Sep 052016
 
Josh Johnson, Baltimore Ravens (September 1, 2016)

Josh Johnson – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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GIANTS SIGN QB JOSH JOHNSON, CUT LB JASPER BRINKLEY…
The New York Giants have signed quarterback Josh Johnson. To make room for Johnson, the Giants terminated the contract of middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley. With Brinkley gone, the Giants starting middle linebacker will be Kelvin Sheppard.

The 30-year old Johnson was originally drafted in the 5th round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has spent time with the Buccaneers (2008–2011), 49ers (2012), Sacramento Mountain Lions (2012), Browns (2012), Bengals (2013), 49ers (2014), Bengals (2015), Jets (2015), Colts (2015), Bills (2015), and Ravens (2016). Johnson has played in 29 regular-season games with five starts – the last coming with Buccaneers in 2011. He has completed 96-of-177 passes (54.2 percent) for 1,042 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. In the 2016 preseason for the Ravens, Johnson completed 41-of-57 passes (71.9 percent) for 365 yards, 1 touchdown, and no interceptions. He also rushed for 87 yards and 2 touchdowns on 18 carries. Johnson is a mobile quarterback with good size.

Johnson now joins quarterback Eli Manning, Ryan Nassib, and Logan Thomas – the latter who is on the team’s Practice Squad. “We have four quarterbacks here,” said Head Coach Ben McAdoo. “We’re going to give Ryan (Nassib) a little bit of competition with Josh (Johnson). He’s a good player. He’s been around the block. It’ll bring out the best in both of them… (Johnson) has good rhythm in his body. He’s been trained in a version of the system. He plays with his cleats in the ground, has a natural throwing motion and has some good experience.”

The Giants signed Brinkley in September 2015 after he was released by the Dallas Cowboys. He played in 15 games, starting nine at middle linebacker, and finished the season with 67 tackles, 1 sack, and 4 forced fumbles. Brinkley was originally drafted in the 5th round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. Since that time, he has spent time with the Vikings (2009-12, 2014), Cardinals (2013), and Cowboys (2015). Brinkley has played in 94 regular-season games with 42 starts.

“It just came down to it’s a numbers game at this point,” said McAdoo of Brinkley. “It came down to numbers. We thank Jasper for everything he’s done for us. Coming in playing last year off short notice, he did a nice job for us. We wish him the best.”

SEPTEMBER 5, 2016 NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
Linebacker B.J. Goodson and cornerback Leon Hall are still being evaluated for the concussions they suffered in the third preseason game. “Hall and Goodson are both going through the (concussion protocol) process,” said Head Coach Ben McAdoo.

Linebacker Jonathan Casillas (ribs) and safety Darian Thompson (shoulder) returned to practice on a limited basis.

“(Thompson) was back in a limited role today,” said McAdoo. “He’s testing it out. He has a harness on his shoulder but he’s out here in a limited role.”

“(Casillas) was out here in a limited role,” said McADoo. “He’s getting his wind back right now. We’ll dust him off on Wednesday and give him an opportunity to get back on the field.”

HEAD COACH BEN MCADOO…
The transcript of Ben McAdoo’s press conference on Monday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available at Giants.com.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

ARTICLES…

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
There is no media availability to the Giants on Tuesday. The Giants next practice on Wednesday at 11:00AM.

Aug 022016
 
New York Giants Training Camp (July 30, 2016)

New York Giants Training Camp – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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AUGUST 2, 2016 NEW YORK GIANTS TRAINING CAMP REPORT…
The New York Giants held their fourth summer training camp practice on Tuesday at Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

INJURY REPORT – DAMON HARRISON OFF OF THE PUP…
New York Giants defensive tackle Jay Bromley (ankle) and linebacker J.T. Thomas (hamstring) remain on the Physically-Unable-to-Perform (PUP) List.

Defensive tackle Damon Harrison (knee swelling) was activated from the PUP and practiced on Tuesday.

Wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. (left leg) did not practice.

