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Raissman: Giants coach Pat Shurmur better learn to dish up some real talk or he'll wind up another McAdoo By Bob Raissman Sep 22, 2018 | 11:05 PM Pat Shurmur would have been better off feeding media whale Mike (Sports Pope) Francesa a few spontaneous, substantive answers rather than sticking to coach-speak script during his recent weekly WFAN interview. The spot was similar to the sessions Shurmur holds with boss scribes who cover the Giants. During his press conferences, seen on MSG, Shurmur does not present a tough guy façade behind the microphone. He does project a likeable, grounded presence. Yet the coach has willfully chosen to put reporters on a starvation diet. They ask the same questions in different ways and get mostly nothing out of him. Once in a while he’ll react by rolling his eyes or asking a reporter what he or she is trying to get at. Shurmur knows better. He definitely knows the difference between direct, meaningful answers and the crap he’s been serving up. Paid Post What Is This? At one point during his spot with the pontiff, (he also asked the same question multiple times in different ways and couldn’t get one straight answer) Shurmur said: “I apologize. This probably doesn’t make for a very good interview. I get it.” Think about that. Shurmur is getting paid to do these FAN interviews with Francesa and admits his answers are not very good. Maybe we shouldn’t be so surprised. In an interview last January with veteran NFL writer and former Daily News NFL columnist Gary Myers, Mike Holmgren who hired Shurmur to coach Cleveland, said the coach let the Cleveland media bug him. “He read everything. He knew everything that was said,” Holmgren told Myers. “I told him, ‘You can’t let it get to you. Don’t create an adversarial situation.’ I tried to counsel him that way.” “If he couldn’t handle the Cleveland media, what’s gonna happen in New York?” Myers wrote. The answer to that question will come even more into focus should the 0-2 Giants fall to 0-3 by losing to the winless Texans on Sunday. After a week of the media playing the blame game (Is it Eli or the offensive line?), would a loss force Shurmur to be candid when it comes to dissecting another debacle? Or would he circle the Big Blue wagons and be even more evasive and scripted? Up to this point, Shurmur has done nothing to cultivate any media allies. Should the Giants continue to lose, when expectations were once so high, he’s going to need some. Recent history shows this. When his world was tumbling down, no one in the media had Ben McAdoo’s back. He had not created any relationships or media allies. McAdoo had done nothing to keep anyone from piling on or being a conduit for his side of the story. If Shurmur doesn’t alter his media style, he could find himself alone on the same island. TALK AIN'T CHEAP, OR INTERESTING It’s not only Shurmur who is getting paid by local radio suits in return for delivering nothing. Todd Bowles (ESPN-98.7) fits into that category. So does Eli Manning. When it comes to radio interviews, the Giants QB is the highest paid. Radio moles say Manning gets between $180,000 and $225,000 for appearing a few minutes each week with Francesa during the football season. That’s more dough than most of the on-air personalities make in a year. Bowles and Shurmur ain’t making that kind of moo-la-dee. Their radio earnings are likely part of their overall coaching contracts with the Jets and the Giants. The brass at 98.7 and FAN believe these Giants and Jets paid interviews attract added listenership. Over many moons no one has ever proven to us that this premise is true.

