Tag: new york giants

New York Giants’ John Michael Schmitz taking things on snap at a time

When New York Giants rookie center John Michael Schmitz left the practice field on Friday there was a noticeable red stain on his otherwise white jersey.

Was it blood? If so, was it his? Was it someone else’s?

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“Could be both,” JMS said with a laugh.

Schmitz has been taking first-team reps this week and remains the favorite to start at center, but he doesn’t feel like he’s earned anything yet. It’s far too early in training camp and he’s not really interested in looking ahead.

“I mean we are just a couple of practices into fall camp. Right now, my main focus is just to continue to keep getting better each and every day and gain that trust with that o-line room and that offense to just prove that I can be out there, and I can make the calls and just be urgent with it,” he said.

“I don’t really kind of focus on (where I get my reps). My main focus is really on just taking that one thing, that you focus on every day, which could be a technique, could just a mental standpoint of it, and just keep getting better at it. That’s how I am looking at it.”

Things certainly aren’t going to come easy for Schmitz, who has drawn the short straw. He’s forced to block All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence every day, which is a nightmare for those around the league.

“Dex is a great player. All-Pro last year. Great opportunity to go against him every day in practice. Continue to perfect my craft, learn from him, and at the end of the day get better,” Schmitz said matter-of-factly.

That’s the laser focus for the rookie: get better each day. He’s taking things one snap at a time and his sole focus is the next rep.



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New York Giants’ Darren Waller among NFL’s top 50 in merchandise sales

There is only one New York Giants player listed on the most recent list of the NFLPA’s Top 50 NFL Player Sales list.

That would be tight end Darren Waller, who the Giants traded a third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders this past offseason for. He came in at No. 32.

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The list was culled from the sales of all officially licensed NFL player products and merchandise from the period from March 1-May 31, 2023.

Waller jerseys are a hot sell these days. He switched from his traditional No. 83 to No. 12 after arriving in New Jersey to join the Giants in March.

Waller began his career wearing No. 12 in Baltimore with the Ravens in 2016 and then switched to No. 84 the next season. He took the No. 83 when he was signed off the Ravens’ practice squad by the then-Oakland Raiders in November of 2018.

The list is topped by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and followed by Aaron Rodgers, who is now the starting quarterback of the New York Jets.

Also on the list are former Giant star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (No. 28), who is now with Baltimore, and running back Ezekiel Elliott (No. 25), who is currently a free agent after being released by the Dallas Cowboys this past offseason.

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Giants waive Jeff Smith, place Evan Neal in concussion protocol

After an impressive start to training camp, New York Giants right tackle Evan Neal was forced to leave Friday’s practice early.

It was initially unclear what forced Neal off the field but following the afternoon practice, it was revealed that the second-year player had suffered a concussion and was placed into protocol.

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Earlier in the day, head coach Brian Daboll praised Neal’s progress and his improved technique.

“I think Evan’s done a good job, like I said a couple of days ago. He’s improved, he’s got the right mindset and we’ll just grinding along with him,” Daboll said.

Meanwhile, the Giants also made a series of transactions on Friday, waiving wide receiver Jeff Smith with an injury designation. The veteran had suffered a knee injury earlier in the week.

If Smith clears waivers, he will revert to injured reserve.

In a corresponding roster move, the Giants signed nose tackle Donovan Jeter, who was recently released by the Chicago Bears.

The 6-foot-3, 325-pound Jeter was originally signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Michigan in 2022. He also spent some time with the Washington Commanders last season.

Jeter has appeared in one career game and recorded one tackle.



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New York Giants select QB Lamar Jackson in ESPN’s 2018 re-draft

In one of the most controversial draft picks in franchise history, the New York Giants selected running back Saquon Barkley second overall in the 2018 NFL draft.

Barkley got off to stellar start with Big Blue, earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. However, immediately after that, Barkley was hit with the injury bug prior to bouncing back in 2022.

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To this day, the debate continues over taking a running back as high as the Giants took Barkley.

ESPN recently released a re-draft of that 2018 draft and instead of taking Barkley, the Giants select quarterback Lamar Jackson.

A debate raged before the 2018 draft about whether the Giants should draft a quarterback. Ultimately, they did not, opting to take Barkley to boost their offense. But I made the easy choice to instead take the 2019 unanimous NFL MVP in Jackson. He is the most electric quarterback in the game — he leads the league in quarterback rush yards since 2018 (4,435) — and would have been unstoppable in current coach Brian Daboll’s offense.

Of course, when the Giants took Barkley, Eli Manning was still under center and they were still trying to win with their current roster — they were just a year removed from an 11-5 record under Ben McAdoo.

Like Barkley, Jackson also had a contract dispute this offseason which was resolved shortly after the Baltimore Ravens signed former Giant Odell Beckham Jr.

