Giants Announce 53-Man Roster
Former practice squad player Jennings joins rookie FAs Dockery and Goddard on final roster.
By Michael Eisen, Giants.com
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September 2, 2006
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Giants today reached the NFL’s 53-man roster limit by waiving 21 players and placing another on injured reserve.
Among those released were wide receiver Willie Ponder, one of four players in franchise history to return two kickoffs for touchdowns; cornerback Curtis Deloatch, who started 13 games last season; and defensive tackle Damane Duckett, who played in 14 games the previous two seasons, including eight last year. Another veteran let go was safety Quentin Harris, a fifth-year pro who was signed as a free agent in March.
Also waived were a pair of 2006 draft choices, safety Charlie Peprah, a fifth-round selection, and cornerback Gerrick McPhearson, who was chosen in the seventh round.
Defensive ends Eric Moore, the Giants’ sixth-round selection in 2005, and Adrian Awasom were also waived. Moore played in eight games last season, while Awasom appeared in five.
The other players waived were all rookies and first-year players: tight ends Wade Fletcher and Darcy Johnson, wide receiver Anthony Mix, fullback Tony Jackson, running backs James Sims and Mike Jemison, offensive linemen Kevin McAlmont, Troy Reddick and Todd Londot, defensive linemen Willie Evans and Marcus Green, and linebackers Tyson Smith and Nick McNeil.
Rookie offensive lineman Matt Lentz was placed on injured reserve with an elbow injury.
Those who earned a spot on the 53-man squad include wide receiver/punt returner Michael Jennings, a practice squad player the previous two seasons; five draft choices (Mathias Kiwanuka, Sinorice Moss, Gerris Wilkinson, Barry Cofield and Guy Whimper); two rookie free agents (cornerback Kevin Dockery and offensive lineman Na’Shan Goddard); and first-year free agent Jonas Seawright, who spent the entire 2005 season on the team’s practice squad.
“This is always a difficult day,” coach Tom Coughlin said. “As soon as I finish with wrapping up the last preseason game – talking to the players, talking to the media – then I come upstairs and the different staffs and I begin the making of 75 (players) into 53. You have the big picture to look at, the numbers. You have the practice squad to look at. So you have a lot of things that have to be determined. In the areas where it’s really close with a guy here or there, you take all the evidence you have, which is basically the grades and ranking of every time they’ve scrimmaged or played, and you go to that. Somehow, some way you make your decisions.”
The decisions resulted in this roster as the Giants begin setting their sights on the regular season opener a week from tomorrow against Indianapolis:
Offense (25)
Quarterbacks (3): Tim Hasselbeck, Jared Lorenzen, Eli Manning
Running backs (3): Tiki Barber, Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward
Fullbacks (1): Jim Finn
Wide receivers (6): Plaxico Burress, Tim Carter, Michael Jennings, Sinorice Moss, Amani Toomer, David Tyree
Tight ends (2): Visanthe Shiancoe, Jeremy Shockey
Offensive linemen (10): David Diehl, Na’Shan Goddard, Kareem McKenzie, Shaun O’Hara, Luke Petitgout, Grey Ruegamer, Rich Seubert, Chris Snee, Guy Whimper, Bob Whitfield
Defense (24)
Defensive linemen (8): Barry Cofield, William Joseph, Mathias Kiwanuka, Fred Robbins, Jonas Seawright, Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora
Linebackers (7): LaVar Arrington, , Chase Blackburn, Carlos Emmons, Antonio Pierce, Brandon Short, Reggie Torbor, Gerris Wilkinson
Cornerbacks (5): Kevin Dockery, Sam Madison, R.W. McQuarters, Frank Walker, Corey Webster
Safeties (4): Jason Bell, James Butler, Will Demps, Gibril Wilson
Special Teams (4)
Kicker: Jay Feely
Punter: Jeff Feagles
Snapper: Ryan Kuehl
Return specialist: Chad Morton
“The safeties were all close, the corners were all close,” Coughlin said. “There were some close calls in the linebacker situation, obviously the receiver situation - the offensive line, just in terms of numbers.
“We had a lot of good kids and a lot of guys that were interested in becoming better players. That’s always a great thing for a coach, when he’s working with good, solid young men. You’re not talking only about ability, but about people that are serious and focused. We had a number of guys. There were a number of positions we felt good about going deep into our depth and still having a chance to be very representative in the fourth quarter. For some areas, they improved and played better than we thought."
One of the interesting calls was the decision to keep Jennings over Ponder. A sixth-round draft choice in 2003, Ponder led the NFL in 2004 with a 26.9-yard kickoff return average, the highest by a Giant in 30 years. Ponder brought back a kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown against Pittsburgh, then returned one 95 yards for a score in last season’s opener versus Arizona. In three years, Ponder caught eight passes, none last year.
Jennings was a track star who didn’t play football at Florida State. He has received a lot of publicity for his flashy car (1995 Caprice Classic with 26-inch rims and multiple speakers), gold teeth and witty quotes. But Jennings has steadily improved as a player, largely because he was on the Giants’ practice squad for part of the 2004 season and all of 2005. In the Giants’ 4-0 preseason, Jennings had a team-high seven receptions for 70 yards and returned a punt 57 yards for a touchdown at Baltimore.
“It was a tough call, without a doubt,” Coughlin said of the Jennings/Ponder debate. “But when you look at what’s been done, you have to be fair about analyzing it. Both players can play in the league. Both have certain elements that they bring to the overall special teams and offense, and that made for a most difficult decision.”
Perhaps the most unexpected decision was keeping Dockery, a 5-8 rookie from Mississippi State, while releasing a veteran (Deloatch) and a draft choice (McPhearson).
“Dockery is a young player that’s been very impressive in the meetings and competitively and has a lot of upside,” Coughlin said. “He has competed well and his grades and his rankings have put him in a position where, if you believe in that kind of stuff, that’s where you go.”
The release of Sims and Jemison indicates the Giants soon expect to have Derrick Ward, who missed the preseason with a broken foot.
“I’m always hopeful of that,” Coughlin said. “And we’re counting on that. But you don’t have a lot of flexibility with the number, unless you’re willing to take a chance on losing a guy that you might regret later on. So you try as best you can to stick with your numbers, knowing, for example, that Chad Morton can fill in for some of those roles, too, for a short amount of time, anyway.”
Another position to look at is tight end, where the Giants have released three players in the last week, including Boo Williams in the cutdown to 75.
“I think we’re always looking for that third tight end,” Coughlin said.
Finally, Coughlin said he took into account the fact that Peprah and McPhearson were draft choices, but that was not enough to override the decisions he and his staff made.
“You certainly do (consider that) all through your camp and all through the preseason,” he said. “But your evaluation is your evaluation. The guys that are on the team have worked hard and have the grades to be there.”
NOTES
The Giants not only had a perfect 4-0 record in August, they had the NFL’s best defense in the preseason. The Giants allowed a league-low 219.5 yards a game while defeating Baltimore, Kansas City, the Jets and New England.
Brandon Jacobs was perhaps the NFL’s best running back in the preseason. He led the league with five touchdowns (including two versus the Patriots, one a 57-yarder) and his 217 rushing yards tied for first with Cincinnati’s Quincy Wilson.
Teams can sign their eight practice squad players starting at noon tomorrow. The Giants will announce their practice squad signings on Monday.
Walker over Deloatch? That shocked me a bit
The release of Ponder is not a shock
Damane Duckett is not a shock
Harris is not a shock
Charlie Peprah and Gerrick McPherson are likely to be on our practice squad
Eric Moore is not a shock
