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Here's my final shot at the 53 Giants....


Allstarjim

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I had previously posted my prediction for the final Giant 53 HERE. But now, as we approach final cuts, I'm going to make my revisions and see how close I can come to hitting the nail on the head on the 2009 Giants... I know we have 1 more preseason game to go, and guys are still battling, and hell, I might do another one of these after the game... but if not, this is how I see it.

 

Offense (26)

 

QB (3): Eli Manning, David Carr, Rhett Bomar

 

I'm not changing anything here. Part of me really thinks that Woodson is going to win the third QB battle... but I can't bring myself to believe the Giants are going to cut Bomar.

 

 

WR (5): Domenik Hixon, Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, Ramsees Barden, Mario Manningham

 

A little tweak here. With a heavy heart I concede that Tyree is on the verge of being cut. But so is Sinorice Moss, and that somewhat makes up for it. And I have Hagan on the practice squad. This is a bit of a surprise going with only 5 receivers, but we've done it before, and I think the Giants would like the extra spot for another lineman.

 

TE (3): Kevin Boss, Travis Beckum, Michael Matthews

 

Nothing changing here. Still think Darcy is an unfortunate casualty of a strong group of TE's.

 

RB (3): Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, Danny Ware

 

Patrick Allen did not show enough to be considered for a spot. Giants are going to go with these three guys, but....

 

FB (2): Madison Hedgecock, Dwayne Wright

 

They are also going to go with two fullbacks instead of one.

 

OT (4) Kareem McKenzie, David Diehl, William Beatty, Guy Whimper

 

OG (4): Chris Snee, Rich Seubert, Kevin Boothe, Tutan Reyes

 

OC (2): Shaun O'Hara, Adam Koets

 

I'm making a change here. Tutan Reyes did well and earned his spot. I'm adding an OL because of it. My initial prediction had 7 WR's making the team, but now I only have 5, making room for Tutan! Another note... Giants will stick with Koets for awhile longer, despite his snapping troubles in camp. The loss of Reugamer reverberates.

 

That's 26 guys on offense.

 

 

 

 

Defense (25)

 

DE (4): Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Matthias Kiwanuka, Dave Tollefson

 

No suprises here... hopefully, they can get Maurice Evans on the practice squad.

 

DT (4): Barry Cofield, Fred Robbins, Chris Canty, Rocky Bernard

 

A little change here with Alford's injury. I see the Giants making a go of it with 4 DT, and the knowledge that Tuck can slip inside, with Sintim giving even more flexibility to make up for him at end. Another note on Alford... I don't see the Giants placing him on IR just yet. I think they will put him on PUP and see how the injury progresses for the next couple of months, and then make a decision.

 

SLB (3): Danny Clark, Clint Sintim, Zak DeOssie

 

No changes here.

 

MLB (3): Antonio Pierce, Chase Blackburn, Jonathan Goff

 

With a strong preseason, I've changed my mind on Goff... he makes the team.

 

WLB (2): Michael Boley, Bryan Kehl

 

Little shakeup here. I think Boley is going to count against the 53, so gone is Gerris Wilkinson. Chase Blackburn will spell Bryan Kehl week 1 at the WIL... then Boley and Kehl makeup a dynamic weakside linebacker tandem going forward. I'm high on both of them.

 

CB (5): Corey Webster, Aaron Ross, Terrell Thomas, Kevin Dockery, Bruce Johnson

 

Well, I'd like to point out that I was right about Stoney Woodson not making the team. However, I still may not be right about Bruce Johnson. I can't imagine DeAndre Wright winning the 5th CB job after his flop on a TD against the Jets, but Vince Anderson is still in the mix.

 

SS (2): Michael Johnson, CC Brown

 

It's a travesty that CC Brown is going to make this team. He was horrific in the Jets game. Truly terrible. But the Giants don't have any legitimate alternatives right now. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Giants pick up another safety off another team's cut list and then cut Brown. Vince Anderson is another option yet again.

 

FS (2): Kenny Phillips, Sha'Reff Rashad

 

I will probably get Phillips' backup wrong, this is just a guess. My original prognostication had only 3 safeties, but I think the Giants will go with 4.

 

Special Teams (2)

 

P: Jeff Feagles

 

K: Lawrence Tynes

 

Physically Unable to Perform

 

DT Jay Alford

 

Injured Reserve (1)

 

RB Andre Brown

 

 

 

I have to say, even I feel uneasy about a couple of things with this lineup, most notably with the exclusion of Hagan, and a little excessive depth in the linebacking corps. But I think this 53 is the best team we can go forward with, and it's a damn good team. I could see a bit of a surprise cut on the OL where either Whimper or Koets gets cut, allowing Hagan to make it. I'm VERY confident in my defense other than the 5 DB spot and K Phillips backup at Safety.

