Sep 032016
 
Will Johnson, New York Giants (June 6, 2016)

Will Johnson – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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GIANTS CUT ROSTER TO 53 PLAYERS…
The New York Giants made 22 roster moves on Saturday in order reduce the roster to 53 players as required by the NFL.

The Giants waived or terminated the contracts of the following players:

  • QB Logan Thomas
  • RB Andre Williams
  • WR Geremy Davis
  • WR Darius Powe
  • WR Anthony Dablé
  • OL Adam Gettis
  • OL Dillon Farrell
  • OL Ryan Seymour
  • DE Stansly Maponga
  • DT Jermelle Cudjo
  • DT Louis Nix
  • LB Brad Bars
  • LB Ishaq Williams
  • CB Donte Deayon
  • CB Michael Hunter
  • CB Leon McFadden
  • S Justin Currie
  • S Andrew Adams

The Giants placed the following player on Injured Reserve:

  • FB/TE Will Johnson (burner)

The Giants waived/injured the following players:

  • OL Emmett Clearly (finger)
  • OL Jake Rodgers (ankle)

As expected, place kicker Josh Brown was placed on the NFL’s Reserve/Suspended list for a 2015 domestic violence incident. He will be eligible to return to the team on September 12th, a day after the first regular-season game.

“Football is a people business,” said Head Coach Ben McAdoo. “Building relationships, developing chemistry and improving in our game. When you approach it that way, it makes this time of year even harder because you develop those relationships with these players, and you’re all working together toward the same goal. That’s the way it goes in this business. You can’t take everybody with you, especially at the beginning. But they’re fine young men, they handled themselves well, and we wish them the best moving forward.

“It was a challenge. We let a lot of good players go, some who will be playing for other teams. And at some point you may see some of them back here. It was tough. It wasn’t just one position. You wanted to make sure you did what was best and took the best 53 and rounded out the roster the best way you can. But there were some good players we had to let go.

“I’m very comfortable with two quarterbacks on the roster. Eli (Manning) has played a lot of football. Ryan (Nassib) is a guy who had some ups and downs of late, but he’s a guy we have confidence in. He can put the players around him in a position to be successful and take advantage of it.” 

The most surprising cut was running back Andre Williams. “Andre is a guy that played some good football for us,” coach Ben McAdoo said. “We’re going to miss him. It was another one of those really tough (roster) decisions to make. We feel that with Rashad (Jennings), Shane (Vereen), Orleans (Darkwa), Paul Perkins, and Bobby Rainey, we have some versatility there to play all three downs, and on special teams as well.”

With Will Johnson placed on Injured Reserve, the Giants currently have no fullbacks on the roster. “It’s unfortunate that it’s come to this,” McAdoo said. “(Johnson) came in and played some good ball for us. He’s a guy that we think highly of… We’ll do (fullback) by committee.”

Wide receivers Tavarres King and Roger Lewis both made the 53-man roster over wide receiver Geremy Davis.

“Roger and T.K. are two guys that really took a big jump,” McAdoo said. “They hit the ground running in the offseason, made tremendous strides and got better and improved. They pushed each other along with the rest of that group. There was great competition in that group. Geremy was a guy we drafted here that we think very highly of. Sometimes, you have to make those tough decisions.”

Offensive center/guard Brett Jones, the former Canadian Football League player who spend the entire 2015 season on Injured Reserve with a knee injury, also made the team.

“Brett has made some big jumps, some big gains,” McAdoo said. “It’s a shame what happened to him last season. He’s been able to rebound. He’s a great student of the game. He’s a guy that has improved tremendously and will add some versatility inside for us… We look forward to getting (recently re-signed) Will (Beatty) out there on the practice field and getting his legs underneath him. He’ll be working hard to get in football shape and playing multiple positions for us.”

Rookie undrafted defensive end Romeo Okwara also man the 53-man roster. “He really came on in camp,” McAdoo said. “He really didn’t do a lot in the offseason because he had a hamstring injury. But he bounced back. He takes his coaching well and he really plays with a great amount of energy and passion… I think we have a nice group of defensive ends. (Olivier Vernon, Jason Pierre-Paul, Owamagbe Odighizuwa, Kerry Wynn, and Okwara) all have some value inside, and they can play inside and outside for us. They can play the run and play the pass. It’s a good group.”

