Tag: Matt Peart

Giants may move Matt Peart inside to guard

New York Giants coach Joe Judge says offensive tackle Matt Peart, who lost the starting job to Nate Solder, may be moved inside to guard.

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The New York Giants lost their most versatile offensive lineman, Nick Gates, in last Thursday’s loss to the Washington Football Team. Gates went down with a fractured leg in the first half and was spelled by Ben Bredeson.

Gates is done for the year and the Giants are now scrambling for depth on the interior of their line. Shane Lemieux, their starting left guard, is currently on injured reserve with a knee injury and is not eligible to return for another two weeks.

The Giants are searching for solutions and some of those solutions could be in-house. Matt Peart, originally the team’s starting right tackle, is now swerving as a swing lineman after losing his starting role in training camp to veteran Nate Solder.

Head coach Joe Judge told reporters on Monday that Peart could be shifted inside, a suggestion we made on Giants Wire recently.

Peart did not play in Thursday’s game and Judge was asked what the plan was for him going forward.

“We’re going to rotate Matt on through the tackle position,” Judge said. “We’ll kind of take a look at him maybe playing some stuff inside as we get going right here. We’ll kind of work around through practice these next few days and kind of see where things shake out.

“Matt’s been making big gains for us and doing a good job. I think Andrew (Thomas) and Nate are doing a good right there playing tackle for us.”

The Giants host the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday. We’ll see where Peart  stands then.

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Giants list Nate Solder as starting RT on unofficial depth chart

On their first unofficial depth chart of the season, the New York Giants have Nate Solder, not Matt Peart, listed as the starting RT.

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The New York Giants released their first (unofficial) regular season depth chart on Tuesday and it came without too many surprises.

However, that’s not to say there weren’t one or two.

Veteran Nate Solder, who opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19, is listed as the starting right tackle over Matt Peart. And while that hasn’t officially been announced by head coach Joe Judge, it is the direction the team appeared to be heading in recent weeks.

Peart, although he put in a lot of work this offseason, had struggled throughout the summer while Solder offered a more consistent presence.

Those roles are obviously subject to change come Sunday, but given the fierce pass rush the Giants are poised to face over the first two weeks, Judge may feel more comfortable with the veteran protecting Daniel Jones.

Meanwhile, the unofficial depth chart also lists second-year linebacker Tae Crowder as the starter alongside Blake Martinez and Austin Johnson as the starting nose tackle.

Wide receiver C.J. Board had been listed as the primary kick returner, but his contract was terminated before being re-signed to the practice squad. If promoted on gameday, he could still fill that role.

Finally, the Giants have safety Jabrill Peppers listed as their primary punt returner.

Damion Willis, Blake Martinez were highest-graded Giants vs. Patriots

WR Damion Willis and LB Blake Martinez earned the New York Giants’ highest offensive and defensive grades in a loss to the Patriots.

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The New York Giants dropped their preseason finale to the New England Patriots, 22-20, and there were plenty of reasons to come away concerned. We’ll get to those.

Before we do however, there were also several reasons to feel optimistic. Case in point: linebacker Blake Martinez demonstrating a significant improvement in coverage — if even just for a day.

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Martinez led the Giants defense with a Pro Football Focus grade of 91.7. He was followed by defensive back Julian Love (89.5), and defensive linemen Elijah Qualls (80.7) and Austin Johnson (76.2).

Other notable defensive grades include linebacker Lorenzo Carter (74.3), cornerback Sam Beal (69.7) and cornerback Rodarius Williams (59.8).

The lowest-graded Giants defenders on Sunday were linebackers Trent Harris (29.9) and Niko Lalos (24.3).

On the offensive side of the ball, wide receiver Damion Willis led the way with a PFF grade of 92.5. He was followed by guard Will Hernandez (92.2), offensive tackle Jackson Barton (78.7) and tight end Nakia Griffin-Stewart (74.7).

Fullback Eli Penny earned a 73.7, while quarterback Daniel Jones graded out at 53.8.

