New York Giants mailbag: Abdul Carter’s impact, J.J. McCarthy, Tae Banks, more

Bob Letchstein asks: It seems like part of the reason that Abdul Carter’s sack numbers aren’t higher is because he is frequently held. He gets pressure very quickly but offensive linemen tend to clothesline him around the neck and bend him backwards. The refs did call holding on two consecutive plays in the Texans game but it’s been happening all season and most of the time it’s not called. Do you think the refs are not always seeing it or are they choosing not to call it so the game isn’t stopped

after every play?

Ed says: Bob, it is commonly said that NFL referees could call holding on every play. That is probably true. In my view, Carter gets held frequently because his speed and ability to bend so often put blockers at a disadvantage. Carter leads all edge defenders in quick pressures (pressures under 2.5 seconds) with 16, per NextGen Stats.

Officials are human. They will never see everything, or get every call correct. As it is, officials are calling 16.85 penalties per game, per NFLpenalties.com. That is the most since that site began tracking that data in 2009. I would much prefer fewer penalties to be called, especially the ticky-tack calls that don’t need to be made.

Steve Cariello asks: I wanted to see what you know about Jack Kelly and what may be holding him back from stepping into a larger role on defense, given the injuries to Edmunds and Burns. It felt like the kid had a lot of promise in training camp, but I feel like we haven’t heard about him since then. Any insights?

Ed says: Steve, the answer to what is holding Kelly back is pretty simple. Arvell Reese is the No. 5 overall pick, and he is a star. Despite the injury to Tremaine Edmunds, Micah McFadden is a proven commodity and a capable starter in the NFL. McFadden was next in line.

As for the Brian Burns injury, that really has nothing to do with Kelly. Burns is an edge defender. Kelly is an inside linebacker at the NFL level, not a guy who is going to get snaps on the outside unless it is an emergency.

Now, what could happen is that McFadden plays well the rest of the season and decides to go to a team that can offer him a starting job next season and a richer contract than he could get from the Giants. That would move Kelly to the No. 3 inside linebacker role.

Adam Jacobs asks: Hi, Ed. Hope you have had another great week recapping the game, as there was a lot to love about the results. I am curious about your take on the following. The Giants, as was expected, were not very highly thought of coming into the season, based on the last decade or so. At what point do you think the public opinion of the team comes around to the point that we are much better than everyone thought coming in? The team showed a lot of grit last year, but the difference this season is the execution, especially on the O line and the secondary (at least to me). The team still has flaws, but that doesn’t seem to matter since we have a 4-2-1 record coming into the bye week. Do you think the overall opinion of the team trends upwards, or is it a matter of the public thinking the Giants are the best of a middling division?

Ed says: Adam, it isn’t really a matter of the public thinking that the Giants are the best of a middling division. Right now, they are the best of a middling division.

After watching what the Giants have been for most of the past 15 years, NFL observers are having a hard time wrapping their minds around what the Giants are doing. Especially without Jaxson Dart, Brian Burns, and a host of other players they had planned on having. Respect is earned. The Giants are beginning to get some, but they are going to have to keep earning it.

Rob Laraia asks: Who is the NY Giants quarterbacks coach because when Jaxson Dart was on the field he looked like he had progressed further along than a second year man, and now JJ McCarthy after a few weeks in the Giants looks a whole new QB without the INT oopsies. Granted that can change but he looked poised and calm. So really curious who is working with them; the QB coach, Harbaugh, Nagy, or whoever is turning them into high-caliber QBs?

Ed says: Rob, Brian Callahan is the quarterbacks coach. He was head coach of the Tennessee Titans in 2024 and part of 2025 before being fired. Callahan has extensive experience with a number of top quarterbacks. Callahan works most directly with the quarterback, but Matt Nagy, senior offensive consultant Greg Roman, and John Harbaugh all have a hand in dealing with quarterbacks.

Seth Weissman asks: My question is about the Cam Skattebo penalty. Could you please explain to me what the refs expect him to do when he has the ball? All he did was run hard up the middle, like he was taught to do as a kid. Calling unnecssary roughness on a running back while he is running the ball makes absolutely no sense to me. If the call was made because he was running low and his helmet hit the defender’s, then why not call it on the defender who clearly could have tried to tackle Skattebo without using his own helmet? I understand that the league wants to protect the players, but the rules have to make sense … don’t they?

Ed says: Seth, if I had a good explanation for that one I’d be happy to give it to you. Players are not supposed to lower their head and use the crown of the helmet to initiate contact. Technically, that rule applies to both offensive and defensive players, but Sunday was the first time I can recall an offensive player being flagged for it.

