Give Eli Apple a break
Eli Apple had a bad game, and now people are labeling him a bust. Here’s why Apple’s going to be just fine.
So rookie cornerback Eli Apple played poorly against the Eagles. All right, maybe saying he played poorly is a severe understatement, like saying Adam Sandler’s new movies are dull, or saying the Grand Canyon is big. Apple played so poorly, in fact, he got benched in favor of Trevin Wade. Apple was originally going to sit for only a few series, but Wade was apparently playing much better than Apple, so he finished the game. Getting out-played by Wade is never a good thing, and it was the exclamation point on Apple’s rotten day — see what I did there?
To be completely fair, Apple played horrendously. He missed tackles and blew contain on more than one occasion. Apple got burned and turned around by Trey Burton on a big play, and he just looked like a lost rookie. He failed to tackle Nelson Agholor by delivering a half-hearted attempt. If Apple makes that tackle, it’s a first down, sure, but the Eagles wouldn’t be knocking on the door.
The worst play of the game came when he was late reacting to Ryan Mathews, resulting in an easy touchdown for the Eagles’ running back. You can even see Landon Collins express his frustrations with Apple’s deplorable play. Why Apple was still looking inside while Mathews bounced the run outside is beyond me. Had Apple reacted the way most NFL players would’ve, that run would’ve been like, a two, maybe three-yard gain. If the NFL had anything like “Shaqtin’ a Fool,” Apple would be a shoe-in.
Here’s another angle of the faux pas. It looks like he’s struck in quicksand or something.
So yes, Apple got his first taste of what it’s like to have a terrible game as a member of a team playing in the largest sports media market in the entire world. It sucks, but it’s a reality pretty much everyone whom the Giants have drafted endured at some point.
I don’t think it’s fair to begin labeling him a ‘bust’ after one faulty game, though. As a matter of fact, I think it’s erroneous and crazy.
Apple had a bad game. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. Move along and continue your day. If you’re sitting there thinking a bad game from a rookie is uncommon, here’s a list of some other guys who had bad games during their rookie year:
- Cam Newton
- Adrian Peterson
- Patrick Peterson
- Von Miller
- Julio Jones
All of those guys turned out pretty good, wouldn’t you say? In addition to those five guys listed, PRACTICALLY EVERY OTHER FUCKING ATHLETE IN THE HISTORY OF SPORTS HAD A BAD GAME DURING THEIR ROOKIE YEAR. I’m not ready to say Apple is going to be on the same level as those players, but it’s important to remember that rookie struggles happen.
Let’s also remember the fact that cornerback is the second-hardest position for a rookie to come in and succeed at (quarterback being the first, IMO). When a cornerback makes a mistake, the entire stadium and audience watching at home sees. When a rookie defensive tackle makes a mistake, it seldom gets blown out of proportion.
Additionally, Apple’s an easy target because of his outspoken mom. Honestly, you could tell Mrs. Apple would be a problem as soon as her son got drafted. I’m not insinuating she’s a bad person — she seems like a great mom — but her outspoken ways make it easy for social media to pick on Eli. It’s easy to link Apple’s mom’s words with Apple’s bad play, but there’s no real correlation there.
If you want a reason why the criticism for Apple has come in so rapidly, look no further than Odell Beckham Jr.’s phenomenal rookie season. Obviously, Beckham entered the league and did things nobody could’ve predicted. He produced early and often, scoring a touchdown in his first game. Because of his sensational rookie year, Giants fans may be expecting a lot of positive production from first-round picks. The fact of the matter is what OBJ accomplished is once-in-a-generation shit. It’s not like Apple’s been routinely beat, either. I would say he’s had a better start to his career than Aaron Ross and Prince Amukamara, the two other cornerbacks Jerry Reese nabbed during his tenure with the Giants.
And 2015’s first-round pick Ereck Flowers sucked last year, but it’s a lot easier to poke holes in a cornerback’s game than it is to poke holes in a left tackle’s.
Luckily for Apple, he’s got Landon Collins on his team. If you recall, Collins had an incredibly rocky first year. The climax of his inaugural campaign came when he dropped a would-be game-winning interception against the Patriots. Collins knows what it’s like to be scrutinized by the media. Bob Glauber of Newsday discussed how Collins plans to help his rookie teammate.
“Some things, you just have to go through. You just have to learn from it. Once you learn from it, it’s like you know what’s going to happen before it happens, so you don’t allow it to happen,” Collins said. “There was a lot of pressure on me, and I think if I just had a veteran guy next to me, I think it would have been better. I had Brandon [Meriweather], but I mean a guy that knew the system [under defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo], someone that was here and been in the system and been in the NFL for a while.”
Having that presence should axiomatically help boost Apple’s confidence. Let’s also remember Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is in the secondary, so there’s another leader for Apple. The absolutely worst thing that could happen would be for Apple to have zero teammates who could help guide him.
This is just a prediction by me, so take that anyway you want, but I fully expect Apple to rebound well. As a matter of fact, I expect him to have the best game of his young career Monday night, in primetime against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Calling Apple a bust is tremendously premature. Prior to the game against Philadelphia, Apple was playing pretty well for a raw rookie. He hasn’t been the liability in coverage many thought. However, he lacks both the standout, highlight-reel play that would garner him more positive press. Apple did surrender a touchdown to Jordy Nelson, but that was against one of the best quarterback-receiver duos in the league. It also happened on one of the toughest red-zone routes — we called it a skin’s turn when I was in high school. But that’s like officially labeling the route OBJ ran on his 75-yard TD against the Ravens a “whirlybird.” — to cover.
I’m not worried about Eli Apple. He’s going to bounce back, and it’s going to happen quickly. Cornerbacks need to have a short memory, and well-coached cornerbacks always tend to understand that exceptionally well. Steve Spagnuolo shares my sentiments, reiterating the fact that the Giants are going to stick with their rookie out of Ohio State.
“I will tell you this, I’m a big Eli Apple fan. I said that from the beginning,” Spagnuolo said, according to ESPN’s Jordan Ranaan. “He’s going to help us win football games. He has.”
The Giants will continue to rely on Apple, mostly because they need him to produce. He’ll remain a member of the starting rotation, and he’ll turn his fortunes around. That task begins Monday night against the Bengals.
