Nov 152023
 
Tommy DeVito, New York Giants (November 12, 2023)

Tommy DeVito – © USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK GIANTS ROSTER MOVES…
The New York Giants have waived TE/FB Chris Myarick from Injured Reserve. Myarick was placed on IR in late August with a broken hand. The Los Angeles Chargers also signed OLB Justin Hollins off of the Giants’ Practice Squad.

NOVEMBER 15, 2023 GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
WR Jalin Hyatt (concussion), RT Evan Neal (ankle), NT Dexter Lawrence (rest day), OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (concussion), ILB Bobby Okereke (hip), and CB Adoree’ Jackson (concussion) did not practice on Wednesday.

QB Tommy DeVito (left shoulder), RB Saquon Barkley (ankle), WR Wan’Dale Robinson (knee), LT Andrew Thomas (knee), CB Deonte Banks (ankle), CB Cor’Dale Flott (shoulder), S Xavier McKinney (rib), and S Jason Pinnock (thumb/ankle) were limited in practice.

RB Deon Jackson (concussion) fully practiced.

HEAD COACH BRIAN DABOLL…
The transcript of Brian Daboll’s press conference on Wednesday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available on YouTube.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and on YouTube:

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The Giants practice again on Thursday afternoon. The coordinators and select players will also address the media.

Aug 292023
 
Wan'Dale Robinson, New York Giants (November 20, 2022)

Wan’Dale Robinson – © USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK GIANTS MAKE 30 MORE ROSTER MOVES…
As with all other NFL teams, the New York Giants reduced their roster to 53 players on Tuesday. The Giants announced the following 30 roster moves on Monday and Tuesday:

Acquired by Trade:

  • DE/OLB Boogie Basham (from Buffalo Bills in exchange for swap of late-round 2025 draft picks)

Activated from the Active/Physically-Unable-to-Perform (PUP) List:

  • WR Wan’Dale Robinson (coming off of ACL tear)

Placed on Reserve/PUP List from Active/PUP List:

  • CB Aaron Robinson (coming off of ACL tear) (now out for at least four games)

Waived:

  • QB Tommy DeVito
  • RB Jashaun Corbin
  • WR Kalil Pimpleton
  • TE Ryan Jones
  • OL Tyre Phillips
  • DL Ryder Anderson
  • DL Kobe Smith
  • OLB Tomon Fox
  • OLB Habakkuk Baldonado
  • ILB Darrian Beavers
  • ILB Ray Wilborn
  • ILB Dyontae Johnson
  • CB Gemon Green
  • S Alex Cook
  • LS Cameron Lyons

Contract Terminated (Vested Veteran):

  • WR Cole Beasley
  • WR Jamison Crowder
  • WR David Sills
  • OL Sean Harlow
  • OLB Oshane Ximines
  • CB Amani Oruwariye

Waived/Injured:

  • OL Jack Anderson (calf)
  • OL Wyatt Davis (ankle)
  • CB Zyon Gilbert (hamstring)

Placed on Reserve/Non-Football Injury (NFI) List:

  • TE Tommy Sweeney (unknown)

Placed on Season-Ending Injured Reserve:

  • TE Chris Myarick (broken hand)

Contract Terminated from Injured Reserve (Injury Settlement):

  • DL Vernon Butler (unknown)

The 25-year old, 6’3”, 274-pound Basham was originally drafted in the 2nd round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Bills. He has played in 23 regular-season games with no starts, accruing 37 tackles, 4.5 sacks, one interception, and one fumble recovery. Basham is a powerful hybrid 3-4/4-3 end who has inside-outside versatility. He plays the run well and flashes on the pass rush.

“A young player that has good size,” said Head Coach Brian Daboll of Basham. “He’ll be in the outside linebacker room, and we’ll get him here and start working with him and put him in our system. Our system is a little bit different than Buffalo’s system so we’ll get him out here in the field and (Outside Linebackers Coach) Drew (Wilkins) will start working with him and try to get him up to speed.”

INJURY REPORT…
CB Aaron Robinson (ACL) was placed on the Reserve/Physically-Unable-to-Perform (PUP) List from the Active/PUP List. He cannot be activated off of the Reserve/PUP for the first four games of the regular season. TE Tommy Sweeney (unknown) was placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury (NFI) List.

RB Gary Brightwell (knee), TE Lawrence Cager (ankle), LB Cam Brown (unknown), CB Cor’Dale Flott (hamstring), S/CB Nick McCloud (groin), S Bobby McCain (concussion), and S Gervarrius Owens (hamstring) did not practice.

DARNAY HOLMES ACCEPTS PAY CUT…
Media sources are reporting that cornerback Darnay Holmes has accepted a pay cut. Holmes was scheduled to earn $2,743,000 in salary in the final year of his contract in 2023.

TEAM CAPTAINS ANNOUNCED…
The following 10 players were voted team captains by the players on the roster:

  • QB Daniel Jones
  • RB Saquon Barkley
  • TE Darren Waller
  • LT Andrew Thomas
  • DL Dexter Lawrence
  • DL Leonard Williams
  • OLB Bobby Okereke
  • CB Adoree’ Jackson
  • S Xavier McKinney
  • PK Graham Gano

HEAD COACH BRIAN DABOLL…
The transcript of Brian Daboll’s press conference on Tuesday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available on YouTube.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and on YouTube:

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The Giants practice on Wednesday afternoon (2:30-4:30PM). Head Coach Brian Daboll and select players will also address the media.

Jun 272023
 
Darren Waller, New York Giants (June 14, 2023)

Darren Waller – © USA TODAY Sports

With New York Giants training camp beginning in late July, BigBlueInteractive.com (BBI) breaks down each of the team’s positional groups until the players report at Quest Diagnostics Training Center.

FIND A COMPLETE LIST OF ALL BREAKDOWNS HERE

POSITIONAL BREAKDOWN: Tight Ends

2022 YEAR IN REVIEW: Heading into 2022, it appeared the New York Giants had arguably the weakest group of tight ends in the NFL. The team had parted ways with their top three tight ends: Evan Engram (who signed with the Jaguars in free agency), Kyle Rudolph (who was cut in March), and Kaden Smith (who was also cut in March after failing his physical). Chris Myarick was the only returning player. The Giants signed Ricky Seals-Jones, Jordan Akins, and Tanner Hudson, but the first two didn’t even make it to the end of August. The Giants drafted Daniel Bellinger in the 4th round and signed undrafted rookie free agents Austin Allen and Dre Miller after the draft. When the season started, the team’s three tight ends were Bellinger, Myarick (listed as a fullback), and Hudson. Not exactly a murder’s row.

Bellinger proved to be pleasant surprise and one of Daniel Jones’ few reliable targets. Coming out of the draft, he was considered more of a blocking tight end, but continued to flash in the passing game, demonstrating better-than-anticipated on-field athleticism and adjusting to pro passing concepts sooner than expected. However, he suffered a very scary and possibly career-threatening eye-injury in Week 7 when his orbital bone was fractured. Somewhat miraculously, Bellinger only missed four games. He finished the year starting 11 games, catching 30 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns. He also scored on his only rushing attempt.

Lawrence Cager was signed to the Practice Squad in October after the Jets cut him and then the 53-man roster in November. He ended up playing in six regular-season games with three starts, catching 13 passes for 118 yards and one touchdown. Nick Vannett was signed to the Practice Squad in November after he was cut by the Saints and the 53-man roster in December. (Hudson was also cut at this time after playing in 11 games and catching 10 passes). Vannett ended up playing in six regular-season games with three starts for the Giants, catching four passes for 42 yards. Myarick played in 16 games with eight starts, catching just seven passes for 65 yards and a touchdown.

In summary, the position was a bit of revolving door most of the year, aside from Bellinger who had his rookie season interrupted by the eye injury.

ADDITIONS/SUBTRACTIONS: The Giants re-signed Lawrence Cager and Chris Myarick. They also signed unrestricted free agent Tommy Sweeney from the Bills and signed Ryan Jones as a rookie free agent after the draft. However, perhaps the most significant offseason addition to the entire team was the trade for former Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller in March.

The team made no attempt to re-sign Nick Vannett and waived Dre Miller after he failed a physical in mid-June (Miller had spent part of 2022 on the Practice Squad).

TRAINING CAMP STORY LINES:  The significance of the Darren Waller acquisition still seems underappreciated. Waller’s two best seasons in the NFL were 2019 and 2020, when he caught an incredible 197 passes for 2,341 yards and 12 touchdowns. He missed five games in 2021 with ankle and knee sprain injuries and eight games in 2022 with a nagging hamstring injury. None of these injuries required surgery and Waller appears completely healthy now and was a daily standout in spring practices.

