Aug 032023
 
Ben Bredeson, New York Giants (August 1, 2023)

Ben Bredeson – © USA TODAY Sports

AUGUST 3, 2023 NEW YORK GIANTS TRAINING CAMP REPORT…
The New York Giants held their seventh summer training camp practice of the year on Thursday at Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

INJURY REPORT…
WR Wan’Dale Robinson (ACL), OG Marcus McKethan (ACL), DL A’Shawn Robinson (meniscus), DL D.J. Davidson (ACL), and CB Aaron Robinson (ACL) remain on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List.

WR Parris Campbell (tendinitis), WR Jeff Smith (knee), OL Jack Anderson (unknown), DL Leonard Williams (rest day), and OLB Jihad Ward (unknown) did not practice.

DL Ryder Anderson left practice early with a right arm injury.

PRACTICE NOTES…
Some snippets from various media sources:

  • The were not in full pads, but in helmets and shells.
  • First-team offensive line was LT Andrew Thomas, LG Joshua Ezeudu, OC John Michael Schmitz, RG Ben Bredeson, and RT Evan Neal.
  • Mark Glowinski was the second-team right guard.
  • With Parris Campbell out, Cole Beasley was the starting slot receiver.
  • Micah McFadden worked at inside linebacker next to Bobby Okereke.
  • The starting defensive backs were CB Adoree’ Jackson, CB Deonte Banks, slot CB Darnay Holmes, S Xavier McKinney, and S Jason Pinnock.
  • Dane Belton was the third safety in the first-team dime package.
  • RB Saquon Barkley made a 1-handed catch on a deep pass thrown behind him against ILB Bobby Okereke. Barkley caught another long pass in the same drill.
  • In 1-on-1 drills, WR Cole Beasley caused CB Darnay Holmes fall to the ground with a double move over the middle. Beasley also beat Holmes for a touchdown on a short pass in the red zone.
  • Also in 1-on-1 drills, WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton beat CB Amani Oruwariye deep for a score.
  • In 1-on-1 drills, CB Deonte Banks broke up a pass intended for WR Darius Slayton.
  • Corners Darnay Holmes, Zyon Gilbert, and Darren Evans also broke up passes.
  • also broke up a pass.
  • In 7-on-7 drills, QB Daniel Jones hit WR Jalin Hyatt deep, beating both CB Darnay Holmes and S Xavier McKinney for a touchdown.
  • In 11-on-11 drills, the outside corners were rookies Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins with veteran corner Adoree’ Jackson in the slot. Then Darnay Holmes subbed for Jackson.
  • QB Daniel Jones connected with WR Isaiah Hodgins on back-shoulder passes.
  • In the 2-minute drill, QB Daniel Jones hit a 50+ yard bomb to WR Jalin Hyatt against CB Tre Hawkins. S Dane Belton blitzed on this play and may have had a “sack.”
  • WR Jalin Hyatt adjusted well to a ball thrown behind him to make the catch over the middle of the field.
  • CB Tre Hawkins had good coverage on WR Sterling Shepard on a back-shoulder play during team drills.
  • ILB Micah McFadden hustled back to break up a QB Daniel Jones underthrown deep pass intended for TE Darren Waller.
  • In the final team period, OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux forced an incompletion with his rush and batted a pass at the line of scrimmage.
  • In 11-on-11 team drills, QB Daniel Jones finished 11-of-17 with one touchdown.
  • WR Collin Johnson was active catching the ball with a number of receptions.
  • For the second practice in a row, there was a botched snap by OC John Michael Schmitz.
  • QB Daniel Jones continued to work with receivers Cole Beasley and Jamison Crowder on the field after practice.
  • See BBI contributor Y28’s excellent camp report in The Corner Forum.

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 on YouTube:

FORMER GIANTS ON THE MOVE…
Unrestricted free agent cornerback Fabian Moreau has signed with the Denver Broncos, while unrestricted free agent tight end Nick Vannett has signed with the Houston Texans. The Giants made no effort to re-sign either.

The Giants signed Moreau to the Practice Squad in early September 2022 and signed to the 53-man roster in late September, proving to be an extremely valuable pick-up as he became a reliable, year-long starter at corner. Moreau played in 14 regular-season games with 11 starts, missing one game due to an oblique injury. Moreau was credited with 66 tackles and 10 pass defenses. Moreau was originally drafted in the 3rd round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He has spent time with Washington (2017-2020), Atlanta Falcons (2021), and Houston Texans (2022).

