Mailbag: Expectations, The Starting Offensive Line and More

It's a light week for mail, but still some good questions, so let's see what we have.

Thanks for the question, but you answered your question when you said, "Considering this will be the most unusual off-season in NFL history..."

To expect a new head coach and his staff to get a team to the playoffs despite no on-field work in the spring, and no warmup up (preseason) games is unrealistic.

I wouldn't be surprised if after this season--whatever we get of it--if there are very few if any firings of head coaches around the league. I would think most team owners will be extra patient this year, given the circumstances.

What's up, Jon? Barring injury or opt-out, I think the five starters on the offensive line from left to right will be Nate Solder, Will Hernandez, Spencer Pulley, Kevin Zeitler, and Andrew Thomas. I'll admit I'm still a tad shaky on Pulley, but he's the only center on the roster with NFL game experience.

I think given this crazy year the league has had, now is not the time to experiment or break in a guy who has never played the position before, certainly not with a second-year quarterback learning a new offensive system.

Do you think its possible for giants to trade Williams for Ngakoue? #askPtrain
— base30 (@bigbase914) July 23, 2020

Nope, I don't see it happening for numerous reasons, above all the salary cap's uncertainty. Ngakoue is looking for a new contract, and if you're any team right now, how do you shell out a new mega-contract not knowing what the cap situation is going to look like next year?

But the biggest reason I don't make that trade is his run defense--per PFF, he has only 90 stops in 1,061 run defense snaps. If I'm spending big money on an edge guy, I want someone who can play the run equally.

Ed C. asks:

Which Giant player would you say is the hidden gem on this year's roster?

Great question, Ed. I'll give you more than one--how's that?

I'll start with running back Javon Leake, who is intriguing not just as a potential depth player behind Saquon Barkley, but also as a potential kickoff returner.

Receivers Derrick Dillon and Corey Coleman are two other hidden gems. Dillon was buried on the LSU depth chart behind Justin Jefferson, and his production lacked, but there's no denying his game-breaking speed that can stretch defenses.

And along those lines, if Coleman is fully over his ACL injury and looks anything like he did before getting hurt, he's another one I'd keep a close eye on.

Lastly, I'm not sure if it's fair to label a draft pick a hidden gem, but I am intrigued by Carter Coughlin, the first of the four seventh-round draft picks. I have a feeling that while he'll see limited snaps, he's going to open a few eyes this year.

From Marley Z.:

Do you think Saquion Barkley will be a Giant for life?

What's up, Marley? I think the intention right now is for Barkley to be a Giant for life, but the truth is you can't sit here and say for sure he will be. What happens if he suffers a serious injury that affects his speed? What happens if his production falls off a cliff?

If either of those scenarios happens--and let's pray to the above that they don't--does it make sense if you're the Giants to make the guy a member of the team for life?

With all that said, if you had to pick a player on the roster with a good chance to be a ain't for life, Barkley would be one of your safest bets.

From Thomas F.:

Hi Pat. I'm just wondering with all these twists for training camp, how are they affecting your coverage? Keep up the great work.

Hey Thomas, thanks for asking. I'm not going to lie: it's been a bit of a challenge to come up with different content to keep everyone returning to the site daily, so I thank those who stop by to check us out every so often.

As for training camp, I don't know other than what we've been used to in the past (being able to watch practice from the sideline, one-on-ones with players, in person pressers, lie Tweeting, shooting videos, etc.) won't be happening.

We've received a few general guidelines, but there are still many more questions that have to be worked out. Nothing is official until we get the memo from the Giants with instructions on where we will be able to watch practice, what we can report, and how the schedules are going to work, so this will require both patience and flexibility to adjust on the fly.

But know that whatever parameters are handed down, the Giants Country team will do its best to bring our readers unique and engaging content as often as possible.

Get the latest Giants news by joining the community. Click "Follow" at the top right of Giants Country page. Or sign up to receive our free daily newsletter.