Barring injury, Waller seems destined to be the team’s #1 pass receiving threat. He’s more of a TE/WR hybrid who can threaten defenses with size, speed, hands, and ability to adjust to the football. He’s a legit 6’6” target, with a big wing span, who can also run. Waller is “open” even when covered and can threaten defenses vertically down the field. Combine that skillset with Brian Daboll’s history of coaching tight ends with the Patriots (2013-2016) and Mike Kafka’s exposure to the Chiefs’ passing concepts, and it’s easy to see where this is heading. Waller will be deployed in multiple ways to create match-up problems for defenses. It’s quite telling that observers, coaches, and players were raving about him this spring.

Daniel Bellinger was getting lost in the Waller hoopla until a photographer snapped a picture of his huge arms this spring. Bellinger not only has worked his butt off this offseason to reshape his body, but he has drawn praise from Travis Kelce and George Kittle, two of the headliners at the position in the NFL. Indeed, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Waller and Bellinger could be viewed as one of the best tight end combos in 2023, quite an accomplishment given how weak the depth chart looked a year ago at this time.

The third and possibly fourth tight end spots also are now more intriguing. Lawrence Cager flashed in his limited chances as a pass receiver and could have the inside track on Waller’s primary back-up as a receiving target. Tommy Sweeney was signed from the Bills as a blocker. Chris Myarick offers tight end/fullback flexibility and special teams value. Also note that of the nine rookie free agents the team signed, Ryan Jones was given the third-most guaranteed money ($125,000).

ON THE BUBBLE: Darren Waller and Daniel Bellinger are locks. Lawrence Cager, Tommy Sweeney, Chris Myarick, and Ryan Jones will be vying for one or two roster spots.

FROM TEAM COACHES/PLAYERS: Head Coach Brian Daboll on Darren Waller: “He’s a good pro. He’s smart. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do. He’s a good communicator. He’s played a lot of football and been productive. Again, we’re still utilizing him in different ways. We’re seeing what he likes, what he feels comfortable with, what the quarterback feels comfortable with, but he’s been a pleasure to be around both in the classroom and out on the field.” (Note: Coach Daboll rarely throws praise around like this, particularly in the spring).

Mike Kafka on Darren Waller: “He’s a really talented player. He’s a great person. He’s a really good teammate. That’s one thing I’ve learned about him. He cares about his guys. He’s competitive, which we really like. We value that here. He’s doing everything we’re asking him. He’s working hard, putting in the time and effort to learn the offense and get in sync with D.J. (Daniel Jones) and the quarterbacks. He’s done a great job.”

Tight Ends Coach Andy Bischoff on the impact of Darren Waller on the other tight ends: “These guys are like a sponge. So a guy like Bellinger, he’s improved immensely in the air of Darren Waller. Lawrence Cager is improving daily just being around this guy. It’s good for the whole group in so many ways.”

Tight Ends Coach Andy Bischoff on Daniel Bellinger: “Bellinger is a guy who can help us win plays and lead to winning games, every down. Bellinger is a better version of himself today by leaps and bounds from this time a year ago. And it’s because of his own commitment, his own awareness, his own learning… He’s a guy who can play the position, he’ll do whatever’s asked. A great teammate.”

Safety Xavier McKinney on how Darren Waller changes the offense: “Really different… added piece that’s explosive, that’s able to make plays. Obviously when he’s out there, you’ve got to be aware of where he’s at, at all times… because he can make a lot of plays.”

Wide receiver Darius Slayton on Darren Waller: “He’s impressive… Somebody asks what’s an NFL tight end, you just point to Darren Waller; big, fast, can catch it. He’s been a great addition to our team.”

PREDICTIONS/CLOSING THOUGHTS: I suspect pundits will soon be asking how the heck the Giants acquired Waller for a late 3rd-round pick.

It is difficult to believe that Daboll and Kafka will have many offensive formations that have Waller or Bellinger standing on the sidelines, suggesting a heavy emphasis on 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends). But flexibility may still come from the fact that Waller is more of a WR/TE hybrid and may be employed as more of a wide receiver on many plays.

The Giants had 15 passing touchdowns in 2022. Waller had nine touchdown receptions in 2020 alone. Believe it or not, the Giants had one of the NFL’s best red-zone offenses in the NFL in 2022. Their problem was getting to the red zone. That should be less of a an issue now. I’ll go out on a limb and predict that Waller-Bellinger-Cager alone will tie the Giants’ total touchdown mark from last season. I don’t think it is crazy to think Waller could have eight touchdowns, Bellinger six touchdowns, and Cager one touchdown with Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka calling the plays.

The presence of Waller changes the entire complexion of this offense. He will draw double-team attention, opening up opportunities for Saquon Barkley (both as runner and receiver), Daniel Bellinger, Parris Campbell, Isaiah Hodgins, and the other receivers. This coaching staff knows how to use tight ends. Waller can become New York’s version of Kelce or Kittle. And if the latter two are correct about the emergence of Bellinger? Look out!

FINAL DEPTH CHART: Darren Waller, Daniel Bellinger, Lawrence Cager, Tommy Sweeney (Chris Myarick to the Practice Squad)

Jan 232023
 
Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen, New York Giants (January 11, 2023)

Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen – © USA TODAY Sports

JOE SCHOEN AND BRIAN DABOLL ADDRESS THE MEDIA…
New York Giants General Manager Joe Schoen and Head Coach Brian Daboll addressed the media on Monday (VIDEO):

Joe Schoen: I just want to start off by thanking the Maras and Tisches. I’ve been here about a year, and thank them for giving us all the resources we needed throughout the season since the day we got here to build the best team we could last season along with any type of resources we needed. I would also like to thank everybody that works under this roof that contributed to not only the culture but their particular job responsibilities throughout the season. There’s tremendous energy in the building right now, a really good culture. I’m just really happy with everybody’s efforts throughout the year. I want to thank them for their efforts.

With that being said, I would say it was a good season for us in many different ways. When you come in when I did in January, you’re trying to get to know the roster, trying to get to know the players. Dabs (head coach Brian Daboll) had a very good plan in terms of the offseason, the OTAs, to bring the players together and start to develop that culture and comradery amongst the team. I thought that carried over to our fast start early in the season. The start we got off to was good. I think some of the positives were some young players got to experience success that maybe they haven’t in the past and how you handle that. And we had a little bit of a lull, I would say, after the bye week, and also allowed some of our young players to learn how to overcome adversity and steady the ship. And we did that down the road and were able to win a playoff game. A lot of young players were able to get playoff experience. So, all in all, a lot of those lessons learned throughout the season will hopefully continue to help us moving forward. The foundation has been set, and I think some of those experiences that the players were able to go through this year will just allow us to build moving forward. With that being said, I’ll open it up to questions.

Q: Do you plan on re-signing (quarterback) Daniel (Jones)?

Schoen: We’d like Daniel to be here. Again, he said it yesterday – there’s a business side to it. We feel like Daniel played well this season. He’s done everything that we’ve asked him to do. Again, there’s a business side to it. We haven’t went down that road yet. We still have to have our meetings with our staff late in the week, and we’ll devise an offseason plan. We haven’t had those meetings yet, but we would like to have Daniel Jones back.

Q: Having said that, when did you know? You and Dabs came in and had to do your due diligence and see what you had in Daniel (Jones) and everybody else. When did you make the decision, both of you guys, ‘This guy is our guy to move forward with,’?

Schoen: I don’t know if there was necessarily an ‘Aha’ moment or anything like that. We just continued to evaluate him throughout the season and what the coaches were asking him to do. And he was executing the game plans. Dabs and I communicate on a daily basis – not just Dabs and I, but the offensive staff and what they’re asking him to do. He continued to improve throughout the season. I don’t know the exact date or time when we’re like, ‘Daniel is our guy,’ but we’re pleased with how he played this season.

Q: Obviously you need a new contract with (running back) Saquon (Barkley). Is that somebody, also, you also would like to keep, and is the franchise tag a possibility?

Schoen: Again, this is a special team to me. It was my first year. We’d like to have all the guys back, I really would. But there’s a business side to it. There’s rules that you need to operate under in terms of the salary cap. Saquon, he’s a good player. He’s a great teammate. I loved getting to know him this season. He’s a guy we would like to have back. It’s just, again, we haven’t had our end-of-season meetings yet. We’re less than 48 hours after that game. Everybody is going to step back, take the emotion out of it, evaluate the roster and then we’ve got to operate under the salary cap. How are you going to divvy up? How are we going to create the roster? What are the priority positions, and how are we going to move forward? We would like to have Saquon back if it works out.

Q: Do you think you overachieved as a ball club, and do you think having sustained success is really what you’re going for most of all here? And is there a possibility that a team, if they did overachieve, could take a step backwards along the way to getting where you want to go?

