Nov 062013
 
Andre Brown, New York Giants (August 18, 2013)

Andre Brown – © USA TODAY Sports Images

November 6, 2013 New York Giants Injury Report: Not practicing on Wednesday were RB David Wilson (neck), WR Victor Cruz (neck),  CB Terrell Thomas (knee), and CB Corey Webster (groin).

“I wouldn’t call it a setback (with Cruz), but when a guy is not practicing, obviously, it’s an issue,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “They’re just going to hold him to make sure that he doesn’t have any further incidents today. He feels better, quite frankly. I think he probably could practice if we really needed him to practice today, but we’re going to err on the side of precaution here in hopes that he will be prepared to go (on Thursday).”

“No concern, just some precautionary stuff,” said Cruz. “The training staff wanted me to take this one off and take another day to heal and get better and just feel better about myself…No pain, very little discomfort. In the morning it’s a little stiff but other than that it’s no pain.”

RB Brandon Jacobs (hamstring), DT Shaun Rogers (knee), and CB Jayron Hosley (hamstring) practiced on a limited basis.

TE Adrien Robinson (foot), who has not played in a game this season, fully practiced. Robinson hurt his foot in the preseason.

“It’ll be up to the coaches (if I play on Sunday),” said Robinson. “I’ve been practicing. I feel better. I’m ready to go. I’m real excited to be back…It was tough because I wasn’t expecting to be out this long. It just took time.”

November 6, 2013 Tom Coughlin Press Conference: The video of Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s Wednesday press conference is available at Giants.com

November 6, 2013 New York Giants Player Media Q&As: Transcripts and video of Wednesday’s media Q&As with the following players are available at Giants.com:

Article on the 2013 New York Giants: Midseason Report: New York Giants by Dan Graziano of ESPN.com

Article on RB Andre Brown: Andre Brown returns to crowded Giants backfield by Bart Hubbuch of The New York Post

Article on WR Victor Cruz: Victor Cruz ready to find end zone again by Tom Rock of Newsday

Article on OG Chris Snee: Giants’ Snee: I get ‘antsy and irritable’ missing Sundays by Paul Schwartz of The New York Post

Article on DE Jason Pierre-Paul: JPP changes tune, fired up about 2nd half by Kieran Darcy of ESPNNewYork.com

Article on CB Trumaine McBride: CB McBride has career resurgence in NY by Dan Salomone of Giants.com

 

Oct 302013
 
Terrell Thomas, New York Giants (October 6, 2013)

Terrell Thomas – © USA TODAY Sports Images

General Manager Jerry Reese on WFAN: The audio of Wednesday’s WFAN interview with General Manager Jerry Reese is available at CBSNewYork.com

David Diehl Doesn’t See Hakeem Nicks Returning to the Giants: OT David Diehl told ProFootballTalk.com on Wednesday that he does not see WR Hakeem Nicks returning to the Giants in 2014. Nicks will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2013 season.

“I don’t see it happening,” Diehl said. “I would love to see it, he is like a brother to me, he lived with me when he first got drafted by the Giants because we have the same agent. So I knew him coming out of college. But for the sheer fact that we just paid Victor Cruz, there is a lot of money to be had and Hakeem Nicks is a No. 1 receiver and someone is going to pay him that money.”

CB Terrell Thomas Named “NFC Defensive Player of the Week”: New York Giants cornerback Terrell Thomas has been named “NFC Defensive Player of the Week” for his performance against the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday. Thomas led the Giants with 11 tackles (10 solo), a sack, and a forced fumble that was recovered by the Giants, ending Philadelphia’s most serious offensive scoring threat of the game.

Thomas is the first Giants’ cornerback to be named “NFC Defensive Player of the Week” since Aaron Ross in Week 11 of the 2008 season. The other Giants corners to win the award since its inception in 1984 are Everson Walls (1990), Jason Sehorn (twice in 1997), and Phillippi Sparks (1998).

This is the 37th time a Giants player has received the award.

Giants Workout 20 Players: As is usually the case on Tuesday, and especially during the week of the bye, the Giants worked out a number of street free agents on Tuesday, 20 to be specific. To see the full list of those who were worked out, see The-Star Ledger.

