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New York Giants Mailbag: Spring Football Edition

Let's check in with our readers to see what's on their minds.
Patricia Traina|
New York Giants Mailbag: Spring Football Edition
New York Giants Mailbag: Spring Football Edition

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If you'd like to submit a question for the mailbag, please send it to nygiantsmaven@gmail.com. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity and conciseness. While we try to answer all questions received, we reserve to consolidate if several people ask the same question. 

What's up, Darius? Ezeudu is still working his way back from his season-ending injury, but I've heard that he should be good to go for the start of training camp. Ezeudu is expected to compete with Ben Bredeson and Shane Lemieux for the starting left guard job.

Oooh, great question. But I'm not sure I have an answer because, at this point, teams are still figuring out their 90-men rosters. Also, it comes down to game planning--who is going to figure out how to best neutralize the threat that is Waller? When we start getting into the weekly game previews, I think I'll be able to give you a better answer as to who might prove to be the kryptonite for Waller, but right now, I'd just be spitballing. 

Johnson is more of an outside guy, so I don't think he'd necessarily have anything to do with Sterline Shepard or Jamison Crowder's roster spots. That said, right now, I'm not 100 percent convinced Johnson is a lock for the roster as you seem to be, and not just because he's coming back from an injury. We'll see how this shakes out, of course, but if I had to make a 53-man roster projection today--and thank goodness I don't have to--Johnson isn't among the receivers I'm keeping.

There is always a chance for competition at any spot if they can carve out a roster spot--just look at long snapper, where they have Casey KReiter battling with Cameron Lyons. That being said, the Giants like Gillan's strong leg and believe he can continue improving his consistency. Getting him better gunner coverage should also help--last year, the punt and kickoff coverage units had their issues.

The Giants tend to keep these things quiet, but what I think makes sense the more I think about it is that you let Leo play out his contract and then re-assess. The whole reason why he has such a grossly high cap number is that his deal kept being restructured to create cap space. That has to stop; otherwise, this team will never fully clear up the cap mess started by the previous regime.

Then you also have to look at some other factors. Leo will be 29 before the season starts. He's played in over 6,600 snaps over his career. That's a lot of mileage and a lot of wear and tear on the body, which by the way, has broken down each of the last two years.

If you're the Giants, does it make sense to sink big money in a guy with those circumstances, not to mention one whose snaps you'll probably try to reduce to keep him fresh throughout the season?

(From John T.) I just want to thank you for using intelligent questions at the press conferences. I'm so tired of your colleagues asking inflammatory questions designed to stir up controversy. I'm also curious why you're never included in Giants team programming when reporters are on. It always looks like the same people appear, and I, for one, would love to see what you would have to say on those shows.

John, thank you for the kind words. I try to give some thought to my questions, which, honestly, I try to base on something I might be looking to write or talk about on the podcast.

As for the team's programming, you'd have to ask them that--I know I was invited to appear on one of their shows years ago, but since then, no one from the team has asked me to do any programming.

All good, though. I have the Locked On Giants podcast, where I fully control the programming direction. And if they ever ask me to come on with them, they have my number.

 

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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