Leonard: Eli Manning's and Giants' offensive futility is unacceptable now after all the moves they've made By Pat Leonard Sep 16, 2018 | 11:25 PM ARLINGTON, Tex. — Unacceptable. The Giants are not allowed to put a product this poor on the field anymore. This 20-13 loss to the Cowboys was too much. Not after a 3-13 season in 2017. Not after blowing up their front office and coaching staff and retooling the roster around Eli Manning to make a playoff run now. Not after drafting Saquon Barkley No. 2 overall to jumpstart the offense. Not with Odell Beckham Jr. healthy and capable of taking over games. How then, could this happen on Sunday night, on national television against an unimposing Cowboys team? How could GM Dave Gettleman overhaul this roster in his preferred image and rid the locker room of last year’s bad influences, and assemble a team so similarly lifeless and hopeless on offense and prone to huge mistakes? Not only does this type of performance not suffice for a team with playoff aspirations. It doesn’t even suffice for an NFL team with aspirations of simply winning a game. Naturally, plenty Giants players were ticked off. “Just not good enough,” Manning said. “Obviously guys are disappointed, some guys are getting frustrated — as we should. But we can’t let that affect our preparation or our practices. We’ve got to bounce back. … Nothing is going to get fixed by complaining. We just need to step it up, make a difference and fix some things.” The futility of Pat Shurmur’s offense is most jarring, of course, with Manning checking down all of his passes even when he has time, and the offensive line proving ill-equipped to handle even the simplest pass rush ploys, surrendering six sacks. “We didn’t do anything well enough on offense to win this game,” Shurmur said. Rookie guard Will Hernandez added: “It’s just unacceptable. We have to get better, and we have to win.” Janoris Jenkins and the Giants defense did set the night’s ugly tone by giving up a 64-yard Dak Prescott touchdown pass to Tavon Austin on the Cowboys’ third play from scrimmage. Jenkins said he slipped. James Bettcher’s D, despite settling in through the middle of the game, also did not force a turnover and then allowed Prescott to engineer a 14-play, 82-yard fourth-quarter drive to eat up 8:23 of clock for an Ezekiel Elliott touchdown at 5:51 to shut the door on the game at 20-3. The offense’s ineptitude, though, was this game’s story and especially striking coming off of Ben McAdoo’s offense’s embarrassing performance last season. Except on Sunday night the Giants had a healthy Beckham and their prized new back in Barkley and still were easily bottled up. “Obviously guys are disappointed, some guys are getting frustrated — as we should."Eli Manning Manning’s drought to open the season without a touchdown pass dragged to 118 minutes and 28 seconds until he hit Evan Engram for an 18-yard TD to draw within 20-10 with 1:32 to play. And the Giants’ offensive players and Shurmur acknowledged that the Cowboys simply sat back with two deep safeties and forced the Giants to throw underneath. And save for a 37-yard completion to Cody Latimer (his first target of the season) in the third quarter, the Giants couldn’t push the ball down the field. Sterling Shepard didn’t have a single target until two minutes remained in the first half. “You’ve just got to get it to your playmakers and you’ve got to make a play. That’s the bottom line,” Shepard said when asked how to combat the Cowboys’ defense. “I couldn’t give it to you schematically on how to do that, but when I look at it, that’s what I see: just get it to your playmakers and let ’em go make plays.” After Ben McAdoo’s 2017 Giants lost 19-3 here in Week 1, Sunday’s lack of production felt especially nauseating because the Giants paid Beckham all that money on his contract extension but weren’t able to free him or target him frequently enough to take advantage of the talent that erupted for 11 catches and 111 yards in the Week 1 20-15 home loss to the Jaguars. “Whatever it is we need to do, we need to find it soon,” Beckham said. “They just outplayed us, plain and simple.” It began with Manning frequently checking the ball down early, often to Barkley, even when he had good protection from his line. But that protection would not last. Manning eventually took hits and sacks from all sides, sacked four times in the first half alone. Nate Solder, Hernandez, Patrick Omameh and Ereck Flowers all were victimized by DeMarcus Lawrence, Taco Charlton and the Cowboys’ front. Hernandez’s mistake led to a Manning third-quarter fumble. Fullback Shane Smith also was responsible for two sacks surrendered in one drive alone late in the first half. Center Jon Halapio was seemingly the only lineman not directly victimized on a pass rush, but when he badly injured his right leg and was carted off in the third quarter, it took backup center John Greco only two plays to get beaten on the rush. Lawrence flushed Manning from the pocket, and Manning took a major hit from LB Jaylon Smith. Linemen like Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg were bid good riddance essentially when the Giants let them walk in free agency in the offseason, but those were two good players and the line that remains so far has been worse. The Giants’ offense gained only 79 yards in the first half on 32 plays, good for 2.5 yards per play. They went 2-for-9 on third downs in the half, largely because either Manning consistently threw the ball below the first-down marker or because the Cowboys disrupted with pressure up front. Barkley tied a rookie record with 14 receptions but it amounted to only 80 yards, mostly on short checkdowns. He broke seven tackles, Beckham broke three and Wayne Gallman broke one, but it wasn’t enough. “Every time you lose it sucks,” Barkley said. Until Barkley’s 10-yard run on their final drive of the first half, in fact, Manning was the team’s leading rusher with two carries for three yards — both on fourth downs. Confusingly, Shurmur punted on 4th-and-1 down 7-0 in the first quarter from the Giants’ 48-yard line but a couple drives later went for it on both 4th-and-1 from the Giants’ 35 and 46 yard lines, getting both. Why draft a running back No. 2 overall and not be confident in gaining that first down on the 48? Or better question: why draft a running back over a QB of the future if your team isn’t close to ready to winning now? Shurmur’s team, unlike McAdoo’s last year, at least showed it wouldn’t quit when Michael Thomas recovered an onside kick fumbled by the Cowboys’ Blake Jarwin and the offense put up 10 late points. But the outlook is bleak. Since 1990, only 28 of the 231 teams (12 percent) that started an NFL season 0-2 have made the playoffs in the current playoff format, per Elias Sports Bureau. In that time, the Giants have started 0-2 in eight different seasons and made the playoffs only once, in their 2007 Super Bowl winning season with Tom Coughlin as coach. NBC also showed a stat that teams who start 1-1 have a 41% chance of making the playoffs since 2002, while teams that fall to 0-2 have only an 11% chance of making the postseason in that time span. The Giants can’t be thinking about the playoffs, though, and they probably won’t have to at all this season. They should be thinking about putting a competent product on a football field and winning a game.

FUCK THIS TEAM!! FUCK YOU IN THE ASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Here's what I found: https://www.lifewire.com/best-free-sports-streaming-sites-4169519 https://www.purevpn.com/blog/sports-streaming-site-sprt/ https://www.digitalseoguide.com/technology/best-live-free-sports-streaming-sites/ There are multiple streaming sites listed on these websites.

Davis Webb goes unclaimed, to now sign with Jets practice squad ByDAN SCHNEIER 87 minutes ago Davis Webb will look to continue his NFL journey with the crosstown rivals of the New York Giants who share a stadium -- the New York Jets. After going unclaimed by all 32 teams on waivers, in spite of a cheap rookie contract with salary cap hits under $400,000 for the next two seasons, Webb has reportedly signed with the Jets' practice squad, according to beat reporter Brian Costello. Players on the practice squad may be signed by another NFL franchise at any point. It is quite the fall for Webb who went from 2017 third-round draft choice to a member of another team's practice squad in just about 16 months. It has also certainly been a hectic few days for Webb who went from taking every single rep behind Eli Manning as what appeared to be the clear-cut No. 2 quarterback and possibly the future starter of the Giants to released, unclaimed, and searching for another opportunity. On Monday after Giants practice, head coach Pat Shurmur defended the team's decision to release Webb in favor of rookie Kyle Lauletta and journeyman Alex Tanney as the two quarterbacks behind Manning. "There was no reason for me to talk about when, but while he was taking the second-team reps, I mentioned a long time ago there was no depth chart behind Eli," Shurmur told Giants reporters after Monday's practice. "We were trying to figure out who the guys playing quarterback behind Eli were going to be. He got a lot of reps and that's why people assumed he was going to be the second-string quarterback, but it didn't play out that way." When pressed about how Webb could get released after earning Shurmur's praise following his preseason start against the Detroit Lions first-team defense, the head coach hinted that game tape from the week of joint practices that included scrimmages may have played a factor. "No, I thought he played better than he did in the week previous," Shurmur said of Webb's performance against the Lions. "Keep in mind Detroit practices, our practices here, we had a lot of opportunity to watch all the players compete. It would be just like me talking in detail about why we didn’t keep the other 39 guys or what not. It is the way it is. There are so many things about him that are good, he’s an outstanding worker, he cares about the game a great deal, and I’m hopeful he’s going to get another opportunity." Shurmur also made it clear that where a player was drafted will not play a role in how the roster is constructed. "Really, at some point, regardless of where you’re drafted, once you’re settled in as a player on the team, that kind of goes away," Shurmur said. "We’re all out here trying to earn a spot every day, players and coaches. So, at some point, whether you’re drafted in the third round or the fifth round, that sort of goes away at some point and you play it out. "Let’s forget for a minute he was a third-round pick. He was on our team as a Giant and we watched him go through what we do in training camp and what we do in practice and we made a decision to move on and go with the other guys. Let’s forget for a minute that he was a third-round pick. I really do mean that. At some point, that all goes away."

