With all the scrutiny and changes
the Giants defense has undergone within the past year, there is still one big
question mark. That, of course, is the void left by Antonio Pierce at the
middle linebacker position.
When the draft came this past April, the Giants
waited until the fourth round to address this glaring need by drafting LB
Phillip Dillard. This move made many believe that the Giants organization was
hoping a leader would emerge from the linebackers already on the roster.
However, another factor was added to the equation with the Giants’ recent
acquisition of LB Keith Bulluck.
While Bulluck may have the
veteran experience and leadership that Pierce demonstrated, he does not know
the Giants defense nearly as well as other linebacker teammates. The advantages
to Bulluck’s arrival may make him a shoe-in to start at MLB, but with his
recent surgery and injury risk, don’t be surprised if you find another Giant
stepping up to quarterback the defense at some point to quarterback the
defense at some point this season
Among the players hoping to win the starting spot
vacated by Pierce is Gerris Wilkinson. Wilkinson is going into his fifth
year in the NFL, all five of which have been with the Giants. Wilkinson may
have been the Giant who was closest to having the starting spot, had it not
been for several injuries. After going out with an injury, Wilkinson has yet to
reclaim the starting gig he held for the first five games of the 2008 season.
There is plenty of competition between the Giants
linebackers, including Bulluck, Dillard, Wilkinson and others, each bringing
something different to the table. Wilkinson and Dillard have something in
common, having been drafted in a middle round of the draft.
“Once I got drafted, I was the
second to last pick of the third round. It was a big relief to be drafted on
the first day and to go to a city like New York; you can’t ask to be in a
better place. It was a great opportunity, I’m a little biased but I think it’s
the best organization in the NFL. In terms of how they run the
organization and the types of players that they bring in, it’s a really
high-class organization.” With Wilkinson showing this much respect and praise
for the organization that drafted him, it’s easy to see where his heart lies.
Anytime a player speaks this highly of his organization, you know he will
put forth nothing but 110 percent effort and dedication both on and off the
field.
Wilkinson also has a high regard for a former mentor
that has molded him into the NFL player he is today.
“I loved Steve Spagnuolo and his
defense. I loved him as a person. From the way he treated his players to the
way he ran the defense to the way he ran his whole operation, I really enjoyed
playing for him and learned a lot from him.
As Giants fans know all too well by now, last season
under Bill Sheridan was a far cry from the glory days of Spags’ time, running
the G-men’s defense. When asked where the major breakdown or difference was
between Spags’ defense and Sheridan’s defense, Wilkinson seemed to pinpoint the
problem very accurately.
“I think [Coach Spags] could
better communicate with the players in terms of what they were thinking and
doing and what he was trying to teach. There was a way to meet somewhere
in the middle and be on the same page. That wasn’t there much with Sheridan.”
However, that is no excuse for the inconsistent play
the Giants defense exhibited last season. When asked to elaborate on how the
defense played last season, Wilkinson laid the law down with how he expects
himself and his teammates to perform.
“I think guys just need to come
together and decide that there are going to be certain expectations every time
we take the field and hold each other more accountable than we did last year.
There were a lot of times, last year, when there was a lack of leadership from
certain guys and a lack of accountability amongst the players. I think at time,
we settled and didn’t hold ourselves to what we’ve come to expect and what
people outside the organization have come to expect from the Giants defense. We
need to hold each other to a higher standard.”
With the leadership qualities evident in Wilkinson’s
determination to make the Giants defense better, there is another ray of hope
for this upcoming season in the form of the team’s new defensive coordinator.
“I think that Coach [Perry] Fewell
is more similar to Coach Spags than Sheridan because of his demeanor and
communication. The defenses have some differences here and there, but overall I
think Coach Fewell compares better to Coach Spags.”
With the first preseason game having yet to be
played, many fans have worried whether the Giants defense would perform with
another new defensive coordinator. If Wilkinson’s assessment of Fewell is any
indication, then Giants fans should expect a return to energetic, tough,
hard-hitting defense.
Whichever coach is on the sidelines, it is
ultimately up to the play of the athletes on the field, and just like any other
group of professionals, there needs to be a leader. Again, the leadership
qualities came through when asked who would fill the role left by Pierce.
“I see myself being able to fill
that leadership void on defense. I’ve been with the organization, but you have
to do it on the field first. You have to be a leader in action before you
can be a leader any other way. I think it will be very clear in the first three
or four games who that leader is going to be, and who’s going to set that tone
early for the defense.” Wilkinson continued, “We have numerous options
with guys along the D-line with [Justin] Tuck and Osi [Umenyiora], guys in the
secondary with Corey [Webster] and Terrell [Thomas], and guys that have been
very productive, but the leadership on the defense usually comes from the
linebacking group. I personally see it as being me.”
Despite the display of confidence by Wilkinson in
his ability to lead the Giants defense, he is still on the outside looking in.
Fans can only wonder what the linebacker picture might look like had Wilkinson
stayed healthy throughout his career. When asked how his injuries have affected
his shot at being a starter, Wilkinson was confident in his response.
“If I could place one word on the
way my career has been thus far, it would be ‘inconsistent’. Without the
injuries, I feel I could be a frontrunner for that spot. I think that once the
season gets going and I have a chance to stay healthy and on the field, I think
that people will be surprised with my performance.”
Inconsistency is something Wilkinson wants to erase
from his vocabulary, replaced by determination and dedication to be better.
“Every time I step on the field, I
try to improve be better than I was last time. With the experience that I have,
the things that I’ve learned, and the amount of work that I’m willing to put
in, I will show it with my play.”
Wilkinson’s dedication is shown both on and off the
football field. He is very involved in charities and foundation work.
“I am the Chairman of the Board
with a non-profit organization based out of Atlanta, Georgia, called Youth
Enhancement Services. The main focus of it is tutoring and mentoring high
school dropouts. The dropout rate in the area is about six percent; it’s pretty
much crisis-type numbers.” Wilkinson continued, “My fiancée runs [the
organization]. She’s the executive director of it. Her mom started it 20 years
ago and I became the Chairman of the Board in January.”
Wilkinson is also involved with charity work in the
New York area.
“I lost my mom to cancer in 2005,
so the Giants paired me up with this organization in the tri-state area called
Cancer Care. They work with children and families where a parent has died from
cancer and they have a camp that I participate in.”
Off-the-field he is focused on helping others and
on-the-field he is determined to improve and become the best player he can be.
While Wilkinson is currently not listed as a starter
on the Giants depth chart, we can only speculate what the season will bring. We
all know how wild and unpredictable the NFL is and Wilkinson can very well be a
starting linebacker for the Giants at any given week of the season.
With his dedication to his team, on the field, and
to those in need, off-the-field, Wilkinson is the definition of a true Giant.
