Maybe it was the off-season break that interrupted the flow.Or perhaps it was the shock of losing inside linebacker Blake Martinez to a torn ACL.Whatever the reason, the New York Giants defense got off to a sluggish and alarming start in which the unit was allowing 29.5 points per game, a 43 percent conversion rate on third-down, and over 400 net yards of offense to opponents.Thank goodne s, though, that the season is a long one, Jared Spurgeon Jersey as, over the last three weeks, the Giants defense has started to look more like what defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and the players believed it could be.In that span, the Giants have dramatically cut down on points allowed per game (13), clamped down on third-down conversion attempts (28.2 percent), slashed the average net yards allowed per game (314.6), and, as a bonus, they have begun getting home more with the pa s rush (nine sacks in last three games versus 10 in the first six.) One of the most significant improvements has been that the Giants have not allowed a score to an opposing team in the final two minutes of the game in the last three weeks.I feel pretty good. I think the areas that Ive talked about beforered area, third down, keeping those points down, two-minute. I think those Zach Parise Jersey are areas of emphasis and areas we improved on, said safety and defensive captain Logan Ryan. I still think we can improve our tackling. Weve been getting more turnovers, which is always the goal of defense, to get them off the field and make them kick field goals if theyre in that position and get the ball. Weve been doing a better job of that, and weve got to continue doing that.Its a good thing that the defense is stepping up as with the offense still reeling from injuries and struggling to scorethey are ranked 24th in the league (19.9 points per game)the defense has taken it upon itself to carry the team until some of the injured starters on offense are healthy enough to return.Scroll to ContinueDefensively understanding with some of our guys down on offense that we need to step up and win the games and step up and control the tempo of the games, Ryan said. We took that upon ourselves in the darkest times to each step Darcy Kuemper Jersey up and play a lot better, and I think weve done that.A big reason for the defense looking more cohesive and having improved mostly acro s the board, according to Ryan, was defensive coordinator Patrick Grahams commitment to do whatever he Nino Niederreiter Jersey needed to make sure the communication and execution were better among the players.We talked about it after games, simplifying. I think Pats as good as any coach in the league of listening to his players and listening to his coaches and not being afraid to take advice from the players, Ryan said. I think he does a great job of adjusting throughout the year and listening to his players saying, Although we thought this was going to be what we practiced all week, actually I think we need to run this, and he does a great job in implementing that. Ryan noted that Graham has especially done a really good job of not worrying so much about calling the perfect defense for every situation. Instead, he's more concerned with what his players do well and has sought to put them in positions that might call for those skills to stop what the opponent is looking to do. I think he has a great knowledge of who his players are and what we do best, Ryan said. It might not be what you pictured in the offseason, it might not be how we had this guy, and were going to run this year, were going to run more man-to-man this year. That was the big talk, like we got (Cornerback) Adoree' (Jackson), its going to be man-to-man every play. Thats not the case. Understanding whats best for our team throughout the year and not being afraid to adjust and go with what the guys are doing best.More from Giants Country Ryan Suter Jersey Join the Giants Country Community