Davis Webb is now a Jet....well he's on their practice squad

Leonard: Pat Shurmur fails to clarify what the Giants’ plan is after waiving Davis Webb; plus notes on Saquon Barkley and Olivier Vernon Saquon Barkley is all systems go for Sunday’s Week 1 opener against the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars. The left hamstring strain that sidelined the rookie No. 2 overall pick the second half of the preseason will not limit him. “I definitely think I’m ready for a full (work)load the way I’ve been preparing, the way I’ve been practicing,” Barkley said Monday during the Giants’ first open locker room of 2018. “I’m excited for the game, excited to get the season started.” And so Barkley begins his journey to justify the Giants’ selection of him instead of a quarterback, a decision that proved increasingly risky and perplexing with Sunday’s release of second-year QB Davis Webb. Confusion and concern linger about the team’s backup and succession plans for quarterback Eli Manning, 37, and while head coach Pat Shurmur was receptive to being second-guessed on Monday, he did not do much to clarify those questions. Shurmur insisted the Giants “do” have a plan for life after Manning, “it’s just not what everybody outside our building had predicted the plan was.” Still, it’s not clear what exactly that plan is, other than placing full confidence in Manning playing higher quality football than he has been for many years to come. Shurmur does see positive qualities in rookie fourth-round pick Kyle Lauletta: “I like the fact that he’ll decide what he’s looking at, see it and pull the trigger. He’s very decisive in what he does. He’s a gamer of sorts.” Pat Shurmur failed to clarify the Giants plan post-Eli Manning. (Jeff Zelevansky / Getty Images) Still, this felt like more of decision against Webb than for Lauletta. In their actions and words Sunday and Monday, the Giants vocalized essentially that they don’t think Webb is very good. Shurmur, asked point blank if he felt Lauletta and journeyman veteran Alex Tanney had outplayed Webb this preseason, said: “We feel like they are better choices for us now, yes.” Webb took second-string QB reps all summer and even performed well in the second preseason game in Detroit starting with the ones. “People started to assume because he’s taking the second-string reps that he’s the second-string quarterback,” Shurmur said. The coach declined to say when he had arrived at the conclusion to move on from a 2017 third-round quarterback who had never appeared in an NFL regular season game: “There’s no reason for me to talk about when. “Keep in mind, in practices, we had a lot of opportunity to watch all the players compete,” Shurmur said. “It’d be just like me talking in detail about why we didn’t keep the other 39 guys or whatnot. So it is what it is. There are so many things about (Webb) that are good: he’s an outstanding worker, cares about the game a great deal, and hopefully he’s gonna get another opportunity.” That is where Shurmur is wrong, though. Cutting Webb is not the same as waiving any of the other players. This is all tied in to the organization’s decision to pass on a quarterback with the second overall pick without any other plan. The goal of winning again now is a good one, but it’s dangerous to do it at the potential expense of the future. “It’s just not what everybody outside our building had predicted the plan was.” PAT SHURMUR ON THE GIANTS DECISION TO RELEASE DAVIS WEBB. Share quote & link Shurmur wouldn’t even name his No. 2 quarterback Monday. It sounded like it could be Tanney, despite his one career NFL regular season appearance in 2015 with the Tennessee Titans, because the coach said: “Here’s the thing with a veteran backup quarterback: they can go in and function with very few reps. And I think that’s an attribute that I look for in a guy who could potentially be a backup to a guy like Eli. Because they don’t get very many reps during the training sessions.” Shurmur simultaneously said he would be “very comfortable” with putting in Lauletta, as well, but that doesn’t seem to be the plan. On Tuesday, in fact, the Giants are bringing in veteran QB Matt McGloin for a workout, per NFL Network. McGloin, 28, at least has appeared in 13 career games with one start in 2016 for the Oakland Raiders. And he was recently released by the Chiefs and Kansas City coach Andy Reid, who gave Shurmur his first NFL coaching job in 1999 with the Eagles. Shurmur was on Reid’s staff through 2008. VERNON IN DOUBT WEEK 1 Stud defensive end Olivier Vernon (ankle) is in jeopardy of missing the Giants’ opener against Jacksonville. Vernon was not on the sidelines for the first practice of the week and was not seen in the locker room. If Vernon sits, third-round rookie Lorenzo Carter out of Georgia could be featured even more than already anticipated. “He was in the training room getting treatment,” Shurmur said of Vernon. “We’re hopeful, but we’ll just have to see. But the fact that he was inside today tells you that -- you know -- he wasn’t out here.” Tight end Evan Engram, meanwhile, remains in the concussion protocol but was doing normal work early in practice wearing a regular jersey, which is encouraging that he’s progressing well toward Sunday. Linebacker Tae Davis worked on the side at the start of practice. “Evan was out here working, as you saw,” Shurmur said. “He’s still in the protocol, but we’re hopeful.” MORE WORKOUTS COMING In addition to McGloin, the Giants on Tuesday are bringing in undrafted rookie KR/WR Quadree Henderson (Pitt) for a workout, according to a source, as well as DE Daeshon Hall (one game with Panthers last year) and KR/WR JoJo Natson (seven games for Jets in 2017), per The Athletic. Henderson also worked out for the Giants prior to the draft. He was released recently by the Steelers.