Article on General Manager Jerry Reese and Head Coach Tom Coughlin: Giants’ Tom Coughlin, Jerry Reese are in this together by Tara Sullivan of The Bergen Record

Article on General Manager Jerry Reese: How much blame does Giants GM Jerry Reese deserve? Here’s the verdict by Jordan Raanan of NJ.com

Article on QB Eli Manning: No one reason for Eli Manning’s picks by Matt Ehalt of ESPNNewYork.com

Article on TE Brandon Myers: Pope preaches patience with Myers by Kieran Darcy of ESPNNewYork.com

Articles on the Giants Defensive Line:

Article on S Will Hill: Safeties coach Merritt impressed by Will Hill by Dan Salomone of Giants.com

Oct 182013
 
Jon Beason, New York Giants (October 10, 2013)

LB Jon Beason – © USA TODAY Sports Images

October 18, 2013 New York Giants Injury Report: Not practicing on Friday were DE Jason Pierre-Paul (illness), CB Corey Webster (groin), and RB David Wilson (neck).

“(Pierre-Paul) was sick,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “He’s actually been sick since Monday.”

Practicing on a limited basis were RB Brandon Jacobs (hamstring), TE Adrien Robinson (foot), OC David Baas (neck), CB Terrell Thomas (knee), CB Jayron Hosley (hamstring), and S Cooper Taylor (shoulder).

“Today I took every rep. It’s definitely something I’m just working on,” Baas said. “I’m trying to get a feel for it and get out there and work with my teammates. Things are going well right now and no predictions, but right now I would say we’ve got a really good chance (to play).”

New York Giants Coach Media Q&As: Transcripts and video clips of Friday’s media sessions with the following coaches are available at Giants.com:

New York Giants Player Media Q&As: Transcripts and video of Friday’s media Q&As with the following players are available at Giants.com:

Articles on the Giants Pass Rush:

Article on Head Coach Tom Coughlin and QB Eli Manning: Giants willing and stable with Coughlin, Eli by Dan Grazziano of ESPN.com

Article on QB Eli Manning: Giants standing behind Eli Manning by Tara Sullivan of The Bergen Record

Articles on the Giants Running Backs:

Article on TE Brandon Myers: Myers moves on from Chicago mistake by Kieran Darcy of ESPNNewYork.com

Oct 112013
 
David Wilson, New York Giants (October 6, 2013)

RB David Wilson – © USA TODAY Sports Images

RB David Wilson May Have Spinal Stenosis: RB David Wilson revealed on Friday that doctors fear he may be suffering from spinal stenosis, which is an abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal. The injury is affecting his neck and could potentially end his season. However, the New York Giants have not officially announced their medical diagnosis and Wilson will be seeking a second opinion on Monday.

Wilson was asked by a reporter if the injury was stenosis, and Wilson replied, “That’s what it is. That’s what they think it is.”

“They’re just telling me to sit out until further notice,” said Wilson. “I’m just as clueless as you all are…I feel perfectly fine but the x-rays, one vertebra is closer to my spinal chord…They said they want to be cautious and check it our further.”

Wilson was asked if season-ending surgery was a possibility. “I have to get a second opinion; we don’t know yet,” replied Wilson.

Head Coach Tom Coughlin was asked if Wilson’s injury was potentially season-ending. “That’s not the way that it was presented to me,” responded Coughlin. “He is going for a second opinion, as you know. The thing that gave me some confidence is, David had an occurrence of this in college. He talked to me exactly about how it came about. It wasn’t a top of the crown type thing, or anything of that nature  It wasn’t that type of an injury. It’s a disc issue and they will determine the severity of it and whether or not over the course of a couple weeks, three weeks, four weeks, if that can become a better circumstance, then he would have a chance to come back and play. If it’s determined that’s not the case, we’ll go from there.”

Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s Press Conference: The transcript and video of Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s Friday press conference are available at Giants.com.

Player Media Q&As: Transcripts and video of Friday’s media Q&As with the following players are available at Giants.com:

S Antrel Rolle on WFAN: The audio of Friday’s WFAN interview with S Antrel Rolle is available at CBSNewYork.com

Article on CB Terrell Thomas: Terrell Thomas on team’s attitude at 0-6: ‘I think some don’t care, who knows? by Conor Orr of The Star-Ledger

Notes: Dating back to last season, the Giants have last their last eight road games.

The Giants have trailed at halftime in all six games this season.

The Giants have committed an NFL-high 23 turnovers this year – two more than they had for all of the 2012 season. The Giants have committed at least three turnovers in all six games

The Giants have only sacked opposing quarterbacks five times this season.

