Tag: Trent Harris

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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Giants fall to Browns in Week 2 of preseason: 6 takeaways

Here are six takeaways from the New York Giants’ Week 2 preseason loss to the Cleveland Browns.

The New York Giants fell to the Cleveland Browns, 17-13, in their Week 2 preseason game in Cleveland on Sunday.

Here are six takeaways from the game.

Brett Heggie, Quincy Wilson were highest-graded Giants vs. Browns

New York Giants OL Brett Heggie and DB Quincy Wilson earned the team’s highest Pro Football Focus grades in Week 2 of the preseason.

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The New York Giants rested the majority of their starters on Sunday afternoon against the Cleveland Browns, giving way to reserves and back-end of the depth guys.

The result was a mixed bag — as it usually is — but there were more positives than negatives this week. Several players showed up in big ways and displayed impressively unique versatility.

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Pro Football Focus didn’t necessarily see it that way, however.

PFF gave wide receiver Matt Cole, who got thrust into action at cornerback, a grade of just 54.9 on offense and 47.5 on defense despite not allowing a reception (two targets) and making one stop to force a field goal.

Cole did fare better on special teams, earning the team’s second-highest unit grade at 76.2. Unsurprisingly, linebacker Cam Brown topped that list (82.3).

Offensively, backup center Brett Heggie led the way with a grade of 82.8. He was followed by running back Devontae Booker (77.1) and fullback Eli Penny (75.6).

Other noteworthy offensive grades include offensive lineman Jonotthan Harrison (70.7), wide receiver David Sills (68.6) and tight end Kaden Smith (67.2).

On the defensive side of the ball, safety Quincy Wilson led the way with a grade of 81.7. Just behind him were linebacker Oshane Ximines (80.2) and safety Julian Love (73.1).

Rookie cornerback Rodarius Williams also took a step in the right direction with a 64.4.

The lowest-graded players on the Giants were defensive lineman Willie Henry (27.1), linebacker Trent Harris (35.3) and linebacker Cam Brown (37.3). Wide receiver Alex Bachman earned the team’s lowest offensive grade at 43.8.

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Giants-Jets preseason Week 1: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

The New York Giants lost their Week 1 preseason game against the Jets. Here are the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams.

The New York Giants opened the 2021 preseason with a dud, falling to the New York Jets, 12-7, at MetLife Stadium on Saturday night.

Not much went the Giants’ way as their offensive line struggled, their quarterbacks were less than encouraging and their defense made too many fundamental errors.

Needless to say, there’s a lot of work to do.

Here’s a look at the snap counts that attributed to the Giants’ first loss of the new year.

Offensive lineman Kenny Wiggins led the way in snaps due to an injury sustained by Kyle Murphy, who was seen after the game on crutches. Neither of those things is a positive as Wiggins struggled and the Giants lost additional depth along the O-line.

Defensively, the snap counts were surprisingly top-heavy. Defensive back Madre Harper, rookie cornerback Rodarius Williams and veteran edge rusher Trent Harris were heavily evaluated.

On special teams, it was a healthy mix across the board — but some showed out more than others.

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Giants re-sign Trent Harris to practice squad

The New York Giants have re-signed linebacker Trent Harris to their practice squad.

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The New York Giants were forced to waive linebacker Trent Harris earlier this week in order to move rookie edge rusher Nika Lalos onto their 53-man roster.

All along, the expectation was that Harris would re-sign to the team’s practice squad if he cleared waivers and that’s exactly what happened on Wednesday evening.

Harris originally signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted rookie out of Miami in 2018 and spent his first season on the team’s practice squad.

In 2019, Harris signed with the Miami Dolphins and appeared in 11 games (three starts), recording 22 tackles (one for a loss), one forced fumble, two QB hits and 1.5 sacks.

The Dolphins waived Harris as a part of final cuts in September and he joined the Giants slightly more than a week later. In four games (two starts) this season, the 25-year-old has recorded five tackles, one QB hit and 0.5 sacks.

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Daniel Jones, Dexter Lawrence were highest-graded Giants in Week 10

QB Daniel Jones and DL Dexter Lawrence were the highest-graded New York Giants in a Week 10 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

The New York Giants defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-17, in what may have been their best all-around team performance of the season.