Schoen: That’s a good question. I wouldn’t say we overachieved. I think Dabs did a good job, along with his staff, of like, ‘Focus on the process and not necessarily the results.’ They came in on a weekly basis and focused on the process. They saw the dividends came on Sunday. I think there was a lot of good football players on our team. I think there were a lot of good teammates. Maybe we weren’t the most talented, but we did have a good team. Guys cared about each other. The culture was good, and the process we had in place – again, I think the dividends showed on Sundays.

Q: When you say you want Daniel (Jones) back, ideally would you like that to be a long-term deal or a multi-year deal?

Schoen: We’re going to get into all that. Again, it takes two. Both sides have got to have those conversations. We haven’t crossed that bridge yet. There’s tools at our disposal. Again, we’ll go through several scenarios. It’s kind of like I mentioned it last year, maybe it was at the combine, with the ‘if, then’ scenarios. You got to go through all those because you don’t know how things are going to fall because it’s negotiating. This is why you love the draft – you turn in the card, and they’re yours. You know what the contract structure is; you know the years. This is where there’s two parties involved, and it’s going to be time consuming. We’ll get together as a staff. We’ll talk through the different options and have those discussions when it’s appropriate.

Q: When do you plan to start those negotiations with the agents about extensions? Is there any urgency to get it done before that tag deadline to lock one of those guys in?

Schoen: We haven’t discussed that yet. Again, we’re going to meet as a staff on Thursday. We’ve got all-star games coming up. The last couple days have been a lot of – we did exit meetings yesterday with the entire football team, each player individually, working on calendars as we move forward the next couple weeks, so we mirror personnel calendars with the coaches. We’ll have those meetings on Thursday, and those will continue through the weekend.

Q: With Saquon (Barkley), how do you view running back positional value versus he’s also, other than Daniel (Jones), your best playmaker?

Schoen: Listen, Saquon has done everything we’ve asked him to do, and he’s a good football player. Again, the positional value – we’ll get into how we want to build this team and allocate our resources. That’s what it comes down to. Again, he’s a good football player. He was durable for us this year; he played well. And again, he’s a guy that we would like to have back.

Q: In terms of the (salary) cap, would you like to do something to lower (defensive lineman) Leonard Williams’ cap number?

Schoen: We haven’t discussed that yet. I like his quote yesterday; I just saw that before I came down here that he would be interested in taking a pay cut. You guys did a good job on that, whoever asked him that. He didn’t mention that in the exit interview with us.

Q: You redid the deal, and the numbers are really high. It’s not like you have no cap space, but what’s your comfort level with a number that high in general?

Schoen: We’ll talk about that. Again, there’s several options. We’ve got to go through the entire roster, we have a lot of UFAs (unrestricted free agents). We have guys that are good players that have contracts on the horizon. That’s all part of the planning that we’ll go through. And again, we just got to talk about how we want to divvy it up and prioritize different areas. And if we need to open up money, we won’t rule that out.

Q: Joe just said, ‘We may not have been the most talented, but we were a team.’ Do you now look ahead, after your first year, and think, ‘Okay, now we are one of the more talented teams, we can do a lot more with this,’?

Daboll: You know me; I take it day by day. I think it’s year by year. Every team is different. Just because you won one year doesn’t guarantee you anything the next year relative to what players you have, what players you don’t have. You take a look at last year’s playoff (teams) – I think seven of them didn’t make the playoffs the following year. Two top seeds had losing records. I think our goal will always be just get better each day, try to put the best team we can together, work at it each day and not get too far ahead of ourselves. I appreciate, like Joe said, all the people that had a hand in this year. Obviously, it didn’t end up where we wanted to end up. But it took a lot of work. It took a lot of energy. It took a lot of people in all areas of our building. The offseason started the day after we lost, unfortunately. That’s where we’re at. We’ll do the best job we can of building up our team the best way we can, our organization, and then going out there and taking it day by day.

Q: Joes said that he wants Daniel (Jones) back. Obviously, you guys have talked about this a lot. Why do you want Daniel back and why do you think he can take this team, get another trophy for this team? Do you think he can?

Daboll: I’ve said it all year; he’s done everything that we’ve asked him to do as an offensive staff. And he’s done a really good job with operating and executing our offense. I think he’s made strides in a lot of different areas. Certainly, we can all make strides in more, but he’s been a good leader for us, played the quarterback position well for us. I’m happy we had him.

Q: How much does it change everything in regards to the team building that you have the quarterback, assuming you’re able to re-sign him, and you don’t have to find a quarterback or draft a quarterback and you can use those resources elsewhere?

Schoen: I don’t think it really changes. It doesn’t really change what we are going to do. We’ve still got to draft well. We want to be in good cap health. We’re in a unique situation in that we have some players that are upcoming that were drafted here previously before we came here that played well. Again, it just comes down to how we want to divvy it up. Again, the money and the resources that we have along with the draft – we’re still trying to build this thing so we can sustain it.

Q: But in Buffalo, you had to trade up to get (Buffalo quarterback) Josh (Allen), right?

Schoen: Every situation is different. I know you want to make the parallels with here and Buffalo. We made the playoffs the first year. I mean, every situation is unique and different. There were different factors that played into that. And again, I think Daniel played well enough this year. We’d like to have him back. And again – we have some difficult offseason decisions to make and how we are going to go about those. So, I look forward to getting to work on that here by the end of the week.

Q: On Saquon (Barkley), when you try to determine his financial value – how much do you factor in character and contribution to culture as opposed to talent when it comes to that evaluation?

Schoen: If that wasn’t important, we probably wouldn’t be approaching him. So, that’s kind of a starter for us – if you’re a good teammate, you’re a culture fit for how we want to do things. That’s where we go to those players. We don’t factor in – when you’re making comps (comparisons), it’s hard to put a value on that. It’s important, but you can look at how many yards, touchdowns, Pro Bowls, games played, games missed. Those are more markers that we can establish value on. We wouldn’t approach him or look to sign a guy if they didn’t fit our culture if we didn’t think so.

Q: How close were you with him (Saquon Barkley in bye week conversations)? How close were you with him, and did you consider yourself close when you had that conversation?

Schoen: We had productive conversations. We were off on the value. Again, we said we would circle back up at the end of the season and continue those conversations, but that time of year, we weren’t really that close I would think.

Q: When you talk about you have to make decisions when allocating resources, does it give you any pause that you see these big second contract for running backs kind of haven’t panned out, generally, across the league?

Schoen: I wouldn’t say all of them haven’t panned out. But there’s a risk to any big contract. Anybody can go out there and get hurt at any position. I think that’s risk-reward. The good thing about, I feel, extending people in-house (is that) you know their work ethic. You know their durability. You know their injury history. You know how they train. You know how they practice. So, in terms of eliminating some of the margin for error, it’s a known commodity.

Q: You’ve seen what a team can do when they bring in a top-flight wide receiver. You guys did that with (wide receiver Stefon) Diggs at Buffalo and (Eagles quarterback) Jalen Hurts with (Eagles wide receiver) A.J. Brown. If Daniel Jones is the quarterback, whoever’s under center, how much of a priority is it to get a wide receiver that you can prepare to continue that evolution?

Schoen: I think we want to continue to build the entire team. Again, I know a number one wide receiver can be important, but there’s some number one wide receivers that are home right now. You can go through this past weekend; you can go through a couple of weekends ago in the playoffs. A number one receiver doesn’t guarantee you anything. I think it’s important that we continue to build the team, and there’s multiple positions where we want to upgrade throughout the offseason. So, yeah, I’d love to have a number one wide receiver. But we’ve got to place value on everything we do, and if it makes sense, that’s something we’ll look to do.

Q: Who are your biggest weaknesses? What do you think your weaknesses are?

Schoen: We’re going to go through that with the coaches. Again, we’re going to talk through all that. Again, we’re going to step back, take the emotion out of it, evaluate the roster. We’ll come up how we want to approach the offseason and where we need to improve.

Q: What do you make of your rookie class, your first draft, and just your entire rookie class? What do you think about it, and was it what you wanted it to be?

Schoen: I like the guys we brought in. I think there’s some ups and downs, which you’re always going to have with rookie classes. (Outside linebacker) Kayvon (Thibodeaux), he got injured in that Cincinnati game in the preseason and then kind of got healthy throughout the season and hit his stride. (Tackle) Evan (Neal), same deal – had some ups and downs and battled through injury. (Wide receiver) Wan’Dale (Robinson) was really coming along. He had over 100 yards through three quarters in the Detroit game, so, he would’ve been a big-time contributor, especially down the stretch, if he would’ve stayed healthy. So, a lot of big contributions without going through everyone.(Cornerback Cor’Dale) Flott made some big plays, made a big play in the Minnesota game. Has a high ceiling; we’re excited about him. (Offensive lineman Joshua) Ezeudu started some games and then got injured. When these guys get healthy next year, I think that’s going to provide depth. And some of those guys are going to compete for starting spots. (Tight end Daniel) Bellinger, we thought, had a really good season. Again, he got injured. I think they all got injured except for (inside linebacker Micah) McFadden at some point unfortunately. (Safety) Dane Belton, same deal. When he was out there, he played well. Had two interceptions for us. (Defensive lineman) D.J. Davidson, unfortunately, had an ACL in London but was a contributor in a rotational role. (Inside linebacker Darrian) Beavers. in the preseason, he was competing to start at Mike. Excited to see him when he comes back. And then, (offensive lineman) Marcus McKethan was having a really good camp for us before tearing his ACL. So, when healthy, I think there’s going to be some really good contributors out of the class and then some other guys that will be really good depth players for us. But smart, tough, dependable players that we’re happy we have.

