Aug 242022
 
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants (October 24, 2021)

Sterling Shepard – © USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK GIANTS MAKE EIGHT ROSTER MOVES…
The New York Giants have claimed the following three players off of waivers:

  • WR Bailey Gaither (from the Baltimore Ravens)
  • WR Jaylon Moore (from the Baltimore Ravens)
  • CB Harrison Hand (from the Minnesota Vikings)

To make room for these three, the Giants terminated the contract of tight end Jordan Akins and placed wide receivers Collin Johnson (torn Achilles) and Marcus Kemp (hamstring) on Injured Reserve. Johnson tore his right Achilles’ tendon in practice today. He has been impressing in camp and was receiving snaps with the first-team offense.

The Giants also terminated the contract of wide receiver Robert Foster with an injury settlement. Foster was placed on Injured Reserve with a hamstring injury last Friday.

Although not officially announced, TheAthletic is also reporting that the Giants have signed tight end Tanner Hudson, who was waived by the San Fransisco 49ers yesterday.

The 25-year old, 6’0”, 188-pound Gaither was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Green Bay Packers after the 2021 NFL Draft.  He has spent time with the Packers (2021), Pittsburgh Maulers (2022), and Ravens (2022). He has not played in a regular-season NFL game.

The 25-year old, 5’11’, 191-pound Moore was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Ravens after the 2020 NFL Draft. He spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons on Baltimore’s Practice Squad. He has not played in a regular-season NFL game.

The 23-year old, 5’11’, 197-pound Hand was originally drafted in the 5th round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Vikings. In two seasons with Minnesota, Hand played in 23 regular-season games with one start, accruing 22 tackles, three pass defenses, and one interception.

The 27-year old, 6’5”, 239-pound Hudson was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the 2018 NFL Draft. He spent two seasons with the Buccaneers before being cut in August 2021. He was then signed by the San Francisco 49ers in September 2021 and spent most of the season on their Practice Squad. The 49ers waived him in late August 2022. Hudson has played in 22 regular-season games with one start. He has five career receptions for 67 yards.

The Giants signed Akins in April 2022 as an unrestricted free agent from the Houston Texans. The 6’4”, 243-pound Akins was originally drafted in the 3rd round of the 2018 NFL Draft. 

The Giants claimed Johnson off of waivers from the Jacksonville Jaguars in early September 2021. He ended up playing in 12 games for the Giants, with one start, and finished the season with 11 catches for 105 yards and no touchdowns. The 6’6”, 222-pound Johnson was originally drafted in the 5th-round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Jaguars. As a rookie for Jacksonville, he played in 14 NFL games with no starts, catching 18 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns.

The Giants sign Kemp as an unrestricted free agent from the Kansas City Chiefs in late July 2022. The 6’4”, 210-pound Kemp was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Chiefs after the 2017 NFL Draft. Other than a brief stint with the Miami Dolphins late in 2020, Kemp was with the Chiefs from 2017 until 2021. Kemp missed the 2019 season with a torn ACL and MCL knee injury. Overall, he has played in 44 regular-season games, primarily on special teams. Kemp only four career catches for 42 yards.

The Giants signed Foster as a street free agent in March 2022 after being waived by the Dallas Cowboys. The 6’2”, 196-pound Foster was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Buffalo Bills after the 2018 NFL Draft. He has spent time with the Bills (2018-2020), Green Bay Packers (2020), Washington Football Team (2020), Miami Dolphins (2021), and Cowboys (2021-2022).

AUGUST 24, 2022 NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT – STERLING SHEPARD RETURNS…
LG Shane Lemieux (foot), OL Garrett McGhin (unknown), OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (knee), LB Jihad Ward (unknown), LB Elerson Smith (ankle/foot), CB Rodarius Williams (unknown), S Dane Belton (broken left collarbone), and PK Graham Gano (concussion) did not practice.

When asked about Gano, Head Coach Brian Daboll replied, “He’s making progress. We still could (sign another kicker for this week), but if he’s ready to go toward the end of the week, we probably won’t, obviously.”

WR Kadarius Toney (hamstring?) was limited to individual drills. WR C.J. Board (ribs) also was limited.

WR Collin Johnson tore his right Achilles’ tendon in practice. His season is over. RB Matt Breida (heat?) left with trainers halfway through practice.

WR Sterling Shepard (Achilles) passed his team physical and was activated off of the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List. He practiced for the first time since suffering his injury last season. “We’ll kind of ramp him up,” said Daboll before practice. “We’ll ramp him up just like we did when the other guys come back. But he’s done a good job in his rehab, and it’ll be good to have him out there.”

