The 32 nominees for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

The players nominated for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award have been announced.

The 32 player nominees for the sixth annual Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award were announced last week. Each NFL team nominated one of its players for the award, which recognizes players around the league who exemplify outstanding sportsmanship on the field.

The award is presented each year to an NFL player who best demonstrates the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, and integrity in competition.

The nomineese:

2019 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award Nominees

» Arizona Cardinals C A.Q. Shipley
» Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones
» Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson
» Buffalo Bills LB Lorenzo Alexander
» Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey
» Chicago Bears DB Kyle Fuller
» Cincinnati Bengals DE Sam Hubbard
» Cleveland Browns RB Nick Chubb
» Dallas Cowboys CB Byron Jones
» Denver Broncos LB Von Miller
» Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford
» Green Bay Packers CB Tramon Williams
» Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson
» Indianapolis Colts WR T.Y. Hilton
» Jacksonville Jaguars DL Calais Campbell
» Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes
» Los Angeles Chargers LB Thomas Davis Sr.
» Los Angeles Rams S Eric Weddle
» Miami Dolphins C Daniel Kilgore
» Minnesota Vikings DE Danielle Hunter
» New England Patriots WR Matthew Slater
» New Orleans Saints T Terron Armstead
» New York Giants DL Dalvin Tomlinson
» New York Jets DL Steve McLendon
» Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr
» Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz
» Pittsburgh Steelers RB James Conner
» San Francisco 49ers T Joe Staley
» Seattle Seahawks LB K.J. Wright
» Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB Lavonte David
» Tennessee Titans C Ben Jones
» Washington Redskins RB Adrian Peterson

A panel of former players — Warrick Dunn, Pro Football Hall of Famer Curtis Martin, Karl Mecklenburg and Leonard Wheeler — will select eight finalists (four in the AFC and four in the NFC) from the 32 nominees.  The winner of the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award will then be determined by a vote of current NFL players.

Past recipients:

» 2018: Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints
» 2017: Luke Kuechly, LB, Carolina Panthers
» 2016: Frank Gore, RB, Indianapolis Colts
» 2015: Charles Woodson, CB, Oakland Raiders
» 2014: Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals

Do Giants have one of NFL’s top young cores?

Things look bad for the New York Giants right now, but do they actually have one of the NFL’s best young cores?

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The New York Giants are mired in another losing season and fans are beginning to groan that things are never going to change, but when stepping back and looking at their roster objectively, is there enough young talent to warrant some long-term optimism?

Chris Roling of Bleacher Report certainly thinks so. In fact, he believe the Giants have one of the top young cores in the NFL, just edging out the New York Jets.

9. New York Giants

Key Young Core Players: Saquon Barkley, Daniel Jones, Dexter Lawrence

It is hard not to like a core that has a player with the rushing prowess of Saquon Barkley.

The 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year bullied his way to 1,300-plus yards on the ground and 11 touchdowns last year for a bad New York Giants team. While the 22-year-old running back had one particularly awful showing in Week 10 this season (13 carries for one yard), he would still be on pace for nearly a 1,000-yard campaign if he weren’t missing time with a shoulder injury.

Barkley is a nice support for rookie Daniel Jones, who was hindered by a coaching staff unwilling to move on from Eli Manning. The 22-year-old quarterback has shown big upside while completing 63 percent of his passes with 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions despite taking 32 sacks.

Dexter Lawrence, a first-round pick this year, has quietly been a force. The 22-year-old defensive tackle is the highest-graded player on the Giants because of his run defense (sixth at his position), according to Pro Football Focus.

And there are also guys like tight end Evan Engram (25) and guard Will Hernandez (24), not to mention a young wideout not part of the 25-and-under core in Sterling Shepard.

Roling makes his case without even mentioning breakout wide receiver Darius Slayton, talented linebacker Ryan Connelly and a few other 25-and-under stars like Jabrill Peppers, Dalvin Tomlinson, B.J. Hill and Leonard Williams.

