Sep 072015
 


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JASON PIERRE-PAUL MEETS WITH GIANTS…
Unsigned defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul will meet with the New York Giants on Monday, his first meeting with team officials since the July 4th fireworks accident that caused serious injuries to his right hand and arm.

NFL.com is reporting that Pierre-Paul is taking a physical and will meet with team President/CEO John Mara, General Manager Jerry Reese, and Head Coach Tom Coughlin on Monday night “to clear the air and discuss how to proceed.”

Pierre-Paul currently remains the Giants Franchise player, with a 1-year, $14.813 tender. NFL.com says “before he signs his contract, however, there will be some negotiations between the two sides to arrive on a financial solution for a player who might miss some games because of his non-football injury.”

Pierre-Paul wants to avoid being placed on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) List which would sideline him six games and cost him about $5.5 million in salary if the Giants choose not to pay him for games missed. On the other hand, the Giants are unlikely to want to give the seriously-injured Pierre-Paul almost $15 million. A compromise deal based on performance incentives and playing time might be reached.

Pierre-Paul believes he can play early in the season but it remains to be seen if the Giants agree.

NFL.com reports that the flexibility and range-of-motion in Pierre-Paul’s right hand is improving and that his broken bones have healed. That said, if allowed to play, Pierre-Paul would play with a cast on his right hand at least early in the season.

GIANTS SIGN CRAIG DAHL, RELEASE STEVIE BROWN…
The Giants signed safety Craig Dahl on Monday and released safety Stevie Brown.

Dahl was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Giants after the 2007 NFL Draft. Since then, he has spent time with the Giants (2007-08), Rams (2009-12), and 49ers (2013-15). The 49ers waived him last week. Dahl has started 43 regular-season games in his career, but only one in the last two seasons with the 49ers, where he was primarily a back-up safety and special teams player. Dahl has decent size but lacks ideal overall athleticism.

The Giants signed Stevie Brown on August 31 after he was cut by the Houston Texans.

MORE PRACTICE SQUAD SIGNINGS…
The Giants have signed tight end Will Tye and defensive tackle Montori Hughes to the Practice Squad. The team still has two openings left on the 10-man squad.

Will Tye was signed as a rookie free agent after the 2015 NFL Draft by the Giants on May 11. The Giants waived him on September 1st in the first round of cuts.

Montori Hughes was originally drafted in the 5th round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. In his two seasons with the Colts, he played in 16 games with one start. Hughes is a strong, mammoth nose tackle-type lineman who can hold his ground against the double team. He is a decent athlete for his size with some quickness to his game.

INJURY REPORT…
Not practicing on Monday due to injuries were WR Victor Cruz (calf), LT Will Beatty (pectoral – on PUP), and DE/DT Cullen Jenkins (hamstring).

“(Cruz is) working in the pool,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “He does run on the treadmill underwater, but that’s as far as I know…I don’t know anything. When he practices, I’ll let you know.”

DE Robert Ayers (ankle) and LB Jon Beason (knee) returned to practice. LB Jonathan Casillas (neck) and CB Trevin Wade (back) also practiced.

“We’re hoping (Beason can play Sunday),” said Coughlin. “We have to get him out there again and get him going. He’s excited and we’re excited.”

“Ayers actually looked pretty good today, hopefully that’s behind him,” said Coughlin.

HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN…
Tom Coughlin addressed the media on Monday (video is available at Giants.com):

Q: What was your message to the team out there?

A: When you have a practice like this…to be able to really talk about team, about responsibility, and about taking a look around. This is it, there’s no 100 guys, there’s 10 practice squad guys this year, and 53. We have to service each other, we have to help each other get better, and that’s the whole purpose of this thing. There is a responsibility to each other and we always talk about unity over self and so on and so forth, team above self, and that’s what this was about.

Q: You brought back safety Craig Dahl. Was it because of the relationship he has with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo?

A: That was part of it. We looked at him, obviously, on tape and so on and so forth, the fact that he’s played back there, he’s a veteran, he knows the system, and he can communicate well. He’ll have a few bumps in the road just to get going, but he’ll know what we’re doing and he’ll get us lined up.

Q: Special teams?

A: And special teams, I think he had 11 special teams tackles last year.

Q: What did you like about defensive tackle Louis Nix III and cornerback Asa Jackson?

