Category: Giants Wire Features

Giants Coordinator Corner: Nothing but love, appreciation for Eli Manning

The New York Giants coordinators met with the media on Thursday and it was a completely warranted Eli Manning love fest.

The New York Giants (4-11) face the Philadelphia Eagles (8-7) this Sunday at MetLife Stadium in a game that might have more significance to the Giants then it does to the Eagles, who are on the apron of the NFC East title.

The Giants’ three coordinators could all be facing their final games in East Rutherford and on Thursday spoke to the media about the upcoming game against the Eagles.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive coordinator Mike Shula

Sunday being the last game of the 2019 season is also the final game of veteran quarterback Eli Manning’s current contract. The Giants, with Daniel Jones now the new franchise quarterback, will not be re-signing Manning, so he’ll be suiting up for the final time in Giant Blue.

Shula talked about what is was like to coach a consummate pro such as Eli Manning.

“I feel really lucky. I feel really lucky to be here for a lot of reasons, with our ownership, with Coach Shurmur, with Dave (Gettleman), but especially coaching a guy like Eli,” said Shula. “I’ve coached a lot of really good players. I’ve been really fortunate to be around, and he is really special for a lot of the reasons that won’t ever go down on a stat sheet, in my opinion. The kind of guy he is, the way he handles things, watching him how he is with you all, with his teammates, with coaches, handling the situation earlier this year. It’s just unbelievable. I’ll never forget it. I’ve learned a lot from him in all areas of my life.”

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Giants vs. Eagles: 6 things to know about Week 17

The New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles square off on Sunday in Week 17, so here are six things fans should know.

The New York Giants (4-11) host the Philadelphia Eagles (8-7) at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, in a game that will help decide this year’s NFC East champion.

Here are six things to know.

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Eagles will be NFC East champs with a win

Philadelphia, by virtue of their victory over the Dallas Cowboys last week, are in the driver’s seat in the NFC East. They will clinch the division with a victory over the Giants or a Dallas loss or tie.

A victory will thrust the Eagles into the NFC Playoffs as the fourth seed and will host a wild card team — either Minnesota, San Francisco or Seattle — on Wildcard Weekend. It will be their third consecutive season with a postseason berth after qualifying just once in the previous six seasons.

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Throwback Thursday: Breaking down the two Giants-Eagles ties

In our latest Throwback Thursday, we take a look at the two times the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles played to a tie.

The New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles have played 171 regular season and four postseason games against one other in their heated rivalry since 1933. The Eagles lead the series, 85-84-2, in the regular season and the postseason series is tied at two.

The Eagles have won 10 of the last 11 games, putting them in the all-time lead in the series which can be evened with a Giants win this Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

The first of the two ties came during World War II on November 12, 1944 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia — a showdown of legendary coaches Greasy Neal of the Eagles and the Giants’ Steve Owen. The Giants overcame a fourth quarter 14-point deficit with two two touchdown passes from Arnie Herber.

That season, the Giants won the NFL’s Eastern Division with a 8-1-1 record. Philadelphia finished second with a 7-1-2 mark. The Giants lost the NFL Championship Game against to Curly Lambeau’s Green Bay Packers that season, 14-7, at the Polo Grounds.

The second tie in the series occurred on September 23, 1973 at Yankee Stadium. Alex Webster was trying to build on the Giants’ success the prior season, an 8-6 campaign that saw them emerge as a playoff contender.

The Eagles were also trying to get back into the NFC East fray that was being dominated by the Dallas Cowboys and the reigning NFC champs, the Washington Redskins.

In this game, with former Rams star Roman Gabriel under center, Philly took a 16-10 lead into the fourth quarter. The Giants scored the first 10 points of the final frame on a Ron Johnson one-yard touchdown plunge and a 14-yard field goal from Pete Gogolak.

But the Eagles struck back to take a 23-20 lead on a Gabriel to Harold Carmichael 16-yard connection. The Giants tied the game at 23 when Gogolak converted on another 14-yard field goal.

The NFL did not introduce overtire for regular season games until the next season, 1974, so when the clock ran out in regulation, the game was declared a tie. Incidentally, it was the final game the Giants would play at Yankee Stadium, which was scheduled to undergo a two-year renovation.

The Giants played their final five home games at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut, where they also played the entire 1974 season. In 1975, they returned to New York, sharing Shea Stadium with the Jets. In 1976, Big Blue settled into their new home in the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

In 1973, the Eagles finished at 5-8-1 and the Giants ended up 2-11-1.

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Gimme Him: One player Giants would steal from Eagles

The New York Giants are in need of quality edge rushers, so this all-around talent from the Philadelphia Eagles would be worthy of stealing.

The New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles will square off for the second time in a four-week span on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium.

It’s a game where Big Blue can potentially spoil the playoff hopes of the Eagles, but would do damage to themselves in the process — further risking their draft positioning and possibly even saving the jobs of general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur.

There will be plenty of discussion about that throughout the week, but for now, we’re looking to steal.

