The 'Big Blue View Mailbag' is something we usually do on the weekends, and that generally will continue to be the case. I received an e-mail on Tuesday, however, that has so many things to respond to in it that I felt it required a special 'Weatherford Wednesday' post-NFL Draft edition of the mailbag.
The e-mail comes from a reader, Kevin McGowan, who e-mails Big Blue View occasionally. This e-mail reads as follow:
It's hard to understand the mindset of Reese and Ross. I am not going to debate the Beckham pick, but rather some of the follow-up comments like "he is a dynamic receiver and returner", if this player is the new #2 WR, are they really going to use him in the return game? Didn't we sign Trindon Holliday to fill this role? (or Demps). Your 1st round pick should be a strictly position player, not a special teams weapon.
To say that there were no TEs available that were better than those who are on the roster is just absurd. How would they know? Adrien Robinson has never seen the field. His total college production, total, was 29 receptions, that's like 5 or 6 games for an NFL TE (3 for Jason Whitten). You cannot tell me that there were no TEs who did more than this in their entire college career.
Lastly there was an article written about players who need to be concerned about their job and the list included Jernigan and Randle, I don't believe this will be the case. Manningham, yes, but the other two are firmly on the depth chart. The last I looked David Wilson is still on the roster, he would be the most likely loss with the FA signings and draft. When he goes, so does the threat of having speed in the backfield.The front office should have tried to add a TE and speed RB, even if they were reaches or cost late round future drafts to take a flyer. Reese is not a risk taker, and this hurts the Giants.
So much there to respond to. Let's get to it.
Beckham in the return game -- Of course the Giants are going to use Beckham in the return game, if he is the best guy for the job. They have used -- very successfully, I might add -- David Wilson in the return game. He was a first-round pick. The Arizona Cardinals use Patrick Peterson to return punts. The Dallas Cowboys have used Dez Bryant. Percy Harvin is a first-round pick who has been one of the game's best kickoff returners. DeSean Jackson is a star wide receiver, and early in his career Giants fans know how dangerous he was as a punt returner. It's about winning games. If Beckham is the best punt returner they have, put him back there.
As for Trindon Holliday, yes the Giants signed him as a "potential" kickoff and punt returner. They did not sign him and guarantee him the job. If they think he is the best guy, and they have a spot on the roster for a player who does nothing but return kicks, they will keep him.
Tight ends -- The Giants did not say there were not tight ends available who were "better than those who are on the roster." What they said was there were very few tight ends in the 2014 draft class they liked, and that in their draft windows each round they felt there were players at other positions with better value. I broke this down round-by-round earlier in the week. You can see the choices the Giants had, and why they didn't select a tight end each time.
Roster spots -- I read the article referred to about roster spots. The writer was not intimating that Reuben Randle and Jerrel Jernigan were going to lose their roster spots -- that's just plain silly. He was stating that in all likelihood Beckham will pass both Randle and Jernigan on the depth chart, becoming a starter while Randle and Jernigan end up as the third and fourth wide receivers.
David Wilson's future -- Whoa! Who said anything about the Giants getting rid of Wilson? There is only one way Wilson is not part of the Giants in 2014, and probably a critical part at that, and it is if he doesn't receive medical clearance to play. He still possesses an element of speed and big-play ability that no other Giants running back has, and new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo will find ways to utilize that speed if Wilson is available. Cut the 2012 first-round pick? Who is thinking about doing that?
Jerry Reese and risk -- The idea that Reese does not take risks is laughable. Did we not just enter a draft season where Giants' co-owner John Mara had stated that the Giants had made several risky picks in recent years that did not pan out? Jason Pierre-Paul was a massive risk that paid off. Marvin Austin? Not so much. David Wilson was a risk. Ryan Nassib and Damontre Moore a year ago were risks. Shoot, every pick is a risk. So is every free-agent signing. So is every move you don't make. like not drafting a tight end and choosing to give an opportunity to a pair of unproven youngsters on your roster. Reese isn't always right. But, doesn't take risks? Every single decision a general manager of an NFL team takes is a risk.