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 will hold a joint practice with the New York Jets on Thursday from 11:30AM to 1:30PM. Head Coach Brian Daboll and select players will also address the media.

Aug 152022
 
Tyrod Taylor, New York Giants (August 11, 2022)

Tyrod Taylor – © USA TODAY Sports

AUGUST 15, 2022 NEW YORK GIANTS TRAINING CAMP REPORT… (by Sy’56)
Another beautiful weather day. Sunny but not too hot. The dryness we have seen in the NE this summer is not good for my lawn, but it is beneficial for the practice operation to be outside this often. The mere difference in space provides the option for all the position groups to work with plenty of room.

Anyway, the roster cut downs are coming up soon. NYG will be letting go of just a couple guys tomorrow and another 5 next week. Because of that, I am trying to put a little more focus on the backups and roster battles. I’m not sure if this discussed often here, as most of my time away from camp and reports revolves around the college scouting work that I am about to dive in on. But there will be a few very hard decisions made when the roster cuts go down. Not necessarily because there is an abundance of talent (however there are some deep spots on defense). There are players from the previous regime who are respectable assets but simply do not fit into the new scheme and/or they were not brought in by the new regime. That will be the primary focus of today’s report, although I will still give some feedback on the starters (what’s left of them) at the bottom of each side of the ball. Hint, the defense won.

DEFENSE

-The guy I am going to go out on a limb for is Ryder Anderson. The defensive end from Indiana has been mentioned in my camp reports a few times. I have really focused in on him the past 2 days and it looks like the coaches are too. He is drawing a lot of praise from the staff via special teams and the skill set he brings to the table gives them options along the DL. He plays heavy handed with good bend on a very long frame. Putting him on the Practice Squad (PS) is a risky proposition, as every team has a clear shot at him from there. I am leaning toward him getting a spot and seeing a surprise veteran cut (Jalyn Holmes? Nick Williams?).

-Khalil Dorsey is impressive from the slot. He plays ultra-sticky and has a power presence to him that gives him nickel-potential behind Holmes.

-Outside corners Darren Evans and Zyon Gilbert both made nice plays on the ball in team drills. Their length and catch-up speed show. Both are getting beat on vertical routes as they are too late to find the ball, if at all. I assume that is a major no-no in the Martindale scheme.

-With Carter Coughlin back, this is an incredibly tough ILB group to figure out. Martinez and Crowder are the ones and Beavers is quietly creeping through Crowder’s shadow. Another solid run stuff by the rookie that resulted in a TFL where he torched Max Garcia. Micah McFadden continues to do all the little things right and gets to the ball on nearly every play. Cam Brown is the top special teamer on the squad and Austin Calitro is right behind but has shown more at ILB defensively. Do all these guys make the team? That is a lot of inside linebackers in a scheme and era where nickel + dime packages are taking over.

-Justin Ellis and rookie D.J. Davidson appear to be the backup NTs. Some schemes only carry one backup, but I think this scheme will carry two. David Moa and rookie Christopher Hinton continued to struggle to penetrate. Their lateral range isn’t there either.

-The OLB group is another tough one to figure out. With Azeez Ojulari back and Kayvon Thibodeaux an unquestioned starter, the battle between Oshane Ximines, Elerson Smith (injured, however), and Quincy Roche will likely only produce two out of the fire (unless Smith’s injury lands him on IR). I think it would come down to the latter two. Roche had another strong day today and I think his run defense is becoming noticeably better. More stout, better hand work, and more precise with his positioning. The point I am getting at? Ximines may have a really hard time making this team. He doesn’t win enough 1-on-1’s as a pass rusher and he got sealed off on an outside run (one of NYG’s top gains of the day).

-I don’t have a very strong feel at S partially because Dane Belton has been out for nearly all of camp. Trenton Thompson has popped a few times, but Yusuf Corker seems to do more for the defense.

-When it comes to the starters, I stood there today thinking this group has the strong likelihood of being a very formidable defense. Take away the fact they are up against a struggling offense. There is proven talent at every level. They have a new scheme that the opposition will not have tape on, making it a bit tougher to plan against. And they have potential superstars (top 5 at their position in league) at multiple spots in the middle in Leonard Williams and Xavier McKinney. They are fast, physical, and show excellent anticipation. Darnay Holmes and Julian Love both made spectacular reads on short balls. Holmes turned his into an INT. Thibodeaux looks like he is getting through the pass protection more often than not. Ojulari was back out there with the 1’s in live action and beat Neal on a couple of running plays for what would have been TFL. If this side of the ball stays healthy and considering their schedule, games will be kept close. No question.

