Adams, Tye starting to become ‘tight’ fit
Long a black hole for the Giants, t he t i ght- end position now looks like a source of strength. That transformation still is in its infancy, but the duo of rookie Jerell Adams and second-year pro Will Tye is starting to come into its own, after playing a key role in the two most recent victories in Big Blue’s four-game win streak. “It’s been great, and we’re only going to get better with experience,” Tye said Thursday, as the 6-3 Giants prepared to face the Bears at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. “That’s the exciting part of it. We’re just getting started.” The only loser in the equation has been veteran tight end Larry Donnell, the one-time starter who has faded i nto the background s i nce an early fumble in the Giants’ 17-10 win over the Rams in London last month. The Giants ’ offense was struggling mightily at the time, and coach Ben McAdoo specifically cited tight end as a position in line for a makeover during that week’s bye.
McAdoo followed through on that vow, replacing Donnell with Tye and Adams starting with their 28-23 victory over the Eagles in Week 9. The two didn’t need long to win El i Manning’s trust, catching a combined 15 passes for 128 yards in the win over Philadelphia and last week’s 21-20 decision against the Bengals.
The victory over Cincinnati included the f irst career TD reception by Adams, a sixth-round pick from South Carolina who did not play in two of the Giants’ first four games this season.
“It felt amazing,” Adams said Thursday of his 10-yard scoring grab against the Bengals. “It was like a dream come true. It was something I always wanted to do when I was younger as a kid growing up. I finally got a chance to score a touchdown in the National Football League and did it on ‘Monday Night Football.’ It doesn’t get much better than that.”
Look for more where that came from, judging by McAdoo’s comments Wednesday.
“Jerell has played quite a bit on the offense and on special teams, and we’re going to continue to work him in,” McAdoo said, in what was as close to a gushing compliment as the Giants’ taciturn rookie boss will give. Tye, of course, is no newcomer. The Stony Brook product became a favorite of Manning’s as a rookie at roughly the same time last year and f inished with 42 catches for 464 yards and three TDs while making seven starts. Tye reverted back to a minimal role this season when Donnell reclaimed the starting job in the preseason and started six of the Giants’ first seven games. But Donnell’s fumble against the Rams — his sixth in the past two seasons — was the apparent tipping point for McAdoo.
Tye and Adams also give the Giants more options because they both are considered solid blockers, something the long, slender Donnell never has embraced.
“We definitely complement each other,” Tye said. “We’re both a willing blocker, so that’s a plus, because we don’t tip off the defense whether it’s going to be a pass or a run, and we can both catch the ball. It’s been great, and we’re both only going to get better with experience.”