Inside Football's 2019 Preseason Game 4 & Roster Review

***Please scroll to the bottom for a link to the PDF version.***

Need help?

Drop us an email and we'll be happy to assist.

ROSTER TRANSACTIONS

Let’s begin with a summary of the transactions the Giants made to get down to the initial 53-man roster.

Those waived included second-year quarterback Kyle Lauletta and one of the team’s 2019 draft choices, defensive tackle Chris Slayton, who was selected in the seventh round.

Also released were running back Jon Hilliman; wide receivers TJ Jones and Reggie White, Jr.; tight ends C.J. Conrad and Jake Powell; offensive linemen Paul Adams, Evan Brown, Malcolm Bunche and James O’Hagan; defensive linemen Freedom Akinmoladun, Jake Ceresna, John Jenkins; linebackers Joey Alfieri, Jake Carlock, Terrence Fede, Avery Moss and Josiah Tauaefa; defensive backs Tenny Adewusi and Terrell Sinkfield, Jr.; punter Johnny Townsend; and long snapper Taybor Pepper.

Those waived/injured included linebacker Keion Adams (knee), defensive back Kenny Ladler (hamstring), tackle Victor Salako (shoulder), defensive back Henre’ Toliver (ankle), wide receiver Alex Wesley (foot/ankle), tackle Chad Wheeler (back) and defensive back Ronald Zamort (ankle).

Defensive back Kamrin Moore, who did not count against the 89, was waived off the commissioner’s exempt list.

Those placed on injured reserve were linebacker Jonathan Anderson (knee), tackle (2019 seventh-round draft choice) George Asafo-Adjei (concussion), wide receiver Brittan Golden (calf), tight end Scott Simonson (ankle) and running back Rod Smith (adductor).

In addition, wide receiver Golden Tate III has begun serving his four-game suspension for violating the NFL policy on performance enhancing substances. He is eligible to return to the team on Sept. 30.

The initial 53-man roster is as follows:

Offense (25)

QB (3): Eli Manning, Daniel Jones (R), Alex Tanney

RB (4): Saquon Barkley, Wayne Gallman, Jr., Paul Perkins, Eli Penny

WR: (6): Sterling Shepard, Bennie Fowler III, Russell Shepard, Cody Latimer, Darius Slayton (R), Alonzo Russell

TE (3): Evan Engram, Rhett Ellison, Garrett Dickerson

C/G (4): Will Hernandez, Kevin Zeitler, Jon Halapio, Spencer Pulley

T (5): Nate Solder, Mike Remmers, Nick Gates, Chad Slade, Brian Mihalik

Defense (25)

DL (5): Dalvin Tomlinson, B.J. Hill, Dexter Lawrence II (R), Olsen Pierre, RJ McIntosh

OLB (4): Kareem Martin, Lorenzo Carter, Markus Golden, Oshane Ximines (R)

ILB (5): Alec Ogletree, Tae Davis, Ryan Connelly (R), B.J. Goodson, Nate Stupar

DB (11) Janoris Jenkins, DeAndre Baker (R), Jabrill Peppers, Antoine Bethea, Grant Haley, Antonio Hamilton, Michael Thomas, Julian Love (R), Corey Ballentine (R), Sean Chandler, Sam Beal

Special Teams (3)

K: Aldrick Rosas, P: Riley Dixon, LS: Zak DeOssie

Some Thoughts

We were surprised that the Giants opted to keep Alex Tanney ahead of Kyle Lauletta, as we thought Lauletta outplayed Tanney, especially in the second half of the preseason.

The only explanation we have for this move is that Tanney offers more experience than Lauletta and the Giants want to surround Daniel Jones with as much positive experience as possible.

We were also surprised, though pleased, to see the team keep B.J. Goodson, whom we thought wasn’t an ideal fit for this defense. We thought perhaps Josiah Tauaefa might pass him on the depth chart, but Tauaefa is a rookie in need of some additional development.

We were stunned that tight end C.J. was waived. In fact, for a team that relies on 12-personnel as much as the Giants do, we were surprised that the Giants kept three tight ends.

However, because they had to keep extra cornerbacks (thanks to the Sam Beal and Antonio Hamilton injuries), we suspect this is why the numbers were slanted as much.

In fact, color us shocked that not a single undrafted rookie free agent made this roster. We think that’s a first in quite some time that this happened.

You’ll see we were very bullish on defensive lineman John Jenkins making the roster. That he didn’t was a significant surprise.

And while it’s still early, two of the Giants draft picks this year—George Asafo-Adjei (concussion/IR) and Chris Slayton (waived) look as though they won’t be contributing in any capacity this year.

A seventh-round draft pick is a bit of a gamble as far as expectations are concerned, but sometimes you do find an Ahmad Bradshaw in the batch.

We’re still not completely comfortable with the depth at offensive tackle and sincerely hope that by the time you read this issue, the Giants have not only put in a waiver claim but are awarded someone to improve the group.

A player we had our eye on is Alex Bars, who was waived by the Bears and who can play both guard and tackle.

We’d also like to see an upgrade at backup running back. The Eagles cut Josh Adams, which was something of a surprise.

But we suspect Adams might have a lot of suitors ahead of the Giants, who are sixth in the waiver claim order for now through the third week of the season.

