Oct 092018
 
Landon Collins, New York Giants (October 7, 2018)

Landon Collins – © USA TODAY Sports

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NEW YORK GIANTS CUT ERECK FLOWERS, PROMOTE BRIAN MIHALIK…
As expected after yesterday’s news, the New York Giants have cut right tackle Ereck Flowers. The Giants were unable to find another team willing to trade for the player. To fill the vacant roster spot, the Giants signed offensive tackle Brian Mihalik to the 53-man roster from the team’s Practice Squad. The Giants also signed place kicker Marshall Koehn to the Practice Squad.

“(Mihalik) will be our swing tackle,” said Head Coach Pat Shurmur. “Brian’s a guy, we’ve liked him all along, he’s been with us now for a while so he knows what we’re doing. He’s played in games for Detroit, and we’ve liked what we’ve seen in practice, and he’s gotten his promotion.”

Flowers was drafted in the 1st round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Giants. In his first three seasons, he started 46 games at left tackle. The Giants moved him to right tackle this offseason. He started the first two games of the season there before being benched for Chad Wheeler.

The 6’9”, 315-pound Mihalik was originally drafted in the 7th round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. A collegiate defensive end converted to offensive tackle, Mihalik has spent time with the Eagles (2015), Pittsburgh Steelers (2016), and Detroit Lions (2016-2017). Mihalik played in 15 games with two starts for the Lions in 2017. The Giants signed him to the Practice Squad in September.

Koehn was originally signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2016 NFL Draft. He has spent time with the Dolphins (2016), Minnesota Vikings (2017), and Cincinnati Bengals (2017). The Giants signed Koehn to a reserve/futures contract in January 2018, but waived him before the season started. He’s played in only one regular-season game with no field goal attempts.

NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
Wide receiver Russell Shepard (neck), linebacker Connor Barwin (knee), and place kicker Aldrick Rosas (right quad) did not practice on Tuesday.

“(Rosas is) better,” said Head Coach Pat Shurmur. “We’re hopeful he will be ready to go Thursday. In the event that he isn’t, though, we made a practice squad move with Marshall Koehn, so brought back a kicker that we’re familiar with.”

Tight end Evan Engram (knee), tight end Rhett Ellison (foot), and linebacker Olivier Vernon (ankle) were limited in practice.

Wide receiver Jawill Davis (shoulder) and defensive end Josh Mauro (groin) fully practiced.

HEAD COACH PAT SHURMUR…
The transcript of Pat Shurmur’s press conference on Tuesday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available at Giants.com.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
There is no media availability to the New York Giants on Wednesday. The team plays the Philadelphia Eagles at home on Thursday night.

Oct 082018
 
Ereck Flowers, New York Giants (October 1, 2017)

Ereck Flowers – © USA TODAY Sports

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NEW YORK GIANTS TO DUMP ERECK FLOWERS…
Multiple media sources reported on Monday that the New York Giants are going to cut right tackle Ereck Flowers unless they can trade him by 4:00PM on Tuesday. Head Coach Pat Shurmur did not deny the report when asked about it.

“That’s accurate,” said Shurmur. “If that’s the case, then if and when that happens, then certainly we’ll make a roster move… He was not out there today… I think it’s just kind of run its course. We appreciate Ereck’s efforts, and we just wish him the best. Sometimes a change of scenery is good for a person, and we’re just hopeful he can go out and continue to have a good career.”

Flowers was drafted in the 1st round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Giants. In his first three seasons, he started 46 games at left tackle. The Giants moved him to right tackle this offseason. He started the first two games of the season there before being benched for Chad Wheeler.

NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
Tight end Rhett Ellison (foot) and place kicker Aldrick Rosas (right quad) did not practice on Monday.

“A little bit of wear and tear from the game yesterday – Rhett Ellison’s got a sore foot, and then Aldrick (Rosas), our kicker, has a sore quad,” said Head Coach Pat Shurmur. “We’re hopeful that he’ll be back, but I think it’s worthy of talking about.”

Tight end Evan Engram (knee), wide receiver Russell Shepard (neck), wide receiver Jawill Davis (shoulder), defensive end Josh Mauro (groin), and linebacker Olivier Vernon (ankle) were limited in practice.

“Evan Engram is coming back, it looks like he has a shot to make it this week, and we’re hopeful with (Vernon) as well,” said Shurmur.

MONDAY MEDIA SESSION WITH HEAD COACH PAT SHURMUR…
New York Giants Head Coach Pat Shurmur addressed the media on Monday to discuss the team’s 33-31 loss to the Carolina Panthers (the video is also available at Giants.com):

Opening Remarks: A little bit of wear and tear from the game yesterday – Rhett Ellison’s got a sore foot, and then Aldrick (Rosas), our kicker, has a sore quad. We’re hopeful that he’ll be back, but I think it’s worthy of talking about. Evan Engram is coming back, it looks like he has a shot to make it this week, and we’re hopeful with (Olivier Vernon) as well. Aside from that, there’s a little wear and tear. We went through our walk thru today and technically this is a Wednesday. When the plane landed yesterday, we moved onto Philadelphia, so we just had a walk-thru really. Today was Wednesday, tomorrow will function like a Thursday of game week, and then Wednesday will function like a Friday, and then the walk-thru on the day of the game will be like our mock game. That’s sort of how we go through our week here. We’ll run tomorrow, then we’ll walk or tempo through the other days and get ready to play Philly. We’re looking forward to it, a division game at home, and our guys are excited to get ready to play Philadelphia. I’ll take your questions.

