The 2019 New York Giants' defense will look a lot like the 2015-2017 Arizona Cardinals' defense.
Second-year Giants defensive coordinator James Bettcher oversaw the Cardinals' defense for three years, which included two seasons of top-10 finishes in yards and points against. When the unit was at its best in 2015, a year that saw the Cardinals make the NFC Championship Game, it was known for being an attacking group that blitzed from all angles and stopped the run.
Although Bettcher did not see the same success in his first year as Giants' defensive coordinator, he has brought over a healthy amount of ex-Cardinals he coached in Arizona. After signing Kareem Martin and Josh Mauro last year, the Giants added three more Redbirds this spring: linebacker Markus Golden, safety Antoine Bethea and defensive lineman Olsen Pierre. Although Mauro has moved on, Martin is still around, giving the Giants' defense a distinct Arizona feel.
For Saquon Barkley, Kobe Bryant is his G.O.A.T.
That's how he addressed his UNINTERRUPTED video, where he read aloud a letter he wrote to Bryant. He wanted to thank Bryant for embodying his signature "Mamba Mentality" -- a phrase that he writes on his cleats before every game.
Well, Bryant acknowleged him via Twitter, and told the young running back that it's "your turn."
Browns QB Baker Mayfield is pumped about having Odell Beckham Jr. to throw to this season. And while speaking about Beckham coming to Cleveland, he mixed in a dig at Giants fans.
"He's here to work, and he wants to be surrounded by people who love him and support him and allow him to be himself," Mayfield told ESPN's Mina Kimes. "He's here to play in front of fans who actually care, who will actually show up to every game and pack the stadium and love him for who he is."
Some facts when it comes to Mayfield's claim that Browns fans "pack the stadium" ...
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There are some who decided the Giants' 2019 season would be a disaster the moment they decided to bring Eli Manning back for one more year. Others became convinced they were tanking the moment they made quarterback Daniel Jones the sixth overall pick in the draft.
The truth, though, is nobody knows what the Giants really are and what will happen in 2019 until the games start for real -- and that's still about three months away.
But it's never too early to make some crazy guesses. So here are five bold predictions for what to expect from the Giants this year.
The Madden NFL franchise released all of their indiviual and team ratings on Monday, and though it was already known, Giants rookie QB Daniel Jones finished very low on the list.
Jones had an abysmal grade of 63, which is the lowest grade among rookie quarterbacks. Even undrafted free agent QB Tyree Jackson has a 64 rating for the Bills to start the year.
So does that make Jones the worst rookie quarterback in Madden history?
The Giants announced the suspension of S Kam Moore on Monday following his role in an alleged domestic violence-related incident last Thursday.
According to NJ.com, Moore was arrested and charged with third-degree aggravated assault after allegedly punching a woman and knocking her out unconscious by stepping on her neck and applying pressure.
The woman, who is Moore's girlfriend, said that she was arguing with Moore and pushed him which caused his reaction, the report said. She walked into the police department on Saturday to file her complaint, as police weren't called to the scene on Thursday night.
Football fans look forward to the release of each year's installment of the Madden NFL franchise, but Giants fans may want to play with a different team in this year's game.
The Madden NFL 20 player and team ratings were released on Monday, and the Giants have the lowest team rating in the NFC at 77. That's the second-lowest rating only in front of the Dolphins (74). Their NFC East rivals in the Eagles and Cowboys are rated much higher at 89 and 88 respectively.
The Giants' gem on their roster is RB Saquon Barkley, who led the Giants with a 91 overall (and was ranked the fifth-best running back in the game). Other than that, the ratings weren't too kind to the Giants.
It is no secret Giants GM Dave Gettleman thinks highly of safety Jabrill Peppers. It is part of the reason he followed through on the trade that sent Odell Beckham Jr. to the Browns.
At least one of Peppers' former teammates in Cleveland seems to share the same sentiment as Gettleman.