Finally, in this week’s issue, we left all our postgame writeups as is, even for those players cut. We also left in our initial roster predictions where included.

Predicting a roster isn’t an exact science, especially when you don’t have complete injury information as the NFL teams do.

We will be curious to see how the practice squad takes shape and how the initial 53-man roster changes over the next few weeks.

QUARTERBACKS

Daniel Jones: Jones got this week’s start, played one series, and was Mr. Efficient, going 4 of 4 for 47 yards, including one of those perfectly timed and placed slants, and one of those perfectly touched fades up the left sideline to Golden Tate for 23 quietly spectacular yards.

Jones’ lone possession ended when two short-yardage runs failed. Jones looks as ready as any rookie quarterback can look.

Too bad he’s going to have to wait his turn, but he sure looks ready to start getting his lumps right out of the chute.

We think he’d give as good as he gets—maybe even more so.

Alex Tanney: Tanney took over late in the first quarter and hit his first pass perfectly for a touchdown down the left sideline to Alonzo Russell on a fly.

Russell appears to be Tanney’s comfort zone guy as the quarterback proceeded to overthrow Russell on two subsequent, identical fly routes and then badly underthrew Russell when the wideout shook loose up the right sideline deep once again.

Tanney also threw high over the middle and nearly got Brittan Golden decapitated on a 2-yard reception. Give Golden credit for avoiding a tipped ball INT by coming down with this very difficult and dangerous ball.

Tanney then threw crazy high when he broke the pocket and was intercepted, the combination of a bad decision and a bad throw.

On his next interception, Tanney on the roll-out threw low and behind to C.J. Conrad, the resulting interception completely on Tanney’s shoulders.

On a subsequent third-and-4, Tanney’s mediocre pocket presence lead to a sack and punt. Tanney looks as uncomfortable in the pocket as he does outside of it.

If there’s any way to play your way off of a team in the final preseason game, Tanney did that this week. His inconsistent accuracy and feel for the position leaves a lot to be desired. He just does not look like an NFL-quality quarterback.

Kyle Lauletta: The star of this week’s game, Lauletta displayed a couple of his warts but overall his performance was extremely positive.

Except for the lack of arm strength, a rather loose command of the huddle at times, and the tendency to force balls into coverage (three dropped INT’s went Lauletta’s way), Lauletta actually ticked off an awful lot of positive boxes this week.

On his first possession, he showed the type of pocket presence that Tanney has yet to show, stepping inside pressure and up into the pocket into space to give himself time and room to make a throw.

He also avoided pressure by scrambling wide to safety and space, on one of these hitting Reggie White in the hands for a touchdown, except the kid dropped the ball in the end zone. The ball hit him right in the mitts. This ended Lauletta’s first possession with a field goal.

On his second possession, he continued to look exceedingly comfortable with the short stuff—he’s easily this team’s best ball handler—and he also stood in the pocket tall when he needed to.

He consistently plays with guts and courage. We thought he sealed his hold on a roster spot with the scoring drive he commandeered on his second possession, finishing it off with a third-and-2 play-action touchdown throw to Scott Simonson, Lauletta beating a blitz (he beat a bunch of them this week with quick reads and throws), lofting the ball to Simonson right where it needed to be in the end zone. Lauletta then hit Russell in the hands on the 2-point conversion but it was dropped.

The lack of arm strength precludes Lauletta from being a starter, but he sure can move his fellow backups up and down the field in preseason.

The kid hit on another 2-point conversion except White came in from out of bounds which is a no-no, but Lauletta still hit White right in the hands while on the move, this time rolling to his left.

Lauletta throwing such a soft and catchable ball, he should sue for lack of support for all the drops he’s had to suffer these last two weeks.

Lauletta’s final last-ditch TD drive to win the game showed off a lot of the smart decision-making that it takes. He also had one of those fortuitous dropped INT’s but also showed a whole lot of moxie standing tall in the pocket.

If he didn’t make this team off of this pretty darned good pre-season, we just don’t know. His numbers this week: 22-40-247 2 TD’s and 0 turnovers.

And he looked like an NFL quarterback doing it.

RUNNING BACKS

Wayne Gallman: Gallman solidified his hold on the back-up job to Saquon Barkley with a solid game that included a handful of very positive runs (averaging 4.1 on 7 carries), a tough touchdown catch-and-run, and some decent blocking.

What Gallman gives you is a solid between-the-tackles back who can break it outside on occasion, something that Paul Perkins simply doesn’t offer.

Gallman really knows how to finish off a run, not with power per se, but with squirming.

He does it consistently, too. We’d like to see more of a powerful presence behind Barkley, but for now, Gallman will do.

Paul Perkins: In a desultory first half, Perkins was given the chance to grit out a first down on successive third- and fourth-and-1’s, but he had no answers when the blocking was stuffed, the lack of vision to bounce away from the congestion being a blatant failure.

These short-yardage plays simply have to be converted, and oftentimes the back has to make a play. Perkins did not.

He did have his fair share of positives, including a couple of slashing, run-to-daylight dashes that included shrugging off some arm tackles.

His best run was a 24-yard scamper between the tackles early in the second half. Perkins also used his feet to make a defender miss in tight quarters to bleed a couple of yards out of a touch, something we haven’t seen from Perkins much.