Sep 222013
 
Brandon Myers, New York Giants (September 15, 2013)

Brandon Myers – © USA TODAY Sports Images

September 22, 2013 New York Giants Injury Update: CB Corey Webster (hip) did not make the trip for the game against the Carolina Panthers and has been downgraded from “questionable” to “out.” TE Adrien Robinson (foot) and OT David Diehl (thumb), who were ruled out on Friday, also did not make the trip.

Article on TE Brandon Myers: Giants’ Myers Is Committed to Correcting His Mistakes by Bill Pennington of The New York Times

Article on the New York Giants’ Defensive Line: Giants’ Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell Needs His Front Four to Get to the Quarterback by Conor Orr of The Star-Ledger

Articles on the New York Giants’ Defensive Backs:

Article on P Steve Weatherford: Giants Punter Hoping for Better Outcome After Bad Week 2 by George Willis of The New York Post

Article on Pro Football and Head Coach Tom Coughlin: Coughlin’s Personal Tragedy Underscores National Obsession by Steve Silverman of CBSNewYork.com

Sep 152013
 
Eli Manning, New York Giants (September 15, 2013)

Eli Manning – © USA TODAY Sports Images

New York Giants Fall to 0-2: The New York Giants lost to the Denver Broncos 41-23 at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. With the defeat, the Giants have fallen to 0-2.

The game was competitive until late in the third quarter when the Broncos pulled away. But third-down inefficiency (1-for-11 on third down), red-zone inefficiency (1-of-3 inside the red zone), turnovers (four interceptions), and an inability to run the football (23 yards rushing) killed New York. In addition, the Giants’ defense allowed 416 total yards, including 109 yards rushing and never sacked QB Peyton Manning. All three phases failed as the Giants’ special teams allowed an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown that put the game out of reach, and P Steve Weatherford struggled (22 net yards per punt).

After the game, safety Antrel Rolle was asked if he felt the Giants were better than their record. “I can say what we are, but the record shows otherwise,” replied Rolle. “The record shows 0-2, so at this point, we’re an 0-2 team. It’s up to us what we’re going to do from this point on. We can either get in the tank, which is something that we will never, ever do, or we can go out and fight like I hope that we will do and like I see us going out there and doing. We have to pick it up. We have to pick it up in all three phases on the game, offensively, defensively, and special teams and make sure you clear up certain things because there are a lot of things that need to be clear.”

The Broncos received the football to start the game and easily drove 91 yards down field to the Giants’ 6-yard line. But the Giants’ defense forced their only turnover when DT Cullen Jenkins forced a fumble that S Ryan Mundy recovered in the end zone.

On the first play of New York’s first possession, QB Eli Manning hit WR Victor Cruz for a 51-yard completion, but the drive stalled at the Denver 18-yard line and the Giants settled for a 36-yard field goal by PK Josh Brown.

The score remained a 3-0 Giants until the second quarter as both teams exchanged punts twice. Denver began their fourth drive on the Giants’ 40-yard line. Four plays later, RB Knowshon Moreno broke off a 20-yard touchdown run. Early in the second quarter, the Broncos led 7-3.

After both teams exchanged punts again, the Giants started their fifth possession a Denver’s 43-yard line. However, the drive stalled at the 6-yard line and the Giants settled for a 24-yard field goal. Broncos 7 – Giants 6.

After the Giants’ defense forced a three-and-out, the Giants drove 37 yards in seven pays to set up a 41-yard field goal by Brown as the Giants regained the lead 9-7. Denver responded with an 8-play, 56-yard drive that set up a 42-yard field goal as Denver went back up 10-9. The Giants had a chance late in the second quarter to add more points as 34-yard pass to WR Hakeem Nicks and a 21-yard pass interference penalty set the Giants up at the Broncos 28-yard line with 16 seconds to go before intermission. But Manning’s deep pass for Nicks was intercepted in the end zone.

At halftime, the Broncos led 10-9.

In the second half, after a three-and-out by New York, the Broncos extended their advantage to 17-9 as Denver drove 53 yards in nine plays with the possession culminating in a 2-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Manning to WR Wes Welker. The Giants responded with a 9-play, 81-yard drive that resulted in a 1-yard touchdown run by RB Brandon Jacobs. With just over three minutes to play in the third quarter, the Giants had cut the score to 17-16.