The Giants’ lowest-graded offensive players were running back Devontae Booker (42.1) and wide receiver Darius Slayton (41.4).

Offensive tackles Andrew Thomas and Matt Peart earned grades of 53.4 and 48.5, respectively.

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Giants dropped by Patriots, 22-20: Instant analysis

Instant analysis of the New York Giants’ 22-20 Week 3 preseason loss to the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium.

The New York Giants hosted the New England Patriots in their third and final  preseason game Sunday night at MetLife Stadium.

In what was supposed to be the ‘dress rehearsal’ for the regular season, meaning many of the starters would be taking the field for the at least the first  half, the Giants could not fulfill that want.

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The offensive line was missing two potential starters in right tackle Matt Peart (did not start) and left guard Shane Lemieux (injured), replaced by veterans Nate Solder and Ted Larsen respectively.

Also missing from the starting lineup were running back Saquon Barkley, wide receiver Kenny Golladay and tight end Kyle Rudolph. In their place, the Giants started Devontae Booker at running back, Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton at wide receiver and Evan Engram at tight end.

The Giants went three-and-out in their first possession with quarterback Daniel Jones getting sacked by linebacker Josh Uche, who beat left tackle Andrew Thomas.

On defense, rookie Rodarius Williams started in place of the injured Adoree’ Jackson (ankle) and Darnay Holmes started at slot corner. The defense held on third down in their own territory on the Pats’ first drive, holding them to a 41-yard field goal.

Inside linebacker Blake Martinez stripped Pats’ wideout Jacoby Meyers for an interception on the ensuing series. Jones then drove the Giants 45 yards on eight plays down to the New England one. He then threw the ball behind Engram in the end zone which was picked off by D’Angelo Ross.

After another field goal from the Patriots and a trade of punts, Jones led the Giants on a nine-play, 58-yard drive culminating in a pretty 23-yard touchdown strike to tight end Kaden Smith right before the half to give Big Blue a 7-6 lead at the half.

The second half gave way to mostly backups and New England rookie quarterback Mac Jones led the Patriots on two touchdown drives to give the Pats a 19-7 lead. The Giants struck back early in the fourth quarter to narrow the score to 19-14 when quarterback Mike Glennon hit wideout Alex Bachman on a slant for 12-yard touchdown.

After Pats backup kicker Quinn Norden missed a 54-yard field goal, Glennon hit wide receiver Damion Willis on a 43-yard Hail Mary touchdown cutover threw Dante Pettis on the two-point conversion.

The final was Patriots 22, Giants 20.

Notes

  • Engram left the game with a calf injury and didn’t return. Slayton went out with a foot/ankle issue. C.J. Board had his elbow checked out by trainers but returned. Backup offensive lineman Ted Larsen walked off the field late in the game with a knee injury.
  • Jones played the entire first half, completing 17 of 22 passes for 135 yards with one touchdown and one interception for a QB rating of 88.3. He looked unsettled at times but to his credit, he was under pressure more often than not.
  • Thomas had a rough night, giving up multiple pressures and a sack and was also flagged for a hold. Peart was equally inept, getting beat by the Pats’ edge rushers seemly at will.
  • Shepard continued to look sharp, caching five of six targets for 42 yards.
  • Graham Gano uncharacteristically missed a 41-yard field goal in the third quarter.
  • Dexter Lawrence. Lorenzo Carter, Trent Harris and Willy Henry were all credited with at least a half a sack.
  • The Giants finished the preseason with an 0-3 record.
  • The Giants will be making 27 roster decisions by 4:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, which is the NFL deadline for teams to get their rosters down to 53 players.

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5 Giants with the most to gain vs. Browns

The New York Giants will square off with the Browns in Week 2 of the preseason on Sunday, and these five Giants have the most to gain.

Following two days of joint practices, the New York Giants will face off against the Cleveland Browns in their second exhibition game of 2021 this Sunday.

