New York Giants guard Justin Pugh said he expects to stay at left guard in the 2017 season as he enters the final year of his rookie contract.

"I'm not working anywhere else, but I know that if they need me to play tackle, I can play tackle," Pugh told NJ.com's Dan Duggan. "And I know if they ask our tackles to play guard, they can play guard. That's the thing with the Giants' offensive linemen: They're always willing to step up and do whatever it takes to win because this is a team that can go and make some noise once we get into the playoffs."

Pugh, 26, is entering the final year of his rookie deal after New York picked up his fifth-year option worth $8.8 million. A first-round pick in 2013, the Giants signed him to a four-year deal worth $8.3 million.

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

The New York Giants' biggest need heading into the NFL draft was along their battered offensive line. So it's not surprising that the biggest criticism of their draft has been Jerry Reese's failure to address that.

But Reese thinks the Giants line is in better shape than most people think.

He pointed to two young players in particular in an interview on WFAN on Monday afternoon as reasons to be hopeful about the future. Rather than stock up on young linemen from a draft class that the Giants simply thought was unappealing, he chose to ride instead with two young tackles: 23-year-old Ereck Flowers and 22-year-old Bobby Hart.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv

For the moment, Ereck Flowers appears to be the Giants left tackle by default. But Jerry Reese made it clear that is definitely subject to change.

The Giants general manager said the team will "experiment" with their offensive line lineup this spring in search of their still-to-be-determined starting five. At the moment, they have no obvious lineup, but they do have several players with the flexibility to play multiple positions.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv

Weston Richburg was one of the bright spots on the Giants' offensive line last season, but that's not the way he saw it. The Giants center wasn't happy with his overall performance, which was due in part to an injury that he never revealed.

Richburg said he tore ligaments in his right hand in the Giants' second preseason game. He played the entire season with the injury, which eventually needed surgery.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv

PHOENIX - It's looking more and more every day like the embattled Ereck Flowers will keep his job as the Giants' left tackle. And if he does, it sounds like he's got Ben McAdoo's support.

"I think one of the best games Ereck played all year was the playoff game, the last game of the season," McAdoo said on Tuesday at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, site of the NFL Owners Meetings. "He's working hard on his technique. I'm pretty confident that he's working pretty hard right now at being a better player, putting a lot of time and energy in to it. You get to see his face a lot. He's in and out of the building a lot. I know he loves the game and I have confidence in Ereck."

McAdoo's endorsement was undoubtedly sincere, after what was a very rough sophomore season for the 22-year-old Flowers. But it also was out of necessity, since it doesn't appear that the Giants have any other viable options beyond their former first-round pick. Giants GM Jerry Reese had indicated after last season that they'd explore the idea of moving Flowers to another position. But so far they haven't brought another left tackle in to compete.

The Giants have re-signed OL John Jerry to a three-year deal worth $10 million, SNY's Ralph Vacchiano confirmed.

$4.25 million of the deal is guaranteed, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Jerry, 30, started all 16 games for the Giants this past season.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv

If Jason Pierre-Paul doesn't sign a long-term contract before the start of the free-agent signing period on March 9, he will count for approximately $17 million against the New York Giants' salary cap. That would be more than 10 percent of the projected $168 million cap, and the second-highest number on the team.

It would also mean the Giants will have $33 million in cap space (or about 20 percent of the projected cap) tied up in their two starting defensive ends, and a total of about $44 million (26 percent) tied up in three-fourths of their defensive line -- with the fourth member (defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins) looking to cash in for himself when free agency starts.

The Giants are still projected to have around $15-17 million to spend in free agency, assuming the cap is set at $168 million. They can also clear more room by cutting some players in the next 10 days or restructuring some of their biggest deals.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY:

The Super Bowl is over and the offseason has begun, meaning the Giants can start reshaping their roster in the hopes they can make a run at Super Bowl LII. And even though they went 11-5 and returned to the playoffs last season, there's a lot of work to be done.

So here are some of the biggest questions the Giants must answer this offseason. We'll check back in each week to see how the Giants are doing, whether any of the questions have been answered, and whether any have changed:

1.) How are they going to fix their offensive line?

Considering how their poor offense dragged them down this season, this is the Giants' most important question. They have a franchise quarterback in Eli Manning and one of the biggest weapons in the game in Odell Beckham, Jr.. If Manning could get better protection and a few holes could be open in the running game, maybe the offense could live up to the expectations.

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY:

Even after an 11-5 season there are so many questions about the Giants and their offseason plans that I had to split them into several SNY Twitter mailbags. Part I ran on Wednesday. Part II ran on Thursday.

Here, as promised, is Part III … with a IVth still to come:

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Tom Coughlin's decision to go for it in the 2007 regular-season finale is a big part of his legend. Faced with a meaningless game against a Patriots team trying to complete the NFL's first 16-0 season, the Giants coach decided to risk it all to see if his team could prevent history. 

