Jun 072018
 
Eli Manning, New York Giants (May 29, 2018)

Eli Manning – © USA TODAY Sports

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NEW YORK GIANTS OTA PRACTICES #9 AND #10…
The Giants held their final two voluntary organized team activity (OTA) practices on Wednesday and Thursday. This marks the end of the series of 10 OTA practices that began last month. No live contact was permitted during OTAs, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills were allowed.

Practices #9 and #10 were not open to the media, but Giants.com provided the following summaries of the action:

A mandatory mini-camp will be held next week on June 12-14.

ARTICLES…

Jun 052018
 
Dave Gettleman, New York Giants (December 29, 2017)

Dave Gettleman – © USA TODAY Sports

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DAVE GETTLEMAN DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER…
New York Giants General Manager Dave Gettleman has been diagnosed with lymphoma, a type of cancer that starts in lymphatic cells that are part of the body’s immune system.

“Recently, I underwent an annual physical, during which it was discovered I have lymphoma,” said Gettleman in a prepared statement. “Over the past week, I have undergone more testing to determine the course of treatment, which is scheduled to start in the very near future. The doctor’s outlook for the treatment and the prognosis is positive, and so am I.

“I will continue to work as much as the treatment process will allow, and as they know, when I am not in the office, I will be in constant communication with (Head Coach) Pat (Shurmur), (Assistant General Manager) Kevin (Abrams) and the rest of our staff.

“I am thankful to John Mara and Steve Tisch and our organization for their support and encouragement, and to Ronnie Barnes for his guidance and assistance. And, of course, to my wife Joanne and our children for their love and support.

“And I want to thank you in advance for respecting my privacy and that of my family as we work our way through this. I look forward to being back at full strength and devoting all my energy to helping make this 2018 New York Giants team the best it can be.”

NEW YORK GIANTS SIGN PUNTER TAYLOR SYMMANK…
The New York Giants have signed unrestricted free agent punter Taylor Symmank. The 25-year old, 6’2”, 195-pound Symmank was not drafted in 2016. The Minnesota Vikings signed him in January 2017 and waived him in early September of that year. Symmank punted nine times during the 2017 preseason, averaging 42.9 yards per punt.

NEW YORK GIANTS OTA PRACTICE #8…
The Giants held their eighth voluntary organized team activity (OTA) practices on Tuesday. No live contact is permitted during OTAs, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are allowed.

The practice was not open to the media, but Giants.com provided the following summaries of the action:

The two remaining OTA practices will be held on Wednesday and Thursday. A mandatory mini-camp will be held on June 12-14.

ARTICLES…

Jun 042018
 
Pat Shurmur, New York Giants (May 29, 2018)

Pat Shurmur – © USA TODAY Sports

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JUNE 4, 2018 NEW YORK GIANTS OTA PRACTICE REPORT…
The Giants held their seventh voluntary organized team activity (OTA) practice on Monday. No live contact is permitted during OTAs, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are allowed.

“Another productive day,” said Head Coach Pat Shurmur. “I think the OTAs have gone well. You saw today we had a move the ball period, which we did one last week as well where the guys are calling it – offense, defense, personnel is getting in and out and it’s really the key part of playing the game because it’s the most like a game at this point. I think they handled it well. You saw there was some good, competitive play – for the most part we stayed up, got a lot accomplished and we’ll try to do a little bit more of that. Unfortunately, you won’t be here to see it, but we’ll do a little bit more of that as we go the next three days.”

The three remaining OTA practices will be held on June 5-7. A mandatory mini-camp will be held on June 12-14.

INJURY REPORT AND ABSENTEES…
Wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. (recovering from ankle surgery) and defensive tackle Damon Harrison did not attend Monday’s OTA.

Safety Landon Collins (recovering from arm surgery) was held out of team drills.

“(Collins is) getting better,” said Head Coach Pat Shurmur. “Well, I wouldn’t say it has changed. I would just say that we’re going to be a little bit cautious because it’s a break that’s healed. We’re trying to get him in as much as we can, but a little bit at a time. But he looks good. He’s getting his extra running, he’s getting everything he needs mentally and I’ve been very pleased with his progress in all areas.”

Defensive lineman R.J. McIntosh (unknown medical issue), linebacker Avery Moss (unknown), and tight end Ryan O’Malley (unknown) did not practice.

PRACTICE NOTES…
Some snippets from various media sources:

  • Place kicker Aldrick Rosas was 8-of-10 on field goal attempts, missing twice from beyond 50 yards.
  • The first-team offensive line was left tackle Nate Solder, left guard Will Hernandez, center Jon Halapio, right guard Patrick Omameh, and right tackle Ereck Flowers.
  • The second-team offensive line was left tackle Nick Becton, left guard John Greco, center Brett Jones, right guard John Jerry, and right tackle Chad Wheeler. Chris Scott also got some work at right guard with the second unit.
  • Quarterback Eli Manning continues to look for tight end Evan Engram early and often.
  • Quarterback Davis Webb hit wide receiver Roger Lewis, Jr., the first being a one-handed catch and the second a sizeable gain down the sideline. Webb later connected with wide receiver Travis Rudolph for a red-zone touchdown.
  • Cornerback Eli Apple broke up a pass in the end zone intended for wide receiver Sterling Shepard. He later broke up a slant pass at the goal line intended for wide receiver Cody Latimer.
  • Cornerback Janoris Jenkins intercepted a fade pass in end zone from quarterback Eli Manning intended for wide receiver Cody Latimer.
  • Linebacker B.J. Goodson broke up a pass over the middle from quarterback Eli Manning.
  • Linebacker Tae Davis broke up a pass intended for wide receiver Marquis Bundy.
  • Quarterback Alex Tanney connected with wide receiver Alonzo Russell for a 40-yard gain.
  • Notes and observations from Giants OTAs (6/04) by John Schmeelk of Giants.com
  • Who stood out at Giants OTA practice? (6/4) by Dan Salomone of Giants.com

REPORT – GIANTS HIRE MARK KONCZ AS NEW DIRECTOR OF PLAYER PERSONNEL…
Pro Football Talk is reporting that that the New York Giants have hired Mark Koncz as the team’s new director of player personnel. Koncz worked with General Manager David Gettleman with the Carolina Panthers as director of pro scouting, a position that Koncz had held from 2000-2017. Gettleman promoted him to director of player personnel in May 2017 before the Panthers fired Koncz in July after Gettleman was also let go. Since February, Koncz has served as a scouting department consultant with the Giants.

ROSTER MOVES…
The New York Giants have signed undrafted rookie free agent H-Back Garrett Dickerson (Northwestern University), a tryout player during the team’s rookie mini-camp in May. The 6’2”, 244-pound Dickerson is a versatile player who can play a variety of positions including tight end, fullback, and H-Back.

The Giants also waived wide receiver Keeon Johnson, cornerback Jeremiah McKinnon, and cornerback Mike Jones.

Johnson was originally signed by the Giants as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2017 NFL Draft. He was waived/injured and then placed on Injured Reserve in August 2017 with a foot injury.

The Giants signed McKinnon to the Practice Squad in late November 2017. McKinnon originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Dallas Cowboys after the 2016 NFL Draft. McKinnon had spent time with the Cowboys (2016), Tennessee Titans (2016), and Washington Redskins (2017).

The Giants signed Jones as an undrafted rookie free agent after he impressed at the May rookie mini-camp as a tryout player.

HEAD COACH PAT SHURMUR…
The transcript of Pat Shurmur’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…

May 312018
 
Saquon Barkley and Eli Apple, New York Giants (May 29, 2018)

Saquon Barkley and Eli Apple – © USA TODAY Sports

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NEW YORK GIANTS OTA PRACTICES #5 AND #6…
The Giants held their fifth and sixth voluntary organized team activity (OTA) practices on Wednesday and Thursday. No live contact is permitted during OTAs, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are allowed.

The practices were not open to the media, but Giants.com provided the following summaries of the action:

The four remaining OTA practices will be held on June 4-7. There will be media availability for the June 4th practice. A mandatory mini-camp will be held on June 12-14.

ARTICLES…

May 292018
 
Odell Beckham and Eli Manning, New York Giants (May 21, 2018)

Odell Beckham and Eli Manning – © USA TODAY Sports

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MAY 29, 2018 NEW YORK GIANTS OTA PRACTICE REPORT…
The Giants held their fourth voluntary organized team activity (OTA) practice on Tuesday. No live contact is permitted during OTAs, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are allowed.