Q: Has (defensive lineman) Dexter Lawrence done enough to earn another contract?

Schoen: I would say Dexter’s done enough. Again, we want all of our guys back. We want them to be here for a long time. Dexter played well, and we’ve got him under the fifth-year option. And that’ll be part of our end-of-season review in terms of how we want to approach that. But yeah, Dexter played really well, great person, great teammate. Happy he’s here.

Q: You have him under contract, but I presume you’ll sit down and talk with him about it, right?

Schoen: If you presume. Well, we’re going to talk about it here in the future and then again, it goes back to we have certain cap space, and we have certain tools at our disposal. We’ll figure out how we want to utilize them.

Q: Now that you have that cap space – now that you are a little bit more financially healthier, significantly more financially healthy than you were last year – do you plan on being aggressive in the free agent market? Is that somewhere where you’re going to now look to really infuse this roster with talent that way?

Schoen: We’ve got some guys that are good players that are currently UFAs. These are known commodities in-house that we know intimately from being with them for a year. And we’ll see who we want to bring back throughout these meetings and what their market value is going to be based on our analysis. Again, if we can bring some of our own back, we will, mixed with guys outside the building. We’ll look at that. Ideally to me, the known commodities that are good football players that you know, that’s going to be our priority first. And then we’ll look outside the building, if we need to, to supplement the roster.

Q: In some ways, is taking that next step a bigger challenge for a football team, i.e., going from a playoff team to a true contender, is that a bigger step in some way?

Schoen: You’re saying from?

Q: From where you were, in a difficult situation to making the playoffs, is it harder to go to the next step? From being a playoff team to truly contending for a title?

Schoen: I think what Dabs said, each year is different. Each team is different, the players that we lose, the players that we bring in. Again, we like our process, whether it’s free agency, draft, waiver wire. In terms of improving the roster, we’re always going to look to do that. I’ve got a lot of confidence in our coaching staff and the personnel staff that we’ll continue to improve the roster any way we can. And again, every season is different.

Q: Do you think ownership still has patience for a long-term build and process? Or do you think your success this year may have accelerated expectations from ownership?

Schoen: We haven’t really talked specifically about that. I’m in constant communication with (President and chief executive officer) John (Mara), (senior player personnel executive) Chris (Mara), (chairman and executive vice president) Steve (Tisch) about what we’re thinking, what the plan is and where we are. That hasn’t come up.

Q: Was it challenging at all this year for you that you had your plan set, and if ownership wanted it accelerated, did you kind of have to hold firm on some of the things that you believed in and not accelerate the plan based on what you were seeing in the standings, record wise or even on the field?

Schoen: I think it goes back to almost my opening press conference. We wanted to see progress. The question was, ‘What’s a successful season?’ We wanted to see progress, and I think you saw that throughout the season. Again, credit to my personnel staff. They were relentless in terms of eating up the waiver wire, waiver claims and practice squad. Did a really good job. But again, to your point, we had to honestly evaluate the roster, whether it was the trade deadline or not. I don’t believe in the ‘You’re one player away.’ I think it’s truly a team game. And that’s where we were and the holes that we had. I thought it was best just to stay pat where we were. We have nine picks going into next year’s draft. We do have a little bit more financial flexibility. As a group, we thought that was the best thing to do.

Q: You called the loss to the Eagles ‘a crash landing.’ How do you balance the success of the regular season with the disappointment of that playoff game in evaluating the entire season?

Daboll: I think you just take a step back. You give the coaches some time to evaluate the players, and then we’ll have time to evaluate the things that we’ve done, whether that’s scheme, personnel, decisions. You just take a step back. Unfortunately, I’ve been involved in eight playoff losses. So, 24 wins. Each year’s a different year. It’s different than it was 30 years ago. Each year, you come in here in April 17 for the offseason program, and when you ask the new guys to stand up, it will be dang near half the room. So, what we’ve tried to build is our foundation – how we meet, how we practice, how we prepare, how we travel, our mindset going into games. You have guys that have been on the roster on the roster that are coming back and that can help facilitate that with the new players that are coming in because every year’s a new year. The team we had this year will be different next year, but that’s just the NFL. So, how you build the chemistry with the team is important. It starts in April. You’re glad you have some of the players that you’re going to have coming back, but certainly, you’re going to have a lot of new players, whether that’s draft picks, free agents, different guys. And everybody’s got to come together again and start building the team for the next season.

Q: Do you anticipate any changes to your coaching staff? Do you have to always prepare for the potential of replacing a coordinator if they get a (head coaching) job?

Daboll: Like I’ve said all season, I’ve had a lot of confidence in our guys. They’ve done a great job, and women, on our staff. When you have these interviews that come up, and I’ve been part of them the last three seasons, you always have to have a plan because you never know what’s going to happen if (defensive coordinator) Wink (Martindale) gets a job, if (offensive coordinator Mike) Kafka gets a job. So, you have to go through the whole process. The good thing about being here for the second year is that you have a lot of people in place that again, to go back to what I said about the players, that know how we do things. So, as I’m sitting up there with (director of coaching operations Laura Young) LY and going through calendars and OTA practices and when the offseason starts and self-scout, we do a lot of things. Last year was the first time we all did it together. This will be the second time. So, a little bit more smooth.

Q: Do you think there’s a big gap between the Giants and the two teams that remain standing in the NFC?

Schoen: Yeah, I know Philly more intimately. And, yeah, I would say yes. There’s a talent gap there that we need to close, and to me, it’s the NFC East. I mean, we were 1-5-1 against the NFC East. If you win the division, the rest takes care of itself. So, that’s always going to be a goal of ours: to close that gap and be NFC East champs. That’s the goal, and that’s what we’re going to work towards.

Q: You had a lot of restrictions on you when you came in last year, financially, with putting together a staff. Things are a little more stable now going into this offseason. How much have you been looking forward to this offseason and really getting your hands on this roster and doing it the way you’ve wanted to do it?

Schoen: I didn’t want the season to end, I’ll tell you that (laughs). Dabs saying ‘a crash landing,’ that’s right. Still driving in this morning, it still hurts. But you just have more flexibility. There were times in season where there were maybe some veteran players that we wanted to sign that would’ve helped us, but we just weren’t able to do it. That part stings throughout the season because we could’ve helped the roster, but just didn’t have the flexibility. Yeah, to have financial flexibility, nine draft picks, to be able to devise a plan where you have a little bit more flexibility and resources, I’m definitely excited about that.

Q: For both of you, picking up on the Philly theme, with the two competitive games between the two of you, how much did the trenches – how much did the line of scrimmage – matter in both of those games where it certainly seems like Philly has more guys at that level, more of a rotation at those levels, to some degree, and just were better in that part of the game?

Daboll: I think you asked that after the game, too. They have a good defensive line and good offensive line. Everything starts up front. We certainly could’ve done a better job, too. But give them credit. They have good players on both sides of the ball. I think we have good players, but they just played better and did better than we did.

Q: How was that dinner with (wide receiver) Odell Beckham (Jr.)? And is he a player you’re going to revisit going into the spring?

Schoen: Dinner was good, and we’re going to consider, again, when we have this offseason meeting, every position, who’s available. Who are the players who are potential – that we could sign? Again, we’ll devise the plan from there. That’s kind of where we are right now.

Q: What’s your opinion of this free agent class in general?

Schoen: The UFA class? Again, you can look at it today, and it’s going to change by the time we get there because a lot of the times the good players that are UFAs end up staying with their teams. So, we’re working through that now. We’ll start our free agent meetings next week, devise a plan in terms of the players that maybe we want to target. But there’s definitely some players out there that would help us.

Q: Do you think free agency is more of a tool to build a team than it was maybe five, 10 years ago?

Schoen: It can be. It can be if you get the right guys and they’re durable because typically when you’re signing outside your building, you’re paying those guys a little bit of money that if they stay healthy and produce at the level, then yeah. It’s definitely a tool that we’ve used before. Obviously, the draft and develop, like I was saying earlier with players in your system already, in your building, you know them. You can’t really do a lot of research on some players that are with different teams, or you don’t know their work ethic or injury history. So, again, I think when you’re making those financial decisions, you’ve got intimate knowledge of the players, I think there’s less margin for error, in-house.