PRACTICE NOTES…
Some snippets from various media sources:

  • The Giants wore their shoulder pads but were in shorts, not full pads just yet.
  • Giants have used no-huddle offense in every practice.
  • Quarterback Logan Thomas has a strong arm and connected with some receivers, but he also looked indecisive at times and ran with the ball instead.
  • Defensive tackle Damon Harrison worked with the first-team defense and was a noticeable presence in run defense.
  • Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie did a nice job of breaking up passes intended for wide receivers Tavarres King and K.J. Maye.
  • The first-team wide receivers were Geremy Davis, Myles White, and Sterling Shepard (slot). Wide receiver Victor Cruz also received some first-team snaps. Davis and Shepard looked sharp.
  • Roger Lewis and Tavarres King flashed at wide receiver.
  • Wide receiver Sterling Shepard looked good running after the catch and also made a nice diving reception.
  • Wide receiver Geremy Davis beat cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie downfield, but quarterback Eli Manning missed him.
  • Cornerback Trevin Wade had a nice breakup against wide receiver Roger Lewis.
  • Tight end Matt LaCosse had a big catch-and-run over the middle of the defense against safety Landon Collins.
  • Tight end Jerell Adams beat linebacker Kelvin Sheppard over the middle for a nice gain. (VIDEO)
  • Running back Orleans Darkwa had several nice runs.

THE COACHES SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following coaches are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

TOM COUGHLIN NAMED NFL SENIOR ADVISOR TO FOOTBALL OPERATIONS…
The NFL announced on Monday that Tom Coughlin, who served as head coach of the New York Giants from 2004-2015, has been named Senior Advisor to Football Operations.

“We are incredibly pleased to add someone of Coach Coughlin’s experience and character to our staff,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “His passion for football is evident and we are confident he will contribute a great deal to the betterment of the game for current and future players as well as for fans at every level of our sport.”

According to the NFL press release, “Coughlin will advise game-related league committees, including Competition, Health and Safety, Coaches Subcommittee, General Managers Advisory, Combine Review and NCAA Rules and Oversight. He will provide strategic guidance on other matters, including playing rules, coaching techniques, and the development of football personnel, while also providing insight on the operation of the NFL Draft and Pro Bowl.”

“I am looking forward to working with Commissioner Goodell and the talented people representing the National Football League,” Coughlin said.  “My purpose is to serve for the betterment of the great game of football.”

ARTICLES…

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The fifth training camp practice will be held on Wednesday, but it is not open to the public. Only seven remaining training camp practices at Quest Diagnostics Training Center will be open to the public (weather permitting) this year:

  • Thursday, August 4: 10:40 AM – 12:45 PM
  • Friday, August 5: 10:40 AM – 11:40 AM
  • Saturday, August 6: 10:40 AM – 1:00 PM
  • Monday, August 8: 11:10 AM – 12:40 PM
  • Tuesday, August 9: 10:40 AM – 12:55 PM
  • Wednesday, August 10: 10:40 AM – 12:20 PM
  • Sunday, August 14: 11:10 AM – 12:50 PM
Jul 272016
 
Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants (January 3, 2016)

Hakeem Nicks – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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GIANTS REPORT TO CAMP ON THURSDAY…
New York Giants players report to summer training camp on Thursday. The first training camp practice will occur on Friday. (A complete schedule is available at Giants.com). Head Coach Ben McAdoo and a number of players will address the press on Thursday.

HAKEEM NICKS SIGNS WITH SAINTS…
New York Giants unrestricted free agent wide receiver Hakeem Nicks has signed a 1-year contract with the New Orleans Saints.

Desperate for veteran wide receiver help, the Giants signed then 27-year old Hakeem Nicks off of the street in November 2015. Unfortunately, the results were not good. Nicks played in six games with two starts, but finished with only seven catches for 54 yards. It’s been a precipitous decline for Nicks ever since his stellar 2010 and 2011 seasons when he compiled 155 catches for 2,244 yards and 18 touchdowns in 28 regular-season games.

Nicks was originally drafted by the Giants in the 1st round of the 2009 NFL Draft. After two disappointing seasons in 2012 and 2013 when Nicks’ production fell to 109 passes for 1,588 yards and three touchdowns in 28 regular-season games, Nicks departed in free agency for the Indianapolis Colts. Nicks’ production in Indianapolis was disappointing too as he caught 38 passes for 405 yards and four touchdowns. He tried to catch on with the Tennessee Titans in training camp in 2015 but did not make the team. Nicks’ demise has largely been attributed to injuries, including compartment syndrome in his lower right leg in 2010 as well as a broken right foot and a poster cruciate ligament (PCL) tear in 2012.