A: Well, Jackson, a guy that’s played the nickel position, he started to play on the outside in Baltimore a year ago, so we thought that it was a good fit for us. The big tackle, we, of course, knew about him, discussed him thoroughly when he was coming out, and a couple years later he was available so we thought that this would be a good time to take him and work in. He had been at nose tackle, don’t really think that’s what he is, a three-technique, big guy who can move and who can run, so we were interested.

Q: There have been reports that Jason [Pierre-Paul] is going to be here today.

A: I have no idea. When Jason comes and he’s here, I’ll be glad to talk to you about it. I don’t have any information.

Q: Does your defense need him [JPP]?

A: We need a healthy Jason Pierre-Paul, certainly. He’s a guy that would add to our team provided he’s healthy and he can play at the level he’s played at.

Q: How much catching up would he have to do?

A: He’s got a lot to catch up with because, in other words, the other thing is I don’t know where he is from a conditioning standpoint; you don’t know how much he has been able to do. He’ll have some time to spend to get ready. I think he’ll come quickly through the football part of it. He’s had an iPad, he’s watched, so on and so forth. Hopefully that part will be, and we’ll be able to get him up to date on that. Of course, the other thing is he’s coming into a game plan situation, so it’s very specific, so he has to learn specifically what his responsibilities are as we get into the regular season rather than the entire playbook.

Q: So just to be clear here, you anticipate conditioning to be a bigger issue than scheme stuff?

A: First of all, his health, that’s the main thing.

Q: Do you have an update on Victor Cruz?

A: No, I don’t have an update.

Q: He [Cruz] hasn’t run still, as far as you’re aware.

A: He’s working in the pool. He does run on the treadmill underwater, but that’s as far as I know.

Q: Do you think it’s going to be tough…

A: I’m not answering, I don’t know anything. When he practices, I’ll let you know.

Q: Does he [Cruz] have to be handled differently because of the knee injury on top of the calf injury?

A: I thought we worked our way pretty much through that, but that could have an effect on what’s going on with the other leg, as well. You never know about that.

Q: Does [Jon] Beason look good to go this week and Sunday?

A: We’re hoping. We have to get him out there again and get him going. He’s excited and we’re excited.

Q: The same with DE [Robert] Ayers?

A: Yeah. Ayers actually looked pretty good today, hopefully that’s behind him.

Q: Back to Victor, how much would he have to practice?

A: He’d have to practice, he’d have to practice, and he’d have to get comfortable.

Q: Would it have to be days?

A: That’s not for you to know, that’s for me to know. If he looks good in practice, we’ll decide.

Q: Who’s your starting right guard?

A: Right now people are working in and out of there, and I think we’re okay with that.

Q: Is Wednesday the first big day of trying to get the game plan in?

A: Sure, yeah, that’s the first day.

Q: Have you sort of settled on Cooper [Taylor] getting that first shot at safety?

A: We’ll have something to say later in the week, but we’d like to see them all compete again and then we’ll make that call.

Q: Was it something that you didn’t see in Stevie Brown this past week?

A: No, we didn’t have as much time as we would like, obviously. I wish we had more time in the preseason to work with him, but we just felt at this time it was the right thing for us to do.

Q: Has it been unsettling to have so many questions about the offensive line and safety going into the first regular season game?

A: It’s pretty normal. If it isn’t that, it’s something else, but I’d like to have definite answers for you on all these guys, but sometimes you don’t have that.

Q: Does Dahl’s ability to play special teams factor into him over Stevie?

A: Someone asked that over here. He had 11 tackles last year on special teams.

Q: Has it been harder for you to go about planning this year when you have so many question marks?

A: No.

Q: Are you able to plan or are you moving on as if it’s not going to happen and if it does, it’s sort of a bonus?

A: There’s always a plan, everything is planned, everything is in great detail, sometimes you adjust, but everything is planned.

Q: How do you plan for JPP and moving forward?

A: When he gets here, we’ll see, we’ll see.

Q: Is it fair to think he [Pierre-Paul] is not going to play this weekend?

A: I’m not saying anything. Maybe he comes in and he’s in great shape and the doctors clear him right way, he practices two days, and goes and plays. I don’t know, I’m not sure about any of that, but I’m not going to rule that out, either.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
The following transcripts and video of player media Q&As are available at BigBlueInteractive.com and Giants.com:

ARTICLES

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The players are off on Tuesday and there is no media access to the team.

Aug 312015
 


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Giants Sign Safety Stevie Brown, Cut Linebacker Victor Butler: The New York Giants have officially signed safety Stevie Brown, who was released by the Houston Texans last week. To make room for Brown, the Giants terminated the contract of linebacker Victor Butler.

Brown was with the Giants from 2012-14, although he missed the entire 2013 season with an ACL tear. An unrestricted free agent this past offseason, Brown signed a 1-year, $3 million deal with the Texans in late April.

“Pretty exciting just being able to come back here – seems like a position of need and it is a good fit (so) definitely exciting to come back,” said Brown.

Brown played in all 16 games for the Giants in 2014. He started the first three games of the season, lost his starting job for eight weeks to Quintin Demps, then regained it for the last five weeks of the season. Brown finished with 38 tackles, one sack, and one pass defense. He suffered a Lisfranc injury in the 2014 regular-season finale.

The Giants signed Victor Butler to a Reserve/Future contract in January 2015. Butler was originally drafted in the 4th round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Since then, he has spent time with the Cowboys (2009-12), Saints (2013), Cardinals (2014), and Colts (2014). Had he made the team, Butler would have been suspended for four games for violating the League’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).

August 31, 2015 New York Giants Injury Report: Not practicing due to injuries were WR Victor Cruz (calf), RT Bobby Hart (knee), LT Will Beatty (pectoral – on PUP), DE Robert Ayers (ankle), LB Jon Beason (knee), CB Josh Gordy (hip), CB Chykie Brown (knee), CB Chandler Fenner (hamstring), and S Nat Berhe (calf).

“They haven’t cleared me just yet,” said Cruz. “I think we’re just being careful, cautious with it. Especially, you don’t want to come out here, and calves are tricky. Once they feel healed and once they feel okay, you can go out here and mess it up again. So you want to make sure that it’s fully healed and fully recovered once you step back out there on the field…We’re still working with the training staff to continue to get the swelling down and continue to get myself back to 100 percent.”

“I haven’t been able to jog,” said Cruz. “Not that I haven’t been able to, but they don’t want me to right now. They just want me to sit down and let it heal, let it repair itself and things like that. I’ve just been working out – lower body one leg or whatever the case may be, upper body. Just doing all the things I can to stay in shape.”

“Nothing has been set in stone, in terms of playing that first week or not playing that first week,” said Cruz. “I’m still excited for Week 1 – that’s still the goal, that’s still the plan, in my opinion. Obviously, the training staff will advise if they see differently as the next week and a half comes along. But we’ll see. So, I’m just taking it one day at a time, and making sure that I’m ready to go.”

“I’ll be alright,” said Ayers. “Right now, just trying to manage things and keep things on the up and up and get better. I’ll be alright. As far as what happened, that’s a tricky question that’d I’d rather not try to get into. But I’ll be alright…We’re just taking it day-to-day.”

OC Weston Richburg (knee), LB Jonathan Casillas (neck), LB Mark Herzlich (concussion), and DE George Selvie (knee) returned to practice.

S Jeromy Miles left practice early with a groin injury.

August 31, 2015 New York Giants Practice Notes: Some snippets from various media sources:

  • The first-team safeties were Landon Collins and Cooper Taylor.
  • The first-team offensive line had Geoff Schwartz at right guard in place of John Jerry.
  • Tight end Jerome Cunningham caught a touchdown pass against the second-team defense.
  • The first-team defensive line was defensive end Kerry Wynn, defensive tackle Markus Kuhn, defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, and defensive end Cullen Jenkins. Defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis also received first-team reps in place of Kuhn.
  • Quarterback Eli Manning overthrew open wide receivers Odell Beckham and Geremy Davis.
  • Tight end Will Tye made a one-handed reception.
  • Quarterback Eli Manning made a nice throw on the run to tight end Larry Donnell.
  • Linebacker Unai’ Unga, who saw first-team reps as the nickel linebacker, made a leaping interception of a pass from quarterback Ricky Stanzi.
  • Wide receiver Dwayne Harris scored on a touchdown pass from quarterback Eli Manning, and then Harris scored on an end around.

August 31, 2015 Player Media Q&As: Transcripts and video of media sessions with the following players are available on BigBlueInteractive.com:

Articles on the 2015 New York Giants:

Article on WR Geremy Davis: Giants rookie trying to not ‘over-think’ the camp process by Jeremy Davis for The New York Post

Article on DT Cullen Jenkins: Defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins says Giants need ‘more of a killer instinct’ by James Kratch for NJ.com

Aug 302015
 


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Stevie Brown Visiting New York Giants: Head Coach Tom Coughlin acknowledged on Sunday that safety Stevie Brown, who was released by the Houston Texans on Friday, is visiting the Giants.