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I like your picks except for Darcy Johnson. I know he hasn't had a good showing, but he has the potential to be a freaking animal in the Mark Bavaro mold.

Darcey has been cut, and i completely agree with you. Letting go of Darcey is a huge mistake, especially for the sake of keeping a blocking TE. You can put a back up OL at the TE position for the times Mathews would play and get the same result. didn't Suebert even have a cath a couple years ago? I think keeping a TE simply because he can block is a waste of roster space, especially when you are releasing a quality player such as Darcey Johnson.

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I would like to respond both to Ditto and VG. The cuts that were posted in the other thread had no link, and I could not find evidence online of those cuts being made. So as of today, I still think Darcy is a Giant, and why would they cut him prior to Thursday night's game? They are at 75, they don't have to get down to 53 until Friday maybe Saturday.

 

However, you spoke of a TE in the Mark Bavaro mold. Boss is that guy. I like Darcy, too. But I still don't think we keep 3 pass catching TE's, and they aren't dumping Beckum this quick. It really comes down to what expected contributions you can get out of your players... and if you have Boss and Beckum, what king of playing time is Darcy really going to get? Anyways, if you keep Darcy you have to cut someone else... I don't see that being Matthews, and where else do you cut from? It has to be from the offensive or defensive lines, and I don't think you are going to cut one of the big uglies in favor of a 4th TE or 3rd pass catching TE.

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I would like to respond both to Ditto and VG. The cuts that were posted in the other thread had no link, and I could not find evidence online of those cuts being made. So as of today, I still think Darcy is a Giant, and why would they cut him prior to Thursday night's game? They are at 75, they don't have to get down to 53 until Friday maybe Saturday.

 

However, you spoke of a TE in the Mark Bavaro mold. Boss is that guy. I like Darcy, too. But I still don't think we keep 3 pass catching TE's, and they aren't dumping Beckum this quick. It really comes down to what expected contributions you can get out of your players... and if you have Boss and Beckum, what king of playing time is Darcy really going to get? Anyways, if you keep Darcy you have to cut someone else... I don't see that being Matthews, and where else do you cut from? It has to be from the offensive or defensive lines, and I don't think you are going to cut one of the big uglies in favor of a 4th TE or 3rd pass catching TE.

I took the post of Johnson's cut at face value, i doubt Lug pulled that from thin air. However, if you're going to keep 3 TE's, to me, it makes more sense to keep 3 TE's who can catch the ball.

 

The reason is simple, injuries. If Boss or Beckum goes down for significant time, that leaves us with 1 pass catching TE. The only time Mathews sees action is when it's an obvious running situation, we could easily place a back up OL in that spot.

 

We know we can run, regardless of who is bloacking at the TE position we can run, but we are without our top receiver, and our dependable hands as well. I'd vote for keeping as many pass catcher as possible at the TE position.

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I took the post of Johnson's cut at face value, i doubt Lug pulled that from thin air. However, if you're going to keep 3 TE's, to me, it makes more sense to keep 3 TE's who can catch the ball.

 

The reason is simple, injuries. If Boss or Beckum goes down for significant time, that leaves us with 1 pass catching TE. The only time Mathews sees action is when it's an obvious running situation, we could easily place a back up OL in that spot.

 

We know we can run, regardless of who is bloacking at the TE position we can run, but we are without our top receiver, and our dependable hands as well. I'd vote for keeping as many pass catcher as possible at the TE position.

 

He goofed and it was an old cut list.

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Don't see us carrying two fullbacks. Matthews is the better blocking tight end and he can play FB., that is why he stays and Johnson goes.

 

IMO, there is no possible way that we go into the season with just 3 running backs and 1 fullback. Wright stays because he can also be a running back in a pinch. Consider last year we carried 5 running backs AND Hedgecock (Jacobs, Ward, Bradshaw, Ware, and Droughns), for 6 backs total. No way Coughlin is going into the season with just 4.... 5 I can see.

 

However, I still think somehow Hagan makes it. But it's hard to make room. I think it has to come from the Offensive Line. I can't say they would cut Tutan Reyes, but maybe he goes to Practice Squad. Other than that, we could be looking at somewhat of a surprise cut from Whimper, Boothe, or Koets.

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RB's are a dime a dozen and if Patrick Allen and/or Dwayne Wright makes through the waivers they'll probably get put on the practice squad. They can always promote someone up from the practice squad in a pinch. There isn't a set number of RB's Coughlin needs, it just so happened that there were 5 better RB then lets say 3 QB's.

 

IMO, there is no possible way that we go into the season with just 3 running backs and 1 fullback. Wright stays because he can also be a running back in a pinch. Consider last year we carried 5 running backs AND Hedgecock (Jacobs, Ward, Bradshaw, Ware, and Droughns), for 6 backs total. No way Coughlin is going into the season with just 4.... 5 I can see.

