Mar 112016
 

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PRINCE AMUKAMARA SIGNS WITH JAGUARS…
New York Giants unrestricted free agent cornerback Prince Amukamara has signed a 1-year contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Financial terms of the deal are not yet known.

The 26-year old Amukamara was drafted in the 1st round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Giants. In his five seasons with the team, he has stayed healthy for a full 16-game schedule just once (2013). He missed most of his rookie season with a broken foot, battled high ankle sprain and hamstring injuries in 2012, and missed half of the 2014 season with a torn biceps muscle.

Amukamara was off to a strong start in 2015 until he tore his pectoral muscle in Week 5. He missed the next five games, and when he returned, Amukamara did not play as effectively. He played in 11 games with 10 starts, and finished the season with 63 tackles, 10 pass defenses, 1 interception, and 1 forced fumble.

ROBERT AYERS SIGNS WITH BUCCANEERS…
New York Giants unrestricted free agent defensive end Robert Ayers has signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The contract is reportedly a 3-year, $21 million deal that includes $10.5 million in guaranteed money.

The 30-year old Ayers was originally drafted in the 1st round of the 2009 NFL by the Broncos. He signed with the Giants as a free agent in April 2014. In his first year with the Giants in 2014, Ayers started 1-of-12 games before being placed on Injured Reserve with a torn pectoral muscle. Despite missing four games early in the season with a hamstring injury, Ayers had his best NFL season in 2015, starting 11-of-12 games and finishing with career highs in tackles (41), sacks (9.5), pass defenses (4), and forced fumbles (2).

MARCH 11, 2016 NEW YORK GIANTS FREE AGENT NEWS AND RUMORS…
The official NFL free agency signing period began on Wednesday. Here is the latest news and rumors regarding the New York Giants:

  • Multiple media sources report unrestricted free agent left tackle Russell Okung (Seattle Seahawks) visited the New York Giants on Friday, but left without a contract. He will next meet with the Detroit Lions on Saturday. The Seahawks and 49ers are also said to be interested in his services. Okung is representing himself in contract negotiations. The 28-year old Okung was originally drafted in the 1st round (6th overall pick) of the 2010 NFL Draft. Okung needed left shoulder surgery to repair a dislocation suffered in the 2015 playoffs and reportedly is still recovering from that procedure.
  • The NFL Network is reporting that the New York Giants are one of three teams “in the mix” for the services of unrestricted free agent safety Chris Conte (Tampa Bay Buccaneers). The other two teams are the Buccaneers and Saints. The 27-year old Conte was originally drafted in the 3rd round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He signed with the Buccaneers in March 2015. In his five NFL seasons, Conte has played in 71 regular-season games with 65 starts, including 13 starts in 2015 when he accrued 79 tackles, six pass defenses, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles.
  • The New York Daily News is reporting that the New York Giants have expressed interest in unrestricted free agent safety Reggie Nelson (Cincinnati Bengals). However, the paper also says the Giants do not consider safety a “high priority”. The 32-year old Nelson was originally drafted in the 1st round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Since 2010, he has played for the Bengals. In 2015, Nelson made the Pro Bowl after starting all 16 regular-season games and finishing with 77 tackles, 14 pass defenses, and eight interceptions.
  • FOXSports out of Indianapolis is reporting that the New York Giants have expressed interest in unrestricted free agent linebacker Jerrell Freeman (Indianapolis Colts). Freeman is meeting with the Chicago Bears on Friday and the Atlanta Falcons are also said to be interested. The 29-year old Freeman was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Tennessee Titans after the 2008 NFL Draft but he did not make the team. Freeman played for the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2009-2011 before joining the Colts in 2012. In the last four seasons, Freeman has started all 57 regular-season games he has played in with Indianapolis, including 13 in 2015, when his finished the season with 112 tackles, three sacks, and one interception.

NO COMPENSATORY DRAFT PICKS FOR GIANTS…
As expected, the New York Giants were not awarded any compensatory draft picks for 2015 free agent losses. Compensatory picks are awarded to teams that have lost more qualifying free agents than they gained the previous year in free agency.

ARTICLES…

Mar 102016
 
Keenan Robinson, Washington Redskins (October 4, 2015)

Keenan Robinson – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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GIANTS SIGN LB KEENAN ROBINSON…
Multiple media sources are reporting that the New York Giants have signed unrestricted free agent middle linebacker Keenan Robinson (Washington Redskins). The contract is reportedly a 1-year deal worth up to $3.5 million.

The 26-year old Robinson was originally drafted in the 4th round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He has been an injury-plagued player who has missed time in 2012 (four games with right pectoral tear), 2013 (entire season with left pectoral tear), 2014 (three games with a knee injury), and 2015 (four games with shoulder and injuries). Robinson’s best season was in 2014 when he started all 13 games he played in and finished the year with 109 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and one interception. He played in 12 games with eight starts in 2015 and finished with 63 tackles and one interception.

Robinson has a nice combination of overall athleticism and size. Versatile, he can play inside and outside linebacker. Robinson is an instinctive, productive player who plays with a reckless style. He is more of a run-and-hit linebacker than stout run defender at the point-of-attack. He needs to improve his overall tackling consistency. Robinson is solid in pass coverage.

