Giants re-sign Nate Ebner, shuffle practice squad

The New York Giants have re-signed special teams ace Nate Ebner as part of a series of transactions.

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The New York Giants made the highly anticipated move of re-signing special teams ace Nate Ebner on Tuesday, which came alongside a number of other transactions.

“He’s a guy that’s very locked in and focused. He was a captain last year and is a great team leader. This team, what he’s helping build is very important for him and while I don’t speak for anyone else, I don’t mind echoing that for Nate because I know I can speak very directly and honestly. But look, he’s a very important part of this team and we look forward to getting him back,” head coach Joe Judge said in May.

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In addition to adding Ebner back to the 53-man roster, the Giants also terminated the contract of wide receiver C.J. Board before immediately signing him to the practice squad.

Meanwhile, the Giants officially terminated the contract of linebacker Todd Davis, who had announced his retirement last month. They also waived wide receiver Austin Mack with an injury settlement, clearing additional salary cap space in the process.

Finally, the team signed offensive tackle Korey Cunningham to their practice squad. In order to make room for he and Board, defensive back Jordyn Peters and guard Kenny Wiggins were released.

Several ex-NFL players rip Joe Judge: ‘He’s too worried about his ego’

Several ex-NFL players ripped New York Giants coach Joe Judge on Friday, claiming he’s an egotist who has created a “toxic” environment.

There is a monumental disconnect between the perception of New York Giants head coach Joe Judge in East Rutherford and outside of it.

For those local to the team, Judge’s method makes sense. His players have clearly bought in, the locker-room is in lock-step with their head coach, there’s a good relationship with the media and a growing relationship with the fans.

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On the national stage and among those who have never spent a single moment with or around Judge (or his team), the opinions are wildly different.

After having four players retire over the first two weeks of training camp, Judge and his disciplined, old school approach have become somewhat of a lightning rod. The notion that he’s running things “The Patriots Way” as opposed to “The Judge Way” have taken off and there’s no convincing people they’ve got it wrong.

Such was the case on Friday night when several retired NFL players, including ex-Giant Geoff Schwartz, took aim at Judge for his “brutal” approach to discipline and training.

“Joe Looney gets signed [and] in his first two practices he’s got to run a lap for a mistake and then run sprints and pushups to end practice for a fight. Brutal,” Scwartz tweeted.

Retired offensive lineman Jeff Allen and and retired defensive end Michael DeVito also believe that Judge’s methods are “toxic.”

“The New England way outside of New England is toxic,” Allen tweeted.

“It’s really so true,” DeVito replied in agreement.

Shaun Smith, who spent 10 seasons in the NFL and appeared in over 100 games, took things a step further and ripped Judge for having an “ego.”

“He thinks he is [running] a college program or he thinks he is Bill Parcells,” Smith tweeted. “Joe Judge hasn’t won [expletive]. He’s too worried about his hair and ego — they are the new Pats.”

Judge, who has won two BCS National Championships with Alabama and three Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots, has never once concerned himself with his hair. He has also never come across as someone with an ego — quite the opposite, in fact.

But the Giants and their fans wouldn’t be upset if they became “the new Pats.” After a decade of losing, turning into one of the most legendary and successful franchises in sports history would be more than welcomed.

Ignoring that reality, Schwartz and DeVito continued speaking for Joe Looney and Zach Fulton, who each opted to retire this week.

“And you know brother, the older you get, the more that stuff wears your body down,” DeVito tweeted.

“We are also adults. Running for someone else making a mistake doesn’t teach accountability,” Schwartz tweeted in reply.

Perhaps one of them should have reached out to Looney for his honest opinion because it doesn’t match the words they attempted to put into his mouth.

“That’s something I ain’t done since little league, but you know I loved it. It’s another way to hold us accountable as professionals,” Looney said prior to his retirement. “If you make a mistake, you’re going to have to run a lap for it. You know, I’m all about it. It holds us accountable at the end of the day.”

Looney ultimately decided that after eight months away from the game, his body simply couldn’t take the rigors of training camp and then an 17-game season. That was also the case for Fulton, who was unable to crack the second team in practice.

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“I would say that a lot of these older vets, they’re at a different point in their life with different things,” Judge told reporters on Friday. “Zach’s a guy that started a business in the offseason, he just had his son. His family is down in Texas. This is an opportunity for him to get back. We talked a lot about just the duration, a career and different things. Without going into everything, look, he indicated to us, hey listen, coming out of where he was last year, your body’s in a different point than when you’re younger. You get to the point to see do I think I have it for [17] games? And you have to respect when these guys look us in the eye and say, ‘listen, I really wanted to see if I could push through it, but I don’t think my body’s at that point,’ and you can leave this point in the game with your health.