Browns tight end David Njoku, who was conducting a football camp in Cedar Grove, NJ on Saturday, is excited for what Peppers can bring to the Giants.
The Giants may have only gotten to the playoffs just once with Odell Beckham Jr. on the team, but Browns tight end David Njoku believes the former Big Blue receiver may be the missing piece to take the Browns to the next level.
"Once we realized we had him locked in, we're excited," Njoku said at a football camp he runs in Cedar Grove, NJ, per NJ.com. "We have a great team. It's up to us to take advantage of this opportunity."
Njoku, who was a rookie during the winless 0-16 season in 2017, began seeing a shift in the Browns culture last season with Baker Mayfield at quarterback and other new offensive weapons, such as Jarvis Landry and Nick Chubb to help lead the team to a 7-8-1 season.
Police have charged an 18-year-old man in the April 28 shooting in Topeka, Kansas that wounded Giants cornerback Corey Ballentine and killed his friend, Dwane Simmons.
Francisco Alejandro Mendez was charged on Friday with seven felony counts, including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and five accounts of aggravated robbery, according to Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay and first reported by ESPN.
Police connected the crimes to two related aggravated robberies that occurred on April 27 and April 30. Mendez is being held on $1 million bond and is scheduled to be in court Monday.
The NFL is starting to get creative in its continued pursuit for an 18-game schedule.
According to Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal, one idea being proposed among owners is to limit players to a maximum of 16 regular season games. That would mean, by rule, the Giants and Jets would have to pick at least two games for players like Saquon Barkley and Sam Darnold to sit out.
The NFLPA has pushed back against an 18-game schedule, largely because the toll an extra two games would place on the players' bodies would be too much to handle on top of an already grueling 16-game schedule. Giants long snapper and NFLPA vice president Zak DeOssie voiced these concerns back in June.
Wide receiver Golden Tate has been a dynamic playmaker throughout his NFL career, and he's hoping to bring that part of his game with him to the Giants' offense.
With Training Camp just a few weeks away, Tate spoke recently about what he saw from rookie QB Daniel Jones during minicamp, and why he's not worried about his play being compared to that of Odell Beckham Jr.
The Giants made some big changes heading into the 2019 season -- the obvious being the departure of stars like Odell Beckham Jr., Landon Collins, and Olivier Vernon. But despite those losses, the Giants are confident that their change will be for the better starting this year.
Will it be enough to fight for an NFC East division title?
Many know how tough the NFC East can be, with no team winning the division in back-to-back seasons since the Eagles won four straight from 2001-2004. The Cowboys were the winners last season at 10-6, but can they repeat?
Let's see where the Giants sit on the list heading into training camp in a couple weeks...
Both of New York's football teams have potential MVP candidates in their backfield, according to Bovada. Only one of the two have a player under center that was given odds, though.
Odds Shark released Bovada's latest odds for the NFL's 2019 MVP Award and both Jets' running back Le'Veon Bell and Giants' running back Saquon Barkley were listed by the odds makers. Both landed with +5000 odds to take home the top-individual silverware next season.
The only rusher with higher odds to land the honor was Alvin Kamara from the New Orleans Saints.
Saquon Barkley can add another accolade to his already-illustrious young NFL career.
At Wednesday's ESPY Awards in Los Angeles, the Giants running back took home the award for Best Breakthrough Athlete, edging out Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers, Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, and female tennis player Naomi Osaka.
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Giants GM Dave Gettleman believes his culture overhaul of the Giants' locker room will result in more wins. Coach Pat Shurmur believes Eli Manning has just enough left in his right arm to make his team a contender. Defensive coordinator James Bettcher believes he can piece together enough of a pass rush to help the Giants make a run, too.
They are, if nothing else, dreamers. They believe in the potential of their team. But are they realistic or are they delusional about the roster they've created?