DANIEL FELLS RETIRES…
Although not officially announced, it appears New York Giants tight end Daniel Fells has retired. Fells was placed on Injured Reserve in October 2015 after multiple career-threatening surgeries were required to address a life-threatening staph infection that developed in an injured ankle. He only played in two games in 2015 and finished with six catches for 60 yards.

Fells said on his Instagram account, “Although playing the game is no longer in the cards for me I’m grateful for the 10 year career that I was blessed to experience.”

Fells was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Atlanta Falcons after the 2006 NFL Draft. He has spent time with the Falcons, Raiders, Buccaneers, Rams, Broncos, and Patriots. The Giants signed Fells to a reserve/future contract in January 2014. He played in all 16 games for the Giants in 2014 with nine starts, accruing 16 catches for 188 yards and four touchdowns.

TOM COUGHLIN ACCEPTS JOB WITH NFL…
According to press report, former New York Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin has accepted a full-time position with the NFL’s football operations department. His exact role has yet to be announced by the League. Coughlin was de facto fired in January by the Giants after serving with the team since 2004.

GIANTS.COM INTERVIEWS…
Video clips of exclusive interviews with the following coaches and players are available at Giants.com:

  • Offensive Coordinator Mike Sullivan (Video)
  • Special Teams Coordinator Tom Quinn (Video)
  • TE Will Tye (Video)
  • DE Olivier Vernon (Video)
  • DT Damon Harrison (Video)

GIANTS.COM PLAYER Q&As…
Transcripts of Q&A sessions with the following players are available at Giants.com:

ARTICLES…

This picture of me and my baby girl was taken a little over a year ago at Quest Diagnostic. I wish I was heading into battle with my brothers as Training Camp starts up this week but I also believe that everything happens for a reason. Although playing the game is no longer in the cards for me I'm grateful for the 10 year career that I was blessed to experience. Thank you all for the phone calls, text messages, emails and well wishes that I've gotten over the last few months. I'm working hard to accept my physical limitations and the mental struggles that go along with them. I know that I'm lucky to be alive so I'm determined to make the most of everyday that I have. Looking forward to cheering for my G-men and all of my former teammates on different teams around the nation this year #onceagiantalwaysagiant

A photo posted by Daniel Fells (@danielfells85) on

Jun 112016
 
B.J. Daniels, New York Giants (June 6, 2016)

B.J. Daniels – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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JUNE 7 AND 9-10, 2016 NEW YORK GIANTS OTA PRACTICES…
The Giants held their final three voluntary organized team activity (OTA) practices on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The media was not granted access to these practices. No live contact is permitted during OTAs, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are allowed.

Giants.com identified “5 things we learned” and “standout players” from the three practices:

The Giants will hold a mandatory, full-team mini-camp on June 14-16 before breaking until training camp in late July.

GIANTS.COM INTERVIEW WITH DEVON KENNARD…
The video of an exclusive “Giants Insider” interview with linebacker Devon Kennard is available at Giants.com.

ARTICLES…

Mar 292016
 
Jasper Brinkley, New York Giants (November 15, 2015)

Jasper Brinkley – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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JASPER BRINKLEY RE-SIGNING OFFICIAL…
Although it had been originally announced on March 18th, the re-signing of unrestricted free agent linebacker Jasper Brinkley was made official on Tuesday. Jasper signed a 1-year contract.

The Giants originally signed Brinkley in September 2015 after he was released by the Dallas Cowboys. He played in 15 games, starting nine at middle linebacker, and finished the season with 67 tackles, 1 sack, and 4 forced fumbles. Brinkley was drafted in the 5th round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. Since that time, he has spent time with the Vikings (2009-12, 2014), Cardinals (2013), and Cowboys (2015). Brinkley has played in 94 regular-season games with 42 starts. He missed the 2011 season due to hip surgery.

“This is where I wanted to be,” Brinkley said. “I had a good season last year. Just given the opportunities I had, and given the guys that are here and the mentality the coaches have, there’s definitely a winning mentality here, and I want to be a part of that.

“I came here week one and my head was spinning. There was smoke coming out of my ears. I leaned on (Jon) Beason and Mark Herzlich. Those guys helped me a lot. I owe a great deal to those guys…I was tested last year, and being patient paid off for me in the end. When you’re number’s called, you have to be able to go out there and perform, and I feel I did that.”

Brinkley noted the Giants’ free agent acquisitions on defense, including defensive end Olivier Vernon, defensive tackle Damon Harrison, and cornerback Janoris Jenkins.