“In terms of dealing with vets that make decisions like this, the biggest thing is that you have to understand, you’ve got to respect them as a person first, okay. As you look at your roster, sometimes you don’t want to see any of those players walk out. When we sit down and have an honest conversation, you don’t really talk much about football. You talk about family. You talk about their experience in the league. You talk about what they want to do long-term in their life. You talk about a lot of different things.

“I appreciate everything they’ve done for the team. They all worked hard for us. I don’t want to see any one of them go. We left the door open for all three based on circumstances that if something were to happen, they can return if we have room for them. I’d welcome all three [Looney, Fulton and Todd Davis] of them back, I really would. These are guys we brought in our program because we think they would help the team. They’re three good dudes. I tell you that right now, all three of them are good dudes.”

Veteran linebacker Todd Davis, who also opted to retire after a brief camp stint with the Giants, had nothing but good things to say about Judge & Co.

“The Giants, I was only there a little bit of time, and I think I had a shot at doing everything I wanted to do there,” Davis said. “It was just everything combined. It was great there. I feel like they have a great coaching staff. There’s a lot of coaches there who care about their players doing well, so I expect them to do well.”

In fact, the only retiree or player who has been critical of Judge was Benjamin, who reported to camp nearly 20 pounds overweight and opted to quit instead of accepting a fine.

If anyone wants a clearer picture of Judge and what it’s like playing for him, just ask his players.

“It ain’t for everybody. You feel me? He’s entitled to his opinion,” cornerback James Bradberry said, via the New York Daily News. “I definitely think coach Judge is tough. But football is tough. There’s a lot of pressure being in our shoes, so I don’t expect him to give us our way all the time. A tough coach, that’s how you build structure. That’s how you build discipline. That’s what he’s building here. It’s part of our culture. It ain’t for everybody, man.”

“You know, the biggest thing I appreciate about Joe is how he always kept the picture going forward. We started off really rough last year, and each week you couldn’t tell it from him and his expectations and his energy towards that. He could see it in our eyes as well. Just his energy, his standard and the way he holds his standard up for himself and the way he holds us to the standard that he’s created for this program, I respect it a lot. You know, you can strap up your helmet and go to war for a coach like that. We’re excited to go into year two with him and get another camp down,” tight end Evan Engram said.

“No, not at all, wide receiver Sterling Shepard said when asked if players hate Judge’s methods. “That’s kind of the standard that we’ve set here in this building and as a team, and I think guys have bought in and know what to expect whenever you step on the field and when you’re playing under a guy like Coach Judge. If you don’t like it, then you’re welcome to leave. But that’s the way that we do things around here and everybody is standing by that, and I’m all for it.”

“I’ll run through a wall for for that man,” safety Logan Ryan said.

Judge has also earned the respect of several Giants legends, including Phil Simms, Eli Manning, Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka, Osi Umenyiora and Shaun O’Hara, not to mention the in-house bunch of Jeff Feagles, Howard Cross and Carl Banks.

You simply don’t win over your entire team and some of the greatest who have ever played this game by being an ego-driven Bill Belichick clone who is out to make everyone’s life miserable.

Perhaps some of the critics should hop off Twitter and take a trip to the Meadowlands to see things in person and get an actual pulse of the situation instead of making assumptions based on a narrative largely fueled by a parody Twitter account that expertly fooled everyone — because let’s be honest, that’s exactly what has happened.

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Giants leave door open for Joe Looney, Todd Davis to return

New York Giants coach Joe Judge says the door is open for veteran OL Joe Looney and veteran LB Todd Davis, both of whom retired, to return.

The New York Giants have had three veterans retire rather than go through the rigors of another training camp (kind of).

The Giants’ training camp under second-year head coach Joe Judge is a strict one where both errors of omission and commission are punishable by running laps around the facility…and then some.

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For two recently picked up free agents, linebacker Todd Davis, 29, and offensive lineman Joe Looney, 30, the Judge way was not what they signed up for and both decided to retire.

Earlier in camp, wide receiver/tight end Kelvin Benjamin was let go after the field to comply with the team’s directive for him to report at a certain weight. Perhaps it was more telling of how difficult it is to sustain an NFL career at those ages than an indictment on Judge and his ways.

On Thursday, Judge said he harbored no ill will or resentment towards either player who packed it in this week.

That being said, it’s unlikely we’ll see either one ever again in these parts but you never know. With the NFL now a 17-game affair any player who can still suit up will be quick to answer the phone. It’s just training camp that they can’t weather. During the season, players get called in all the time from their couches, so why not sit home and wait for the call and work out on your own?

