NOVEMBER 10, 2016 NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
Wide receiver Victor Cruz (ankle), offensive guard Justin Pugh (knee), and defensive end Kerry Wynn (concussion) did not practice on Thursday.
“I want to play in every game, but we will see how it goes, see how it feels tomorrow, and then take it from there,” said Cruz.
On #Giants LG Justin Pugh (right knee), 2nd opinion was good. No additional issues, source said.
Safety Andrew Adams (shoulder) and quarterback Ryan Nassib (elbow) practiced on a limited basis.
ESPN is reporting that safety Darian Thompson’s foot injury is the dreaded Lisfranc. Thompson underwent surgery on Wednesday, the same day he was placed on Injured Reserve. Thompson’s recovery period will take at least six months.
HEAD COACH BEN MCADOO…
The transcript of Ben McAdoo’s press conference on Thursday 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:
TOM COUGHLIN, ERNIE ACCORSI, JUSTIN TUCK TO BE INDUCTED IN RING OF HONOR…
The New York Giants have announced that former Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin (2004-2015), General Manager Ernie Accorsi (1998-2007), and defensive end Justin Tuck (2005-2013) will be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor at halftime during Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The following are the transcripts of today’s conference call sessions with each inductee:
GIANTS LOSING GEREMY DAVIS OFF OF PRATICE SQUAD?… ESPN is reporting that an unidentified team will be signing New York Giants wide receiver Geremy Davis off of the team’s Practice Squad. Davis was drafted in the 6th round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Giants. He played in 10 games with no starts as a rookie and finished the season with only two catches for 21 yards.
SEPTEMBER 14, 2016 NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
The only player to not practice on Wednesday was defensive tackle Robert Thomas. Thomas has been out since last Thursday with an undisclosed illness. He said he expects to return to practice this week or next week.
HEAD COACH BEN MCADOO…
The transcript of Ben McAdoo’s press conference on Wednesday 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:
GIANTS RE-SIGN DT MONTORI HUGHES, CUT PK RANDY BULLOCK…
The New York Giants have re-signed defensive tackle Montori Hughes, who the team waived on September 4th when it claimed defensive tackle Randy Thomas off of waivers from the Carolina Panthers. To make room for Hughes, the Giants released place kicker Randy Bullock.
Hughes was originally drafted in the 5th round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. In his two seasons with the Colts, Hughes played in 16 games with one start. The Colts waived him in September 2015 and the Giants then signed him to their Practice Squad. The Giants signed Montori Hughes to the 53-man roster in November 2015. He ended up playing in seven games as a reserve, and finished the season with six tackles.
Bullock was originally drafted in the 5th round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. He played in 35 consecutive regular-season games for the Texans until he was released in late September 2015. Bulluck then served as the New York Jets place kicker for eight games in 2015. The Giants signed Bullock in August 2016. He missed one of three extra point attempts against the Cowboys on Sunday.
It's possible between Jasper Brinkley ($1.7M) and Randy Bullock ($600K+) the #giants flushed $2.3M down toilet in the past week
GIANTS PRACTICE SQUAD MOVES…
The New York Giants have signed linebacker Deontae Skinner to the Practice Squad. To make room for Skinner, the Giants terminated the Practice Squad contract of quarterback Logan Thomas.
Skinner was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the New England Patriots after the 2014 NFL Draft. He has spent time with the Patriots (2014-2015) and Eagles (2015-2016), the latter waiving him on August 22. Skinner is a big, instinctive linebacker with decent agility but who lacks speed.
Thomas was originally drafted in the 4th round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. The Dolphins claimed Thomas off of waivers from the Cardinals in September 2015 and the Giants claimed him off of waivers from the Dolphins in June 2016.
NEW YORK GIANTS COLOR RUSH UNIFORMS REVEALED…
The New York Giants have revealed their Color Rush alternate jerseys, which the team will wear for the December 22 Thursday night game against the Eagles in Philadelphia. The Color Rush jersey concept began last season for four Thursday Night Football games to commemorate 50 years of NFL games being broadcast in color. The games featured opposing teams wearing one-color matching jerseys, intentionally designed to clash with their opponent. The concept has now been expanded for all 32 teams. The Giants Color Rush jersey is modeled on the team’s 1980’s away uniform.
The New York Giants made 22 roster moves on Saturday in order reduce the roster to 53 players as required by the NFL.