Jackson, of course, was selected 32nd overall that year with 28 teams passing on the future MVP, including the Ravens at 25th overall.

Meanwhile, in this re-draft scenario, Barkley falls to pick 15 and is then taken by the Arizona Cardinals.

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Wink Martindale pleased with New York Giants’ rookie cornerbacks

When the New York Giants selected Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks with the 24th overall selection in this year’s NFL draft, defensive coordinator Wink Martindale was so overjoyed he laid an uncharacteristic aggressive hug on general manager Joe Schoen.

In case you missed that exchange, here it is:

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That right there displayed how much Martindale loved the pick, knowing he needs physical outside cornerbacks to make his system run.

Banks is a 6-foot-2, 205 pound prospect that will man up against the bigger wideouts in the league. Banks began camp slowly but has been ramping things up the past week.

On Thursday, Martindale updated the media on Banks’ progress.

“I think he’s been great,” Wink said. “It’s one of those things — corners are on the island. You know what I mean? When you see, he’s on the island and this is the NFL. It’s 50/50 on the edge. He still has that mentality that if he gets knocked down nine times, he gets up 10 and doesn’t flinch. (He) listens, learns (and) Rome’s doing a great job with him, (defensive backs coach) Jerome Henderson, and I think both of those young corners have come in here and competed and they’re exciting to watch.”

“Both of those corners?”

Yes, the Giants are crowing about another rookie as well. Old Dominion’s Tre Hawkins III — a 6-foot-3, 195-pound player who the Giants found on Day 3 of the draft that has the team’s training camp buzzing.

“Oh, he’s had a great camp. He’s had a great camp,” Martindale said.

“It’s amazing to me as you go back and you think about the different guys and where they come from. It doesn’t matter where you come from once you get here because the resources and people that they have to work with at this level and the guys that are productive, you can see the confidence just build in them. I really think he’s done a nice job but he’s got a lot of things to work on, just like we all do.”

Hawkins has earned first reps early on in camp and has shown he can both post up on the line as well as cloak speedy wideouts down the field.



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Giants’ Joe Schoen says relationship with Saquon Barkley is good

The New York Giants and franchise-tagged star running back Saquon Barkley are showing no ill effects in their relationship after Barkley’s contract showdown this offseason.

“Our relationship is good,” general manager Joe Schoen said in an interview with WFAN in New York on Thursday morning.

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“The first offer we sent during the bye week, Saquon came up to my office and we had a really good conversation. I said ‘Listen, this is the first time you’re going through this. There is a business side to it…and none of it is personal.’ He understood that throughout the process. He’s been up to my office a couple times since he’s been back. He’s mature, he’s a good teammate, and he really cares about this organization.”

Barkley didn’t really have much leverage after his reps turned down several top-of-the-market offers from the Giants before the bottom fell out of the running back market.

Barkley ended up settling for a sliver over the franchise tag tender of $10.1 million for 2023. The deal was altered to pay $2 million up front in the form of a signing bonus with $910k more to be potentially made on the back end via incentives.

“With the Saquon deal, it was professional the entire time. We just couldn’t come to an agreement on a value, and that’s OK. It’s OK that the has to do what’s best for him. We understand that,” added Schoen.

“I have a lot of confidence in our process and how we come up with our value of players, and they have their process.”

In the end, Barkley just wanted to play football. He understands the business end now but his NFL career clock is ticking. No way he could hold out in his mid-20’s and expect his career path to continue without a hitch upon his return. Ask Le’Veon Bell how that works out.

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New York Giants’ Isaiah Hodgins predicted to have breakout year

The New York Giants have quite a number of players on their roster who could ‘break out’ in 2023. In fact, with all the new faces and young players on the roster, it’s very likely they will have more than one.

In a piece by CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin predicting the breakout player for each team for the upcoming season, wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins was chosen as the player for the Giants.

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New York brought in Darren Waller to give Daniel Jones a better option in the passing game. But Waller has played just 20 of 34 possible games over the past two seasons. What if he can’t be counted on to stay healthy anymore? In that case, Hodgins looks like the best game in town. He brought in 33 receptions for 351 yards and four scores in just eight games with the Giants last season. Extrapolate that to 17 games and it’s a 70-746-8.5 receiving line. For a former sixth-round pick who was waived in the middle of last season after mostly being on the practice squad prior to that, it would be a heck of a come-up.

Rubin makes some salient points in favor of Hodgins, who many thought was last year’s breakout player even in the small sample size that they saw.

Hodgins is undoubtedly in the plans, but he’ll have to compete for touches in a very crowded field, with the Giants having a lot of mouths to feed on offense now.

They will be looking to stretch the field with the likes of speedster wide receivers Jalin Hyatt and Parris Campbell, as well as try to put the ball into the hands of their higher-paid players, such as tight end Darren Waller and running back Saquon Barkley.

There’s also veteran wideouts Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton, two Jones favorites.

