The Game For Their Jobs

(@Giants)

Welcome to the 4th and final preseason game. The Giants have cut their rosters down to 75, and with Saturday's cut to 53 looming, some guys are playing for their jobs tonight.

I'll give you some positions where I believe there could be a toss up.

Runningback: Jennings, Vereen, Perkins (majority vote), X, maybe Y?
Perkins was a 5th round pick this year, and although I don't see him as an ABSOLUTE lock, I do think he makes the team. Really, it's now up to Williams and Darkwa to separate themselves if the Giants only go with 4 RBs.

Williams has had a pretty decent showing in preseason thus far. The biggest knock on him was his vision, how he wouldn't be patient and just run into where the hole was supposed to be, clogged or not. He has averaged 3.7 yards per carry (15 of them) so far this preseason, but he has shown the ability to find a hole or two throughout the run. His fumble vs Buffalo may hurt him, however.

Darkwa has had little opportunity to get anything going this preseason. Two draws on 3rd and longs against Miami that got him 10 and 8 respectively, and then only 1 against the Jets for -3. He also whiffed on a block that led to a blocked punt vs the Jets. Supposed to be a solid ST guy, but that wasn't the greatest showing.

I expect Williams and Darkwa to get a boat load of carries vs the Pats with some Perkins mixed in. With Whitlock gone however, they may end up going with 5 guys.

Wide Receiver: Beckham, Shep, Davis, Cruz, X. 
I think Cruz showed vs the Jets, that he can still play. Revis was impressed and said he'd be back to regular form. He burned Buster Skrine at one point (not saying much, but whatever). Davis has the experience, the big body, and was doing well at camp.

Comes down to King, Powe, Lewis Jr.

After a two TD night vs the Jets, you gotta think King has the job locked. A route like the one below, with the the CB having no idea what is going on, gets you TDs. TDs get you roster spots.

Problem with Powe and Lewis Jr is the fact that Nassib really hasn't had much time to throw the ball. Lewis Jr. was everyone's favorite to grab this spot before the two TD night for King, but even he has had some drops in the preseason. Powe has one reception for all of 6 yards in these 3 games. However, I don't think Lewis Jr makes it through waivers if he gets cut. That's the problem. He has a high ceiling, just no where near it right now. Darius Powe is 6-3 220. Perfect size for the Giants, but hasn't had the opportunity to produce. Lewis and Powe have A LOT to prove vs the Patriots.

Slot Corner: Hall, Wade? Deayon? 

This position confuses me. It is known that DRC has poor numbers while working in the slot. However, the Giants continue to slide him in there with Apple and JJ on the outside. So now we may be looking at the backup role.

While I don't think Hall is a lock, I think he makes the roster. The Giants believe he has great versatility and can help out at the FS position as well. He has had some holding calls, and really hasn't looked great this preseason, but he's the vet.

Wade is a guy that has done everything the Giants have asked of him. He played slot last year, and also played outside as well. He could be seen as the potential 4th outside guy as well, which leads me to the Deayon issue.

Deayon just is not an outside guy. He is 5-9 165 soaking wet. He has the heart of a 7ft monster, but his body just doesn't match. He did fight to knock the ball out of Greg Little's hands to prevent a TD, but he was targeted continuously in the stretch of game in which he was in. Little ended up scoring a few plays later.

However, I think Deayon is the perfect guy for the slot. Small, quick, shifty. A ton of heart. Not afraid to hit anyone. Sadly, the numbers just don't work in his favor. He needs a TREMENDOUS game vs the Pats to prove he's worth a spot. I hope they stick him in the slot all game, really. That would be nice.

Other positions quickly with not much detail:

3rd defensive tackle (Cudjo, Nix, Hughes). I think Cudjo takes it from what I've seen, but again all 3 have a big game ahead of them.

J.T. Thomas, Sheppard, Herzlich. While Herzlich is solid on specials, I don't know if that puts him over the top. Common consensus is that it does and that he is a lock, I just don't see it that way. Sheppard has shown that he has ridiculous range sideline to sideline. J.T. Thomas is back from injury and performed well vs the Jets.