But then the roof caved in as the Broncos scored 21 unanswered points in a matter of minutes, including a 7-play, 80-yard drive that finished with a 25-yard touchdown run by Moreno; a 5-play, 36-yard touchdown drive after Eli Manning’s second interception; and an 81-yard punt return by WR Trindon Holliday. With 10 minutes to play, the Giants trailed 38-16.

Eli Manning was picked two more times in the fourth quarter as the Giants desperately tried to get back into the game. New York did score with four minutes left as RB Da’Rel Scott caught a 23-yard touchdown pass. But it was far too little, far too late. Denver tacked on a late 47-yard field goal.

Eli Manning finished the game 28-of-49 for 362 yards, 1 touchdown, and 4 interceptions. Running backs David Wilson, Brandon Jacobs, and Da’Rel Scott combined for 23 yards on 19 carries (1.2 yards per carry). Victor Cruz caught 8 passes for 118 yards.

Video highlights/lowlights are available at Giants.com.

Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s Post-Game Press Conference: The video of Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s post-game press conference is available at Giants.com.

Player Post-Game Media Q&As: Transcripts and video of the post-game media Q&As with the following players are available at Giants.com:

Post-Game Notes: Inactive for the Giants were QB Ryan Nassib, RB Michael Cox, TE Adrien Robinson (foot), OT David Diehl (thumb), OG Brandon Mosley, DT Johnathan Hankins, and LB Allen Bradford.

Aug 072013
 
Deon Grant, New York Giants (February 5, 2012)

Deon Grant – © USA TODAY Sports Images

August 7, 2013 New York Giants Training Camp Reports: The Giants held their tenth training camp practice on Wednesday afternoon at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center. The next practice is on Thursday from 1:30-3:45PM. For a complete training camp schedule and Giants.com Q&A guide, see the Training Camp section of the website.

Injury Update – Three With Concussions: Not practicing on Wednesday were DE Justin Tuck (back), OL Justin Pugh (concussion), OL James Brewer (concussion), RB Ryan Torain (concussion), S Cooper Taylor (hamstring), FB Henry Hynoski (PUP – knee), DE Jason Pierre-Paul (PUP – back), and DT Markus Kuhn (PUP – knee).

“(Tuck’s) got a tight back,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “They’re just taking the precautions…We’ll see (if he plays on Saturday against the Steelers). We expect that to be the case, but he’ll have to do a little bit of improving. ”

When asked about Pugh, Coughlin replied, “Good, good. I hope he gets cleared this weekend for next week.”

Coughlin was also asked about Brewer and Taylor. “They won’t make it this week,” said Coughlin. “The doctor was pretty optimistic about Taylor.”

OG Chris Snee (hip) and CB Terrell Thomas (knee/hamstring) continued to practice on a limited basis.

Deon Grant Retires as a New York Giant: Safety Deon Grant, who played for four teams during an 12-year time span, has retired from the NFL as a New York Giant.

“I want to retire as a Giant,” said Grant, “because I want to be a Giant for the rest of my life.”

In his 12 seasons, Grant played for the Panthers (2000-2003), Jaguars (2004-2006), Seahawks (2007-2009), and Giants (2010-2011).

“The Giants are a connection in my heart that I knew that I was supposed to be there,” Grant said. “The last year that I signed there to go to the Super Bowl I could have signed with a bunch of teams, but I wanted to sign with the Giants. The way that the owners opened the doors and signed me back and the general manager and the coaching staff…we did each other a favor, but it definitely solidified my career for me.”

“It makes me smile,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “He’s one of our guys. He did a great job when he was here. Mr. Versatility. He played linebacker. He played back in the secondary. We had a package basically designed to get him and others on the field at the same time and he responded very, very well. He was a very, very smart player; a guy who could direct traffic back there. The guys really respected him. He had the ability to recognize when things weren’t championship quality and he would call people’s attention to that and guys respected him for that. I look forward to seeing Deon again and see if we can get him in here and talk to our team, too. He does a very good job of that.”

Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s Wednesday Press Conference: The transcript and video of Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s press conference on Wednesday are available at BigBlueInteractive.com or Giants.com.

