Wayne Gallman – Page 9 – Syndication Server

Giants’ Wayne Gallman appreciates Joe Judge calling him out

New York Giants RB Wayne Gallman has reemerged after several lost seasons and he thanks head coach Joe Judge for the necessary push.

Once upon a time, Wayne Gallman appeared to be in position to take over as the New York Giants’ starting running back. However, multiple coaching changes led to him falling out of favor and essentially vanishing under Pat Shurmur.

Of course, the Giants drafted superstar Saquon Barkley during that same span, which certainly didn’t help Gallman’s standing.

Yet as the Giants usher in yet another new head coach and yet another new era, Gallman has somehow managed to hang on. And despite his previous adversity, he finds himself excelling.

Part of the reason for that, Gallman says, was being called out by first-time head coach Joe Judge.

“I really appreciate Coach Judge calling me out, challenging me. Now I’m going to accept it,” Gallman said. “I view it just as an opportunity that I just need to take for myself personally. Just to come out really focused and finding something to get better at every day. That’s basically all I took from it.”

Gallman could have sulked and he could have quit, but he didn’t. He realized you can only hang your head for so long before you’ve got to pick yourself back up, dust yourself off and continue pressing forward.

It just so happens that Judge appreciates and respects that sort of attitude, which turned what was an ugly situation in 2018 and 2019 into nothing more than a learning experience.

“That’s in the past now. But looking at that, I can honestly say it got me way more mentally prepared for this challenge, for this season, and just any challenges ahead. It made me better as a person. It made me better mentally,” Gallman said.

With a fresh start ahead of him, Gallman attacked this offseason with veracity and prepared as if he was coming in to start.

“First impression is everything. If there’s a new coaching staff, of course you want to make sure you’re on your Ps and Qs, make sure that you’re doing the right things, and also just being focused. Just coming to work every day with the mindset of just being great,” Gallman said. “I really took it to myself this offseason, as every other offseason, to just prepare as a starter. I always go into it, no matter if I’m at the bottom of the depth chart or the top, I always am focused to come in prepared and just be the best Wayne Gallman I can be.”

Gallman has done so well for himself this offseason that he not only appears to be a lock to make the roster, but could end up playing a significant role on offense.

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Giants’ Joe Judge explains decision to release Javon Leake

New York Giants head coach Joe Judge broke down the decision to release rookie RB Javon Leake and left the door open for a return.

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The New York Giants unexpectedly waived rookie running back Javon Leake over the weekend in an effort to clear room for two incoming defensive backs.

The decision to part ways with Leake ruffled some feathers among fans, who were not only unhappy with the decision, but took aim at team reporters for hyping up the 22-year-old.

Ultimately, the decision simply came down to the numbers.

With a desperate need for depth in their secondary and an abundance of talented running backs showing out this summer, the Giants had few other options.

First-year head coach Joe Judge explained exactly that on Sunday.

“We thought with the way we kind of had to look at some spots on our roster and addressing different positions with depth, this time of year, there’s a lot of movement on the roster. That’s kind of natural throughout the entire league,” Judge told reporters. “Look, he made a lot of progress for us. He did some good things, he did some good things the other night in the scrimmage.

“With the way the rosters move throughout the year, every player we have here through camp, we express to them that however the roster moves, we’ll have all of them on a list as far as possibly being brought back for roster or practice squad spots when available. He’s a guy that came in and worked his tail off for us. He made a lot of progress and I enjoyed coaching him.”

If Leake goes unclaimed or unsigned, it’s entirely possible the Giants bring him back as early as Sunday, September 6 when practice squads are established.

For now however, the Giants needed the room for more defensive backs and with Wayne Gallman having the camp of a lifetime, it was Leake who became expendable.

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Giants hold intrasquad scrimmage: 7 takeaways

The New York Giants held a sloppy intrasquad scrimmage on Friday night in the rain, and here are seven takeaways.

The New York Giants held their Blue-White scrimmage on Friday night at MetLife Stadium and were undeterred by occasional heavy rain.

In the end, the Blue team defeated the White team, 23-22.

Here are seven key takeaways from the scrimmage.

Offensive line struggled

The Giants feel confident they have sufficiently rebuilt their offensive line with a group of Dave Gettleman’s famed hog mollies. But if Friday night is any indication, there’s still a long way to go.

The entire first-team offensive line struggled, but more specifically, it was offensive tackles Andrew Thomas, the team’s first-round pick, and Cam Fleming who played poorly.

Both players were beaten for at least one sack, while the interior offensive line had a rough time opening lanes for running back Saquon Barkley & Co.

“The offensive line, to be honest with you, it’s live competition. We’re going out there, there’s some different tools we can use to help these guys in games. We chose to keep this a little bit vanilla tonight so it takes a little bit of tools you can use through game planning away from it. We have to see more improvement in the one on one matchups and how they handle it across the board,” head coach Joe Judge told reporters.

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Giants hold first intrasquad scrimmage: 9 takeaways

The New York Giants held their first intrasquad scrimmage on Friday and here are nine takeaways.