4th safety (M. Thompson, Currie, Adams) Adams REALLY flashed vs the Jets. Tackles, interceptions, great things. Guy kinda came out of no where. M. Thompson off of injury really doesn't have this 4th spot locked. All 3 guys will get a shot with Berhe having locked down a spot in the rotation already

P.S. I they keep 5 DEs and Okwara is that 5th. I also think LB Ishaq Williams goes to the practice squad unless he POPS tonight. 

(Any thoughts? Tweet at me @RealTlkFB or comment below)

Preseason Week 2 Recap

(@Giants Twitter)

PROGRAMMING NOTE: On my end it seems like half of the gifs aren't working, will look into another platform. Try clicking on them, that sometimes works.

Let's get started off by saying that watching this game made me want to jump through my TV.

Quick Thoughts:

Offensive line may be worse than I originally thought, and I that would be impossible to accomplish.

The tight ends might as well leave the field on running plays.

Orleans Darkwa is not getting looks.

Secondary blitzes.

Break it down.

Looks like a 4-3 Under/closed left here to start the game (line shift away from TE side. Kennard down to TE, Collins rolls down). Bills start off with a bunch on the left, TE on the right. Fullback goes in motion Shady runs right side.

See Sheppard and Casillas as the other two LBs as well. 

Next play, same thing, but it's DT rolled down. After the motion by the receiver, DT and JJ do some communicating and DT knives into the backfield to trip up Reggie Bush. 

Absolutely love Kennard's hustle from the backside. There to clean up the play if Bush doesn't go down. 

First nickel look here. Got Keenan Robinson (top of screen on TE) and Casillas at LB. Double O at DT with Hank. Hall in the slot. 

It is a screen which ends up being broken up after a FANTASTIC read by Vernon, grabbing a hold of Shady before he can get set. The linemen release and Double O gets the pressure. 

Here we have a great example of why many Giants fans wanted to throw their remote through their television on that beautiful Saturday afternoon: 

Newhouse and Tye have zero idea what they are doing. Donnell whiffs on a block. Then, when it rains, it pours. Every guy comes into the picture besides the man Flowers was blocking. Amazing how poor blocking can be on a play. Was it miscommunication? I don't know. What I do know is that it was absolutely PATHETIC by Newhouse and Tye. 

Donnell just showing me he must be afraid of contact. I don't really blame him either. Feel bad actually. But if it is going to hurt the team, he's gotta go. Which sucks. Then immediately waves to come off the field.

Jerry on a 3rd and 7 false starts which is an awful penalty. There was no movement by the Bills front 7 pre-snap either. 

Casillas is going OFF in camp and in these first two games. Example below: 

Play is kinda blown up by DT blitzing hard from the left side but Casillas seems like the only guy not fooled on the left side of the defense. Great play.

Now that big play downfield to Charles Clay, the whiffed blitz. Let's break it down: 

Lots of pink and some yellow here but this is what happened: Hall, Brinkley, JJ blitz. Safeties man on receivers. Robinson is 1v1 on Clay. Taylor spins around JJ who DOESN'T set edge, break down, whatever you wanna call it. And Taylor bombs it to Clay.

 

I love the blitzes from the secondary, I really do. However, I thought we brought in Vernon and have a healthy-ish JPP to get the pressure without having to bring 20 guys at the QB. I guess preseason is a great time to test it out. 

Something else. I think it's possible Giants just go with Brinkley for 1st and 2nd with Sheppard coming in on 3rd during the regular season. Sheppard and Brinks were rotating constantly.

Landon Collins ends up saving the drive here for the Giants with a forced fumble at the goal line after Sheppard whiffed on a tackle. He actually saved the TD a play before as well, hitting Taylor before he could get across the line. Guy is an animal up near the box and will be getting a ton of tackles this year. 

More terrible run blocking. Hart whiffs. Newhouse needs help from Donnell who motioned into fullback which means Donnell can't get to the second level. Just overall pathetic. 

Seems like the only time this team is real successful running the ball is off the draw play. Which makes sense. Never get 1st downs off of it, but it's called to move ball.