The Giants signed Vannett to the Practice Squad in November 2022 after he was cut by the New Orleans Saints. He was then signed to the 53-man roster in December 2022. Vannett ended up playing in six regular-season games with three starts for the Giants, catching four passes for 42 yards. The 6’6”, 261-pound Vannett was originally drafted in the 3rd round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. He has spent time with the Seahawks (2016-2019), Pittsburgh Steelers (2019), Denver Broncos (2020), and Saints (2021-2022).

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The New York Giants practice Friday morning (10:00AM-Noon). Head Coach Brian Daboll and select players will also address the media.

Dec 112022
 
Brian Daboll, New York Giants (December 11, 2022)

Brian Daboll – © USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 48 – NEW YORK GIANTS 22…
The New York Giants were annihilated by the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, losing 48-22. With the defeat, the Giants fell to 7-5-1 on the season and 0-3-1 in the NFC East.

Predictably, the Eagles also dominated overall team stats, out-gaining the Giants in first downs (27 to 18), total net yards (437 to 304), net yards rushing (253 to 123), net yards passing (184 to 181), and time of possession (32:30 to 27:30). The Eagles also won the turnover battle 1 to 0.

The game became a blowout almost immediately with the Eagles scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions and the Giants countering meekly with four straight punts. Philadelphia’s first possession travelled 84 yards in 14 plays and took 8:05 off of the clock. Their second possession was a 12-play, 91-yard drive that took another five minutes off of the clock. The touchdown came on a 41-yard pass on 4th-and-7. Their third drive last one play, a 33-yard touchdown pass after a botched 15-yard punt that was ruled an illegal kick. With 8:16 left in the 2nd quarter, the Eagles were up 21-0.

The Giants finally got on the board later in the quarter after linebacker Elerson Smith blocked an Eagles’ punt that set the ball up on the Philadelphia 15-yard line. Three plays later, quarterback Daniel Jones found wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins for a 2-yard score. The Eagles returned the ensuing kickoff 66 yards to the New York 35-yard line. After picking up one first down, , the Eagles were stopped inside the red zone and settled for a 29-yard field goal with under a minute to play.

At the half, the Eagles led 24-7.

The Eagles extended their lead to 27-7 after their first drive of the 3rd quarter, gaining 63 yards in eight plays to set up a 39-yard field goal. The Giants responded with an 11-play, 75-yard effort that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Jones on 3rd-and-goal. Eagles 27 – Giants 14.

The Eagles immediately added another touchdown, driving 63 yards in eight plays again, this time resulting in a 10-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jalen Hurts. Eagles 34 – Giants 14. After both teams punted, the Giants drove to the Philadelphia 18-yard line with 10 minutes left in the 4th quarter, but New York turned the ball over on downs at the 23-yard line. The Eagles scored again with a 7-play, 76-yard effort that ended with a 40-yard touchdown run by running back Miles Sanders. Eagles 41 – Giants 14.

With six minutes left in the game, the Giants brought Tyrod Taylor in at quarterback but he immediately fumbled the ball away when sacked. The Eagles recovered at the Giants’ 23-yard line. Four plays later, they added their final touchdown with running back Boston Scott scoring from three yards out.

The Giants added a garbage-time touchdown on their final possession, driving 75 yards in nine plays with Taylor throwing a 19-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Richie James. Taylor also completed the 2-point conversion attempt to Hodgins.

Jones finished the game 18-of-27 for 169 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. He was sacked four times and ran for 26 yards on four carries, including a touchdown. The leading receiver was James, who caught seven passes for 61 yards and a touchdown. Pathetically, the leading rusher was back-up quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who ran for 40 yards on two carries. Running back Saquon Barkley was limited to 28 yards on nine carries. Taylor was also sacked three times as the Giants gave up seven sacks.

Defensively, the Giants allowed 437 yards and six touchdowns. The Eagles averaged 6.6 yards per offensive play and were 6-of-11 (54.5 percent) on 3rd down and 1-of-1 (100 percent) on 4th down. The Giants did accrue four sacks, with two by outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari. The team was credited with only two pass defenses and did not force a turnover.

Special teams was a disaster, allowing a 66-yard kickoff return and botching a punt that led to an easy touchdown.

GAME VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS are available on YouTube.

