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Good morning, New York Giants fans! Two more days until the Giants kick off the regular season. Let’s check the headlines.
Beckham just wants to win games
Odell Beckham Jr. smashed all sorts of records as a rookie with 91 catches and 1,305 yards receiving in just 12 games. He followed that up with 96 catches and 1,450 yards receiving last season. What does he want to do for an encore?
Win games. The Giants have gone 6-10 in each of his first two seasons.
“I definitely want to get better each and every year,” Beckham said Thursday. “Whether it’s put up better numbers, but I just want to get better every year. The numbers mean something in a sense, but the 6-10 number, flip that around, 10-6 means a lot more. I just hate losing. I’m cool with other people being open, we’re scoring. There’s no better feeling than being on the field and everything is clicking and we’re winning games. I remember my freshman year in college. We were 13-0 and I wasn’t going for 120 yards a game. It was 50 yards, five catches, the blocks that you made to spring a running back. It’s really about winning. I hate losing.”
Beckham’s two-year statistical totals of 187 catches, 2,755 yards and 25 touchdowns are all franchise records for a player in his first two Giants seasons. The yardage total is an NFL record for a player in his first two seasons.
JPP ready to “play some good football”
A year after missing eight games and nearly destroying his career in a Fourth of July fireworks accident, Jason Pierre-Paul has had a full offseason, training camp and preseason to prepare.
“I feel good. Have 16 games, going to try and be injury-free this year. You never know when the injury is going to occur in football. I’m just ready to play. It’s been a minute,” Pierre-Paul said. “I have the full 16 games. Hopefully I get the full, God willing. I’m just ready to go and play some good football with my teammates.”
Who starts at free safety?
Will it be Nat Berhe or Darian Thompson, returning from a shoulder injury, at free safety on Sunday. As of Thursday, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said he didn’t know.
“We have to make that call here shortly. Dave (Merritt) and I talked about it last night. There’s a little bit of the special teams’ realm in that. Whoever the backup is will probably play a little more special teams,” Spagnuolo said. “As coaches, with Ben involved, we have to figure that out. Right now during the week of prep, both of those guys have had about equal reps. Part of that was to keep Nat (Berhe) out there because he’s deserved to be out there. He’s played pretty well. Then try and get DT back up and going here. We’ll see.”
In case you missed it
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- Can Will Beatty contribute on Sunday?
- Matchup: Giants’ defense vs. Dallas offense
- Five questions about the Dallas Cowboys