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Good morning, New York Giants fans! NFL teams who have not yet done so must trim their rosters to 75 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. We will be watching for cuts by the Giants, and tracking those from other teams, as well. While we wait for word of the Giants’ moves, here are some notes from Monday.
Jonathan Casillas aiming for Dallas
Linebacker Jonathan Casillas, who injured his ribs against the New York Jets on Saturday, said Monday he has “no fractures” and is targeting a return in the season opener.
“I’m going to be ready for Dallas. I’m not going to miss Dallas. I can’t miss Dallas,” Casillas said. “I’m not 100 percent sure, of course not, but my goal is to play in Dallas. Whatever I need to do, I’m going to do so I can be ready for Dallas week one.”
Justin Pugh glad to be back
Starting left guard Justin Pugh was back at practice on Monday, and happy to be there after missing the past two preseason glad to be back.
“It was good to get back out there,” Pugh said. “It was fun. It obviously wasn't full pads, so you have to get to that tomorrow and go from there. It was good to get back out there, be out there with my teammates. Obviously, being out for two weeks has been a little rough.”
Pugh, dealing with a bruised shoulder, said he felt as though he could have played in either game, but “but it was still a little sore, so just making sure I am not regressing.”
The blocking has been criticized while Pugh has been sidelined, but he said the team was “close on a lot of things.”
“Actually, we watched the film and we were real close on a lot of things and obviously, you don't see that. You see that we didn't run the ball very well, but we were close on a lot of things,” Pugh said. “Obviously, getting out there and communicating and having the five guys that have been out there would be great, and obviously I feel responsible because I wasn't out there to help them out, so that is definitely another reason why I was excited to get back out there today.”
Tavarres King talks about his journey
When Tavarres King had a two-touchdown performance against the Jets on Saturday, we discussed the long journey he has taken to get to the opportunity he now has. King talked about that on Monday.
“I’ve been pretty low, real low,” he said. “But I’ve got a positive group of people around me. My family is very positive. It’s awesome to have people in your corner that know and push you to be successful. I’m hungry, I’m hungry for it and I think that’s showing.”