A useless try at projecting the 53-man roster

by ETVal on Jul 25, 2008 7:00 AM EDT in News

I know this is silly. It's bound to be way off. There will be injuries, there will be players on the Week 1 roster who aren't even in camp right now. Who knows what will happen in the next several weeks.

Today is the first day of training camp, though. So, with that in mind, let's take a stab at projecting the season-opening 53-man roster.

Quarterback (3) -- Manning, Carr, Woodson.

Bye-bye, Anthony Wright. The Giants didn't use a sixth-round pick on Andre Woodson to cut him. They hope to develop him. As for David Carr, the Giants are the latest team to give him a chance. Since all he has to do is be a little bit better than Wright, the Giants really aren't asking a whole lot.

Running Back (5) -- Jacobs, Bradshaw, Ward, Droughns, Hedgecock.

Bye-bye, Danny Ware. The only real question here is if Reuben Droughns can hang on to a spot. I think so. Coach Tom Coughlin respects Droughns, even if he is old and slow. I think he will want to keep him.

Wide Receiver (6) -- Burress, Toomer, Smith, Moss, Manningham, Hixon.

Bye-bye, Michael Jennings and, maybe, David Tyree. It's amazing to think that Tyree's great Super Bowl catch could be the last play of his Giants' career. I think Tyree, currently on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list after knee surgery, might end up on Injured Reserve. If not, he might -- sadly -- wind up in another uniform. Domenic Hixon is just too valuable as a return and cover guy to let go.

Tight End (3) -- Boss, Johnson, Matthews.

Bye-bye, Jerome Collins. This is a closed competition, at least in terms of who makes the team. How the playing time shakes out is an entirely different matter.

Offensive Line (9) -- Diehl, Seubert, O'Hara, Snee, McKenzie, Olivea, Whimper, Reugamer, Boothe.

Bye-bye, Adam Koets. He will be the first member of the highly-acclaimed 2007 draft class to be let go. He is the only one of the eight picks from that class who had no impact last season. Watch for 350-pound undrafted free agent guard Kurt Quarterman to end up on the practice squad.

Defensive Line (8) -- Umenyiora, Tuck, Robbins, Cofield, Alford, Tollefson, Wynn, Nwagbuo.

Bye-bye, Robert Henderson. You can't be perfect with your draft selections every year, and Henderson, the seventh-round pick from Southern Miss, becomes the first Reese draft selection not to make the team. Ogmedi Nwagbuo is a guy Star-Ledger reporter Mike Garafolo told us to keep an eye on, and the Giants need another defensive tackle, so I will go out on a limb with this choice.

Linebacker (7) -- Pierce, Kiwanuka, Wilkinson, Clark, DeOssie, Kehl, Goff.

Bye-bye, Chase Blackburn. I always loved the guy's hustle and heart, but the drafting of Jonathan Goff as a possible heir apparent to Antonio Pierce at middle linebacker will make Blackburn expendable.

Cornerback (6) -- Ross, Webster, Madison, Thomas, Dockery, McQuarters.

Bye-bye, Geoffrey Pope. The G-Pope has great speed, but McQuarters has veteran savvy and special teams ability that Coughlin craves. My guess is that McQuarters also spends some time learning the safety position as a precaution, since the way I have parceled out this roster there is only room for four safeties.

Safety (4) -- Phillips, Johnson, Knight, Butler.

Bye-bye, Nehemiah Warrick. The undrafted free agent from Michigan State has generated a little buzz. He is likely headed for the practice squad, though. By the way, I did indeed put the safeties in the order of the players I really hope to see on the field most of the time.

Specialists (2) -- Jeff Feagles, punter; Lawrence Tynes, placekicker.

What do you guys think? I'm guessing there will be a lot of you rooting for Blackburn. Also, there's probably some sentiment to see Droughns and McQuarters sent packing.

Let me know.

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Comments

Well done

I swear I read the stuff you write, and I feel like you are the guy driving the pickup truck, and I am Rerun

Dating myself, but I think some of you will now what I am talking about

Giants fan from the womb to the tomb

by jrs1940 on Jul 25, 2008 7:54 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

LOL!!