The game, similar to the first week of the preseason, is unlikely to feature many starters but there will be a few. There will also be several role players being evaluated for depth positions.

Here are five Giants with the most to gain against the Browns.

Giants’ Dave Gettleman has ‘no regrets’ over drafting Saquon Barkley

New York Giants GM Dave Gettleman has no regrets over drafting Saquon Barkley, maintains his faith in Daniel Jones and praises Joe Judge.

The New York Giants are deep into their 2021 training camp and preseason and with multiple questions still to be answered, the team decided to empty the offices and send the powers that be out in front of the media.

The first person up was general manager Dave Gettleman, the man who has the most to lose — and gain — by this season. The media was waiting with a fusillade of questions regarding Gettleman’s personnel decisions and future plans.

Here are a few of the hot points from Gettleman’s media season on Tuesday.

David Moa, Carter Coughlin were highest-graded Giants vs. Jets

David Moa and Carter Coughlin earned the New York Giants’ highest PFF grades in a preseason Week 1 loss to the New York Jets.

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The New York Giants dropped their first preseason game of the year, 12-7, against the New York Jets on Saturday night at MetLife Stadium.

It was the first game hosting fans since December of 2019, but the Giants provided little to cheer about. There were more negatives than positives, but it’s important to note that the team’s starters saw very little action — some not at all.

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Pro Football Focus completed their grading breakdown on Sunday morning and there were some legitimate surprises.

Linebacker Reggie Ragland, who earned our Player of the Game, was the lowest-graded Giant with a 32.6. Although he did grade out fairly well in terms of tackling and run defense, his coverage grade of 32.1 really drug him down.

Veteran defensive tackle Danny Shelton, who had a drive-changing stuff on fourth down, also graded out at just 39.1.

Some of the team’s other low grades belong to defensive end Raymond Johnson (39.7), rookie cornerback Rodarius Williams (45.5), running back Alfred Morris (45.0) and running back Corey Clement (45.1).

The team’s highest grade belonged to defensive tackle David Moa, who earned a remarkable 92.0 on 41 snaps. Linebacker Carter Coughlin checked in just behind him with a 91.8.

Also earning a 90+ was linebacker T.J. Brunson (90.4).

On the offensive side of the ball, left tackle Andrew Thomas led the way with a 76.0, followed by right tackle Matt Peart with a 73.2.

Meanwhile, wide receiver David Sills earned a 73.0 and offensive lineman Kyle Murphy a 72.2.

Other noteworthy grades include quarterback Mike Glennon (72.2), guard Will Hernandez (60.1) and edge rusher Azeez Ojulari (56.6).

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

Here are the winners, losers and those in between from the New York Giants’ preseason Week 1 loss to the New York Jets.

The New York Giants opened the 2021 preseason on Saturday night with an embarrassing 12-7 loss to the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

It was an ugly game for both teams from the jump, but the Giants appeared lightyears behind where they should be. The saving grace is that the vast majority of their starters didn’t play or played very little.

Here’s a quick look at our immediate winners and losers (and those in between) from Week 1 of the preseason.

Giants’ Nate Solder feels healthy, recovered after opting out in 2020

New York Giants OT Nate Solder says that while he doesn’t exactly feel young, he does feel quite healthy after opting out in 2020.

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One of the least covered backstories at New York Giants training camp this summer is the return of veteran offensive tackle Nate Solder.

The former New England Patriots stalwart who came the Giants in 2018 as one of the more over-the-market free agent signings in recent memory is back and healthy after opting out of the 2020 season with COVID-19 concerns.

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The 33-year-old Solder is in a camp battle with second-year tackle Matt Peart for the starting right tackle job, but is fine with his role however the outcome.

“You know, I don’t think the competition is just between the two of us. I think it’s a team competition,” Solder told reporters. “I think that they want the best 11 football players out there and I’m working to, if not be one of those, make those guys the best, you know what I mean? So that’s my job, my role is just to go out there every day and be the best that I can be and help make others that way, too.”

Solder claims to be healthier than ever after the opt-out allowed his body to heal up and recover from a decade in the trenches.

“I don’t feel younger, but I do feel great. My body feels recovered, healthy. I think there is a cumulative toll that playing every season takes on you, so actually having that time to let some of those bumps and bruises kind of heal up has been a good thing,” he said.

Meanwhile, Solder is impressed with Peart, who he called “smart and tough” and is willing to do what it takes to continue his professional career. Solder reworked his massive contract earlier this year, lowering his cap hit from a prohibitive $16.5 million to $9.5 million allowing the Giants to spend more on other players in free agency.

Solder is familiar with head coach Joe Judge as his way of doing things. On Tuesday, after a team brawl interrupted the team’s workout and cost them valuable field time, Judge had the team go through sprints and calisthenics as a penalty. It did not shock Solder one bit. He knows Judge is a guy who means what he says and sticks to his principles.

“The great thing about Joe, and I have tremendous respect for him and what he’s all about, he’s the same guy that I’ve always known. I don’t think that he’s trying to put on airs. I don’t think he’s trying to be anything that he’s not,” Solder said. “He’s exactly who he says he is and that’s just his integrity and I think that’s shown through in the last week that I’ve been here.”

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Giants’ Matt Peart spent offseason fine-tuning his game

New York Giants OT Matt Peart returned bigger, stronger and faster this year and it’s already paying dividends on the field.

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One player the New York Giants are hoping will click this summer is second-year tackle Matt Peart, the 6-foot-7, 318 pounder they selected in the second round last year out of UConn.

Peart has been lining up at right tackle after playing in 11 games (starting one) last season as a rookie. Head coach Joe Judge was asked on Tuesday what the team wants to see from Peart this camp.

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“Kind of sound a little like a broken record, I just want to see consistent improvement from him,” said Judge. “What we saw last year was competitiveness, very coachable player and daily improvement. Obviously, he showed up. The first action he got last year was versus Washington in that first game we had. It was kind of on short notice. He jumped on in there, we threw him in there on the edge and he held up pretty well for us. And as we went forward, he gave us confidence to mix him through and we had a three-tackle rotation, and he kept getting better week by week.

“He had a setback with injury at the end of last year that kind of took a little playing time away from him because he couldn’t go out there and give 100 percent, but we had confidence in him every game last year to put him out there when he was healthy. And look, right now between all of our tackles, we’re looking for all of these guys to keep on improving and as many players as we have that we’re able to get in the game, we’re going to play them.”

Peart was in front of the Giants beat pool after the team’s first padded practice of the summer, which included a full-scale melee that drew the ire of Judge. Last year, he missed some time due to COVID-19 and this year, he is back and healthy and told reporters he was just pleased to ‘be with my brothers, to be with the family again.’

The COVID experience robbed Peart of some much-needed playing time late in the season. He’s starting this camp with a fresh attitude.

“That’s one thing with football, it’s just playing through adversity. That was my adversity going through the end of last season,” Peart said. “I’m just so fortunate to have a great group of guys around me that really rallied around me when times got rough for me. So, I’m keeping it with stride. I just take everything day-by-day. I got out here and took everything day-by-day and tried not to dwell on all that adversity because, like I said, it comes with football. So, I’m just really fortunate that I have a group of guys that were able help me.”

Peart is also sizably bigger and stronger this summer. The Giants are playing on him competing for the right tackle position. He’s off to a good start.

“Coming into the second year, the attention to detail is that much more. I knew what I had to do coming into the offseason to get bigger, faster, stronger, so I really took the onus to really work on my craft and to work on those abilities, and work on the tangible things that I had,” Peart said. “Just to make sure that I come into year two not having the same little lapses here and there that I did last season. So right now, it’s just come out here and compete every single day, and like I said, grow with my guys.”

Peart will have to fend off veteran Nate Solder and others in camp for the starting role but insiders believe the Giants are set to give him more than an ample opportunity to win the job out of camp.

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