“I can see we made great strides this offseason,” Brinkley said. “We brought some top-tier quality players in here on the defensive side of the ball. That’s going to take us a long way. I’m excited to get back out on the green grass with those guys.”

Brinkley will have to compete for the starting middle linebacker spot with newcomer Keenan Robinson.

“There’s always competition,” Brinkley said. “Nothing has ever been given to me. I have to earn it. Keenan is going to give great competition.”

The video of an exclusive Giants.com interview with Brinkley is available at the team’s website.

ARTICLES…

Mar 182016
 
Jasper Brinkley, New York Giants (January 3, 2016)

Jasper Brinkley – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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The NFL Network is reporting that the New York Giants have re-signed unrestricted free agent linebacker Jasper Brinkley. The deal is reportedly a 1-year contract.

The Giants signed Jasper Brinkley in September 2015 after he was released by the Dallas Cowboys. He played in 15 games, starting nine at middle linebacker, and finished the season with 67 tackles, 1 sack, and 4 forced fumbles.

Brinkley was originally drafted in the 5th round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. Since that time, he has spent time with the Vikings (2009-12, 2014), Cardinals (2013), and Cowboys (2015). Brinkley has played in 94 regular-season games with 42 starts. He missed the 2011 season due to hip surgery. Brinkley is a big linebacker who lacks ideal overall athleticism. He is a physical, two-down run defender who struggles at times in pass coverage.

Feb 252016
 
Jerry Reese, New York Giants (February 25, 2016)

Jerry Reese – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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JERRY REESE PRESS CONFERENCE AT NFL COMBINE…
New York Giants Senior Vice President and General Manager Jerry Reese addressed the press at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis on Thursday. The video of the media session is also available at Giants.com.

Good afternoon. We finally got our coaching staff together – got a full roster of coaches now. Coach McAdoo and the coaches have hit the ground running and they’ve been working hard looking at free agents and obviously starting on the Draft. Our personnel department is working hard as well. Our scouts are here and our pro personnel guys are working hard on free agency back at Quest (Quest Diagnostics Training Center). I’ll open up for any questions.

Q: Is one of the challenges of having a lot of cap space are that maybe the best players don’t make it to the market?

A: Well whoever makes it to the market makes it to the market. We have a little bit of money to spend this time, and we’ll try to spend it wisely on the players that make it to the market. I’m sure there will be plenty of players that don’t make it, people try to keep their best players. But whoever is out there, we’ll try our best to get some of the best players available.

Q: When it comes to the draft right now, are you thinking more you’re going to go with the best available player or you’re going to go with a need position?

A: We’re going to try to go with the best player available.

Q: What’s your evaluation of the running back position group on your roster as it stands?

A: Our running backs on our roster as it stands? We have some solid runners on our roster. We have four good guys, I think we have four pros on our roster. We’ll continue to look in the draft, look in free agency, but we think we have four capable guys.

Q: You have 50 or 60 million dollars under the salary cap, what is it you try to accomplish in free agency with that space?

A: We’re going to try to get good players. Like always, we’ll try to look out there and see what’s available for us. First, see who hits the market, and we’ll try to get the best players available.

Q: What are the Lions getting in Matt Harriss, and how excited are you to replace him with a guy like Martin Mayhew?

A: Matt Harriss is a guy that cut his teeth with us. Young kid that came in and really did a tremendous job. We’re happy and proud for him that he’s going over to the Lions, they really have a good employee with Matt. He’ll do a tremendous job for the Lions. In turn, we were able to hire Martin Mayhew, who is completely qualified to do any job in the front office. We think he’ll bring a lot to the table for us.

Q: With that money you have available, is extending some of the younger guys you have on your roster something you would consider doing?

A: Yeah, we’ll keep all our options open with respect to that.

Q: Just like shopping, the more you have, the more counters you can go to. Do you think you can be a big player for a certain number of guys if you wanted to?

A: Again, we’re pretty healthy with our cap situation right now. We have to wait and see who’s going to hit the market. We’ll definitely look in the market and see if there’s players available for us to recruit. Hopefully we will be able to land some guys if some guys are available.

Q: Ben said yesterday Victor Cruz will absolutely be on the roster. First, do you agree with that? Second, do you anticipate any sort of restructure?

