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.

Dec 062015
 
Josh Brown, New York Giants (December 6, 2015)

Josh Brown Misses Game-Tying Kick in OT – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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NEW YORK JETS 23 – NEW YORK GIANTS 20 (OT)…
In pattern far too commonplace this season, the New York Giants lost a heart-breaker, 23-20 in overtime, to the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium. Once again, there was a questionable late-game coaching decision and the team surrendered another double-digit 4th quarter lead. The Giants had a chance to tie the game in overtime but place kicker Josh Brown, who had been perfect all season on field goal attempts, missed from 48 yards out.

With the defeat, the Giants fell to 5-7 overall. It was the fifth time this season the Giants have lost a game in the final two minutes – tying a single-season NFL record.

Statistically, the Jets out-gained the Giants in first downs (28 to 14), total net yards (463 to 355), net yards rushing (90 to 74), net yards passing (373 to 281), and time of possession (38:31 to 29:56). The Giants were 0-for-3 in red zone opportunities  and 4-of-15 (27 percent) on third down opportunities.

Dwayne Harris, New York Giants (December 6, 2015)

Dwayne Harris – © USA TODAY Sports Images

After both teams went three-and-out and exchanged punts on their first possessions, the Jets went up 3-0 after an 11-play, 78-yard drive that set up a 24-yard field goal. Both teams then gained one first down before having to punt. The Giants went ahead 7-3 when wide receiver/returner Dwayne Harris returned a punt 80 yards for a touchdown.

The Jets and Giants exchanged punts again. The Giants got the ball back when linebacker Jasper Brinkley forced a fumble that defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul recovered. Despite beginning the possession at the Jets’ 10-yard line, the Giants were forced to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Brown to go up 10-3. Running back Andre Williams was stuffed for a 1-yard loss on 3rd-and-goal from the 1-yard line.

Odell Beckham, New York Giants (December 6, 2015)

Odell Beckham – © USA TODAY Sports Images

The Jets then proceeded to tie the game by driving 79 yards in nine plays, with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick hitting running back Bilal Powell for a 25-yard catch-and-run touchdown on 3rd-and-15. However, the Giants regained the lead on the third snap of their ensuing possession when wide receiver Odell Beckham sprinted for a 72-yard touchdown pass on 3rd-and-2. Giants were now up 17-10.

The Giants’ defense forced three-and-out with 1:42 left in the half. The Giants were able gain 50 yards in six pays, primarily on tight end Will Tye’s 45-yard catch-and-run, to set up a successful 35-yard field goal with 30 seconds left.

At the half, the Giants led 20-10.

Neither team scored in the 3rd quarter. After both teams punted, the Giants began a marathon, 17-play drive that continued midway into the 4th quarter and took an astounding 11 minutes and 21 seconds off of the clock. The turning point in the game came at this moment. Facing a 4th-and-2 from the Jets’ 4-yard line with 8:50 left in the game, Head Coach Tom Coughlin decided to go for it instead of attempting a short field goal that would have put the Giants up by 13 points. Manning’s pass intended for wide receiver Rueben Randle was intercepted and returned to the Jets’ 14-yard line.

The Jets then proceeded to cut the score to 20-13 by driving 80 yards in 12 plays to set up a 24-yard field goal with 4:24 left to play. Needing to run some time off of the clock, the Giants could not and were forced to punt after a three-and-out.

The Jets started their final drive in regulation at their own 29-yard line with 2:40 left to play. Just like the other five late-game collapses, the defense could not hold. The Jets drove 71 yards in 10 plays to tie the game 20-20. On this drive, the Jets converted on 4th-and-6 when Fitzpatrick scrambled for 15 yards. The game-tying touchdown was a 9-yard pass from to wide receiver Brandon Marshall with 27 seconds left.

The Jets won the toss in overtime and drove 61 yards in 13 plays to set up what would be the game-winning 31-yard field goal. Per the new overtime rules, the Giants were given one opportunity to tie or win the game. After a 43-yard kickoff return by Harris, the Giants could only pick up one first down on a 4th-and-6 pass to Beckham that gave the Giants the ball at the Jets’ 34-yard line. But the Giants could only gain four more yards before Brown’s 48-yard game-tying field goal attempt. That kick went wide left.

Offensively, Manning finished the game 18-of-34 for 297 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Beckham caught 6 passes for 149 yards and 1 touchdown. No other receiver caught more than three passes and no running back rushed for more than 23 yards.

Defensively, while the Giants accrued 3 sacks and 9 quarterback hits, Fitzpatrick completed 36-of-50 passes for 390 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Both wide receiver Brandon Marshall (12 catches for 131 yards) and Eric Decker (8 catches for 101 yards) had over 100 yards receiving. Powell also caught 8 passes for 91 yards at running back for the Jets.

Video highlights/lowlights are available at Giants.com.

INJURY REPORT…
Left tackle Ereck Flowers was carted off of the field with a left ankle injury in the 3rd quarter and did not return. He was spotted in a boot and on crutches after the game.

Quarterback Eli Manning had x-rays after the game on an undisclosed body part but claimed he was OK. “Everything’s good,” said Manning. “Just to see if anything was broken, but all good. You can ask Coach about it.”

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

POST-GAME NOTES…
Inactive for the Giants were TE Larry Donnell (neck), RT Marshall Newhouse (back), LB Devon Kennard (hamstring/foot), S Brandon Meriweather (knee), DE George Selvie, WR Geremy Davis, and OT Emmett Cleary.

Rookie Bobby Hart started at right tackle.

Six of the New York Giants’ seven losses have been by a total of 18 points.

This was the third time this season the Giants led by at least 10 points in the fourth quarter and were unable to close out their opponent.

Quarterback Eli Manning increased his career yardage total to 43,073. That moved him past Hall of Famer Dan Fouts and into 11th place on the NFL’s career list.

Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. had his fifth consecutive game with at least 100 receiving yards. He is the first Giants receiver in history to do that in a single season. Beckham has 169 career receptions, the highest total in history by an NFL player in his first two seasons. Beckham has scored 10 touchdowns for the second consecutive season.

Wide receiver/returner Dwayne Harris is the third player in Giants’ history with kickoff and punt return touchdowns in the same season, and the first to do it in 60 years.

JAMES MORRIS PROMOTED TO 53-MAN ROSTER, LEON McFADDEN CUT…
On Saturday, the New York Giants signed linebacker James Morris to the 53-man roster from the Practice Squad. To make room for Morris, the team waived cornerback Leon McFadden.

ARTICLES…

Oct 212015
 


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GIANTS SIGN CB LEON McFADDEN…
The New York Giants have signed cornerback Leon McFadden off of the Practice Squad of the Arizona Cardinals. The roster moves fills the vacancy on the 53-man roster created when the team waived safety Cooper Taylor on Tuesday.

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, and Cardinals. McFadden played in seven games with no starts for the 49ers in 2014. The 49ers waived him in September 2015. McFadden is an average-sized corner (5’10”, 190 pounds) with good quickness.

PRACTICE SQUAD MOVES…
The New York Giants have re-signed tight end Jerome Cunningham and offensive guard Adam Gettis to the Practice Squad. The Giants also terminated the Practice Squad contract of offensive tackle Xavier Proctor. The other Practice Squad vacancy was created when the Giants signed cornerback Brandon McGee from the Practice Squad to the 53-man roster on Sunday.

The Giants waived Cunningham from the 53-man roster on Sunday in order to make room for McGhee. Gettis was released from the Practice Squad last Thursday to make room for Proctor.

INJURY REPORT – AMUKAMARA RULED OUT AGAIN…
WR Odell Beckham (hamstring), WR Victor Cruz (calf), CB Prince Amukamara (pectoral), CB Trumaine McBride (groin), and CB Trevin Wade (concussion) did not practice on Wednesday.

Amukamara has already been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.

WR Rueben Randle (hamstring), DE Robert Ayers (hamstring), LB Devon Kennard (hamstring), LB Uani ‘Unga (neck), and LB Jonathan Casillas (neck) practiced on a limited basis.

OT Will Beatty (pectoral) returned to practice on a limited basis, performing in individual drills, but remains on the Reserve/Physically-Unable-to-Perform (PUP) List. Since he has now returned to the practice field, the Giants can keep him on that list for only three more weeks.

HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN…
The transcript of Tom Coughlin’s press conference on Wednesday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available at Giants.com.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
The following transcripts and video of player media sessions on Wednesday are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

ARTICLES

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The Giants practice on Thursday and hold physical recovery cycles on Friday in advance of Sunday’s home game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Back where I'm supposed to be. Thanks for all the love and support everyone.

A video posted by Daniel Fells (@danielfells85) on