In this case, the defender did not use his own helmet. Skattebo just trucked him. I don’t know what a ballcarrier is supposed to do there. If you stay upright you are putting the ball, and yourself, at risk.

This was John Harbaugh’s comment about the play on Monday:

“I understand the idea, but I also understand human physiology and anatomy and the way the body works. Skatt runs low. You have to run low. You have to run low to protect the football. You have to run low to protect your body. You can’t run in there and give tacklers your chest. When you run low, your head’s down there, too. You can’t move your head off your shoulders. It’s a physical impossibility. I’m quite sure Skatt’s not trying to use his helmet as a weapon, as a battering ram. It’s not the way he’s thinking. He’s leading with his shoulder. That’s what he’s trying to do. He’s trying to keep his head in a good, strong, upright position. But his pads are down there low. He runs low to the ground. That’s a good thing, that’s football. That’s the way you’re supposed to run. That’s how you protect yourself and the football. So, I didn’t have a problem with the technique personally at all, but we haven’t heard from the league. Maybe they’ll be able to enlighten us a little bit on it in terms of what they want us to teach, and that would be great.”

Louis Rolston-Cregler asks: Banks played lights out against Nico Collins in a matchup that quite frankly I expected him to struggle mightily. Is it crazy to think that we need to extend him before he has a chance to hit the open market? I believe Hood and Adebo are the only CBs signed past this season and I’m sure Adebo will be gone unless he takes a massive pay cut? I’m sure we’ll address the position via the draft but at this point it seems like keeping Banks should be a priority. Thoughts?

Ed says: Louis, no, it’s not crazy to think the Giants need to give Deonte Banks a contract extension. Sometimes those things happen during the bye week, but I am not expecting an extension for Banks or anyone else to happen at this time.

That said, I don’t think the Giants are going to let Banks hit the open market. Not when it looks like he has finally turned into the top-shelf cornerback they drafted him to be, and that every team craves.

Giants fans, go big on game day!

The SB Nation app makes it easier to follow the action and talk Giants football with fans everywhere.

Join the live game-day chat
Browse with fewer ads
Easily explore different communities
Enjoy faster commenting and posting

Download the SB Nation app on iOS or Android.

Rich Rodriguez asks: Do you think the GM can make decisions on his own or does he need Harbaugh’s buy in. I am thinking of the extension given to Runyan. He wasn’t good last year and no better this year. Did Harbaugh have to buy in. I am also wondering if they would have tried for Quenton Nelson if they didn’t extend Runyan.

Ed says: Rich, I say over and over that this is now John Harbaugh’s show. There is no chance that a big decision like that get made without Harbaugh’s sign-off. As for Jon Runyan, he is a less-than-average run blocker, but he is also one of the best pass-blocking guards in the NFL. The end result is that he is more or less an average starting guard.

As for Nelson, we may never know the answer to that. The thing is, in the summer when you make a decision like giving Runyan a contract extension you can’t know that a player the caliber of Nelson will be available at the trade deadline. It’s like anything else — you make the best decision you can with the information you have at the time.

Kölnerbigblue asks: Ed, besides rehab, what are Dart and Burns doing? Are they sitting in on team meetings? What about on game day? I don’t remember the camera showing them on the sideline. I’d love to see Dart in the coach’s box seeing the field as Nagy sees it.

Ed says: Kölner, as as as I understand Jaxson Dart has been around the facility a bit lately as he has gotten mobil enough. Burns, I don’t know.

Here is what GM Joe Schoen said about Dart this week:

“He’s coming to the team meetings. He’s back in the quarterback meetings. So he’s around. He’s not weight-bearing yet. So he’s on his crutches. But he’s staying as positive as he can. He’s around, which I think is good, mentally being around the guys, being around football still,” Schoen said. “And he still thinks if we make the playoffs that he’s going to be able to come back. That’s just his mindset. He got hurt in the Rams game. He’s in the locker room trying to do pass sets, dying to go back in the game. So, he’s one of those guys you appreciate his toughness and grit. And you’ve got to protect him from himself sometimes.”

Here is right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor talking about Dart, and how he is helping McCarthy:

James Calvert asks: You rightfully pointed out this week, as you have many times: Harbaugh is clearly the team’s best and most important offseason acquisition. There is little question that a good Head Coach influences wins and losses significantly more than any one player (except QB). However, coaches often make less than the players they coach. The most highly paid coaches (Andy Reid and John Harbaugh) make less than the top running backs, centers, linebackers, etc.