That may not be the case with Looney or Davis, but what are the odds it isn’t? Not many teams seem three retirements in the span of one week.

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Todd Davis explains his retirement, praises Giants coaches

Linebacker Todd Davis explains his decision to retire from the NFL and praises New York Giants coaches on his way out the door.

New York Giants linebacker Todd Davis’ NFL career came to an end on Tuesday when the seven-year veteran announced he was retiring from the NFL.

Davis was inked by the Giants last week as the team was in a pinch at the position with Blake Martinez, Reggie Ragland and others either sidelined or limited at the time.

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“We’re really looking forward to getting him on the field,” head coach Joe Judge said on July 31 after the Giants signed Davis. “He just signed with us, so we’re excited about that and he’ll come in and compete with the other linebackers at his position and work through his defensive responsibilities, as well as his role in the kicking game. Got to meet with him today, sit down face to face and have a good conversation, liked his energy. I’ve known him as a player in the league for some time but made a good first impression personality-wise and I’m excited to get him on the field.”

Well, that field time was short-lived. Davis was back in Denver late Tuesday afternoon after informing the Giants he would be leaving training camp — and football — for good.

“It was the timing of everything,” Davis said in a phone call with 9NEWS. “I had worked really hard to get to a certain point in my career and it kind of felt like people were asking me to start all over. I would have loved to keep playing at that level but if that’s not where I’m asked to play then I think it’s time for me to move on to other ventures in my life.”

Davis, who had played for Denver, New Orleans and Minnesota, was brought in to add some possible depth to the Giants’ linebacker corps but apparently did not like the way he was being used in camp and perhaps didn’t like his chances as there is a load of competition at the position.

The full-team brawl on Tuesday followed by the ensuing punitive actions by Judge probably didn’t help, although Davis had nothing but positive reviews about his time with the Giants.

“The Giants, I was only there a little bit of time, and I think I had a shot at doing everything I wanted to do there,” Davis said. “It was just everything combined. It was great there. I feel like they have a great coaching staff. There’s a lot of coaches there who care about their players doing well, so I expect them to do well.”

Davis said that he was thankful he is able to walk away from football with his health and plans on perusing his real estate career.

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Todd Davis explains his retirement, praises Giants coaches

Linebacker Todd Davis explains his decision to retire from the NFL and praises New York Giants coaches on his way out the door.

New York Giants linebacker Todd Davis’ NFL career came to an end on Tuesday when the seven-year veteran announced he was retiring from the NFL.

Davis was inked by the Giants last week as the team was in a pinch at the position with Blake Martinez, Reggie Ragland and others either sidelined or limited at the time.

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“We’re really looking forward to getting him on the field,” head coach Joe Judge said on July 31 after the Giants signed Davis. “He just signed with us, so we’re excited about that and he’ll come in and compete with the other linebackers at his position and work through his defensive responsibilities, as well as his role in the kicking game. Got to meet with him today, sit down face to face and have a good conversation, liked his energy. I’ve known him as a player in the league for some time but made a good first impression personality-wise and I’m excited to get him on the field.”

Well, that field time was short-lived. Davis was back in Denver late Tuesday afternoon after informing the Giants he would be leaving training camp — and football — for good.

“It was the timing of everything,” Davis said in a phone call with 9NEWS. “I had worked really hard to get to a certain point in my career and it kind of felt like people were asking me to start all over. I would have loved to keep playing at that level but if that’s not where I’m asked to play then I think it’s time for me to move on to other ventures in my life.”

Davis, who had played for Denver, New Orleans and Minnesota, was brought in to add some possible depth to the Giants’ linebacker corps but apparently did not like the way he was being used in camp and perhaps didn’t like his chances as there is a load of competition at the position.

The full-team brawl on Tuesday followed by the ensuing punitive actions by Judge probably didn’t help, although Davis had nothing but positive reviews about his time with the Giants.

“The Giants, I was only there a little bit of time, and I think I had a shot at doing everything I wanted to do there,” Davis said. “It was just everything combined. It was great there. I feel like they have a great coaching staff. There’s a lot of coaches there who care about their players doing well, so I expect them to do well.”

Davis said that he was thankful he is able to walk away from football with his health and plans on perusing his real estate career.

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Giants’ Todd Davis retires, Blake Martinez activated

New York Giants LB Todd Davis, who was signed over the weekend, has retired. Meanwhile, LB Blake Martinez has been activated.

