“I know I’m way more than a first- and second-down player.”SAM GARNES
ALBANY – In a practice simulation yesterday at training camp, it was third down and the Giants’ defense had its pass coverage personnel in the game. Sam Garnes, No. 20, stayed on the field.
“You can handle it, two-zero,” defensive coordinator John Fox shouted from the sideline.
That might as well be the credo the Giants take into this season regarding Garnes. They believe he can handle it, handle everything, and the impressive third-year safety promises he will justify the team’s confidence in him.
“I know I’m way more than a first- and second-down player,” Garnes said.
For the moment, he’s an every-down player.
Garnes came out of the obscurity of being a 1997 fifth-round draft pick out of Cincinnati and was thrust into an immediate starting job as a rookie. He emerged as an excellent run-stuffer at strong safety, but in obvious passing situations and on third down, Garnes trotted off the field as the personnel that made up the nickel package trotted on.
The days of trotting off are gone for Garnes. This season, Garnes will at long last be granted his wish, as he is part of the nickel package, an increased role that he expects will lead to more big hits, more big plays and, in time, more big money.
“When it’s third down, the play that counts, that’s when you get to see who’s really good,” Garnes said.
This is the natural evolution for Garnes, who just might be Jim Fassel’s favorite player on the entire roster. In Garnes, Fassel sees the ideal blend of maturity, ability and attitude that he wants for the Giants. Fox, too, is enamored with Garnes, a Bronx native who in a short time has entrenched himself on defense and within the team.
“A lot of guys, sometimes they’re a little silly or they’re not quite as serious as they need to be,” Fox said. “They don’t really understand what it is to prepare. Even with his teammates, he’s a leader. He’s the real deal.”
Garnes did not merely request the increased playing time; he chased the new role, shedding weight to drop from 225 to 218 in order to increase his speed. He missed five games last season when he had a screw inserted into his right foot to stabilize a stress reaction and now says he feels quicker and more deadly when it comes to tracking receivers.
“He’s worked very hard to prepare himself for this season,” Fox said. “By nature he’s a very serious person anyway, a very mature guy for his age. A lot was made of Jason Sehorn being hurt, rightfully so, but Sam Garnes, the time he missed, we missed him badly, too. When he’s not in there, we drop off.”
Fox has put Garnes in there and has no plans to take him out. Garnes was considered a potent defender against the run but his coverage skills were thought to be suspect. But when the Giants dumped Tito Wooten, an opening was created in the nickel package, and Garnes is not about to allow anyone to take away what for now is his.
“I don’t lose spots, that’s not me,” he said. “I don’t think they’d have led Tito go if they didn’t think they had somebody to take his place. They would have brought somebody like [Steve] Atwater here. They know they’ve got to give me my chance to step up a little bit and be a leader on this team. I’m definitely going to run with it.”
This is all coming together at the right time for Garnes, whose original three-year contract is up after this season. The Giants will unquestionably re-sign him, and his worth and price tag will rise if he proves he can handle the every-down assignment.
“I’m from New York, I want to be here,” Garnes said. “My main goal is to get to the playoffs; you go to the playoffs, you get money.”
