Giants Country

Mailbag: Cap Questions, Who Plays Cornerback and More

It's time for another edition of our weekly reader mailbag, and as we get closer to kickoff, the questions are increasing.
Patricia Traina|

That’s an excellent question and one I’ve wondered about as well. I would think that it might depend on at what point the season was canceled. 

For example, if they get at least half of their games in, I could see them setting the order as the league always has. But if the league were to complete less than half the games, my guess is they might go to a weighted lottery system based on the record of the teams at the point of stoppage.

If no games were played, my guess is they'd do a straight-up lottery.

Of course, let’s see what the draft might look like since college football conferences are shutting down for the fall. I believe the latest the draft can be held is June 2, so if all the football conferences move to the spring, this could screw up the timing for next year.

I saw the article that suggested the trade. There are two things the author failed to take into consideration. One, the Giants owe the Jets a fifth-rounder for Leonard Williams. 

And two, why on God's green earth would the Giants, who after trading for Williams in a contract year last year, go down that path again with the cap set to drop and the cheaper rookie talent projected to be more at a premium next year? 

The Giants drafted a bunch of young cornerbacks between last year and this year. At some point, you have to let the kids cut their teeth.

Matt, if the cap drops to $175 million next year--and every single person in the know that I've spoken with said it will drop below the original $215 million projected for 2021--you're going to see quite a different picture next year regarding the Cowboys and Eagles and their respective cap space. And if you don't believe me, take a look at the 2021 tab of the chart on this page.

With that said, all it takes is a little creativity. Next time I get a free afternoon, the team whose cap I want to study is the Chiefs, who have done a masterful job with setting up ways to retain talent over the long-term.

As of right now, I would think maybe Corey Ballentine might be the top contender. One thing I think might be the case is that the Giants have been putting more of an emphasis on obtaining taller corners, which is why I'm thinking Ballentine.

With that said, if the youth struggles, I could see the Giants keeping an eye on the waiver wire.   

As I noted above, the Giants have a bunch of young talent that needs to be developed—and if you think back to last year how confused that group looked, it’s like the Giants are starting over again with the youngsters. 

Hopefully, the change in coaching will also help get the kids ready for action.

If you’re asking if he’s passed a physical, he has. Now, will he be limited when they do practice? That I don’t know right now; we'll find out Monday.

No question about it. This is an unusual year, and I have a feeling there are still more surprises in store for the league. If I’m an NFL team, this is not the year I look to make a GM or a head coach change. 

And not for nothing, but I think it would be in the Giants' best interest to develop some consistency—they’ve changed head coaches now twice under Gettleman. Let’s see how Joe Judge works with him as far as getting this team back on track.

That's a good question. I know some coaches hold the responsibility of run defense coordinator (usually the defensive line coach) and pass defense coordinator (usually the defensive backs coach). Still, I don't think there is a specific coach devoted to pass-rushing. 

If I understood Patrick Graham correctly, both Sean Spencer (defensive line coach) and Bret Bielema (outside linebackers coach) have been working with guys on the pass rush, so I think that might be the closest thing to having a "pass rush coach." 

Reggie, I'll always be on record as saying there is value to preseason games. For a new coaching staff that hasn't worked together, it's an opportunity to execute and refine game-day operations, which are vital.

The coaching staff gains another critical piece of information in terms of evaluating players. You can only tell so much in meetings and classroom sessions and, to an extent, practices. 

Although they are vanilla in terms of game planning, preseason games are played closer to full speed, and that's where a coach can tell for sure if a guy who looks good in practice is just as good on game day when things ramp up.

I'm not saying play four games (though I can remember the days when teams would play six preseason games), but I think having no preseason games isn't smart. 

Now some might argue that it avoids potential injury, but as I recall from last year, the Giants lost at least two players to injuries suffered during practice, not a game. Football is a violent sport and injuries can strike at random.  

My understanding as of right now is they'll be back at the Quest. There will probably be some modifications made in the locker room as far as plexiglass partitions between the lockers, but remember, masks are required in the building. 

Also, keep in mind that once the season starts, the Jets will be using the building, whereas right now, the Giants are using the building exclusively. 

With that said, I don't know if they've made a decision. 

I firmly believe that if a team wants a player badly enough, they'll find a way to make it happen. With that said, the keywords are "wants a player badly enough." 

Given that Griffen was never linked to the team leaves me to conclude that either (A) they never had an interest in him, regardless of what salary cap space they had or (B) Griffen might not have been interested in speaking with them about a contract.

Thanks for the question, Tony. I don't think it's fair to reach a conclusion on the new staff based on a 10-minute group video conference done for the first time with the media. Some guys are guarded, while others are more open.

I prefer face-to-face meetings to get a feel for who people are. Sometimes people are shy at first until they get to know you.

I can give you an initial impression of the staff, though. This group all seems to be on the same page as far as relaying the messages that Joe Judge himself has disseminated.

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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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