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NY Post
New York Post
16 Sep 2023


NextImg:Rookie Giants cornerbacks have yet to be tested

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Yes, Deonte Banks said, the way he felt after his NFL debut turned into a 40-0 beat-down was vaguely familiar.

Banks recalled a 30-0 loss to Penn State last year, while he was playing his final season for Maryland.

“It was a rainy game just like that,’’ Banks told The Post. “It was the same type of vibe.’’

It is not a vibe Banks wants to duplicate Sunday.

There will be no precipitation inside State Farm Stadium as the Giants face the Cardinals just seven days after they were blown out by the Cowboys.

“Just be better,’’ Banks said about what he took from his first NFL game.

There are too many fingerprints to single out as evidence of the football crimes committed by the Giants in Week 1.

The rookie cornerbacks, though, were not atop the list of culprits.

CeeDee Lamb caught four passes for 77 yards (veteran Adoree’ Jackson said he was at fault on Lamb’s 49-yard reception), and Brandin Cooks (2-22) and Michael Gallup (1-10) were not major factors — though the Cowboys were not in attack-mode once the score was out of hand and the rain continued to fall.

Giants cornerback Deonte Banks tackles Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup for an incomplete pass during the second quarter.
Bill Kostroun/New York Post

Tre Hawkins did get called for a borderline pass interference penalty on Cooks early in the second quarter that cost the Giants 37 yards.

Hawkins was later hit with a flag for holding.

Banks, limited to just 25 snaps because he was experiencing cramps, cost his team five yards with an illegal contact penalty. Hawkins was on the field for 51 snaps.

That was uncommon.

Having Banks and Hawkins in the starting lineup was the first time the Giants started two rookie cornerbacks in the Super Bowl era (since 1967).

It was the first time the Giants started two rookies in their defensive backfield since 1980, when Mark Haynes started at cornerback and Bud Hebert started at free safety in a 41-35 victory over the Cardinals — in St. Louis.

Tre Hawkins III brakes up a pass intended for Cowboys wide receiver Brandin Cooks during the second quarter.
Tre Hawkins III brakes up a pass intended for Cowboys wide receiver Brandin Cooks during the second quarter.
Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

The last NFL team to start two rookie corners in a season opener?

The 2008 Chiefs (Brandon Carr and Brandon Flowers).

These Cardinals do not present the same challenge as the Cowboys, especially when it comes to dealing with a high-powered passing attack.

Joshua Dobbs throwing to Marquise Brown, Rondale Moore and Michael Wilson does not have the same bite to it.

Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka was a finalist for the Cardinals’ head coaching job before Jonathan Gannon, the former Eagles defensive coordinator, suddenly emerged as the top candidate and was hired.

    “A great experience,’’ Kafka said of interviewing with the Cardinals. “I learned a lot about myself, I learned a lot about the NFL and how those things work so again, nothing but a great experience there.’’

    There was a great deal not to like about the opener and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale was especially displeased with the way his unit started the second half.

    The Giants were down 26-0 at halftime and the Cowboys took the kickoff in the third quarter and marched 75 yards in 10 plays to take a 33-0 lead.

    “Keep your composure,’’ Martindale said. “That’s what I told them. I don’t lose my composure. I’m going to be the same. We’ve just got to move on. I still think we’re a good defense.’’

    The high temperature on Sunday is forecast to be 103 degrees, but the heat will not be a factor, as State Farm Stadium is a dome.

    It was called University of Phoenix Stadium when the Giants upset the previously-undefeated Patriots to win Super Bowl XLII there after the 2007 season.