Linebackers were coming on blitzes on their own as well. Sheppard blitzed on what ended up being a run play. 

Also had Double O standing up on a 3rd down. Ended up being the QB Spy (or just mirroring Taylor so he wouldn't run). Ended up running anyway, but was called back for a facemask on Vernon's guy. 

EXTREMELY happy that Shady McCoy is not on the Eagles anymore. 

3 times Larry Donnell has whiffed on a block and  there is 2 minutes left in the first. 

Honestly, Newhouse and Donnell made Jerry Hughes look like Reggie White. 

Casillas made a great play punching the ball out of Reggie Bush's hands down the sideline. Ruled a catch at first, however it was not. DRC came on blitz and got a hit as well. 

On the McCoy catch for a TD, Taylor had like 5 seconds, and Shady made a great grab on a throw that was up and away from DT. Pressure needs to get there.

Tavarres King just catches everything. From camp to this game. He made a great sliding/diving grab on a second down play with a guy draped all over him. Later he caught a ball while going out of bounds. Great play but... out of bounds.

Roger Lewis Jr had a chance to really make an impact but Eli ended up throwing it over his head and out of bounds. Lewis lost the defender after he peeked into the backfield and ran up the sideline. Eli just missed him. 

DT could have had a pick but DRC came flying out of no where to try and pick it himself. 

Vernon made the 2nd string left tackle of the Bills look like garbage can blocking. Just went right by him on an inside swim move.

Newhouse is STILL lost when the 2nd string Bills D comes in. Whiffed on the linebacker who ended up punching the ball from Williams for a turnover.

DRC is not a slot guy. He just isn't. I've said it since they drafted Apple. Here we have Hall outside, DRC in slot. The play doesn't go to his man, and Hall gets called for a hold, but just look at DRC. 

Cudjo (76) looks like he was the next man up at DT and then Nix (97) after. 

I'll tell you something. These linebackers are not bad against the run (with the 1s). They read the ball real well. 

Donnell was still awful at blocking against the 2s. 

Deayon (38) was with the 2s on the outside with Wade which is interesting. Okwara (78) and Double O are the next DEs up. 

Not sure why Hall loves to hold so much, but it's not good. 2 of them. 

Keenan Robinson didn't look too good all game. Beat deep on scramble play, over pursuing, facemask penalty.

Now as soon as Deayon came into the game they threw at him constantly. Makes sense when he is 5'9" 150 and Greg Little is 6'2" 220. One of the better plays of the game is below. Made by Deayon in the end zone against the MUCH bigger Little. 

You can see Deayon keeping up with Little and reaching in at the end and holding on for dear life as he tries to rip the ball away. It happens, no TD. That just shows a glimpse of how Deayon's attitude towards the game. Huge play because it prevented a TD, and the FG was missed.

Bills got the ball right back though, after this play below. Apparently Perkins missed his blocking assignment and Nassib got walloped. 

 

Bills score on the next play by attacking Deayon again. Manuel puts a perfect ball to Little on a fade. A taller corner would have probably been able to make a play, but that is why I have been calling for Deayon to play slot. 

I'm not really sure what Perkins is doing as a kick or punt returner. Guy just let the ball drop on the ensuing kickoff. Giants were lucky they got it. 

Williams did a good job in the 3rd by finding a hole for a gain of 15. Guy shows some burst getting through the line. He's gonna make this team. 

Whitlock may be a better defensive tackle than full back. 

Bobby Hart got rolled up on in the 3rd. Scary as he grabbed for his leg, but continued to play. 

None of these backup wide receivers were creating separation for when Nassib actually had time to throw. 

Brad Wing 48 yard punt to the 5. Again, chance to be a top 3 punter in the league this year. 

Okwara is a monster against these backup OLs. He's gonna make the team too.

Berhe is literally all over the field. He is always around the football somehow. Have seen him come screaming into the play from out of nowhere multiple times. 

Roger Lewis Jr. gets an opportunity and flat out drops the football that was thrown right into his hands. Later he rounds an out route off and it almost gets picked. 

Perkins dropped a pass that seemed to be a little too hard for him to handle. 