The reality is, the Giants are stocked with young front-end talent, but are struggling due to their inexperience and lack of depth behind them. Time will provide a wealth of knowledge for most, but the Giants still have a lot of roster building to do — this young talent needs some veteran experience and leadership around them. Certainly more than the team has right now.

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Giants’ brass content on leaving fans confused and in the dark

The New York Giants are mired in another embarrassing season and seem to have no qualms about leaving fans in the dark.

Usually during the bye week, we hear from either the owner or the general manager of the New York Giants. This week, we have heard nothing from CEO John Mara or his football czar, Dave Gettleman.

Some say it’s no big deal but others — present company included — believe there is a depression of sorts seeping into the team’s mentality. They are in the middle of their sixth losing season in seven years and there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

They are a poorly coached team devoid of talent at key positions and have been playing this season with more rookies and inexperienced players than the handbook on “how to run a franchise” recommends.

The least the fans deserve is to have management come out and speak to them. They are already being asked to sit through this miserable season, so it would go a long way for Mara or Gettleman to come out of hiding and reassure the faithful that they are going down the right path.

Gettleman has never held a presser at the bye. Not here or in Carolina. It’s not the way he does things. But the Giants always did. Gettleman’s predecessors, Jerry Reese, Ernie Accorsi and George Young always took time out to give a ‘state of the team” update.

From George Willis of the New York Post:

We should have heard from Dave Gettleman this week. We should have heard from the leader of this storied NFL franchise about what he thinks about a 2-8 record and a six-game losing streak. We should hear from Gettleman what has gone wrong and what, if anything, he thinks is going right.

Instead we have heard nothing. Nothing from Gettleman. Nothing from co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch. Nothing from any decision makers other than Shurmur, the embattled head coach, who is left on his own to fend off the critics.

At 2-8 and the direction of the franchise in question, Gettleman needs to break tradition and answer some questions. The team he is “rebuilding” is an abject failure and his hand-picked head coach is floundering.

Gettleman has been right about a few things. He can hang his hat on his draft classes and signings such as wide receiver Golden Tate. He can crow about cutting ties with Odell Beckham Jr. and Landon Collins, two stars who have basically vanished from the NFL landscape.

We would like to know management’s thoughts on the coaching staff, Daniel Jones’ progress, Saquon Barkley’s injury, the mindset behind the Leonard Williams’ trade, DeAndre Baker’s struggles and much more.

But we’re not getting that. Instead, we get a angry John Mara blowing by reporters in the hallway too miffed to stop to make a statement. We get Gettleman avoiding the media because Mike Francesa called the Giants a “clown show” back in the spring. Shurmur is left to diplomatically dance around the key questions with either guarded speech or complete refusal to divulge any information.

This is not the Giant way. But then again, neither are back-to-back-to-back double-digit loss seasons. No one likes to admit their plan is failing, that they made mistakes and might have to start over.

That is the mindset in the media and throughout the fan base. The fear is that Gettleman messed this thing up and his three-year plan could now be a six-year one.

This is New York, though. Nothing happens in a vacuum here. If they want to keep the fans in the dark, they’re going to find themselves in the same situation as the Los Angeles Chargers — playing their home games in front of a crowd dominated by the visiting team’s fans.

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Giants not listed among teams who attended Kaepernick’s workout following venue change

The New York Giants were not listed among the eight teams that attended Colin Kaepernick’s Saturday workout after a sudden venue change.

The New York Giants were scheduled to be among the 25 teams in attendance for Colin Kaepernick’s Saturday workout in Atlanta, but after Kap’s team had a strange back-and-forth with the NFL and abruptly changed the venue, Big Blue was left behind.

Kaepernick’s agent, Jeff Nalley, informed ESPN that just eight teams made the one-hour trek to the new venue, arriving just as the workout, which was live-streamed on YouTube, got underway. The Giants were not among the teams reported to have moved with the location.