Here's a way-too-early look at how the Giants' 2019 season just might go…
The Giants haven't played their home games in New York since the 1975 season, when they called Shea Stadium home. That came two years after their final game at Yankee Stadium, with one season playing home games in New Haven in-between.
They've called New Jersey home since then, playing home games first at Giants Stadium and now at MetLife Stadium. Wouldn't that make them the New Jersey Giants?
Presidential candidate Cory Booker, who is a Senator representing New Jersey after serving as the Mayor of Newark, has some ideas...
Each year at training camp, there always seems to be that one player you want to make the 53-man roster out of the 90 men that show up on Day 1. Well, for many, that players just might have to be offensive lineman Austin Droogsma.
Droogsma certainly has the height and weight of an offensive lineman (6-foot-4, 345 pounds), but that isn't what he played at Florida State. Instead, Droogsma was focused on his track and field career as a shot-putter. He was one of the best in the NCAA, finishing fourth at the indoor championships in 2018.
But he figured his sports days were over, as he looked for a real world job following graduation. That is until the Giants came calling.
A few weeks ago during Giants minicamp, we profiled five dark horse players who turned heads. At the end of the day though, every football player knows that, while minicamp standouts are nice stories, the real competition starts in training camp.
Big Blue training camp starts in a little over two weeks. It's a 90-man competition for 53 spots, and more than a few veterans will be left behind if they don't put up a good showing.
Here are five guys who are on the hot seat for the Giants:
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The Giants let a lot of big-name, big-talent players go this offseason. In fact, Odell Beckham Jr., Landon Collins and Olivier Vernon were easily three of the most important players the Giants had.
How will they survive without them? The answer to that will be provided by the performances of several key players this season.
So here's a look at the Giants' 10 most important players for 2019:
The late Jared Lorenzen had a much bigger impact on the Giants than one might have thought.
Despite attempting just eight passes in his career, Lorenzen played a significant role in arguably the greatest play in Giants' history.
In Super Bowl XLII against the undefeated Patriots, Eli Manning escaped the grasp of the Patriots' pass rush to find David Tyree down field for the famous Helmet Catch, but Manning may not have been able to make that escape if not for Lorenzen.
Former Giants QB Jared Lorenzen has unfortunately lost his battle with health issues, as the family announced his passing on Wednesday at age 38.
Lorenzen was admitted to the hospital last Friday with an infection as well as dealing with kidney and heart issues. He was battling them while in an intensive care unit, but he couldn't prevail.
Kentucky Sports Radio's Matt Jones released a statement from Lorenzen's family...
You don't have to remind Eli Manning how old he is. Entering his 16th year in the NFL this season, the veteran signal caller is well aware of how young his teammates are compared to his 38-year-old self.
He's reminded of it when he enters the quarterbacks room at the team facility in East Rutherford, when sixth overall pick Daniel Jones is sitting right there awaiting his turn to take over the Giants (or so the team hopes).
That transition isn't expected to happen this season. The Giants are entrusting Manning to lead the way on offense yet again, and he's fully prepared to do so. Because on and off the field around his teammates, Manning does feel young again...
No matter how much money ESPN offered Peyton Manning to do "Monday Night Football," nothing was going to outweigh the price of brotherly love.
According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, two sources close to Manning revealed that the future Hall of Fame quarterback declined a lucrative deal in April to join the "Monday Night Football" booth this season largely because he did not want to analyze Eli Manning.
Peyton was offered the opportunity to join the booth in April, but the Giants are scheduled to appear on "Monday Night Football" twice this season and Eli's decline over the last few years has been a focal point of the team. That should be amplified even greater this season with sixth overall pick Daniel Jones waiting in the wings.
Former New York Giants quarterback Jared Lorenzen has been hospitalized with an infection, as well as kidney and heart issues. Lorenzen, 38, has been in the hospital since Friday with his family by his side, they announced in a statement.
According to the family's statement, Lorenzen had not been feeling well before being admitted to the intensive care unit.