Also, if Perkins is serious about this thing, he’s got to do something about his hair so that defenders can’t yank him down by it as they did this week.

If Perkins somehow has this team made, it will be due to his pass-blocking and pass-catching skills, but we remain unconvinced that he’s an answer for the long haul.

Jonathan Hilliman: Getting some fourth-quarter snaps with the third teamers, Hilliman contributed to the comeback win with three decent catches and three decent runs.

We like Hilliman’s vision and decision-making with the ball, and his urgency and reliability under the pressure of the end-game conditions were impressive.

He won’t make the final 53 but he’s an ideal candidate for the practice squad and the 2020 squad.

We believe in his size and build and natural running skills. All he needs is experience.

Elijhaa Penny: Getting some intermittent snaps this week, Penny was solid with all of his blocking assignments and graded out well.

TIGHT ENDS

Scott Simonson: Playing his typically vanilla type of blocking game, Simonson was solid and reliable in all of his blocking efforts this week.

He caught several second-half passes as well, but sadly on his best catch of the pre-season, a go route up the seam of all things into the end zone, Simonson made the catch of the night for the TD but suffered an ankle injury that did not look good.

If there were any questions due to his recent drops in the passing game, this week just confirmed his importance as a blocker who has the most power and physicality at his position.

He left the locker room in a walking cast and on crutches. If he is lost, his absence will create a significant hole in power sets and lead to an offensive lineman being this team’s blocking tight end. That is not good.

C.J. Conrad: Making the team this week thanks to Simonson’s injury, Conrad had a better receiving game than blocking.

In-line he was consistently over-powered going up against defensive ends, though he fought the good fight.

In the passing game, he was quietly reliable, catching 4 balls for 36 yards and unluckily having his 5th target hit him low and behind and bouncing high into the air for an easy INT.

Jake Powell: Getting a bunch of second-half snaps thanks to the injuries to Garrett Dickerson and Scott Simonson, Powell flashed on a couple of intermediate pass patterns where he pretty much just settled into dead space and waited for the ball.

Two of his three catches went for 19 and 26 yards, respectively.

On the 26-yarder, which came on the last-ditch drive with no timeouts, he was smart to step out of bounds to stop the clock.

On the negative side, he committed one false start, dropped a catchable ball, was called for a hold on a pass block and did not look good blocking overall.

We like Powell’s size and potential (he’s a small college kid from Monmouth) so there’s something to work with here. The practice squad beckons.

RECEIVERS

Golden Tate: In his final action prior to his four-game suspension, Tate caught a slant route early in the first quarter.

As we have said it is really a shame that Tate is going to miss the first four games as he’s as reliable as the day is long.

On the same drive, Daniel Jones was faced with a blitz and perfectly dropped in a pass to Tate on a sideline route. It was thrown in a way that only Tate could catch the football, which he did.

Alonzo Russell: After a number of good plays on special teams Russell delivered on a deep sideline pass for the touchdown.

He easily beat the defender by getting a good release and separating, catching an equally good pass from Alex Tanney.

There was a pass interference challenge late in the first quarter on a deep sideline pass to Russell. Alonzo was grabbed on the play, but the challenge did not result in a reversal.

This looked like pass interference to us and has us concerned as to whether this new challenge rule is going to work.

On the same drive, Tanney threw a pass to Russell in the end zone and the receiver stopped in his route for some reason.

He closed out a busy first half with a nice catch on an underneath route. Russell also made a nice catch in traffic midway through the third quarter that resulted in a first down.

The Giants went for two after the Simonson touchdown catch. Russell ran a corner route but dropped the pass. It was a tough catch but one that should have been made.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, he dropped an underneath route. Young players like this need to put in a complete game.

At the end of the game, he caught a pass near the end zone but was unable to keep both feet in bounds. He needed to run the route more in bounds and be more cognizant of getting the second foot in bounds.

A big night finished off well as he worked into the end zone on the last play of the game.

The Patriots were playing a straight zone across the end zone. Russell basically posted him up like a basketball player and made the catch underneath the defender. Overall, it was a solid game for Russell who probably has this team made.

Brittan Golden: Golden came up with a good grab over the middle early in the third quarter. He also took a big hit and held onto the football.

Golden suffered a calf injury in this game and did not see any additional action—not a good sign for a player on the bubble.

TJ Jones: Jones dropped an easy pass on an in route in the middle of the second quarter. There is a lot of competition for the extra-wide receiver spots and drops like this do not help.

Midway through the third quarter, Jones made a catch over the middle for a first down. He displayed soft hands, looked the ball in, and got extra yardage after the catch.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Jones made the grab on a route over the middle against the zone coverage.

Jones suffered a late-game ankle injury further casting his status in doubt.

Reggie White Jr.: Another player on the bubble, White made the grab over the middle early in the third quarter. He found the soft spot in the zone and picked up the first down.

White dropped an easy touchdown pass midway through the third quarter and the ball bounced in the air almost resulting in an interception.

He also had a chance to make an acrobatic catch early in the fourth quarter but could not come down with the football. White was shaken up after the play.

On the two-point conversion early in the fourth quarter White went out of the end zone and came back in. This resulted in a penalty and a failure on the two-point conversion.

He capped his night by making a first down catch late in the game. It was a nice conversion on fourth down.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Paul Adams: Getting some late-game snaps at left tackle, Adams was nearly run out of the ballpark trying to protect his quarterback’s blindside.