YouTube video highlights of Robinson:

  • Keenan Robinson 2014 Season Highlights (Video)
  • Keenan Robinson Highlights (Video)

MARCH 10, 2016 NEW YORK GIANTS FREE AGENT NEWS AND RUMORS…
The official NFL free agency signing period began on Wednesday. Here is the latest news and rumors regarding the New York Giants:

  • New York Giants unrestricted free agents defensive end Robert Ayers and cornerback Prince Amukamara are visiting the Jacksonville Jaguars.
  • The New York Giants had reportedly expressed interest in unrestricted free agent cornerback Sean Smith (Kansas City Chiefs), but he has signed with the Oakland Raiders.

GARY JETER PASSES AWAY…
Gary Jeter, who played defensive end for the New York Giants from 1977 to 1982, has passed away at the age of 61. Jeter was originally drafted in the 1st round of the 1977 draft by the Giants. He finished his playing career with the Los Angeles Rams (1983-1988) and New England Patriots (1989).

ARTICLES…

Mar 092016
 
Olivier Vernon, Miami Dolphins (January 3, 2016)

Olivier Vernon – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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GIANTS AGREE TO TERMS WITH OLIVIER VERNON…
Multiple media sources are reporting that the New York Giants have agreed to terms with unrestricted free agent defensive end Olivier Vernon (Miami Dolphins). The contract is reportedly a 5-year, $85 million deal that includes $52.5 million in guaranteed money. The Jacksonville Jaguars were very much in play for his services as well.

The 25-year old Vernon was originally drafted in the 3rd round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Dolphins. In the last three seasons, he has played in every regular-season game with 46 starts, averaging 55 tackles and 8.5 sacks per year. Vernon is a very good two-way player who is disruptive against both the run and the pass. He can get heat on the quarterback from both the end and tackle positions, similar to Justin Tuck, and gets a lot of hits on the quarterback.

VICTOR CRUZ AND GIANTS WORKING ON NEW DEAL…
The Bergen Record is reporting that wide receiver Victor Cruz and the New York Giants are working on a re-structured contract that will keep him with the team in 2016. The Record’s source is optimistic the deal will be completed. Cruz is currently set to count $9.9 million against the team’s 2016 NFL cap. It has been speculated that if Cruz, who missed most of the last two seasons with serious leg injuries, does not accept a pay cut, he may be released from the Giants.

MARCH 9, 2016 NEW YORK GIANTS FREE AGENT NEWS AND RUMORS (PART III)…
March 9th marks the official beginning of free agency as teams can begin to sign free agents of other teams at 4:00 PM. Here is the latest:

  • New York Giants unrestricted free agent Robert Ayers is visiting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
  • The New York Giants had reportedly expressed interest in unrestricted free agents wide receiver Mohamed Sanu (Cincinnati Bengals), right tackle Mitchell Schwartz (Cleveland Browns), and right tackle Bobby Massie (Arizona Cardinals), but all three players signed with other teams.

JASON PIERRE-PAUL COMMENTS ON HIS RETURN TO THE GIANTS…
As previously reported, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has re-signed with the New York Giants. The contract was reportedly a 1-year, $10.5 million deal. Pierre-Paul suffered serious and permanent injuries to his right hand from a July 4th fireworks accident, including the amputation of his index finger and severe damage to his thumb and middle finger. He returned to the playing field halfway through the 2015 season, wearing a large club that made it impossible for him to grab and tackle with his right hand. Pierre-Paul started the eight games he played in and finished the season with 26 tackles, 1 sack, and 6 pass defenses.

“I have one year to prove myself, but all I need is one,” Pierre-Paul said. “I appreciate the Giants allowing me to come back and play here. But it was my decision. I have unfinished business. I know for a fact that I can play better than I did last year. My main goal is to get on the field this year without the club and play some good football. We’ll see from there.”

Pierre-Paul underwent additional surgery on his right hand after the season in the hopes that he can shed the club and wear a glove.

“It’s definitely going to help,” Pierre-Paul said of the surgery. “I’ll be able to grab. Now I’ll be able to open my hand up. My fingers are straight, and I’ll be fine. You’re limited with the club. I’d rather play with one finger than have a club on. Even with the club, even with my injury, I’m still the best at my position. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here. I think I played pretty well. With the club, people didn’t expect me to play the way I played. I played every down. It was just eight games – I was just getting started.

“I want to be a part of the turnaround. I want to bring my game to another level. With the injury I had, I want to show people that at the end of the day, no matter what happens, you can overcome it in life. I missed training camp (last offseason), I missed a lot of things. As much as I hate training camp, you need it. That’s two years that I missed training camp, one with my back surgery and another with my hand. Hopefully, this will be an injury-free season, and I’ll be out there playing great football.”