ROSTER MOVES, PRACTICE SQUAD ACTIVATIONS, INACTIVES, AND INJURY REPORT…
On Saturday, the Giants activated (standard elevation) DL Ryder Anderson and CB Zyon Gilbert from the Practice Squad to the 53-man roster.

Inactive for the game were DL Leonard Williams (neck), CB Adoree’ Jackson (knee), OG Josh Ezeudu (neck), OG Shane Lemieux (toe), WR David Sills, TE Lawrence Cager, and CB Rodarius Williams.

TE Daniel Bellinger (ribs) left the game and did not return. Inside linebackers Micah McFadden (ankle/neck) and Jaylon Smith (unknown) underwent x-rays after the game. WR Richie James was also evaluated for a concussion after his late touchdown catch.

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:

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

Sep 282022
 
Saquon Barkley, New York Giants (September 26, 2022)

Saquon Barkley – © USA TODAY Sports

GIANTS PLACE STERLING SHEPARD ON IR, PROMOTE FABIAN MOREAU…
As expected, the New York Giants have placed wide receiver Sterling Shepard on Injured Reserve. Sterling tore the ACL in his left knee against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday. To fill his roster spot, the Giants signed cornerback Fabian Moreau to the 53-man roster from the Practice Squad. Moreau was temporarily elevated to the active roster for the past two games.

The Giants signed Moreau to the Practice Squad in early September. The 6’0”, 204-pound Moreau was originally drafted in the 3rd round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He has spent time with Washington (2017-2020), Atlanta Falcons (2021), and Houston Texans (2022). The Texans released him in August. Moreau has played in 78 regular-season games with 34 starts. In 2021, he started all 16 games for the Falcons and finished the season with 61 tackles, 11 pass defenses, and one fumble recovery.

On Tuesday, the Giants waived RB Antonio Williams. The Giants signed Williams in January 2022 to a reserve/future contract. The 5’11”, 215-pound Williams was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Bills after the 2020 NFL Draft. He spent most of his two seasons with the Bills on their Practice Squad.

The Giants still have one spot open on their 53-man roster.

PRACTICE SQUAD MOVES…
In addition to promoting cornerback Fabian Moreau to the 53-man roster from the Practice Squad, the Giants also terminated the Practice Squad contract of LB Charles Wiley on Tuesday. The 6’2”, 251-pound Wiley was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2022 NFL Draft. The Ravens cut Wiley in late August 2022.

The Giants also signed WR Makai Polk and CB Olaijah Griffin to the Practice Squad on Wednesday.

The 21-year old, 6’3”, 197-pound Polk was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Baltimore Ravens after the 2022 NFL Draft. The Ravens waived him in late August. Polk was on the Practice Squad of the Ravens until they cut him on Tuesday.

The Giants claimed Olaijah Griffin off of waivers from the Buffalo Bills on August 15th and waived him two weeks later. The 23-year old, 6’0”, 175-pound Griffin was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Bills after the 2021 NFL Draft. He spent his rookie season the Bills’ Practice Squad.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2022 NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
The Giants conducted a walk-through practice on Wednesday. The following practice status is a projection:

WR Sterling Shepard (knee), WR Kadarius Toney (hamstring), WR Wan’Dale Robinson (knee), DL Leonard Williams (knee), OLB Jihad Ward (knee), CB Cor’Dale Flott (calf), and CB Nick McCloud (hamstring) would not have practiced on Wednesday.

CB Aaron Robinson (appendix) and CB Justin Layne (concussion) would have been limited in practice.

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…
Video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available at Giants.com:

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The Giants practice on Thursday afternoon (12:45-2:30PM). The coordinators and select players will also address the media.

Sep 052022
 
Fabian Moreau, Atlanta Falcons (October 24, 2021)

Fabian Moreau – © USA TODAY Sports

MIKE KAFKA TO CALL PLAYS FOR GIANTS…
New York Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll revealed on Monday that Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka will be the team’s offensive play-caller. “I have a lot of confidence in Mike,” said Daboll. “We’ll stay with how we did things in the preseason.”

NEW YORK GIANTS CONTINUE TO TWEAK THE ROSTER…
The New York Giants waived RB Sandro Platzgummer on Monday. The team also signed CB Fabian Moreau to the Practice Squad and terminated the Practice Squad contract of CB Harrison Hand.

