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Watch NY Giants practice highlights featuring Darren Waller and Jalen Hyatt
Go through NY Giants practice with some highlights from recent workouts featuring Darren Waller, Jalen Hyatt, and Wandale Robinson, among others.
Art Stapleton, NorthJersey.com
GLENDALE, Ariz. – The New York Giants look lost on both sides of the ball.
Asynchronous attack. On roller skates in defense.
It’s hard to remember that this team entered the season looking to build on such an impressive first season for Brian Daboll and his coaching staff and players.
Cardinals 17, Giants 0. Midway through the second quarter of Week 2, the Giants were now outscored 57-0 to start the season. This isn’t the team we’ve seen all summer, but this is what it has been since the lights came on.
Can anyone make a play to excite Big Blue? Right now it seems hopeless no matter how much time is left on the clock.
The unknown tends to be scary in the NFL.
We have no idea how to implement the new OL configuration. I didn’t see Joshua Ezodu playing meaningful snaps at LT; Marcus McKeithan is essentially a rookie, although NYG liked him last summer before his ACL injury, and he should start in place of Mark Glowinski.
Both Ezeudu and McKethan are stalwarts against the run, so expect the Giants to elevate their run game with Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones on the floor.
As for a man, the Giants mentioned Budda Baker first when asked for a scouting report on the Cardinals this week.
Now, they won’t have to face him, as Baker is inactive after suffering a hamstring injury in Friday’s practice.
The Giants will be without their best offensive line in a game they are desperate to win.
Star left tackle Andrew Thomas will not play against the Cardinals due to a lingering hamstring injury suffered in Week 1 against the Cowboys, a person familiar with the situation confirmed to NorthJersey.com.
Thomas expected the decision to be made at game time through pregame practice, but it appears the decision was made before that happened. Second-year pro Joshua Ezodu is expected to start in Thomas’ place at left tackle, a person familiar with the situation told NorthJersey.com.
Thomas’ absence creates more urgency — and perhaps more concern, depending on perspective — after the Giants’ offensive line with him endured constant duress against the Cowboys. There could be another change up front as well, with another second-year pro, Marcus McKeithan, potentially getting the chance at right guard in place of veteran Mark Glowinski, who struggled mightily last week.
The status of Andrew Thomas
All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas is a game-time decision, and his availability will likely be determined at field practice before the game with the Giants monitoring. Thomas injured his left hamstring while chasing a blocked Cowboys field goal from behind the scenes in the first quarter last Sunday night. He suffered discomfort from the injury before leaving in the second half.
And while an MRI on Monday revealed he did not suffer a long-term injury, Thomas was not committed to suiting up and playing against the Cardinals — especially with a Thursday Night Football game against the 49ers in Santa Clara coming up in five days.
If Thomas can leave, I don’t think there’s any doubt he’ll be pushed to play. The Giants will have to decide if he can get through the game without hurting his chances for a full recovery sooner rather than later.
Regardless of Thomas’ standing, the Giants have questions to answer about how their entire offensive line performed against the Cowboys. There is a lot of pressure on right guard Mark Glowinski and right tackle Evan Neal, neither of whom played well on opening night. At 22, Neal is still a young player, so he will be expected to get the benefit of the doubt in his development. Glowinski, on the other hand, looks like a veteran and seemed slow to react for most of the match.
If the Giants make a lineup change, it would likely include Glowinski with either Joshua Ezeudu moving into the lineup at left guard and kicker Ben Bredeson to right guard, or Bredeson staying at left guard with Marcus McKethan stepping in for Glowinski.
Don’t be surprised if the Giants keep Glowinski in the mix in the rotation on Sunday, giving the line another chance to prove the Dallas game was just a matter of circumstance and a really bad night.
If Thomas can’t go, it will be interesting to see if the Giants go with Matt Burt or Izodu at left tackle.
All of these scenarios must be taken into account at the table.
Before the match
Brian Daboll had a message for the New York Giants before they walked out of the locker room at MetLife Stadium in the wake of their Week 1 loss to the Cowboys that left them embarrassed and humbled.
“You can never let one play beat you twice,” Daboll told them, and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale echoed that sentiment this week as the focus turned to the challenge of making sure that doesn’t happen as the Giants get here for Sunday’s game. Against the Arizona Cardinals. It’s the first of two games in five days that will ultimately reshape the season, or continue an unexpected downward spiral into a hole that may seem impossible to climb out of.
“Stand up, dust yourself off, and go play,” Martindale said. “This is what our guys will do.”
The Giants believe they know who they are and how they will react to this situation. But until the game begins inside State Farm Stadium, where the series won Super Bowl XLII, the uncertainty surrounding the ramifications of a result that has left the fan base in shock and searching for answers is real.
Taiwan Jones, Oshan Zemin High of PS; Azeez Ojulari is likely to be out
The Giants elevated special teamers Taiwan Jones and Oshane Shimenes from the practice squad on Saturday. Considered a move up for the second straight game, Jones is expected to serve as a gunner in kick coverage and a key contributor on special teams in other areas.
Ximines’ elevation to the active roster on game day is the latest sign that Azeez Ojulari, who suffered a hamstring injury in practice on Wednesday, will likely be unavailable against the Cardinals. It’s the latest frustrating turnaround for Ojulari, who battled calf and ankle injuries last season. If Azeez misses, he will also miss the opportunity to play against his brother P.J., a rookie outside linebacker for the Cardinals.
Keep checking back throughout the day for in-game updates and analysis once the festivities begin at 4:05 p.m