Giants waive QB Davis Webb in shocking move; breaking down who Big Blue claimed By Pat Leonard Sep 02, 2018 | 8:40 PM Dave Gettleman: Dragon slayer. The Giants GM on Sunday stunningly waived second-year quarterback Davis Webb, nicknamed “Dragon” as a rookie by Eli Manning. And in doing so, Gettleman revealed the succession plan for his 37-year-old quarterback to be as mythological, fantastical and non-existent as the creature inspiring Webb’s namesake. Gettleman, it is now even harder to believe in hindsight, drafted Saquon Barkley instead of a quarterback with the No. 2 pick in April’s draft, despite Manning’s age and declining performance — and without confidence in the only other QB on the roster at the time of the draft, Webb, Jerry Reese’s third-round 2017 pick out of Cal. The Jets, meanwhile, happily at No. 3 plucked Sam Darnold, who so far has demonstrated plenty of the qualities necessary to be a potential franchise-changing quarterback — enough to warrant a top-10 selection, for sure. And yet here was Gettleman on Saturday, gauging the trade market for Webb and eventually releasing him Sunday without ever having seen Webb play a regular season NFL game, leaving just rookie fourth-round pick Kyle Lauletta, 22, out of Richmond and veteran journeyman Alex Tanney, 30, as backup QBs on this roster. Webb, 23, is no stranger to adversity, having battled both Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes for playing time at Texas Tech before transferring and thriving for a final year at Cal. Webb did, however, have his legs pulled out from under him by the Giants late last season. Ben McAdoo was planning on playing Webb in the final four regular season games, but once McAdoo was fired, the Giants abandoned the plan under interim coach Steve Spagnuolo, leaving new coach Pat Shurmur to evaluate Webb with no game tape to his name. Webb outperformed Lauletta this preseason, but it makes you wonder how long ago Gettleman and Shurmur actually decided to move on from Webb if he was taking second team snaps all training camp and preseason — and started with the ones and played well in the second game in Detroit — but still was released. And so it is that after the Super Bowl LII champion Philadelphia Eagles laid out the modern blueprint for contending — a cheap starting QB (Carson Wentz) on a rookie contract that opens team cap space, and a solid experienced backup (Nick Foles) just in case — the Giants in 2018 will start Manning and his $22.2 million cap hit and back him up with one career NFL regular season appearance (Tanney, 2015, Tennessee Titans). And this in a win-now year. But so be it: this is officially now Gettleman’s team. Think about how odd this is: Reese was general manager from 2007 through 2017, and there are now no QBs on the roster from his regime. The Giants’ 53-man roster after Sunday’s action includes 29 players acquired or drafted by Gettleman, 23 players brought here by Reese, and one courtesy of Ernie Accorsi from that franchise-changing 2004 draft. Only 10 Reese draft picks remain on the roster: Zak DeOssie (2007), Odell Beckham Jr. (2014), Ereck Flowers (2015), Landon Collins (2015), Eli Apple (2016), Sterling Shepard (2016), B.J. Goodson (2016), Evan Engram (2017), Dalvin Tomlinson (2017) and Wayne Gallman (2017). The Giants are in especially high turnover after Sunday, when Gettleman claimed six players off waivers — castoffs from other rosters — and released six of his own players, including Webb, to make room. Along with Webb, other Giants who made the initial 53-man roster on Saturday but got cut Sunday were guard John Jerry, wide receiver Hunter Sharp, tight end Jerell Adams, defensive tackle Josh Banks and corner William Gay. As replacements, the Giants claimed off waivers defensive lineman Mario Edwards (Raiders), center Spencer Pulley (Chargers), wideout Kaelin Clay (Bills) and three corners: Michael Jordan (Browns), Kamrin Moore (Saints) and Antonio Hamilton (Raiders). The Giants also signed eight players to their practice squad, all of whom they had released Sunday: DE Avery Moss, LB Calvin Munson, DB Grant Haley, WRs Alonzo Russell and Jawill Davis, TE Garrett Dickerson, RB Jhurell Pressley and OT Victor Salako. Here are some notes on the newest Giants: DL Mario Edwards (Raiders) — 6-3, 280 pounds Edwards, 24, a 2015 Oakland second-round pick out of Florida State, has 71 tackles and 5.5 sacks in 30 games (24 starters). It’s unclear where exactly he will fit in the scheme. Could hold a place for suspended Josh Mauro. C Spencer Pulley (Chargers) — 6-4, 308 pounds Pulley, 25, a former teammate of Pat Shurmur’s son, quarterback Kyle, at Vanderbilt in 2015, started all 16 games for the Chargers last season after appearing in 16 his rookie year of 2016. Replaces traded Brett Jones. CB Michael Jordan (Browns) — 6-1 200 pounds Jordan, 25, a former undrafted free agent out of Missouri Western State, has 40 tackles and five passes defended in 20 games (three starts) with the Rams (2016) and Browns (2017). Giants corner depth needs help. WR Kaelin Clay (Bills) — 5-10, 195 pounds Clay, 26, is a player Gettleman also had signed in April 2017 in Carolina. The 2015 Tampa Bay sixth-round pick out of Utah has just six career catches for 85 yards but has 42 punt returns for 393 yards and two TDs in two seasons with three different teams (Ravens 2015; Bills and Panthers 2017). He also returned 14 kickoffs for Baltimore. This cost Sharp his roster spot. CB Kamrin Moore (Saints) — 5-11, 203 pounds Moore, 21, New Orleans’ sixth-round pick this past April out of Boston College, is a rookie looking for a second chance after being waived by the Saints. CB Antonio Hamilton (Raiders) — 6-0, 190 pounds Hamilton, 25, a former undrafted free agent out of South Carolina State, has 15 tackles and zero passes defended in 12 career games (no starts) these last two seasons with Oakland.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf5T4LUhcJ8

so do we know which ones are working this year?

Evan Engram goes down with concussion after Giants TE gets sandwiched by two Jets linebackers By PAT LEONARD AUG 25, 2018 | 1:20 AM The Giants lost another top offensive weapon to injury Friday night when tight end Evan Engram went down with a concussion. Engram went to the locker room with 5:10 remaining in the second quarter after being sandwiched by Jets linebackers Avery Williamson and Darron Lee. Engram had nowhere to go to avoid the double hit after catching an Eli Manning pass in a tight window. Engram was shaken up and down on the field for a time before walking off under his own power. Williamson’s hit appeared to catch Engram up high. Giants already were resting top running back Saquon Barkley (left hamstring strain), who only returned to limited practice on Wednesday. And Odell Beckham Jr., while he looks fully healthy, sat out a third straight preseason game and of course is coming off last year’s season-ending left ankle surgery. Tight end Rhett Ellison also had his night ended early with an eye injury but told the Daily News afterwards that he just got poked in the eye and was fine.