The 6’0”, 198-pound Platzgummer was originally allocated to the Giants in April 2020 as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program, which also allowed him to remain on the team’s Practice Squad in 2020 and 2021 without counting towards the Practice Squad limit.

The 28-year old, 6’0”, 204-pound Moreau was originally drafted in the 3rd round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He has spent time with Washington (2017-2020), Atlanta Falcons (2021), and Houston Texans (2022). The Texans released him in August. Moreau has played in 76 regular-season games with 34 starts. In 2021, he started all 16 games for the Falcons and finished the season with 61 tackles, 11 pass defenses, and one fumble recovery.

The Giants claimed Hand off of waivers from the Minnesota Vikings in late August 2022. The 5’11’, 197-pound Hand was originally drafted in the 5th round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Vikings.

The Giants also waived TE Andre Miller off of Injured Reserve with an injury settlement. The Giants placed Miller on Injured Reserve in August 2022 with a broken forearm that he suffered in training camp. The Giants signed Miller as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2022 NFL Draft. Miller was a receiver in college and the Giants converted him to tight end.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2022 BRIAN DABOLL PRESS CONFERENCE…
New York Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll addressed the media on Monday to discuss the upcoming game against the Tennessee Titans and the overall state of his team (VIDEO):

Q: A couple things. I was wondering first if you could shed some light since we haven’t talked to you on the decision to let go of (Inside Linebacker) Blake Martinez. Is it that he hasn’t looked the same since injury? It doesn’t look like it was salary related. So, why let go of Blake? Because it seems like obviously his resume would suggest he’s one of your better inside linebackers.

A: I appreciate the question. All I’ll say is every decision that we make regarding releasing a player is always a difficult decision. Just like all our guys, I’d say good luck to Blake and the rest of the guys that we released; and we’re looking forward to getting ready on our preparations for Tennessee.

Q: And then two injury things. How confident are you that (Quarterback) Tyrod (Taylor) will be available to you on Sunday if needed, and where do you stand at left guard?

A: We have a week here to move guys in and out and let those guys compete; and as far as Tyrod, he’s good to go.

Q: (General Manager) Joe Schoen mentioned this the other day about the overemphasis on the first week as far as 0 and 1, you’re the worst team ever; 1 and 0, you’re going to the Super Bowl. As a head coach for the first time, how do you – obviously going in to be 1 and 0, no question about it. All your sights are set on this game. But how do you kind of take an immediate picture ‘We need to win this game’ versus ‘This is not going to define us’?

A: I really go back to how we do things during the week more than the final outcome: our process, our preparation, the guys staying after to throw and to catch, the meetings that the secondary has or the defensive line has to study their opponents. Those are the things that we can control, and going out there each day at practice and trying to execute the plays that we put in and improve them on a day-to-day basis.

Q: Do you find in your history being a coordinator and assistant for all these years that after the first week, you get a sense a team is riding high or riding low depending on that outcome?

A: No. You just try to stay consistent. I remember last year when I was at Buffalo, we had a rough first game. And there are seasons where we won the first game and seasons where we lost the first game. Every game is important. Everybody is excited about opening day. It’s a cool game. There’s a lot of unknowns. And you’re figuring out what your team is. You’re trying to figure out what the team that you’re playing is. Because again, you can do all the offseason studies that you want to until you’re playing in a game and figuring it out on a fly. I think that the most important thing for us.

Q: Two quick ones on Blake Martinez. One, do you think that releasing him makes your team better?

A: Again, I’ll just say the same thing that I said before. I’m not going to get into why release, why we didn’t release, where he’s at. That’s how we’re going to handle our stuff here in terms of our releases. Wish Blake the best and looking forward to moving on to this week.

Q: Just quick follow (up) on him, too, and you might have the same answer. But what changed between Tuesday, cut down day when he stayed on the team, and Thursday when you released him?

A: I’d say the same answer I gave you.

Q: When you talked before about offseason studies and things like that, coaches have injuries all the time. How much does it throw you out of whack when a guy like (Titans Outside Linebacker Harold) Landry in practice blows out his ACL? And I assume you prepared for him all offseason. How much does that change your plan?

A: Well, first of all, my condolences to him. He’s a fantastic player, and you never want to see any player get injured. He brought a lot to their defense and really was a dynamic player. And again, every team has backups. And those backups are fully capable. We respect every player we have to play against. We’ll take a look at the other players that are behind him. And again, we don’t exactly know what’s going to happen – whether (Defensive Lineman Denico Autry) Autry’s going to move over there. Whatever it may be, the first game you have to rely on your rules and the things that you did through training camp. And that’s where our focus will be.