Q: Since kicker is such an unusual spot and you only have one, do you have to bring in somebody for a workout just in case?

A: Yeah, we probably will make a roster move to bring somebody on the practice squad just in case.

Q: Short week is kind of tough, but with the loss yesterday, is everyone a little more anxious to get playing on Thursday?

A: Yeah, we all play this game. Everybody has a Thursday night game. For the most part we are pretty healthy, and so we’re looking forward to getting back at it. The key is to get their bodies back quickly, and put together a plan that works.

Q: Are you going to make a roster move with Ereck Flowers?

A: Possibly, yeah. Is there a report out there? Tell me what it is.

Q: He will be traded or released by tomorrow at 4 PM.

A: There you go. That’s accurate. If that’s the case, then if and when that happens, then certainly we’ll make a roster move.

Q: Is he still with the team right now?

A: Yeah, until that happens.

Q: He was out there today?

A: He was not out there today.

Q: What made now the right timing for that?

A: I think it’s just kind of run its course. We appreciate Ereck’s efforts, and we just wish him the best. Sometimes a change of scenery is good for a person, and we’re just hopeful he can go out and continue to have a good career.

Q: So nothing of how he reacted to his benching?

A: No. None of that.

Q: On not being particularly deep at the tackle position and getting rid of Flowers who has experience:

A: We’ve got a lot of new faces. I think we’ve got, you guys do the math, but I think we’ve got 30 or 35 new faces from last year’s team. A lot of new faces, I don’t think anybody has great depth this time of year, so we’ll try to add a tackle to the roster when that move does happen.

Q: Who is your swing tackle right now?

A: We’ll have to make a move and we’ll figure that out, but we’ve got guys in there that have played tackle. We’ve got Spencer (Pulley) obviously that’s played tackle, we’ve also got (John) Greco who’s played a little bit of tackle, so we’ll just move guys around. That’s the way it works.

Q: Chad (Wheeler) is ok? He wasn’t on the injury report but he left the game at some point.

A: He’s fine, he was just dealing with a finger.

Q: What happened to Cody Latimer?

A: He’s still dealing with a sore knee. We sort of used him in a back up role if we needed him yesterday. The guys that filled in for him did a nice job.

Q: You said when the flight landed you moved on to the Eagles, which you would have done win or lose I’m sure with a Thursday Night game. But because of the nature of that loss, I don’t think anybody every wants to play a Thursday Night game, but is this good to have right away?

A: I don’t know. Again, all the coaches and the players, we all have our iPads, we all looked at the film, we went through it on the plane ride, made the corrections necessary, and then when we landed we moved on. We’re sort of creatures of habit and our week this week is short and compressed, so you move on win, lose, or draw.

Q: Obviously it was an emotional game, but they showed video of Sterling (Shepard) on the side getting upset, B.W. Webb got a penalty – How do you handle that when guys have emotions like that?

A: Each situation – we need to all keep our composure, and when that happens it is addressed immediately. I was not aware of the Sterling, I found out about it later, so as soon as I found out, I communicated with him and there was good dialogue between player and coach.

Q: You said Saquon (Barkley) was fine yesterday, but everything ok?

A: Yeah, he’s fine. He’s healthy and ready to go.

Q: How do you think your team is doing mentally – you’re 1-4, that was a tough loss – what do you see from them?

A: I love my team. I love our team. I think our guys are competitive, they fight, and I think our improvement was on display yesterday. There’s no moral victories, so we’ve got to improve this much more. We’ve got to improve 63 yards more and get that victory. That’s what it is. I watched a bunch of guys battle from the first play to the last, I watched a bunch of guys make more plays on both sides of the ball, I watched when we didn’t make it on fourth down our defense go in and stop them, I watched a couple of turnovers on their part, I watched the offense score points, I watched contributions in good ways, but not to the point where we won the game. So, we just keep trying to get in this case, 63 yards better.

Q: The nature of the division, after tonight there might not be any team with a winning record, does that help a team that’s 1-4?

A: The key is to win your division and then give yourselves a chance to compete, and then go on from there. That’s what we’re battling for. That’s why I think we as coaches and players understand that there’s – I think the question was asked last week – there’s no panic, it’s urgency to win every week, and that’s what we’re fighting to do. Along the way, every team goes through stuff. We’re in it, so we’ve just got to go win a game.

Q: The dominant conversation we had last week was about downfield throws. There were a lot more of them this week. Is that because they played you differently, you changed how you called the game?

A: They played us differently. I would say I probably made as many calls to get the ball downfield the week before but we faced different coverage. I thought Eli (Manning) did a good job of getting the ball down the field, our guys did a good job of executing and catching it. Forget the downfield throws. We scored 31 points, that’s the message. So whether you walk it across, you crawl it across, you roll it across, you throw it across – give me something else – you swim it across, it doesn’t matter. Getting it across the end zone is what matters, and that’s important.