Player Media Q&As: Transcripts and video of Wednesday’s media Q&As with the following players are available at BigBlueInteractive.com or Giants.com:

Article on the Giants’ Defense: Kiwanuka Thinks Giants Defense Needs to Get Tougher by Paul Schwartz of The New York Post

Article on DE Adrian Tracy: Determined to Become the Next Osi Umenyiora by Jonathan Clegg of The Wall Street Journal

Articles on the Defensive Backs:

Article on TE Brandon Myers: Eli on Myers: ‘He’s Off to a Great Start’ by Kieran Darcy of ESPNNewYork.com

Article on OG Brandon Mosley: Brandon Mosley in Line for Saturday Start by Michael Eisen of Giants.com

Quotes: QB Eli Manning on the wide receivers: “I’ve been proud of our guys at receiver. Victor (Cruz) has come in and had a great camp so far doing a lot of good things, but Rueben Randle…A lot of talk has been about Rueben and he’s gotten a lot of reps and has really stepped up and has great talent. Louis Murphy is another guy who we brought in this offseason and he’s done really well at route running. He’s got a lot of speed and has been catching the ball well and understanding the offense and so you can see his dedication. Obviously, Hakeem (Nicks), having him back and (Tuesday) kind of the first practice in a while…It’s good to have him in the mix getting comfortable and having him full stride. So I’ve been impressed with the receivers and I think we have a strong group of guys who practice hard, they’re focused, they’re serious about doing the right things and they’re smart and have a great understanding of what we’re trying to do and it should be good.”

Head Coach Tom Coughlin on DT/DE Cullen Jenkins: “He’s a tough guy to block no matter where he is. He’s very effective, very good. Moves well. Just gives us a nice piece of versatility to be able to play him basically wherever we need.”

Aug 052013
 
Stevie Brown (27), Antrel Rolle (26), New York Giants (August 4, 2013)

Stevie Brown and Antrel Rolle – © USA TODAY Sports Images

New York Giants Return to Practice on Tuesday: The Giants did not practice on Monday. The next practice is on Tuesday from 1:30-3:45PM. For a complete training camp schedule and Giants.com Q&A guide, see the Training Camp section of the website.

A sights and sounds video from training camp is available at Giants.com.

Hakeem Nicks Tells Fans to Relax: WR Hakeem Nicks, who has missed the last four practices with a groin injury, answered questions from the press at a commercial shoot on Monday. Nicks said that staying healthy for all 16 regular-season games in 2013 is not only important for the Giants, but also for his future contract situation. In his four seasons with the Giants, Nicks has never played a full 16-game regular-season schedule.

“It’s important,” said Nicks. “My career counts on it, this season counts on it. The offense, just being what I am to the team, I think it is going to make a big difference…This is a critical season for me. I just look at it like I am going out here to play ball. Stay healthy, change my diet a little bit, those are things that I am focused on. I just want to have fun and win every game if we can. That is the main focus.”

Suffering foot and knee injuries in 2012, Nicks said he was feeling good before injuring his groin. “I felt real good,” said Nicks. “Honestly, I felt like I had my burst again, I felt like I was in and out of my breaks. I felt my timing was back with Eli the way it normally was.”

“Honestly I feel like (the critics) are just on the outside looking in, so they really don’t know the situation,” said Nicks. “I know the situation. I’m the one wearing these shoes. So to all the fans, like I said before, it’s not about me being lazy or anything like that. It’s about making the right decisions, about making sure that when it is time to go for the season opening game, I will be full ready to go and it’ll be on.”

“That’s nothing I really worry about,” Nicks said. “It’s football. It happens to the best of us. I think it’s the media market that I’m in, they like to put it on blast a little bit more. It comes with the territory. You just got to know, it’s football, anything can happen when you step on the field…There is nothing you can really get upset about. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. You can never change that. But I know what I am obligated to do. I know the way I am going to play this game. And I am going to be playing it for a long time.”

Article on Head Coach Tom Coughlin: Canton Will Call on Tom Coughlin by Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record

Article on Tight Ends Coach Mike Pope: A Longtime Giants Coach’s Weird Ways by Jonathan Clegg of The Wall Street Journal

Article on RB David Wilson: Giants’ David Wilson Intent on Showing Pass-Catching Abilities This Season by Conor Orr of The Star-Ledger

Article on TE Brandon Myers: Giants’ Brandon Myers the Next in Line by JJ Conrad of The Bergen Record

Article on DE Damontre Moore: NY Giants Rookie Damontre Moore Proving Worth the Risk So Far by Ralph Vacchiano of The Daily News

Articles on LB Kyle Bosworth:

Articles on the Defensive Backs:

Article on PK Josh Brown: Giants’ Josh Brown Building Up Toward the Big Field Goals by Tom Rock of Newsday

Article on the Impact of Winning NFL Championships: Parcells’ ‘Blood Kinship’ Strikes Chord with Giants by Paul Schwartz of The New York Post

Aug 022013
 
Justin Pugh, New York Giants (July 28, 2013)

Justin Pugh – © USA TODAY Sports Images

August 2, 2013 New York Giants Training Camp Reports: The Giants held their sixth training camp practice on Friday afternoon at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center. The next practice is on Saturday from 1:00-3:00PM. For a complete training camp schedule and Giants.com Q&A guide, see the Training Camp section of the website.