We counted three big-time pressures that he allowed, though the sack his man recorded wasn’t on him but was a result of the inside pressure that pushed the quarterback into the defender's arms.

Adams did not look up to snuff moving in space, but he has some size and might be another practice squad candidate, but his sluggish feet and lack of hand-fighting skills will be tough to overcome.

Nick Gates: Getting the start at left guard, Gates was solid but unspectacular in his mauling way. He only played one series and obviously has made this team.

Chad Slade: Getting all of his snaps this week at left tackle, Slade hung in there for three and a half quarters before leaving the field relatively unscathed.

Slade certainly survives with positioning and power more than anything. We really haven’t seen him have to stay with a speed guy in space yet, but against fellow backups, he’s been solid.

We just don’t think he’s good enough to make this team.

Brian Mihalik: Getting all of his snaps at right tackle this week, Mihalik once again showed himself to be unable to play this game with power despite that great wingspan of his.

Mihalik has never been able to add the bulk that would make him a player in this league, thus he’s a non-factor to make this team despite the enviable size that makes him look the part so well.

His backpedal in pass pro isn’t bad either but watching him get walked back into the quarterback’s lap on every snap is not something we’d like to watch on a Sunday afternoon.

Victor Salako: We’re so glad that preseason is over and hope some of these ticky-tack holding flags that have been called get cleaned up.

We thought Salako’s hold this week was as invisible as they get. If the flags thrown this week are any indication of what’s to come, then they can throw one on every single play and kill the game once and for all.

Salako’s game was decent this week otherwise, but his pass-blocking turned choppy late as he allowed too much pressure in his quarterback’s face.

Evan Brown: Brown played both guard spots and to these eyes just didn’t do enough to make this team.

We really want to like Brown as a guard but his play at center is so much crisper than his guard play.

He also lacks power and size and is not enough of a technician to overcome either. He needs to get bigger.

Malcolm Bunche: Getting his late-game snaps once again inside at guard, this behemoth held his own out there and acquitted himself well, but his lack of flexibility and feet are problems that he doesn’t seem likely to overcome any time soon.

Spencer Pulley: Getting the start over the ball and playing only one series, Pulley was solid across-the-board, though he did flub a stunt that allowed a rusher right up the gut into his quarterback’s face.

On the two short-yardage failures, Pulley was not the problem.

James O’Hagan: Getting all of the center snaps after Pulley was pulled, O’Hagan ran the offense like a little general and showed a fine feel for the position. Alas, he’s just too small and not particularly crisp with his blocking.

He’s a fine positional guy who moves well enough in space and in-line, but against the big boys, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

We’d like to stash him on the practice squad and see if he can bulk up some. He can play this game, but right now, not at this level.

DEFENSIVE LINE

R.J. McIntosh: The early star in the pit this week, McIntosh spent the first possession in the Patriots’ backfield, somehow not drawing any of the flags that the refs were so generous with later on.

McIntosh played with power as well as with his feet, and he played on his feet all night long. His best attribute might be those long arms of his which allows him to control his man and keep him away from his body.

As a rotation piece with think McIntosh is going to be a factor in this team’s pass rush. We’d like to see him get his hands up more often as he can really engulf the middle of the pocket with his wingspan.

McIntosh’s game isn’t about making tackles; it’s disrupting the middle of the pocket. We also saw him make a couple of plays wide against the run when the edges weren’t contained, using those long arms once again to play off a block.

This kid looks like he’s coming on. We think it’s all in front of him.

John Jenkins: The thing that impressed us most about Jenkins this week was his fitness level. He played a ton of snaps and played hard on every single one of them, but we never saw him tire. That’s pretty impressive for a man his size.

Though he played a tough power inside game all night long, Jenkins saved his best plays for last when he stuffed the middle on the Pats’ next-to-last snap to force a fourth down.

Then he beat a double-team with as much quickness as power and sacked the quarterback to give the offense one more chance, which turned out to be the winning drive.

Chris Slayton: It’s going to be tough for this kid to make the final squad but he’s an ideal candidate for the practice squad.

Slayton looked slow to read and react out there this week and seemed a step slow to the action.

We thought it was his least effective game of the pre-season. He is a physical specimen with potential, but he needs to learn the speed of the pit and that’s going to take some time.

Jake Ceresna: Continuing a fine pre-season that seemed to include disruptive plays in each and every game, Ceresna capped it off this week with a sack (unblocked, thank you very much), a legit hit on the quarterback that forced an INT, and several resounding inside hits and fills that made quite the impression.

This former CFL player has learned the speed of the pit and plays a fast game off the snap. We think he’s got a chance, but the practice squad might welcome him as well.

Freedom Akinmoladun: Not showing enough throughout the pre-season to even be considered a practice squad candidate, Akinmoladun did not hold up well to the double-teams this week and did not show enough flash or mobility to make an impact.

He likely needs to get bigger to play in this league.

Keion Adams: Before leaving the game with an injury Adams was the welcome recipient of a Pats fumble that fell right at his feet, which he recovered for the turnover.

A knee injury could end his season on injured reserve, but he wasn’t making the team any other way.