“OTA 4, you got to watch it, it was a good day for us,” said Head Coach Pat Shurmur. “Coming off a four-day weekend, we had little bit of heat to it. We promised (defensive end Olivier Vernon) this was going to feel like Miami, and it did, finally. It’s always good when you add the elements to it. I told the players that we want to build a gritty team that can overcome the environment, and this is the first they had a little bit of heat and I think it was good, they pushed through it. So, again, just one more step closer to being a good football team. The guys competed well and we’ll get a chance to have two more of these this week.”

The six remaining OTA practices will be held on May 30-31, and June 4-7. There will be media availability for the June 4th practice. A mandatory mini-camp will be held on June 12-14.

INJURY REPORT AND ABSENTEES…
Wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. (recovering from ankle surgery) and cornerback Janoris Jenkins did not attend Tuesday’s OTA. Head Coach Pat Shurmur did say that Beckham was “pretty close” to being cleared to return to practice.

Although he was held out of 11-on-11 team drills, safety Landon Collins (recovering from arm surgery) participated in individual and 7-on-7 drills. “(Collins) was out there competing in a limited basis and he’s trying to do everything he can as he finishes up his rehab,” said Shurmur.

Defensive lineman R.J. McIntosh (unknown medical issue) and linebacker Avery Moss (unknown injury) did not practice.

PRACTICE NOTES…
Some snippets from various media sources:

  • Place kicker Marshall Koehn was 5-of-7 on field goal attempts, with misses from 41 and 50 yards out.
  • The starting defensive line was Dalvin Tomlinson at right end, Damon Harrison at nose tackle, and B.J. Hill at left end.
  • First-team offensive line combinations included Nate Solder at left tackle, Patrick Omameh at left guard, Brett Jones at center, John Greco at right guard, and Ereck Flowers at right tackle. The Giants also employed Will Hernandez at left guard, Jon Halapio at center, and Patrick Omameh at right guard.
  • John Jerry took reps with second-team at right guard and Chad Wheeler was with the second-team at right tackle.
  • Tight end Evan Engram beat linebacker Kareem Martin deep down the sideline and quarterback Eli Manning hit him with a perfect pass for the touchdown.
  • Cornerback Eli Apple knocked down a pass over the middle intended for wide receiver Cody Latimer.
  • Wide receiver Kalif Raymond made a great catch on a deep pass from quarterback Davis Webb.
  • Tackles Nate Solder, Ereck Flowers, and Chad Wheeler worked together after practice was over.

HEAD COACH PAT SHURMUR…
The transcript of Pat Shurmur’s press conference on Tuesday 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…

May 242018
 
Davis Webb, New York Giants (May 21, 2018)

Davis Webb – © USA TODAY Sports

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NEW YORK GIANTS OTA PRACTICE #3…
The Giants held their third voluntary organized team activity (OTA) practice on Thursday. No live contact is permitted during OTAs, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are allowed.

The practice was not open to the media, but Giants.com provided the following summaries of the action:

The seven remaining OTA practices will be held on May 29-31, and June 4-7. There will be media availability for the May 29 and June 4 practices. A mandatory mini-camp will be held on June 12-14.

ARTICLES…

May 222018
 
Russell Shepard, Carolina Panthers (September 10, 2017)

Russell Shepard – © USA TODAY Sports

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NEW YORK GIANTS SIGN RUSSELL SHEPARD, CUT TIM SCOTT…
The New York Giants have officially signed free agent wide receiver Russell Shepard, who was cut by the Carolina Panthers last week. The NFL Network is reporting that the contract is a 1-year, $1.3 million deal that could be worth as much as $2 million with incentives.

The 27-year old, 6’1”, 195-pound Shepard was originally signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as undrafted rookie free agent after the 2013 NFL Draft. Shepard has spent time with the Eagles (2013), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2013-2016), and Panthers (2017). He has played in 72 regular-season games with nine starts (including three in 2017). Shepard has 47 career receptions for 634 yards and four touchdowns. He is a good gunner on special teams.