Q: Is (safety) Julian Love – I know you’re not going to go down the whole list – but he’s a guy, culture, you know him, he stayed healthy, he did a lot of different things. Brian (Daboll) said some good things about him. Is he a guy you look at and say, ‘Yeah, he’s important,’?

Schoen: Again, we’d like to have a lot of these guys back. It’s just as we go through this and we talk to the representatives, he’s a guy – I know he mentioned it yesterday – that we talked to in the bye week. And we weren’t able to get something done with Julian. Julian knows how we feel about him. We had a good exit interview with him yesterday. Again, as we start to get into the offseason planning, we’ll talk to the coaches. We’ll see where he fits in. And if we can get something done, that’ll be good.

Q: (Wide receiver) Sterling Shepard – the role he could have going forward. He’s been a guy that’s been around forever. Brian talked about him and the fact that he’s had an effect on the team culture.

Schoen: Love Shep. He’s awesome; juice guy all the time. He’s one of my favorites here. We’ll continue to monitor his rehab, coming off the ACL. He had the Achilles before. He’s been a tremendous resource around here for us. He’s a guy that we’ll talk about as well at the end of the week and continue to communicate with the training staff, (senior vice president, medical services/head athletic trainer) Ronnie Barnes and those guys, on where he is from that standpoint, when he’ll be healthy enough to play. Again, that’s something we may or may not entertain.

Q: Did your guys’ opinions on (safety) Xavier (McKinney) change because of the circumstances of his injury and how that happened? You saw him as a cornerstone moving forward. Did that change at all?

Schoen: Not for us. He’s a young man that made a mistake. To me, really initially, it wasn’t about football. It was more about his wellbeing as a young man. And we’ve got younger kids. Dabs has some older than mine. But we all make mistakes. And we’ve got to learn from it. For us, it was just about supporting Xavier through that. He fought to get back. Football was secondary when we got the call. I’m just glad that he was able to play again. He’s a great kid that we look forward to working with.

Q: With respect to free agency, how married are you to what you believe a player is worth and your walk-away number compared to sometimes when you’re in negotiations and the market value can exponentially change how much a player is going to get?

Schoen: That’s something our staff, they do a great job, and we talk about it all the time: ‘What’s the walk-away?’ We come up with a walk-away, and you have to be comfortable because, I’ll use the term I use around here, if you shop hungry, you overpay. It’s a bad deal, and then you get buyer’s remorse. It’s important in free agency to come up with the proper value – where you see them as a staff and the value and where it fits into your salary cap and your team. And then, I think it’s smart to have a walk-away number.

Q: Do you view Daniel (Jones) as a quarterback who can help you win a Super Bowl?

Schoen: We’re happy Daniel’s going to be here. We’re happy he’s going to be here. Hopefully we can get something done with his representatives. And that would be the goal – to build a team around him where he can lead us and win a Super Bowl.

Q: You’re saying he’s going to be here next year?

Schoen: We’re going to have these offseason meetings here at the end of the week, and we’re going to talk about it. And then with the resources we have, we’re going to talk to his representatives and hopefully be able to get something done to go off the first question.

Q: You were 22-59 before you got here. The Giants were 22-59 the five years that preceded you guys getting here. Why do you believe this team turned the corner this year?

Schoen: That’s a good question. A lot of factors. Again, I said it in the first press conference. The cupboard wasn’t bare. There was some talented players here – really good coaching staff. They did a really good throughout the season as we continued to, whether it was draft, free agency, waiver wire, improve the roster, our practice squad. We were able to create a good culture where the players were able to be themselves. And the coaching staff did a good job of maximizing the talent of the roster on a weekly basis. So, a lot of credit goes to Dabs and his staff.

Q: From your vantage point, what do you view as the reason for the injuries in the first half, early season? And have you already commissioned and kind of studied your evaluation of how to improve that?

Schoen: We’re working through that, specifically the rookie class. Is it the young players coming in, the onboarding process? Are we doing that right? We’re going to turn over every leaf to figure that out because healthy players give us the best chance to win. We had some ACLs this year. We had some MCLs, stingers. So, we’ll do a deep dive in the offseason and do whatever we can to try to improve that, that way we can be the healthiest we can.

Q: At what point do you close the book on 2022? Or is it something that’s fluid and that you’re constantly working on last year, building towards the future?

Schoen: It’s pretty much closed. It’s pretty much closed other than evaluating the roster off of the 2022 season. But we already kind of know what lies ahead. We talked to our UFAs and everybody yesterday. So now it’s, to me, All-Star games are coming here. You’ve got the East-West games, Senior Bowl, Combine meetings, free agency meetings. There’s no vacation. We’ve got to keep moving forward and devise that plan for the offseason.

Q: (A previous question) mentioned Dex, but there are other guys with one year left who seem like reasonable extension candidates. Do you simultaneously negotiate with them? Or are the UFAs the priority because they don’t have a year left?

Schoen: UFAs will probably be the priority early on, but we’ll also factor those in. We’ll look at it holistically, who’s under contract for ’23, ’24 and so on. Again, we’re not just planning for the 2023 offseason. We’re looking down the line of ’24 and ’25 as well. What’s on the horizon? How will this affect us moving forward? So, we’re going through a bunch of different scenarios, and we’ll continue to do that at the end of the week and throughout the weekend.

Q: How much further along are you in the process, looking ahead to the next season, coming off of what you just did rather than last year? Joe, I think you just got the job two days ago a year ago. Dabs hadn’t been hired yet. Do you think that is an advantage that you can actually move towards 2023 with everything that you have at your disposal rather than trying to catch up?

Schoen: Yeah, we talked about it the other day. Once we got through the exit interviews yesterday, we’ve pretty much been through a calendar year – a football calendar year together. So, the coaches’ evaluations of UFAs, the coaches’ evaluation of our roster, All-Star games, we’ve been through all of this stuff. So, the process is in place. Everybody here right now has been a part of that. So, there’s clarity in terms of what we want from our staff, what Dabs and his staff want from us. So, the transition into this offseason will be much smoother.

Q: There’s been a lot of time talking about, ‘Are you going to sign him? Are you going to sign him?’ Is there anybody you said, ‘Look, you’re not coming back,’?

Schoen: (Laughs) No, we didn’t have those conversations yesterday. No, we didn’t. That’s a good question, though.

Q: That gap that exists between you and the Eagles and the other Super Bowl contenders, given your roster and cap situation, do you think it’s possible to close that gap in one year? Or is it likely to take longer than that?

Schoen: We’re going to try to do the best we can. We’re always going to try to build a better roster, players, whatever it may be, whatever it is – resources around here. Anything that we can do that’s in the best interest of the franchise that’s going to make us better, we’re going to do. You can’t put a timeframe on that, but we’re going to be relentless in the pursuit of building a championship team here.

Q: How much is different this offseason because you came in last year and you basically just cleared the deck? You didn’t make any big signings. You’re going to potentially commit to guys, big money, long term. You’re going to sort of define your tenure. How do you view that? Is that a big difference?

Schoen: Obviously, the resources that are available are different than last year. I think, again, the advantage of being around the players for a year, you know who they are. You know how they work. And again, just having more flexibility, it’s different from that standpoint. As for defining my tenure and all, I’m not really worried about that. We’re trying to do the best we can with what we have to build a championship team where we can sustain success.

Q: As a team, what do you feel like you guys especially need to be to be a better team? Not to name the players or anything, but just as a team, what are the areas do you feel like you need to improve?

Daboll: That’s kind of what Joe talked about. We’ll dive into that as a coaching staff here. We’ll spend a lot of time on self-scout and process and things we can improve on, whether that’s night before meetings, whether that’s practice, whether that’s situational play calls, techniques, drills. I think you close the chapter on last season, but you need to figure out some of the things that you need to do a better job of. There certainly will be probably a significant amount of things that we sit back and say, ‘Boy, we could’ve done this a little bit different or improve on this,’ and take a deep dive into it. Take your time doing it. And then once you get back on April 17 and start going through it, you try to implement those new things or corrections that need to be made or scheduling differences.

But again, every year is such a new year – at least the 20-plus years I’ve been in the league. Again, half the team is usually different. So, you don’t just collect talent. You try to build a team. And that’s what we talk about all the time. There’s certainly players that will be out there – whether it’s free agents, whether it’s draft picks – that are talented players. But it’s how you put together the team, how the team responds to adversity, how it comes together in the offseason, leading up to training camp, the things you do in training camp – all the things that you go through each season, that’s what defines a team early in the stages and how you handle a lot of different things, the coaches, the players, the support staff. It’s just a new year. Every year is a new year. Like I told the guys when they left how much I appreciated their work and their commitment to the team, but unfortunately, you’re all not going to be here. You wish you could just bottle it up and then bring it back April 17, and the people in the seats are there and everybody has kind of worked together, been through some tough times. But that’s not the case.