The Giants waived or terminated the contracts of the following players:
QB Ricky Stanzi
RB Kenneth Harper
FB Henry Hynoski
WR James Jones
WR Corey Washington (waived/injured)
WR Julian Talley
TE Adrien Robinson
OT Emmett Cleary
OT Sean Donnelly
OG Adam Gettis
DE Brad Bars
DT Dominique Hamilton
LB Jameel McClain
LB Ashlee Palmer
LB Cole Farrand
CB Chykie Brown
CB Chandler Fenner
S Jeromy Miles
S C.J. Conway
PK Chris Boswell
The Giants placed the following players on season-ending Injured Reserve:
S Nat Berhe (calf)
OC Brett Jones (knee)
“(Cut down days are) all the same, because inevitably there are guys, I don’t give a damn who you are, you become attached to them,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “They’re part of your landscape. To have some of these guys that have been here, and been through some of the really good times, to have them go, it’s not easy. Because you have something you shared. You shared it, and it was great. And it’ll be there for a lifetime. Especially as gracious as some of these young men are and the things that they say. I mean they’re in here almost in tears, and you’re sitting there thinking that this is just going to be one of those hard days. All of a sudden, they start touching the emotional part of it, and it’s not easy.”
The Giants have 16 players on their 53-man roster (30.2 percent) who were not here or did not play a game for the team in 2014.
“It’s what you see throughout the league,” Coughlin said. “I think that sometimes, to be honest with you, that number and that percentage is a good thing. Because you do need the constant (roster turnover). It happens naturally, but it’s a constant as you try and improve. You wouldn’t think that a team who won six games would stay where they are. Well, they’re not. You have to try another direction.”
Three lesser-known players who surprised included tight end Jerome Cunningham, linebacker Unai’ Unga, and fullback Nikita Whitlock.
“Without a doubt, they flashed,” Coughlin said. “They flashed and they followed through. It’s not all the finished product by any means, but they are young and they do play hard. There hasn’t been many big plays the whole (preseason), but Cunningham has made a couple of them, outstanding catches. Geremy Davis has made plays. He’s a special teamer. He’s out there on the practice field every day. He’s out there. Be out there on the practice field. Maybe we can make some progress if you’re out there. It’s hard to make progress when you’re not.”
“What’d (Whitlock) make, two or three tackles on special teams the other night,” said Coughlin. “That’s the thing. He’s a four-core special teamer (playing on the punt and punt return, kickoff and kickoff return teams). He’s had them all, and knows full well why he’s here.”
“You definitely do see the potential (in Unga),” Coughlin said. “He can run, he’s physical, he’s got some skill. He’s got a deep skill level. He’s got a lot to learn about the position.”
Hynoski has been the starting fullback for the Giants for the last four seasons. McClain started 14 games for the Giants at middle linebacker in 2014. Robinson was was a former draft pick (2012 4th round).
“Everybody loves Henry,” Coughlin said. “Henry is a very positive young man. He’s upbeat. He always has and always will do whatever you want him to do. He’s had a couple of years where he’s had some injury issues. But by in large, he’s out there every day. You get to appreciate those kind of guys.”
“Another one that was tough (was McClain),” Coughlin said. “He’s obviously a recent addition here. But he’s always been a very upbeat and positive guy, and always looking for the bright side of everything. He is verbal, and is loud. But you come to realize that he’s doing it for a reason. He is positive about the impression he makes on people. He’ll take charge of the huddle for you, there’s no doubt about that.”
Notes and Quotes: With the release of punter Steve Weatherford and and fullback Henry Hynoski, the Giants have just seven players remaining from the 2011 Super Bowl XLVI championship team: QB Eli Manning, WR Victor Cruz, OT Will Beatty, DE Jason Pierre-Paul, LB Mark Herzlich, CB Prince Amukamara, and LS Zak DeOssie.
Coughlin on new punter Brad Wing: “Left-footed, hang, distance, and location. Impressive grades coming out (of LSU). Punted for a season and had the kind of things that we would like to be able to do in terms of directional punting and all that stuff.”
The Giants say Wing will also be the holder for Josh Brown’s field goal and extra point attempts.
Sources telling me the Giants and Seahawks have discussed a potential Kam Chancellor trade. Tho the sides do remain far apart on a deal.
With New York Giants training camp beginning in late July, BigBlueInteractive.com breaks down each of the team’s positional groups until the players report at Quest Diagnostics Training Center.