Mar 072016
 
George Iloka, Cincinnati Bengals (September 20, 2015)

George Iloka – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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MARCH 7, 2016 NEW YORK GIANTS FREE AGENT RUMORS…
While players can not officially sign until March 9th, Monday unofficially marked the beginning of free agency as teams can now negotiate with free agents of other teams. Here is the latest:

  • ESPN is reporting that free agent defensive end Charles Johnson, who was recently cut by the Carolina Panthers in a salary cap-related move, met with the New York Giants on Sunday and Monday. If the Giants and Johnson do not agree on a contract, he is reportedly scheduled to meet with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next. From 2010-2014, Johnson averaged 43 tackles and 10.5 sacks per year. Those numbers plummeted in 2015 when Johnson missed seven regular-season games with a hamstring injury and finished the year with 12 tackles and one sack. He had an excellent game in the Super Bowl with five tackles, one sack, and a forced fumble. Overall, Johnson accrued nine tackles, three sacks, and two forced fumbles in three post-season games last season.
  • Following up on yesterday’s update, there is no new information on free agent defensive end Mario Williams visiting the Giants. BleacherReport.com is reporting that the Giants, Dolphins, and Jaguars are interested in Williams, who supposedly is seeking a $10 million-per-year contract. The 31-year old Williams was recently released by the Bills. Miscast in a 3-4 defense, Williams started 15 games for the Bills in 2015 and finished the season with just 19 tackles and five sacks. From 2012-2014, Williams averaged 34 tackles and 13 sacks per season. He is a four-time Pro Bowler (2008, 2009, 2013, 2014) and was first-team All Pro in 2014.
  • The New York Daily News is reporting that the New York Giants are interested in Atlanta Falcons unrestricted free agent defensive end Adrian Clayborn. Several other teams are also said to be interested in Clayborn, who was originally drafted in the 1st round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He missed most of the 2012 season with a knee injury and most of the 2014 season with a biceps injury. The Falcons signed Clayborn as a free agent in 2015. Last season, he played in all 16 regular-season games with four starts, finishing the year with 15 tackles and three sacks.
  • The Cincinnati Enquirer is reporting that the New York Giants are one of several teams interested in Cincinnati Bengals unrestricted free agent safety George Iloka. The 25-year old Iloka was originally drafted in the 5th round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He has started all 44 regular-season games he played in the last three seasons, including 12 games in 2015 where he accrued 47 tackles and one interception.
  • The Cleveland Plains Dealer is reporting that the New York Giants have expressed interest in Cleveland Browns unrestricted free agent Mitchell Schwartz, the brother of recently-waived guard Geoff Schwartz. The 26-year old Schwartz was originally drafted in the 2nd round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Browns. He has started every game during his first four years in the NFL.
  • The St. Paul Pioneer Press is reporting that the New York Giants have expressed interest in Minnesota Vikings unrestricted free agent offensive guard Mike Harris. The 27-year old Harris was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the San Diego Chargers after the 2012 NFL Draft. He started all 16 regular-season games for the Vikings in 2015.
  • A media report out of Arizona says the Cardinals are interested in signing New York Giants unrestricted free agent defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul.
  • BleacherReport.com is reporting that New York Giants unrestricted free agent defensive end Robert Ayers is seeking a $10 million-per-year contract.

GIANTS AND VICTOR CRUZ TALK RESTRUCTURING…
ESPN.com is reporting that the New York Giants had discussions last week with the representatives for wide receiver Victor Cruz about restructuring his contract. Cruz is currently set to count $9.9 million against the team’s 2016 NFL cap, the second most by a player after quarterback Eli Manning. It has been speculated that if Cruz does not accept a pay cut, he may be released from the Giants. Cruz recently said that he believed there was an “80 percent” chance he would return to Giants.

Cruz did not play in any preseason or regular-season games in 2015. Cruz was placed on Injured Reserve in November 2015 due to a left calf injury suffered in August that never healed and required surgery. It is the third leg injury that Cruz has suffered since signing his big 6-year contract in July 2013, including arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in 2013 and career-threatening patellar tendon surgery on his right knee in 2014.

ARTICLES…

Feb 292016
 
Robert Ayers, New York Giants (November 15, 2015)

Robert Ayers – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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LATEST NEW YORK GIANTS FREE AGENT RUMORS…
NFL free agency begins on March 9th, although teams can are officially allowed to start talking to players on other teams on March 7th. NJ.com is reporting the following:

  • The New York Giants would like to re-sign unrestricted free agent defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul to a 1-year, “prove it” contract. If Pierre-Paul can get a longer term deal on the open market, he is likely gone. Pierre-Paul’s camp believes he will be offered $10 million per year on the open market.
  • There may be a strong market for unrestricted free agent defensive end Robert Ayers, who the Giants would also like to re-sign.
  • There is not much noise about unrestricted free agent cornerback Prince Amukamara. The Giants want Amukamara to gauge his value on an open market that may have a number of quality cornerbacks available. The Giants are first focusing on addressing their front seven on defense in free agency.
  • The Giants are going to let unrestricted free agent place kicker Josh Brown test the market. They would like to re-sign Brown, but if he can get a multi-year deal from another team, they will apparently let him go.

ARTICLES…

Feb 252016
 
Jerry Reese, New York Giants (February 25, 2016)

Jerry Reese – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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JERRY REESE PRESS CONFERENCE AT NFL COMBINE…
New York Giants Senior Vice President and General Manager Jerry Reese addressed the press at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis on Thursday. The video of the media session is also available at Giants.com.