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Mike Kafka talks Northwestern, Daniel Jones, rookies

New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka was a hot name on the NFL head-coaching carousel this past winter, as he was interviewed — and seriously considered — by as many as five teams.

Kafka did not land any of the open jobs and returned to the Giants with a little more juice as he heads into his second season running the offense for head coach Brian Daboll.

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One job opening that could intrigue Kafka going forward is the one at his college alma mater, Northwestern, where head coach Pat Fitzgerald was recently fired after 17 seasons following a hazing scandal.

Kafka, a quarterback, both played and coached under Fitzgerald at Northwestern.

He opened his presser at Giants’ training camp on Thursday morning with some remarks about NU and Fitzgerald, while noting he’s “just focused on today” when asked about the head-coach vacancy there.

Of course, Kafka had to field questions regarding the development of quarterback Daniel Jones, who is entering Year 2 in the offense. He said Jones is now able to “problem-solve faster.”

Kafka also said he and Giants defensive coordinator, Wink Martindale, work together to try to make each unit better during drills.

In addition, Kakfa had positive things to say about several young players, including wide receivers Isaiah Hodgins and rookie Jalin Hyatt, and his rookie center, John Michael Schmitz, who Martindale is sending the kitchen sink at in practices.



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Giants’ Dexter Lawrence ranked No. 28 on NFL Top 100 Players list

New York Giants defensive linemen Dexter Lawrence took a massive leap in 2022. From the jump, in his rookie season, it looked like the Giants may have gotten a good player to build around.

However, Lawrence’s breakout season last year took his game to a whole new level. Lawrence led the team in sacks and was a constant disruptor in opposing backfields.

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His breakout season secured him a lucrative extension with Big Blue.

Lawrence also earned a spot on the NFL’s top 100 list. Last night, his teammate Saquon Barkley ranked No. 31 on the list;  Lawrence comes in three spots ahead at No. 28 overall:

Like Barkley, Lawrence did not make the list a year ago. In fact, the only Giant to make that was Leonard Williams at 97th overall.

While the rest of the defensive line had trouble staying on the field last season, Lawrence was extremely reliable. Lawrence was one of the best pass rushers and arguably the best defensive tackle in the league.

Lawrence is the second player on the Giants to crack this year’s NFL top 100 list which is voted on by the players in the league. Offensive tackle Andrew Thomas is expected to be on the list but has not been named yet.



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Giants’ Ben Bredeson talks versatility, praises John Michael Schmitz

It just seems like New York Giants offensive lineman Ben Bredeson has been around forever. The truth is, he is still just 25 years old as he enters his fourth NFL season, and third as a Giant.

A former first-team All-Big Ten selection while at Michigan, Bredeson began his NFL career with the Baltimore Ravens after being selected 143rd overall in Round 4 of the 2020 NFL draft, playing in 10 games as a rookie for the Ravens.

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Bredeson found himself on the roster bubble the next summer, however, and was traded by Baltimore to the offensive line-starved Giants at the end of training camp, along with a 2022 fifth-rounder and a 2023 seventh-round pick in exchange for the Giants’ 2022 fourth-round pick.

Since then, Bredeson has been shifted from pillar to post on the Giants’ offensive line. He played in eight games (one start) in 2021, and then appeared in 11 games in 2022, starting eight —  all at guard.

This year, he is being alternated between guard and center but has been seeing less time in the middle now that rookie John Michael Schmitz has gotten more acclimated.

Bredeson will likely be the Giansts’ starting left guard come opening day but there is still a lot of camp —  and the preseason — ahead for that to be determined.

On Tuesday at training camp, Bredeson spoke to the media about the state of the Giants’ offensive line and where he fits in.

“I think that’s how football has always been,” Bredeson said in regards to playing multiple positions. “That’s always been a goal of mine to be able to be versatile and play multiple positions. That’s something that I’ve always worked on and it’s what I’ve been doing since I came into the league.”

“We’re just looking for the best possible five guys out there, in terms of an offensive line, to go win some games,” he added

The line will be coached by veteran hand Bobby Johnson for the second straight season. Johnson appears to have molded the group into a functional one after years of disarray.

“If you have a good group, we should be internally driven, and I feel like that’s how we are,” said Bredeson. “Bobby’s an incredible coach. I can’t say enough good things about him. I’ve really enjoyed working with him (and) I think I can speak for just about everybody in the o-line room (and say) that we love working with him. I think he’s exceptional at his job and he brings the best out of us.”

Bredeson knows the line’s success will depend on the development of two recent high draft picks in right tackle Evan Neal, who was praised by head coach Brian Daboll on Tuesday, and Schmitz.

“John Michael’s fitting right in,” said Bredeson of Schmitz. “He’s a great guy — culturally he’s fit right in with us, he hasn’t skipped a beat and he’s coming along really well.”

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