Avery Moss: Getting a ton of snaps this week at outside linebacker, Moss played hard, tough and with energy but never did show any of the pass-rushing skills that this team is looking for at his position.

We liked how hard Moss ran to the ball and finished off plays with physicality. He earned three tackles on the stat sheet and was solid in his edge contain, but we doubt that this week’s solid effort was enough to make this team.

Terrence Fede: This veteran outside linebacker got caught slanting inside on several wide runs that went for too-easy rush yardage where his contain failed.

Fede did not have a good game finding the ball, while his pass rushes were too easily deflected. He’s not making this team.

Jake Carlock: Carlock had a sack taken away from him by a defensive penalty.

He was completely unblocked on this play. Carlock played primarily as a down outside linebacker this week and did not pressure the pocket at all, but he made a nice tackle in pursuit and showed a good field sense and nose for the ball.

He’s not going to make this team, but Carlock is a lock for the practice squad as he can do a lot of things, more like a jack-of-all-trades, master of none.

LINEBACKERS

Joey Alfieri: Alfieri had a chance to make a big play on a first-half third-and-long, but he showed zero awareness on his middle contain and allowed the quarterback to break the pocket and run for the first down.

He also had a chance to make a hit later on and decided against it. He finally made a play in pursuit to finish off a drive and force a punt and played off a blocker nicely while defending a screen pass, his contain making the play.

None of Alfieri’s edge rushes got close to getting home. He needs to get stronger and work on his technique.

Ryan Connelly: Getting the start this week, Connelly played one series and looked sharp. Of course, he’s got this team made.

B.J. Goodson: Getting this week’s start inside, Goodson lead the defense in tackles with six and was one of the few middle-level players who looked the part of a defensive presence out there.

It was Goodson who played the biggest part in containing the Pats running game (half their yardage came on quarterback scrambles).

He wrapped up strongly and seemed like the only guy out there between the tackles who could stop a running back in his tracks.

Stopping the run is something that’s still required in this league, and Goodson is good at it.

However, in coverage, he made poor reads and reactions on two separate red zone snaps. One went for a touchdown, the other one should have.

Goodson did have a nice sack early on when he shot a gap and finished powerfully, but it’s going to be hard to play him on a regular basis as his coverage is just not up to par, and oddly enough he doesn’t make enough plays on specials.

Goodson is a fringe player, but with Stupar’s injury, we think he makes the team.

Nate Stupar: Getting the snaps inside with the two’s this week, Stupar (as is his wont) made some good reads and forces but continued to fail to finish off any plays.

Stupar was around the ball enough this week, but if he’s going to make the final 53 it will be on special teams.

Alas, he suffered a concussion late which could land him on injured reserve, coming as it did so close to cutdown day which is Saturday.

Players occupying the lower edges of the roster need everything going their way, especially health.

Jonathan Anderson: Getting some very late snaps inside, Anderson ran himself into a couple of plays and played his reads well, but he lacks a physical presence out there and is just not fast enough in space.

We think he’s a long shot to make this team. He’s been solid, but we like the two rookies in front of him —Connelly and Tauaefa—more.

Josiah Tauaefa: We really like how this rookie plays this game. It’s his reactions, angles, smarts and instincts that impress us the most.

He’s not the fastest player out there but he sure reacts to everything the way you draw it up on the blackboard, and that goes pretty far.

He even reacts to big offensive linemen in his face, attacking them and working his way into the play. He drew a big holding call this week when he angled low inside of a block and forced the pull-down.

He made one of those picture-perfect tackles in space, the ones that Tae Davis typically over-runs when he reacted lightning-quick to the situation and got there before the receiver could make a move.

His quick-to-react game is similar to Ryan Connelly’s, which makes both these rookies intriguing prospects.

Being a draft pick, Connelly has this team made. We’d be concerned if Tauaefa is waived and signed to the practice squad, simply because his film has looked so good.

He finished with four tackles this week in limited snaps and is really looking like a bit of a find.

If it comes down to Tauaefa vs. B.J. Goodson, we’d have to go with Tauaefa. His feel for playing defense just seems off the charts.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Ronald Zamort: Zamort looked good covering Josh Gordon on a slant pass early in the first quarter. Gordon is a big-time receiver, and this was solid coverage.

Zamort made another nice play a few plays later as he closed on a pass to Gordon and knocked the pass away. Zamort, who was on the bubble, to begin with, tweaked his ankle so we’re not expecting that he survives the initial cut.

Julian Love: Love had the unenviable task of covering Julian Edelman early in the first quarter. It was an easy pitch and catch as Edelman may be the best slot receiver in football.

In the middle of the second quarter, Love came off his receiver to attack the quarterback near the end zone. Thomas, the receiver on the play, took full advantage and caught the easy touchdown.

Henre’ Toliver: On an out pattern to Demaryius Thomas, Toliver was all over him for a short gain.

Gordon went deep down the sideline early in the second quarter and Toliver provided good coverage. There was some contact and Toliver was called for interference. We’re still not sure why this was interference, but the call stood.

On the very next play, Toliver was up against Thomas. He had good coverage down the field, but the pass was underthrown, and Thomas adjusted for the touchdown. This is an impossible route to cover.

Sean Chandler: Jarrett Stidham was hit while throwing in the middle of the first quarter which resulted in an errant pass. Chandler watched it the whole way and got under the football for the interception.