So, however many new people are here, you’ve got to put them into your system. You’ve got to bring them along. You’ve got to build team chemistry. And every team that I’ve been part of has been different. Not one team is the same. So, that’s the beauty about this league is every year it’s a new year for everybody. There’s only four teams playing – the four best teams in the league. They’ve all earned it. So, every team that is not holding that trophy at the end of the season, it’s a stinger. So, you’ve got to try to figure out ways to do a better job the next season. But it’s such a new year. Every year is different. Every year that I’ve been part of has been different. I’ve been part of a Super Bowl team and then didn’t make the playoffs the next year. So, how we build our team and how we build the organization and continue to grow, I think all those things are important. But the team itself, that’ll all come together throughout the months of April, May, June, July, August, right into the regular season like this did.

TEAMS INTERVIEW KAFKA AND MARTINDALE…
On Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, and Carolina Panthers announced that they completed their respective interviews with New York Giants Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka for their head-coaching vacancies. In addition, the Colts also announced that they had interviewed Giants Defensive Coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale for the same position.

GIANTS SIGN CHRIS MYARICK TO RESERVE/FUTURE CONTRACT…
In addition to the 11 players the Giants have already signed to reserve/future contracts, the Giants announced they have also re-signed TE/FB Chris Myarick to a reserve/future contract. Myrarick spent time on both the 53-man roster and Practice Squad this season.

Jan 012023
 
Daniel Jones, New York Giants (January 1, 2023)

Daniel Jones – © USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK GIANTS 38 – INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 10…
The New York Giants easily defeated the Indianapolis Colts 38-10 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday afternoon. With the victory, the Giants not only improved their overall record to 9-6-1, but they clinched an NFC Wild Card playoff spot. This is the first time since 2016 that the Giants have had a winning record as well as making the playoffs. Regardless of the outcome of next weekend’s regular-season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Giants will be the 6th seed in the first round of playoffs.

Given the score, as one would expect, the Giants also dominated overall team statistics. The Giants out-gained the Colts in first downs (26 to 14), total net yards (394 to 252), net yards rushing (217 to 128), net yards passing (177 to 124), and time of possession (31:36 to 28:24). The turnover battle was even with one apiece. New York was 4-of-7 (57 percent) on third down, while Indianapolis was 3-of-12 (25 percent). However, the Colts did convert twice on 4th down.

The first quarter was largely taken up by two drives by the Colts and one by the Giants that only resulted in three points for Indianapolis. After both teams exchanged punts, the Colts went 75 yards in nine plays to set up a 23-yard field goal and an early 3-0 lead. The big play was a contested, 49-yard bomb from quarterback Nick Foles to wide receiver Parris Campbell.

The Giants’ second possession of the game started with 2:21 left in the first quarter. On an 11-play drive that included eight runs and three passes, New York drove 71 yards. On 3rd-and-goal, quarterback Daniel Jones threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Richie James. Giants 7 – Colts 3.

After a quick three-and-out by the Colts, the Giants added to their advantage with a 9-play, 64-yard drive that ended with another 6-yard touchdown pass by Jones. This time his target was wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins, who caught his fourth touchdown in five weeks. A key play on this possession was a 10-yard pass to tight end Daniel Bellinger on 3rd-and-6. Giants 14 – Colts 3.

The Colts’ fourth possession of the first half started with 4:17 left on the clock. After picking up two first downs, Indianapolis faced a 3rd-and-11 from their own 46-yard line. Foles threw a pass towards the right sideline that was picked off by linebacker/safety Landon Collins, who returned the ball 52 yards four a defensive touchdown. The Giants were now up 21-3.

On the Colts’ fifth and final possession of the half, they picked up another first down. But on 3rd-and-4 from their own 48-yard line, Foles was crushed by outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux. Foles left the game with a rib injury and did not return. The Colts punted.

With just 46 seconds left on the clock and starting from their own 39-yard line, the Giants were able to drive to the Indianapolis 18-yard line. Place kicker Graham Gano kicked a 36-yard field goal as time expired.

At the half, the Giants were up 24-3.

The Giants received the football to start the third quarter, but immediately turned the ball over when wide receiver Darius Slayton fumbled the ball away at the 30-yard line after a 5-yard reception. The defense only gave up one yard, however, and Indianapolis missed the 48-yard field goal. The Giants then responded with a quick, 6-play, 62-yard drive that ended with an 18-yard touchdown run by Jones. Jones also completed a 28-yard pass to James on this drive. Giants 31 – Colts 3.

With Sam Ehlinger now playing quarterback, the Colts did cut the score to 31-10 with a 16-play, 68-yard possession that last over eight and a half minutes. Indianapolis converted on both 4th-and-1 and 4th-and-6 on this drive. Giants 31 – Colts 10.

With two minutes left in the third quarter, the Giants began their final scoring drive of the game. The possession started off with a 12-yard run by running back Saquon Barkley and a 25-yard run by Jones. A 44-yard successful field goal by Gano was nullified when the Giants accepted a defensive offsides penalty, giving New York a first down. Three plays later, Jones scored his second rushing touchdown of the game, this one from 10 yards out. The Giants were up 38-10 with 12 minutes to go in the contest.

The Colts gained a couple of first downs on the ensuing possession but punted on 4th-and-11 from their own 41-yard line. On the Giants’ final drive of the game, they picked up 57 yards and three first downs with mostly back-ups in the game, including Tyrod Taylor at quarterback. Most importantly, the team took 6:40 off of the clock before the Giants turned the ball over on downs on 4th-and-2. Indianapolis got the ball back with just 1:56 left on the clock.  Three plays later the game was over.

Jones finished the game 19-of-24 for 177 yards, two passing touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also was the team’s leading rusher with 11 carries for 91 yards (8.3 yards per carry) and two rushing touchdowns. He scored four touchdowns in all. Running backs Matt Breida and Saquon Barkley chipped in with 59 and 58 yards, respectively. The leading receiver was James, who caught seven passes for 76 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, the Giants were credited with two sacks, one by Thibodeaux (who also had two tackles for losses and a pass defense) and the other by defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence (who also had three hits on the quarterback). The big play of course was the defensive score by Collins.

GAME VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS are available on YouTube.

ROSTER MOVES, PRACTICE SQUAD ACTIVATIONS, INACTIVES, AND INJURY REPORT…
On Saturday, the Giants activated S Xavier McKinney from the Reserve/Non-Football Injury List, which he had been on since November 7th after breaking his hand during the bye week. To make room for McKinney, the Giants waived WR David Sills from the 53-man roster.

The team also activated (standard elevation) FB/TE Chris Myarick and CB Zyon Gilbert from the Practice Squad to the 53-man roster. Myarick was re-signed to the Practice Squad on Friday after he had been waived from the 53-man roster on Wednesday.

Inactive for the game were CB Adoree’ Jackson (knee), TE Lawrence Cager, OG Jack Anderson, OG Wyatt Davis, LB Jarrad Davis, CB Rodarius Williams, and S Dane Belton.

DL Leonard Williams (burner) came out of the game in the second half and did not return.

POST-GAME REACTION…
Transcripts and video clips of post-game media sessions with Head Coach Brian Daboll and the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

POST-GAME NOTES…
The Giants finished 5-3-1 in MetLife Stadium, their best home record and first winning mark since they were 7-1 in 2016.

The Giants ended their NFL-long streak of 43 games without scoring at least 30 points.

The 28-point margin of victory is the Giants’ largest since December 7, 2014, when they defeated the Tennessee Titans in Nashville, 36-7.

The Giants did not allow a first-half offensive touchdown for the sixth time this season.

Brian Daboll is the fifth coach in Giants history to lead the team to the playoffs in his debut season, joining Allie Sherman (1961), Dan Reeves (1993), Jim Fassel (1997), and Ben McAdoo (2016). Rookie coach Earl Potteiger led the Giants to the 1927 NFL championship in the era before playoffs.

QB Daniel Jones has not thrown in interception in 12 of 16 games this season.

The Giants ended a four-game losing streak to Indianapolis and defeated the Colts for the first time since December 22, 2002, and the first time at home since December 12, 1993.

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
Head Coach Brian Daboll and select players will address the media by conference call on Monday.

Dec 292022
 
Xavier McKinney, New York Giants (October 23, 2022)

Xavier McKinney – © USA TODAY Sports

DECEMBER 29, 2022 NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
DL Leonard Williams (neck), OLB Azeez Ojulari (ankle), and CB Adoree’ Jackson (knee) were limited in practice on Thursday.

“We’re taking it day by day still,” said Jackson, who has been out since Week 11. “Just going out there, doing all the precautions, doing it right by the book and by the plan. Not trying to rush it. Every day, every week it’s getting better.”

