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The turmoil surrounding Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and coach Ben McAdoo is the big story for the New York Giants this week. The Giants, though, also have a game to play Sunday night against the Denver Broncos. Here are some of the stories that came out of the locker room Thursday as the Giants get ready for that.
Quinn: Eagan, Rudolph will return punts
One of the things that hasn’t been discussed much this week is that the Giants have to try and replace all of the things Dwayne Harris did for them on special teams. Coordinator Tom Quinn said this week that Ross Cockrell will take over as punt gunner, though others may also contribute there. Newly-added Ed Eagan and Travis Rudolph will likely handle punt return.
“Ed Eagan and Travis [Rudolph] have done it for us in preseason, so you feel good, you know what to expect out of them,” Quinn said. “Ball possession, ball security is obviously the number one thing. When you get a young guy in there, they get real anxious and it’s just about who’s going to catch the ball, possess the ball and then we go from there.”
‘Snacks:’ “Men of integrity”
Damon Harrison says nothing special has to be done to make sure Giants players stick together despite how the season has gone.
“We don’t have to do anything, nobody is straying away, feeling down or anything. We have a great group of men of integrity in here and they’re doing a great job of making sure that they continue to work, no matter the outcome of these games,” Harrison said. “Sure, we’d like to win, but at the end of the day, if you don’t you’ve still got a job to do come Tuesday morning.”
Roger Lewis: Nothing changes
Roger Lewis Jr. has gone from No. 4 on the Giants’ wide receiver depth chart to No. 1 due to the rash of injuries at the position. He said Thursday, though, that his approach won’t change.
“I prepare every week like a number one receiver. I prepare and go hard every practice and I’m not going to change anything, I’m just going to go out and do what I’ve been doing since I was five years old,” he said.
Spags: “Nobody feeling sorry for you”
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo wouldn’t offer his thoughts Thursday on the suspension of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, saying only “I want to just leave it with Ben and what he said and I would stand on his comments.”
Spagnuolo offered this comment when asked if he was concerned about the team having issues with players:
“Well, it’s always going to worry any coach when you’re not able to stay with the same 11 or 12 or 13 because we have different packages all the time. Now, when does that change? It generally changes with injuries or whatever happens. I mean, there’s real life going on, too. So, when it does happen, we have to adjust,” he said. “The players – they are still rolling and playing, the guys that have to go in. Coaches, we can’t blink. I mean, in this league, you have to go on to the next game. You can’t blink. You can’t be looking backwards. You can’t worry about what’s already happened. You have to worry about what’s going forward. So, we kind of put it in that same box. OK, who has to go now? Then we go. Nobody feeling sorry for you. Things not going to change.”