How New York Giants Will Approach Preseason Finale Against Jets

The final score itself won’t matter much to anyone, but for dozens of players on the New York Giants 80-man roster, the results of Sunday’s preseason finale against the Jets will go a long way toward shaping their NFL futures and that of the team’s.

The Giants brass will be zeroed in on spots at the bottom of the roster, where questions remain regarding depth at running back, cornerback, receiver, defensive line, linebacker, and tight end. Decisions will need to be made shortly after the clock reads all zeroes, decisions which will shape general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll’s first-ever 53-man Giants roster by 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Daboll has not made it known if he plans to play his starters against the Jets, who are planning to play their starters. The thinking as of last week was that Daboll would see how the players did in their joint practice against the Jets and use that as a gauge regarding who played and who did not.

“I think we always want to ramp things up,’’ Daboll said of his thinking. “We always want to be urgent in what we do from the meeting rooms to the practice field. I don’t think you can go up and down with that. I think you have to have a high sense of urgency in this league.”

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Therein lies the challenge for some of the players. Although they have come a long way in learning the new offensive and defensive systems, ask any of the veterans, and they’ll tell you that there is still a lot of work to be done before the games start counting for real.

“We’re still learning each other. Growing. Learning how to communicate better,” said defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II. “So, it’s enough time for us to get where we need to be before the first game and come out blazing hot.’’

Daboll, who plans to have the team practice three days this coming week, knows it’s a delicate balance and that there’s probably no right or wrong answer.

“Do you sit there and talk about what’s upcoming in a week? I just shoot it to them straight,’’ Daboll said.

“We started with 90. Now you’re down to 80. It’s going to go to 53 pretty soon, and unfortunately, in the world we live in, there’s going to be 600 or 700 guys that will be working out on Tuesdays trying to get onto another team. Another 400 or 500, whatever it is, for the practice squad. We all know it’s an evaluation period for all of us. I think you concentrate on doing your job the best you can, and then you can live with the results.’’

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