A: I’m not going to talk about the contract. Victor is under contract right now. Victor is working hard to get healthy. From everything I understand right now, he’s headed in the right direction and we’ll worry about the contract. But right now, he’s under contract. I’m not really going to talk about the contract situation with Victor right now.

Q: Do you expect he’ll be back?

A: Well he’s under contract right now. We’ll see where the process goes.

Q: Do you have any updates on the health status of Mykkele Thompson?

A: Well Mykkele Thompson, he blew out his achilles during the preseason. Everything right now, he’s getting closer, he’s working hard. Actually we had three safeties to go out before the regular season started — Mykkele Thompson, Bennett (Jackson), and (Nat) Berhe — those three young guys. So we’re hoping those guys can come back and be healthy and help us out in the secondary.

Q: At the end of the season you talked about analyzing the draft process and how you guys did that and there could be changes there. Were you able to implement anything or a little bit too quick of a turn around?

A: We’ve looked at a few things of how we’ve operated with respect to the draft. We’ll try to implement some things as we go through draft, yeah.

Q: Ben talked a lot yesterday about the run game. What’s your thoughts on the run game right now? Do guys like Andre Williams and Orleans Darkwa have a future here in New York?

A: The run game came on late the last quarter of the season. I thought the run game came on pretty strong. Hopefully we can carry over into next season and keep the run game. I think that was part of the late season, along with some defensive issues. I didn’t think we were able to run the ball like you should to close those games out. Rashad Jennings had more carries and got in a better rhythm. I think the run game will continue to progress and help us into the next season.

Q: When you look at your roster during free agency and the draft, what do you need?

A: We need good players, that’s what we need the most. We need good players, and we’ll try to look for good players at every level—offense, defense and special teams. That’s what we’ll do, that’s what’s important to us. We need help all over the roster and we’ll work hard to do that.

Q: Is signing an offensive lineman starter in free agency something you feel needs to be done now that you made those cuts last week?

A: We may have the starter on the team right now. We’ll look for a good player in free agency in the offensive line, we’ll look for good players on the offensive line in the draft. Every position, draft and free agency, we’ll look for good players.

Q: With Johnathan Hankins last year looking back, was it even a bigger blow than you thought? Where is he physically? Do you still expect him to be a major contributor?

A: Well yeah, it was tough to lose one of your big guys inside. No blow is like the blow we got in July when we got the news about Jason, that was probably the biggest blow going into the season. During the season, obviously when you lose a defensive tackle the caliber of Hankins, that’s a blow too. You got to have enough depth to continue to play football, and that’s what we need to do. We need to acquire more depth on our football team.

Q: He was viewed going into last year as one of those young cornerstone players. Do you still see him like that?

A: Yeah, he was doing a good job for us and unfortunately he had the injury. We hope that young guys like him can continue to develop and be good players for us for a long time.

Q: In free agency, how do you assess the value of players that perform well but weren’t always on the field?

A: It’s all a process. We look at what’s available in free agency, we look at what their value is to us, we look at what’s in the draft, and it’s all a process. It’s hard to explain to you exactly how we value those guys, and it’s not right to stand up here and talk about how we value players, because we don’t want to hurt anybody, any kind of way in free agency.

Q: — Inaudible—

A: Well we know him (Jason Pierre-Paul) better I think, than anybody else would know him. We’re hopeful that this procedure that he had after the season helps him with respect to the hand injury that he has. I know he’s working hard at it. After you look at that injury, it’s really, for me, people like to throw miracle around, I think it’s a miracle that he was able to walk out there and play eight games for us. It’s really unbelievable after you really see what happened to his hand.

Q: Do you have any thoughts so far about Jason’s dispute with Adam Schefter?

A: Whose dispute? No, I don’t want to comment. I don’t even know what you’re talking about.

Q: Talking about releasing Jason’s medical files.

A: Yeah, I’m not going to get into that.

Q: When your roster when you look at it, does it feel like a 6-10 club or do you think you might have something better?

A: Again, if we close out a couple of games, we could be 10-6 last season. We lost a lot of games close we had the lead going in late in the fourth quarter in a few games. We just didn’t close them out, and that’s for a number of reasons. It’s personnel, we made some bad decisions. But those kind of things — we couldn’t run the ball like we wanted to at the end of some games — and we just got to make some plays sometimes at the ends of games to close games out. A few plays here and there, we could be 10-6 instead of 6-10. That’s the way the National Football League is, there are not a lot of blowouts. You have to go in there and finish games out and we didn’t do that enough. We want to do that better this time.