OFFENSE

-The OL is very banged up. Matt Peart, Shane Lemieux, Jon Feliciano, Jamil Douglas, Joshua Ezeudu were all out. Don’t forget about Nick Gates, too. I’ll discuss the starting group in a moment, as I want to keep focus on roster hopefuls. If all of those guys above come back relatively soon (minus Gates, and Peart looks close), there may not be many spots even open. But the one I have been impressed by the most is Devery Hamilton. He has played both LT and LG, but I think his best spot is inside. He stays on his man, he shows proper hip extension and footwork, and he looks athletic enough to handle late lateral looks by the defense. Will Holden is the other one I would feel safest with out there. Garrett McGhinn and Roy Mbaeteka look over-matched when it comes to speed and change of direction.

-Will NYG carry a fullback? They have one option right now and that is Jeremiah Hall. It is always possible someone shakes free from another roster, but BUF always used a fullback under Daboll. Hall got looks with the 1’s today and they do not use any of their TEs in the backfield.

-The TE group is still a spot I see the team needing to bring in outside help. Nobody knows the deal with Ricky Seals-Jones, but I am assuming he is just out of the picture for now. Daniel Bellinger and Chris Myarick seem to get the most looks with the ones and it is more of the same. Myarick does not have an upside, but he is gritty enough to get by. I think he is more of a #3 though. Bellinger is easy to like. I spent time watching the group run routes both against air and linebackers/safeties. The rookie is the smoothest mover in and out of his breaks and shows the softest hands. I don’t see Austin Allen being a 53-man guy though. Gotta love the height but his pad level is so up and down as a route runner. He has a hard time accelerating and changing direction, but he does have some stride speed. Certainly, someone you want to try and work with on the PS.

-The receiver group is a back-and-forth battle each day. Collin Johnson has separated himself. He made a great play on a ball from Jones in the team portion of practice, likely their top pass gain of the day. Richie James is all over the field and offers some in the return game. But as I have said, does he get bumped the second Shepard comes back? Jones seems to like to throwing to him and he does play a sudden game as a route runner. The radius isn’t there though and he continues to get thrown off his point in traffic. Size is really important for a receiver, and he is bottom tier there. NYG already has a guy like that in Robinson. One name I am interested to see how they handle is Marcus Kemp. NYG gets a bunch of passes downfield throughout each practice and he is the one that seems to come down with the acrobatic catches the most often. Robert Foster and Keelan Doss could not do it today.

-Lastly, the RB group is likely to carry four guys and it easy to figure out. Saquon Barkley-Matt Breida (still not practicing)-Antonio Williams-Gary Brightwell (out today). Jashaun Corbin is impressive and I do think he could beat out Brightwell, just not right away.

-As for the starting offense, my biggest positive was Ben Bredeson. He simply looks more efficient at center than he does at guard. I would love to hear him speak on that. He was making all of the calls and made a couple of key blocks on what appeared to be large chunk gains in the running game. Both Barkley and Williams had big runs.

-Daniel Jones and the passing game were better at being timely today. Jones had a few quick strike throws to Wan’Dale Robinson that I liked. It is bizarre to me how many times he tucks and runs the ball. That could be by the direction of Mike Kafka and Brian Daboll, however. And analytics do say the most efficient play in football is the QB non-designed run. Probably not the most ideal when it comes to keeping the QB on the field, though.

-Jones misfired on a short pass to Robinson (I think) and it got tipped up in the air for a Holmes INT.

-Tyrod Taylor had another off-day as well. He threw an INT where he simply lofted a ball with too much air underneath it. He also misfired on a ball where he didn’t set his feet and faded back as he released it. He air mailed it over the 6’8” tight end Allen – a hard guy to overthrow on a dump off pass.

-I’m not sure of the defense dialed it back a notch with the complex looks, but it did seem the NYG offense had more space to work with. Andrew Thomas looks rock solid, and Mark Glowinski looks like Mr. Reliable. Evan Neal was flagged for a false start and had a couple of ugly plays. He walked off the field very frustrated a couple of times. The speed of the game is too much for a guy in space to struggle with footwork and balance. Still have a ways to go there.

SUMMARY

That is it for me this week. I am making plans to get to the joint practice next week with NYJ. The overall feel of this team is bizarre when looking at how many guys are not practicing. I track the NFL Depth Charts for Ourlads via practice reports and I can’t think of a team with this many 1st/2nd stringers on the sideline. I don’t say that to create a narrative, it is simply an observation. I also don’t think it is doomsday. It appears most will be just fine by September and if anything, it leads me to the notion this roster is actually pretty deep. We will see how well some of these guys actually play, but as I opened with, creating the 53-man roster is actually going to force some really hard decisions especially if they bring in a guy or two from another team when they make their own cuts.