Q: It just seemed like there was a correlation between a lot of the downfield throws set up a lot of the plays.

A: Maybe so. That would be for fun for everybody to talk about and write about, but the reality is we found a way to score 31 points. We needed to score three more though.

Q: Saquon (Berkley) mentioned you had called that pass play before that Odell (Beckham) threw?

A: I’ve called it in my past, but not as a Giant.

Q: What goes into the thought process, you have it in the play book, when to pull the trigger on it?

A: Just kind of get a feel for when the time is right, and I felt like the time was right. We go into games with more plays than we call, and you put them on the front burner, the back burner, there’s plays you’d like to call sometimes, you don’t get the right situation for it, so you just keep working and practicing it, and then it’s there when you need it.

Q: How well does he do in practice with that completion?

A: I don’t think it’s ever been incomplete in practice. He’s got a nice arm. Saquon can catch the ball, so it worked out well. I thought the rest of the guys executed it well as, well. There was a lot of deception to it, and to our credit, that was one we executed well.

Q: What prompted putting B.J. Goodson in for those final couple series for (Ray-Ray) Armstrong?

A: I thought they all battled. What played into it? It was just substation. There was nothing to it.

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 on Tuesday in preparation for Thursday’s home game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Sep 262018
 
Donte Deayon and Janoris Jenkins, New York Giants (September 23, 2018)

Donte Deayon and Janoris Jenkins – © USA TODAY Sports

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GIANTS SIGN GARRETT DICKERSON TO 53-MAN ROSTER…
With tight end Evan Engram (MCL) ailing, the Giants have signed tight end Garrett Dickerson to the 53-man roster from the team’s practice squad. The Giants originally signed Dickerson in June 2018 as an undrafted rookie free agent and then signed him to the Practice Squad in September. The 6’2”, 244-pound Dickerson is a versatile player who can play a variety of positions including tight end, fullback, and H-Back.

To make room for Dickerson, the Giants waived/injured wide receiver Kaelin Clay (ankle), who the Giants claimed off of waivers from the Buffalo Bills on September 2nd.

To fill Dickerson’s place on the Practice Squad, the Giants re-signed wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo, who the Giants waived before the season started. The 6’1”, 208-pound Etta-Tawo was originally signed as a rookie free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars after the 2017 NFL Draft. He has spent time on the Practice Squads of the Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, and Giants in 2017.

NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
Not practicing on Wednesday due to injury were tight end Evan Engram (knee), wide receiver Cody Latimer (knee), running back Jonathan Stewart (foot), nose tackle Damon Harrison (knee), linebacker Connor Barwin (knee), cornerback Eli Apple (groin), and cornerback Antonio Hamilton (groin).

Linebacker Olivier Vernon (high ankle sprain) practiced on a limited basis.

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

ARTICLES…

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The Giants practice on Thursday and Friday in preparation for Sunday’s home against against the New Orleans Saints. The team’s coordinators will address the press on Thursday.

Sep 102018
 
Eli Manning, New York Giants (September 9, 2018)

Eli Manning – © USA TODAY Sports

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MONDAY MEDIA SESSION WITH HEAD COACH PAT SHURMUR…
New York Giants Head Coach Pat Shurmur addressed the media on Monday to discuss the team’s 20-15 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars (video available at Giants.com):

Opening Remarks: Let me first start with the injuries that we know of. Wayne Gallman is the only guy that got hurt yesterday, a knee, so we’ll just see where he’s at. He’s questionable moving forward. I don’t really have much to add in terms of starting us out that I didn’t talk about last night. I think the film played out the same way today, we didn’t have really any new looks at things that we didn’t see on the field. I thought our guys played hard front to back, I think it’s safe to say – and you might ask me about individual players, but I think the guys all had a lot of good plays; but we all had mistakes that we need to clean up, players and coaches alike. That’s the process you go through really every week, but especially after the first week as we get ready to play Dallas. With that, I’ll try to answer your questions.

Q: Will you give anybody else (first team) reps in practice this week at right tackle?

A: We actually rotate the guys during the week, so there are guys that get practice there. As you know, we kept seven guys up, so we rotate through there.

Q:  Did you contemplate yesterday during the game moving (Ereck Flowers) at any point?

A: No.

Q: Why not?

A: Like I said, he’s like every player. I think I know where you’re going with this, he’s like every player. He had a lot of really good plays and he had a couple that he’d like to have back.

Q: He got turned around a lot, especially on that first drive with the tripping penalty.

A: He had the tripping penalty and then on the hold, and that happens frequently, the quarterback scrambled, which was good, and unfortunately there’s times when those holds occur. That was the gist of it the first drive.

Q:  Do you have enough time in this week to get him improved before Dallas based on what the film showed?

A:  He’s like every player. Again, he had a lot of really good reps and he had a couple he’d like to have back. He’s going to work to get better just like every player.

Q: What went into the two-point conversion call going right back to (Saquon Barkley) after his big run?

