Lawrence Kenney asks: With the trade for McCarthy, we assume his rookie contract, but does it include his option year? Assuming we can help rehabilitate his career, this could be an attractive trade chip.
Ed says: Yes, the Giants also get the fifth-year option. It is part of the standard rookie contract for first-round picks.
Jim Eggers asks: Please explain to me how Nubin can look so absolutely clueless playing safety in the NFL. He had a great college career at Minnesota. Senior year 1st team All
American with 13 career interceptions and was a tackling machine. A plug and play guy for sure, right. Not exactly. In the NFL he has no coverage skills, he is very slow, no situational awareness, just overmatched. No coaching will help this guy.
Ed says: Jim, I think you are being a bit harsh. Tyler Nubin has clearly not been the player the Giants hoped he would be when they drafted him. He has been below average, and has not been the ball-hawking playmaker the Giants thought they were getting. You make it seem as though he doesn’t belong in the league. I’m not willing to go there.
Rob Stolzer asks: With Burns now out for the year, will we be seeing Reese shifted over to the edge position for more plays?
Ed says: Rob, it is an option. Pro Football Focus says Reese has aligned outside on 30 of 177 snaps (16.9%). Maybe that ticks up some based on situations. There have been times when Reese and Abdul Carter have switches, simply to get Carter pass rushing over a guard. Reese, though, will remain primarily an inside linebacker.
Honestly, the pass rush remains an underdeveloped area of Reese’s game. Per PFF, he has rushed just 17 times so far. His 5.9% pressure rate is 137th out of 200 grades off-ball linebackers or edge defenders. That is a small sample size, but perhaps an indication that Reese is a work in progress as a pass rusher.
I think the Giants signed Jihad Ward to be their third edge defender.
Kölnerbigblue asks: Ed, I probably missed it but I don’t remember much hype about Holland in the off season other than the Leadership Council and the contract extension. There were other players (e.g. Carter, Reese, and Sisi) I remember people talking about but not so much Holland. He’s emerging as a leader on and off the field. What did I miss?
Ed says: Kölner, you didn’t miss anything. Holland didn’t make a lot of plays for the Giants a year ago, and since his career-high in interceptions for a season was two entering this year there was doubt he would become a big-time playmaker. Well, he has.
Chase Baldwin asks: We traded for J.J. McCarthy in the wake of this I saw BBV split between this is horrendous, and he’ll be taking over starting soon. A few people sat in the middle and think he’s a fine #2. My question is word got out Monday afternoon, J.J. has to get from Minnesota to NY what does that look like ? Does he just hop on a plane with a few belongings and ship his stuff to NY? Do teams trading a player usually give them a heads up it could happen and to maybe pack up their things ? Just curious about the logistics of him actually getting settled in NY.
Ed says: Chase, per the Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams are required to pay travel and moving expenses when they acquire a player. Teams also generally provide players with short-term living arrangements until they are able to find their own places. Teams often help arrange travel plans for new players.
Players find out about trades when they get traded. Teams don’t give players a heads up that they might get traded, although players can often figure that out on their own.
Chris Milner asks: What’s your sense of the progress that the Giants are making in building a playoff and championship contender? Are they moving the needle, or are they just struggling to get by with all the injuries?
Ed says: Chris, the answer is actually in your question. They are “building” a championship contender. They are not, and never were going to be, a championship contender this year. The injuries put them in survivial mode for this season. But, the culture that has been established, the quality young players they have added, and what John Harbaugh learns about what this team needs going forward are all part of the process.
Jason Zalewski asks: Why do you think we’ve been so poor at drafting early round CBs? Feels like we’ve been in CB purgatory since our SB wins. The jury is still out on Tae Banks.
Ed says: Jason, have the Giants been bad at drafting early-round cornerbacks? It is way too early to judge Colton Hood. Dru Phillips, a third-round pick, is a good player. Cor’Dale Flott played well last year. It really isn’t fair to go back beyond Joe Schoen’s tenure as GM.
Schoen has one miss in Banks, and even that might still be salvaged.
Fletcher Wyman asks: Cutting through all the JJ noise and looking at a specific position of need I’ll ask you directly what you think of the possibility of trading for Riley Moss, mimicking a feed post I made today. He’s a 26yo starter that will be a UFA in 2027. He is very good against the run and plays opposite of Surtain so he’s targeted at a very high rate. He’s considered grabby but is middle of the pack for penalties vs targets. Denver may be interested in gaining assets before he has the opportunity to test the market.
Ed says: Fletcher, I won’t claim to have studied Moss. The Broncos are a Super Bowl contender, though. Why would they trade a starting player off their defense when they are in win-now mode? I am in favor of adding good players. What’s the cost, financially and in draft capital? You don’t trade for him without giving him a long-term contract? Does acquiring him get in the way of letting Colton Hood develop?
I’m not sure I see this one as realistic.
Roy Koeslag asks: I know with all of the injuries to key players at the Giants, the thoughts on how we can solve the season must be ongoing. Trading for QB McCarthy seems like a risk because we don’t have a lot of picks next year. Signing a veteran QB with a similar profile as Dart would have been a better option in my opinion. Do you think they will try to add a veteran CB to help out? That seems like a much more urgent hole in our team.
Ed says: Roy, the Giants traded for McCarthy because they believed he has more upside than anyone they could have signed as a free agent or taken off a practice squad. I appreciate the aggression. Will it pay off? Nobody knows.
As for cornerback, I think it’s a wait-and-see deal. Can Greg Newsome keep playing well? What will Tae Banks provide when he is is healthy again? How will Colton Hood develop? Will Paulson Adebo help when he returns?