Every single TE besides Will Johnson can't seem to figure out how to block. 

Linemen Seymour and Farrell are lost out there. Really not sure what they are coaching during offensive line drills.

Goodson got torched up the seam on a route that ended up being overthrown.

Deayon was brought on a blitz that forced Cardale Jones to scramble and intentionally ground the football. That's what Deayon brings if you have him in the slot. Guy is relentless. 

Cooper Taylor had a nice pick from the safety spot. Set up Rainey's long, patient run in the 4th. On that run, I think Rainey just ran out of gas. I thought he was faster than what he showed. Resulted in zero points though, as Obarski missed a 28 yard field goal and promptly got cut. 

I would like to see Ishaq Williams play earlier in these preseason games. He's looked pretty good here in the first 2. 

Logan Thomas looked god awful. 

Conclusion: 

102 rushing yards total. 67 of those yards came on that one Rainey run. The offensive line looks like a disaster. TE's can't block. I'm starting to feel bad for Nassib. Deayon shouldn't be on the outside. Onto the Jets. 

Preseason Week 1 Recap

A little "what I noticed" of sorts.

(Quick thoughts)
If you haven't seen the Sterling Shepard catch, not sure which rock you live under, but it must be large.

Brad Wing may be top 3 punter in the league this year. Guy is very good.

The young wideouts aren't going to get many looks if the QBs don't have TIME TO THROW THE BALL.

(Break it down)
First pass D situation with the 1s:

Giants line up in a nickel formation, with Owa Odighizuwa next to Hankins, DRC in slot, Apple on outside, Casillas and Sheppard at LBs. The play ended up being a 7 yard gain, with Apple making the tackle after a comeback route. However, it was Double O making a difference with the pressure: 

Bull rush with a little dip there by Owa. If Double O can bring the heat, add him to Vernon and JPP? Bring someone else in there besides Hankins who is practically dancing with the center? Dangerous.

Andre Williams hits the hole instead of bouncing outside:



Looks like Williams found 2 holes on one play. Amazing really. The second cut up field, a speedier guy may go outside the WR there, but Williams loves that contact and lowers the BOOM.

Then bounces outside when the hole was filled:



Marshall Newhouse still needs work:



Jerry doesn't get to the second level either, not like it matters on this play. Do notice Shep's effort in the slot.

Giants paid for Vernon's disruption and potential sacks. I'll take a play like this any day:



Vernon goes around 2 guys, bumped by a stunting JPP and still gets a hit on a QB that is more than capable of running. Also like how he started standing up.

Darkwa got put into a couple 3rd and 18s for draws. The guy runs so hard and hungry. If he gets cut, he will be picked up and will do damage in this league. Believe that.

It was interesting to see Collins and Thompson stay together at safeties with the 2s. I guess they have to continue with that communication and learning each other's tendencies and what not. Also noticed they switched sides a few times, wasn't necessarily TE dependent, either.

There was a play to Shep in the back corner of the endzone where Nassib was too short with the pass. He's gotta put the ball out there, but it may be a timing thing. Should have been thrown as soon as he got the ball and have Shep run under it.

Berhe first came in for Collins, NOT Thompson. Was actually in with DT with the 2s. Interesting. See him read the line crash to their left, shoots in to set the edge and make the play in the backfield:



You can actually see Thompson direct the coverages while watching the game. For a rookie, first "real" game, that speaks volumes.

Okwara who is an UDFA from Notre Dame (78) gets plenty of pressure, and I think he definitely makes the team.

There was an overthrow by the Dolphins that somehow ended up being a touchdown. Play was a joke.

Brad Bars, the linebacker, looks and moves like a lineman. Which isn't great when he is getting spun out of his shoes. Goodson, Taylor, Bars all missed on one play. Each of them looked silly.

Goodson got BURNED on a playaction, but the tight-end dropped the wide open pass. However, the rookie started to get much better as the game went on.

Love the idea of blitzing Deayon from the slot.

Gettis may be one of the first cuts. Guy is a walking penalty.

Roger Lewis Jr got reps all game long.

