The signing was met with a conjunction. The Giants needed Olivier Vernon, but …
But at five years and $85 million — with $52.5 million guaranteed — without a Pro Bowl on his résumé, many complained the Giants overpaid. Those same doubters emerged when he got off to a slow start, one sack in seven games, surely limited by a broken hand he never complained about.
The new Giants defensive end, mixing a rare combination of power and speed, isn’t a talker. He’s consistent and workmanlike. He doesn’t give many sound bites.
“I just love his demeanor. He’s quiet, super-reserved,” Victor Cruz said Tuesday. “Kind of the quiet assassin is what I like to call him. He’s been a tremendous player for us.”
While his numbers through 10 games — 41 tackles, four sacks, a forced fumble, 10 tackles for losses and nine quarterback hits — may not fly off the page, his impact has been obvious, particularly recently. Pro Football Focus ranks Vernon 13th among all edge rushers, and he has notched sacks in the last three games.
It’s no coincidence the Giants’ defense is much more stout than a year ago now that it has added a player of the 26-year-old Vernon’s ilk, along with tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison and cornerback Janoris Jenkins. The unit was last in the league in total defense a year ago, 16th this season; 24th against the run a year ago, seventh now.
“He’s one of the most dominant run stoppers I’ve seen at the defensive-end position,” linebacker Devon Kennard said. “Watching some of the film, [what] he can do to tight ends and tackles is impressive.
“When you have a player like that at both ends — [Jason Pierre-Paul] is no slouch — what they’re doing on both sides, it’s like pick your poison.”
Vernon has never reached the postseason, and has a chance now with Big Blue, which has won five straight regular-season games for the first time since 2010, and sits all alone atop the NFC wild-card race.
“As far as being on the big stage, playing for a big city, all the games pretty much everybody gets to see,” Vernon said. “That’s one of the biggest reasons I came here.
“Ain’t nothing like it. All the fans, how they love Giant football, it’s crazy. It’s a blessing.”
The biggest adjustment for Vernon has been dealing with the cold weather. He grew up in Miami and went to the University of Miami, and was drafted by the Dolphins. He’ll be flying back home Thursday for Thanksgiving.
Ironically, as the weather has cooled, he’s played his best.
“Don’t let it fool you. I got Miami in my soul,” Vernon joked. “I have no problem playing in cold weather. Living in it is a different story. I can’t even leave my house. I have to stay in my bed the whole time.”
The Giants rave about his quiet consistency, his ability to be just as solid against the run as the pass. Backup defensive lineman Owa Odighizuwa praised Vernon’s attention to detail. In the defense’s meeting on Tuesday, coordinator Steve Spagnuolo singled out Vernon’s sack of the Bears’ Jay Cutler, because of how fast he read the play-action fake, like he was in the huddle with the Bears.
“He was in the backfield before Cutler could even know what was going on,” Odighizuwa said.
He added: “He’s a consistent dude. Since Day 1, first day of the offseason, first day I met him, he’s been consistent. He’s not too up and down, not the rah-rah guy. Not in your face. He goes about his business very calmly. He knows how to tune everything out and just play ball.”
Vernon is often at his best late in games, which is when this Giants defense has thrived, stopping the opposition’s final drive four of the five games during this winning streak.
“His play-making ability and his tenacity and his ability to go after the quarterback is exactly why we brought him here,” Cruz said. “He’s coming together and doing that at the perfect time.”
Additional reporting by Steve Serby