I just spoke to Jared Lorenzen's mother. He has been admitted to the hospital with an infection and is dealing with some medical issues at this time
She asks for prayers from the Big Blue Nation and privacy at this time
Prayers for one of the best people I know
Eli Manning is undoubtedly a glass half-full kind of guy.
The Giants quarterback expressed optimism that the offense can be better in 2019 than it was last season, despite the team's decision to trade away Odell Beckham Jr. to the Browns.
"I think we can be productive and score more points and be a better offense," Manning told NFL Network this weekend.
If Pat Shurmur is leaving the door open for a quarterback competition, Eli Manning isn't buying it.
The Giants quarterback told NFL Network's Rhett Lewis in an interview that will air Friday night that he does not think there is a quarterback competition between himself and first-round pick Daniel Jones.
"I mean no, I don't feel like it's a competition," he said at the Manning Passing Academy. "I feel like I've got to do my job and I've got to compete every day and try to get better every day. That's the way it's been my whole life and that's just the way I've always approached practice every day to improve, to earn my place on the team, to earn the respect of the teammates and do it each year."
After the Jets spent big money this summer, making splashes with the additions of Le'Veon Bell, C.J. Mosley, Jamison Crowder and Quinnen Williams, there has been a renewed buzz around Florham Park.
Meanwhile, their stadium-mates, the Giants, continued their roster revamp in controversial fashion - they said goodbye to stars Odell Beckham Jr. and Landon Collins, drafted a quarterback sixth overall and turned the keys over to an extremely young defense.
While the Giants are still rebuilding, the Jets are going all-in with a young quarterback, a budding defense and a new coach.
Of the many position battles at Giants training camp, the cornerbacks competition may be the most intriguing to watch this season.
Giants GM Dave Gettleman brought in three rookies in the 2019 NFL Draft, all of which will be vying for a starting role opposite veteran incumbent Janoris Jenkins.
The biggest spotlight will shine on Georgia product Deandre Baker, who the Giants traded back into the first round to snag. There is also Notre Dame's Julian Love -- arguably one of the top steals in the Draft -- and Washburn's Corey Ballentine, who will certainly be a fan favorite to make the team after the unfortunate events that saw his best friend shot and killed, while he was left in the hospital as well.
Say what you want about your opinion on the Giants trading away star WR Odell Beckham Jr. His former teammates miss him.
"Just his presence," Sterling Shepard told The Post's Paul Schwartz, adding that there has been an adjustment period to get used to him not in the locker room. "He's a great guy, he's loved around this facility. Just his presence, I guess."
Beckham has always been one of a kind since entering the league, and it showed in his awe-inspiring play that was matched with an exuberant personality as well. Whether it was making his signature one-handed grabs like it was just another day on the gridiron, or dancing in around practice with players like Shepard and Saquon Barkley, Beckham was always keeping things light and fun.
Odell Beckham Jr. is attempting to smooth over his comments about the Giants in a Complex Magazine interview earlier this week.
After revealing that he was never going to live up to his potential "mentally, physically, spiritually," in New York, the Browns receiver tweeted multiple times on Saturday afternoon about his love for New York and the Giants organization, but also thanked the "haters" he dealt with, too.
"I'm thankful GOD gave me and opportunity to play my first years where he did," Beckham tweeted. "I'm thankful for every memory and experience I had there. The good and the bad. I'm thankful for every hater and supporter, for every fan. I will always have luv 4 that place. But we ALL have moved on."
Baker Mayfield is true to his word.
The Browns quarterback followed through on a friendly wager he had with Giants running back Saquon Barkley on who will win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
The two agreed that the loser would have to buy the winner a chain, but the loser gets to pick what the chain says.
The Giants traded Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns three months ago, but the star receiver is still not done talking about his former team.
Beckham, who has expressed some bitterness with the Giants since being traded, vented some more about Big Blue in a Q&A with Complex Magazine this week where he sounded as if he was the one who wanted out of New York.