Others to make the squad were safety Mykkele Thompson and cornerback Trevin Wade.  “Mykkele is a guy who showed up and made some plays for us on special teams,” McAdoo said. “Wade really played tremendously the other night and took advantage of his opportunity vs. a great quarterback and a great offense, and showed very well.

“The roster is a living, breathing organism. It never stops changing. There’s always movement in the roster. Things are always moving.”

RYAN MALLECK WAIVED OFF OF INJURED RESERVE…
The New York Giants have waived tight end Ryan Malleck off of Injured Reserve. The Giants waived/injured Malleck and then placed him on Injured Reserve with a burner earlier this week. The Giants signed Malleck as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2016 NFL Draft.

UNIFORM NUMBER CHANGES…
The following New York Giants players have changed their uniform jersey numbers:

  • CB Eli Apple: from #28 to #24
  • RB Paul Perkins: from #39 to #28
  • OT Will Beatty: from #64 to #65
  • DT Montori Hughes: from #79 to #99
Jan 052016
 


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MARA, REESE, AND COUGHLIN ADDRESS THE MEDIA…
New York Giants team officials, including President/CEO John Mara, General Manager Jerry Reese, and departing Head Coach Tom Coughlin, addressed the media on Tuesday morning. Transcripts and video clips are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

One key item to note is that the Giants have offered Coughlin a position within the organization. “I asked him would he consider staying on in some capacity,” said Mara. “I don’t want to let all that knowledge walk out the door. I asked him to think about over the next few days ways that he might be able to help us going forward. He agreed to do that. I don’t think either one of us have an idea yet exactly what form that could take. Let’s face it, he brings a unique perspective. He knows our team as well as anybody. He knows the league as well as anybody. There may be some capacity in which he could help us. This is not a situation where we wanted to see him walk out the door. We want him to stay involved because of everything he has brought to this organization, everything he could still possibly do at some point in the future.”

BEN MCADOO AND STEVE SPAGNUOLO AND WILL INTERVIEW FOR GIANTS JOB…
Team President/CEO John Mara confirmed on Tuesday that New York Giants Offensive Coordinator Ben McAdoo and Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will interview for the team’s head coaching vacancy sometime this week. “I’m not going to talk about specific candidates other than to say both our coordinators, both Ben and Steve, will be interviewed,” said Mara.

GIANTS REQUEST TO INTERVIEW ADAM GASE…
According to NFL.com, the New York  Giants have requested to interview Chicago Bears Offensive Coordinator Adam Gase for the team’s head coaching vacancy. Gase was also the offensive coordinator in Denver from 2013-14.

MARC ROSS TO INTERVIEW WITH TITANS…
According to CBS Sports, New York Giants Vice President of Player Evaluation Marc Ross will interview for the general manager position of the Tennessee Titans. Ross, who runs the team’s draft, has received interest from the Bears, Buccaneers, and Dolphins in recent years.

REPORT – CHIP KELLY NOT A CANDIDATE FOR GIANTS JOB…
According to NJ.com, ex-Eagles Head Coach Chip Kelly is not a candidate for the Giants head coaching vacancy, contradicting an earlier report from Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia.

GIANTS SIGN SIX PLAYERS TO RESERVE/FUTURE DEALS…
As is always the case once the season ends, the New York Giants have begun to prepare for the next season by signing players to reserve/future contracts. The Giants have signed the following players:

  • QB/WR/S S G.J. Kinne
  • WR Tavarres King
  • OC Shane McDermott
  • OT Jake Rodgers
  • CB Leon McFadden
  • PK Tom Obarski

All of the players except for Obarski were on the Giants’ Practice Squad. Obarski was originally signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2015 NFL Draft, but he did not make the team. Obarski has a strong leg for field goals but does not kickoff as well for distance.

ELI MANNING ON WFAN
The audio of Monday’s WFAN Radio interview with quarterback Eli Manning is available on CBS New York’s website.

