The New York Giants are in the process of revamping their defense this offseason, which means putting together a unit that fits new defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s style.
One player they’ve brought in is massive nose tackle Justin Ellis, who played under Martindale the past three seasons in Baltimore with the Ravens.
Ellis, a 6-foot-2, 350-pounder was a fourth-round pick of the Oakland Raiders out of Louisiana Tech back in 2014 and has started 50 games in his NFL career, bringing some experience and depth to the Giants’ defensive line.
Ellis is looking forward to a fourth year ear under Martindale.
“I’m excited. I feel like if I do the right things and I take the coaching it’ll be a big year for me,” Ellis told Ed Valentine of Big Blue View. “All coordinators have their things that they do. I really like you just never know how we’re going to attack you (as an offense), I just like the aggressiveness of the defense. I like how we dictate to the offense what we want to do.”
Ellis will naturally be in rotation with several other players but as of today, he is considered the Giants’ starting nose tackle. He is acclimating to line coach Andre Patterson’s style.
“Jelly’s been in this league for a long time. He’s been a good player in this league, and now I’ve just totally revamped his game,” Patterson said. “He looks like a totally different guy right now.”
“I feel different. I feel like I’m recognizing how to transition from being a run player — a lot of time when you get in a game and you’re a run guy you’ve gotta play the run first,” Ellis said.
The Giants will need to stop the run as they play three teams — Dallas, Philadelphia and Washington — who plan on running the football a lot this year.