They couldn't, but Coughlin and the Giants earned the respect of everyone around football. And more importantly, the confidence they gained in defeat was the springboard to their own historic championship run.

John Fennelly, SNY.TV

As last season drew to an end, the Giants were facing another football-less January. They finished 6-10 for the second straight time and missed the playoffs for the fourth consectutive season.

The defense, decimated by injuries, was the league's worst and not befitting of wearing the Giants' vaunted blue.
Ownership had head coach Tom Coughlin fall on his sword rather than fire him and decided to give GM Jerry Reese one final chance to get his roster right -- starting with the defense.

Reese responded by getting aggressive in free agency, re-signing DE Jason Pierre-Paul and then the top DT, DE and CB available in Damon Harrison, Olivier Vernon, and Janoris Jenkins respectively. He also inked veteran LBs Keenan Robinson and Kelvin Sheppard. In the draft, he landed Ohio State CB Eli Apple in the first round and took safety Damian Thompson of Boise State in Round Three.

The Giants ran the ball 32 times during Sunday's 17-6 win over the Lions -- more than the 28 passing attempts by QB Eli Manning.

The result was 114 yards, though the long was just 11 and they averaged only 3.6.

"It was good to get the attempts up," head coach Ben McAdoo said after the game. "I thought we pounded it in there pretty good. Big guys were coming off the ball and it's encouraging"

The following players appeared on the Giants' injury report on Friday...

Did not participate in practice:

• DE Jason Pierre-Paul (core muscle)

The following players appeared on the Giants' injury report on Thursday...

Did not participate in practice:

• DE Jason Pierre-Paul (core muscle)
• LB Keenan Robinson (shoulder)

Limited participation in practice:

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.TV: 

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Help is on the way for the Giants' much-maligned offensive line.

Left guard Justin Pugh, who has been out since early November, is confident he'll be back in action when the Giants play host to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. That should help a unit that has come under fire in recent weeks, as the Giants' offense has dropped to 27th in the league.

"I feel good. I think I'm going to play this week," Pugh said. "Obviously it's been a rough road for me trying to get back. Setbacks, thinking I'm playing last week and then not playing. I've been doing everything at practice so this is the week I'm going to come back for sure."

The following players appeared on the Giants' injury report on Wednesday...

Did not participate in practice:

• DE Jason Pierre-Paul (core muscle)
• LB Keenan Robinson (shoulder)

Limited participation in practice:

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv

There is no way anyone can underestimate the Giants anymore.

Maybe they did still have a lot to prove when they rode six straight wins against (mostly) inferior opponents to an 8-3 record. But on Sunday night they beat a legitimately good team in the now-11-2 Dallas Cowboys. No team had been hotter. No team is more well-constructed. And the Giants have now beaten them twice.

What does that mean? It means that even if you think the Giants are still flawed (which they are), they have to be considered one of the best teams in their conference (which they are). It also means that, if they play up to their capabilities they can probably beat anyone in the NFL. The Giants were essentially no-shows on offense on Sunday night except for one glorious moment of Odell Beckham being Odell Beckham, and they were still good enough to take the Cowboys down.

The Giants released their injury report on Friday...

The following players will be OUT for Sunday night's game against the Cowboys

• S Nat Berhe (concussion)
• LB Mark Herzlich (concussion)
• DE Jason Pierre-Paul (core muscle)

The Giants released their injury report on Thursday. The following players were listed...

Did Not Participate in Practice

• DE Jason Pierre-Paul (core muscle)
• S Nat Berhe (concussion)
• LB Mark Herzlich (concussion)
• TE Larry Donnell (illness)

The Giants released their injury report on Wednesday. The following players were listed...

Did Not Participate in Practice

• DE Jason Pierre-Paul (core muscle)
• S Nat Berhe (concussion)
• DT Johnathan Hankins (thigh)
• WR Dwayne Harris (wrist)

Ralph Vacchiano, SNY.tv:

The Giants so badly wanted to prove to everyone that they were true contenders, that their six-game winning streak wasn't a mirage just because of the poor quality of some of the teams they beat. They wanted respect. They wanted to be taken seriously. They wanted to be considered one of the best.

Instead, they came out flat and played down to the diminished expectations of their doubters as they took their first real step up in class.

The Giants released their injury report on Friday...

The following players will be OUT for Sunday's game against the Steelers

• S Nat Berhe (concussion)
• LB Mark Herzlich (concussion)
• DE Owa Odighizuwa (knee)
• OL Justin Pugh (knee

The Giants released their injury report on Thursday. The following players were listed...

Did Not Participate in Practice

• S Nat Berhe (concussion)
• LB Mark Herzlich (concussion)
• DE Owa Odighizuwa (knee)

The Giants released their injury report on Wednesday. The following players were listed...