The change in venue interrupted schedules for many of the 25 teams that were scheduled to watch Kaepernick at the original site, but Kaepernick still threw in front of representatives from eight teams, according to Nalley, among them the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Washington Redskins, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, and Tennessee Titans.

On the field, Kaepernick displayed an impressively strong arm, which was clear enough for anyone watching on to see. However, Kap also displayed some rust and accuracy issues, and appeared to gas out a bit toward the end of his workout.

All told, Kaepernick put on enough of an impressive performance to warrant some interest as a backup quarterback, which is a job he’s been reluctant to accept in the recent past. Whether or not that changes after Saturday’s workout may determine if he returns to the NFL or remains unemployed by the league.

Whatever the outcome may be, it does not appear as if the Giants will take a flier, kick the tires or otherwise consider signing Kaepernick. They have their wagon hitched to Daniel Jones and are roaring full-steam ahead.

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Ex-Giant Odell Beckham Jr. feels targeted by NFL over drug testing

Former New York Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. feels like he’s a target of the NFL’s random drug testing policy.

A year ago, Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid suggested that the NFL’s random drug testing policy wasn’t necessarily random at all, implying he was a target of the league.

Fast forward to this week and former New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who now plays for the Cleveland Browns, is echoing Reid’s sentiments.

“[The NFL] made me come in Monday when we had an off day. Had a drug test,” Beckham said, via Cleveland.com. “Made me come in Thursday after the game. Had another drug test.

“Nobody is getting tested like me. I know people who didn’t get tested for five months in the offseason and I’m getting tested every time.”

By the very nature of the system being randomized, some players will get tested more than others. Some will be tested repeatedly and others will never have to fill a cup to the yellow line — that’s just how a randomizer works.

Still, Beckham has felt like a target of the NFL for years and it has to do with a lot more than random performance-enhancing drugs checks — a test Beckham has never failed, by the way.

But the league maintains it has no control over the random names that are chosen for tests.

“Neither the union or the league are involved in the random selection of players to be tested,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy told Cleveland.com. “By means of a computer program, the independent administrator determines which 10 players will be randomly selected each week.”

An independent investigation into Reid’s claim revealed no wrongdoing, and Beckham is free to request a similar inquiry.

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6 Giants teams among NFL’s 100 Greatest of All-Time

Six New York Giants teams have been named among the NFL’s 100 Greatest Teams of All-Time.

As part of their 100th Anniversary celebration, the NFL has been reliving their greatest moments and honoring their greatest players and teams. This week, they completed their list of the 100 Greatest Teams.

The New York Giants placed six teams on the list.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

No. 93 – 2011 New York Giants

“We didn’t mind winning ugly, the tougher the circumstances, the better we were going to be.” – Eli Manning

NFL.com: “The 2011 New York Giants are the only team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl following a 9-7 regular season. QB Eli Manning had a career-high 4,933 pass yards, but the Giants ranked 25th in scoring defense and nearly missed the playoffs. At 7-7 entering Week 16, a 99-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning to Victor Cruz became the catalyst to a 29-14 win over the Jets. The Giants beat the Cowboys in Week 17. Then in the playoffs, the Giants crushed the Falcons, 24-2, in the NFC Wild Card Game, and won in Green Bay. 37-20 in the NFC Divisional Round. After beating the 49ers in overtime to capture the NFC Championship, the Giants beat the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick-led Patriots. 21-17. in Super Bowl XLVI. Eli Manning led a game-winning drive which included a memorable throw-and-catch to Mario Manningham. Ahmad Bradshaw scored on a 6-yard rushing TD in the final minute, and Manning was named Super Bowl MVP”.

Fennelly: Certainly a more subdued feeling to this team than the one that won four seasons earlier, perhaps because the Super Bowl was won on a touchdown that they weren’t trying to score. When you go back and review this season however, the Giants were actually a pretty resilient team. The NFC Championship Game in San Francisco was one of the great games of this era — a physical , knock-down, drag-out affair in which Manning himself displayed exceptional grit. If you have any doubt about Eli’s Hall of Fame worthiness, I urge you to re-watch that game.