Q: I’ll give a crack to this Blake Martinez question thing. What did you like, and what do you see from the young guys that are still there at that position? And how much did their development and what they gave you this summer – did that weigh into what you did with Blake?

A: Well, I’ll just speak on the guys that are here. I think those guys made strides each and every day. They’ve made plays throughout the preseason, and we have a lot of confidence in those players.

Q: Second question I have is you brought in a couple of guys, veterans, on the practice squad – (Safety) Tony (Jefferson) and (Defensive Back Fabian) Moreau, who have some starting experience, a lot of experience. Tony does, with this defense. How quickly do you expect them to be able to contribute on Sundays and maybe even this coming Sunday?

A: We’ll give them as much as they can handle. I know the coaches will be meeting with those guys extra. And we’ll make decisions with players that are on the practice squad toward the end of the week here. But again, some of them have experience in the system and some haven’t. But they’ve played a lot of football, so we’re excited to have both those guys.

Q: I have two quick ones for you, if I may. Have you decided if (Offensive Coordinator) Mike (Kafka) is going to be the play caller moving forward, or is that still up for debate?

A: I talked to Mike over the weekend. We were working yesterday; talked to him today. I have a lot of confidence in Mike. We’ll stay with how we did things in the preseason.

Q: And the second question I’m kind of curious about: The schedule this week is a little unusual. Usually, it’s Monday then off Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. I’m just wondering what went into the change up for this particular week.

A: I’ve been part of a team that has done it this way the last few years. So, it wasn’t unusual for me. I think today you get a good introduction. You go hard these next couple days. You get time to regroup and reevaluate where you’re at on Thursday and have a normal Friday.

Q: Two things. One, I know we’ll get a better sense when we’re out there tomorrow, but do you have any update on where (Outside Linebacker) Kayvon (Thibodeaux) and (Outside Linebacker) Azeez (Ojulari) are? And do you think there’s a chance that they’ll be on the practice field tomorrow?

A: I’ll say they’re day-to-day just like last week. They’re getting better, and we’ll reevaluate it tonight.

Q: And the second one is – you mentioned earlier there are so many unknowns going into Week 1. But at least your opponent is an established opponent, whereas I’m sure they’re going to be digging into a lot of Buffalo (Bills) tape and Kansas City (Chiefs) tape and maybe what (Defensive Coordinator) Wink (Martindale) did in Baltimore (with the Ravens). How aware are you guys of that fact? Do you try to take advantage a little bit of the unknown, of they don’t know what you’re going to actually look like when you get out there on the field? Can that help in Week 1 for a new staff and a new team?

A: Obviously they’re established. (Titans Head) Coach (Mike Vrabel) Vrabel’s had a winning program since he’s been there – been to the playoffs the last three years, won the AFC last year. Again, every year is such a new year really regardless of a new staff or not a new staff. That’s why your fundamentals and your rules – those have to be, you have to be really good with those things early on in the year, not just Week 1, but Week 2, Week 3. Because each team evolves every year based on their personnel. They have new personal. We have new personnel. So, I’d say it’s a normal get ready for Week 1 even though we’re a new staff. I don’t want to speak on how they’re doing it. They’ve been real successful with how they’ve done things.

Q: With Blake, he was going to be your starting middle linebacker. I’m curious: How big a challenge does that become to have to fill that 10 days before the season and make that change? And who are your options? Like, who do you look at as your top options to sort of fill that void?

A: The guys we have on the roster, we have confidence in. Those spots are interchangeable, the inside linebacker spots. Again, whether it be (Inside Linebacker) Tae (Crowder), (Inside Linebacker Micah) McFadden, (Inside Linebacker Austin) Calitro, we have confidence in the guys that are on our roster.

Q: And I know (a previous question) kind of touched on it there, but are Thibodeaux and/or Azeez out on the field at all? What have they been doing?

A: Yeah, they’re rehabbing. They’re day-to-day, and we’ll just take it that way. We’ll talk to our training staff tonight and see where they’re at for tomorrow.

Q: Do you think they have a shot for Week 1?

A: Day-to-day.

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 return to practice on Tuesday afternoon (12:30-2:30PM). Head Coach Brian Daboll and select players will also address the media.