Good morning, New York Giants fans! A 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff today between your New York Giants and the Arizona Cardinals. Here is some reading material to occupy a little of your time between now and then.
NY Giants tight end Travis Beckum has battled injuries and inconsistencies during his short career
"It's tough," Beckum said. "Obviously it's going to be even tougher for people on the outside, people that aren't in this organization that actually get a chance to see what I do at practice. I think the guys around here know what I'm capable of doing. So I've just got to try to stay healthy and go out there and prove myself." Maybe Sunday will finally be the day, when the Giants face the Arizona Cardinals and try to win their third straight game. The Giants have plans for Beckum, who was a dynamic pass-catcher at the University of Wisconsin - plans that go beyond the "third-down tight end" label Tom Coughlin gave him earlier this year.
But after an up-and-down summer, a hamstring injury knocked him out of the first two games. Then he was limited to just the one catch in the Giants' win in Philly. He's off the injury report finally and probably as close to 100 percent physically as he's going to get.
Now all he has to do is earn back his teammates' and coaches' trust.
"I think we had hopes and we still have hopes," said offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride. "We see some physical skill and a guy that looks athletic enough to be a contributor. When you see that as a coach you'd like to say 'OK, let's get it out of him in a consistent manner.'
Cardinals Vs. Giants: New York Expert Breaks Down The Game - SB Nation Arizona
Here is an interview I did regarding the Giants with SB Nation Arizona.
A preview of today's game from the perspective of a Cardinals' fan.
Giants Gameday: Arizona Cardinals host Giants | NJ.com
Giants Gameday: Arizona Cardinals host Giants
When Arizona has the ball | SB Nation New York
When the Giants have the ball | SB Nation New York
Friday Injury Report
NEW YORK GIANTS
Out
CB Prince Amukamara (foot)
WR Brandon Stokley (quadricep)
Questionable
LS Zak DeOssie (back)
DE Justin Tuck (groin, neck)
DE Osi Umenyiora (knee)
Probable
WR Mario Manningham (concussion)
WR Hakeem Nicks (knee)
ARIZONA CARDINALS
Out
TE Jim Dray (pectoral)
Questionable
KR LaRod Stephens-Howling (hand)
WR Chansi Stuckey (hamstring)
RB Chris Wells (hamstring)
Probable
TE Todd Heap (ribs)
LB Paris Lenon (groin)
Predicting Today's Inactives
Here is a guess at who will be inactive for the Giants today
Amukamara, Stokley, James Brewer, Da'Rel Scott, Michael Clayton, Mitch Petrus, Spencer Paysinger. The last one, especially, is a tough call. I almost went with Mark Herzlich, but Herzlich has to be active in the event DeOssie's back acts up and he is forced to long snap.
By the way, I dislike the whole "inactive" thing. If you are paying 53 guys to be on your "active" roster, why do you have to choose seven of them to be in street clothes on game day? Makes no sense to me.