Injury Update – Pugh Out With a Concussion: Not practicing on Friday were WR Hakeem Nicks (groin), CB Corey Webster (groin), OL Justin Pugh (concussion), FB Henry Hynoski (PUP – knee), OG Chris Snee (PUP – hip), DE Jason Pierre-Paul (PUP – back), DT Markus Kuhn (PUP – knee), and CB Terrell Thomas (PUP – knee).

“Pugh took a shot in the head (on Thursday),” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “He had a headache this morning, so he’s going through the (concussion) protocol…He’ll be out until he passes all the protocols.”

“Webster says he feels pretty good,” said Coughlin. “He did feel a little strain in the groin area, so they’re going to do what they have to so that it doesn’t turn into something. It’s difficult, so he’s got some downtime.”

“The doctor thought (Nicks will) make it back for Tuesday,” said Coughlin.

Coach Media Q&As: Transcripts and video clips of Friday’s media sessions with the following coaches are available at Giants.com:

Player Media Q&As: Transcripts and video of Friday’s media Q&As with the following players are available at Giants.com:

Article on RB David Wilson: Wilson Eager to Make Leap This Season by Steve Serby of The New York Post

Article on WR Victor Cruz: Giants’ Victor Cruz Vows to Improve in 2013 by Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record

Article on PK Josh Brown: Brown Has Big Kicking Shoes to Fill with Giants by Fred Kerber of The New York Post

Article on Former Giants’ Head Coach Bill Parcells: I’ll Never Be in Hall, But Introducing Parcells Next Best Thing by George Martin for The New York Post

Jul 152013
 
Bear Pascoe, New York Giants (October 28, 2012)

Bear Pascoe – © USA TODAY Sports Images

Offseason Breakdown: New York Giants Tight Ends

If a tight end can’t block, he won’t play for the New York Giants. It’s that simple. In the Giants’ system, blocking is as critical, if not more important, than pass receiving. The traditional down tight end (hand in the dirt, lined up next to the offensive tackle) is often called upon to block not only linebackers, but defensive ends as well. The problem is that quality two-way tight ends are hard to find. With the proliferation of spread offenses in college, the two-way tight end is disappearing at many schools. There are 32 NFL teams and a very limited supply of quality prospects coming out in the NFL Draft. One-dimensional, pass-receiving, H-Back types (motion tight ends who often do not line up in a down position) are more plentiful, but the Giants’ offense does not tend to feature these types of players.

The good news is the Giants have 71-year old Mike Pope, arguably the best tight ends coach in the NFL. He’s been with the Giants seemingly forever (1984-1991, 2000-present) under head coaches Bill Parcells, Ray Handley, Jim Fassel, and Tom Coughlin. Pope has a history of developing players with good size and just enough athletic ability into solid, two-way tight ends.

The tight end position has been a bit of turnstile for the Giants since Jeremy Shockey (2002-2007) was traded to the Saints in July 2008. Since then, the primary tight end on the Giants has changed from Kevin Boss (2008-2010) to Jake Ballard (2011) to Martellus Bennett (2012) and now to Brandon Myers (2013).

Including Myers, there are six tight ends on the Giants’ current training camp roster. Historically, the team tends to keep three tight ends on the 53-man roster.

Brandon Myers: Myers was signed by the Giants as an unrestricted free agent from the Oakland Raiders in March 2013. He was originally drafted in the 6th round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Raiders. Myers had a breakout season for the Raiders in 2012, catching 79 passes for 806 yards and four touchdowns. His 16 regular-season starts in 2012 were more than all of the starts he had combined his first three years in the NFL. His 79 catches also dwarfed the 32 he had from 2009-2011.