What do you make of this phenomenon?

Ed says: James, I have never thought about it much, to be honest. On its face, it does seem odd that the authority figure/decision-maker is not the highest-paid person on the team. NFL teams, and sports franchises in general, are not normal businesses.

Players are the ones putting their bodies on the line. They are the ones who fans go to games to see, or tune in to watch on television. Players are the ones who sell merchandise. Nobody goes to a game thinking “I’m soooo excited to watch Andy Reid coach today.” They go to the game excited to watch Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. The league is about the players.

NFL coaches are not doing poorly. Per BroBible, Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers is the highest-paid manager in baseball ay $8.1 million annually. Per Sportico, Harbaugh, Reid, and Sean Payton make $20 million per year, and an estimated 21 head coaches make $10 million or more.

Charles Gayer asks: I’ve noticed Giants players with their mouth guards hanging from their face masks, especially receivers and DBs, lining up before plays. I always thought this would be distracting- either they put it in their mouths at last second or it is flapping around. But I never really focused on it until watching the Eagles Cowboys game where at least the Eagles have pink mouth guards hanging during plays. Why do they all do this? Are the required to have a mouth guard but not to use it? Won’t it be distracting if it is flapping around? Do they not worry about their teeth and their heads on contact? Just curious if you know what players are thinking.

Ed says: Charles, Rule 5 in the NFL rulebook addresses equipment. There is no mention of mouthguards. I would say they would be recommnded, but not required. In terms of distraction, I would think players have been using them for years and don’t even notice them. Some players, like J.J. McCarthy below, have the guard clipped to the side of their helmet.

As for what players are thinking, I would say they are thinking about whatever makes them the most comfortable. They will wear the smallest pads they can. Watch a college game. I have no idea how those kids are allowed to basically wear shorts with no protection for their knees and exposed legs.

Steven Schlein asks: While I believe we should stop measuring J.J. McCarthy for a gold jacket based on five great quarters of play, no QB can look that good without the skills and the brain power. My question is about his so-called “faults” described by an NFL coach in one of your posts, not putting enough air under the long balls, throwing into tight coverage, blah, blah. All of his faults seem like very coachable issues. You practice, practice, practice with a QB coach screaming in your ear. I’m perplexed that the Vikings gave up on him. Do you think the Vikings reached a conclusion that he was uncoachable or were there factors we don’t know about that led to the trade?

Ed says: Stephen, sometimes quarterback just land in the wrong place at the wrong time. McCarthy landed with a team that was ready to win, when he was a young, inexperienced, perhaps immature quarterback who wasn’t nearly ready to quarterback and NFL championship team. Then, he missed his rookie season with a knee injury.

McCarthy has faults that haven’t, and won’t, magically go away. Those will reveal themselves the more he plays. The one thing we haven’t seen with the Giants is the maturity concerns. I’ve talked to McCarthy a few times. He’s been personable and accommodating. He greets reporters when he walks through the locker room. He has said and done all the right things. His teammates seem to appreciate him.

The Vikings made the decision that the match with McCarthy just wasn’t going to work in Minnesota. We will never know the whole story.

Alan Rubinstein asks: Why don’t the Giants sign Israel Abanikanda off the Cowboys practice squad? He would provide much needed speed and burst to stretch defenses. There is no downside.

Ed says: Alan, why the fascination with Abanikanda? The guy had 22 carries for the Jets in 2023, and hasn’t had one since. He’s been through a slew of organizations as a practice squad player. If NFL teams thought there was something there, he would have had a job on a 53-man roster somewhere.

The Giants have had opportunities to add running backs this year. They chose to add Phil Mafah, another former Cowboy to their practice squad. And, they just poached Greg Desrosiers from the Chargers practice squad as a short-term replacement for Tyrone Tracy.

I’m going to trust that the professional evaluators know who the players are that best fit what they want.

Rick Rawitz asks: It has annoyed me that there has been little to no follow-up on the release of Darius Slayton. Let’s face it, he was never going to be an All-Pro, but he was the Giants’ leading receiver for a number of years. He was counted out on more than one occasion, yet he always seemed to find a way to contribute.

He was also an excellent representative of the Giants organization, as evidenced by his Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nomination, his appointment as a team captain, and, if I’m not mistaken, his ranking fourteenth on the Giants’ all-time receiving list.

Perhaps it simply came down to his time with the Giants having run its course and his skills beginning to diminish. Still, I would have liked to have read more about his contributions and the positives he brought to the team over the years.