“We’re going to bring him in and give him a physical,” said Coughlin.

According to multiple media reports, Brown is visiting the Giants today and is expected to sign with the team shortly.

Brown was with the Giants from 2012-14, although he missed the entire 2013 season with an ACL tear. An unrestricted free agent this past offseason, Brown signed a 1-year, $3 million deal with the Texans in late April.

Brown played in all 16 games for the Giants in 2014. He started the first three games of the season, lost his starting job for eight weeks to Quintin Demps, then regained it for the last five weeks of the season. Brown finished with 38 tackles, one sack, and one pass defense.

August 30, 2015 New York Giants Injury Update: Head Coach Tom Coughlin did not provide an update on the three players injured before or during the team’s 28-18 loss to the New York Jets on Saturday night.

Defensive Robert Ayers suffered an ankle and/or Achilles’ tendon injury before the game during warm-ups. Both right tackle Bobby Hart (ankle – first reported as knee injury) and cornerback Josh Gordy (hip) left the game in the second half of the contest with injuries. NJ.com is reporting that Hart’s ankle injury is not serious.

Meanwhile, Coughlin could not say when wide receiver Victor Cruz (calf) might return to the playing field.

“Not as far as I know (that he will be back this week),” said Coughlin. “I have not been told that. Progress… yes but he has not definitely been given the green light.”

August 30, 2015 Head Coach Tom Coughlin Conference Call: Head Coach Tom Coughlin addressed the media on Sunday afternoon:

Coughlin: I’ll just start out by saying that I left a question up in the air last night that should’ve been answered properly, and it had to do with the interception. Someone asked me if you needed or you should have been throwing the ball to the sideline there rather than into the middle of the field because the assumption being there wasn’t enough time. There was plenty of time. There was 19 seconds left, and although we weren’t really right on top of field goal range, we had plenty of time to get the ball up the field and then get the clock call in to stop the clock, and then make a decision whether we wanted to throw another pass or line up for a long field goal. And I say that because remember there was 19 seconds when the ball was snapped. When we lined up for kickoff return after the interception touchdown there were 6 seconds left. So there were only 13 seconds off the clock with someone setting up and throwing the ball—the interception—and then the run back had taken a total of 13 seconds, I believe, so there was plenty of time even though we didn’t have any timeouts to keep the ball inside the field of play, provided we were ready to get up on top of the ball and clock the ball. And of course that would preclude that you were not talking about a fourth down play. So I want to make sure the understanding—there was plenty of time.

Q: How is Robert Ayers Jr. doing and what’s the status with him going to be?

A: I’m staying away from that. You know what—I don’t know a whole lot more. They were all sent out to get MRIs and that type of thing this afternoon. I’m not sure what the… I haven’t heard anything back. Let me put it that way at this point in time.

Q: What did you think of the offensive line’s performance after you got to check that out one more time – and Geoff Schwartz in particular?

A: Well, in spurts we did fine and other times we didn’t do fine. We didn’t keep as clean a pocket as we’ve been keeping back there in the two previous games. I give credit to the Jet defensive line and linebackers—they did a very good job in terms of pressure. And as I’ve said, some things we did well and other things we didn’t do as well, so one of the objectives for us in the game was to—knowing full well what we were going up against in terms of pressure—to make sure that that was an exceptional learning experience. Of course you’re always trying to hurt pressure, because there is a sense of vulnerability if you can get the ball thrown and caught with the run after the catch and that type of thing, so I think we did some things well but not consistently. One of the other questions I was asked last night was “What happened in the 14 play drive that didn’t happen later on?” Well, it was execution obviously. We had two penalties give us first downs in that drive as well, but it was execution. The execution was not consistent enough. We didn’t make enough plays one after the other, and again we left ourselves in a lot of second and longs. We didn’t do as much on first down as we wanted to do, so I would say overall it wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be and there is a lot of work to be done. We did do some things okay.

Q: What did you see from the defense? Is it where they need to be at this point or do you think they still have a ways to go?

A: I think we all have a ways to go. I don’t think any of it is exactly where it should be. I think that our defense, truth be known, gave up a couple of scores period. We held them under 17 points. We gave them an interception touchdown up and a punt return touchdown up, so we were just as… you know, we had the feeling that, or I had the feeling that they were running the ball and running it with consistency, and doing a good job of that. And we didn’t make as many stops as we want to make, and so from that standpoint we have work to do. But as I say, there weren’t a lot of points scored, but there was some run yardage out there that you like to think you can stop.