I think the Giants need to be very careful about giving away draft assets. The focus still has to be on the future. Giving away assets that compromise the future for short-term fixes that — maybe — help you win one or two more games this year doesn’t seem like a good plan.
Stephen Goodyear asks: Understand and agree with the aversion to a Porter acquisition. But it seems we have CB issues. First, injury updates on Adebo and Banks please? Secondly, Newsome seems OK. Holland seem positioned improve by playing. Then what? If either Holland or Newsome gets injured. Jones? Washington?
Ed says: Another cornerback question. Stephen, I think Banks might play this weekend. Adebo is on IR. He can’t return until at least Week 6. I don’t know if he will. Jevon Holland is a safety, so he shouldn’t be part of the conversation.
In the short term, I think the Giants just have to ride with Colton Hood and let him develop. He is being forced to play more than anticipated due to injuries. In the long run, that might help him.
Could the Giants trade for a cornerback? If they do, I would think they would be looking for a player who would be a multi-year acquisition. They might just have to get by the best they can, and then try to address it in the offseason.
Brian Scott asks: In past years we’ve seen various members of the front office — Joe Schoen and Brandon Brown, for example — at college games, ostensibly scouting players of interest. I don’t recall hearing as much about this lately. Is this still a thing?
Ed says: Brian, of course it is a thing. That is their job. I just don’t spend a lot of time chasing the “where is Joe Schoen this weekend?” stuff. He is going to be in as many places as he can be, as often as he can be. Giants scouts will be, and have been, at games across the country every weekend.
Roger VanWart asks: Ed, the Giants have 5 games and a by week before the trade deadline. How much will the W/L record effect if the Giants on if they are buyers or sellers at the deadline? Or will play on the field be the determining factor. It’s hard to judge a team when the top 2 offensive and defensive players were in less than 3 games.
Ed says: Roger, isn’t the won-loss record reflective of the quality of play on the field? Of course if the Giants get to midseason and they sense a chance to sneak into the playoffs they will be tempted to be more aggressive at the trade deadline.
I will keep reiterating, though, that they have to remember that unless Jameis Winston or J.J. McCarthy suddenly m0rphs into an All-Pro quarterback there is a ceiling on this year. They have to keep the future in mind and not waste assets for short-term fixes that could be used to help build for next season and beyond.
Gregory Riley asks: Who is your favorite Giants announcer of all time?
Number 1 for me is Marty Glickman (showing my age) as he had such a commanding voice and made you think you were actually at the game. Second would be Jim Gordon “Wide right Giants win Giants win.”
Ed says: Greg, I probably can’t answer that question. I like the current guys, Bob Papa and Carl Banks. I remember listening to Dick Lynch.
Let me throw that one out to the community. Let us know who you really liked listening to.
Rafael Gonzalez asks: I’ve got a question about something the Giants talked about all offseason: getting those defensive linemen’s hands up and batting down passes when they can’t get to the quarterback. Well, we’re several games into the season, the D-line isn’t exactly getting home consistently, and I’m STILL waiting for their FIRST defensive-line pass deflection!
So what happened to that whole “get your hands up” emphasis? If you’re not getting enough pressure, shouldn’t batting down passes be one of the easiest ways to impact the passing game? Are the coaches still emphasizing it, and if they are, why aren’t we seeing it? Because right now, it sure looks like another area where the Giants talked about something all offseason but aren’t getting the results on Sunday. I’d really like to hear what you guys think about this.
Ed says: Rafael, this is really something defensive linemen are taught from the time they start playing the position. It’s not like the Giants emphasize it more or less than any other team in the league.
The fact that they have just one batted pass (by Tremaine Edmunds) doesn’t mean they aren’t getting their hands up. You can get your hands up and not have the quarterback hit them with the ball. All of the same things apply to talking about why the Giants haven’t gotten enough sacks. The Giants are last in the league in quarterback pressure rate (10.5%). When they put more pressure on the quarterback, they will get better results.
Richard Norato asks: Hi Ed, in your opinion which NFL coaches past or present did the best job of keeping their teams on task when adversity or disaster struck.
Ed says: Richard, I think you just go down the list of the best coaches of all-time, the guys who did it successfully for a long time, and you realize that is something they all had to be good at.
Mike Tomlin had to be great at that to never have a losing season. Tom Coughlin was great at it. The ability handle adversity is one of the things that make great coaches great.
Ken Silver asks: How badly did losing the speedy jitterbug Austin hurt us since we have no other player like that and no explosive player on offense besides Nabers who is still working his way back from major knee surgery, and can we make better/more use of Mooney? Never going deep and threatening a defense with having to cover more of the field let’s them off the hook, can we throw the ball downfield sometimes since it might create more opportunity for short stuff and improve the running game, and b/c it seems like there’s a 50/50 chance of defensive pass interference?
Ed says: Ken, there is no doubt that losing Austin hurt. The Giants have no other player with the yards after catch skillset and quickness of Austin.
Let’s see how the passing game develops. There is no doubt the Giants need more explosive plays. They can’t go the hard way every time.
Glen Boshart asks: Even though I doubt no one has asked this yet, what the heck happened to James? I mean, the coaches had plenty to look at during the preseason, if his arm is shot they most certainly should have seen that. Same if he doesn’t fit the scheme. Yet they extended him. Is he hurt? And if he is, I’d love to see what the other QB not named McCarthy get a shot. He looked good in preseason, which is why they signed him.
Ed says: Glen, the mystery with Winston has been some of the throws that have been low or well short. I wonder if he is so conscious of not turning the ball over, especially in the elements last Sunday, that he has been guiding the ball a bit. Let it play out.
The extension tells us they believe in him, at least to a point. Nobody plans on having their backup quarterback play 16 games.
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