In Week 14, we theoretically robbed the Eagles of offensive tackle Lane Johnson, which trims the list of players worthy of stealing off Philly’s roster this time around. But fear not, there is someone we have our eye on.

With the Giants likely out of the Chase Young hunt, they remain in need of quality edge rushers to go along with Markus Golden, assuming they opt to keep him in 2020. As such, that’s our area of focus when going over the Eagles’ roster.

And wouldn’t you know it, they have a quality edge rusher currently playing defensive end in their 4-3 — Brandon Graham.

In 15 games this season, the 31-year-old Graham has recorded 47 tackles, nine stuffs, one forced fumble and 7.5 sacks to go along with his Pro Football Focus grade of 84.3.

We know some will look at Graham’s career statistics and wonder if he’s truly worthy of stealing and if he’d make that much difference, but he’s consistently productive as a rotational defensive lineman and largely has been throughout his career. He’s also solid against the run, which gives him the leg up over someone like Golden, who struggles a bit in that area.

Graham may not be the flashy big-name player we usually steal in these segments, but he’s a quality all-around talent that would immediately help the Giants at an area of need.

What say you, Giants fans? Would you steal Graham this time around or someone else (someone other than Lane Johnson)?

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7 reasons Giants should keep Pat Shurmur

It would be a Christmas miracle if the New York Giants were to retain head coach Pat Shurmur, but here’s seven reasons why they should.

There’s little doubt you’ve come here already on fire based on the headline alone, geared up and prepared to bury yours truly for daring to suggest something that feels so blasphemous, but hold your horses just a little bit.

There will be plenty of time to criticize me (is that really different from any other day?), but before we get to all of that, why don’t we collectively take a step back and play Devil’s Advocate for a moment.

In the coming days, you will hear and read an endless slew of material suggesting the New York Giants should part ways with head coach Pat Shurmur and not even think twice about it. Some of that material will also likely include general manager Dave Gettleman, but we’ll save that part of the debate for another day.

So, allow me to preface with this: I do not entirely believe Shurmur should be brought back in 2020, but I do believe that taking a look at some of the positives is only fair when everyone and their Mother seems to be coming down hard on him.

If you’ve made it this far without losing your mind, congratulations. See if you can keep your head as we now go over seven reasons the Giants should bring Shurmur back in 2020.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

One win away from improvement

This is going to feel like a flimsy argument out of the gate, but why start with your strongest stance? We’ll build up to that just as Shurmur has led a slow build this season.

After netting just two wins through 14 weeks, the Giants appeared destined to take a full step or two back this year, managing to decline from their 5-11 last place finish a season ago.

However, after back-to-back wins, the Giants are actually positioned to take a step forward. Seriously.

With a win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17, the Giants would finish the season with a 5-11 record, just as they had last season, but there will be one glaring difference: they will not finish in last place in the NFC East.

With their win over the Washington Redskins, the Giants guaranteed themselves a third-place finish in the division, which is the first time they won’t finish dead last since 2016.

Small victories.

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On This Date: Giants, Victor Cruz crush Jets’ spirit on Christmas Eve

In one of the most magical Christmas moments in New York Giants, Victor Cruz crushed the New York Jets’ soul on this date in history.

Eight years ago to the day, wide receiver Victor Cruz gifted the New York Giants with a franchise-altering 99-yard touchdown against their cross-town rivals, the New York Jets.

On Christmas Eve in 2011, the Giants were 7-7 and their playoff lives were on the line. On the opposing sideline, the Rex Ryan-led Jets were coming off their second consecutive AFC championship game appearance and, sitting at 8-6, were battling to get back into the NFL Playoffs.

For one team and their fans, it was going to be a very merry Christmas. For the other team and their fans, it would be coal in their stockings and booze in their eggnog.

Late in the second quarter, the Jets were leading 7-3 and had the Giants pinned at the one-yard line. With another stop, it felt like the Jets would have a chance to bury the Giants once and for all.

Instead, wide receiver Victor Cruz would deliver a Christmas miracle like Santa Claus himself.

On a third-and-10, quarterback Eli Manning connected with Cruz around the 11-yard line. With a quick juke, Cruz escaped a tackle and then took off. The MetLife Stadium crowd erupted, Cruz broke out the salsa and the Giants would ultimately be propelled to a 29-14 victory.

It was a Christmas miracle that helped fuel the Giants en route to a Super Bowl XLVI victory over the New England Patriots. And to this day, it still eats away at Ryan.

“There’s no question it sticks with you,” Ryan told Newsday in 2015. “It was Christmas Eve, we were in complete control, third-and-10, and they hit the 99-yard touchdown pass.

“If you could point to a play that turned not just the game around, but maybe the season around, it was that play. The Giants came out a totally different team, and they carried it through. It changed their fortune, and it certainly changed ours with that play and that loss.”

The Giants delivered a small Christmas gift to their fans this season, defeating the Washington Redskins, 41-35 in overtime, but the game had far less consequence and it pales in comparison to that year, that play and that moment.

