All these “firsts” are great for the individuals getting them but they can be hazardous to the team forced to rely on players who have never before made an NFL start.
Each week, it seems, the Giants are sticking an inexperienced player or two into the lineup for a debut and swearing they cannot and will not suffer a decrease in production. They put Ron Dixon in for Ike Hilliard, then Daryl Jones in for Dixon. They put Lance Legree in for Keith Hamilton. Now they’re putting Tam Hopkins in at right guard for Jason Whittle, who moves over to center in place of Chris Bober, and Dwight Johnson in at defensive tackle for Cornelius Griffin.
This is some watered-down soup.
“I’m very confident,” Johnson said yesterday. “You have to be.”
Tapping into depth that may not be there is something that might not hurt the Giants this week, when they face the expansion Texans in Houston on Sunday. Or perhaps it will prove damaging.
Hopkins and Johnson are next in line to make their starting debuts, and while these are not marquee positions there could be a domino effect at work.
Bober is out with a torn left biceps muscle, and changing a center in midstream is never advisable, especially since Bober and Kerry Collins have been flawless in the center-quarterback exchange, a gnawing problem last season with Collins and Dusty Zeigler.
“You’re changing the rhythm of the game,” Bober said. “Kerry got used to me in there and now he has to adjust to the change. But Jason will play well and Tam is a good player.”
The pressure now falls to Whittle to make sure Collins does not revert to bad habits, as there’s nothing more demoralizing to an offense than when a play is ruined by a fumble before it ever gets cranked up.
“It’s just another obstacle we’re going to have to overcome,” Whittle said.
“We’re technically on our third center,” Jim Fassel said, “and if there’s any position you don’t want to switch, it’s center. The worst guy to replace is the center.”
Hopkins, a first-year player out of Ohio State, has appeared in 10 games but only one with the regular offense, filling in when Whittle went down with back spasms in Dallas. Bober is expected to miss at least two games, meaning the 315-pound Hopkins is the immediate answer for more than one week.
The interior of the defensive line was sturdy, with Hamilton and Griffin anchoring the middle. Now it’s Legree and Johnson, a pair of undrafted players set to go against a Houston offensive line that has allowed a league-high 53 sacks.
Johnson, a free agent last year from Baylor who spent time on the practice squad, played sparingly in three games before Griffin sprained an ankle in last week’s 19-17 victory over the Redskins. Johnson was called on for 37 plays and was in the mix applying pressure on Shane Matthews in the fourth quarter.
Now Johnson gets his first start and expects nothing less than Griffin would have given the Giants.
“I look at myself as a starter, too,” Johnson said. “I study tape with [Griffin] a lot; I’m just picking up where he left off. I’m ready for it. He was playing real well, but I can play just as good. I got some tricks up my sleeve, working on a lot of different moves. They don’t know what’s in my repertoire so I’m ready to unleash it. I just need to get the opportunity.”
There are opportunities aplenty around the Giants. Jones made his first start at receiver against the Skins but did not have a single catch. He’s set to start again in Houston, hoping, like Hopkins and Johnson, that first-timers can make a lasting impression.
WALKING WOUNDED
Player Injury Date Status
OL Chris Bober Torn left biceps Nov. 17 Doubtful this week
WR Tim Carter Torn right Achilles Nov. 10 On IR, Nov. 13
S Darnell Dinkins Broken left foot Sept. 22 On IR, Nov. 1
WR Ron Dixon Sprained right knee Nov. 10 Doubtful this week
DL Cornelius Griffin Sprained ankle Nov. 17 Questionable this week
DL Keith Hamilton Ruptured right Achilles Oct. 6 On IR, Oct. 15
WR Ike Hilliard Separated right shoulder Oct. 28 On IR, Nov. 1
K Owen Pochman Aching left knee Preseason On IR, Sept. 3
OL Dusty Zeigler Right knee surgery Oct. 28 On IR, Nov. 13
Other injuries
DL Kenny Holmes Sprained right elbow Sept. 29 Missed two games
CB Will Peterson Dislocated toe Sept. 15 Missed one game
TE Jeremy Shockey Left turf toe Oct. 6 Missed one game