Myers lacks the size that the Giants usually look for in their primary tight end. He’s only listed at 6’3’’, 256 pounds. The Giants usually like their tight ends an inch or two taller and 15-20 pounds heavier. He’s also not very fast or quick for the position – the Raiders used him more as a short- to intermediate-receiver. But Myers seems to be a smart, heady player with just enough athleticism, a feel for getting open, and good hands. His blocking was reportedly subpar in Oakland last year. A painful shoulder injury (sprained AC joint) could have been a factor. Still his lack of size and strength is worrisome in the blocking department.

“We think he’ll be a great piece to our offense and I think (Eli Manning) will have a relationship with him really quickly,” said General Manager Jerry Reese.

“He is a good receiver,” said Pope. “I think at the Raiders he was more of an intermediate receiver. And now our passing game does allow the tight end to get more vertically down the field – flag routes – double seam routes – post routes – that kind of thing. And he appears to have the skills to get those balls. He has a little bit of a jet that can accelerate and go get a ball that is a little deeper. You may not think he is going to reach it, but he has that little bit. So we are very interested to see him in pads.”

“I’m with a great organization, a proven team with a proven quarterback, in an offense that if you’re a tight end and you can get open, you’ll get a lot of opportunities to catch the ball,” said Myers.

“Obviously, my blocking (in Oakland) wasn’t up to par,” said Myers. “But we kind of went over some things, (Pope’s) technique that he could teach me to help me out, so I think it will be a good fit.”

Coughlin doesn’t appear concerned about his blocking. “He’s a well-rounded tight end,” said Coughlin. “He’s a blocker in the running game as well. We’re looking forward to that.”

Bear Pascoe: The Giants picked up Pascoe in 2009 after the 49ers cut him as a rookie. Pascoe is a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none type of player whose strength is his overall versatility. Pascoe plays tight end, H-Back, and even some fullback for the Giants. In fact, he filled in at fullback for the bulk of the 2010 season when Madison Hedgecock was placed on Injured Reserve. And Pascoe may have to do so again in 2013 with Henry Hynoski’s knee injury casting doubt on his availability.

Pascoe does not really stand out as a blocker or receiver, and needs to improve his productivity and consistency in both areas. But Pascoe is big (6’5”, 283 pounds), solid, and dependable. Pascoe finished the 2012 with only four catches for 35 yards and one touchdown. In four seasons with the Giants, he has 26 catches for 252 yards and one score.

“We’re very confident that Bear, no matter what role we place him in, he does an outstanding job,” said Coughlin. “Bear has had opportunities to play in that slot, B tight end, Y tight end, and he’s always done a nice job.”

“This is kind of what I do. This is my role,” Pascoe said. “The more I can do, the better it is for the team. It’s one of the reason I’ve been here for five years, is I have versatility.”

“(Pascoe) has had to do that for us whenever the fullback has been hurt,” said Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride. “It hasn’t been Henry (Hynoski) but it was Madison Hedgecock before. And so he has done a great job with that. It is not an easy thing. He is not a natural fullback but he is one of those guys that just whatever you ask him to do, he goes out and does it with as much courage and determination as anybody. As a result of that he plays above – sometimes – what your expectations might be. We asked him to do a very difficult role – he does it very well.”

Pope thinks having Pascoe playing fullback may make the Giants’ offense less predictable. “Bear has played a good bit of fullback for us,” said Pope. “Actually he played about 160 snaps at fullback last season. So he is aware of the assignments. There are still some finite things that he can get better at there. But it gives us a great deal of flexibility because when Hynoski is in the game they pretty well know that there are some limitations as to where he will line up. He is pretty much a backfield player. When we can put Bear in with one of these other guys, now we can do a lot more things as far as open formations – a little more difficult for the defense to predict where they can’t just key on one of the those guys and say the ball is going there. So that helps us.”

Adrien Robinson: 2012 was mainly a redshirt year for Adrien Robinson, who the Giants drafted in the 4th round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Robinson made the 53-man roster, but was only activated for two games. He did not catch a single pass. Robinson combines good size with excellent athleticism. He has very good speed and agility for a big tight end. However, he is a very raw player who will need a lot of coaching up. He was not targeted much in college (only 29 receptions in four years), but he displayed an ability to get down the field, adjust to the football, and make the difficult catch. Robinson has the physical ability to be a good blocker.

Because Robinson’s college has trimesters, he missed Organized Team Activity (OTA) practices his rookie season. “I think going through OTAs this year, seeing how slowly the coaches install the plays and understanding how everything feeds off each other, I realize that I did miss a lot last year by coming in so late and trying to jumpstart everything,” Robinson said. “I’ve been here since the (offseason) program started, and it’s a new year. I’m just trying to work my way up.”