ANDRE PATTERSON RETURNS TO THE TEAM…
New York Giants Defensive Line Coach Andre Patterson, who has been on a leave of absence since camp started with an undisclosed medical issue, returned to the team on Monday. “Patterson’s back today,” said Head Coach Brian Daboll. “Probably won’t be on the field but was in the building. So, it’s good to have him back.”

INJURY REPORT…
WR Sterling Shepard (Achilles), OC Nick Gates (leg), and OT Matt Peart (knee) remain on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List.

RB Matt Breida (unknown), RB Gary Brightwell (unknown), WR Kadarius Toney (knee/leg), WR Austin Proehl (leg/calf), TE Andre Miller (broken right forearm), TE Ricky Seals-Jones (unknown), OC Jon Feliciano (right arm), LG Shane Lemieux (foot), OL Joshua Ezeudu (unknown), OL Jamil Douglas (ankle), LB Blake Martinez (returning from ACL), LB Jihad Ward (unknown), LB Elerson Smith (lower right leg), LB Cam Brown (unknown), CB Cor’Dale Flott (groin), CB Rodarius Williams (unknown), and S Dane Belton (broken left collarbone) did not practice.

When Head Coach Brian Daboll was asked about three players injured in practice yesterday (Feliciano, Smith, and Ward), he responded, “They’ll be okay. They probably won’t go today, but they’ll be alright… We should be alright with those guys.”

WR Darius Slayton (unknown), WR David Sills (unknown), DL Leonard Williams (unknown), DL Justin Ellis (unknown), and CB Adoree’ Jackson (unknown) were limited in practice.

HEAD COACH BRIAN DABOLL…
The transcript of Brian Daboll’s press conference on Monday 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 at Giants.com:

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The team practices again on Tuesday morning (10:00AM-noon). Head Coach Brian Daboll and select players will also address the media.

Sep 262021
 
Eli Manning, New York Giants (September 26, 2021)

Eli Manning – © USA TODAY Sports

ATLANTA FALCONS 17 – NEW YORK GIANTS 14…
The Atlanta Falcons defeated the New York Giants 17-14 on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Atlanta secured the game on a 40-yard field goal as time expired. The Giants are now 0-3 on the season, and have lost two games in a row on a walk-off, game-winning field goal by the opponent.

At halftime, former Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning had his #10 jersey retired and was inducted into the team’s “Ring of Honor.”

The Giants out-gained the Falcons in first downs (21 to 18), total net yards (346 to 296), net yards rushing (100 to 69), net yards passing (246 to 227), and time of possession (31:51 to 28:09). The turnover battle was tied with each team losing a fumble that did not lead to points. The Giants were flagged eight times for 53 yards in penalties, however.

The Giants’ defense played well for most of the contest except for the now predictable late collapses at the end of the first half and at the end of the game. The Falcons had six possessions in the first half, with the first four resulting in a total of four first downs and four punts. However, their fifth drive started with 2:09 left in the first half, and the Falcons were able to drive 44 yards in six plays and 36 seconds to score a go-ahead touchdown. The Falcons got the ball one more time before intermission after a turnover, but the Giants defense forced a turnover of its own when linebacker Azeez Ojulari sacked the quarterback and forced a fumble that linebacker Lorenzo Carter recovered.

Not counting the kneel down at the end of the first half, the Giants had five first-half possessions of their own. Two were very long drives. The Giants’ first possession of the game picked up 73 yards on 11 plays; the Giants’ third possession gained 73 yards on 15 plays. The problem was New York settled for two short field goals with both possessions stalling inside the red zone. This gave the Giants a 6-0 lead that they held until the Falcons scored a touchdown late in the half. Then tight end Evan Engram fumbled the ball away at the New York 38-yard line after a 13-yard catch late in the half.

At the break, the Falcons led 7-6.

Neither team scored in the 3rd quarter with both teams punting twice. However, late in this quarter, the Giants did begin a 10-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a go-ahead touchdown by running back Saquon Barkley from one yard out. Quarterback Daniel Jones then ran for a score on the 2-point conversion and the Giants were up 14-7 with just under 13 minutes to play in the game.

Unfortunately, the New York defense could not hold the lead and immediately gave up a 15-play, 72-yard drive to the Falcons that resulted in a 1-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 14-14 with just over four minutes to play.

With the game on the line, the New York offense picked up two first downs, but stalled at mid-field when Jones was sacked for nine yards on 2nd-and-10. With less than two minutes to play, the Giants punted the ball back to Atlanta.