A: It was actually a pass and we audibled because we had a —

Q: Do you have concern when guys come off of a really long run?

A: No. Saquon is a well-conditioned athlete.

Q:  The fact that he was off the beginning of the next drive had nothing to do with that?

A: No.

Q: Late in the game, you said yesterday you had not thought of Odell returning a punt late in the game. You obviously needed a big one, why didn’t you consider that?

A: Especially in that situation, I mentioned I didn’t because we were going for the block. Typically in that situation, the returner knows there’s a decent chance you might fair catch it. He (Kaelin Clay) did have a little more space than you normally have, he just misfielded it.

Q: Will you consider putting Odell back there moving forward)?

A: Possibly.

Q: What would go into (that decision)?

A: We’ll see.

Q: Is there a danger to an offense being too reliant on big plays?

A: No. You like to create big plays, we want explosive plays within our offense. I’ve said it all along, when the score is like that, we didn’t have as much success early running the ball as I would’ve liked, but I want to continue to call runs. You never know when a big one’s going to pop up like that. That’s what happened there.

Q: Sometimes you are just waiting and waiting for one to come along.

A: No, we’re trying to create them. We threw the ball down the field quite a bit actually, and we also threw some intermediate throws that we had success with. We had some concepts that were working. Again, I thought we did some good things against Jacksonville, but we need to do more things better.

Q: What’s your mindset? Do you feel like we did enough good things where we’re close or we did too many wrong things?

A: We just need to get better all the way around. That’s safe to say. Really, you make mistakes when you win games, so you go through the same process every Monday of trying to highlight the areas that need to get better and you work on them. That’s it.

Q: What did you think of (Eli Apple)?

A: I thought he played a really solid game. He was competitive in coverage, made a couple plays on the ball, and I liked it. It was a good opening game for him.

Q: Do you feel like you tried to get Saquon involved in the passing game early? It seems like getting him the ball in space would be one way to create those big plays.

A: We tried getting him the ball in some areas that they took it away down the field, so some of the crossing routes showed up. Yeah, we tried to get him the ball throwing it, running it, and we found a way to get one big play out of it.

Q: After watching the film, what was your takeaway from the offensive line?

A: Again, I thought they all had some really good plays and they all had some mistakes that we’ve got to clean up.

A: In the passing game, it seems 15 throws to one guy (Odell Beckham Jr.) is an awful lot. Is that because he was simply getting open, or that’s the way the progressions were going?

A: That’s the way the progressions were going. Fifteen shots to Odell. I think we might be here some day when he doesn’t get that many and you’re saying, why don’t you throw it to him 15 times? Again, every snap was not man and so there were some progression-related throws where, on a couple of those underneath throws to Odell, the initial read was maybe Saquon would run a wheel route. It just happens that way, and ideally, all the eligible receivers should get touches. I think that’s an important way to play offense, because I trust all the guys that are out there to make good catches.

Q: Do you put up video clips of positive plays for the guys after games, like (Sterling Shepard’s) block, for example, on Barkley’s (touchdown) run?

A: Yes, we cover everything. We do. We watch all the tape. The offense gets together and watches all the tape, defense watches all the tape, they’ll do it in their individual meetings, and we do it in team meeting settings. We watch it.

Q: What did you think of the mental state of your team today? How did they handle everything that happened yesterday?

A: I thought they were very professional. We came in and we talked about the things that went right, the things that went wrong, we talked about our approach moving forward, and that’s what we’re doing.

Q: What kind of a tone did you want to set (after the first loss)?

A: I’ve been involved in a lot of first games of the season – won about half of them, and lost about half of them. You just move forward. That’s the important thing is you move forward. You learn from the mistakes you made, you build on the things you did well and you just keep moving. That’s the important piece. That may get old as we go through these Mondays with me saying that, but you can win a game and still go through that process. When you lose a game, it hurts more, but you still go through the same process.

Q: We know the quality of the opponent you were going against, especially defensively. How do you balance being realistic and knowing that what you did against them, but also not fall into the trap of, ‘well, that was a great team, so now we’re not going to see a defense like that the next week and the following week’?

A: It’s a great question, and it’s one of the things we talk about frequently. You don’t get to go in our weight room, but it’s everywhere. We don’t make excuses or let other people make them for us, and that’s letting other people make them for us when we say, ‘well, we played a good opponent.’ Everybody’s good, and we expect to go out and win every game, so we don’t factor that in.

Q: Back to Ereck Flowers at right tackle – what would you have to see to rotate someone else in there?

A: We’re just going to try to get better. As you know, I’m fond of our roster. I’m fond of our offensive linemen. Ereck had a lot of really good plays yesterday, so what we’re going to do is try to help him with some of the technique work that he can improve on, just like every player, to eliminate some of those mistakes. You just keep working with him, and then we always rotate guys through in the event that we have injuries. You don’t see that, but that happens.

Q: I meant on a Sunday, to rotate someone in there, or to maybe use someone else there.

A: We’ll see. Right now, what we’re doing is trying to get every player better. I’ll probably say it for the 10th time now, he had a lot of plays that were really good.