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What we learned from Giants’ 41-35 victory over Redskins

The New York Giants defeated the Washington Redskins, 41-35, in Week 16 and here’s some of what we learned from that win.

On Sunday, the New York Giants got their fourth win of the season when they defeated the Washington Redskins in overtime.

It was the Giants’ game to lose from the beginning, scoring on their first drive and never slowing down. The Redskins would keep it close and send the game to overtime, but the Giants emerged victorious behind a solid offensive effort.

Here’s what we learned from the Giants victory on the road:

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Saquon Barkley is back to 100%

The Giants’ use of Saquon Barkley hasn’t been the same this year as it was last year, and it shows in their record. Sure, he missed a few games with an injury and maybe wasn’t 100% when he returned.

Against the Redskins on Sunday, though, Barkley proved that he is absolutely back to 100%. He recorded a career-high 189 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, an average of nearly 8.6 yards per carry. He also set the team’s all-time record for yards from scrimmage.

Saquon is back to form, and it’s a beautiful thing.

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Stock up, down after Giants’ 41-35 victory over Redskins

Whose stock is up and whose is down following the New York Giants’ victory over the Washington Redskins in Week 16?

For the second week in a row, the New York Giants came away with a victory.

It took them going into overtime, but the Giants went into FedEx Field and won against the Washington Redskins, 41-35, which got them their fourth victory this season.

However, the victory did drop the Giants a bit in the order for the 2020 NFL Draft, as they are no longer in the second spot. But at the end of the day, the Giants got a victory over a divisional rival and also got themselves out of last place in the NFC East.

The Giants have one game left, as they have the chance to potentially play spoilers against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium in Week 17.

Whose stock up and down for the Giants in their overtime victory against the Redskins?

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Stock up: Daniel Jones

In his return to the field after missing the last two weeks with an ankle sprain, Jones had himself a game, throwing for 352 yards and five touchdowns.

With the game tied at 35, Jones and the Giants’ offense won the toss in overtime, marched the offense down the field and won the game by throwing his fifth touchdown pass of the game — the winner to Kaden Smith.

Jones did fumble the ball once, but he didn’t lose it and he was only sacked once in the game. Other than that, Jones played extremely well against a Washington defense that had trouble stopping him.

Stock down: Darius Slayton

For the majority of the season, Slayton has been extremely reliable in the Giants offense. But on Sunday, Slayton threw up a total goose egg. No catches. No yards.

Given how well the Giants offense played on Sunday and how they were able to put up 41 points, it was a bit of a surprise to see Slayton not come up with a single catch or yard even with his snap count limited (20) due to injury.

It’s a rarity to see Slayton not get anything and he’ll likely rebound next week with a strong game. But for this week, Slayton came up empty in a game where the Giants offense exploded.

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3 takeaways from Giants’ Week 16 win over Redskins

Here are three takeaways from the New York Giants’ Week 16 win over the Washington Redskins, which improved their record to 4-11.

The New York Giants won their second consecutive game on Sunday, defeating the Washington Redskins, 41-35, in overtime at FedEx Field.

Here are three takeaways.

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Giants provide some false hope again

The Giants scored a season-high 41 points, eclipsing the season-high 36 they scored against Miami last week. Optimists will say the offense is gelling at the right time — Saquon Barkley is back, Daniel Jones is coming into his own and the offensive line is firing on all pins.

Pessimists will say the Giants are beating up on teams that are built to lose, unlike themselves. The fear is now that they steal win against the Eagles next week at home, finish 5-11 and out of the top 5 in next year’s NFL Draft, and…the late-season winning streak also spares the coaching staff from the axe.

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Giants vs. Redskins Player of the Game: Daniel Jones

The New York Giants defeated the Washington Redskins, 41-35, in overtime in Week 16 and QB Daniel Jones was our Player of the Game.

In a Week 16 battle between the New York Giants and Washington Redskins, you never would have thought either team was 3-11. There were several lead changes and overtime was needed, but in the end, it was the Giants who left D.C with a 41-35 victory

While Saquon Barkley played a tremendous game for the Giants, it was Daniel Jones who was the star of the game.

In the first quarter, Jones threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Sterling Shepard to put the Giants up 7-0.

In the second quarter, Jones’ second touchdown pass was a 33-yard strike to Barkley that put the Giants up 21-14.

Before the half, Jones found Cody Latimer for a 10-yard touchdown that put them up 28-14.

Late in the third quarter, Jones threw his fourth touchdown pass, this one to rookie tight end Kaden Smith for nine yards and the Giants lead increased to 35-21.

After the game went to overtime, the Giants won the toss and received, Jones led the Giants offense down the field and ended the game with a three-yard touchdown pass to Smith, his second of the game.

For the game, Jones finished going 28-for-42 with 352 yards and five touchdown passes, tying Deshaun Watson and Fran Tarkenton for the most four (or more) touchdown performances (3) in a debut season.

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