2014 YEAR IN REVIEW:The overall play of the New York Giants offensive line improved in 2014 from its dreadful performance in 2013 but the unit was still sub par. The Giants were tied for 28th in the NFL with only 3.6 yards per rushing attempt. Pass protection was better as the Giants gave up 30 sacks on the season, which was 9th-best in the NFL. But that figure is a bit misleading given the offense’s new emphasis on getting rid of the ball quickly (West Coast Offense) and quarterback Eli Manning’s long-established tendency to get rid of the ball quickly and not take the sack (which he probably actually should do more often when under duress).
The improvement that did take place not only had to do with the individual components playing better, but the Giants had greater cohesion up front due to far fewer injuries. In 2013, the Giants used seven different starting offensive line combinations, the second-highest total in the NFL that season. In 2014, the same players started all 16 games at left tackle (Will Beatty), center (J.D. Walton), and right guard (John Jerry). Weston Richburg started 15 games at left guard and Justin Pugh started 14 games at right tackle.
That all said, it is widely-recognized that the offensive line was once again a sore spot in 2014. Chris Snee retired before training camp. The Giants counted on high-priced free agent acquisition Geoff Schwartz to be a major building block, but Schwartz only played in two games due to injuries. Beatty had a decent year, but Walton and Jerry really struggled at times. Pugh regressed after a strong rookie season and Richburg experienced the expected growing pains, especially since he was playing out of position. Overall, the line was more finesse than power, which usually is not good for any offense, but especially so for one predicated on balance and the ability to run the football.
Another issue was the overall poor depth situation. James Brewer, Brandon Mosley, Eric Herman, Dallas Reynolds, and Adam Snyder were complete non factors and did not push the weaker links on the line. Adam Gettis was signed late in the season from the Steelers practice squad and ex-Eagle Michael Bamiro was signed to the Giants practice squad.
ADDITIONS/SUBTRACTIONS: The Giants released center J.D. Walton in March. Tackle James Brewer signed with the Jets in free agency and the Giants have made no effort to re-sign guard Adam Snyder. The Giants signed CFL All-Star center Brett Jones and street free agent tackle Emmett Cleary early in the offseason and then signed unrestricted free agent tackle Marshall Newhouse from the Bengals.The Giants drafted tackle Ereck Flowers in the first round and guard Bobby Hart in the seventh round. The team also signed rookie free agent tackle Sean Donnelly.
TRAINING CAMP STORY LINES: The Giants will enter training camp with no 2014 starter remaining at the same position. Will Beatty tore his pectoral muscle in an offseason weight-lifting accident and will probably miss at least half of the regular season. Because of that, the Giants are starting Ereck Flowers at left tackle at least one year sooner than they anticipated (post-draft comments by Giants officials made it clear that they saw Flowers as Beatty’s eventual replacement). Flowers had been penciled in at right tackle but now Marshall Newhouse – a player benched by the Packers and Bengals – gets first crack at the position. Weston Richburg moves to his more natural position of center. Justin Pugh has shifted from right tackle to left guard. Geoff Schwartz moves from left guard to his more natural right guard position.
The Giants have now invested two first-round draft picks (Pugh and Flowers), two second-round draft picks (Beatty and Richburg), and a high-priced free agent (Schwartz) on the offensive line. Even though Beatty is out, much improvement is expected. On paper, the Giants look strong inside (Pugh-Richburg-Schwartz) with significant question marks at tackle (Flowers and Newhouse). Flowers should eventually excel, but growing pains should be expected. Newhouse’s track record during the last few years has not been good and he appears to be the obvious weak link. The Giants may be forced to move Schwartz to right tackle and start John Jerry at right guard if Newhouse can’t handle the position. The situation should improve when Beatty returns mid-season, but long-term, Beatty may have sealed his fate with the team, especially if Flowers shows steady improvement at left tackle.
Another area of focus is the depth situation and if one of the younger players could possibly surprise and push for a starting job. Brandon Mosley apparently had a good spring as he received some first-team reps during OTAs. The Giants have some very big, young tackles including Michael Bamiro (6’8”, 340lbs), Emmett Cleary (6’7”, 324lbs), and Sean Donnelly (6’7”, 333lbs). The team drafted guard Bobby Hart (6’4”, 334lbs). Brett Jones was a CFL All-Star who is now adjusting to the NFL game.
Overall, the Giants need the line to become a much more physical and intimidating presence. Flowers has a reputation as a bad ass and should help. Pugh and Richburg worked hard in the offseason to get bigger and stronger. The Giants need Schwartz to rebound from a serious ankle injury and be a tough veteran inside.