Did Not Participate in Practice

• S Nat Berhe (concussion)
• LB Mark Herzlich (concussion)
• DE Owa Odighizuwa (knee)

Limited Participation in Practice (Less than 100 percent of a player's normal repetitions)

The Giants released their injury report on Friday...

The following players are OUT for Sunday's game against the Browns

• G Justin Pugh (knee)
• LB Brett Jones (calf)
• OL Marshall Newhouse (knee)

The Giants released their injury report on Thursday. The following players were listed...

Did Not Participate in Practice

• LB Brett Jones (calf)
• OL Justin Pugh (knee)
• DE Jason Pierre-Paul (knee)
• OL Marshall Newhouse (knee)

Limited Participation in Practice (Less than 100 percent of a player's normal repetitions)

• WR Dwayne Harris (wrist)
• WR Roger Lewis, Jr. (concussion)
• G Adam Gettis -- (Calf )
• RB Orleans Darkwa -- (Lower Leg)

The Giants released their injury report on Wednesday. The following players were listed...

Did Not Participate in Practice

• LB Brett Jones (calf)
• WR Roger Lewis, Jr. (concussion)
• DE Jason Pierre-Paul (knee)
• OL Marshall Newhouse (knee)

Giants OL Marshall Newhouse says he partially tore the MCL in his left knee, but he believes he can play on it, according to Zach Braziller of the New York Post.

Newhouse started at left guard for the Giants in Week 11 for the first time in his career, after starting guard Justin Pugh and backup guard Brett Jones were both ruled inactive. 

Newhouse suffered the injury during Sunday's win over Chicago, but only missed one series before returning to the field.

The Giants may be 7-3 and are possibly headed for a postseason berth, but they are far from a complete team -- sitting at 31st in the NFL in rushing after 11 weeks. Only the Minnesota Vikings are worse, but they have an excuse. They have been without star RB Adrian Peterson all year and are missing several starters on the offensive line. The Giants' excuse? Well, they don't have one.

Yes, the Giants ran for over 100 yards on Sunday for the second straight game, but they could not run the ball in the second half when they needed to. After coming out in the second half and scoring touchdowns on their first two drives, they punted on their next five, which included three three-and-outs. Their other two drives lasted just five plays each. With the weather changing in the Northeast, they have to do better than this.

Ralph Vacchiano, NFL Insider | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

THE GAME: The Chicago Bears (2-7) at the Giants (6-3) at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J. on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 1 p.m. ET.

THE WEATHER: Whoa! Bundle up. It's going to be nasty on Sunday, if the forecasts are indeed right. At the moment, the temperatures are going to be in the 40s with winds whipping around from 20-30 miles per hour. Pretty much, it's exactly the kind of weather you're hoping for if you're an underachieving team hoping to pull off an upset against a team that passes twice as much as it runs the ball.

The Giants released their injury report Friday...

The following players will be OUT for Sunday's game against the Bears

• G Justin Pugh (knee)
• C Brett Jones (calf)

The Giants released their injury report after Thursday's practice. The following players were listed...

Did Not Participate in Practice

• RB Orleans Darkwa (lower leg)
• G Justin Pugh (knee)
• C Brett Jones (calf)

The Giants released their injury report after Wednesday's practice. The following players were listed...

Did Not Participate in Practice

• T Adam Gettis (calf)
• WR Dwayne Harris (toe)
• G Justin Pugh (knee)
• C Brett Jones (calf)

The Giants' 21-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals was barely over on Monday night when Odell Beckham, Jr. went on ESPN and made it clear the Giants, at 6-3 and riding a wave of four straight victories, have already started dreaming big.

"We're really looking forward to Feb. 5 in Houston," Beckham said. "That's the goal, obviously."

Yes it is. The Giants have their sites set squarely on Super Bowl LI. And new coach Ben McAdoo isn't shying away from that at all.

THE GAME: The Cincinnati Bengals (3-4-1) at the Giants (5-3) at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J. on Monday, Nov. 14 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

THE WEATHER: The early forecast calls for a nice day to turn into a chilly night, with clear skies and temperatures in the low 40s. So bundle up. It always feels a lot colder at the Meadowlands.

The Giants released their injury report on Saturday. The final players are listed...

The following will be OUT Monday night against the Bengals

• OG Justin Pugh (knee)

The Giants released their injury report on Friday...

Did Not Participate in Practice

• WR Victor Cruz (ankle)
• OG Justin Pugh (knee)

The Giants released their injury report after Thursday's practice. The following players were listed...

Did Not Participate in Practice

• WR Victor Cruz (ankle)

The Giants' much-maligned offensive line may not be as bad as many people think. For years now, they have been the poster children for the Giants' woes, but in actuality, they haven't been as bad as their press.