Good afternoon. We finally got our coaching staff together – got a full roster of coaches now. Coach McAdoo and the coaches have hit the ground running and they’ve been working hard looking at free agents and obviously starting on the Draft. Our personnel department is working hard as well. Our scouts are here and our pro personnel guys are working hard on free agency back at Quest (Quest Diagnostics Training Center). I’ll open up for any questions.

Q: Is one of the challenges of having a lot of cap space are that maybe the best players don’t make it to the market?

A: Well whoever makes it to the market makes it to the market. We have a little bit of money to spend this time, and we’ll try to spend it wisely on the players that make it to the market. I’m sure there will be plenty of players that don’t make it, people try to keep their best players. But whoever is out there, we’ll try our best to get some of the best players available.

Q: When it comes to the draft right now, are you thinking more you’re going to go with the best available player or you’re going to go with a need position?

A: We’re going to try to go with the best player available.

Q: What’s your evaluation of the running back position group on your roster as it stands?

A: Our running backs on our roster as it stands? We have some solid runners on our roster. We have four good guys, I think we have four pros on our roster. We’ll continue to look in the draft, look in free agency, but we think we have four capable guys.

Q: You have 50 or 60 million dollars under the salary cap, what is it you try to accomplish in free agency with that space?

A: We’re going to try to get good players. Like always, we’ll try to look out there and see what’s available for us. First, see who hits the market, and we’ll try to get the best players available.

Q: What are the Lions getting in Matt Harriss, and how excited are you to replace him with a guy like Martin Mayhew?

A: Matt Harriss is a guy that cut his teeth with us. Young kid that came in and really did a tremendous job. We’re happy and proud for him that he’s going over to the Lions, they really have a good employee with Matt. He’ll do a tremendous job for the Lions. In turn, we were able to hire Martin Mayhew, who is completely qualified to do any job in the front office. We think he’ll bring a lot to the table for us.

Q: With that money you have available, is extending some of the younger guys you have on your roster something you would consider doing?

A: Yeah, we’ll keep all our options open with respect to that.

Q: Just like shopping, the more you have, the more counters you can go to. Do you think you can be a big player for a certain number of guys if you wanted to?

A: Again, we’re pretty healthy with our cap situation right now. We have to wait and see who’s going to hit the market. We’ll definitely look in the market and see if there’s players available for us to recruit. Hopefully we will be able to land some guys if some guys are available.

Q: Ben said yesterday Victor Cruz will absolutely be on the roster. First, do you agree with that? Second, do you anticipate any sort of restructure?

A: I’m not going to talk about the contract. Victor is under contract right now. Victor is working hard to get healthy. From everything I understand right now, he’s headed in the right direction and we’ll worry about the contract. But right now, he’s under contract. I’m not really going to talk about the contract situation with Victor right now.

Q: Do you expect he’ll be back?

A: Well he’s under contract right now. We’ll see where the process goes.

Q: Do you have any updates on the health status of Mykkele Thompson?

A: Well Mykkele Thompson, he blew out his achilles during the preseason. Everything right now, he’s getting closer, he’s working hard. Actually we had three safeties to go out before the regular season started — Mykkele Thompson, Bennett (Jackson), and (Nat) Berhe — those three young guys. So we’re hoping those guys can come back and be healthy and help us out in the secondary.

Q: At the end of the season you talked about analyzing the draft process and how you guys did that and there could be changes there. Were you able to implement anything or a little bit too quick of a turn around?

A: We’ve looked at a few things of how we’ve operated with respect to the draft. We’ll try to implement some things as we go through draft, yeah.

Q: Ben talked a lot yesterday about the run game. What’s your thoughts on the run game right now? Do guys like Andre Williams and Orleans Darkwa have a future here in New York?

A: The run game came on late the last quarter of the season. I thought the run game came on pretty strong. Hopefully we can carry over into next season and keep the run game. I think that was part of the late season, along with some defensive issues. I didn’t think we were able to run the ball like you should to close those games out. Rashad Jennings had more carries and got in a better rhythm. I think the run game will continue to progress and help us into the next season.

Q: When you look at your roster during free agency and the draft, what do you need?

A: We need good players, that’s what we need the most. We need good players, and we’ll try to look for good players at every level—offense, defense and special teams. That’s what we’ll do, that’s what’s important to us. We need help all over the roster and we’ll work hard to do that.

Q: Is signing an offensive lineman starter in free agency something you feel needs to be done now that you made those cuts last week?

A: We may have the starter on the team right now. We’ll look for a good player in free agency in the offensive line, we’ll look for good players on the offensive line in the draft. Every position, draft and free agency, we’ll look for good players.

Q: With Johnathan Hankins last year looking back, was it even a bigger blow than you thought? Where is he physically? Do you still expect him to be a major contributor?

A: Well yeah, it was tough to lose one of your big guys inside. No blow is like the blow we got in July when we got the news about Jason, that was probably the biggest blow going into the season. During the season, obviously when you lose a defensive tackle the caliber of Hankins, that’s a blow too. You got to have enough depth to continue to play football, and that’s what we need to do. We need to acquire more depth on our football team.

Q: He was viewed going into last year as one of those young cornerstone players. Do you still see him like that?

A: Yeah, he was doing a good job for us and unfortunately he had the injury. We hope that young guys like him can continue to develop and be good players for us for a long time.

Q: In free agency, how do you assess the value of players that perform well but weren’t always on the field?