ARTICLES…

As I sit back and reflect on Coach Tom Coughlin, I remember all the one on ones in your office talking football, game plan, etc. I think back to when I was named captain and I used to try and beat you to the facility. I would get there at 6, you where there. I got there at 530 and you were there. 5 am… I knew I would beat you then.. NOPE YOU WERE THERE. I remember feeling the hood of your car and it was cold. Come to find out there were nights you slept in the office. No one worked harder, no one demanded more and I LOVE YOU for it. I chose this picture for one reason and one reason only. Everyone knows you for your dedication to your team and how intense you are on the football field. But I will remember you for helping me become a man and challenging all of us to be better husbands and fathers and men. You did it the right way Coach. And you might be retiring from coaching but I'm sure this isn't a goodbye. That's not in your nature. #halloffame #5minutesearly #areyoush*ttingme

A photo posted by THEREALJUSTINTUCK91 (@therealjustintuck91) on

Dec 082015
 
Zak DeOssie, New York Giants (November 3, 2014)

Zak DeOssie – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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GIANTS PLACE LARRY DONNELL AND ZAK DeOSSIE ON INJURED RESERVE…
The New York Giants have place tight end Larry Donnell (neck) and long snapper Zak DeOssie (wrist) on season-ending Injured Reserve. Donnell injured his neck on December 1st in a game against the New Orleans Saints and has missed the last four games. DeOssie had not missed a game in his 8-year career. He appeared on the team’s injury report on Saturday with the wrist injury but played in the game against the New York Jets. According to The New York Daily News, DeOssie has ligament damage in the wrist that will require surgery.

To fill the vacant roster spots, the Giants signed cornerback Tramain Jacobs and long snapper Danny Aiken to the 53-man roster.

The Giants signed Jacobs to the Practice Squad in September, promoted him to the 53-man roster in early November, and re-signed him to the Practice Squad nine days later after he had played in two regular-season games. Jacobs was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Baltimore Ravens after the 2014 NFL Draft. He played in three games as rookie after spending nine weeks on Baltimore’s Practice Squad. Jacobs finished the season on Injured Reserve with a thigh injury. The Ravens waived Jacobs in August 2015.

Aiken was originally signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2011 NFL Draft. Since then, he has spent time with Bills (2011), New England Patriots (2011-14), and Carolina Panthers (2015). He played in 63 regular-season games and 10 postseason games for the Patriots, including Super Bowl XLVI against the Giants.

PRACTICE SQUAD MOVES…
The New York Giants have signed offensive tackle Jake Rodgers and cornerback Leon McFadden to the Practice Squad. The vacancies were created when the Giants signed linebacker James Morris and cornerback Tramain Jacobs to the 53-man roster.

Rodgers was originally drafted in the 7th round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons waived him in early September. Rodgers is a developmental prospect with a nice combination of size and athletic ability.

The Giants signed McFadden off of the Practice Squad of the Arizona Cardinals in October 2015, but waived him on December 5th after he had played in two games. McFadden was originally drafted in the 3rd round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. He played in all 16 games as a rookie with two starts. The Browns waived him in August 2014. Since then, he has spent time with the Jets, 49ers, Cardinals, and Giants. McFadden played in seven games for the 49ers in 2014. The 49ers waived him in September 2015.

RUEBEN RANDLE ON WFAN
The audio of Tuesday’s WFAN Radio interview with wide receiver Rueben Randle is available on CBS New York’s website.

NOTES…
Wide receiver Odell Beckham’s 2,459 yards is the highest total ever for a player in his first 24 games.

Beckham is the first receiver in Giants history with five consecutive 100-yard games.

Wide receiver/returner Dwayne Harris became the first player in Giants history with touchdowns on a punt return, kickoff return, and a reception in the same season.

Quarterback Eli Manning’s 72-yard touchdown pass to Beckham was his 14th career completion of at least 70 yards. The Giants have scored on all of them.

The Giants have rushed for at least 100 yards just twice in their first 12 games for the first time in their history.

ARTICLES…

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The players return to practice on Thursday to start preparing for Monday’s game against the Miami Dolphins.