about it to make a story. To think that we’re both playing at the highest level is a really special thing.”

Richburg and Gillmore also played together at Colorado State.