A: It’s all a process. We look at what’s available in free agency, we look at what their value is to us, we look at what’s in the draft, and it’s all a process. It’s hard to explain to you exactly how we value those guys, and it’s not right to stand up here and talk about how we value players, because we don’t want to hurt anybody, any kind of way in free agency.

Q: — Inaudible—

A: Well we know him (Jason Pierre-Paul) better I think, than anybody else would know him. We’re hopeful that this procedure that he had after the season helps him with respect to the hand injury that he has. I know he’s working hard at it. After you look at that injury, it’s really, for me, people like to throw miracle around, I think it’s a miracle that he was able to walk out there and play eight games for us. It’s really unbelievable after you really see what happened to his hand.

Q: Do you have any thoughts so far about Jason’s dispute with Adam Schefter?

A: Whose dispute? No, I don’t want to comment. I don’t even know what you’re talking about.

Q: Talking about releasing Jason’s medical files.

A: Yeah, I’m not going to get into that.

Q: When your roster when you look at it, does it feel like a 6-10 club or do you think you might have something better?

A: Again, if we close out a couple of games, we could be 10-6 last season. We lost a lot of games close we had the lead going in late in the fourth quarter in a few games. We just didn’t close them out, and that’s for a number of reasons. It’s personnel, we made some bad decisions. But those kind of things — we couldn’t run the ball like we wanted to at the end of some games — and we just got to make some plays sometimes at the ends of games to close games out. A few plays here and there, we could be 10-6 instead of 6-10. That’s the way the National Football League is, there are not a lot of blowouts. You have to go in there and finish games out and we didn’t do that enough. We want to do that better this time.

Q: How realistic do you think it is to fill all your needs in free agency and having the flexibility when it comes to the draft?

A: This is the National Football League, you can get well pretty quickly in the National Football League. You can get players in free agency, you can get players in the draft, you can get players in trades. Again, we lost a lot of close games. A couple snaps here and there, our season could have went a different way, but it didn’t. We have work to do obviously, but I think we’re close enough to believe that we can compete for the NFC East. I don’t think anybody is running away with it, I think the NFC East is a close division still. I think we can put together a team that can challenge for that NFC East crown next year.

Q: Your evaluation of your group of tight ends and specifically, what is the status of Will Tye?

A: Will Tye who came on, was on the practice squad, we brought him up and he really did a nice job for us. We expect him to continue to develop and grow and be a good piece for us at that position. Larry Donnell had the neck injury, he’s coming back and hopefully he’ll be able to continue to play. We’re expecting him to be back, but necks can be tricky so we’ll have to wait and see where that goes. There’s a couple of young tight ends on the roster that we like.

Q: Is Donnell cleared right now?

A: Not yet. No.

Q: Who are the young tight ends?

A: There’s a kid named (Jerome) Cunningham…a kid named (Matt) LaCosse that’s on our roster right now.

Q: Just following up on Larry…is that something that’s a long-term concern with him?

A: Again, necks can be tricky and we’ll just see where it goes. We’ll respect what our doctors say about the neck and we’ll take extreme precaution with that. Hopefully he can get healthy and come back and continue his career.

Q: Is Ereck Flowers your left tackle moving forward?

A: Yeah, we think Ereck Flowers is a left tackle. We think he’s going to be our left tackle moving forward. He was up and down a little bit during the season. He really looked good at times, then he looked like a rookie at times. I think that rookie wall, I think he hit that at some point as well. But he’s a tough kid that stayed out there the whole time. Mike Solari is our new offensive line coach and we’re looking forward to see what he can do with him moving forward.

Q: Does Pugh stay at guard in your mind or might he move back to tackle?

A: Pugh is kind of flexible for us. He can play, obviously, both guard and both tackles. We’ll put him in the best place available for us to be successful. I’m not sure exactly where—that’s Coach McAdoo and Coach Solari—those guys will make that decision.

FREE AGENT RUMORS…
The NFL’s free agent period begins on March 9th, although teams are officially allowed to begin talking to free agents on other teams on March 7. Here are the latest rumors on the free agent front concerning the New York Giants:

  • ESPN.com is reporting that the Giants are interested in re-signing unrestricted free agent defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Robert Ayers. The team is expected to meet with representatives of both players this week.
  • NJ.com is reporting that while the Giants have expressed an interest in re-signing unrestricted free agent linebacker Jasper Brinkley, he is expected to hit the open market.

NFLPA CONFIRMS $11 MILLION SALARY CAP CARRYOVER FOR GIANTS…
The NFLPA has confirmed that $11,193,231 of the New York Giants’ unused 2015 salary cap has been carried over to 2016. The Giants are believed to be about $57 million under the current $154 million cap, though there are reports that the cap could be increased to $160 million. The Giants have the sixth-most space in the NFL after the Jaguars, Browns, Raiders, 49ers, and Titans.