“I think the biggest improvement I’ve made is in my understanding of the offense and knowing the plays, my assignments, where to line up, and how to read the defenses,” said Robinson. “Last year, I didn’t get many game reps, so I had to watch a lot, which helped, but it’s not the same as lining up on the field.”

“The biggest thing I want to show the coaches is that I fully understand the offense,” said Robinson. “I understand everything that’s going on, and I want to earn their trust. Once they are confident that you know what you’re doing, you’ll get on the field.”

“Adrien Robinson appears to have gone into the Land of the Believers and yes he has been making some good progress,” said Pope. “He is understanding assignment-wise. But the plays are still not the lines on the page that we give them for instruction. So he is doing a lot of the assignment things correctly. Now we have to get him to adjust to the way the defense is playing on each particular play and to make the best decisions based on how the defense is playing. But he is running well and he has his weight down some. The quarterback is starting to find him. He is hard to miss – he is the tallest tree in the forest out there. So he is a good target. But we are more than mildly pleased with the progress that he has made from an assignment standpoint.”

“Adrien was in that group of guys who came in, didn’t really know much about working with an offensive tackle on a double team block or how do you read coverages, what happens if they blitz here, what do I do?” said Pope in June. “It has taken him some time to learn and feel a little more comfortable. His speed and athletic skills did not surface as quickly as we hoped because he was thinking his way through every single play which slowed him down. Now he’s developing some confidence and he knows a little bit more about what he is doing. These last three or four weeks have been the very best weeks of his Giant career.”

“Wish we could have gotten him in some games more last year, but it just didn’t work out for us to get him in some games,” said Reese. “But we really think – the guy is 280 pounds, he ran a 4.57 (40-yard dash) at his Pro Day, and we think he can really develop into a terrific blocker. In practice, he flashed some things that were really like some ‘Wow’ things in practice. So we’re expecting him to make a jump this season and get in and get going and give us some contributions as our big blocking tight end. And he can catch the ball really nice. So we expect to bring him along, and hopefully he’ll contribute for us.”

Larry Donnell: Donnell went undrafted and unsigned in 2011. The Giants signed him as a street free agent in March 2012 and Donnell spent 2012 on the Giants’ Practice Squad. Donnell has excellent size (6’6”, 270 pounds) and is a good athlete. However, he is raw and needs a lot of coaching. Unfortunately, Donnell missed most of the spring work with a right foot or ankle injury that forced him to wear a walking boot.

Jamie Childers: The Giants signed Jamie Childers to a Reserve/Future contract in January 2013. Childers was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the St. Louis Rams after the 2012 NFL Draft. The Rams waived him in August. Childers needs a lot of technique work not only because of his small school background but because he played both quarterback and tight end in college. Lacking bulk (6’5”, 250 pounds), Childers is built more like an H-Back than true tight end. He’s athletic and has good hands. He probably will never be more than a finesse blocker. According to press reports, Childers did flash as a receiver in spring workouts.

Chase Clement: Clement was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Giants after the 2013 NFL Draft. In college, Clement converted to tight from defensive end. He has good size (6’6”, 262 pounds) and strength and could develop as a blocking-type tight end with better technique. He was not used much as a receiver in college with only 14 career receptions in four seasons. Clement isn’t overly fast.

“When I first looked at (Clement) I had visions of Jake Ballard,” said Pope. “Just because he was a good blocker on the goal line. (LSU) seldom ever threw him the ball. But when the ball was snapped he had kind of that tough-guy mentality – old school. But he really had a motor…He is not going to be an all-world receiver way down the field as far as being explosive and flexible, but he has pretty good football savvy…I think there is something to work with there.”

Summary: Brandon Myers is clearly the #1 guy heading into training camp and will likely be the Giants’ primary tight end, though due to his size, it would be easy to see the Giants using him some at H-Back too. Myers could be the type of receiver who Manning quickly develops chemistry with. But Myers needs to block better than he did last year in Oakland. Pascoe is a limited athlete and his attention will be split between fullback, H-Back, and tight end. The real question is how fast can Adrien Robinson develop? He has the size to be a good blocker and the athletic abiity to be a good receiver. Can he put it all together, and if so, how quickly? Don’t completely discount Donnell (two-way tools), Childers (receiver), and Clement (blocker) either, but their best shot is probably the Practice Squad unless someone gets hurt.