To make room for Shepard, the Giants waived cornerback Tim Scott, who was originally signed as a rookie free agent by the Dallas Cowboys after the 2015 NFL Draft. He spent time with the Cowboys (2015), Cleveland Browns (2015), and Washington Redskins (2017). The Giants signed Scott in August 2017. He started the season on the team’s Practice Squad, was added to the 53-man roster for one game in November, cut, and then re-signed to the Practice Squad in December.

OTA PRACTICE #2 COMPLETE…
The Giants held their second voluntary organized team activity (OTA) practice on Tuesday. No live contact is permitted during OTAs, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are allowed.

The practice was not open to the media, but Giants.com provided the following summaries of the action:

The eight remaining OTA practices will be held on May 24, May 29-31, and June 4-7. There will be media availability for the May 29 and June 4 practices. A mandatory mini-camp will be held on June 12-14.

ARTICLES…

May 212018
 
Roger Lewis, New York Giants (May 21, 2018)

Roger Lewis – © USA TODAY Sports

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MAY 21, 2018 NEW YORK GIANTS OTA PRACTICE REPORT…
The Giants held their first voluntary organized team activity (OTA) practice on Monday. No live contact is permitted during OTAs, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are allowed.

“All right, OTA No. 1 is in the books,” said Head Coach Pat Shurmur. “It was a pretty good day. I thought they competed well. There were some good and bad plays on both sides of the ball and I think what’s important to see is that they competed, they challenged one another and I think we got one OTA better and now the challenge is anytime that you leave the practice field, their thoughts need to drift toward recovery, so certainly we can come out tomorrow, have OTA No. 2 and get one more OTA better. So, it’s a good day, a nice, sunny day – a good day for football and the guys competed well.”

The nine remaining OTA practices will be held on May 22, May 24, May 29-31, and June 4-7. There will be media availability for the May 29 and June 4 practices. A mandatory mini-camp will be held on June 12-14.

INJURY REPORT AND ABSENTEES…
Wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. (recovering from ankle surgery) did not practice, but he did move around well during warm-up and individual drills. Safety Landon Collins (recovering from arm surgery) was present, but did not participate in drills.

“(Beckham) looks good,” said Head Coach Pat Shurmur. “He’s out here moving around, he’s champing at the bit wanting to get out and do more than we’re allowing him to do at this point. But I think we’re just trying to make sure that everything is healed to the fullest before we put him out there. He looks good.”

Defensive tackle Damon Harrison was absent. “He’s been here a little bit, but I know he’s not here and I know why he’s not here,” said Shurmur. “I will just leave it at that.”

PRACTICE NOTES…
Some snippets from various media sources:

  • Running back Saquon Barkley was “abusing” linebacker Tae Davis in 1-on-1 pass coverage drills.
  • First-team offensive line was right tackle Ereck Flowers, right guard John Greco, center Brett Jones, left guard Patrick Omameh, and left tackle Nate Solder.
  • Will Hernandez took reps at left tackle and left guard with the second-team offensive line. He also received work with the first-team line.
  • Linebacker B.J. Goodson tipped a quarterback Eli Manning pass to himself for an interception.
  • Safety Sean Chandler intercepted a pass cornerback Tim Scott tipped from quarterback Alex Tanney.
  • Quarterback Davis Webb completed two long passes, including an impressive touchdown strike to wide receiver Roger Lewis, Jr.
  • Will Hernandez and B.J. Goodson got into a little scuffle after a play.
  • Linebacker Mark Herzlich batted down a pass at the line and made a play in coverage near the sidelines.
  • Tackles Ereck Flowers and Nate Solder did some some extra 1-on-1 work after practice.
  • The last players off of the field were quarterback Kyle Lauetta, running back Saquon Barkley, and wide receiver Jawill Davis.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS SIGN JAY BROMLEY…
The New Orleans Saints have signed New York Giants unrestricted free agent defensive tackle Jay Bromley, was originally drafted in the 3rd round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Giants. He has played in 55 regular-season games with just four starts. For a complete listing of comings and goings, see our New York Giants 2018 Free Agency Scorecard.

HEAD COACH PAT SHURMUR…
The transcript of Pat Shurmur’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:

NEW YORK POST Q&A WITH ALEC OGLETREE…
Alec Ogletree wants to have a record-setting year with Giants by Steve Serby of The New York Post

ARTICLES…