Giants legend goes off on decision not to have Dexter Lawrence on the field in OT: ‘I don’t get it’

When Jahmyr Gibbs ran untouched up the middle for a 69-yard-touchdown on the first snap of overtime for what proved to be the game-winning score for the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Dexter Lawrence was not on the field for the Giants.

Giants legend Carl Banks, one of the team’s voices on WFAN, could not understand the decision to keep the all-pro defensive tackle off the field in the 34-27 loss and went off on the radio.

“What is a rotation?” Banks asked broadcast partner Bob Papa. “Rotation [is] you got guys not as good as your best guys. You don’t rotate when you need to close the game, Bob. I’m sorry, all the other stuff is noise to me now. The missed tackles, par for the course, the fact that you don’t have your best players on the field when you need to close out a game...it says everything to me. I don’t care about the missed tackles happen every week. It’s whatever, right? It’s whatever.

“But I cannot watch the best player on your football team watch the game because you decided the rotation was better. Then you come into overtime after basically 10 minutes of real time, because you’re running commercials and all this other stuff, and you send your defense on the field, and he’s not there for the first series of overtime. And what happens? A big run. I don’t get it, folks, I don’t. I mean all the other stuff that is just going to be noise to me.”

After the game, interim head coach Mike Kafka told reporters that Lawrence was “nicked up” and a decision was made to limit him to 3rd-down situations.

“Dex is battling for us,” Kafka said. “He got a little nicked for us. So, he was battling. He gave us everything he had for as many plays as we could possibly get him in there.

“But there was a management part of that to make sure we could maximize him in certain situations – 3rd downs, things like that where his pass rush could be in effect. So, he wasn’t out there for that 1st down."

Lawrence, who played 33 of 65 total snaps (51%), told reporters he wanted “to be out on the field” but understood the decision.

“They were just allowing me to get in on 3rd down and get some good rushes,” Lawrence told reporters after the game. “As a competitor, I always want to be out on the field, but I understood the process and the game plan. And I trust it.”

Kafka defended embattled defensive coordinator Shane Bowen but said he would have to “look at the tape” to understand what went wrong on the touchdown in OT.

“Yeah, I do. I have a lot of confidence in Shane and his entire staff,” he told reporters.

Of the score, he said: “Didn’t know exactly what happened as a result of that run. Probably looking at, ‘Were the fits right on it?’ But [Gibbs is] a good player. We knew he was going to get in some space, and they were going to give him some opportunities. We had to figure out a way to rally him up, and that one he got us.”

For the Giants, it was just another blown lead and collapse for a team that is now 2-10 and looking at the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft.

They have now blown second-half leads against the Cowboys, Saints, Broncos, Bears and Lions.

The Giants were the first team to officially be eliminated from the playoffs.

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