"I just felt with the Giants I was just stuck at a place that wasn't working for me anymore," he said in a Q&A with Complex Magazine. "I felt like I wasn't going to be able to reach my full potential there; mentally, physically, spiritually, everything I felt capable of doing, I just couldn't see it happening there.
Giants rookie QB Daniel Jones has seemed unflappable since being selected No. 6 overall in the NFL Draft. And his demeanor hasn't changed now that he's heard boos at Yankee Stadium before taking a single snap for Big Blue.
"I certainly don't pay a whole lot of attention to it," Jones said Tuesday during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show . "You're aware of it. I'm focused on what we're doing here and focused on trying to practice as well as I could these past six weeks and show some progress over these six weeks. So, at the end of the day, I'm grateful to be part of this franchise, get this opportunity and looking forward to keeping it going."
After getting booed on Monday night by what amounted a smattering of a subset of fans in the Bronx, two of Jones' teammates came to his defense.
Monday night at Yankee Stadium, Giants rookie QB Daniel Jones was enjoying the Yankees and Rays game when he was showed on the jumbrotron in between innings. But instead of cheers for the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft from the Giants fans in attendance, he heard a chorus of boos instead.
Well, his teammates aren't too happy about that.
Tight end Evan Engram quote tweeted our news story about the incident, and he wants an explanation from the fans...
It did not take long for Giants QB Daniel Jones to experience his first Bronx Cheer.
Big Blue's rookie quarterback was at Monday's Yankees game against the Rays when he was showed on the Yankee Stadium jumbotron and was welcomed with a chorus of boos, according to those in attendance at the game.
Jones, 22, has not even been a member of the Giants for two months despite the harsh greeting by New York.
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The Giants ended the offseason feeling pretty good about themselves, even though they arguably spent the last five months losing more talent than they gained. They are big believers in addition by subtraction, and they feel they've added some pretty good pieces, too.
It'll be a few more months until we know whether GM Dave Gettleman's plan was genius or ill-conceived, and whether his big makeover of the team's culture will result in any more wins. But during the spring organized team activities and mini-camp, there were a few hints about which direction the Giants were headed.
So here are 5 things we've learned about the Giants this spring:
When Jon Halapio beat out Brett Jones for the starting center job on the Giants' offensive line last training camp, expectations were high for the 27-year-old.
He didn't have much of a chance to live up to them, going down with a fractured ankle during in Week 2 against the Cowboys and missing the remainder of the season. Halapio watched from the sidelines as the team stumbled to a 5-11 record and the play of the offensive line initially drew criticism, before continuity led to more rushing success for Saquon Barkley later in the season.
"He was really playing well for us before he got hurt a year ago," coach Pat Shurmur said earlier this offseason. "So we had high hopes for him last season. It appears he has come back 100 percent and is back in there just like he was when he left us."
It has been four years since Hakeem Nicks played football professionally, but the former Giants wide receiver hopes he still has something left in the tank.
All it took was a little push from Eli Manning to find out.
Nicks worked out at the XFL's "Summer Showcase" on Friday at Montclair State University in front of XFL New York/New Jersey coach Kevin Gilbride, Nicks' former offensive coordinator, hoping to make a return to professional football.
The 2019 New York Giants season is rapidly approaching, and there is still a lot to be sorted out along the depth chart. One of the best parts of minicamp and summer workouts is finding out which potential dark horses have a chance to make the 53-man roster and make an impact.
Here are five guys who have stood out so far:
Former Giants WR Hakeem Nicks isn't done with his football career just yet.
The XFL is hosting Summer showcases all over the country to find the best players for their inaugural season in 2020. And the Super Bowl champion will be among the participants in the New York tryout on Friday, according to the official Twitter account.
Nicks last played in the NFL on a contract with the Saints. However, he was waived on Aug. 8, 2016 and hasn't been in the league since. But the 31-year-old isn't about to hang up his cleats for good just yet.