The quality play was led by second-year quarterback Daniel Jones, who was close to flawless on Sunday. In a statement game, he certainly made one and his Pro Football Focus grade of 84.2 reflected that.

But Jones couldn’t have gotten the job done without some help from his offensive line and guard Kevin Zeitler certainly answered that bell. Before exiting the game with a concussion, Zeitler had earned a PFF grade of 77.1.

Other players on the offensive side of the ball who also played at a high level include wide receivers Sterling Shepard (76.6), Golden Tate (70.5) and Darius Slayton (69.7).

Despite his strong performance however, running back Wayne Gallman earned just a 57.3 (30.3 pass blocking grade).

On the defensive side of the ball, big Dexter Lawrence led the way with an overall grade of 72.5 and was followed by cornerback James Bradberry (69.5), safety Jabrill Peppers (69.3) and cornerback Isaac Yiadom (66.7).

Some of the worst grades on the team belong to linebacker Blake Martinez (29.3), linebacker Trent Harris (34.4) and guard Shane Lemieux (40.9).

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Giants-Buccaneers Week 8: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

The New York Giants lost their Week 8 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Here are the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams.

The New York Giants were expected to be blown out of the water on Monday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it was a blown call that ultimately saved Tom Brady & Co.

However, that matters not as the Giants now fall to 1-7 on the season and find themselves in line for another high draft pick. Frustration is beginning to boil over for some, but that’s a topic for another day.

Here’s a look at the snap counts that attributed to the Giants’ seventh loss of the season.

Offensive snaps: 74
Defensive snaps: 70
Special teams snaps: 27

After being called up from the practice squad, veteran running back Alfred Morris saw a pretty good chunk of snaps and carries — right on par with veteran Dion Lewis. And how about fullback Eli Penny? The guy sees a small handful of snaps each week and makes an impact every time. When will he get more playing time?

On the defensive side of the ball, rookie cornerback Darnay Holmes saw plenty of snaps coming off his injury, while rookie linebacker Carter Coughlin made his presence felt with just four snaps.

Also, Jabaal Sheard and Trent Harris took a good amount of snaps and seem to be working their way into more significant roles.

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Giants activate Sterling Shepard, promote two from practice squad

The New York Giants have activated WR Sterling Shepard (toe) from IR and promoted two players from their practice squad.

The New York Giants have activated wide receiver Sterling Shepard (toe) from injured reserve in hopes of him playing against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night.

Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports that there is some optimism Shepard will be able to play, but his availability will still be a game-time decision.

That falls in line with what head coach Joe Judge said earlier this week when he suggested a decision on Shepard could go up until the final minute.

“This could go up to a pregame workout. We’re not sure. We’ll see where he’s at throughout the week,” Judge said.

With C.J. Board (concussion) out, the Giants were down to just three wide receivers on Thursday morning: Golden Tate, Darius Slayton and undrafted rookie Austin Mack.

Because of that lack of depth, the Giants have also promoted wide receiver Alex Bachman from their practice squad. He will be joined by edge rusher Trent Harris, whom the team signed late last week.

Harris was also promoted and active in Week 6, but did not see action in the game.

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Panthers sign safety Sean Chandler off Giants’ practice squad

The Carolina Panthers have signed safety Sean Chandler off of the New York Giants’ practice squad.

The Carolina Panthers have signed safety Sean Chandler off of the New York Giants’ practice squad, reuniting him with his college coach, Matt Rhule.

Chandler had spent the 2020 season on and off the Giants’ practice squad and had also been protected several times. However, on a short week with moves limited, Chandler was vulnerable to be signed and has now been plucked.

After going undrafted out of Temple in the 2018 NFL Draft, Chandler signed with the Giants as a rookie free agent and had remained with the team until Tuesday.

In two-plus seasons, Chandler appeared in 32 games for the Giants, recording 26 tackles (20 solo, one for a loss), two fumble recoveries, one sack and one pass defensed.

In three games this season, Chandler recorded just one tackle and was primarily used on special teams.

Meanwhile, outside linebacker Trent Harris, who had been promoted to the Giants’ active roster in Week 6, has reverted back to the practice squad.

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