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:

NOTES…

  • The Giants have lost seven out of their last eight home openers.
  • Quarterback Eli Manning set a franchise record by playing in his 217th regular-season game in a Giants uniform, breaking a tie with former Giants defensive end Michael Strahan.
  • Manning became the fourth player in team history to play 15 years with the franchise, joining Strahan, center Mel Hein (1931-45), and quarterback quarterback Phil Simms (1979-93).
  • Manning became the fifth quarterback in NFL history to start at least 14 consecutive season openers with one team. The others include Tom Brad, Brett Favre, John Elway, and Dan Marino.
  • Running back Saquon Barkley is the first Giants back to run for at least 100 yards in his NFL debut.
  • Barkley was the first Giants rookie running back to start a season-opening game since Sean Bennett in 1999.
  • Wide receiver Odell Beckham has eight games with at least 10 receptions. He has 20 games with at least 100 yards.

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The players are off on Tuesday and return to practice on Wednesday.

Aug 042018
 
Mark Herzlich and Michael Thomas, New York Giants (August 1, 2018)

Mark Herzlich and Michael Thomas – © USA TODAY Sports

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AUGUST 4, 2018 NEW YORK GIANTS TRAINING CAMP REPORT…
The New York Giants held their ninth full-team summer training camp practice on Saturday at Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The complete training camp schedule is available at Giants.com.

INJURY REPORT – ELI APPLE HURTS KNEE…
Not practicing on Saturday were safety Curtis Riley (hamstring), cornerback Donte Deayon (hamstring), cornerback William Gay (hamstring), linebacker Thurston Armbrister (hamstring), and defensive lineman R.J. McIntosh (unknown – Active/Non-Football Illness list).

Cornerback Teddy Williams was still absent due to personal reasons.

Cornerback Eli Apple left practice early with an injury to his left knee. After practice, Apple was limping but said he was OK.

PRACTICE NOTES…
Some snippets from various media sources:

  • Running back Saquon Barkley did not take any reps during the team portion of practice. Jonathan Stewart and Wayne Gallman split first-team snaps at running back. Stewart flashed some speed and scored on an outside run when safety Landon Collins lost contain.
  • Darian Thompson was starting at safety along with Landon Collins.
  • Tight end Evan Engram was very active catching the football.
  • In 11-on-11 drills, quarterback Eli Manning lobbed a pass into the corner of the end zone where tight end Evan Engram made a leaping catch for the touchdown, beating safety Landon Collins.
  • Quarterback Davis Webb threw a fade pass into the corner of the end zone to wide receiver Russell Shepard for a touchdown.
  • Quarterback Eli Manning found wide receiver Sterling Shepard down the sideline for a long touchdown.
  • Cornerback Janoris Jenkins intercepted a quarterback Eli Manning pass intended for wideout Kalif Raymond.
  • Cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris ripped the ball away from wide receiver Marquis Bundy for an incomplete pass. Lewis-Harris tallied at least four pass deflections on Saturday.
  • Brett Jones received first-team snaps at center for the second day in a row, along with Jon Halapio.
  • Wide receiver Amba-Etta Tawo received some first-team snaps.
  • Safety Michael Thomas picked off a pass from quarterback Davis Webb that deflected off of wideout Travis Rudolph.
  • Quarterback Davis Webb rolled out to his right and completed a sideline pass to wideout Kalif Raymond.
  • Safety Andrew Adams knocked away a quarterback Kyle Lauletta pass intended for wideout Russell Shepard.
  • Defensive end Kerry Wynn quickly penetrated into the backfield for a “sack.” Wynn had an active day.
  • Off a stunt, linebacker Kareem Martin also registered a “sack.”
  • Linebacker Avery Moss “sacked” the quarterback off an inside rush. Linebacker Lorenzo Carter also had a sack during the 2-minute drill and was constantly disruptive during practice.
  • During the 2-minute drill, quarterback Eli Manning found tight end Rhett Ellison for a 28-yard gain and then hit tight end Jerell Adams for a touchdown over safety Landon Collins on a fade route.
  • During the 2-minute drill, quarterback Kyle Lauletta threw a bomb to wide receiver Jawill Davis, but he could not get the offense into the end zone.

THE COACHES SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following coaches are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

ARTICLES…

Jul 022018
 
Will Hernandez, New York Giants (May 11, 2018)

Will Hernandez – © USA TODAY Sports

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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: Offensive Line

2017 YEAR IN REVIEW: No other position epitomizes the futility of the New York Giants since their last Super Bowl appearance than the team’s offensive line. It is a myth to say that Jerry Reese and Marc Ross ignored the position. Instead, one could argue that their demise was largely due to the allocation of significant draft and free agent resources with negative returns.