Chandler also delivered good coverage on an underneath pattern late in the second quarter. He appeared to be shaken up on the play but was not initially included on the list of injured players, so we’ll see what his status is.

Terry Adewusi: This roster hopeful made a good play on a reverse to Thomas. He followed him all the way through the play.

Adewusi found himself in the backfield and broke up the handoff creating the fumble. Good aggressive play.

Terrell Sinkfield: Demaryius Thomas had a field day in this game. In the middle of the second quarter, he ran an out pattern in front of Sinkfield for the easy catch.

Thomas is a tough receiver and the Giants backup defensive backs had issues keeping up.

Sinkfield was called for pass interference late in the second quarter. Sinkfield has bounced around the league and may have a tough time making this final roster.

He did deliver a solid tackle on an end-around run late in the third quarter, doing a nice job of working through traffic and making a play.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Aldrick Rosas: Rosas looks to be in mid-season form, which is what you expect from a player who is asked to do one thing.

Rosas kicks the ball, and he kicked the heck out of it every time he stepped up to the plate this week. It’s not that hard when that’s all you do.

Rosas executed three solid mortar kicks this week but had to make another tackle on one of them.

Continuing to see this team’s Pro Bowl kicker making tackles is not something we want to play around with. Hopefully, he’ll be pounding them through the end zone in the regular season.

The special teams coverage hasn’t been as good as last year’s, which is putting Rosas in harm’s way. Not smart.

Riley Dixon: It does seem to be hard for the Giants punters to do the one thing they are asked to do, which is punt a football.

After last year’s solid season Dixon’s punting has regressed this summer. His lone punt this week was a blah 37-yarder that was fair caught.

We suspect that the organization is scanning the waiver wire because the team’s summer punting has not been up to par.

Johnny Townsend: The coaches gave Townsend two opportunities to punt, but neither probably won their hearts as neither the 37-yarder (fair caught) nor the 47-yarder (returned 7 yards) impressed.

Townsend also did some late-game holding and fared well, but he did nothing to wrest the job away from Dixon, which is why the waiver wire probably will be a popular watch this Saturday.

Taybor Pepper: With Zak DeOssie not suited up, Pepper got all of the deep-snapping duties and acquitted himself well.

There was one high snap on an extra point but otherwise Pepper was accurate with speed on all of his snaps.

He also got downfield well to help finish off a punt return, looking like a young DeOssie out there. We don’t know if the coaches are considering making the change at snapper this year, but they could do worse than Pepper, who looks the part.

T.J. Jones: Jones did not look good trying to double back on his first punt return chance this week.

Jones looked smooth catching this punt, but he doesn’t have the speed to out-run people, at least not in this scenario.

Jones did a much better job on a second-half punt return, staying between the hashes to make a tackler miss, then bouncing it outside for 28 impressive yards.

Jones also made a nice track and snag of a high, deep punt in the second half, then very nearly broke this one too except for a fellow Giant running into him.

Jones was also the starting kick-off returner this week, and though he did not have any opportunities to return kick-offs, and despite a bad drop in the passing game, we think he’s got this team made.

His experience and reliability in the return game are what’s needed right now.

But then again, with Jabrill Peppers and Corey Ballantine are still lurking in the background for the returner role, maybe not.

Nate Stupar: This veteran special teams “specialist” did what he does best: He got in on special teams plays.

Stupar made the tackle on the Giants first mortar kick-off, at the Pats 21-yard line which is how they draw it up on the blackboard.

If Stupar’s competition on this team is B.J. Goodson, then Stupar might just beat out Goodson off of his special teams play, but the concussion Stupar suffered late in the game sure has thrown a monkey wrench into things.

Elijhaa Penny: Proving his value, Penny made a nice kick-off wrap-up tackle while playing off of a block.

Penny’s got to become a bigger special teams presence out there. This week was a good start.

DANIEL JONES REPORT CARD

By Chris Pflum

The month of August is over and with that, the 2019 preseason is come and gone. After months of waiting and speculation we have finally gotten a look at the New York Giants' rookie class, and quarterback Daniel Jones in particular.

Preseason results aren't terribly predictive of what will happen in the regular season.

After all, teams will be playing their starters all game long, while scheming for every advantage they can get and game-planning to take advantage of every weakness in the opposing team.

But still, there are things we can learn about players in the preseason and of course the focus has been on the quarterback.

The hype surrounding Daniel Jones began immediately from the first game and has only grown from there.

But how has Jones really performed on the field? How is he developing as the Giants try to groom him into Eli Manning's successor?

Considering Jones was a college student just six months ago, it seems appropriate to assess him with a report card.

Of course, coming up with a scale on which to grade him is no easy task. Should he be graded as a rookie or as a future franchise quarterback?

Obviously, Jones is a rookie and certain allowances must be made while he develops, but he is also being groomed to take over the most important position in sports for one of the NFL's flagship franchises so going easy on him doesn't serve anyone.

With those expectations in mind, we’re going to hold him to a high standard while also accepting that there is still growth to be done.

Arm Strength: Grade B+

Arm strength is one of the most talked-about but least important aspects of quarterback play.

There is certainly a threshold which every NFL caliber passer must pass, but the ability to throw the ball a country mile doesn't really translate to the ability to play the quarterback position.