 

However, I still think somehow Hagan makes it. But it's hard to make room. I think it has to come from the Offensive Line. I can't say they would cut Tutan Reyes, but maybe he goes to Practice Squad. Other than that, we could be looking at somewhat of a surprise cut from Whimper, Boothe, or Koets.

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I'lll tell you this, after seeing a few highlights, none of the bubble defensive players should be kept. DeAndre Wright was the worst. Jonathan Goff looked atrocious in the open field in pass coverage. It really seems like after Dockery and Terrell Thomas, Coughlin needs to find other corners. If I'm Coughlin I'm monitoring the waiver wire pretty hard tomorrow.

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i thought G W played himself into a roster spot last night. Pretty good run at LB

 

 

Him or Goff (and possibly both) is gonna get cut, so take your pick! Last year the Giants kept 7 LBers on the 53 man squad.

 

These guys are definitely making the team:

 

Boley

Pierce

Clark

Blackburn

Kehl

Sintim

DeOssie

 

That's 7. I can see them carrying ONE more than last year, but not two.

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Him or Goff (and possibly both) is gonna get cut, so take your pick! Last year the Giants kept 7 LBers on the 53 man squad.

 

These guys are definitely making the team:

 

Boley

Pierce

Clark

Blackburn

Kehl

Sintim

DeOssie

 

That's 7. I can see them carrying ONE more than last year, but not two.

Jonathan Goff looked atrocious in the open field in pass coverage

I don't remember LT being so hot in pass coverages either. Look how that turned out. I'm not comparing Goff to LT, not by a long shot, but I think we keep him.

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I don't remember LT being so hot in pass coverages either. Look how that turned out. I'm not comparing Goff to LT, not by a long shot, but I think we keep him.

 

 

I'm not sure what your point is. LT was a pass rushing OLBer in a 3-4 defense. He was rushing the passer just about every time. Goff is a middle linebacker in a 4-3. The comparison doesn't have any merit, with the utmost respect, Ditto. I think Goff has looked very good in run defense, but boy did he look bad in pass coverage last night. For the record, I think we keep him as well, but he's definitely going to have some responsibility in pass coverage.

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Here's my crack

 

QB (2) Eli Manning, David Carr

 

RB (3) Jacobs, Bradshaw, Ward

 

FB (1) Hedgecock

 

WR (6) Smith, Hixon, Manningham, Nicks, Barden, Moss

 

TE (3) Boss, Johnson, Beckum

 

OT (4) Diehl, McKenzie, Beatty, Whimper

 

OG (4) Snee, Seubert, Reyes, Boothe

 

C (1) O'Hara

 

DE (4) Tuck, Osi, Kiwi, Tollefson

 

DT (5) Robbins, Canty, Cofield, Bernard, Legar Douzable

 

OLB (6) Boley, Clark, Sintim, Blackburn, Kehl, Wilkinson

 

ILB (2) Pierce, Goff

 

CB (5) Webster, Ross, Dockery, Thomas, Travonti Johnson

 

FS (2) Phillips, Rashad

 

SS (2) Johnson, Brown

 

K (1) Tynes

 

P (1) Feagles

 

LS/OLB (1) Zak DeOssie

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The eve of cut day, here we go, one last time. First, these guys are set in stone:

 

QB - Manning, Carr

RB - Jacobs, Bradshaw, Ware

FB - Hedgecock

WR - Hixon, Smith, Manningham, Nicks, Barden

TE - Boss, Beckum

OL - Diehl, Snee, Seubert, O'Hara, McKenzie, Beatty

 

DL - Tuck, Umenyiora, Kiwanuka, Tollefson, Canty, Cofield, Robbins, Bernard

LB - Pierce, Clark, Boley, Blackburn, Kehl, Sintim, DeOssie

CB - Webster, Ross, Thomas, Dockery

S - Phillips, Johnson

 

K - Tynes

P - Feagles

 

That's 42 guys who I believe aren't in danger of being cut whatsoever. A note on the above is that yes I believe DeOssie's job is safe as is our long snapper and one of our best special teamers. And yes Tollefson's job is safe as well. Also, I think CC Brown's job is possibly safe, but he's played too badly for me to list him up there. I actually think there might be a small chance he gets axed. Here's the battles for the final 11 spots and my predicted winners.

 

QB - Bomar vs. Woodson. Winner: Bomar. Woodson was awful last night against a pretty bad defense. In fact, Woodson has been pretty bad the entire preseason. At least Bomar has the rookie excuse, as well as a quicker release.