Q&A WITH WR ANTHONY DABLÉ…
Meet Anthony Dable, the New York Giants’ New French Wide Receiver by VICE Sports France

ARTICLES…

Feb 162016
 
Ben McAdoo, New York Giants (January 15, 2016)

Ben McAdoo – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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GIANTS OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCE COACHING STAFF…
The New York Giants officially announced their complete coaching staff on Tuesday, confirming what had unofficially been previous reported:

  • Offensive Coordinator: Mike Sullivan (with team 2004-11, 2015)
  • Quarterbacks Coach: Frank Cignetti, Jr. (NEW)
  • Running Backs Coach: Craig Johnson (with team since 2014)
  • Wide Receivers Coach: Adam Henry (NEW)
  • Tight Ends Coach: Kevin M. Gilbride (with team since 2010)
  • Offensive Line Coach: Mike Solari (NEW)
  • Assistant Offensive Line Coach: Lunda Wells (with team since 2012)
  • Offensive Assistant: Ryan Roeder (with team since 2013)
  • Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo (with team 2007-2008, 2015)
  • Defensive Line Coach Patrick Graham (NEW)
  • Assistant Defensive Line Coach Jeff Zgonina (NEW)
  • Linebackers Coach Bill McGovern (NEW)
  • Cornerbacks Coach Tim Walton (with team since 2015)
  • Safeties Coach David Merritt (with team since 2004)
  • Defensive Assistant Rob Leonard (with team since 2013)
  • Special Teams Coordinator Tom Quinn (with team since 2006)
  • Assistant Special Teams Coach Dwayne Stukes (NEW)
  • Strength and Conditioning Coach Aaron Wellman (NEW)
  • Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Markus Paul (with team since 2007)
  • Performance Manager Joe Danos (with team since 2013)

The Giants retained their defensive and special teams coordinators while promoting Mike Sullivan to offensive coordinator. Eight of the 20 coaches are new to the organization, including three on offense, three on defense, one on special teams, and one on the strength and conditioning staff. Full resumes of each coach are available in the Coaching Staff section of the website.

“This is a new staff,” said new Head Coach Ben McAdoo said. “Nobody was retained, there were no holdovers; everyone was hired. When I sat down with everybody on the staff, that was one thing I wanted to make clear. No one was retained, no one was a holdover. Everyone was hired here as part of a new staff.

“You have a nice group of guys who I’ve worked with in the past, and then there’s some I haven’t worked with, and some I’ve admired from afar. There’s a nice mix. We talked a lot about putting a staff together that fits, number one, that has great diversity, great personality, and great character, a staff of people who can teach the game. We feel we’ve done that.

“I think we have a nice mix of youth and experience. Even our young guys tend to have some experience when you look at it. I think we have good teachers who have high character and get the game and understand what we’re looking for from a vision standpoint.”

McAdoo also made the following points regarding specific coaches:

  • On Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo: “When you look back at this past season, it was great working with Spags. He’s a tremendous leader, gets the players to play hard. We feel that if we continue to develop the young guys, add some pieces to the puzzle, and keep them playing as hard as they played last year, we’ll make progress in the second year of the system.”
  • On Offensive Coordinator Mike Sullivan: “He’s a guy, in my mind, who’s an experienced leader of men who has a championship background. He’s been in this system now for a year, and he’s familiar with the building and the people in the building, and a lot of the players in the locker room. I like that continuity there.”
  • On Quarterbacks Coach Frank Cignetti, Jr.: “Frank Cignetti Jr. is a phenomenal teacher. He grew up in a version of the system from the ground floor. He has a great understanding of what we’re looking for fundamentally from the quarterback position.”
  • On Wide Receivers Coach Adam Henry: “Adam Henry has worked his way up from a small school, I admire that about him. He’s done a tremendous job working with talented players and we’re fortunate to have him… (His relationship with wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. is) a positive, but that’s not why he got the job. He’s earned the job. Anyone that thinks that about him hasn’t seen his work. The way you look at it, he’s worked his way up from a small school and has had an opportunity to work in a lot of big programs, teaching a lot of talented players and has gotten a lot out of those players. We expect that to continue here.”
  • On Offensive Line Coach Mike Solari: “Mike Solari, I’ve admired his work from afar for a long time. He had a chance to come from this system last year. He’s one of the best in the business. I look forward to seeing what he brings to the table in developing our young players.”
  • On Defensive Line Coach Patrick Graham: “Patrick Graham, he’s a guy that cut his teeth working up from some tough jobs. He’s knowledgeable, has some grit to him, and a great personality for the room. We feel that those guys will rally around him and he’ll have the chance to develop them.”
  • On Assistant Defensive Line Coach Jeff Zgonina: “He fits the profile we were looking for with 17 years playing in the league in the trenches, which speaks volumes. He’ll add a passion for technique, and bring an energy boost to the field for us. We look forward to him getting out there and getting in the mix with Patrick Graham and spending a lot of time detailing the performance of the guys in that room. Jeff also has a year of coaching experience – that is valuable. There may be a little bit of a learning curve there, which is normal. But 17 years of him playing in the trenches is very valuable for him to lean on…When you have four guys out there at a time – maybe more, maybe less, depending on the personnel group you’re playing with – having a couple sets of eyes and ears comes in handy. Guys being able to play off of each other on the coaching staff will help. Most staffs now have two offensive line coaches and most staffs, if you’re a 3-4 (defense), have an interior coach and an outside backer coach. The way it’s gone with the four-down line teams, you either have two coaches there, or a coach and an assistant. But they’ll work hand-in-hand.”
  • On Linebackers Coach Bill McGovern: “He has a ton of coaching experience. He’s very familiar with the division. He’s going to bring great energy to the building, great energy to the staff room. That usually filters down to the locker room. I look forward to working with Bill.”
  • On Assistant Special Teams Coach Dwayne Stukes: “Dwayne’s a guy who has a lot of experience for the position he’s coming in for, assistant special teams coach. He’s highly qualified for it. I feel like he’ll be able to breathe some life into the perimeter of our special teams, and get those guys going a little bit more, and provide some juice there. He’s a nice addition for us.”
  • On Strength and Conditioning Coach Aaron Wellman: “I worked with Aaron back at Michigan State (in 2001) when we were both cutting our teeth in the business… Aaron’s a guy that is a forward-thinker. He’s advanced in the sports performance arena, but he also has an edge to him. He can be tough when he has to be. That’s hard to find in this business these days. He’s got a nice combination of both. We feel that he’ll provide a nice lift to our program.”