2017 was supposed to be the year that the three premium draft picks (Justin Pugh, Weston Richburg, Ereck Flowers), signed and then re-signed John Jerry, and self-proclaimed “best right tackle in football” Bobby Hart turned a team weakness into at the very least a middle-of-the-pack unit. However, once again, the Giants offensive line was one of the worst in the NFL. The line couldn’t protect Eli Manning (31 sacks, the second most in his career despite an offensive system predicated on the short passing game) or open holes for running backs (26th in rushing). Justin Pugh talked a big game (again) and got hurt (again), missing half the season. Weston Richburg only started four games before ending up on IR with a concussion that he insisted wasn’t IR-worthy. Ereck Flowers – punching bag for fans and opposing pass rushers – struggled mightily both at the beginning and end of the season, and was benched. John Jerry played all 16 games (12 at left guard) but remained a soft player. D.J. Fluker started six games at right guard, performing reasonably well as a road grader, but was placed on IR in November with a toe injury. By the end of the year, you had guys like Jon Halapio (six starts at right guard), Brett Jones (12 starts at center), and Chad Wheeler (three starts at right tackle, one at left tackle) manning the front wall.

The Giants have been a soft, finesse offensive football team for years because of their offensive line play.

ADDITIONS/SUBTRACTIONS: Bobby Hart was cut before 2017 was over. The Giants made no effort to re-sign Justin Pugh (2013 1st-round pick) and Weston Richburg (2014 2nd-round draft pick). D.J. Fluker signed a 1-year contract with the Seahawks. Adam Bisnowaty (2017 6th-round draft pick) was cut in May. Dave Gettleman re-signed Jon Halapio (exclusive rights), Brett Jones (restricted), John Greco (unrestricted), and Ethan Cooper (practice squad player).

The newcomers are Nate Solder (4 years, $62 million); Patrick Omameh (3 years, $15 million); Will Hernandez (2nd-round draft pick);  lesser-known “street” free agents Chris Scott, Malcolm Bunche, and Jarron Jones; and rookie free agents Nick Gates and Evan Brown.

TRAINING CAMP STORY LINES: So now the never-ending attempt to rebuild the offensive line falls upon new shoulders. Dave Gettleman will try to accomplish what Jerry Reese failed. Enter the third new head coach and third new offensive line coach as well. To the team’s credit (but also embarrassment), they at least had the courage to part ways with most of their previous mistakes. John Jerry remains but he has already fallen out of the starting line-up. Coming out of the spring, the starters entering camp appear to be left tackle Nate Solder, left guard Will Hernandez, center Jon Halapio, right guard Patrick Omameh, and right tackle Ereck Flowers.

Most of the attention will be focused on whipping-boy Ereck Flowers, who started off on the wrong foot by throwing a hissy fit and not showing up to the early “voluntary” workouts due to his ego being bruised by the shift to right tackle. He returned once he hired a professional agent. The good news is that Nate Solder has attempted to take him under his wing. But Flowers – who the team did shop before the draft – still seems to have a learning disability when it comes to grasping three years of pro coaching. My guess is he will be on a short leash. The problem is there is no obvious replacement. Chad Wheeler flashed but was very shaky as a rookie. On paper, the other vulnerable spot is center. Brett Jones may have already fallen behind journeyman Jon Halapio, who has played with such stalwart “pro” franchises as the Boston Brawlers and Brooklyn Bolts. The Giants tried but failed to sign veteran center John Sullivan in free agency. That tells you they are concerned about the position. Don’t be surprised if the team actively scans the waiver wire throughout the year. The hard truth may be the team needs one more offseason to address two potentially glaring holes.

But while we may all be focusing on the individual component parts, the real issue is finding five starters who can form a viable, physical, and cohesive unit. And the priority appears to have changed. The offensive focus may no longer be pass blocking for Eli Manning and his targets but run blocking for Saquon Barkley. In other words, there may be a real emphasis on becoming a physical football team up front again and not just talking about it. If they don’t, then drafting Barkley with the #2 pick made little sense. New offensive line coach Hal Hunter was out of football in 2017. The pressure is on him to fix a unit that Pat Flaherty and Mike Solari couldn’t.

ON THE BUBBLE: Again, the starters coming out of the spring workouts were Nate Solder, Will Hernandez, Jon Halapio, Patrick Omameh, and Ereck Flowers. Others who received some 1st-team reps and/or quite a bit of time with the second unit were Nick Becton, John Greco, Brett Jones, John Jerry, and Chad Wheeler. Right now, though things can quickly change, these players appear to be the top candidates to make the roster. That said, except for Solder, Hernandez, and Omameh, I would be renting rather than buying a home in northern New Jersey.

FROM THE COACHES AND PLAYERS: Head Coach Pat Shurmur on Ereck Flowers: “He’s actually done a really good job. He’s an excellent athlete and he’s handling the move pretty seamlessly…I think he’s made improvements…He’s been great. He’s been communicating well, he looks like he’s having fun playing out there, he’s worked in with the offensive line and he’s done everything we’ve asked and I anticipate that will continue.”

Nate Solder on Ereck Flowers: “I have been very impressed with his character and his humility – work ethic, everything…the way he goes about his business, the way that he has put it behind him, he’s just doing his thing and he’s trying hard and he cares and he’s asking questions. He is doing everything that you would want a guy to do.”

Shurmur on Jon Halapio: “Yeah, he has done a very good job. Pio is very smart, he’s got good instincts – he snaps the ball well…He does all of those things well and he’s very competitive and he knows how to play the game. I think (Brett) Jonesey is doing the same thing. They’re just in there competing. I wouldn’t over-evaluate who is getting the first team reps, but I think if you’re talking about Pio specifically, he has really sort of opened his eyes that he has a chance to play.”