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Pat Shurmur might as well have fired a starter's pistol into the air on Tuesday to signal the beginning of a quarterback controversy that will last through Giants training camp and beyond.
His words had the same jolting effect. After he was asked if rookie quarterback Daniel Jones could beat out Eli Manning and be the opening day starter, he could have just said "No."
Instead, he said this: "I think we are going to play the very best player and I know we are dancing around the words there. Right now, Eli is getting ready to have a great year and Daniel is getting ready to play. You see what happens with it."
Giants TE Evan Engram just can't catch a break.
The Ole Miss product didn't have the sophomore season he was hoping for after a solid debut back in 2017. Injuries that included a concussion as well as hamstring and knee ailments kept him out five games. And when he was in the game, Engram didn't seem like his normal self as he battled back to full strength.
Unfortunately, his third year isn't getting off to the best start either. Engram has been dealing with another hamstring injury that has kept him out most of the OTAs as well as the three-day minicamp last week...
It's been great to see and hear that the Giants' sixth overall pick in Daniel Jones has been impressing during the team's voluntary practices as well as their three-day minicamp.
Jones' new teammates and coaches have noticed by the day that he became more comfortable with the offense, and in turn, his confidence rose.
"You can see him getting confident," Evan Engram said of Jones after minicamp. "Anytime you're coming in as a rookie, you're going to be a little shaky or a little nervous. You kind of see him starting to brush that off, get into his groove and take advantage of everything he's given."
There was a time when Landon Collins wouldn't want to hit Saquon Barkley during practice. Well, now he doesn't have a choice with the Redskins.
Collins, who once praised Barkley's physical attributes that made him such a tough running back to bring down, will now be tasked to keep him in the backfield twice a year. And he says he's ready for that commitment.
"I've been ready to tackle Saquon," Collins told NorthJersey.com's Art Stapleton at the Landon Collins Celebrity Softball Game over the weekend. "That's my guy, though. All love to him and he's been doing his thing as we all know. But when I get to meet him in the hole this time, it's going to be full-go."
It may not be much, but minicamps give a quick glimpse into what the new pieces to a team can bring in the upcoming season.
Daniel Jones, the Giants' No. 6 overall selection back in April, may be the exception as he is currently behind Eli Manning on the depth chart. But his development this season will be a major storyline, even if he isn't on the field getting NFL reps.
During the three-day minicamp in East Rutherford, Jones surprised in many facets like his foot speed, arm strength that didn't appear average like the scouting reports said, and his overall performance during team drills. Working with the second team, Jones was very efficient while going through his progressions quickly and fire strikes across the gridiron.
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POMONA, N.Y. - Landon Collins spent the first four years of his NFL career in Giants blue, dreaming of staying in that uniform forever.
Less than three months after joining the Redskins, though, all those warm, fuzzy feelings for the Giants are gone.
"Honestly, I feel more of a Redskin now after going through OTAs, being there for a while, hanging out with them and having a great time," Collins said. "I feel like I'm at home.
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POMONA, N.Y. - The former Giants who won championships with Eli Manning have long been his biggest defenders. But even they understand that the end is coming for their quarterback.
They just don't think the end is here yet.
"I chuckle at the reports you hear weekly about how Eli can't play quarterback and he's washed up," said former Giants center Shaun O'Hara. "Nothing could be further from the truth. The Giants have lost a lot of games the last few years, but they're not all Eli's fault -- and none of them are because Eli can't throw the ball."
The Giants' pass rush has long been one of the franchise's trademarks. From Lawrence Taylor to Michael Strahan to Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora, the Giants' defense does its best work when it's rushing the passer.
It's no coincidence that the Giants' defense has declined recently as the pass rush disappeared.
The Giants have been a bottom-five team in sacks in three of the last four years. The one time they were better, they made the playoffs.