Q: How realistic do you think it is to fill all your needs in free agency and having the flexibility when it comes to the draft?

A: This is the National Football League, you can get well pretty quickly in the National Football League. You can get players in free agency, you can get players in the draft, you can get players in trades. Again, we lost a lot of close games. A couple snaps here and there, our season could have went a different way, but it didn’t. We have work to do obviously, but I think we’re close enough to believe that we can compete for the NFC East. I don’t think anybody is running away with it, I think the NFC East is a close division still. I think we can put together a team that can challenge for that NFC East crown next year.

Q: Your evaluation of your group of tight ends and specifically, what is the status of Will Tye?

A: Will Tye who came on, was on the practice squad, we brought him up and he really did a nice job for us. We expect him to continue to develop and grow and be a good piece for us at that position. Larry Donnell had the neck injury, he’s coming back and hopefully he’ll be able to continue to play. We’re expecting him to be back, but necks can be tricky so we’ll have to wait and see where that goes. There’s a couple of young tight ends on the roster that we like.

Q: Is Donnell cleared right now?

A: Not yet. No.

Q: Who are the young tight ends?

A: There’s a kid named (Jerome) Cunningham…a kid named (Matt) LaCosse that’s on our roster right now.

Q: Just following up on Larry…is that something that’s a long-term concern with him?

A: Again, necks can be tricky and we’ll just see where it goes. We’ll respect what our doctors say about the neck and we’ll take extreme precaution with that. Hopefully he can get healthy and come back and continue his career.

Q: Is Ereck Flowers your left tackle moving forward?

A: Yeah, we think Ereck Flowers is a left tackle. We think he’s going to be our left tackle moving forward. He was up and down a little bit during the season. He really looked good at times, then he looked like a rookie at times. I think that rookie wall, I think he hit that at some point as well. But he’s a tough kid that stayed out there the whole time. Mike Solari is our new offensive line coach and we’re looking forward to see what he can do with him moving forward.

Q: Does Pugh stay at guard in your mind or might he move back to tackle?

A: Pugh is kind of flexible for us. He can play, obviously, both guard and both tackles. We’ll put him in the best place available for us to be successful. I’m not sure exactly where—that’s Coach McAdoo and Coach Solari—those guys will make that decision.

FREE AGENT RUMORS…
The NFL’s free agent period begins on March 9th, although teams are officially allowed to begin talking to free agents on other teams on March 7. Here are the latest rumors on the free agent front concerning the New York Giants:

  • ESPN.com is reporting that the Giants are interested in re-signing unrestricted free agent defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Robert Ayers. The team is expected to meet with representatives of both players this week.
  • NJ.com is reporting that while the Giants have expressed an interest in re-signing unrestricted free agent linebacker Jasper Brinkley, he is expected to hit the open market.

NFLPA CONFIRMS $11 MILLION SALARY CAP CARRYOVER FOR GIANTS…
The NFLPA has confirmed that $11,193,231 of the New York Giants’ unused 2015 salary cap has been carried over to 2016. The Giants are believed to be about $57 million under the current $154 million cap, though there are reports that the cap could be increased to $160 million. The Giants have the sixth-most space in the NFL after the Jaguars, Browns, Raiders, 49ers, and Titans.

Q&A WITH WR ANTHONY DABLÉ…
Meet Anthony Dable, the New York Giants’ New French Wide Receiver by VICE Sports France

ARTICLES…

Dec 242015
 
Tom Coughlin, New York Giants (December 20, 2015)

Tom Coughlin – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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GIANTS SIGN BEN EDWARDS TO 53-MAN ROSTER…
The New York Giants have signed wide receiver Ben Edwards to the 53-man roster from the team’s Practice Squad. Edwards fills the roster spot created by wide receiver Odell Beckham’s suspension.

Edwards was eligible to play in the NFL in 2014, but sat out the year recovering from an ACL knee injury. The Giants originally signed Edwards after the 2015 NFL Draft, but waived/injured him in July after he pulled his hamstring during the June mini-camp. The Giants signed him to the Practice Squad in November 2015. Edwards lacks ideal size and timed speed, but he is a quick receiver who plays faster than he times. Edwards runs very good routes, adjusts well to the football, and has good hands. He has experience playing in the slot and returning punts.

