LANDOVER, Md. -- If someone tells you they saw Larry Donnell coming, they're lying.
Not even the New York Giants, as they wrapped up training camp late last month, thought they had a tight end on their roster who'd have 25 catches and four touchdowns in their first four games. Donnell is an ungainly, undrafted, 6-foot-6 low-talker with braces who got the starting tight end job because no one else took it from him and because Giants coaches wanted to reward his hard work on special teams.
But there he was, catching seven passes for 54 yards and three (three!) touchdowns in the Giants' 45-14 victory over the Washington Redskins on Thursday night at FedEx Field. Donnell and the Giants (2-2) have figured out a way to use his height advantage with great success on third downs and in the end zone. And the team's reconfigured offensive coaching staff is showing it is not afraid to keep doing the same thing over and over again -- as long as it works.
"When he gets in trouble," Donnell said of quarterback Eli Manning, "he knows he can throw it up there and it's my job to go up and get it. And he feels comfortable doing it."
Comfortable. That's a big word around the Giants these days. They just won two games in five days by the combined score of 75-31. The offense is undoubtedly clicking, with Manning operating efficiently in the no-huddle and keeping the passing game short and controlled. On Thursday, he was 20-for-27 on throws that were 10 yards or shorter, according to ESPN Stats & Information. All four of his touchdown throws came on such passes, and he has thrown nine such touchdowns so far this year -- more than he did from that distance all of last season.
"Yes, starting to like the offense," Manning said. "It's fun. Each week we have some new things and different plays that will work. I think everybody, offensive linemen, receivers, are starting to feel the tempo of things and see what we can do in this offense. We just have to keep working."
They've been helped the past couple of games by the defense's ability to get field-flipping turnovers. And it hasn't hurt that they've been able to get the first lead in each of their past two games, either.
"It gives you all the versatility of what you want to accomplish," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "You stay to the plan much better. You don't have to forgo some of the things you initially thought would be effective. It is a factor."
But the biggest thing that has happened here is Coughlin and offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo have accurately assessed their personnel and tailored an offense to fit it. Donnell isn't a great inline blocker, and he's not going to do anything after the catch. But man, he is tall. And he can jump. And his routes are clean. So you bet they're going to throw it high to him on third down and at the goal line.
Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams aren't breakaway runners; in fact, Williams' 23-yard run in the second half was the Giants' first run of the year that covered more than 20 yards. But those guys can move in the hole and fight for extra yards, and they're putting the Giants in third-and-short somewhat reliably.
"We all understand what's being asked of us in this offense, which is that we've just got to be in the right place at the right time and catch the ball when it's thrown to us," wide receiver Victor Cruz said. "I think we're just clicking."
This offense will develop and likely grow more dynamic as time passes and the personnel evolves. Rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. could join the party in the coming weeks, and if he does, the coaches have a plan for ways to use his speed to help them do more. In the meantime, the game plans are designed to put the people they have in the best possible position to succeed. And that's just plain, old-fashioned good coaching.
