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Giants vs. Patriots, 'Kudos & Wet Willies' Review

A final look back at Giants vs. Patriots in our traditional 'Kudos & Wet willies' style.

By Ed Valentine
Da'Rel scott after being tackled Thursday night.
Da'Rel scott after being tackled Thursday night.
Jared Wickerham

There was so much going on Friday around the New York Giants that our 'Kudos & Wet Willies' review of Thursday's game against the New England Patriots had to take a back seat.

Admittedly, this is still a fairly quick 'K&WW' without a lot of detail (and still without a second look at the game). Let me know what you think.

Kudos To ...

Justin Pugh: Played well into the third quarter. had one false start, but otherwise was rarely noticed -- and that is a good sign. It looks like Pugh, the Giants' first-round draft choice, will be just fine at right tackle.

Da'Rel Scott: Only played 10 snaps, but made the most of them. This was not the tip-toeing Scott from the first preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. This was a hard-charging, running with purpose Scott who carried four times for 25 yards and caught two passes, one for a 6-yard touchdown.

Eli Manning: Went 6-for-9, finally having a nice preseason game. ended his night by hitting Hakeem Nicks for a 3-yard score to end a 10-play, 91-yard drive for a touchdown.

Justin Trattou/Adewale Ojomo/Matt Broha: All three young defensive ends played well Thursday, and throughout the entire preseason for that matter, making the Giants' decision on which defensive ends to keep on the 53-man roster insanely difficult.

Shaun Rogers/Mike Patterson: Both veteran defensive tackles showed Thursday that they have a lot of gas left in the tank, possibly pushing Marvin Austin off the roster.

David Wilson: Six carries for 37 yards and at least one very nice, and in the long run very important, blitz pickup.

Mark Herzlich: Played a team-high 52 snaps on defense and added 25 more on special teams. Finished with a team-high eight tackles and an interception. Dan Connor left the game early with a burner and dependign on his status Herzlich could end up starting at middle linebacker against the Dallas Cowboys.

Wet Willies To ...

James Brewer (at left tackle): Brewer honestly did just fine during his stint at left guard to start the game. When he was moved to left tackle, however, he fell apart. He gave up a pair of sacks and looked out of place at that spot. It was curious that the Giants moved Brewer, who could have used the snaps at guard, to the outside.

Cooper Taylor: The rookie did force a fumble on special teams. His work on defense, however, was not good enough. The Giants have high hopes for this huge, athletic safety but he might not be ready for prime time yet. Still, Taylor might end up on the roster.

Final Thoughts

I really would not want to be making decisions for real regarding the 53-man roster, projecting it is hard enough. There are brutally difficult decisions at quarterback, running back, defensive line and defensive back.

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