The Giants also re-signed wide receiver Julian Talley to the Practice Squad. This is Talley’s third stint on the team’s Practice Squad this season. Talley was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Giants after the 2012 NFL Draft. Talley spent most of the 2013 and 2014 seasons on the team’s Practice Squad, although he did play in two games each season. He does not yet have an NFL catch. Talley is a tall, thin receiver with good overall athletic ability. He lacks ideal speed, but is smooth and fluid with good hands. Talley has gotten better each year.

NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
LT Ereck Flowers (illness), DT Markus Kuhn (knee), LB Devon Kennard (foot), LB James Morris (quad), and S Cooper Taylor (concussion) did not practice on Thursday.

WR Dwayne Harris (shoulder) practiced on a limited basis. “It felt pretty good,” said Harris after practice. “I think it’s probably going to be a game time decision how much I play on special teams and offense. Right now we’re just planning about how I feel.”

RB Orleans Darkwa (illness) and DE George Selvie (concussion) fully practiced.

HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN…
The transcript of Tom Coughlin’s press conference on Thursday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available at Giants.com.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
The following transcripts and video of player media sessions on Thursday are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

ARTICLES

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
There is no media access to the Giants on Christmas. The team will have a 45-minute, up-tempo “walk-thru” practice on Saturday that is not open to the media. The Giants play the Vikings in Minnesota on Sunday.

Dec 122015
 
Stansly Maponga, Atlanta Falcons (September 3, 2015)

Stansly Maponga – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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GIANTS SIGN STANSLY MAPONGA OFF OF FALCONS’ PRACTICE SQUAD…
The New York Giants have signed defensive end Stansly Maponga off of the Practice Squad of the Atlanta Falcons. Maponga fills the vacancy on the 53-man roster created when the team waived defensive end Damontre Moore on Friday.

Maponga was originally drafted in the 5th round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Falcons and converted to linebacker. From 2013-14, he played in 24 regular-season games with no starts, accruing eight tackles, one sack, and two fumble recoveries. The Falcons waived Maponga before the start of the 2015 season. Maponga is a bit of a defensive end-linebacker ‘tweener as he lacks ideal size and can have problems with big linemen. He is a good athlete with fine speed and quickness as an end.

NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
LB Devon Kennard (hamstring/foot) has officially been ruled out of Monday’s game against the Miami Dolphins.

LT Ereck Flowers (ankle), DE Robert Ayers (neck), and S Brandon Meriweather (knee) are “questionable” for the game. The Giants did not practice on Saturday but said Ayers would not have practiced for the second day in a row had they done so. Flowers and Meriweather would have been limited.

RT Marshall Newhouse (back) is “probable” for the game.

ARTICLES

Nov 272015
 


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NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
TE Larry Donnell (neck), LG Justin Pugh (concussion), and LB Mark Herzlich (quad) have officially been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Washington Redskins. OC Weston Richburg (ankle) is listed as “doubtful” for the game.

NJ.com is reporting that an MRI taken on Donnell’s neck on Wednesday did not reveal any serious long-term damage, but Donnell is still likely to miss at least four games and possibly the remainder of the regular-season.

“It’s in pretty rough shape,” Donnell said. “It’s going to be a while before I’m able to play again…There’s a chance I could play again this season, but this is not an arm, not a foot. This is my neck. I’ve broken arms, broken legs and I knew they were broken. This is a neck, so we just have to be really careful.”

“The fact is (Donnell is) not where they want him to be when they would give him the green light, so he’s not ready to go,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “(Putting him on season-ending Injured Reserve is) something that would be determined as we go along.”

Regarding Richburg, who practiced on Wednesday but not on Thursday, Coughlin said, “There was no re-injury, obviously he had a few snaps the day before and it didn’t work out.”

LB J.T. Thomas (ankle) is “questionable” for the game.

OG Geoff Schwartz (ankle), DE Damontre Moore (hamstring), LB Uani ‘Unga (neck),  CB Prince Amukamara (pectoral), and CB Leon McFadden (groin) are “probable” for the game.

TOM COUGHLIN AND THE COORDINATORS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following coaches are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

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WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The Giants will have a 45-minute, up-tempo “walk-thru” practice on Saturday that is not open to the media. The Giants play the Washington Redskins in Maryland on Sunday.