The next challenge for McAdoo is developing cohesion within the new coaching staff.

“I think that it takes a little while,” McAdoo said. “It’s a marriage in a lot of different ways for a lot of different guys, a lot of different positions. The most important thing is we have to get everyone in here and get everyone speaking the same language. It helps that we do have some guys who have been around, and the systems are staying the same on offense, defense and special teams.

“At the end of the day, that’s not what drives any of the decisions. Systems are systems. You can go to K-Mart and get a good system. It’s more about the leadership, the character, and the fundamentals that are being taught. We like what we see there. We like what we have there. We felt that going forward in that direction was the way to go. We just have to train everyone to speak the same language, and teach the same from a fundamentals standpoint. That should give us a head start.”

GIANTS WORK OUT TWO EUROPEAN PLAYERS…
NFLDraftDiamonds.com reports that the New York Giants will work out two European players next week, English tight end Harry Innis and French wide receiver Anthony Dablé. According to NFL Draft Diamonds:

“Innis is a 6’7 tight end who we have featured many times on NFL Draft Diamonds. Innis is a tall tight end with soft hands. He entered the new program assisted by the NFL and former NFL player Osi Umenyiora a few months ago. Innis has the same size/attributes as Rob Gronkowski. He has been playing American football overseas and was a stud for Kiel Baltic of the German Football League, and finished last season with Senajoki Crocodiles.

“Dablé (is a) 6’4 physical wide out… Dablé is a very quick player with great hands. Both players played overseas and both were standouts in their conferences.”

NFL Draft Diamonds reports that both players have received interest from multiple teams, but their first work out is with the Giants.

ARTICLES…

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 282015
 
Jason Pierre-Paul, New York Giants (November 3, 2014)

Jason Pierre-Paul– © USA TODAY Sports Images

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GIANTS REACT TO THE RETURN OF JASON PIERRE-PAUL…
As was to be expected, Head Coach Tom Coughlin was repeatedly asked about the return of defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul to the team during his press conference on Wednesday.

“(Pierre-Paul) will start with the medical team,” said Coughlin. “He can do all the jog-thru’s, he can be out there for whatever we’re doing pre-practice, then he’s going to slide off to the side with the medical people, be under their supervision. How long that lasts is really according to how well they feel he’s able to proceed. He’s told me that he’s worked against bags, he’s delivered blows on a board and done all of those things. When he came in, he looked good. I asked him what he weighed, he said 268, and he was right on the money. So he’s worked, he’s been working. We’ll just see how fast this comes along.

“(His teammates) looked forward to seeing Jason. He’s excited about being here and he’s anxious to get started. I think that’s a good thing and the rest of the guys picked up on that right away…We’re all rooting for him, to be honest with you. He had a very traumatic experience and he’s done really what appears to be an outstanding job of preparing himself. He is mentally very upbeat, his attitude is outstanding. He’s anxious to go and play right now, to be honest with you. But they’re going to go relatively slow on that. Yeah, it will be a wonderful thing to have him come back, get ready to play, and play and contribute, which is his plan.”

Coughlin was asked how the injuries might now affect his game. “I’m hoping he’s as good as (he was),” replied Coughlin. “If you’ve studied him and you watched how he maneuvers when he does rush the passer, then he’ll use that hand basically as he always has, not necessarily as a grabber, but as a club.”

Pierre-Paul now weighs 268 pounds, down 10 pounds from his previous playing weight. “It’s a good weight,” said Coughlin.

Coughlin was also asked about how much Pierre-Paul will have to catch up with Steve Spagnuolo’s defensive system. “He’s got quite a bit to catch up on,” said Coughlin. “The terminology, sure. But he’s already started on that.”

“There’s no intention right now of him playing Sunday,” said a smiling Coughlin. “He would like to play.”

Pierre-Paul was heartily welcomed back by his teammates at a team meeting on Wednesday morning.

“It was like a standing (ovation),” said cornerback Prince Amukamara. “Everyone just cheered and was excited he’s back.”

“It’s a good day to be a Giant,” said defensive end Robert Ayers when asked about Pierre-Paul. “I think he is going to shock a lot of people…He’s a guy who’s very humbled, hungry, and motivated.”

