Tag: Dane Belton

Giants injury report: Azeez Ojulari designated to return from IR

New York Giants LB Azeez Ojulari was designated to return from injured reserve (IR) and returned to practice on Wednesday.

The New York Giants returned to the practice field on Wednesday and looked like an entirely different team from just a week ago.

Quarterbacks Daniel Jones (knee) and Tyrod Taylor (ribs) are both on injured reserve, ushering in the era of Tommy DeVito and Matt Barkley, who was signed from the practice squad earlier in the day.

Additionally, right tackle Evan Neal, who suffered a second knee injury in Week 9, is considered “week-to-week” according to head coach Brian Daboll.

On the positive end of things, linebacker Azeez Ojulari was designated to return from injured reserve and returned to practice on Wednesday.

“Hopefully he’ll be ready to go this week,” Daboll said.

The Giants’ full Wednesday injury report can be found below:

Did not participate: OL Evan Neal (knee), CB Adoree’ Jackson (concussion), RB Deon Jackson (concussion), OL Sean Harlow, (personal), NT Dexter Lawrence (rest)

Limited participant: WR Parris Campbell (hamstring), RB Jashaun Corbin (hamstring), LB Azeez Ojulari (ankle), OL Andrew Thomas (hamstring)

Full participant: S Dane Belton (back), OL Justin Pugh (ankle)

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Giants-49ers Week 3: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

The New York Giants lost their Week 3 game against the San Francisco 49ers. Here are the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams.

The New York Giants fell to the San Francisco 49ers, 30-12, in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicated on Thursday night.

With the loss, the Giants fall to 1-2 on the season and they have a growing list of injury concerns. They also have some personnel concerns, tackling concerns, catching concerns, blocking concerns, and scoring concerns.

Needless to say, there’s a lot to digest and discuss. But before we look forward, let’s quickly look back.

Here are the snap counts that contributed to the Giants’ most recent defeat.

Offensive snaps: 50
Defensive snaps: 83
Special teams snaps: 28

What immediately leaps off the page is that the Giants took just 50 snaps offensively, while the defense was on the field for an unbelievable 83 snaps. That alone is enough to tell the story of Week 3.

In his return after a torn ACL, wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson took 11 snaps, which is only five fewer than were taken by rookie wide receiver Jalin Hyatt.

Comparatively, veteran wide receiver Sterling Shepard took just two snaps.

Defensively, second-year safety Dane Belton took just a single snap despite the inconsistency that was on display by Xavier McKinney and Jason Pinnock.

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Giants-Cardinals Week 2: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

The New York Giants won their Week 2 game against the Arizona Cardinals. Here are the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams.

The New York Giants rallied from 21 points down in the second half to secure a 31-28 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2. The historic comeback was the largest for the team since 1949.

With the win, the Giants improve to 1-1 on the season and get a little momentum going ahead of a Thursday night showdown with the San Francisco 49ers.

Although there is a lot to feel good about, there are also multiple areas the Giants need to improve upon or clean up. But before we look forward, let’s look back.

Here are the snap counts that contributed to the Giants’ miracle victory.

Offensive snaps: 68
Defensive snaps: 65
Special teams snaps: 28

Rookie wide receiver Jalin Hyatt saw more snaps (14) than Sterling Shepard (10), which is an interesting substory coming out of the game. It could be because Shepard is still working his way back but it’d be interesting to hear head coach Brian Daboll address that.

There was almost no running back rotation to speak of with Saquon Barkley taking every single snap prior to injuring his ankle with just under 2:00 to play.

The fact that linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux was on the field for 94 percent of the defensive snaps and had almost no impact at all is alarming. It’s equally concerning that defensive lineman Leonard Williams had little impact on 38 snaps.

Reserve safeties Dane Belton and Bobby McCain barely touched the field.

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PFF names Giants QB Daniel Jones Offensive Player of Preseason Week 2

Pro Football Focus has named New York Giants QB Daniel Jones the Offensive Player of the Week for the second week of the preseason.