 

RB - Allen Patrick vs. Dwayne Wright. Winner: Wright. This could change by Monday of next week. I only say Wright because he can also play fullback and spell Hedgecock. I was not impressed with Allen this summer, and cannot see him being a benefit to the team in any capacity. I'm putting Wright now, but think Coughlin might comb other teams' cuts and bring in someone as a 4th RB.

 

WR - Moss vs. Tyree vs. Hagan. Winner: Hagan. At the outset of camp, I would tell you this guy has no shot. But from the camp reports I've read, he's really impressed. He showed a heady play in the Jets game by making a catch and getting out of bounds in the 2 minute drill, just before getting tackled. He's demonstrated he can contribute in the passing game. Moss had a thrilling final night as a Giant, but he is too injury prone and one dimensional to hang on with the team. I kind of wish Tyree would win this with an 11th hour miracle (like the one he gave to us in SB 42, but it's not to be. Hagan it is.

 

TE - Matthews vs. Johnson. Winner: Matthews. The guy is not here for pass catching. He's just a damn good blocker. With exotic blitz schemes going to be employed against us this year probably more than ever, the Giants need his blocking for max protection formations, goal line formations, and field goal attempts. Darcy is a fan favorite, but he is a pass catcher, and that is what we already have a good deal of with Boss and Beckum. I wish there was room for both, but I don't believe there is.

 

OL - Koets vs. Whimper vs. Reyes vs. Boothe. Winners: Koets, Whimper, and Reyes. I see the Giants carrying 9 OL this year. Boothe is best at guard, but Reyes was very impressive in that role and has earned himself a job. Koets and Whimper are tackles, with Koets providing value as backup center, despite his snapping troubles. Can't keep everyone, Boothe is gone.

 

As for the Defense, I don't believe there are any camp battles on the defensive line. We have a strong 8 players there and that is where it is going to stay.

 

LB - Wilkinson vs. Goff. Winners: Goff AND Wilkinson.* This is a very difficult pick for me to make. It's an unusual camp battle because they don't play the same linebacking position. At the start of camp, the talk was that the battle was between Kehl and Wilkinson. But Kehl quickly solidified his position and is coming off a 2008 where he showed flashes of brilliance. So it comes down to a roster spot for one of these guys (even though there is a chance that they both get cut). I think Goff wins the battle, but I'm really 50-50 on this one. I think a WIL is tougher to find than a MIKE, but nevertheless, I think the Giants still want to try and cultivate Goff's potential with Pierce's future beyond this season uncertain. However, I have both as temporary winners because Boley will not count towards the final 53 man roster until after he serves his 1 game suspension. So Wilkinson is a winner, at least for one more week.

 

CB - Bruce Johnson vs. Vince Anderson vs. DeAndre Wright. Winner: Bruce Johnson. I understand Anderson is kind of in the mix at Safety. I actually think Bruce was not great in the Pats game, but like the 4th running back, he might be warming a spot for someone on the waiver wire. Wright was beyond terrible and I think has zero chance of making the roster. Anderson could make the team yet as a safety... so I'm just giving this to Bruce based on solid camp performances.

 

S - CC Brown vs. Shareff Rashad vs. Vince Anderson vs. Travonti Johnson. Winners: CC Brown and Vince Anderson. CC Brown is a vet, and these other youngsters haven't really displayed much ability. It's very tough to evaluate safeties, however, because they are way back in the defensive backfield and the camera doesn't really get them a lot of the time unless the ball comes into their area of responsibility. Anderson had a pretty good camp from what I read, though, so I'm giving it to him based only on that, and admittedly, I can be way off base.

 

So that gets us to 53.

 

Here are your cuts (there are 20 with Alford placed on IR and Boley not counting against the 53 this week:

 

Andre Woodson

Allen Patrick

Sinorice Moss

David Tyree

Shaun Bodiford

Darcy Johnson

Kevin Boothe

Cliff Louis

Ty Pennington

Orrin Thompson

Leger Douzable

Maurice Evans

Tommie Hill

Robert Henderson

Anthony Bryant

Jeremy Clark

Kenny Ingram

DeAndre Wright

Shareff Rashad

Travonti Johnson

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Ahh, how could I forget! I dropped Woodson and added DeOssie. Gmen only kept 2 QB's last year, I think they might to the same this year. We'll see.

 

 

Well last year they did it as a calculated risk because they felt they needed to keep 2 kickers (Tynes and Carney). This year, they only plan on keeping one shitty kicker, lol. I don't think they will take the risk this year, however.

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:P

 

This is fun for me to try and predict the team, Mr. Sarcasm!

 

LOL....my bad Jim. I really wasnt clowning on you, I think youre assessment is pretty spot on, and I give you props for taking the time to do that. I just wanted to throw a little humor in there. :blush:

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