S Xavier McKinney, who is currently on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury List, has been designated for return and practiced today. The Giants now have 21 days to make a decision on whether to return him to the 53-man roster. If they do not do so within that 3-week timeframe, his season will be officially over.

Head Coach Brian Daboll said he was “not sure” if McKinney could play in Sunday’s game. “Just starting him today,” said Daboll. “I think the first thing is just let him get out here, move around. He hasn’t played in a while, but he’s got a contraption to protect his hand. So, I figure we’ll get him started. He’s been moving around, rehabbing. His lower body’s obviously good. So, we’ll go ahead and let him practice. And then just kind of see where he’s at.”

“I’m trying to (play this weekend),” said McKinney. “I’m telling them I can play, but like I said it’s up to the trainers, the docs.”

GIANTS CLAIM WYATT DAVIS, CUT CHRIS MYARICK…
The Giants claimed OG Wyatt Davis off of waivers from the Arizona Cardinals. The 23-year old, 6’4”, 315-pound Davis was originally selected in the 3rd round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. Davis spent time on both the 53-man roster (6 games with no starts) and Practice Squad as a rookie. The Vikings waived him in late August 2022 and the Giants immediately signed him to their Practice Squad. However, a week later the New Orleans Saints signed Davis to their 53-man roster. The Saints waived him in November and he was claimed off of waivers by the Cardinals, who cut him on Tuesday. In all, Davis has played in eight NFL games with no starts.

To make room for Davis, the Giants waived FB/TE Chris Myarick, who has played in 13 games this year with eight starts, catching seven passes for 65 yards and a touchdown.

The 6’5”, 261-pound Myarick was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2019 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. He spent all of 2019 and most of 2020 on the Practice Squad of the Dolphins, though he did play in three games in 2020. The Giants signed Myarick was signed to the Practice Squad in early September 2021 and the 53-man roster in November. That year, he ended up laying in eight games with three starts, catching three passes for 17 yards and one touchdown.

THE COACHES SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following coaches are available in The Corner Forum and on YouTube:

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:

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The players practice again on Friday (11:45AM-1:00PM). Head Coach Brian Daboll, the position coaches, and select players will also address the media.

Sep 112022
 
Saquon Barkley, New York Giants (September 11, 2022)

Saquon Barkley – © USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK GIANTS 21 – TENNESSEE TITANS 20…
The New York Giants pulled off a stunning upset in their opening game of the 2022 NFL season by defeating the Tennessee Titans 21-20 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee on Sunday afternoon. The win was New York’s first victory in their opener since 2016.

The overall team stats were as even as the final score. Both teams picked 19 first downs. The Giants held a slight advantage in total net yards (394 to 359). However, the Giants dramatically out-rushed the Titans 238 yards to 93, while the Titans held a clear advantage in net passing yards (266 to 156). Both teams had issues with 3rd-down conversions (2-of-10 for the Giants and 3-of-11 for the Titans).

The first half was pretty much all Tennessee and the Giants were fortunate that the scored was only 13-0 at halftime. The Giants’ six first-half possessions only resulted 27 offensive snaps for 131 yards, seven first downs, four punts, one turnover off a fumble by quarterback Daniel Jones, and time expiring on the final drive.

Meanwhile, The Titans scored a touchdown on their first possession after a quick three-and-out by New York, followed by 46-yard punt return. It only took five plays for the Titans to easily move the remaining 45 yards as quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw a 7-yard touchdown pass. The Giants’ defense forced a three-and-out on Tennessee’s second possession, but the Titans did manage a 10-play, 65-yard drive and a 7-play, 37-yard drive that both resulted in field goals.

Tennessee received the ball to start the second half, but the New York defense forced a quick three-and-out. On the Giants’ first offensive snap of the second half, running back Saquon Barkley broke off a 68-yard run down the left sideline. After two carries for 13 yards by running back Matt Breida, Barkley ran four yards for the touchdown. However, the extra-point attempt failed. Titans 13 – Giants 6.

New York’s defense forced its second straight three-and-out of the half. After Barkley lost one yard, Jones threw a deep pass to wide receiver Sterling Shepard, who broke a tackle and raced into the end zone, completing a 65-yard play. In a little over two minutes, the game was now tied at 13-13.

However, the Titans regained momentum on their third possession by driving 75 yards in nine plays. Tannehill threw a 23-yard touchdown to running back Dontrell Hilliard. Tennessee was now up 20-13 with just under three minutes to go in the third quarter.

Both teams exchanged three-and-outs and punts. The Giants were forced to punt yet again, but immediately got the ball back when the Titans’ returner muffed the punt. Safety Jason Pinnock recovered the ball for New York at the Tennessee 11-yard line. This golden opportunity was lost when Jones threw an ill-advised pass that was intercepted in the end zone on 3rd-and-7.

The Titans picked up one first down but were forced to punt with about five and a half minutes to play. On the ensuing possession, the Giants drove 73 yards in 12 plays. During this game-winning drive, Barkley broke off a 33-yard run, fortunately fumbling out-of-bounds. Four plays later, Jones picked up a first down on 4th-and-1 on a bootleg to the left. Barkley gained 14 yards on three straight runs and Jones then threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Chris Myarick with 1:06 left on the clock. Eschewing the tie, Head Coach Brian Daboll went for the risky two-point conversion, knowing that if it failed, his team would lose. The play succeeded with a shovel pass to Barkley. Giants 21 – Titans 20.

The game was not over, however. Starting at their own 30-yard line, Tennessee converted on two 3rd-and-4 situations via defensive holding penalties to cross midfield with 23 seconds left. Apparent disaster struck when Tannehill then completed a 21-yard play to the New York 27-yard line with 18 seconds left. Tannehill lost two yards before spiking the ball to stop the clock with four seconds left.

The Giants escaped with the victory when Titans’ place kicker Randy Bullock missed the 47-yard game-winning attempt as time expired.

Jones finished the game 17-of-21 for 188 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Barkley carried the ball 18 times for 164 yards (9.1 yards per carry) and one touchdown. He also was the team’s leading receiver with six catches for 30 yards.

Defensively, All-Star running back Derrick Henry was held to 82 yards on 21 carries (3.9 yards per carry). Linebacker Tomon Fox had the team’s only sack.

Video highlights are available at Giants.com.

ROSTER MOVES, PRACTICE SQUAD ACTIVATIONS, INACTIVES, AND INJURY REPORT…
On Saturday, the Giants activated OLB Quincy Roche and S Tony Jefferson from the Practice Squad to the 53-man roster.

Inactive for the game were OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (knee), OLB Azeez Ojulari (calf), S Dane Belton (clavicle), HB Antonio Williams, WR Darius Slayton, OL Tyre Phillips, and CB Justin Layne.

WR Wan’Dale Robinson (knee) left the game in the first half and did not return. CB Nick McCloud (hamstring) left the game in the second half and did not return.

POST-GAME REACTION…
Transcripts and video clips of post-game media sessions with Head Coach Brian Daboll and the following players are available at Giants.com:

GIANTS LOSE OFFENSIVE LINEMAN TO CARDINALS…
On Saturday, the Arizona Cardinals signed offensive lineman Max Garcia off of the New York Giants’ Practice Squad. The Giants signed Garcia as an unrestricted free agent from the Arizona Cardinals in March 2022. The 6’4”, 309-pound Garcia was originally drafted in the 4th round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. The Cardinals signed him as an unrestricted free agent in March 2019. Garcia has played in 93 regular-season games with 52 starts. In 2021, he started 11-of-15 games for the Cardinals.

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
Head Coach Brian Daboll and select players will address the media by conference call on Monday afternoon.

Mar 012022
 
Brian Daboll, New York Giants (January 31, 2022)

Brian Daboll – © USA TODAY Sports

JOE SCHOEN ADDRESSES THE MEDIA…
New York Giants General Manager Joe Schoen addressed the media on Tuesday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana (video).

BRIAN DABOLL ADDRESSES THE MEDIA…
New York Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll addressed the media on Tuesday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana (video).

GIANTS RE-SIGN TIGHT END…
The Giants have re-signed tight end Chris Myarick, who spent time both on the team’s Practice Squad and 53-man roster in 2022. Myarick was signed to the Practice Squad in early September 2021 and the 53-man roster in November. He ended up laying in eight games with three starts, catching three passes for 17 yards and one touchdown. The Giants waived him in early January 2022. The 6’5”, 261-pound Myarick was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2019 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. He spent all of 2019 and most of 2020 on the Practice Squad of the Dolphins, though he did play in three games in 2020.