That threshold is higher for some teams than others, usually based on where they play their home games.

There is more of a premium on it for teams that play challenging conditions like the Giants (and Jets), Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, or Buffalo Bills than there would be for a dome team such as the New Orleans Saints.

But as long as a quarterback's arm is “good enough” to be able to execute the high value passes 10-20 yards downfield, then there are more important aspects of the position.

Jones has shown a good “NFL” arm this preseason. He doesn't have the unreal power and ability to threaten any area of the field from any base and launch angles like Matt Stafford, Patrick Mahomes, or Josh Allen.

But that's okay.

Jones has the arm to deliver the ball on time and with “zip” in the short and intermediate area on quick passes that should allow him to challenge tight windows.

When he is able to step into the pass and throw with good mechanics and rhythm, he is able to deliver a catchable ball down the field and has one of the highest average yards per attempt of any passer this pre-season. Jones doesn't have an elite arm, but his is good enough.

Athleticism and Mobility: Grade INC

While “dual-threat” quarterbacks have become more popular in the NFL in recent years, both because of their ability to extend plays as well as use their athleticism to simplify defenses, having a mobile quarterback is not a necessity for a good offense.

It is, however, necessary for a quarterback to be a professional athlete and have some level of functional mobility to execute their drops.

As well, they will need to be able to execute bootlegs and rollouts if their offense demands and move within the pocket to buy time and open throwing lanes as the situation demands.

We know Jones has plenty of athleticism and mobility from his tape at Duke, but the Giants didn't really ask him to use it in the preseason.

The few times he was asked to take more than a one-step drop his footwork looked efficient and balanced, which will help him maintain consistent mechanics as he develops.

But as far as his ability to scramble, throw accurately on the run, or pick up yardage as a ball carrier, we haven't had the opportunity to see those traits at the NFL level.

Mechanics: Grade B+

This is where rubber begins to meet the road for quarterbacks. While mechanics need not be “textbook” for a passer to be successful (just look at Philip Rivers) they do need to be consistent and allow them to accomplish certain biomechanical processes to generate power and throw the ball accurately.

Generally speaking, Jones' mechanics have been sound throughout the preseason. His footwork is solid in his drops, staying balanced and keeping his feet moving throughout the rep.

As he throws, he generally aligns his feet and hips with the target and transfers his weight to generate power. As long as he has time to go through his throwing motion in a relatively clean pocket, Jones has a repeatable motion and delivers a catchable ball.

Predictably, things do seem to break down when Jones is under pressure. When rushed his mechanics can become a bit erratic, leading to him “muscling” the ball or showing an elongated wind-up which seems to throw off his timing a bit.

Jones has also shown a tendency to put too much air under the ball when he can't step into the throw and drive off his back foot.

These sorts of things are to be expected, and every quarterback gets worse when pressured, let alone a rookie. It is only the truly rare passers who can throw accurately from any platform and tempo.

Pocket Presence: Grade C-

The concept of “Pocket Presence” is an aspect of quarterback play can be a little hard to define. It combines things like identifying likely pressure sources pre-snap, situational awareness during the play, the ability to process information without consciously gathering it, and act on that information to expand throwing lanes or avoid pass rushers.

Eli Manning has been consistently good at “flowing” in the pocket to find (or create) throwing lanes for himself, while Donovan McNabb is one of the greatest examples of a quarterback having a “sixth sense” (though it is nothing supernatural) for avoiding pass rushers and buying time behind the line of scrimmage.

As good as Daniel Jones has been in many aspects of the game this preseason, his pocket presence has been a concern. It was at its worst against the Chicago Bears, when he was seemingly oblivious to oncoming pressure and the result was a sack/fumble.

He also showed no inkling that pressure was incoming on the crushing sack delivered by Carl Lawson and Sam Hubbard in the third preseason game. That play Jones went about his throwing motion as normal without trying to speed up his process or climb the pocket to or try to avoid the pressure.

Other times he has been better, speeding up his process slightly to get the ball out and avoid pressure on a quick pass. It is still very early yet in his career, but Jones seems to get stuck with his eyes downfield on long attempts and loses track of what is going on around him.

Hopefully, Jones will be able to improve his pocket presence in all situations as he develops, but this should be a point of emphasis for Jones and the Giants' coaches going forward.

Processing Speed / Decision Making: Grade B

The mental aspect is the most important part of playing quarterback. Not only does information need to be processed quickly, but it also needs to be assessed correctly.

As fast as the college game can move, the NFL is that much faster.

Not only is the League populated by the top one percent of college football players, but coaches and players have all year to watch film and create complex schemes to confuse and exploit the opposing side.

NFL quarterbacks need to take in a wealth of information both before and after the snap and process it in seconds.

The Giants did not put much on Jones from a processing perspective through the early part of preseason.

Almost all of his passes in the first two games were quick (zero- and one-step drop), one-read passes to receivers on designed coverage beaters.

He began to get a couple of plays which involved multiple reads in the second preseason game, which continued in the third game.

For the most part, the plays given to Jones simplified his decision-making process to decide whether or not his read was open.

There were several instances in which Jones had to go through multiple reads in his progression and he generally made solid choices, though a few questionable decisions stand out.

The first was the final throw of his second drive in the Bengals game. On a third and six, Jones hit Bennie Fowler for five yards.