The result was predictable. Starting at their own 20-yard line, Atlanta easily drove into field goal range with pass completions of 28 and 25 yards on two of their first three plays. The Falcons gained three more yards before kicking the game-winning, 40-yard field goal with no time left on the clock.

Jones completed 24-of-35 passes for 266 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions. He also ran the ball eight times for 39 yards and was sacked twice. His leading receiver was Barkley, who caught six passes for 43 yards. Wide receiver Collin Johnson caught five passes for 51 yards and wide receiver Kenny Golladay caught four passes for 64 yards. Barkley carried the ball 16 times for just 51 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, the Falcons were held to 296 total yards and 69 yards rushing. Defensive linemen Austin Johnson and Leonard Williams each had sacks in addition to Ojulari, who forced the fumble that Carter recovered.

Video highlights are available at Giants.com.

Video of quarterback Eli Manning’s #10 jersey retirement and “Ring of Honor” induction at halftime is also available at Giants.com.

ROSTER MOVES, INACTIVES, AND INJURY REPORT…
On Saturday, the Giants signed WR C.J. Board and OC Jonotthan Harrison to the 53-man roster from the Practice Squad. The team also placed LB Cam Brown (hamstring) on Injured Reserve.

Inactive for the game were RB Devontae Booker, LB Justin Hilliard, CB Sam Beal, CB Josh Jackson, and Nate Ebner (quad).

LB Blake Martinez (knee), WR Sterling Shepard (hamstring), and WR Darius Slayton (hamstring) all left the game in the first half with injuries and did not return.

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:

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

Sep 012021
 
Quincy Roche, Pittsburgh Steelers (August 21, 2021)

Quincy Roche – © USA TODAY Sports

GIANTS CLAIM THREE PLAYERS OFF OF WAIVERS, CUT THREE…
The New York Giants have claimed the following players off of waivers:

  • WR Collin Johnson (from Jacksonville Jaguars)
  • LB Justin Hilliard (from San Francisco 49ers)
  • LB Quincy Roche (from Pittsburgh Steelers)

The 23-year old, 6’6”, 222-pound Johnson was originally drafted in the 5th-round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Jaguars. As a rookie, he played in 14 NFL games with no starts, catching 18 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns.

The 24-year old, 6’1”, 231-pound Hilliard was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the 49ers after the 2021 NFL Draft.

The 23-year old, 6’3”, 245-pound Roche was originally drafted in the 6th round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Steelers.

To make room for these three players, the Giants cut wide receivers C.J. Board (contract terminated) and Dante Pettis (waived) as well as linebacker Trent Harris (waived). Board was re-signed a few hours later when the Giants placed two players on Injured Reserve.

GIANTS PLACE ELERSON SMITH AND JOHN ROSS ON INJURED RESERVE…
The New York Giants have placed linebacker Elerson Smith and wide receiver John Ross on short-term Injured Reserve. Both are eligible to return to the 53-man roster after the first three games of the 2021 regular season.

With these roster vacancies, the Giants re-signed wide receiver C.J. Board, who was cut hours earlier in the day, and long snapper Casey Kreiter, who was cut yesterday.

GIANTS SIGN 14 PLAYERS TO THE PRACTICE SQUAD…
The New York Giants have signed the following players to the team’s 16-man Practice Squad:

  • RB Sandro Platzgummer
  • WR David Sills
  • WR Damion Willis
  • WR Matt Cole
  • TE Nakia Griffin-Stewart
  • TE Jake Hausmann
  • OC Brett Heggie
  • OG Kenny Wiggins
  • OG Jake Burton
  • OT Jackson Barton
  • DL David Moa
  • DL Willie Henry
  • LB Niko Lalos
  • S Jordyn Peters

All 14 players were with the team during training camp.

Platzgummer will spend a second season on the Practice Squad as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program. Platzgummer does not count against the 16.

Three spots remain open on the Practice Squad.

MICHAEL STRAHAN TO HAVE HIS JERSEY NUMBER RETIRED ON NOVEMBER 28…
The New York Giants will retire former defensive end Michael Strahan’s #92 jersey during the November 28 game at MetLife Stadium against the Philadelphia Eagles. Strahan played for the Giants from 1993 to 2007. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014.

Currently, 12 Giants have their jersey numbers retired by the Giants. Former quarterback Eli Manning will also have his jersey number (#10) retired during the September 26 game against the Atlanta Falcons at MetLife Stadium.

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 Wednesday afternoon (12:30-2:30 PM). The team’s coordinators and assistant coaches will also address the media, as well as select players.