“We know what we are up front, we know what we’ve been, we know what our strengths and weaknesses have been and he can definitely come and help out and help us improve with some of our weaknesses as a D-line,” said defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins. “He’s still fast as ever, quick as ever…He looked really good out there.”

“It’s no secret that we haven’t rushed the passer as well as we’d like to and I feel like that’s something that he definitely brings to the table, will definitely instantly help us with,” said Jenkins.

“He’s very serious, a lot more quiet, focused on what he has to do because he still has a journey ahead of him,” said Jenkins. “Just because he’s back here, his road getting back hasn’t stopped. He’s still focused on getting through that road.”

NFL.com analyst Pat Kirwan has his doubts about Pierre-Paul’s future as a football player (audio from SiriusXM NFL Radio interview).

NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
WR Victor Cruz (calf), RG Geoff Schwartz (ankle), DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa (hamstring), LB Jon Beason (ankle), LB J.T. Thomas (ankle), and CB Prince Amukamara (pectoral) did not practice on Wednesday.

Head Coach Tom Coughlin already ruled out Cruz and Amukamara for this weekend’s game against the New Orleans Saints. Coughlin said Schwartz should return to practice on Thursday. Thomas was wearing a protective walking boot in the locker room, which is not a good sign for his availability on Sunday.

Because he is still on the Reserve/Physically-Unable-to-Perform (PUP) List, the Giants are not required to provide a formal update on OT Will Beatty (pectoral). Beatty returned to practice on a very limited basis last week. The Giants can only keep him on the PUP for two more weeks.

“Beatty is going to get a little bit more, little bit more, little bit more, scout team work,” said Coughlin. “I wouldn’t say (there is a possibility he might play this weekend). He’s got to start (fully practicing), he hasn’t even had shoulder pads on yet.”

LB Uani ‘Unga (neck) was limited and WR Odell Beckham (hamstring) fully practiced. “I think we’re back to the normal routine,” said Beckham who has missed most practices the past two weeks. “I don’t really quite know yet, but I definitely do feel better.”

DWAYNE HARRIS NAMED “NFC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK”…
New York Giants wide receiver/returner Dwayne Harris has been named the “NFC Special Teams Players of the Week” for his performance against his former team, the Dallas Cowboys, last Sunday. In that game, Harris scored the game-winning touchdown on a 100-yard kickoff return with seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of the contest. Harris is the first Giants player to win the special teams award since place kicker Josh Brown in Week 15 of the 2013 season. Harris previously won the award three times with the Dallas Cowboys against the Giants, Eagles, and Redskins, giving him an NFC East sweep.

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:

The audio of Wednesday’s ESPN Radio interview with wide receiver Rueben Randle is available at ESPN.com.

ARTICLES

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The Giants practice on Thursday and hold physical recovery cycles on Friday in advance of Sunday’s away game against the New Orleans Saints.

What a humbling experience this has been for me! I'd like to take the time out to thank God FIRST for giving me a second opportunity to play football. I'd also like to thank the Giants organization for believing in me to play for them again and to be alongside my brothers during the 2015 Season. Also, want to thank my Fiancé, Son, Family , Friends, Eugene Parker, Danny Martoe, Realitivity sports, Dr. Owens, Dr. Askari, Dr. Potparic, Debbie (hand therapist), Mike Alessi, Impact sports facility and staff, Coach John Blake, Pastor O'brien,Fans and everyone who was keeping me in their prayers and believed in me! God is good all the time! Have faith , patience and prayer with you always! Let's go Big Blue! #90PowerCircle #ImBack

A photo posted by Jason Pierre-Paul (@iamjasonpierrepaul) on

Sep 282015
 
Andre Williams, New York Giants (September 24, 2015)

Andre Williams – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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INJURY REPORT…
The Giants held a walk-through practice on Monday and were not required to issue an official injury report. However, it did not appear as if WR Victor Cruz (calf), RB Orleans Darkwa (knee), TE Jerome Cunningham (knee), LT Will Beatty (pectoral – on PUP), and DT Markus Kuhn (knee) did much work.

“(Cruz) worked on the side,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin, who said Cruz was scheduled to work on the side on Monday. “Hopefully he’ll be able to practice (on Wednesday).”

“I’m convinced I’m playing Sunday,” said Cruz. “I feel good. I’m excited to be out there, excited to run some routes again today. The calf felt great…I ran about 20 routes just to kind of get myself used to running routes again, get my body used to running them again, seeing how the calf felt running routes. It felt good, there were no setbacks, everything felt fluid.”

Darkwa said an MRI taken on his knee on Friday showed no structural damage and that he should be fine.

It appeared that LT Ereck Flowers (ankle), DE Robert Ayers (hamstring), DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa (foot), and CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (concussion) all participated in at least some of the walk-through practice.

“It feels better,” said Flowers. “Yeah, (the extra time) was really helpful…(This week) is what I’m working toward.”

HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN…
The transcript of Tom Coughlin’s press conference on Monday 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 Monday are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

ARTICLES

GIANTS-REDSKINS: SIGHTS AND SOUNDS…
A sights and sounds video from the Giants’ 32-21 victory over the Washington Redskins is now available at Giants.com.

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The players are off on Tuesday and return to practice on Wednesday in preparation for Sunday’s game in Buffalo against the Bills.