Saquon Barkley's extended injury absence is a concern, says Eli Manning, because rookie is 'missing some valuable time' By PAT LEONARD AUG 21, 2018 | 7:00 PM Head coach Pat Shurmur said of Barkley: “We like the path he’s on.” But really the priority is having both Beckham and Barkley ready for Week 1 of the regular season Sept. 9 against Jacksonville, so it wouldn’t be shocking if both skill players sat out until then. Shurmur reiterated that the Giants will “try to be smart with” Beckham coming off last season’s injury, but Beckham is completely healthy, so the coach appears also to be trying to do right by Beckham’s desire not to risk too much this offseason without a new contract. It’s almost as if they have an unspoken agreement: if Beckham gives Shurmur his all in practice — including in last week’s joint practices against the Lions in Allen Park, Mich. — then Shurmur will take care of resting him for games. The coach knows how important Beckham is to his team’s chances of winning this season. Both Shurmur and Beckham have been mum on that agreement other than saying they have a plan, but on Tuesday Beckham did seem to get a little too risky on one rep, making a leaping catch of a fade against Eli Apple and landing hard on both feet before falling back to the ground. Beckham bounced back up good as new, but the next time the Giants’ first-team offense lined up, Hunter Sharp had taken Beckham’s place, which is really the “smart” thing to do. OLD MAN ELI’S STILL GOT JOKES Shurmur, in discussion of Manning and Beckham perfecting their crafts in different ways, said the QB and receiver are “not from the same generation,” adding: “They give me grief because I talk about (Eli’s) age. It’s real. Unless they faked his birth certificate, I think he’s 37.” And that set the table for a Manning standup routine later Tuesday. Manning said of how he tries to relate to younger teammates with different tastes: “I do a lot of dancing.” “They give me grief because I talk about (Eli’s) age. It’s real. Unless they faked his birth certificate, I think he’s 37.” PAT SHURMUR JOKES ABOUT HIS VETERAN QB Share quote & link “There’s a lot of dancing going on, a lot of dancing, which I find very curious,” Manning added hilariously. “The music, I miss out on some of the music and social media, some of the things they’re on. For the most part, I can figure it out.” He also said his trademark joke of changing the languages on people’s phones isn’t as easy to pull off against them. “You know, they all have pretty good, secure passwords,” Manning said. “Odell’s (Beckham’s) isn’t ‘1313’ anymore, so they’re starting to change their passwords on me a little bit. I have to regroup and find a new system.”

Victor Cruz officially retires, joins ESPN as NFL analyst ByDAN SCHNEIER 30 minutes ago 0 (Photo: The Star-Ledger, USA TODAY Sports) Victor Cruz has officially hung up his cleats and played his last snap as an NFL wide receiver. The former undrafted free agent turned New York Giants star receiver was hoping to give it one more shot this year in training camp, but as Week 3 of the preseason approaches, Cruz has made the final decision to move on to another venture. “The game of football has just given me so much,” Cruz said via Uninterrupted. “My journey hasn’t been the easiest; it’s definitely had some ups and downs, and some rough patches. “This last chapter of my life was a great one. To win a Super Bowl, to play in a Pro Bowl and to have my daughter born throughout all of this as well.” Cruz will now start a new journey with ESPN as a football analyst. "As I officially close one chapter of my life and begin another, I could not be more thrilled to join another championship team at ESPN," said Cruz. "I'm excited to get started and share my insight and analysis with the viewers and fans of the NFL." You can watch Cruz's entire speech here. There are a number of plays that will always be remembered by Giants fans when it comes to Cruz's career with the franchise, but his 99-yard touchdown reception against the New York Jets on Christmas Eve in 2011 not only tied an NFL record but it also ignited the team's second Super Bowl run under quarterback Eli Manning. Cruz's long touchdown catch and run shifted the momentum of the game just before halftime, as Manning would later credit him for when reminiscing on that victory. If Cruz doesn't make this play, the Giants likely do not win this game. If the Giants lose this game, they most likely miss the playoffs and never have a chance to battle their way back to meeting and defeating the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl for the second time. Cruz finished the 2011 season for the Giants with 82 receptions for 1,536 receiving yards and nine touchdowns as one of the NFL's most dominant wide receivers that year. It was also his most dominant season with the Giants franchise. Cruz finished his career with 4,549 receiving yards, 25 touchdowns, and averaged 15 yards per reception as one of the most explosive (predominantly) slot wide receivers in the modern era of NFL football. The Giants have a franchise saying that goes, 'Once a Giant, always a Giant' and we fully expected Cruz to sign a one-day contract with the team so he can retire a member of the franchise. Cruz will always be remembered in Giants lore and he is an inspiration to undrafted free agents everywhere who are trying to make something of themselves in the NFL.

