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Qualifying for the playoffs in the NFL usually comes down to one or two games in the standings. In many cases, it's not how many games you win, but which games you win. There are tiebreakers that go past head-to-head record, such as division and conference records and the record vs common opponents.

In general, the objective is to win your division to avoid the mad scramble for the wild card spots. Last year, the Washington Redskins (9-7) won the NFC East and were the division's lone entrant in the postseason. The Giants finished at 6-10 but could have challenged had they been able to hold on to a few of the five fourth quarter leads they squandered in 2015.

The New York Giants signed linebacker Keenan Robinson to a contract on Monday.

Robinson, 26, recorded 63 combined tackles, one fumble recovery and one interception in 12 games last season for the Washington Redskins.

The Giants lost linebacker Jon Beason to retirement earlier in the offseason, and Jasper Brinkley is a free agent.

The New York Giants led the NFL in adjusted games lost, a metric to evaluate how teams were affected by injuries, for the third straight season, according to Football Outsiders.

The Giants had a league-high AGL rating of 138.7 in 2015 and 137.1 in 2014. In 2013, their AGL rating was 144.3.

From Football Outsiders:

John Fennelly, SNY.TV Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | | Archive Posts

The New York Giants finished the 2015 season with the worst defense in the league statistically and the goal this spring is to plug the many leaks that caused them to drop so many games in the fourth quarter.

It may sound funny, but they really addressed their defensive problems last year at this time. The problem is, the plan went awry when many of the players they brought in suffered season-altering or season-ending injuries.

Linebacker Jon Beason has retired from, the Giants said on Wednesday.

"I always tried to give my all and be competitive," Beason said. "I wanted to go out and continue to play at a high level, giving my all. I was able to do that."

Beason, a former first-round draft choice and a three-time Pro Bowler, played 93 regular-season games (90 starts) in nine seasons. His career totals included 829 tackles (572 solo), 10 interceptions and 4.0 sacks, the Giants said.

The New York Giants have released offensive tackle Will Beatty, offensive guard Geoff Schwartz and linebacker Jon Beason, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano.

Beatty, 30, saves the Giants $4.2 million in cap space next season. He has been with the Giants since 2009 when he was selected as a second-round pick. Beatty missed all of last season due to a torn pectoral muscle.

John Fennelly, SNY.TV Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | | Archive Posts

Giants MLB and defensive captain Jon Beason could retire rather than attempt to rehab and come back from multiple injuries that have limited him to just nine games over the past two seasons.

Beason was traded to the Giants by the Carolina Panthers in October of 2013 and hit the ground running, spearheading a Giants' defense that excelled against the run and racked up a team-high 104 tackles.

With 14 games in the books, this year's version of the New York Giants has provided its fans with a season chock full of excitement and disappointment at the same time. For purists, it has been the most frustrating season they have ever seen.

The Giants' loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday was their sixth defeat this season after they were leading or tied with fewer than 2 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that is the most such games they've had in one season since the 1970 merger.

Those six losses were by a total of 15 points. Two of those losses were to potential top seeds in the AFC and NFC. They lost to New England by one point with 1 second remaining, and to Carolina by three points as time expired.

Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is having a rough time, to put it lightly, in his second stint with Big Blue.

He is trying to field a defense out of second-stringers, castoffs and rookies and it has showed in the results, or lack therof. The Giants have allowed 423 yards per game this season, 31st in the NFL. At 314 yards per game, they are the only team in the NFL allowing over 300 yards through the air each week.

Of the Giants' 296 points they've given up this season, they have allowed 116 in the fourth quarter and overtime this season. Their secondary has allowed 12 passing touchdowns in the first three quarters combined, and 11 just in the fourth.

The Giants have consistently been one of the NFL's most-injured teams the past four seasons and it's no coincidence their on-the-field performance has suffered as a result. Head coach Tom Coughlin says injuries should not be used as an excuse for losing, but they sure do count as a reason.

The Giants led the NFL in a statistic the website Football Outsiders call "Adjusted Games Lost," a stat that compiles total games missed by players due to injury:

Last year, the Giants led the league in AGL with 137.1 and in 2013 with 144.3. In 2012, they ranked eighth with 82. This season, they have 14 players on season-ending injured reserve, one on PUP and one on IR/Designated to Return.

Giants middle linebacker Jon Beason said to reporters what many avid football followers have been saying for years: Quarterbacks are partly to blame for some of the big hits on receivers in the NFL the past few seasons.

He is scheduled to earn $3.6 million in base salary in 2015, with $900,000 of that guaranteed.

Beason played in only four games last season after a foot injury he suffered in preseason hampered him all year.

Injuries have been a major story with the Giants and with one more game to go this season, a meaningless one playoff-wise, everyone is sitting around contemplating what might have been.

Two integral Giant captains, WR Victor Cruz and MLB Jon Beason, are two of the nearly two dozen players the Giants placed on injured reserve this season. Their services were sorely missed and one wonders where the Giants would be right now if these two key players were able to play out the season.

Beason's year?has been hampered with injuries since training camp. In June, he tore ligaments in his foot causing him to miss preseason activities. He was able to return for the season opener but aggravated the injury in week 2 and hasn't played since.

In attempt to play this week and going forward, Beason plans on wearing a special shoe for protection.

Beason left the game in the third quarter with an apparent foot injury. He was later seen leaving the stadium with a walking boot on his right foot, the same one that caused him to miss most of the preseason. Beason underwent X-Rays before departing, but results were undisclosed. The Giants would only say they will know more about Beason's condition after an MRI on Monday.