The New York Giants held their first intrasquad scrimmage on Friday and as expected, it was hard-hitting, fast-paced and physical — just the way head coach Joe Judge prefers it.

The offense started a little slow, but finished out the two-plus hour scrimmage on a high note. Meanwhile, the defense appeared stout against the run early, but struggled to generate a consistent pass rush.

Those are just two things to take away from Friday’s scrimmage, but here’s a more detailed look at nine more.

Daniel Jones is quietly improving

Daniel Jones took a few lumps early during Friday’s scrimmage, starting out a little rough and tossing an interception — something he has vowed to correct.

But it certainly wasn’t all bad. Jones rebounded after his shaky start and finished the day strong, completing 15 of his 26 passes for two touchdowns and the aforementioned interception.

“I was very pleased with the tone he sets in the huddle. He does it every day in practice. But he went out there today in a competitive situation and really stepped up,” head coach Joe Judge said. “He has good command situationally. He knows how to use some of the variety of calls and checks within our offense. I thought he really showed up a lot at the end of the scrimmage. That no-huddle situation we had right there, I was very pleased to see how he commanded the entire team and kept everyone moving through the situation.”

Truth be told, Jones has really only logged two bad passes this camp (from what the media has been able to see). Other than that, he’s been quietly solid all-around.

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Remembering the Giants’ biggest training camp fights from recent years

As the New York Giants ready themselves for the first padded practice of the year, here’s a look back at some of their biggest camp fights.

The New York Giants will put on the pads for the first time on Monday, which means tempers are likely to flare and fists may begin to fly.

That may sound dramatic, but it’s just the nature of NFL training camps. And when considering the Giants will also hold intrasquad scrimmages once per week, it seems almost inevitable that a few punches will be thrown.

With that in mind, here’s a look back at some of the biggest and most memorable Giants training camp fights from recent years.

2019: Lorenzo Carter vs. Nick Gates

The Giants didn’t do much fighting in 2019, but there were a few dust-ups.

One such incident came last August when linebacker Lorenzo Carter and offensive lineman Nick Gates got into a bit of a scrap.

While neither player swung at the other, there were a few shoves before teammates swarmed and pulled the two apart.

Haven’t had a fight all #Giants camp: Lorenzo Carter and Nick Gates has to be separated in scout team work just now. Slightly more than half speed. Here’s the aftermath pic.twitter.com/9rVaJ2lCDa

— Ryan Dunleavy (@rydunleavy) August 6, 2019

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2020 Giants training camp preview: Running backs

The New York Giants will be led by Saquon Barkley in 2020, but what does the team have as far as running back depth behind him?

The New York Giants don’t have too many questions that need answering at the running back position, but there are some new faces and a few jobs on the line as we enter training camp here in 2020.

Saquon Barkley will be featured prominently in Jason Garrett’s offense, but what can we expect to see behind him?

Here’s a quick look at the Giants’ running back situation entering camp.

Saquon Barkley

After an incredible and record-breaking rookie season, Saquon Barkley was forced back down to earth in 2019 as the result of a high ankle sprain.

While Barkley still finished the year with more than 1,000 rushing yards, he was clearly a shell of his former self, only occasionally showing flashes of the elite talent we saw in 2018.

That has obviously provided some motivation for Barkley, who has been largely silent yet very visible this offseason.

Barkley has routinely posted workout videos in recent months, showing off his impressive physique and other-worldly athleticism. It’s clear he has set out to begin the season in the best shape of his life, likely in an attempt to curb any injury issues.

“I think Saquon is going to have a huge year for you guys this year. I was really happy watching the draft, I saw you guys picked up an offensive lineman and some guys, so that’s going to help your quarterback, that’s going to help Saquon and it’s going to help the whole team and the whole organization,” Penn State head coach James Franklin told Giants.com.

Barkley is likely to see a balanced workload in 2020, which should help keep him healthy and on the field for a full 16 games.

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Giants roster outlook: Upgrades, downgrades or lateral moves on offense

Giants Wire examines the New York Giants offense and the changes made this offseason, offering a verdict on each unit.

The New York Giants are excited about their prospects on offense this season. There’s an interesting mixture of old and new faces converging within the unit.

The team used first-round draft picks on offensive players the last four years and have supplemented those players with other high round picks and select free agents.

Here’s a quick outlook of the Giants’ 2020 offense.

Coaches

Gained: Joe Judge, Jason Garrett, Marc Colombo, others

Lost: Pat Shurmur, Mike Shula, Hal Hunter, others

Jason Garrett, a former Giants backup quarterback and head coach of the Dallas Cowboys the past 10 years, is the new offensive coordinator.

Garrett will bring a balance and some semblance of structure to the offensive game plan. He is a creative, aggressive play caller who has both the experience, temperament and talent to turn the Giants into a high-powered, respectable offensive team.