Q: Are you going to sign Stevie Brown today?

A: We’re going to bring him in and give him a physical.

Q: Why do you feel the need to add another safety at this point? You’ve had I think four guys that sort of shuffled in and out there early. What’s the thinking behind having another safety in there?

A: The thinking behind that is to try and improve that position. And I’m sure that—this goes for every team in the league—but if there is a player that, in this case we know this player well, but if that player can come in there and help us then we’re interested.

Q: I know you have the next-man-up mentality on both sides of the ball, but when you have as many injuries and guys coming in and out as you’ve had on defense, does that make the process to gel a little bit longer than you’d like to see it happen?

A: Well, you don’t have a lot of continuity when there’s a lot of change and when there are a lot of people missing, and you have to create your own. And it takes a little bit of time to do that. There is no excuse—I mean we’ve been practicing long enough—but there is no question that when you are constantly changing parts that it is not quite as smooth as you’d like it to be. And many times, although our game is a game of continuously building on the present week, over the long-haul you really do have to build and build and build and allow that what someone experienced two weeks ago—if in fact it comes up again in a game—and perhaps it’s something new, then you have to be able to reach back into your toolbox and into your memory bank and understand what’s trying to take place. When those things happen, there is some shuffling around. And whether it’s a guy missing a practice or two or a week and then comes back, there is no question that you’d like to see the carry over. And you don’t have it—like the other night with [Landon] Collins and Cooper Taylor, just being given the green light to go play. That means that they’ve been in meetings all this time, but they haven’t practiced. And there is no question about the correlation—we do so many jog-throughs, so many walk-throughs. Particularly as you get toward the end of the week, but the ability to carry that over into the full speed action, I still wonder about that.

Q: What did you think of your safety play last night particularly those two young guys that you got the chance to actually get out there on the field?

A: Both of those guys made some plays — Yeah they did. They got up there and tackled — Cooper Taylor got a sack coming off the weak side and Collins had some nice plays and some hits he made a nice tackle. They got out there, they played, they got that experience in and no worse for wear.

Q: Tom, you’ve talked a lot about the downfield passing game. Are the attempts enough for you or are you still looking for that connection in the preseason?

A: No, but that is me. I come from a long line of — I like the ball thrown down the field, I like taking shots, I like all of those things and it is one thing to talk about it and another things to do it. We just haven’t done it and we haven’t that many opportunities or taken that many opportunities and it is frustrating because there were some opportunities out on the field last night for some big plays and the other thing is we are not taking advantage of some of the opportunities that are created by some of the receivers. When a receiver is open down field we’ve got to give them a chance — it is their chance as well to help our team by establishing what they can do and we are not taking advantage of that enough.

Q: Tom, do you expect to have Victor Cruz back at practice this week?

A: Not as far as I know. I have not been told that. Progress… yes but he has not definitely been given the green light.

Q: You may not have a choice with this but do you have any issue with potentially putting him in on opening night without seeing him at all in a preseason game?

A: Well everybody has issues with it. You need to practice, you really do you are not going to be as efficient as you can so I’ll just say that that wouldn’t be the preferred way.

Q: What were your thoughts on Owa? We talked about him a little during the week. It seemed like he did a good job of holding his edge on some of those plays.

A: He has done a good job to this point in time and we are obviously thinking more and more about how we might be able to utilize him to a further extent, so he is a young man that we have high expectations for.

Q: Have you seen a change from him just from the first preseason game until this preseason game? It seemed like he was a little more disciplined and the game is slowing down for him.

A: Well obviously he has had a chance to practice and he has had a chance to learn more in the system and look at himself on tape and his coach has been able to make the corrections with him. Again, that accumulative effect is what you are trying to accomplish in professional football even throughout the course of the entire season so he definitely has improved — there is still of course a lot of work to be done but he has improved.

Q: Tom, I don’t think we’ve talked to you since Nat Berhe has had his surgery he mentioned that he thinks might be able to play this year. Do you have any update on whether he will be able to play or whether he will be out a long time?

A: I don’t and I think there is more information trying to be gathered, there [are] decisions that have to be made and of course there is a very short amount of time to make them in so I appreciate very much Nat’s optimism. I wish it had a bigger factor on the healing process because he has been in a good frame of mind ever since last spring but it just… for whatever is going on down there it wasn’t to be and so now that he has had some further work done I hope that we can rectify that situation.