The throw wasn't a terrible decision— Fowler's route was supposed to take him past the first down marker—but Jones stared the route down, cluing Bengals' defenders to crash on Fowler.

At the same time, Russell Shepard had beaten his defender on a vertical route and could have had a long catch and run.

Immediately after the big sack, Jones lofted a 27-yard pass to Darius Slayton, setting up a touchdown. The issue with that throw was that the pocket was collapsing, preventing Jones from stepping into the throw and the ball floated.

It is a testament to Jones' toughness that he took the aggressive chance but had the cornerback not slipped and fallen, he might have been in a position to make a play on the underthrown pass.

That throw obviously worked out, but a safer decision might have been to target Scott Simonson, who was running free in the open field on a crossing route.

It would have involved a catch and run to pick up the first down on a third and 16, but at worst the Giants would have been well within the range of Aldrick Rosas.

The other factor we need to consider is the nature of preseason. Offenses aren't going to want to show their full scheme and defenses won't run complex coverages or blitz packages.

It is watered-down vanilla football and that keeps us from seeing how young quarterbacks suss out fast and complex defenses.

From what the Giants let us see of Jones, his processing speed and decision making were fine for the most part.

Given the Giants have won two Super Bowls based on aggressive from Eli Manning, it is hard to fault Jones too much for the same.

Part of growing as a quarterback means knowing when to take chances and when to take the safe bet.

Accuracy & Placement: Grade C+

The final part of playing the quarterback position (that we will touch on, anyway) is getting the ball to the receiver, and setting them up for success after the catch. That is typically graded using completion percentage, but there is another level which is more subjective.

Part of what made Baker Mayfield such a great prospect wasn't just his sky-high completion percentage at Oklahoma, but how precise he is with the ball.

Often times, just getting the ball in the vicinity of a receiver isn't enough. A throw that isn't well placed can limit the potential for yards after the catch, has a greater chance to be dropped, or can be vulnerable to a big play from the defense.

Jones has a sterling completion percentage through the third week of the preseason, completing [25-30] passes (83 percent).

But looking back at all of his passes over that period, his precision and placement weren't quite as good as they have been perceived to be based on his completion percentage.

Obviously judging placement is a subjective exercise, but generally, a well-placed pass won't see the receiver leave his feet, twist awkwardly to catch the ball, nor will it put the pass in danger of being intercepted.

Using that criteria, roughly 17 of Jones' passes were well-placed (there was one play in which the TV broadcast never actually showed Jones or the receiver, instead preferring to show a useless sideline interview.)

Obviously, placement is going to decline the further down the field the ball is thrown, just as it is easier to make a three-foot putt than a 23-foot putt.

However, not all of Jones' poorly placed passes were deep. This tracks with a pre-draft concern for Jones, as his placement dropped off dramatically on passes beyond ten yards.

Drops impacted his completion percentage on those passes in college, but it is still something on which Jones and the Giants will need to work.

Looking back at the film, perhaps we should have been more forthcoming in our praise of the Giants' wide receivers.

They have largely been dismissed as a group but have also done a good job of adjusting to the ball in the air, making catches that haven't always been easy, securing the ball, and picking up some difficult yards after the catch.

Projected Offensive Fit

If we are going to design a passing offense specifically for Daniel Jones, we would begin with concepts that he is used to from his time at Duke.

The best way to help a young quarterback succeed early in the NFL is to adapt what they are used to rather than try to force them into a system for which they aren't ready.

Roughly 70 percent of his pass plays in college were either quick one-read passes and RPOs, and we would build on that in the NFL.

Obviously, the plays will have to be more sophisticated to be effective at the NFL level.

The Philadelphia Eagles have proven that RPOs can be brutally effective against NFL defenses, provided they are built around options to beat man coverage and put second or third level defenders in conflict, not just first level defenders.

Fortunately, Pat Shurmur's offense typically involves options to beat both man and zone coverage on any given play, so building those into an RPO should be an easy enough change.

From a personnel perspective, we would reduce the number of snaps played in 11-personnel (three-receiver sets), and increase the number played in 21 and 12 personnel sets (two back and two tight end sets, respectively).

The Giants have already shown a tendency toward playing 21-personnel (two backs, one tight end) with Jones on the field, and it's a good decision.

Playing heavy offensive packages tends to force defenses to play more base defensive packages in response, slowing the defense down and making passing easier.

Also, heavy personnel packages have a similar effect as play-action (though to a lesser extent) on a defense, forcing linebackers to pay greater respect to their run fits and play closer to the line of scrimmage. Adding play-action or an RPO on top of that create massive throwing lanes.

Finally, having more backs or tight ends gives the offense more options for the offense in pass protection.

Sooner or later Daniel Jones will be the Giants' starting quarterback. He might not be ready yet to take on a full load of an offense in the way that a veteran quarterback can, but there are plenty of things the Giants can do to nurture him while he develops.

Inside Football is an independent publication that is neither sponsored by, nor affiliated with, the New York Football Giants or the National Football League (NFL). Publisher: Inside Football LLC. Senior Editor: Patricia Traina (member, Pro Football Writers of America). Senior Analysts: Mike Iannaconi, Bob Folger. Analyst: Chris Pflum. Copyright 2019.

Access the PDF version of the issue here.

Add us as a preferred source on Google