5 things to watch as Giants take on Lions at Detroit's Ford Field By PAT LEONARD AUG 17, 2018 | 7:00 AM ALLEN PARK, Mich. – The NFL regular season is rapidly approaching, and the Giants have only three more preseason games remaining to determine the roster they'll take in to Week 1's opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars at MetLife Stadium. So here are five things to watch Friday night when Big Blue takes on the Detroit Lions at Ford Field: inRead invented by Teads ADVERTISEMENT Odell Beckham practices against the Lions this week, but will be see any game action Friday? (Carlos Osorio / AP) 1. WHAT WILL ODELL DO? Odell Beckham Jr. sat out the Giants' first preseason game against the Cleveland Browns at home, but he practiced this week against the Detroit Lions. Will Shurmur put Beckham in a game? Does Beckham actually intend to play in a game without a new contract, after his camp said in March that Beckham wouldn't step on a football field without an extension? "I've got a plan, so it will get revealed (Friday) night)," Shurmur said Thursday, continuing to be coy. Beckham added: "Coach and I have a game plan. We usually figure it out and we just go from there. So we'll see what it is for this week and then worry about next week when it comes." Davis Webb looks to rebound from a weak opening effort last week vs. the Browns. (Adam Hunger / AP) 2. ANOTHER BIG DAY FOR DAVIS Davis Webb's 2018 preseason debut against Cleveland was disappointing (9-of-22, 70 passing yards; one rush, six yards), but it was his first game of any kind since an Aug. 31, 2017 preseason game in New England prior to last season, and he was "amped up" and uncharacteristically overthrowing receivers. Webb had a strong Wednesday practice against the Lions, although he's had others since the Cleveland game with hiccups, too, leading Shurmur to say on Monday: "I think it's important as a quarterback … to complete your passes." The Giants need Webb to be efficient and capable both for the short-term as Eli Manning's primary backup and as the potential long-term solution as his successor. Rookie third-string QB Kyle Lauletta played better in the Cleveland game than he had in practice prior. PAID POSTWhat Is This? 3. MATT VS. PAT: WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN Shurmur and Lions coach Matt Patricia each interviewed this past winter for the job the other has now. In a not-so-impossible alternate universe, Patricia could have been the one leaving New England's defensive coordinator post to succeed Ben McAdoo with the Giants, while Shurmur could have been making a homecoming from his Minnesota offensive coordinator job to take over for Jim Caldwell in the Motor City. Instead, Shurmur will be on the visitors' sidelines Friday wearing the royal blue, while Patricia will be in light blue on the home side with that ever-present pencil behind his ear. Their concurrent careers in both organizations will be fascinating to follow, starting with their first head-to-head as head coaches on Friday night. 4. WAIT A SECOND(ARY) The Giants have no clear solution in their secondary due to injuries, inconsistent play and lack of depth. Strong safety Landon Collins and shutdown corner Janoris Jenkins are studs, but outside corner Eli Apple needs to assert himself, Curtis Riley needs to grab ahold of the free safety spot that the Giants seem to want him to win, and either Donte Deayon needs to get healthy or someone has to step up and become a reliable slot corner. Not to mention the Giants can't afford any injuries to D-backs, either, given a lack of depth. Veteran journeyman B.W. Webb is their best bet, and it would be nice to see undrafted rookie Grant Haley step forward to grab ahold of a key role, too. Haley could be that man in the slot, for example, but he needs to start making more plays, and fast. 5. ESTABLISH THE RUN WITH FIRST-TEAM O-LINE Outside of Saquon Barkley's dazzling 39-yard run on the first play against Cleveland last week, Barkley and Jonathan Stewart combined for just seven rushing yards on six combined carries behind the Giants' rebuilt first-team offensive line. The front five need to get a better push and control the line of scrimmage to protect an immobile Eli Manning and keep defenses on their heels. Even though Barkley isn't expected to play, the line still needs to make gains with Stewart and Wayne Gallman as the next men up, and maybe even the hard-running Jalen Simmons' and Robert Martin will get stronger looks.

Webb is throwing hard at 10-15 yards out. He looks terrible.

Have you looked at our backup QB's?? Not good

Still not blocking for Eli

Leonard: Odell Beckham finally opens up about trade talk, his relationship with the Giants, contract and fighting back from broken ankle By Pat Leonard Aug 04, 2018 | 2:10 PM Odell Beckham Jr.’s presence at the Giants’ training camp podium Saturday was a small miracle in itself. After breaking his left ankle last fall, after the infamous partying video from France surfaced in March, after the Giants discussed trading Beckham with the L.A. Rams in the spring, after the club dragged its feet the rest of the offseason on beginning negotiations on a contract extension - this day so often came close to never happening. Beckham’s ability to get back here, healthy and seemingly happy, frankly says more than most words can. “I literally watched my world feel like it turned upside down,” Beckham, 25, said Saturday morning of his ability to get back to such a positive place, both in his mind and in the OBJ-Giants relationship, after so much tumult and uncertainty. “I watched relationships close to me devour and things go wrong and things go sideways. It was a lot of pain I went through in the last 10 months. “So (I’ve been) just taking it day by day,” he continued, “and trying my best to just make my mindset, ‘Every day I wake up I’m gonna be happy; I’m gonna do this right, I’m gonna do the very best that I can in whatever it is.’ Whatever it is that I was doing, just changed my mindset. And it’s helped me out a lot with everything. It’s helped me out a lot.” Beckham, breaking a 304-day silence of not speaking with the New York media, also admitted he took the news personally of the Giants-Rams trade talks - first reported by the Daily News - but grew through the experience. “It’s sort of, I don’t know, noise, rumors, you never know,” Beckham said. “And I used to say all the time, ‘Don’t take it personal and stuff.’ And I still - I took things personal. And I really have gotten that out of my heart to not take anything personal. And with doing that, it’s less things that I used to worry about out of the equation. So once you can really put that in your heart - don’t take it personal - and you can feel that, it’s a completely different story.” He’s right. This is a completely different story than the one that was being written in the spring. And there are a lot of reasons why, primarily Beckham’s determination to evolve, to rehab vigorously, and to play nice with the Giants after they pushed him to the brink - including taking the risk of going back on the practice field without a new contract. “(It’s) calculated,” Beckham said. “Calculated. You’re out there, you control your body, and we’re practicing, and these are your teammates, so we’re all working together. There’s no extra pushing and shoving and doing too much. So it’s all calculated, and I remember not being able to walk at all. So to be able to be back on the field doing what I love, it’s truly an amazing feeling.” Remember, though, Beckham and the Giants aren’t out of the woods just yet. There is no indication they are any closer today than they were last week on the terms of a Beckham contract extension. No one knows his and the Giants’ plans for playing him in the preseason, and if their plans align. And his lone ominous answer Saturday was in response to the question of whether he had any deadline in mind, like the start of the regular season, when he’ll prefer that talks stop. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Beckham said. Beckham, who said last year that he wanted to be the highest-paid player in the league, also said “of course” he still wants to be the NFL’s highest-paid receiver. But he understands his expectations must be within reason. “Of course,” Beckham said. “I mean, who doesn’t want to get more money? Everybody does. So realistically, you’ve just got to be realistic with yourself. You see what happened over the offseason (with other player contracts). I can’t really worry about anybody else. Just let them figure it out and whenever it happens, it’ll happen.” Beckham did say he is “optimistic” a deal will get done and "confident it’ll all work itself out.” He didn’t want to take credit for getting negotiations started by not holding out from training camp, as Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack have done in Los Angeles and Oakland, though it certainly had an impact. Beckham said mostly he wanted to get back to playing football and that he doesn’t “believe” in holding out. “After I see my ankle snap and it feels like your world turns upside down, life’s just different,” Beckham said. “Honestly, for real, I’m just happy to be back out there running around. I don’t believe in any of that (holdout) stuff. I feel like they’ll get it done when they get it done. I’ll let my agent and them figure it out. I’ll just come out here, try to get all the plays down, focus on being the best that I can be. So it’ll happen when it happens.” Beckham also interestingly shared that maybe two months ago his ankle was still not fully there, but in the last month he’s been “getting back to as close to 100 (percent) as I can.” “I had been feeling it as I was working out, and it’s kind of like over the last month I’ve taken a huge stride,” Beckham said. “I remember maybe two months ago it wasn’t as smooth and I wasn’t getting out of cuts, and you kind of get that frustration and just you want to get back to where you’re at. But now that I’m here, it’s been a lot of hard work put in, lot of doctors, lot of treatment, lot of rehab, lot of pain you went through. “I don’t really feel it (anymore),” he added of the ankle. “I don’t think about it much. Or I try not to. It’s still always there. But I’m getting back to as close to 100 as I can for right now. It’s been a long process, I can say that.” It’s been a long road back for Beckham from his lowest physical point early in the rehabilitation. “I love football,” he said. “Football was always how I could let everything out, and just being able to be back out on the field. I remember waking up four in the morning and crawling upstairs to my bed and laughing to myself like, ‘This is gonna be a hell of ride for you to get back to where you’re at,’ And now I’m here and there’s still a lot more for me to do. So truly I’m just thankful that God is able to put me back out there.” His goals now? “The same every year,” Beckham said. “Be the best that I can be. Hang one of these banners up.” A Super Bowl banner. High hopes. But why shoot any lower? This is Odell Beckham Jr., superstar receiver, defier of odds.