Q: Tom, the play where Eli missed Odell deep against Revis, it seems like that was a pass that Eli was connecting on with Odell at the end of last season. Did he just miss it [or did he] anticipate Odell to look outside?

A: No I don’t think so I think [Eli] just missed it. I think [Eli]…when Odell went by [Revis] he was expecting maybe one thing to happen but when he was clearly behind him by four or five yards then the ball had to be thrown in a different spot and it wasn’t. To be honest with you I’m not sure if Eli was already halfway through his motion or whatever but the ball obviously was not in a position where it could’ve been caught in bounds.

Q: Tom, I’m not sure there was a safety back there. Is that a play that you guys just have to connect on to be successful?

A: Oh absolutely that is points. You are talking points on the board right there and that has to happen — when you get somebody behind people and open you have to be able to get them the ball.

Article on the 2015 New York Giants: With only two weeks until NFL season opens, Giants still unsure about who they are by Ralph Vacchiano of The New York Daily News

Article on the New York Giants Defense: Troubled D? Even Giants are concerned about their defense 2 weeks before season by Jordan Raanan for NJ.com

Aug 292015
 
Prince Amukamara and Stevie Brown, New York Giants (September 8, 2014)

Prince Amukamara and Stevie Brown – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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Giants Express an Interest in Safety Stevie Brown: According to multiple press reports, the New York Giants have expressed an interest in safety Stevie Brown, who was released by the Houston Texans on Friday. Brown was with the Giants from 2012-14, although he missed the entire 2013 season with an ACL tear. An unrestricted free agent this past offseason, Brown signed a 1-year, $3 million deal with the Texans in late April.

Brown played in all 16 games for the Giants in 2014. He started the first three games of the season, lost his starting job for eight weeks to Quintin Demps, then regained it for the last five weeks of the season. Brown finished with 38 tackles, one sack, and one pass defense.

Article on RT Bobby Hart: Bobby Hart rookie check-in: Giants OT analyzes his game, compares Jameis Winston to Eli Manning by Jordan Raanan for NJ.com

Article on DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa: Rookie Owa Odighizuwa aspires to be the Giants’ next great pass rusher by James Kratch for NJ.com

Article on CB Jayron Hosley: Jayron Hosley knows it’s now or never to prove himself with Giants by Ebenezer Samuel of The New York Daily News

Article on S Brandon Meriweather: New Giants safety Brandon Meriweather insists aggressive play isn’t dirty by Ralph Vacchiano of The New York Daily News

Apr 292015
 


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Stevie Brown Agrees to Terms With Houston Texans: According to the NFL Network, unrestricted free agent safety Stevie Brown (New York Giants) has agreed to terms with the Houston Texans. NJ.com is reporting the contract is a 1-year deal. The Giants were believed to be interested in re-signing Brown, but not at the price tag that Brown was looking for.

Brown played in all 16 games for the Giants last season. He started the first three games of the season, lost his starting job for eight weeks, then regained it for the last five weeks of the season. Brown finished with 38 tackles, one sack, and one pass defense.

Brown was originally drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the 7th round of the 2010 NFL Draft. The Raiders released him in September 2011 and he then spent time with the Panthers and Colts. The Giants signed him in April 2012. Brown had a tremendous season in 2012, intercepting more passes in a single season by a Giant in 44 years. He was placed on Injured Reserve in August 2013 after tearing the ACL in his left knee in the preseason.

Brown is the sixth unrestricted free agent to leave the Giants this offseason, joining linebacker Spencer Paysiner (Dolphins), tackle James Brewer (Jets), safety Antrel Rolle (Bears), cornerback Walter Thurmond (Eagles), and cornerback Zack Bowman (Dolphins).

For a complete listing of the Giants’ free agent activity, see the 2015 Free Agency Scorecard section of the website.

Giants Place Troy Kropog on PUP List: The New York Giants have placed offensive lineman Troy Kropog on the Reserve/Physically-Unable-to-Perform (PUP) List. Kropog was placed on Injured Reserve in August 2014 with a foot injury that he suffered in training camp.

While on the PUP, Kropog will not count against the offseason 90-man roster limit.

Kropog was originally drafted in the 4th round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. The Titans waived him in September 2012 and he then spent time with the Jaguars (2012), Vikings (2012-13) and Redskins (2013). The Giants signed Kropog to a reserve/future contract in January 2014.