Thurmond pulled himself midway through the game due to a pain in his pectoral muscle. When asked about the injury, Thurmond replied?"I was erring on the side of caution."

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/441676378266939392

From Pro Football Talk:

Veteran linebacker Jon Beason is going to save himself 3 percent on his next deal.But he?s costing himself three days in the process....as a result, teams other than the Giants can?t talk to him until Tuesday, taking him out of the three-day legal tampering window.

From Dan Graziano of ESPN:

"Beason made $3.25 million in 2013 and will justifiably believe he deserves a raise. The inside linebacker contracts at which he and his agent will look for comparisons are those of Detroit's Stephen Tulloch (five years, $25.5 million, $11.25 million guranteed) and Baltimore's Elvis Dumervil (five years, $26 million, $8.25 million guaranteed). Beason just turned 29 on Tuesday, so a long-term deal isn't a crazy idea for him to have. But given his injury history, it's going to be hard for the Giants to commit too much in terms of contract length or guaranteed money."

But, as Dan wrote, the Giants may be reluctant to fork over a huge chunk of cash to a player with such a spotty injury past. To me, Beason showed no sign of someone who is coming off the dreaded Achilles tendon tear. He has all the attributes of a team leader and with the high level of play he exhibited in 2013, I don't see the Giants simply letting him go. They haven't had a LB with his talents in years.

There is no question to the Giants coaches, training staff, and fans, that Jon Beason has been one of the shining spots of this defense in a season that seemed doomed from the start.

Acquired from the Carolina Panthers in the middle of the season, many believed that Beason would be a non-factor in the defensive scheme, but the 28-year-old has proved to be more than just a small piece to a larger puzzle.

I don?t know if you look down the road, but Jon Beason is a free agent after this year. Do you sit there?"I don?t look down the road. Please. We?ve got a game. He?s a middle linebacker. I hope we can take care of those kinds of things first. If you?re going to ask me if he?s played well? Yeah, he?s played well."

Would you say Beason exceeded expectations in how quickly he was able to make an impact?"I think a lot of the research that we did was extremely positive about the kind of personality and energy that he brought and we were prepared for that, but we were pleased."

Football is football. On of the primary goals is to get the guy with the ball. Jon Beason, the MLB the Giants acquired from the Carolina Panthers on Oct 4, is very good at getting the guy with the ball.

He is also a leader, vocal and otherwise. He gets the defense lined up and in position to make plays. He is physical as well as cerebral. The Giants got a real gift from old friend Dave Gettlemen, the former Giants' executive who is now the GM in Carolina.

Perhaps one of the shining lights of the Giants defense has been the play of their linebackers, and specifically, the play of linebacker Jon Beason. Beason, who was acquired?from the Carolina Panthers at the beginning of October, has done a tremendous job at the middle linebacker position and he has gained a lot of attention from the media, fans and more importantly, the respect from his team.

"He walked in the door and like I said earlier, the guys gravitated to him and he has that type of personality, he?s that type of a leader," said linebackers coach Jim Herrmann. "He?s a very upbeat leader and it is.? He has an infectious personality.? Most great leaders are.? You see that in him.? To be able to walk into the door and play right away, that?s not easy."

A different week, but the same questions.

Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell was not shy when talking the media about the importance of the Giants defensive line this week against the fast paced offense of the Philadelphia Eagles.

LB Jon Beason has started just two games for the Giants since coming over via a trade from Carolina in early October. He is already eighth on the club in tackles with 21 (16 solo) and at this rate, he'll be the team leader in no time. In fact, it's only a matter of time before Beason becomes the official leader of the defense both on and off the field.

Head coach Tom Coughlin was asked if he was surprised at the immediate impact Beason has made on the Giants considering he had no training camp:

In Week 8, the Giants (1-6) head to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles (3-4) in an NFC East divisional showdown.

The Eagles earned a 36-21 victory over the Giants in Week 5 at MetLife Stadium. The Giants still lead the all-time regular season series, 81-74-2.

From SNYGiants contributor Craig Santucci:

Jerry Reese is taking a lot of heat for the gambles he took this year. Most of them came up snake eyes. However, he still has a small chance to rescue his season with his latest acquisition.

It's a short week for the Giants as they hope to stop their season from freefalling completely out of control tomorrow night when they take on the Chicago Bears in hopes of finding their first win in what seems to be the longest NFL season of all time.

The Bears have lost two straight games after starting the season 3-0,?but have a formidable offense with QB Jay Cutler, who is having a steady year,?along with weapons such as RB Matt Fore, WR Brandon Marshall, and former Giants TE Martellus Bennett.

Geico SportsNite covers the Giants' acquisition of Jon Beason and Chris Snee being placed on the injured reserve list after a hip injury.

http://web.sny.tv/media/video.jsp?content_id=31085903&topic_id=6479520&tcid=vpp_copy_31085903&v=3

?It doesn?t happen (often) with mid-season trades. But the one place I said if I wasn?t in Carolina where I wanted to be was with a great organization like the Giants with a winning tradition, leadership, a 4-3 scheme where I can come in right now. I think I can really come out and impact the season,? Beason said in a statement.

Beason was acquired for a 2014 late-round draft choice.

But in reviewing that draft here in 2011, I can't help but catching myself on the glaring error the Giants may have made in the first round.