ON THE BUBBLE:The Giants will probably carry nine offensive linemen. Beatty will probably start the season on the Physically-Unable-to-Perform (PUP) List and not count against the 53-man roster limit. Flowers, Pugh, Richburg, and Schwartz are the locks. Newhouse and Jerry are on shaky ground, but one will likely start and the other will likely provide veteran depth. The other nine offensive linemen will probably be fighting for three spots. Those linemen include Mosley, Bamiro, Cleary, Donnelly, Hart, Jones, Dallas Reynolds, Eric Herman, and Adam Gettis. Troy Kropog is also currently on a PUP List.
FROM THE POSITIONAL COACH: Pat Flaherty on Weston Richburg: “Right now the progress is good, it really is. He learned an awful lot last year but I knew that he was going to be a player for a very long time and I know I’m using that, but I believe it because he likes the game of football. He really has embraced the center position because you are the voice of everybody to start out and the quarterback may change things, but you are telling everyone what to do. I think that Weston has a little bit of bossman in him and he likes that.”
Flaherty on Michael Bamiro: “I’ll tell you he is the Kevin Garnett of the football players, that guy is huge. He is a good worker, he really is. He has some position versatility from being a tackle to a guard and we worked out with him. We have to really find out a little more about him when we get on pads, but I like his attitude.”
Flaherty on Justin Pugh: “I think that he likes playing and I love guys who like playing. I think any position that you put him at, he would play it. He would like to be a guy that is settled in one position. Most guys are that way. I think you probably get that feeling from him more than anything. He would only get better at the tackle position for us. Is he a better guard than tackle? He is going to be a good football player…Justin has very good feet, he is a very good athlete, has tremendous lower body strength and when you get closer to the ball at the guard position, you are going to be blocking bigger people, so I think that is going to be an advantage for us. He will be able to block those people.”
Flaherty on Geoff Schwartz: “Geoff wants to do it and he has worked awful hard to get back from his injury and he just needs to have the good luck charm on his side for once. Once he is able to do that, here is a guy that can be in the next half dozen years and have a tremendous finish to his career.”
PREDICTIONS: While there will be growing pains with Ereck Flowers, 4/5ths of the Giants offensive line could be set for a few years provided there are no more injuries and Schwartz recovers well from his ankle injury. Flowers will bring much-needed toughness and physicality to the line. Richburg seems primed to develop into a good one at center and the Giants seem to think Pugh will excel at left guard. In fact, these three players could not only be solid, but very good.
“We like (Flowers) as a future left tackle of the New York Giants. I am very comfortable with him being out there right now,” said Offensive Coordinator Ben McAdoo during the mini-camp.
“(Pugh) is a football-smart guy,” said McAdoo. “He is a hard worker. He brings a nice level of physicality that we like. Some grit to the position right there. It is probably a position that doesn’t get as much glamor as a tackle, but when you are on the left side, it is important position to protect the backside of the quarterback away from his vision. The left guard position is especially important because a lot goes on there on the inside. When one becomes two and two becomes three and when zero becomes one and all the movement happens, you have to make quick decisions and we feel Justin can do that.”
“Weston is a natural center,” said McAdoo. “I am excited for him. I am excited for the offense. I think he brings some energy to the position and to the offense. He’s a guy who likes to have control of things and likes to have his hand on the football. He works very hard at it. I like Weston.”
The obvious question mark is Newhouse at right tackle. He could be the Achilles’ heel for the entire line. Given his struggles in the league the last few years, it’s hard to imagine him being the answer. If he has problems early, the Giants may have to pull the plug and scramble to fill the position. While fans knock John Jerry, he may be an important piece of the short-term puzzle. The pie-in-the-sky hope is that someone like Mosley or Bamiro presses for starting time.
“Marshall has played a little bit of everywhere,” said McAdoo. “I was with him in the past when he first got into the league. He has played just about every position. I believe he even snapped the ball at one point. He is a smart guy. He gets the game. He is very nimble-footed. We need to get some pads on and get out there and get a look at him with the defense moving and be physical. He has done it before and he has done it at a high level before and he will have an opportunity to be a major contributor this year.”
FINAL DEPTH CHART: Flowers, Pugh, Richburg, Schwartz, Newhouse, Jerry, Mosley, Hart, and Jones.
Report: Jason Pierre-Paul Expected to Skip Mini-Camp: According to multiple media reports, New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul will likely not attend this week’s 3-day mandatory mini-camp that begins on Tuesday. Pierre-Paul was designated as the team’s Franchise Player in early March. Since he has not yet signed his 1-year, $14.813 million tender, Pierre-Paul cannot be fined by Giants for skipping the mini-camp.
Pierre-Paul has not attended any of the Giants voluntary offseason program workouts (which began in April) and Organized Team Activity (OTA) sessions (which ended last week). He has been working out with his own personnel trainer in Miami. Without a contract, Pierre-Paul is unlikely to risk an injury during on-field practice sessions. The New York Daily News is reporting that even if Pierre-Paul decides to show up for mini-camp team meetings, he will not participate in practices because of the injury risk.
July 15 is the deadline for all teams to sign their Franchise Players to long-term contracts. After this date, Pierre-Paul may only sign his one-year tender with the Giants and his contract cannot be extended until the 2015 season is over.
The Daily News is reporting that no serious long-term contract negotiations have taken place between the Giants and Pierre-Paul and that Pierre-Paul will likely sign his $14.813 million tender before training camp begins in late July. The paper says the Giants “are leery of entering into a long-term deal” with Pierre-Paul due to concerns about previous back injury issues that affected him in 2012 and 2013.
New York Giants Confirm Will Beatty Will Miss 5-6 Months: On Thursday, the New York Giants officially confirmed that left tackle Will Beatty will miss 5-6 months of action after tearing his pectoral muscle lifting weights on Tuesday. If that time frame holds up, Beatty will not return to the practice field until November or possibly December.
Beatty had surgery on Wednesday, the day after he suffered the injury.
“Will said, ‘I’d like to do it (on Wednesday), because I’d like to get back, I don’t want to lose time rehabbing,'” Beatty’s agent told The New York Post. “He just bought himself another week of healing. He opted to do it right then and there.’’
“The fact it happened 24 hours ago, that the tissue itself was of excellent quality and that we got a very solid repair is in his favor,’’ the doctor who performed the surgery told The New York Post. “What I told him and members of the organization is that I would be hopeful he would be back in early, mid-November. That still gives him a good solid end of the season to contribute to the organization.”
“The short-term is about biologic healing, so there’s not a whole lot of activity in the first month, it’s basically a sling, immobilization, some light exercises,’’ said Beatty’s doctor. “Second month, he’ll get back to some aerobic-type activities, getting his wind back, range of motion of the shoulder. The third month is more of a strength and conditioning program, he’ll get back to some lifting after the 12-week mark and then it’s a sequentially increasing program of exercise.”
Despite starting 46 games in a row, the second longest streak on the team, Beatty has been somewhat injury prone since being drafted by the Giants in second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He suffered a broken foot in 2010, a detached retina in 2011, a back injury that caused him to miss offseason work in 2012, and a fractured tibia that he suffered in the 2013 regular-season finale.
The 30-year old Beatty has three years left on his current contract and is scheduled to count $8.05 million against the NFL salary cap in 2015, $9.175 million in 2016, and $9.325 million in 2017.
Will Beatty's agent, Alan Herman, says it was a "clean tear'' and after pectoral surgery Beatty could be back in 5 months instead of 6.
Will Beatty Tears His Pectoral Muscle, Out At Least Five Months: According to various press reports, New York Giants left tackle Will Beatty tore his pectoral muscle while lifting weights. He is undergoing surgery today and is expected to miss at least five-six months.
Am told Will Beatty just went in for surgery on torn pec at HSS. Recovery said to be 5 months. That's back on the field around November.
New York Giants Sign TE Will Tye and DT Carlif Taylor: According to various reports, the New York Giants have signed rookie free agents tight end Will Tye (Stony Brook University) and defensive tackle Carlif Taylor (Southern Connecticut State University). Both were invited as tryout players to the team’s three-day rookie mini-camp that concluded on Sunday.
TE Will Tye, 6’2”, 262 pounds, 4.57, Stony Brook University
Tye was a Florida State transfer. Tye lacks ideal height but he is well-built athlete with very good speed for a tight end. Versatile, Tye lined up at tight end, in the backfield, and split out wide at Stony Brook University where he was a very productive receiver.
DT Carlif Taylor, 6’2”, 319 pounds, 5.10, Southern Connecticut State University
Taylor is a raw Division-II prospect with a very nice combination of size and athletic ability. Taylor lacks ideal height, but he strong, quick, and plays with good natural leverage. Taylor hustles and plays hard.