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was nearly unstoppable in his preseason debut last Friday night against the Carolina Panthers, completing eight of his nine attempts for 69 yards and one touchdown.

The sole incompletion came on a pass to tight end Darren Waller that was dropped following a big hit.

Jones drew near-universal praise for his performance and was recently named the Pro Football Focus Offensive Player of the Week for the second week of the preseason.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: QB DANIEL JONES, NEW YORK GIANTS

Jones was on the field for just one drive in Week 2, but it was more than enough, as the Giants’ starting quarterback went 8-of-9 for 69 yards and a touchdown. The most notable aspect of the drive was that Jones targeted tight end Darren Waller four times, with Waller coming away with three receptions for 30 yards. The early signs are there that the former Raiders star will be Jones’ favorite target in the regular season.

“Jones was nearly flawless on his lone drive in the New York Giants‘ preseason Week 2 win,” Gordon McGuinness added.

Fittingly, Jones headed up the PFF Team of the Week that featured a second Giant, safety Dane Belton. He made the cut alongside fellow safety DeMarcco Hellams.

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5 Giants with most to gain in preseason matchup vs. Panthers

The New York Giants play the Carolina Panthers this Friday in Week 2 of the preseason and these 5 players have the most to gain (or lose).

The New York Giants will host the Carolina Panthers in Week 2 of their 2023 preseason schedule on Friday night at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

It’s entirely possible the Giants play some of their starters before wrapping up the preseason next week against the New York Jets, but it’s unclear which players will appear or how many reps they will receive.

With that uncertainty in mind, here are five players with the most to gain in the game.

Giants fall to Lions: Winners, losers and those in between

The New York Giants fell to the Lions, 21-16, on Friday and here’s a look at our winners and losers (and those in between) from the game.

Editor’s note: Upon reviewing the game, we changed the entry for Deonte Banks, adding detail on what was a bang-bang play and difficult to read in real-time. Giants Wire writers disagreed (and still disagree) on what transpired.

The New York Giants opened the 2023 preseason on Friday night against the Detroit Lions and neither team played their key starters. There were a few spot starters on both sides but predominantly, the game featured depth players.

Accordingly, it was a rather ugly performance for each team. There was more bad than good, and neither coach is going to be particularly happy on Saturday morning.

Here are some winners, losers, and in-betweens from Fright night’s Giants’ victory/defeat.

Giants, Lions wrap up joint practice No. 2: News, notes and quotes

News, notes and quotes from the final day of joint practices between the New York Giants, who rebounded nicely, and the Detroit Lions.

After a rough day on Tuesday, the New York Giants took the field for the second and final joint practice with the Detroit Lions on Wednesday. They’ll enjoy an off day on Thursday before their preseason opener on Friday night.

Prior to practice, head coach Brian Daboll refused to acknowledge the struggles of his team the day prior, instead calling the joint practices “productive” multiple times.

“It’s practice so we are out here competing. I thought it was productive. We will go out here and try to have another one today,” Daboll said. “I’m not worried about chatter; I just want to go out there and have a good practice. Our guys were ready to go, I thought we had a good productive practice, and we will try to have one today.”

Lions head coach Dan Campbell said the joint practices should serve the team well enough to leave their starters out on Friday but Daboll wouldn’t commits to the same. It remains unclear who will and will not play.

“It’s just kind of like a Friday in the regular season. We’ll talk about that as a coaching staff tonight, tomorrow and come up with our decisions,” Daboll said.

Back on the field, all eyes were on quarterback Daniel Jones and the offense, who were looking to rebound from an ugly performance.

Here are some notes, takeaways, and video highlights from the final joint practice between the Giants and Lions:

Pair of Hawkeyes highlight 247Sports’ 2019 All-3-Star Team

From three-star to NFL star. 247Sports highlighted Jack Campbell and Dane Belton as two of its 2019 All-3-Star Team.

If you are a three-star recruit looking to boost your chances of making it to the NFL, you may want to consider the Iowa Hawkeyes. Player development is one of the Hawkeyes’ specialties, churning out NFL players every year despite other teams earning more five-stars.