Jan 052022
 
Jake Fromm and Mike Glennon, New York Giants (December 5, 2021)

Jake Fromm and Mike Glennon – © USA TODAY Sports

JANUARY 5, 2022 NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
The New York Giants held a light, walk-thru practice on Wednesday at Quest Diagnostics Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Not practicing were QB Mike Glennon (wrist), FB Cullen Gillaspia (knee), WR John Ross (knee), WR Collin Johnson (hamstring), NT Austin Johnson (foot), DL Dexter Lawrence (personal/COVID ramp up), and LB Elerson Smith (neck).

The Giants revealed on Tuesday that Glennon’s wrist injury will require surgery he is done for the season. Jake Fromm will start in his place.

Limited in practice were RB Saquon Barkley (ankle, WR Kadarius Toney (shoulder), WR Darius Slayton (shoulder/COVID ramp up), TE Kyle Rudolph (ankle), OT Andrew Thomas (shoulder), OT Korey Cunningham (COVID ramp up), OG Will Hernandez (ankle), and NT Danny Shelton (COVID ramp up).

ROSTER MOVES…
On Tuesday, the Giants waived TE Chris Myarick and terminated the Practice Squad contract of OL Isaiah Wilson.

On Wednesday, the Giants placed LB Elerson Smith on Injured Reserve with a neck injury. The team also placed Practice Squad player DL Woodrow Hamilton on the Reserve/COVID-19 List.

The Giants activated WR Darius Slayton, OT Korey Cunningham, DL Dexter Lawrence, NT Danny Shelton, LB Omari Cobb, and CB Ka’Darr Hollman from the Reserve/COVID-19 List.

HEAD COACH JOE JUDGE…
The transcript of Joe Judge’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:

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The Giants practice again on Thursday. The coordinators and select players will also address the media.

Nov 282021
 
Aaron Robinson, New York Giants (November 28, 2021)

Defensive backs react to Jalen Reagor’s dropped game-winning touchdown

NEW YORK GIANTS 13 – PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 7…
The New York Giants prevailed in an ugly 13-7 win over Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. With the victory, the Giants improved their overall record to 4-7.

The Eagles out-gained the Giants in first downs (19 to 17), total net yards (332 to 264), and net yards rushing (208 to 70). The Giants held advantages in net passing yards (194 to 124), time of possession (32:02 to 27:58), and most importantly, forced turnovers (4-0). Yet despite the huge turnover margin, New York only sealed the win when Eagles wideout Jalen Reagor dropped two game-winning touchdown passes on Philadelphia’s final, desperate drive.

Both teams exchanged three-and-outs to start the game. New York moved the ball 47 yards on 11 plays on their second drive, setting up a 35-yard field goal by place kicker Graham Gano. Philadelphia too moved the ball their second drive, gaining 54 yards and reaching the New York 20-yard line. However, on 3rd-and-5, cornerback Darnay Holmes intercepted quarterback Jalen Hurts at the 5-yard line, ending the scoring threat.

After picking up 47 yards on eight plays, the Giants’ attempt to extend their 3-0 lead failed when Gano missed a 51-yard yard field goal. Both teams then exchanged punts again.

Philadelphia’s final drive of the half began at their own 7-yard line and reached the New York 1-yard line after 14 plays. On the 15th play, facing 3rd-and-goal, Hurts was chased out of the pocket and he threw a pass towards the end zone that was intercepted by linebacker Tae Crowder at the goal line. Crowder returned the ball nine yards before fumbling it out-of-bounds with no time on the clock.

At the half, the Giants led 3-0.

The Eagles received the ball to start the second half. After gaining 35 yards on their first three plays, the drive stalled at the New York 40-yard line. Philadelphia went for it on 4th-and-2, but Hurts’ pass fell incomplete with cornerback Aaron Robinson in coverage. The Giants followed this up with their only touchdown of the game as New York drove 59 yards in 10 plays. On 1st-and-goal from the 1-yard line, quarterback Daniel Jones found tight end Chris Myarick for the score, despite the ball coming close to touching the ground as Myarick bobbled the catch. It was Myarick’s first career reception. Giants were now up 10-0.

It got worse for the Eagles on their second possession. On 1st-and-18 from the 9-yard line, Hurts’ deep pass intended for Reagor was intercepted by safety Xavier McKinney at the New York 46-yard line. Unfortunately, the Giants’ offense failed miserably to take advantage of the field position, as the unit actually lost 14 yards, forcing a punt.

Momentum then switched in Philadelphia’s favor as they easily drove 66 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown. After an incomplete pass to start this possession, the next nine plays were all runs with Giant-killer running back Boston Scott scoring to cut the score to 13-7 early in the 4th quarter.

Both teams exchanged punts again. Starting at their own 9-yard line with 10:16 left in the game, the Giants managed to put together a 12-play, 70-yard drive that took 7:22 off of the clock. Unfortunately, the drive resulted in a field goal rather than a touchdown as New York’s red zone woes continued. With just under three minutes to play, the Giants were up 13-7.

Starting at their own 30-yard line, the Eagles gained 21 yards on their first three plays. On 1st-and-10 from the New York 49-yard line, Scott picked up four yards on a run to the right. However, pursuing defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence forced a fumble that was recovered by defensive back Julian Love at the 37-yard line.

The Giants had the ball with just 1:34 left in the game. The Eagles had all three of their timeouts so New York needed one first down to seal the win. The Giants netted no yards on their first two plays. On 3rd-and-10, Jones was sacked for an 8-yard loss. Worse, punter Riley Dixon only managed a 39-yard punt that was returned nine yards. Unbelievably, the Eagles had the ball back at their own 41-yard line with 1:11 left on the clock. The Giants had only burned 23 seconds off of the clock and the Eagles were nearly back right where they had started before turning the ball over.

After picking up 21 yards on two passing plays, Hurts threw a perfect deep pass down the left sideline to Reagor that should have resulted in a 38-yard game-winning touchdown against rookie corner Aaron Robinson (who also looked like he interfered on the play but wasn’t called for it). However, Reagor dropped the the ball, as did Love, who should have intercepted it off of the deflection. Hurts then completed an 11-yard pass to the New York 27-yard line with 38 seconds left in the game. After spiking the ball to stop the clock, Hurts’ next two passes were contested and fell incomplete. On 4th-and-10, with 25 seconds left, Hurts, with far too much time, threw another deep pass that could have resulted in the game-winning touchdown, but Reagor dropped the ball near the 1-yard line. Eagles turned the ball over on downs. Game over.

Jones finished the game 19-of-30 for 202 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. None of his targets caught more than four passes or accrued more than 50 yards. Running back Saquon Barkley had a 32-yard run in the game but his 12 other carries only picked up eight yards.

Defensively, the Giants allowed over 200 yards rushing to the #1 rushing team in the NFL. Hurts was held to 129 yards passing, but he did rush the ball 77 yards on eight carries. Aside from the four forced turnovers (three interceptions, one fumble recovery), the Giants only had one sack, shared between Love and nose tackle Austin Johnson. Hurts was only officially hit three times. However, the Giants were credited with 10 pass defenses.

Video highlights are available at Giants.com.

ROSTER MOVES, PRACTICE SQUAD ACTIVATIONS, INACTIVES, AND INJURY REPORT…
On Thursday, the Giants signed TE Deon Yelder to the Practice Squad. The 26-year old, 6’4”, 255-pound Yelder was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the New Orleans Saints after the 2018 NFL Draft. Yelder has spent time with the Saints (2018), Kansas City Chiefs (2018–2021), Washington Football Team (2021), Tennessee Titans (2021), and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2021). Yelder has played in 29 regular-season games with two starts. He has 11 career receptions for 86 yards.

On Saturday, the Giants elevated S Steven Parker to the 53-man roster from the Practice Squad. In addition, WR/returner Pharoh Cooper was activated from the Practice Squad as a COVID-19 replacement for S Logan Ryan (Reserve/COVID-19 List).

Inactive for the game were FB Cullen Gillaspia (calf), WR Kadarius Toney (quad), WR Sterling Shepard (quad), TE Kyle Rudolph (ankle), TE Kaden Smith (knee), and OG/OC Wes Martin.

CB Adoree’ Jackson (quad), CB Darnay Holmes (chest), and LB Trent Harris (ankle) left the game with injuries.

POST-GAME REACTION…
Transcripts and video clips of post-game media sessions with Head Coach Joe Judge and the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

POST-GAME NOTES…
The Giants won their third consecutive home game for the first time since they won their last six games in MetLife in 2016. The Giants are 3-3 at home. They have matched their home victory total for the entire 2020 season.

The Giants are 4-0 in division home games under Joe Judge.

The Giants have won two consecutive games against the Eagles after suffering losses in the previous eight meetings.

The Giants have a takeaway in each of their first 11 games for the first time since 2005.

The Giants committed a season-low two accepted penalties for just 15 yards.

Daniel Jones did not throw an interception for the seventh time in 11 games.

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
Head Coach Joe Judge and select players will address the media by conference call on Monday.