Odell Beckham Sick Diamond Crosses ... Implanted Into Teeth! 14 28 8/5/2018 12:30 AM PDT Odell Beckham Gets Sick Diamond Crosses Implanted Into Teeth EXCLUSIVE BITING ICE Odell Beckham is taking training camp ice baths to a whole 'nother level ... 'cause the NY Giants star just got a handful of diamonds implanted into his teeth!! OBJ had the procedure done a few days ago ... and it wasn't cheap -- coming in at around $5,000 -- and his dentist tells TMZ Sports it wasn't exactly easy to do, either. "I got my ceramus to make a porcelain veneer that looked just like his tooth," New York dentist Dr. Lee Gause says. THE TOOTH PLUGTMZSports.com "And then, on that porcelain veneer, I got a diamond cross made from Odell's Osieler that he actually made on a 3D rendering that I printed and sent to his shop." Gause tells us he then locked in the Osiels on Odell's canine teeth ... and they ain't removable unless Beckham returns to the dentist's chair.

What to watch, and who to watch, as Giants open camp By Paul Schwartz July 24, 2018 | 5:54pm Modal Trigger Biggest comeback Odell. Odell Beckham. Odell Beckham, Jr. OBJ. Superstar wide receiver. Bleached blond hair. Tattoos galore. Shirt-wearing optional. Rubs elbows with all sorts of celebrities. Played in only four games last season, coming off surgery to repair fractured left ankle. Wants a new, massive, multi-year contract. Deserves it. Looked great in limited action this spring. Now 25, coming back to prove he is fully healthy and warrants a new deal as franchise face. Biggest position battle Darian Thompson started all 16 games last season at free safety but by no means has anything locked up this time around. This is a new coaching regime and the general manager (Jerry Reese) who made him a third-round pick in 2016 is gone, as well. Thompson came out of Boise State reputed to be a rangy ball-hawk, but other than opening eyes early in his rookie year before he went down with a foot injury, there hasn’t been much there. Curtis Riley, signed in free agency after two years as a reserve with the Titans, had a solid spring and will challenge Thompson for the starting spot alongside strong safety Landon Collins. Riley, 26, is a converted cornerback. “He’s got really great feet and hips and range,’’ defensive coordinator James Bettcher said. Most fascinating newcomer Saquon Barkley Hmm, let’s see. A guy who everyone knows just by mentioning his first name gets picked No. 2 in the NFL draft, is called a “generational talent’’ and looks as if he were created in a running back laboratory. His No. 26 jersey is already one of the NFL’s top-sellers, and he hasn’t played a down yet. Yeah, it is safe to list Saquon Barkley as the Giants’ most fascinating newcomer. Heck, he’s one of the most fascinating newcomers in the past decade, maybe longer. We dare you to take your eyes off him this summer. Coach’s toughest challenge Pat Shurmur must resist the temptation to throw Beckham out there too early or too often. Sure, the Giants need to see if their prime offensive weapon is as good as new, and Beckham does need to get in sync with the new offensive system. Really, though, getting knocked around in training camp practices or, heaven forbid, in one of those tedious preseason games, is not what is needed here. Sept. 9 vs. the Jaguars is the only target for Beckham to hit, and Shurmur in his first year with the Giants must always keep that in the front of his mind. Modal TriggerWill HernandezAP Most intriguing rookie Look, it is an easy fallback position to list Barkley virtually everywhere when it comes to “most’’ this or “greatest’’ that. Someone has to pave the way for the kid, right? So, let’s go with Will Hernandez. He is penciled in as the starting left guard, and everyone in the building is in love with his bullish demeanor on the field — he got into scraps in springtime OTAs, for goodness sakes. We cannot forget, though, that there will be growing pains and that the team he played for last season (Texas-El Paso) did not win a single game. Chris Snee, the player Hernandez is often likened to, was an immediate starter but needed time to gain his footing. Along the way, figure Hernandez will get under the skin of several defensive combatants. Most notable absence Jason Pierre-Paul That corner locker occupied by Jason Pierre-Paul will be inhabited by someone else, as the last link to the heralded defensive lines of the most recent Super Bowl eras is gone, traded away to the Buccaneers. Pierre-Paul was not a huge presence in the locker room, and his impact on the field diminished the past few seasons, but he was a fixture on the line for eight years. There was only one JPP. The freakish athleticism never left him, but that horrific fireworks accident permanently damaged his right hand, and he was never the same after that. Still, he started all 16 games in 2017 and led the team with 8.5 sacks.

Ben McAdoo breaks silence by ripping Giants tackles, NFC East BySTEVEN TARANTO 14 hours ago 0 (Photo: Brad Penner, USA TODAY Sports) During his year-and-a-half tenure as head coach of the New York Giants, Ben McAdoo became known as being milquetoast - Seemingly unwilling or unable to discipline his team and establish himself as master of the Giants' locker room. In the time since he was fired following the Giants' complete meltdown in 2017, McAdoo seems to have found a harsher tone if nothing else. In speaking publicly for the first time since being fired by the Giants after a loss to the Oakland Raiders and the benching of quarterback Eli Manning, McAdoo praised the Giants' offseason to the New York Post while spitting as much fire as he possibly could towards the rest of the NFC East and those who contributed to his downfall. "I think (the Giants are) gonna win the division," said McAdoo. "I think Philly, how much success has Philly had? I think they’re gonna have a hard time handling success. Dallas, I like their offensive line, but how long have we been saying that? Their defense, they got a bunch of young guys playing DB, Sean Lee is banged up a lot, and their D-line, they got a bunch of guys getting in trouble all the time. And Washington is Washington, right?" McAdoo also didn't hold back in assessing the Giants' left tackle situation, starting by stating that he didn't think well of new left tackle Nate Solder's abilities. "Getting a left tackle in there will help them in a lot of ways," said McAdoo. "I don’t think (Solder's) a very good player, but I think it will help them in a lot of ways where they needed help in that room in the past and they haven’t had anyone to do that." McAdoo then dished it out on former left tackle and current right tackle Ereck Flowers, whose inability to develop protecting Manning's blindside was arguably the biggest indictment of McAdoo's abilities as a head coach. McAdoo stated that he does not have confidence that Flowers will be able to become a serviceable right tackle. "(Flowers) can’t bend, you got to be able to bend," said McAdoo. "You can run around him on (the right side) just like you can on the other side, Eli just gets to see it, which may help Eli. It’s not the blind side, it’s in his vision, so if he’s comfortable with what’s going on over on the left side, it can help him move in the pocket a little bit better." McAdoo didn't feel terribly sorry for former left guard Justin Pugh and center Weston Richburgeither, stating that the Giants made the right decision to let the two go to the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers in free agency respectively. Since his exit from the Giants, McAdoo has relocated to Florida between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach. He is being paid by the Giants for the 2018 season, and plans to find another coaching job in 2019. After being named the successor to Tom Coughlin following the 2015 season, McAdoo's head coaching career started with an 11-5 season and playoff appearance in 2016. But McAdoo's success came largely thanks to the Giants emerging as an elite defense in 2016, as his offense plodded along and struggled to gain even easy yards. McAdoo's luck ran out in 2017, when offensive ineptitude resulted in the Giants losing their first five games before McAdoo was fired following a 2-10 start to the season.

David Diehl: The Giants will be incredibly competitive in 2018 ByDAN SCHNEIER 19 hours ago 0 x David Diehl is a big believer in the revamped New York Giants roster for the 2018 season. More specifically, Diehl believes that the Giants will undergo a lightning-fast turnaround on the offensive side of the ball after failing to score 30 points in any single game during the entire Ben McAdoo era as head coach. In 2017, the Giants entered the regular season with the same against coaching staff, the same offensive scheme, essentially the same stable of running backs (plus Wayne Gallman), essentially the exact same offensive line, and then injuries struck early at the wide receiver and offensive line positions. A lot has changed on offense for the Giants heading into the 2018 season. “You’re going to be looking at a completely different offense,” Diehl told NJ Advance Media. “Now you have Saquon Barkley, to Will Hernandez, to Nate Solder, and now coming back with a healthy Odell Beckham Jr., you’re looking at a dangerous offense that can do a lot of things. A lot of people have been talking about Pat Shurmur coming in, and we know the success that he was able to have in Minnesota, but people aren’t talking enough about Mike Shula, who was the offensive coordinator in Carolina who was able to use Christian McCaffrey unbelievably last year. “Add that Saquon Barkley piece along with an upgraded offensive line and Eli Manning, a veteran quarterback like he is, I know it’s going to be a completely different season and it’s going to be an incredibly competitive football team.” Diehl brings up an excellent point that hasn't been touched on very often when evaluating the new Giants offense for the 2018 season -- the addition of offensive coordinator Mike Shula. Although head coach Pat Shurmur will be calling the offensive plays, he will utilize concepts from the offense Shula ran in Carolina with the Panthers over the last five seasons. You can bet that Shurmur will lean on Shula's expertise for how to best utilize a running back like Saquon Barkley in the passing game in a similar fashion to how he used McCaffrey during his rookie season. Both Barkley and McCaffrey entered the NFL as sure-fire pass-catching running backs who earned praise from just about every scout for their route-running ability. Barkley finished with Pro Football Focus' top receiving grade among all running backs and the most yards per route run of any running back in the 2018 NFL Draft. During his rookie season, McCaffrey finished with the most targets (113) and the third-most receptions (81) among all running backs. Undergoing a complete turnaround on the offensive side of the ball is not impossible in the NFL. The Los Angeles Rams did it in 2017 after adding a franchise left tackle in free agency (Andrew Whitworth) along with a few more pieces at wide receiver and on the offensive line to go along with a brand new offensive scheme under first-year head coach Sean McVay. The Rams legitimately went from worst to first -- in 2016 they scored the fewest points per game (14) and in 2017 they scored the most points per game (29.9).

This is not a spoiler we already knew this. What we don't know are the dates.