The New York Giants signed veteran linebacker Todd Davis over the weekend but his stay in East Rutherford was short-lived.

Similar to Kelvin Benjamin, who was released last week and subsequently returned to Florida indicating that his NFL career was over, Davis decided that he needed just a sip of Giants camp to call it quits.

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The Giants announced on Tuesday that Davis has been placed on the Reserve/Retired list.

Meanwhile, the Giants also announced that linebacker Blake Martinez and safety Joshua Kalu have been activated from the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

Martinez was in pads at the start of Giants practice, although head coach Joe Judge acknowledged that the defensive captain would be on somewhat of a pitch count.

“He won’t take every rep that he’d normally take,” Judge told reporters.

Finally, the Giants placed wide receiver Derrick Dillon the Reserve/Injured list.

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Blake Martinez back with Giants after stay on COVID-19 list

Linebacker Blake Martinez will return to the New York Giants on Saturday following a brief stay on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

New York Giants linebacker Blake Martinez, one of the team’s key defenders, will return to the field on Saturday after a brief stint on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

“We had a couple guys who had some exposure to [the COVID-19 virus] and had to quarantine throughout this point. Some guys who had some issues this summer, I’m not going to go into specifics unless they’re on the list right there,” head coach Joe Judge told reporters last week. “But, you know, there’s a couple guys that have come off that we’re going to go ahead and make sure that we’re doing the right thing by them in terms of the adjustments to training they had to make the last few weeks.”

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Martinez, who played at an All-Pro level in 2020, was among the players dealing with lingering issues. However, like rookie wide receiver Kadarius Toney, his stay on the COVID list was relatively short-lived.

Although Martinez will return to practice on Saturday night, expect the Giants to ease him back into thing as opposed to throwing him right into the fire.

In addition to Martinez returning, Judge also revealed that the injury sustained by linebacker Lorenzo Carter was not a reaggravation of his Achilles rupture.

According to Judge, the injury is not only unrelated but potentially minor.

“There will be periods within this training camp that you’ll see a little less of them at times and then you’ll see a lot of them,” Judge said, via Tom Rock of Newsday. “Right now, [Carter[ is in one of those periods [of less].”

With Martinez being eased back in, Carter still dealing with load management and Reggie Ragland on NFI, the Giants announced the signing of veteran inside linebacker Todd Davis on Saturday.

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Giants sign veteran linebacker Todd Davis

The New York Giants announce they have signed veteran linebacker Todd Davis.

The New York Giants have been busy working out free agents over the past week and several are currently involved in the onboarding process (see: Alfred Morris and Sean Mannion).

Another player who was recently in East Rutherford for a workout was veteran linebacker Todd Davis. And with Blake Martinez and Reggie Ragland both sidelined, Davis has now been signed, the team announced on Saturday.

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The 29-year-old Davis originally signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted rookie out of Sacramento State in 2014. Later that year, he joined the Denver Broncos and remained with the team through the 2019 season. He spent last year as a member of the Minnesota Vikings.

In 96 career games (69 starts), Davis has recorded 505 tackles (23 for a loss), 12 QB hits, 3.0 sacks, one forced fumble, 15 passes defensed, one interception and one defensive touchdown.

Pro Football Focus gave Davis an overall grade of 60.6 in 2020, including a run defense grade of 70.2.

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The members of the Vikings free agency class who remain unsigned

See the Minnesota Vikings players who have yet to sign with teams in 2021 free agency.

The Vikings had plenty of players set to be free agents this offseason, many of whom have already been signed.

Minnesota has seen the big-ticket signings like Anthony Harris and Eric Wilson already depart this offseason. The Vikings have re-signed some less notable free agents, though, such as Rashod Hill and Dakota Dozier.

So who are the members of the Vikings free agency class left unsigned? There’s still a pretty big list, with five players yet to land with Minnesota or any other team in the NFL.

Here are the five players, followed by an analysis of where they could slot in with the Vikings:

Vikings 2020 season review: Linebackers

Here is a Vikings Wire review of the Minnesota Vikings’ linebacker group for the 2020 NFL season.

Minnesota’s linebacker position group will probably look a lot different in 2021.

The Vikings started the year with Eric Kendricks, Anthony Barr and Eric Wilson as the first three linebackers on the depth chart.

Barr only played in two games, due to suffering a season-ending injury. Kendricks played in 11 due to an injury-marred year. Eric Wilson is coming off a career year, but is set to be a free agent in March and could command a huge contract. 

Similar to a lot of position groups on the Vikings in 2020, the team was forced to adapt to key absences and experienced inconsistent play because of that. Here is Vikings Wire’s review: