The New York Giants have signed the following player to their practice squad:
*Initial reports stated the Giants had also signed running back Shawbrey McNeal, but that now appears to be incorrect.*
Other Notes:
Be sure to read Serena’s earlier post (see: Injuries and Additions, New York Giants Style).
This thread will be updated in real time (or as much as possible) throughout the day as the New York Giants chop their roster size down to 53.
Waived:
Waived/Injured:
On the Trading Block:
The New York Giants solidified their quarterback position yesterday with the acquisition of Sage Rosenfels. Rosenfels will backup Eli Manning and Rhett Bomar will drop to the third option at QB. At least they have one position figured out, because it seems like the rest are slowly dwindling on the depth chart.
On Thursday, Andre Brown sat out of the Giants final pre-season game with turf toe. I really hope I don’t have the Madden Curse here, since I just wrote about how much potential he has and how he will have a great impact this season. Turf toe is a pretty painful injury, and there’s really nothing that can be done for it aside from the standard ice and painkillers. Let’s hope for a speedy recovery because D.J. Ware suffered a concussion against the Steelers in week two of the preseason. He ran for 60 yards on 13 carries and caught one pass for eight yards before Gartrell Johnson took over. Brandon Jacobs did not get a carry. That could be due to his neck injury and Tom Coughlin not wanting to take a risk by playing him, although he looked fine against Baltimore last week, or it could be because of the comments he made about being demoted to second behind Ahmad Bradshaw. Regardless, the depth at running back is now slim. If Bradshaw can stay healthy and Jacobs can get his attitude in check and his neck fully healed, the Giants will be fine. But this pre-season has proven rough for Big Blue, so relying on “ifs” is dangerous and risky. Better to have everyone on the same page before the regular season starts next week.
Linebacker Phillip Dillard suffered a hamstring injury on Thursday as well, leaving the already depleted defense with one less man. Jonathan Goff will start after solidifying his role on Thursday, and Chase Blackburn will be the backup. Dillard, a rookie out of Nebraska, will be a nice addition to the depth at linebacker once his hamstring heals. Until then, the Giants will have to continue to pray that the remainder of the defense can stay healthy.
The final roster must be solidified by 6:00 PM tonight. They have 22 players to move off of their roster to make the final 53. Hazem posted his preditcions yesterday. You’d better believe that the Giants are ringing the phones of NFL teams all everywhere to see whether they can grab a few last minute additions and improve the secondary, special teams or just add depth to injury-ridden positions.
Special teams gained a player in the Rosenfels trade: Darius Reynaud. The Giants will use him for kick returns and punt returns. He spent two years with the Minnesota Vikings before being traded to New York yesterday, and, I believe, he is a much better option than Mario Manningham in the absence of Aaron Ross. He can also return kicks, freeing up Gartrell Johnson and DJ Ware as needed to fill in at running back. Does this answer all special teams questions? No way. The Giants will still have to figure out who works best for what play. When Ross returns, it will be a non-question for punt returns. But kick returns should go to Johnson and Ware until Reynaud can show the Giants what he’s got.
The Giants have suffered some major setbacks due to injury during training camp and pre-season games. Special teams has been somewhat addressed. The secondary needs addressed. They need depth on the offensive line and defensive line. So many issues to contend with as Big Blue gears up for final cuts and player movement. Pray. Pray hard.
Thanks in large part to WordPress not having a recovery process, Simon’s game review was lost amongst the millions of accidentally deleted website posts across the world. So rather than reading his recap, which took approximately two hours, you will be stuck with my positives and negatives, which took about two minutes.
Positives:
Ahmad Bradshaw – Most fans would agree that Bradshaw is extremely talented, but I think many fail to realize that he’s elite. His unique combination of foot work, speed and power makes him one of the most complete backs in the NFL. I’ve been saying it for two years, but in my mind he’s the next Barry Sanders.
Eli Manning – He got very little playing time, but took Big Blue right down the field for what appeared to be an easy touchdown on the Giants opening drive. After looking shaky in week three of the preseason against the Ravens, he looked much more like the Super Bowl XLII MVP last night.
Duke Callhoun – I don’t think this kid makes the Giants, but I feel comfortable saying he earned himself a spot on another team with his 76 yard, one touchdown performance.
D.J. Ware/Gartrell Johnson – Both running backs made the most of their opportunities last night and showcased their value for Big Blue. And although D.J. Ware is a favorite here at Giants 101 (thanks in large part to his interaction with the writers), I’d have to say Johnson looks to be the more valuable of the two.
Bryan Kehl – Holy moly, where did that effort suddenly come from? We’ve been waiting for this guy to step up and he certainly did last night. Not only did he lead the team in tackles, he really buckled down and made some amazing plays along the goal-line that prevented New England from scoring.
Jonathan Goff - It might have been against some second, third and never-stringers, but Goff looked quite impressive at times and undoubtedly eased a little stress amongst Giants fans.
Other Notables – Hakeem Nicks, Shawn Andrews, Antrel Rolle, Kenny Phillips (kid was hitting hard), Mathias Kiwanuka, Michael Boley and Seth Williams.
Negatives:
Tim Brown – The kid looked amazing in camp, but he just didn’t blow anyone away in the preseason. After an extremely poor performance last night, and with Sinorice Moss on IR, it’s safe to assume Victor Cruz is assured of a job.
Courtney Brown – C.C., is that you? Awww you almost got us! Be gone!
Derek Hagan – Dropsies! See you on Special Teams.
Will Beatty – I am extremely disappointed in his regression this season. I truly expected so much more, but it just doesn’t seem to be translating.
Kickoff Coverage – Yuck. That’s all I have to say about that.
Mixed:
Rhett Bomar – This kid is a bit of an enigma. One second he can look amazingly talented, the next second he’s holding onto the ball too long, overthrowing it, dropping down sidearmed, getting it batted down…it’s baffling really. He’s clearly a project, but one worth taking on. Unfortunately, he’s not yet valuable en0ugh to be the Giants’ number two man.
Matt Dodge – The guy has progressed each and every week, but he’s still a tad inconsistent. His punting was great on Thursday night, but botching a snap on an extra point is no good.
The New York Giants come into their final preseason game with a little more uncertainty than they are used to. The first unit has had struggles on both sides of the football throughout the preseason, and there is still some concern about depth at certain positions. There have been rumblings that New York could be looking around the league after final cuts for some help at quarterback and in the secondary, and tonight’s game will certainly have a considerable impact on what this roster looks like going into the week one showdown with Carolina.
Today, we look at what Tom Coughlin and the Giants need to find out, and accomplish in their preseason finale.
Play the Starters Limited Snaps, Get in Rhythm
Eli Manning and the first unit offense had a lot of trouble getting going against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, and the group really didn’t find much more success against the Steelers or Jets in their previous preseason games. Now those are three very good defenses, but the fact of the matter is this – with the injuries and inconsistency across the offensive line, this group has really been unable to get in sync, and that’s an issue going into the regular season. Two strong series’ for the starters could go a long way in building confidence for this team going into week one.
Decide on Keith Bulluck
Bulluck is expected to be the starter in the middle for the New York Giants this season, but Tom Coughlin will have to decide whether or not Bulluck is physically ready to be the starter and play a full four quarters of football in week one. If Bulluck can show Coughlin aggressiveness and a consistent motor, he should be the guy in the middle against the Carolina Panthers on September 12th.
Sort Out the Return Game
The Giants return game is clearly not the strongest unit of their football team. Punt and kick returns have been mediocre for the majority of preseason, and no one has emerged as the clear number one returner with the loss of Domenik Hixon.
Is Rhett Bomar Enough?
Bomar will once again play extensively tonight, and he will have to come out and make the Giants decision a little bit easier as to whether or not they should pursue help at backup quarterback. With Jim Sorgi being placed on IR this week, the Giants are down to just Bomar behind Eli Manning – and the second year signal-caller has had an up and down preseason performance to this point. He’s struggled with accuracy and completing the intermediate pass, but Bomar has also showed flashes of ability in getting the team points with his mobility and the big play.
Decide on the #5 Cornerback
Let’s just put this on the table because there really is no other way to put it – Courtney Brown has been absolutely undressed in every game he’s played for this team this August. The depth at cornerback looks very shaky, and while the Giants would like to have five or six corners going into the season, the argument can be made that they only have four legitimate NFL cornerbacks on their roster, with a struggling Bruce Johnson as the #4 guy. This could be a crucial issue for the Giants – as Corey Webster and Aaron Ross have both had significant injury issues in previous years.
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