They have three top draft picks in their starting lineup. LG Justin Pugh and LT Ereck Flowers were first-round selections and C Weston Richburg was a second-rounder. Free-agent pickup John Jerry has been a steadying presence in the middle of the line.

Giants OL Justin Pugh has a sprained MCL and will likely miss two-to-four weeks, a source told SNY.tv's Ralph Vacchiano.

Pugh will be getting a second opinion.

He left Sunday's win over the Eagles during the second quarter, when a teammate appeared to roll onto the back of his left leg. He was able to walk off the field, but was walking with a significant limp. Pugh did not return.

New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz and guard Justin Pugh left Sunday's 28-23 win over the Philadelphia Eagles with leg injuries and are scheduled to undergo MRIs.

Eli Manning has been an outspoken advocate against domestic violence, which put him in a difficult position in recent weeks as more and more facts about kicker Josh Brown came out. He instinctively wanted to be supportive of his teammates, but he couldn't support his actions.And while Giants management wasn't saying much about the situation, Manning - like many of his teammates - were forced to speak on behalf of the organization, without having all the facts.But like the true professional he is, and has always been, Manning never ducked the subject. It may not have been his responsibility, and he had little to do with the team's decision to standby Brown, but Manning has always understood his position as the face of the franchise.

THE GAME: The Giants (3-3) vs. the Los Angeles Rams (3-3) at Twickenham Stadium in London on Sunday, Oct. 23, 9:30 a.m. ET.THE WEATHER: It's exactly what you'd expect in London, but possibly without the fog and the rain. Temperatures will be in the low-to-mid 50s with a bit of wind (10-20 miles per hour) and plenty of clouds.WHAT IT MEANS: The Giants got themselves back on track last weekend with a solid, gutty performance against an undermanned Ravens team, and this is their chance to keep their momentum going heading into the bye. Really, if they are 4-3 at the bye with all the issues that have been swirling around them, and they're only a game-and-a-half behind the idle Cowboys, whom they've already beaten, that puts them in pretty good position at the nearly halfway point. They'll take that. It's certainly better than having two weeks to think about a loss, on top of everything else that's going on.

When the Giants drafted Justin Pugh at No. 19 overall in the 2013 NFL Draft, the selection was met with mixed reviews. He was not the desired size of a franchise tackle and there were questions about where and how the Giants planned to deploy him. Pugh started every game of his rookie season at right tackle and allowed only three sacks. He was back at right tackle the next season, starting 14 games.In 2015, the Giants decided to try Pugh at guard, where he eventually settled into the position he's at now - left guard. The move has been a godsend for the Giants' beleaguered offensive line as Pugh, according to the analytical website Pro Football Focus, has become one of the best in the game at his position.Going into Week 5, PFF wrote, "Pugh has become an All-Pro level guard, and currently leads the rankings at PFF with a 90.4 grade." That week against the Packers, Pugh topped all Giants on offense, earning a 77.8 grade. He followed with a strong performance against the Ravens, Pugh was tops again, grading out at 84.0. According to PFF, Pugh has not surrendered a single sack this season.

G Justin Pugh thinks the 2-3 Giants are the best team in the NFC East.

"Our division is good," Pugh told reporters after Sunday night's 24-17 loss to the Packers. "I think we're the best team in our division, even though we sit at the bottom. I think every team doesn't want to play us, but we have to go out and prove that. I can say it all I want, we have to go out and prove it. We played some good teams these past two weeks, and we have to take a hard look at the tape and get better from it quick."

The Giants are in last place in the division, behind the first place Cowboys (4-1), Eagles (3-1), and Redskins (3-2).

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

In this day and age where perception seamlessly becomes reality, it's always beneficial to peek beyond the veneer and see what's really going on.

Such is the case of the Giants' offensive line, long maligned by critics, a unit that is suddenly rising up the rankings.

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

Justin Pugh was right when he said "Everything you can do to lose a game today, we did." And the Giants (2-1) certainly did lose it. They were in control at the start before a plague of penalties and turnovers helped them throw their game against the Redskins (1-2) away.

And that could be costly because not only did it knock them out of first place in the NFC East -- behind the stunning, 3-0 Philadelphia Eagles -- but it robbed them of their momentum and blew a chance to really bury the defending division champions. In what is still basically a rebuilding season, every positive step matters.

Ralph Vacchiano, NFL Insider | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

Like Shane Vereen said, everybody "Relax", OK? Sure, the Giants have been awful this preseason, especially on offense. Yeah, the offensive line has major issues. OK, they're paper thin at pretty much every position. And yes, the regular season is now just 11 days away.

Wait. What was I saying? Oh, right. Relax and stop panicking. There's still another preseason game to go. Yeah, maybe the starters won't play much. And the Giants do have a bunch of nagging injuries already.