Happy Saturday one and all.
Ed Valentine, the longtime leader of Big Blue View was kind enough to bring out of retirement the “Five Questions with the Enemies” so lets get to know the New York Giants a little better.
Enjoy.
Q: Are you satisfied with the team’s moves after the Jaxson Dart injury?
Well, I think the Giants were aggressive in trying to make the quarterback room the best it can be without the No. 1 guy. They used a fifth-round pick to acquire J.J. McCarthy. Now, there are a lot of opinions about McCarthy, and nobody knows if he will become Sam Darnold, Trey Lance,
or something in-between. I think Giants fans should be heartened by the fact that the team was aggressive in addressing a problem.
For the Giants, it still comes down to whether or not Jameis Winston can handle the job. They gave Winston a two-year, $13 million extension right before the season started. I have a hard time believing they will hurry to replace him, although there is already a lot of “when will McCarthy start?” chatter.
Who is going to be counted on most to help negate the loss of Brian Burns?
Well, former No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter is going to have to assert himself. Kayvon Thibodeaux will play more. Maybe Arvell Reese will be used more as a rusher. It is going to be incumbent upon defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, though to be more creative than he has been over the first three weeks to put rushers in better situations.
Arvell Reese was a hotly debated prospect among Cardinals fans, what has he shown the first month of the season and how do you feel about his long term outlook?
Reese is going to be a star. He isn’t there yet, but he will get there. This guy is absurdly physical. He can run. He can tackle in space. He can cover. He has pass rush potential. He wants to work at it and get better. It won’t be long before he is a dominant player.
What is the overall feeling as the John Harbaugh era has gotten underway?
Optimism. Harbaugh has brought professionalism, expectations, the ability and willingness to make players understand the hard work required. The Giants aren’t a “clown show” anymore.
The Cardinals are slight road favorites, Is that more a concern about the Giants offense or defense in your opinion?
I don’t know. It is a bit of a surprise to me. Still, the Giants have lost their quarterback and their best defensive player the past two weeks. It’s probably a bit of both. The Giants are coming off a game in which they scored only 12 points, so I get the concern on that side.