Articles on the Giants and the 2015 NFL Draft:

Apr 232015
 
Larry Donnell, New York Giants (December 28, 2014)

Larry Donnell – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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New York Giants Re-Sign Tight End Larry Donnell: The New York Giants have re-signed exclusive rights free agent tight end Larry Donnell. Terms of the deal are not yet known but Donnell most likely signed his 1-year, $585,000 tender.

Donnell went from a little-known player to the team’s primary tight end in 2014, playing in all 16 games with 12 starts. Donnell finished the season with 63 catches for 623 yards and six touchdowns. His 63 catches were tied for ninth-most in the NFL among tight ends.

Donnell originally went undrafted and unsigned in 2011. The Giants signed him as a street free agent in March 2012 and Donnell spent 2012 on the team’s Practice Squad. Donnell made the 53-man roster in 2013 and was active for all 16 games, starting one contest. He finished the season with only three catches for 31 yards.

Cornerback Chandler Fenner was the only other exclusive rights free agent of the Giants and he was re-signed earlier this week. For a complete listing of the Giants’ free agent activity, see the 2015 Free Agency Scorecard section of the website.

Stevie Brown Visits the Texans: According to NFL.com, unrestricted free agent safety Stevie Brown (New York Giants) visited the Houston Texans on Tuesday. Per an earlier update, the Giants are believed to still be interested in re-signing Brown, but at what the team considers a reasonable price.

Giants.com Q&A with CB Prince Amukamara: The video of a Giants.com interview with CB Prince Amukamara is available at Giants.com.

Article on LB Jonathan Casillas: Jersey City native Jonathan Casillas hopes to start for Giants by Yueh Ho for NJ.com

Article on Super Bowl XLII: Spike Lee film looks back at David Tyree’s ‘Greatest Catch Ever’ by Neil Best of Newsday

Apr 192015
 
Stevie Brown, New York Giants (December 30, 2012)

Stevie Brown – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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Stevie Brown Says He Will Make Decision Soon: According to ESPN, New York Giants unrestricted free agent safety Stevie Brown has received contract offers from five or six NFL teams and will make a decision soon as to which team to sign with. The teams reportedly include the Giants, Cowboys, Falcons, Raiders, and Titans.

“A person with knowledge of the negotiations” told NJ.com that the Giants are considered one of the favorites to sign Brown. NJ.com reports that there has been a standing offer on the table for Brown from the Giants for quite some time, but Brown has been looking for a better deal.

Brown played in all 16 regular-season games for the Giants in 2014. He started the first three games of the season, lost his starting job for eight weeks to Quintin Demps, then regained it for the last five weeks of the season. Brown finished with 38 tackles, one sack, and one pass defense.

Brown was originally drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the 7th round of the 2010 NFL Draft. The Raiders released him in September 2011 and he then spent time with the Panthers and Colts. The Giants signed him in April 2012. Brown had a tremendous season in 2012, intercepting more passes in a single season by a Giant in 44 years. He was placed on Injured Reserve in August 2013 after tearing the ACL in his left knee in the preseason.

The only true safeties currently on the Giants roster are Nat Berhe, Cooper Taylor, and Thomas Gordon. The Giants may also shift cornerbacks Josh Gordy, Chykie Brown, and Bennett Jackson to safety.

Giants.com Videos on Linebacker Devon Kennard: The following videos on linebacker Devon Kennard are available at Giants.com:

  • Offseason Spotlight: Devon Kennard’s workout (Video)
  • Offseason Lifestyle: Devon Kennard (Video)

Article on General Manager Jerry Reese: Trade down? Not likely with Giants and general manager Jerry Reese by Jordan Raanan for NJ.com

Mar 092015
 
Dan Williams, Arizona Cardinals (October 12, 2014)

Free Agent Dan Williams – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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With the second day of the negotiating period now over when teams can talk to free agents on other teams, here is the latest news on the free agent front for the New York Giants:

