Giants news, 9/22: Preston Parker over James Jones remains sore subject

Good morning New York Giants fans! Here are your headlines for this Tuesday morning.

Why was James Jones cut?

Projected to be a deep position during the preseason, the wide receivers are catching a lot of blame in the first two weeks of the season. The Victor Cruz injury is proving to be a costly one while Reuben Randle has disappeared, possibly due to his knee tendinitis issues. Preston Parker has had a series of costly drops. James Jones however has been playing well for the Green Bay Packers. Jones has five catches, three for touchdowns, while Parker has an NFL leading five drops. This has led to fan outrage on the decision to release Jones, and among those who are frustrated is former Giant Shaun O'Hara.

Please make it stop. James Jones catches another TD pass and @Giants WR continue to drop passes

— Shaun O'Hara (@ShaunOHara60) September 21, 2015

Pro Football Talk chimed in the subject, asking why the Giants didn't trade Jones rather than release him.

While acknowledging that Jones does not have the skill set to play in the slot, FOX Sports says of the Jones' cut "curious decision is coming back to haunt the offense."

Reviewing the mistakes

Jordan Raanan reviewed all the costly mistakes against the Atlanta Falcons. From delay of game penalties, to dropped passes to not targeting Odell Beckham Jr, there are a lot to choose from.

The Giants final drive was a disaster. They had 1:14 remaining and two timeouts, more than enough ammunition to at least move downfield and into scoring territory.

But they ran six plays. Only one was positive. That was the pass interference on Beckham.

Three were drops – by Larry Donnell, Beckham and Parker. One was a throw away under pressure and the other Manning tossed out of bounds deep down the left sideline that was intended for wide open tight end Jerome Cunningham.

Where is the linebacker depth?

Every year the fans ask for a steady linebacker corps and every year those fans are disappointed. James Kratch of NJ.com writes of the lack of depth at the middle linebacker position as Uani 'Unga has played every single defensive snap possible.

Getting middle linebacker Jon Beason back on the field would be a big boost for the Giants in many ways.

But after reviewing the participation report for the second straight week, one thing is crystal clear: The Giants need Beason back from his knee sprain as soon as possible, because they are sorely lacking for depth at his position, as Sunday's 24-20 loss to the Falcons illustrated.

For the second straight week, Uani 'Unga was on the field in the middle for 100 percent of the defensive snaps. And, remember, this iron man performance came after he was limited in practice earlier in the week with his own knee injury.

The collapsing Giants defense

Tom Coughlin has been called out by many on time management and the general readiness of the team while Eli Manning has been taking fire as well. The real blame, according to George Willis of the NY Post, should be placed on the defense that blew double-digit leads two weeks straight.

For the second straight week, they blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter and suffered a gut-wrenching defeat, this time to the Falcons in the home opener.

The Giants’ offense did its part to contribute to the numbing loss. After showcasing wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. early and taking a 20-10 lead in the third quarter, the Giants’ offense crippled itself with turnovers and penalties, putting pressure on its defense, which couldn’t hold off the talent Jones and Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.

Around the league

Tony Romo will not need surgery for his broken clavicle but is still slated to miss 8 weeks.

Ian Rapoport reported that Drew Brees might miss games for a shoulder injury but Adam Schefter reports that the MRI showed that no significant injury occurred.

Jay Cutler's future this season is in doubt as he suffered a hamstring injury.

Speaking of injured quarterbacks, Matthew Stafford might not play in week three for the Detroit Lions.

Kiko Alsonso, the linebacker the Buffalo Bills exchanged for LeSean McCoy, is in danger of missing the rest of the season.