PREDICTIONS: The strength of the line should be the left side. Nate Solder should be the team’s best left tackle in years. Even without the pads on, Will Hernandez has flashed a much-needed enforcer mentality. Patrick Omameh should be a more physical presence as a run blocker at right guard than John Jerry. Center and right tackle remain the primary concerns as well as overall depth. We’ve heard all of the pleasantries about Ereck Flowers before. Now he is shifting to a spot he didn’t even play in college. There is no guarantee he will be a better player on the right side. Much rides on play. Perhaps the new chemistry in the locker room will help. It was no secret that Flowers and Bobby Hart didn’t get along with Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg. Regardless, Flowers is out of excuses.

FINAL DEPTH CHART: Thank the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), but teams don’t have many practices in training camp to get ready for the season. Thus, despite what the coaches say, it is pretty telling that Hernandez was playing left guard, Omameh right guard, Flowers right tackle, and Halapio center for the latter half of the offseason program. These four (plus obviously Nate Solder at left tackle) have to be considered the favorites to start right now at those specific positions. The next four appear to be John Greco, John Jerry, Brett Jones, and Chad Wheeler. But Greco and Jerry don’t offer much positional flexibility so one would appear vulnerable. My gut tells me the Giants will be adding one or two more offensive linemen from the waiver wire. A veteran swing tackle would be ideal.

Jun 132018
 
Landon Collins, New York Giants (June 12, 2018)

Landon Collins – © USA TODAY Sports

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JUNE 13, 2018 NEW YORK GIANTS MINI-CAMP REPORT…
The second day of the New York Giants 3-day mandatory mini-camp was held on Wednesday at Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 90 players on the current roster were present.

The mini-camp will conclude with a practice on Thursday.

INJURY REPORT…
Wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. (recovering from ankle surgery) has been cleared to practice. On Wednesday, he participated in individual and walk-thru drills, but not team drills.

Safety Landon Collins (recovering from offseason arm surgery) did not participate in full-team drills.

Defensive end Josh Mauro (unknown), defensive end R.J. McIntosh (unknown), linebacker Avery Moss (unknown), and safety Darian Thompson (unknown) did not practice.

PRACTICE NOTES…
Some snippets from various media sources:

  • For the second day in a row, the first-team offensive line was left tackle Nate Solder, left guard Will Hernandez, center Jon Halapio, right guard Patrick Omameh, and right tackle Ereck Flowers.
  • The starting safeties again were Andrew Adams and Curtis Riley.
  • Cornerback Donte Deayon intercepted a pass in early passing drills.
  • Quarterback Eli Manning threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Cody Latimer during redzone drills, beating cornerback Janoris Jenkins. Latimer was active catching the football.
  • Safety Andrew Adams nicely broke up an endzone throw to tight end Evan Engram.
  • Quarterback Davis Webb made an excellent throw to wide receiver Roger Lewis, Jr. on a fade route. Lewis made a one-handed catch but his second foot was out of bounds.
  • Place kicker Marshall Koehn was 7-of-8 on field goal attempts; he missed his shortest attempt.
  • Linebacker Lorenzo Carter flashed a nice burst off the edge on a blitz.
  • Quarterback Eli Manning overthrew wide receiver Sterling Shepard deep over the middle.
  • Running back Saquon Barkley demonstrated outstanding quickness and acceleration after catching a pass in the flat from quarterback Eli Manning, splitting two defenders, and then streaking downfield for a touchdown. Linebackers have had a very hard time covering Barkley.
  • Wide receiver Kalif Raymond received some first-team reps. He dropped a pass but also caught a touchdown on a fly pattern from quarterback Davis Webb.
  • Quarterback Davis Webb demonstrated nice touch on a wheel route to running back Wayne Gallman.
  • The defensive front batted down a lot of passes at the line of scrimmage.
  • Notes and observations from minicamp practice (6/13) by John Schmeelk of Giants.com
  • Who stood out at Giants minicamp? (6/13) by Dan Salomone of Giants.com

THE COORDINATORS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following coaches are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

ARTICLES…

May 142018
 
Adam Bisnowaty, New York Giants (August 26, 2017)

Adam Bisnowaty – © USA TODAY Sports

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NEW YORK GIANTS ROSTER MOVES…
The New York Giants made 12 roster moves on Monday, signing six mini-camp tryout players and waiving six players. The Giants signed running back Robert Martin, wide receiver Alonzo Russell, offensive guard Chris Scott, offensive guard Malcolm Bunche, cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris, and cornerback Mike Jones.

The Giants have also waived tight end Stephen Baggett, offensive lineman Adam Bisnowaty, linebacker Derrick Mathews, cornerback C.J. Goodwin, cornerback Brandon Dixon, and cornerback Bryon Fields.

The 6’3”, 206-pound Russell was originally signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2016 NFL Draft. He spent his rookie season on the Bengals’ Practice Squad. The Bengals waived him in September 2017 and he was signed to the Practice Squad of the Arizona Cardinals in November 2017. He has not played in a regular-season game.