Lions waive ex-Giants RB Paul Perkins

The Detroit Lions have waived former New York Giants running back Paul Perkins.

Paul Perkins’ strange 2019 continued on Saturday with news that he had been waived by the Detroit Lions — something that has happened several times since his arrival in the Motor City.

The Lions claimed Perkins off of waivers from the Giants in early September and he’s bounced around from their practice squad to their active roster ever since.

Perkins, who was a fifth-round draft pick of the Giants out of UCLA back in 2016, fell out of favor with the team’s coaching staff after missing the 2018 season with a torn pec.

In 26 career games (5 starts) with the Giants, Perkins gained 546 yards on 153 carries (3.6 ypc), while hauling in 23 receptions for an additional 208 yards. His best season came in 2016 when he gained over 618 yards from scrimmage.

In four games with the Lions this season, Perkins gained 29 yards on 12 carries and added nine yards on a single reception out of the backfield.

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7 candidates to replace Giants coach Pat Shurmur

The New York Giants are unlikely to fire head coach Pat Shurmur, but if they do, here are seven candidates to replace him.

The New York Giants have no plans to fire coach Pat Shurmur this year or at any point during the offseason, meaning that his job could be safe through 2020.

Of course, Giants ownership let similar information leak when it came to former coach Ben McAdoo, and we all know how that ended up playing out.

So while it’s unlikely the Giants move on from Shurmur over the next calendar year, there’s no denying he’s put himself firmly on the hot seat. Accordingly, we’re here to examine seven candidates who could eventually replace him.

Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Coughlin

Yep. We’re starting out in controversial fashion, but let’s not pretend that forcing Coughlin to step down wasn’t the first in a long string of poor decisions that led these Giants to where they are today. The real question would be whether or not Coughlin would want to come back to New York. Or, at this point, whether he even desires a return to the sideline at all.

Bottom line: The Giants need an old-school disciplinarian leading the way because the whole player-friendly thing is clearly not working.

Giants plummet in latest USA TODAY power rankings

The New York Giants have plummeted in the latest USA TODAY power rankings and are now nearing a bottom out.

The New York Giants enter a bye in Week 11, which means they can’t lose on Sunday for the first time since their last victory — a Week 4 win over the Washington Redskins.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that the Giants are now 2-8 after a crushing loss to the lowly New York Jets last week, which was reflected in the latest USA TODAY power rankings.

The Giants fell five spots to No. 30 overall and are now in contention for the very last spot in the NFL.

Real bummer watching Saquon Barkley get squandered to the tune of 27 yards over his past 28 carries. No wonder his dad roots for the Jets.

Brutal.

Comparatively, the Washington Redskins fell two spots to No. 31 overall, while the both the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles improved two spots each, checking in at No. 10 and No. 11, respectively.

And following their win over the Giants, the Jets improved two spots to No. 29 overall.

The Cincinnati Bengals are now No. 32 overall with their 0-9 record, while the Baltimore Ravens have overtaken the New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers for No. 1 overall.

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Targeting Josh Norman among 4 keys to Jets’ offense vs. Washington

The Jets passing offense should succeed against the soft Redskins secondary, and that begins with attacking cornerback Josh Norman.

The Jets take on another easy defense this week in the Washington Redskins and will look to string together consecutive wins for the first time since Week 6 of the 2018 season. Sam Darnold enjoyed a nice bounce-back game against the Giants in Week 10 and will face an even weaker secondary against the lowly Redskins, while Le’Veon Bell could find lots of running lanes against a bad run defense.

The Jets should be able to move the ball effectively considering Washington allows a league-high 6.7 plays per drive and teams convert 50 percent of their third-down attempts against the Redskins. The biggest thing for New York will be its ability to maintain the ball and attack Washington’s weakest points on defense.

Here are four keys to the Jets offense in Week 11.