Hey, as long as the truck isn’t going back and forth and running over you time after time, it’s all good. I want to go back to last year and see how close I got when I did this. That’s the fun part.

by ETVal on Jul 25, 2008 8:57 AM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

OK, replying to myself now

Well, that’s a little scary. But, anyway, here is the projection I did last year—http://www.bigblueview.com/2007/7/26/17422/9634
It’s pretty darn close to how it actually turned out. Better than I thought.

by ETVal on Jul 25, 2008 9:00 AM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

i know that Hixon

may be a more valuable player, and fill more of a need. however, i find it really, really, really hard to believe that Tyree will not make this team. that would be an immensely unpopular move both among Giants fans and the locker room, especially considering that they would end up keeping on someone like Sinorice Moss, who has done absolutely zilch in a Giants uniform (i mean at least Hixon returned a kick once, right?).

i know it’s tough to cut a 2nd round pick two years after you TRADED UP to get him, but maybe the Giants should just admit that Moss was a mistake. not only can he not stay healthy, he also hasn’t shown anything to make me believe that he’s ever going to be more than a #4 WR. not that Tyree is much better, but at least he is a valuable special teams player.

(just to add insult to injury, the next WR taken after Moss in ‘06: Greg Jennings)

i’m torn on the whole Tyree situation. i want them to do what’s best of the team, but I really don’t want to see a Super Bowl hero cut six months later.

by SBakerTheTouchdownMaker on Jul 25, 2008 10:02 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Tyree

I would feel badly, but I don’t think the Giants will cut him. If I understand PUP correctly, the Giants could basically ‘hide’ him there for the first 6 games and then activate him to replace someone when an inevitable injury takes place. Or, he could end up on IR. From everything I’ve read, his knee injury seems to be worse than we were led to believe.

by ETVal on Jul 25, 2008 10:53 AM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Tyree

appears headed for a spot on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.

If the G-Men keep him there beyond the close of camp, my understanding is that he would be IR’d until the 5th or 6th game of the regular season at which point the Giants could either swap him out for one of the other WRs on the active roster. That could buy Reese and the coaching staff some valuable time in assessing some of the oter bubble guys, i.e. Moss, Hixon, Jennings and D.J. Hall (who you neglected to mention in your analysis.)

by knickfan on Jul 25, 2008 12:51 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Hall

I didn’t mention Hall because - unless a bunch of guys get hurt - I think he has no shot. I know there is some buzz about the guy, but he would have to be the best guy in camp to unseat Moss or Hixon.

by ETVal on Jul 25, 2008 12:56 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

how are we supposed to have a discussion...

with Ed making such informed and well reasoned assessments? don’t you know blogs are about CONTROVERSY? shouldnt you say something like, we sign brett favre to trade manning for draft picks?

in all seriousness, you pretty much nailed everything, and explained it better than i would have. droughns and mcquarters, a you also pointed out, would be the guys i would think mot likely not to make it from your list. but yeah, great job, and if this is indeed the team, i think i like what i see.

by kendynamo on Jul 25, 2008 10:04 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Sorry

I take it all back. All the draft choices will be cut, the Giants will beg strahan to return and DJ Hall will wind up as the No. 1 receiving option. That better?

by ETVal on Jul 25, 2008 10:54 AM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Ed, I told you

You’re too good

I think Tyree spends the year on IR, that is my gut feeling

In retrospect, I may disagree with you on the O-line, I think Koets may stay, and Whimper would be the guy to go

And at TE, I think there may be a waiver wire type pickup before Opening Day, maybe the Cowboys will cut Whitten

Giants fan from the womb to the tomb

by jrs1940 on Jul 25, 2008 11:40 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

If I'm so good

Can I please get Garafolo’s job? Or Vacchiano’s? Or, maybe I should shoot for Lupica’s.

by ETVal on Jul 25, 2008 12:11 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

NO!

I can’t handle this by myself…...

Giants fan from the womb to the tomb

by jrs1940 on Jul 25, 2008 1:04 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Wish you would get Lupicas!

Garafolos’ got to stay though.

We're only gonna score 17 points?

by big blue wrecking crew on Jul 25, 2008 2:13 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

agreed

Hixon stays; he’s an x-factor in the return game and a constant threat to break one wide open.

As I’ve said before, and I know he is a step slower than some of the other guys, but I think McQ stays as well. He’s a savvy veteren and a great team leader. Just like Belicheck & Parcells have “their guys” – I think Coughlin does too; savvy vets that have been around the league and while they might be a step slower or not as strong as a rookie, they can make up for it in football IQ. Plus McQ can fill on special teams, dime packages, during injuries, etc. Guys like him are great to have around.