The staff is full of familiar faces: Marc Colombo (offensive line), Tyke Tolbert (wide receivers), Jerry Shuplinski (quarterbacks), Burton Burns (running backs) and Freddie Kitchens (tight ends) bring a legacy of success and experience to the Giants.

Verdict: Substantial upgrade

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PFF ranks Giants’ running backs 10th-best in the NFL

Pro Football Focus believes the New York Giants have one of the best groups of running backs in the NFL.

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Over the last couple of years, the New York Giants haven’t ranked very high in a lot of categories in the NFL. Of course, three straight losing seasons will do that to a team.

But in Pro Football Focus’ rankings on each position, one area in which the Giants fared pretty well was at running back, finding themselves ranked 10th overall in the league.

Few running backs have the big-play potential of Saquon Barkley, as he can seemingly take it to the house at any time. Last season, he was unable to sustain the breakaway runs that defined his rookie season — he had seven 40-plus-yard carries that season — but such is the volatile nature of running back production. Barkley still must improve when it comes to just taking what is there, but one of these years the Giants’ run blocking will improve, and he could go off for a monster statistical season. Most importantly, though, Barkley is a weapon in the passing game, and he’s forced 42 missed tackles on only 143 career receptions so far.

The addition of veteran Dion Lewis also factored into PFF’s rankings.

The Giants also added Dion Lewis into the mix. Lewis is another elusive back who is coming off a 59.8 overall grade with the Titans, a career-low mark. He is capable of taking some of the pressure off Barkley when it comes to catching passes out of the backfield, however, as the former Patriot has two seasons in which he forced at least 15 missed tackles after the catch. Wayne Gallman then rounds out the group as the No. 3 option who is set to enter the last year of his rookie contract.

Barkley is one of the league’s best all-around running backs, so if Lewis can return to past form, this duo could give the Giants one of the most dynamic units in the league.

There was a time when the Giants’ running back situation wasn’t something to write home about, but ever since they drafted Barkley with the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, he’s given the team consecutive 1,000-plus yard seasons on the ground.

Barkley missed three games last season with an injury and was held to 1 yard in a game, but he still managed to rush for over 1,000 yards.

Meanwhile, Wayne Gallman, who was once a potential starting back before Barkley arrived onto the scene, and Jon Hilliman, round out the group.

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Giants roster bubble: 6 players who need to have a great camp

These six New York Giants need to have a great training camp or risk losing their either their jobs or their spot on the roster entirely.

The COVID-19 pandemic has “turned the world upside down” as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a letter to the fans on Monday.

That means that team will be sticking to what they know. There will be fewer chances for undrafted free agents and long-shots to make NFL rosters this summer as there are no preseason games and camp rosters will be reduced to a maximum of 80 players by August 16. The Giants will keep 90, opting for a split-squad model so they can get a long look at everyone.

That aside, there is still pressure on many veterans this summer to fend off rookies and such to keep their jobs and their careers going. Here are six players that need to have solid training camps for the Giants in August.

Nate Solder, left tackle

The heat is on the 10-year veteran to show that he can rebound from a dismal season in which he led the league in allowing QB pressures. With Andrew Thomas, Matt Peart and veteran Cam Fleming in camp this year, Solder will have to display that he can handle the speed rush and seal the edge for the running game. If not, he could end up at right tackle or even the bench.

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Bill Barnwell pegs Wayne Gallman as a likely Giants cut

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell believes the New York Giants are likely to part ways with RB Wayne Gallman before the 2020 season begins.

The New York Giants currently have eight running backs on their 90-man roster, including free agent addition Dion Lewis and undrafted rookies Javon Leake and Sandro Platzgummer.

The unit is, of course, led by superstar Saquon Barkley, and boasts depth with Wayne Gallman, Jon Hilliman, George Aston and fullback Eli Penny. However, the team simply can not carry all of these backs into the season.

While some will ultimately land on the practice squad (see: Platzgummer), the Giants will have no other choice than to cut a few loose, and ESPN’s Bill Barnwell expects Gallman to be among those who draws the short straw.

One of the final draft picks remaining on the roster who was selected by former general manager Jerry Reese, Gallman has averaged an even 4.0 yards per carry as a runner while fumbling six times on just 250 touches. His special-teams role has dissipated, and after the Giants signed Dion Lewis to serve as the receiving back behind Saquon Barkley, Gallman’s path to touches has as well.

New York didn’t draft any running backs, but Gallman doesn’t have a role on the roster.

Gallman was once considered a potential starter in East Rutherford, but he rapidly fell out of favor with former head coach Pat Shurmur and his staff, finishing the 2019 regular season on the bench.

In fact, Gallman has seen his playing time and production dwindle in each of the previous two seasons after gaining 699 yards from scrimmage and scoring one touchdown as a rookie.

In 38 career games (5 starts), Gallman has totaled 1,146 yards from scrimmage with five touchdowns, but he mustered just a 60.9 Pro Football Focus grade in 2019.

Gallman currently has one year and $825,000 remaining on his contract. If released, he will account for $104,912 in dead cap.

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