New York Giants Mailbag: The Quiet Time Edition
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From Joe G: - Giants to hold training camp with Browns. I got to thinking how many people on Giants would OBJ know from his days there? Turnover in NFL always happens. Do you think the high turnover is because of the poor job that Reese did in drafting and FA, or is high turnover normal for NFL teams?
What's up, Joe? I think every year a team is going to have turnover, but when you have a sweeping change such as what the Giant shad with changing their GM and their head coach (twice actually, if you count Shurmur and Judge), you're going to find a situation where the new people want their guys in the locker room. And that's very common, not just in the NFL but in all walks of business. It's a comfort level thing.
And it's also a result of the pressure to right the ship right away. The head coach and general manager don't have an endless amount of time to fix things with this franchise. That's why with Judge, you see his coaching staff consists of mostly people he's worked with before and why guys like Michael Thomas were allowed to leave via free agency for Nate Ebner.
From Ron L. - I keep hearing how high the coaches are on the young offensive line. Why? All I know is Daniel Jones has spent two years running for his life. I don’t care how many options Jones has--if the offensive line is not above average, Jones WILL NOT be above average. I hope the coaching staff is right on the o-line.
Ron, I think we all agree that the offensive line needing to be better. I've even said as much that if the line is like a sieve, it's going to be a long year. That said, all we have to go on right now until further notice is what the coaches have seen from their daily work with the unit.
The fact that they haven't been linked to any of the available veterans suggests that they weren't simply paying lip service in throwing their belief behind the offensive line. But there is no question that they better be right about this.
From Pat R. - Will having so many O-Line coaches confuse the players and create problems with the coaches? Also, Daniel Jones seems to hold the ball with one hand when he's in the pocket. Does his QB coach work with Jones on ball security?
What's up, Pat? Regarding the offensive line coaches, if they are all on the same page regarding how to coach and teach, no, this shouldn't be a problem. It's no different than in college when you were part of a big class, and you had one professor and several teaching assistants grading papers, etc.
Regarding Jones and his handling of the ball, I know for a fact he has been told by several of the coaches to use two hands on the ball while in traffic and in the pocket. That said, being told to do something and forming a habit are two very different things.
From Thomas F. - I know you've said in the past that you're surprised the Giants didn't extend Jabrill Peppers. Any ideas as to why they didn't?
How's it going, Thomas? This is just a shot in the dark on my part, but I wonder if perhaps they're anticipating that Aaron Robinson might be able to grow into that STAR role that Peppers has played in the past.
I'm anticipating that Peppers won't be returning punts this year. I'm also guessing Peppers is going to be in a position to command a hefty contract that next year's cap-strapped Giants won't be able to fit in under their cap, not with other potential deals they'll have to address coming up (Barkley, Lawrence, Jones, etc.). I'd love for them to extend Peppers, but from a business perspective, I can see why they haven't.
From Joseph M. - Will Saquon Barkley be ready for Week 1?
Joe, as of right now, I do not think so. I hope I'm wrong. I hope it's a situation where Barkley is on a pitch count by Week 1. While I understand why Judge and the Giants have declined to put any kind of public timetable on Barkley, I just find it unusual how uncertain Barkley himself sounds.
I think back to when he sprained his ankle in his second season and how he had way more of a conviction on when he'd be back. I know a sprained ankle is nothing compared to a torn ACL, but I sure would feel a lot better about Week 1 if there was more clarity on the timeline, and it sounds as though no one can put a timeframe on his rehab.
From Barry S. - Give us your one shocking development that not many people think might have a chance of happening.
Thanks for the question, Barry. One shocking development? That's a tough one, but if I had to take a very early guess, I would say that it isn't a lock for John Ross to make the roster. Ross has a one-year deal that includes a per-game roster bonus which is usually a good indicator that the team is not even sure if the player will be on the field for every game if he makes the roster at all.
And I have a feeling Ross could lose out to someone who can contribute on special teams. Right now, I have C.J. Board making my very early 53-man roster, and if Cody Core ends up fully healthy and gets re-signed, I could see him potentially getting a roster spot as well, given his past special teams play.
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