Am I missing something?

Ed says: Rick, I’m not sure what you want. We wrote about his release. He wrote about Slayton being picked, then released by the Indianapolis Colts. Over the years, I often wrote about all of the things you mentioned. This was not the end of the career for an all-time Giants great. I’m not sure what more you would have us do.

Mike Tizzano asks: I know it’s way too early, but since there was a BBV article on this subject, I’ll ask. When Dart returns healthy, assuming the Giants want to hand the keys back to him and trade JJ, would it be prudent for the Giants to exercise JJ’s 5th year option prior to trading him, or would it make it easier to trade him without the option and let the acquiring team decide what to do?

Ed says: Mike, I would think the Giants would just let an acquiring team make that choice. The option does not have to get picked up until early May, after the draft. So, just let it ride.

Barry Denkensohn asks: I have a hard time understanding how compensatory picks are decided and distributed to NFL teams. I know that it has been discussed that we may have a fourth round compensatory pick, but don’t remember for which player. We lost Wan Dale, Bellinger, Belton and Schlottman to FA. How come we are only getting one comp. pick? I just read in my The Athletic newsletter that the Vikings are in line for five comp. picks! And there is a long list of teams getting at least two comp picks. Why aren’t we on that list?

Ed says: Barry, the compensatory pick formula is a complicated one. Players get assigned a “round value” based on a wide variety of factors. Over The Cap, pulling from the Collective Bargaining Agreement, summarizes the formula this way:

Contracts are ranked via a Final Numerical Value based on the sum of points awarded as follows:

An inverse ranking of the contract’s Average Per Year (APY)
One point each for each percentage point of snaps played on offense or defense, with a minimum requirement of 25%. (Kickers and punters earn points based upon statistical performance.)
20 or 5 points based upon being honored by the AP All Pro or PFWA On Field Awards lists.

The round for each contract is assigned on a percentile basis, as follows:

3rd Round: top 5%
4th Round: below top 5% to top 10%
5th Round: below top 10% to top 15%
6th Round: below top 15% to top 25%
7th Round: below top 25% to top 35% (previously 50% in the 2011 CBA)

Then what happens is that a team gets awarded compensatory picks based on not only how many players who qualify under the compensatory formula that it loses in free agency, but also how many you sign. If you lose a player with a fourth-round grade, then sign a different player with a fourth-round grade those cancel out and you do not get a compensatory pick.

Below, again per Over The Cap, is what the projected compensatory pick cancellation chart looks like. As you will see, except for Wan’Dale Robinson the Giants signed players in free agency who cancelled out the players they lost.

I hope that helps.

Bob Donnelly asks: A prevailing thought is the Giants are not in the market for half season player rental given their depleted 2027 draft capital as they are clearly in the building for the future mode. We also know that over the years earning comp picks have been a staple in Baltimore’s roster building strategy and is presumably a strategy Harbaugh is planning on employing in NY. With the prospect of a future comp pick as a mechanism to reduce the overall cost of a player rental do you see any scenario where the Giants would be interested in a player rental?

Ed says: Bob, I actually believe rentals for the rest of the season are the kinds of players the Giants will be interested in. Players who can help them in the short term without costing them premium draft capital or a ton of money.

If the right mega-deal, perhaps running back Jonathan Taylor, presents itself I believe the Giants would do it. Mostly, though, I think they will look for short-term, incremental upgrades.

David Silver asks: We watched Cam Skattebo run for 42 yards and pull up short, going down at the 30. At the time, he said he had been dehydrated and felt cramping in his hamstring so he went down since he got to field goal range. A few questions: With Tracy now on IR, have you heard anything about the condition of Skattebo’s hamstring since the game? If Skattebo can’t go, does Singletary carry the full load? With Zvada missing from 55 and 44, should Skattebo have pushed himself for an extra five or ten, since nobody was really on him yet? If Zvada misses from there, would Skattebo have been in the doghouse for going down too soon?

Ed says: David, reports have indicated that Skattebo should be OK. Media won’t have contact with coaches or players again until next week.

I had no issue with Skattebo going down when he did, and I don’t think John Harbaugh did, either. Skattebo said he was protecting himself. That is probably true, but I thought there was more to it. I believe Skattebo knew he was going to be caught in the next couple of steps, and giving himself up prevented any possibility of the ball being punched out from behind.

If Skattebo is out, Singletary would be the lead back with newly-signed Gregory Desroiers as the backup.