Defensive Tackle Jermelle Cudjo (76) had a nasty swim move with 7 left in the 3rd. Keep an eye on him as they need pass rushers at the DT position. Later he broke through again to hit ball carrier in the backfield which was finished by Deayon. Cudjo needs to make those plays to stick, because at the age of 29, he may be on the outside looking in. Read about him here.

Mentioned it in the game but Ishaq Williams had a TD saving tackle on a punt return, guy can MOVE for being 6-4, 253. Had him as a linebacker in that nickel package as well, came in on a blitz, jumped over a lineman, and made a hit in the backfield. Next play he does the same, and helps stuff a 3rd and 1.

Paul Perkins has some wheels and excellent cutting ability. Would love to see him in space, which rarely happens due to the terrible line play. However, not securing a handoff before he started running gave the ball to the Dolphins. Not good.


Team is far from perfect. Offensive line depth is laughable. Nassib was throwing scared. Never got a chance to get comfortable, and was running for his life almost immediately. Defense has some playmakers but NEEDS to play controlled. Couple plays where guys were over pursuing, playing man not ball, etc. Fundamentals, kids. On to Saturday.

Preseason Week 1: Miami

PRE SEASON IS HERE!

(@Giants Twitter)

Well, it is finally here. After a LONG off season, complete with a crazy spending spree, and an interesting draft, we finally can stop jonesing for Big Blue Football.

It came out a couple hours ago that Eli will be sat the whole game. McAdoo had this to say on the decision, "we have a pretty good idea of what Eli can do."

Doesn't necessarily bother me that he is sitting the first game. As long as he gets a decent amount of work in the next two.

"Yo, why would you want him to play in preseason? He can get hurt!" And I agree, he could. Anyone can. I want him on the field for chemistry. Shep, Powe/King/Lewis, and even Geremy Davis should get time to learn Eli's tendencies during in-game scenarios. Reading coverages for option routes. Eli knowing what the WR would do in a certain down and distance, and vice versa. Yes, practice can help these things, but there is nothing better than a live football game.

Other guys that won't play: Cruz (groin), Keenan Robinson (groin), Wynn (groin), JT Thomas (hamstring), Jay Bromley (ankle).

With Cruz, another year, another injury. Not going to go deep into it, but this guy may not even make the team.

Keenan Robinson is an injury prone newcomer who is injured. If you're shocked, I have a bridge to sell you (or whatever that saying is).

JT Thomas and Bromley are not surprising, been on PUP all camp.

Wynn being hurt is unfortunate, played 578 snaps last season, most out of any DE.

WITH ALL THAT SAID... Here is what I'll be looking for (really all preseason, not just this week).

Eli Apple

If you follow me on Twitter, boy oh boy do you know my eyes will be glued to 28. I want to see if he gets some 1st reps with JJ on the other side. I want to see him against a shifty guy like Jarvis Landry. I want to see how many (hopefully zero) flags he gets. Known for a press man to man corner. How is that going? What about zone coverage? Does he look back at QB too quick while in man? There are multiple things he has to work on, let's see what steps he has made thus far.

That Wide Receiver Group

Outside of Beckham, what do the Giants have? Drafted Sterling Shepard (87) round 2 and he seems REAL promising. Where does he line up? Giants come out with the 1s, who is it? Beckham, and Davis outside? Shep in the slot? Giants have said Shep can play outside as well. Is he in the 2 WR sets? Can he break free from press coverage at his small size?

King(15)/Powe(86)/Lewis(82). I am pretty convinced Geremy Davis (18) and Dwayne Harris (17) make the team.

King (5th team) has some NFL experience but seems like he has a highlight reel play every single practice, it's been unreal. Runs a 4.47 as well, so that's always fun.

Powe is 6'3" 220. Talk about a big wideout.  Ran a 4.4 at his pro day! Good route runner though? Apparently he was a special teams ace at Cal and a real good run blocker.

Roger Lewis fell out of the draft because of off the field issues (apparently a "secret sex" relationship that turned into rape charges in high school). Last season at Bowling Green he had 85 catches for 1,544 and 16. Not too shabby! 6'1" 200, can go up and get it, great ball skills.

Myles White (19)... won't go into it too much here. He has made some plays in camp. Came in last year as another slot option while Cruz was doing whatever he was doing. 7 for 88 and 1 in 12 games last season.


Tight Ends

LARRRYYYY Donnell. Guy practically breaks his neck and is back on the squad which is a great story. We know what he is. Kind of a clunky guy, tumbles around a lot after the catch. Game winner vs SF was amazing last year.

Will Tye (45). I think this guy is the number 1 TE by September 11th. He was the most productive rookie TE in the NFL last year. Guy can catch the ball, uses his big body to bounce off defenders, and has some nice speed.

Matt LaCosse (81). Apparently he has been making play after play in camp as well. 2nd year guy that can block. Something the previous 2 have issues with. 6'5" 261. Has seen some 1st team reps. Saw on a play during practice, he actually lined up wide. May be a jack of all trades.

I think rookie 6th rd pick Jerrell Adams (89) needs to have a VERY strong preseason to make the 53. He can block, not the best receiver. Do they keep him as a big body in power run situations? Maybe.

Will Johnson (46). Free agent signee. This guy plays multiple positions. Tight End, Fullback, H-Back, whatever you need. He is a great blocker, and that's a good thing. I think he makes the team. Booting Whitlock from his FB role.

Who works in two TE sets? Do they line TEs up wide? Majority of the damage done up the seam? Many things to look for here.

Ishaq Williams (61)

Hasn't played a game in 3 years thanks to a suspension from Notre Dame. He played outside backer in a 3-4 and now has to learn a 4-3 outside backer. I think the Giants will have him as one of those guys that just goes after the QB. I want to see how they use him. 6'4" 253 and the guy covers ground. Got that contract after rookie mini-camp and away we go. Should be fun to watch.


Andre Williams (44)

Staying with the Williams here. I feel like this guy has the most to prove in camp. He was absolutely miserable last year. Terrible vision, a big bruiser that went down after first contact. He lost weight, can apparently now catch the ball, and has looked good. Let's see about that.

Orleans Darkwa (26)

Seems as though it's between Williams and Darkwa right now. Whoever has the stronger preseason, I think makes it. I love Darkwa. He runs with a chip on his shoulder and just wants to HURT people when he has the ball in his hands. The #FreeDarkwa movement was alive and well until he got hurt last year. Time to stay healthy and do WORK.

Newhouse (73)

Starting RT as of now. How much work does he see? He needs all the practice he can get, I think. Or do they bring in Hart (68) immediately with the twos? McAdoo said the job is there for Hart to take.

Donte Deayon

Since the Giants decided not to draft Vernon Hargreaves and instead draft a guy incapable of playing slot, the position was somewhat of a hole. Right up until they signed Leon Hall (25). However, I'll be looking for number 38, Donte Deayon, all preseason. The guy is small, 5'9" 160 soaking wet, but he gets after it. Has the intensity. Spoke at length about him here.

Free Safety

It seems like rookie 3rd round pick Darian Thompson (27) is the favorite here. Comes with not one single NFL snap played. The rest were hurt last year. I really think it ends up being a toss up between Thompson and Berhe (29). Berhe ended up being fine with a lot of last year left, but since he was put on season ending IR, they couldn't bring him back. I want to see a 3 safety look too. Thompson, Berhe up top, Collins (21) brought to the box.

Owa Odighizua (58)

How has Double O progressed after being hurt all of last year? Is he that pass rush specialist they need him to be? He should get plenty of reps this preseason so we all will see what he's capable of.

That's all folks. Be on the lookout for my Twitter handle (@RealTlkFB) popping up in your news feeds during games and throughout the week. It's been a rollercoaster thus far.

Slot Corner Up For Grabs

(@Giants on Twitter)

When you picture the Giants base defense, I would assume you picture a 4-3. Let me break that down for those who may not know what that means:

Credit: wikipedia and my edits

You have the FOUR defensive linemen (2 DEs and DTs) ... And THREE linebackers (Weak side, Strong side, and Middle). Behind that you have the two Safeties (Free and Strong) and two Corners on the outside. 

However, the NFL is turning into a 3-down passing league. Why have 3 linebackers when you can have 3 corners? In fact, according to Peter King at The MMQB, 63.4% of plays in NFL games have 5 or more DBs on the field. Thats nearly TWO-THIRDS! Usually it is more of a nickel look with 3 corners, 2 safeties, 2 linebackers.

And that is where this article comes in to play. Who is going to man the nickel/slot corner for the Giants?

Is it the #10 pick of the 2016 NFL Draft, Eli Apple? Most definitely not. As I mentioned here, Chris Ash the former DC at Ohio State said in an interview that Apple was NEVER asked to play slot. He was taught to grab and hold wideouts up and down the field. Now think about it, a 6'1" corner who has relied on grabbing and holding to stay tight with the wideout, trying to keep up with the smaller shifty wide receivers. Good luck. Apple was brought on (I hope) as a back up outside guy, along with being DRC's long-term replacement.

So after Apple, the most realistic options in my mind are: Bennett Jackson, Trevin Wade, and Donte Deayon. 

Bennett Jackson

Went from corner, to safety, back to corner. Now the Giants can kind of play him in a slot/safety hybrid like they did with Rolle a few years back. However, the guy hasn't played in two seasons because of knee injuries. He was on his way to start at FS before he tore his ACL in a preseason game last year. Torn ACLs are not the best injury for a slot cornerback to come back from.

Trevin Wade

Mr. Wade is an interesting one. Drafted in 2012 by the Browns in the 7th round and played in 13 games that year. Bounced around a little and landed on the Giants in January of last year. He's 5'10" 190, so he has solid slot corner size. My one problem with him is the risk taking without the top corner talent to do so. He can get burned on taking peeks into the backfield without staying with receivers. BUT the man has a nose for the football. Started in 3 games last year. Played in 16. 6 pass breakups, 1 TD saving forced fumble (Matt Jones, Redskins), 2 fumble recoveries, 1 TD.

Donte Deayon

Guy had 17 career interceptions which is 5th on Boise State's all-time list and 3rd on the Mountain West. But for me, it all started on June 6th during OTA's. I saw a tweet from Art Stapleton, one of the Giants beat writers, about Deayon getting a pick during practice. I sat there at my desk pondering, "Donte Deayon, hm?" ... went straight to youtube, and this was my reaction: (Deacon means Deayon, obviously) 

Deacon is 5-9 160 at most, plays like a pitbull. Kid is hungry. From Boise State like @DThompson004. #Giants https://t.co/atVejEUWJR

— 10over12 (@RealTlkFB) June 6, 2016

That night I sat in bed that night thinking, "Giants spent a number 10 pick on a backup, while we found our starting nickel guy after the draft!" So on the train to work the next morning I watched even more tape, and came out with this thought:

Another thing on Donte Deayon (@AyoItsND). Seems like he has that attitude this defense needs. An @OBJ_3 on offense. Hope he sticks. #Giants

— 10over12 (@RealTlkFB) June 7, 2016

Attitude on defense is so, so, SO important. You must want the ball. You must want to hit people. Bring your opponent to their knees mentally and physically.  A quote from this article backs up my tweet:

“You push me, I’ll push you,” Deayon says. “You talk trash, I’m gonna talk trash. And every time you line up, I’m gonna be right there, and you’re gonna have to do it for four quarters ’cause I’m gonna be there for four quarters, trying to make plays.”

Good vibes for Deayon continued while the days passed:

Have a real good feeling about this man. What he may lack in size, he makes up for in heart and passion. #Giants https://t.co/bpWcupYIJR

— 10over12 (@RealTlkFB) June 13, 2016

If you can't already tell, I feel Deayon not only makes the team, but is the starting guy at nickel corner come day one. I mean the guy's nickname is Neon (yes after Deion Sanders)... how could you not want him to start? 

Would I have a problem with Wade claiming the spot once again with a sprinkle of "Neon" throughout the season? Not at all. What I do know is that I want him in between the lines on defense. I want the attitude. I want the intensity.