  • Devin McCourty, who was widely regarded as the best safety on the market, has re-signed with the New England Patriots. According to multiple press reports, the Giants were one of the teams making a big push to sign McCourty. McCourty signed a 5-year, $47.5 million contract.
  • The Buffalo Bills are also reportedly close to re-signing unrestricted free agent defensive end Jerry Hughes, who the Giants also reportedly expressed interest in.
  • Confirming earlier reports, Newsday is reporting that the Giants reached out to unrestricted free agent safeties Rahim Moore (Denver Broncos) and Ron Parker (Kansas City Chiefs) over the weekend.
  • Newsday is also reporting that the Giants are trying to re-sign unrestricted free agent safety Stevie Brown.
  • ESPN continues to report that the Giants reached out to unrestricted free agent defensive tackle Dan Williams (Arizona Cardinals) and defensive end Brandon Graham (Philadelphia Eagles) over the weekend.
  • The New York Daily News is reporting that while the Giants are interested in unrestricted linebacker Brooks Reed (Houston Texans), the team is not considered a front runner to sign him.
  • In case you missed it, the Giants are also reportedly interest in unrestricted free agent running backs Roy Helu (Washington Redskins) and Antone Smith (Atlanta Falcons).

Teams can officially sign players from other teams at 4:00PM ET on Tuesday, March 10.

Mar 082015
 
Jerry Hughes, Buffalo Bills (December 21, 2014)

Jerry Hughes – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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ESPN is reporting that the New York Giants are interested in unrestricted free agents defensive end Jerry Hughes (Buffalo Bills), defensive end/linebacker Pernell McPhee (Baltimore Ravens), defensive end/linebacker Brandon Graham (Philadelphia Eagles), and defensive tackle Dan Williams (Arizona Cardinals).

The 26-year old Hughes (6’2”, 254 lbs) started 16 games in 2014 and finished with 53 tackles, 10 sacks, and three forced fumbles. The 26-year old McPhee (6’3” 280 lbs) did not start a game but was a key reserve for the Ravens, accruing 27 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and one force fumble. The 26-year old Graham (6’2”, 265 lbs) started one game for the Eagles, and finished the year with 47 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles. The 27-year old Williams (6’2”, 327 lbs) started nine games, accruing 31 tackles and one sack. He is considered one of the better run-defending tackles in the game.

ESPN is also confirming the Giants interest in unrestricted free agent safeties Devin McCourty (New England Patriots), Rahim Moore (Denver Broncos), and Ron Parker (Kansas City Chiefs). However, ESPN says the cost for McCourty and Moore may be higher than what the Giants are able and willing to pay. On the other hand, NJ.com is reporting that the Giants are serious players for McCourty, who is expected to receive a contract worth $9-10 million per season. The Giants apparently reached out to McCourty on Saturday.

ESPN says the Giants are likely to re-sign linebacker Mark Herzlich, tight end Daniel Fells, and fullback Henry Hynoski, while safety Antrel Rolle, linebacker Jacquian Williams, and cornerback Walter Thurmond are unlikely to re-sign. NJ.com is reporting that safety Stevie Brown, Fells, and Hynoski are likely to be re-signed and that Herzlich and linebacker Spencer Paysinger may return.

Although teams cannot officially sign players from other teams until 4:00PM ET on March 10, the negotiating period began on March 7.

Mar 082015
 
Ron Parker, Kansas City Chiefs (November 20, 2014)

Ron Parker – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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According to The New York Daily News, the New York Giants have expressed interest in unrestricted free agents safety Ron Parker (Kansas City Chiefs) and defensive end Adrian Clayborn (Tampa Bay Buccaneers). USA Today is also reporting the Giants interest in Clayborn. While teams are not allowed to officially sign players from other teams until 4:00PM ET on March 10, they can negotiate with them as of March 7.

The 27-year old Parker started 15 games for the Chiefs in 2014, finishing with 94 tackles, 1 sack, 12 pass defenses, 1 interception, and 1 forced fumble. Parker, who has experience playing corner, combines better-than-average coverage skills for a 6′, 206lb safety.

The 26-year old Clayborn, who was drafted in the 1st round of the 2011 NFL Draft by Tampa Bay, has never lived up to his draft-day expectations. He missed most of 2012 and 2014 with injuries, but did accrue 13 sacks in the two years he was healthy (2011 and 2013).

The New York Daily News is also reporting that the Giants are trying to re-sign unrestricted free agent Stevie Brown.

In the “less official” category, TheHuddleReport.com is reporting that the Giants may be interested in unrestricted free agent linebacker Brooks Reed (Houston Texans). The 28-year old Reed started 13 games in 2014 and finished with 41 tackles, 3 sacks, and 1 interception.

Rumors persist that the Giants are interested in unrestricted free agent Devin McCourty (New England Patriots), who is widely considered the best safety on the market. There has also been some internet buzz that the Giants are interested in unrestricted free agent defensive end Brandon Graham (Philadelphia Eagles).