In Chance Linton of 247Sports’ look at college football’s All-3-Star Team from the 2019 recruiting class, two former Iowa Hawkeyes were featured on the list. Two three-star recruits who came to Iowa, earned All-Big Ten accolades, and found themselves drafted into the NFL.

Starting out is a look at former Iowa defensive back and current New York Giant Dane Belton.

Belton was a three-and-done player for the Hawkeyes, appearing in 30 career games with 26 starts over three seasons before leaving early for the NFL. He notched five interceptions and 12 pass breakups to go along with 46 tackles and three tackles for loss in his final season to earn first-team All-Big Ten nod. He was selected by the New York Giants in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft (No. 114 overall). – Linton, 247Sports.

Belton was one of the latest successes on Phil Parker’s defense, particularly from the CASH position. He is actually the second from that position to find himself in the NFL, following current Tennessee Titan Amani Hooker.

Per 247Sports, Belton arrived in Iowa City as a three-star signee, the nation’s No. 64 safety and the No. 87 player from the Sunshine State. He left Iowa with 112 tackles, 17 passes defensed, 6.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions, one sack and one forced fumble in 30 career games, including 26 starts.

Joining Belton on this list is one of the greatest players to ever don the black and gold, linebacker Jack Campbell.

The highest-drafted player on this list, Campbell was selected by the Detroit Lions with the No. 18 overall pick in the first round. The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder was a 28-game starter for the Hawkeyes, racking up 305 career tackles with 13.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and five interceptions and winning the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker in 2022. 247Sports was significantly higher on Campbell than the rest of the recruiting industry, rating him as a four-star prospect. – Linton, 247Sports.

That’s right, Iowa currently has the two highest drafted three-star recruits in back-to-back years with Lukas Van Ness highlighting the 2020 recruiting class.

Jack Campbell is a player who etched his name into the history of Iowa football. One of college football’s best defenders in recent years, Campbell won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker in 2022. Campbell was twice named a first-team All-Big Ten member and was an unanimous consensus All-American last year. Campbell was recently drafted No. 18 overall in the 2023 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions.

He arrived as a three-star signee in the 247Sports composite rankings. The composite rankings rated Campbell as the nation’s No. 662 player overall, the No. 44 outside linebacker and as the No. 4 player from Iowa. During his Hawkeye career, Campbell racked up 305 tackles, 15 passes defensed, 13.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions, three sacks, three forced fumbles and one defensive score in 43 career games and 28 starts.

Jack Campbell and Dane Belton are just two recent examples of Iowa’s famed player development.

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Giants’ Dane Belton: ‘My mindset is always to be the best out there’

New York Giants safety Dane Belton has eyes on establishing himself as the best player on the field.

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The New York Giants took a hit in their secondary when safety Julian Love departed for Seattle in free agency. He was subsequently replaced by veteran Bobby McCain but there’s no denying the defense now lacks its Swiss Army knife.

One player who has eyes on filling that role is second-year safety Dane Belton.

“That’s definitely my goal to come out and earn that spot,” Belton said on the One Giant Step podcast. “We have a lot of guys that can play really well; a lot of guys that understand the defense and can make plays.”

Belton was somewhat limited as a rookie due to collarbone and shoulder injuries. This season, he not only aims to remain healthy but to establish himself as one of the best.

“My mindset is always to be the best out there regardless of who’s out there,” he said. “Once I’m fully healthy and coming back in training camp, that’s going to be my goal to earn that spot and to make plays for this defense.”

The second safety spot alongside Xavier McKinney will be subject to a training camp competition and if Belton can help fill the role vacated by Love, it will benefit the entire defense.

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5 players who could have bigger roles for Giants in 2023

These five New York Giants (who are still under contract) are likely to see a larger role during the 2023 regular season.

The New York Giants got many key contributions from first-year players in 2022 which helped them become a playoff team for the first time since 2016.

But some of the players they brought in didn’t — or couldn’t — help them due to injury or lost snaps in a numbers game.

Next season, we see many of those players stepping back up and contributing. Here are five names to watch in 2023.