The 6’4”, 340-pound Scott was originally drafted in the 5th round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The well-traveled Scott has spent time with the Steelers (2010−2011), Green Bay Packers (2012), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2012), Tennessee Titans (2012), Buffalo Bills (2012), and Carolina Panthers (2013−2016). Scott has played in 45 regular-season games with 12 starts.

The 6’5”, 320-pound Bunche was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Philadelphia Eagles after the 2015 NFL Draft. Bunche has spent time with the Eagles (2015), Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2017), and Jacksonville Jaguars (2017). He has not played in a regular-season game.

The 5’10, 185-pound Lewis-Harris was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Cincinnati Bengals after the 2012 NFL Draft. He has spent time with the Bengals (2012-2016), Baltimore Ravens (2016), and Denver Broncos (2017). Lewis-Harris has only played in 33 regular-season games with no starts. He is a smart player who has experience at both nickel and outside corner.

Martin (Rutgers) and Jones (Temple) are undrafted rookie free agents.

The Giants drafted Bisnowaty in the 6th round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Bisnowaty spent virtually the entire season on the Practice Squad before being signed to the 53-man roster in late December 2017.

The Giants signed Mathews to the Practice Squad in early December 2017. Mathews was originally signed to the Practice Squad of the Washington Redskins in November 2015 as an undrafted rookie free agent and spent time on the Green Bay Packers’ Practice Squad in 2016 and 2017.

Dixon was signed to the Practice Squad in October 2017 and the 53-man roster in November 2017. He started the last five games of the season and finished the year with 21 tackles, four pass defenses, and one forced fumble. Dixon was originally drafted in the 6th round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. Dixon has spent time with the Jets (2014), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2014), Seattle Seahawks (2015), Indianapolis Colts (2015), New England Patriots (2015), New Orleans Saints (2015-2016), and Pittsburgh Steelers (2016-2017).

The Giants claimed Goodwin off of waivers from the Arizona Cardinals in early May. The 6’4”, 220-pound Goodwin was originally signed by the Pitttsburgh Steelers as an undrafted rookie free agent wide receiver after the 2014 NFL Draft. Goodwin has spent time with the Steelers (2014–2015), Atlanta Falcons (2016–2017), and Cardinals (2017).

Baggett and Fields were signed as undrafted rookie free agents by the Giants after the recently completed draft.

ERECK FLOWERS REPORTS TO OFFSEASON PROGRAM…
Multiple media outlets are reporting that right tackle Ereck Flowers has finally decided to show up for the New York Giants “voluntary” offseason program that began on April 9th.

ARTICLES…

May 102018
 
Paul Perkins, New York Giants (October 3, 2016)

Paul Perkins – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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NEW YORK GIANTS WAIVE PAUL PERKINS…
The New York Giants have waived running back Paul Perkins with a non-football injury. The team says Perkins suffered a pectoral injury prior to the start of the team’s offseason strength and conditioning program. The injury required surgery.

Perkins was drafted by the Giants in the 5th round of the 2016 NFL Draft. After a respectable rookie season, Perkins had a very disappointing sophomore season in 2017. Perkins saw both his playing time and productivity markedly decline.

In 2016, Perkins played in 14 regular-season games with one start (regular-season finale). He also started the playoff game. Perkins finished the 2016 regular season with 112 carries for 456 yards (4.1 yards per carry) and 15 catches for 162 yards (10.8 yards per catch).

In 2017, Perkins started the first four games, but then suffered a rib injury and lost his starting job to Orleans Darkwa. He played in 11 games and finished the year with 41 carries for 90 yards (2.2 yards per carry). He also caught eight passes for 46 yards.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Exclusive Giants.com interviews with the following players are available at Giants.com:

  • TE Rhett Ellison (Video)
  • DL Dalvin Tomlinson (Video)
  • LB Avery Moss (Video)

ARTICLES…

May 022018
 
Alex Tanney, Tennessee Titans (August 12, 2017)

Alex Tanney – © USA TODAY Sports

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NEW YORK GIANTS SIGN ALEX TANNEY AND A.J. FRANCIS…
The New York Giants have officially signed free agent quarterback Alex Tanney, who was cut by the Tennessee Titans on Monday. The 30-year old, 6’4”, 220-pound Tanney was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Kansas City Chiefs after the 2012 NFL Draft. The well-traveled Tanney has spent time with the Chiefs (2012), Dallas Cowboys (2013), Cleveland Browns (2013), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2014), Titans (2014), Buffalo Bills (2015), Indianapolis Colts (2015), and Titans again (2015–2017). Tanney has only played in one regular-season game, coming off the bench for the Titans in 2015.

The Giants have also officially signed defensive tackle A.J. Francis, who was cut by the Washington Redskins on Monday. The 27-year old, 6’5”, 327-pound Francis was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Miami Dolphins after the 2013 NFL Draft. Francis has spent time with the Dolphins (2013), New England Patriots (2013), Dolphins again (2013–2015), Seattle Seahawks (2015), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2016), and Redskins (2016–2017). Francis has played in nine regular-season games with no starts.

ARTICLES…