Sadly, I agree about Blackburn. The Giants kept drafting very talented LB’s and now there is a glut of playmakers at the position. I have no doubt that he will have little trouble signing on elsewhere, however.

re: tyree – I agree with JR – he probably goes on the PUP and then either gets brought back on the team after an injury or spends the yr on the IR. One interesting caveat; did you guys see on bigblueinteractive.com where it mentioned that the Gmen were shopping S Moss all summer and there were no takers? I would not be surprised if Moss gets an unusually high number of snaps throughout the pre-season and the coaches speack highly of him to drive up his value; then trade him 1-2 weeks prior to the start of the regular season. Major injuries tend to occur in the preseason, meaning teams will need depth and if the GMen can coax a pick out of someone…well, that would be nice, wouldn’t it? So if that happens, then Tyree will stick around.

by Cody K on Jul 25, 2008 12:49 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Moss

I hadn’t seen that … but I could see it happening. The Giants do seem to have a lot of options at WR, and collecting draft picks is never a bad thing. Just like they did w/Ryan Grant a year ago, getting a pick for a guy you don’t need is always a bonus.

by ETVal on Jul 25, 2008 12:58 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

here's the link

http://www.bigblueinteractive.com/2008/07/25/players-report-to-training-camp/

And yes, it seems like the Ryan Grant thing came out of nowhere as a result of some injuries in camp. There was an article yesterday, I think a John Clayton mailbag on espn.com or something, where he talked about the dearth of quality WR’s in the league, and he specifically mentioned the Cowboys as being one T.O. injury away from some big problems. So I think there would be a big market for him, especially if he has a decent preseason.

by Cody K on Jul 25, 2008 1:28 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

I doubt

the Giants would even trade a water-boy to the Cowboys, let alone a WR like Moss who could potentially help their most hated rival fill a gaping hole in the roster.

by knickfan on Jul 25, 2008 1:34 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

No kidding

I hear you; you don’t want to help a division rival that you play at least 2x/yr. I was throwing the Cowboys out there as an example of a team that Clayton mentioned as having a potential hole at WR (beyond Owens).

by Cody K on Jul 25, 2008 1:36 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Robert Henderson

I’m not sure if this guy is as much of a longshot as a lot of people think.

I mean, here’s a guy who probably would have wound up a UDFA if the Giants hadn’t used their second 6th-rounder on him. He wasn’t on anyone’s radar that I have seen- none of the pundits seemed to even know who he was when he was selected.

I remember reading shortly after the draft (wish I could find the link) that the Giants’ player evaluation guru, Marc Ross, was extremely high on this kid following some private workouts in which Henderson really impressed with his motor and strength. Ross reportedly lobbied hard to use a draft pick on him and not risk losing him as an UDFA to another team.

Yeah, I know a sixth-rounder isn’t a big-deal investment but I think they envision Henderson as a possible long term answer at DT. He’s definitely one to keep an eye on this camp. If he winds up being a victim of the numbers game (i.e beaten out by Nwagbuo, as you suggest), I think the Giants still try to hold on to him by stashing him on the practice squad or on the IR with one of those nasty cases of poison ivy.

by knickfan on Jul 25, 2008 1:15 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

special teams

I wonder what effect that will have on special teams, Blackburn and Tyree are leaders there. I couldn’t find any stats, but over the last 5 years, they’ve got to account for the majority of special teams tackles.

by queler on Jul 25, 2008 1:27 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Special Teams

Blackburn I agree, Tyree not so much. The guy has a great special teams rep, but he really hasn’t been all that much of a playmaker in coverage the past couple of seasons. Hixon is better at this point, maybe because Tyree just isn’t healthy.

by ETVal on Jul 25, 2008 1:29 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

couldn't find much

But Blackburn was 7th in ST tackles in the NFL with 17 solo I think it was.

by queler on Jul 25, 2008 1:39 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

I think he hurt his case

by not getting off the field in time on that play during the SB. I’d keep him over Droughns though

by TerraByte on Jul 25, 2008 8:53 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

McQ

I have always liked McQ, and I understand what you mean about savvy and leadership. Even so, I think that Pope edges him out this year

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by NYERinSF on Jul 25, 2008 1:52 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

McQ

Scares the ever lovin crap out of me

Giants fan from the womb to the tomb

by jrs1940 on Jul 25, 2008 2:12 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Etval good picks................ but,

If I’m picking before camp even starts, Droughns is out because of age and (big surprise here!) Blackburn stays. Gerris Wilkinson is hurt already and C.B. should at least have a legit shot to show his talents during the preseason games.The 2 rookie linebackers have yet to prove they can survive the first week,remember the highly touted tough guy Jeff Hatch?

We're only gonna score 17 points?

by big blue wrecking crew on Jul 25, 2008 2:18 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

I hear you

I am trusting Reese’s draft instincts here.

by ETVal on Jul 25, 2008 2:22 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Close but I see some surprises. Moss-gone, Tyree-PUP, Wilkinson- If he can’t take the WILL he’s-gone he can’t stay healthy, Hixon has to stand out as a returnman or he’s gone. Droughns traded to a team who is desperate or cut. Prepare to be surprised.

by bigdaddybluesman on Jul 25, 2008 6:45 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs