Things I think: Odell Beckhams future, Jaxson Dart, and some problems exposed
Odell Beckham | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectThe New York Giants first preseason game, a 13-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, has given us a lot to discuss. Here are some of the things I think after Saturdays game.Odell Beckhams future remains uncertainThe nostalgia of Odell Beckham Jr.s return to MetLife Stadium as a Giant was nice. Beckham got a couple of nice ovations from the crowd on Saturday, such as it was in a sparsely attended preseason game.Thats cool. But the nostalgia is over. Now, Beckhams comeback after a year away from football is only about whether he can make the Giants season-opening 53-man roster.Its a good question without an obvious answer.Beckham entered Saturdays game with less than six minutes left in the first half. He played 16 snaps. He caught two passes for a measly 6 yards on Saturday. Some will point out there was a play on which Beckham was open but did not get the ball. I have heard and read the same all summer from some of my media cohorts. To me, open, but doesnt matter. The tape will tell the decision-makers what they need to know.What matters in the end is if Beckham can be among the three or four best wide receivers on the roster. If he isnt, his path to making the roster is more difficult. NFL teams need the final player or two on the roster at positions like wide receiver to be core special teams contributors. Beckham has never been that, and wont be now.Head coach John Harbaugh, the man who has to make the ultimate keep-or-cut decision, certainly did not guarantee Beckham a roster spot on Saturday.I love Odell. I do. What hes doing, what hes fighting for, I dont know how its going to turn out. Its going to turn out the way it turns out, based on what happens, Harbaugh said. But to see his fight, his determination, his humility. Hes got his son in camp the other day, hes doing it for his son. That just, as a friend, that makes me really proud of him.Beckham is grateful for the chance.Just being able to be back on the field, it truly means a lot to me, Beckham said after the game.Im walking the fine line between being grateful just to be here, but still hungry and have desires to do more.When he felt he had broken open on a deep route, he thought, God, youre not going to bless me like that today I thought for a second it was about time to get back in that end zone.But the ball didnt come.I felt good.I feel good being out there, Beckham said.I feel when you see the tape or at practice, Im getting open. But at the end of the day, a receiver, I always talk about this, its the most selfless position on the field.You wait around all game for everybody to do their job just for five opportunities maybe.So when they do come their way, youve got to make the most of them. Today it was light, so well see what happens.What will happen is still a question without a clear answer.Jaxson Dart and the blue tentThe Giants quarterback did not like being sent to the medical tent for a concussion check after taking a huge hit from Minnesota safety Jay Ward on Saturday. Doing so, though, was the right call by whoever made it, whether that was the on-field officials or the upstairs medical spotters.Dart, who said he had the wind knocked out of him by the hit, lay on the field for several nerve-wracking seconds before getting to his feet. Checking him was the right decision.Playing starters was the right callExcept for veteran players like Brian Burns, D.J. Reader, Tremaine Edmunds, Shelby Harris, and Andrew Thomas, healthy starters played a couple of series on Saturday.I asked Harbaugh what they got out of playing:They got reps in a game, which theyre not going to get until the first game if you dont play them in the preseason. Its different, Harbaugh said. They [the Vikings] played their whole starting defense. We played about half our starting defense to start the game. So, I decided not to play some of those starting defensive guys for that reason. I thought that they would benefit more from not playing. They played their whole starting defense. I think we played all of our starting offense, except for our left tackle, and I felt like he didnt need it. He would be fine.But felt like the other guys playing together was important, especially with Jaxson out there. And our quarterback got two got, I dont know, 10, 15 plays out there of good football. So, hes going to be that much better for the regular season than he would have been if he hadnt played those games. And we got out of it healthy. So, it worked.Playing starters was the right call. The Giants are, mostly, a young team with a young, developing quarterback that is learning new schemes on both offense and defense.The offense, in particular, remains a work in progress. Dart, having survived the big hit he took, clearly needed and benefited from the live reps.I thought it was really good, Dart said. I really feel like if we were on the same page, all of us, on the first drive, we wouldve scored the first drive.Its good for us to have those moments where were able to come off the field and communicate with each other to make sure that those things dont happen again in a situation thats outside of practice, where maybe in practice, it may be the consequence isnt the same as in a game. So, us being able to see that, have that understanding; and then the second drive, it was just a resilient drive by us and as a whole unit, which I was really proud of.The mess at cornerbackWhether you were for or against the Giants signing Terrion Arnold, Saturdays game provided a clear indication of the issues the Giants have at cornerback.Of course, Paulson Adebo, Dru Phillips, and Greg Newsome, the presumptive starters, did not play. Adebo, though, has not had a good training camp. Newsome is coming off a couple of rocky seasons, and whether he can be depended upon is debatable.We saw a lot of rookie Colton Hood and former first-round pick Deonte Banks on Saturday. Both played 26 first-half snaps. I would call their work uneven.Banks, who had done good work all spring and summer while trying to resuscitate his career, committed two penalties. He did show some willingness to tackle, which was missing last season, but to my eyes did not play like a starting cornerback.Hood has shown his talent, but has also shown he has things to learn, all spring and summer. He gave up completions both times he was targeted and committed a penalty. He could have a bright future, but might not be ready to be an NFL starter just yet.So, yes, there are good reasons why the Giants should be looking for cornerback help.No ties in the preseasonRookie placekicker Dominic Zvada made a 62-yard field goal during practice a few days ago. With fourth-and-13 at the Vikings 44-yard line and 2:29 remaining in a game the Giants trailed 13-10, the Giants were in position to let Zvada try one in a game.Harbaugh chose to punt.That, of course, was the right call. Nobody wants to see a preseason game go into overtime, and a make by Zvada would have tied the score with two minutes to play.Still, I wanted to see the kid try one.Help wanted needed on the defensive lineReader and Shelby Harris, the veteran players who will be counted on to anchor the Giants run defense from their interior defensive line spots this season, did not play.That exposed the Giants lack of depth on the defensive line.The Giants signed a number of defensive linemen this offseason after having to trade Dexter Lawrence. They had to. The question, though, beyond Reader and Harris, has been how many of those guys are actually players you want in a defensive line rotation.After Saturday, Im not sure how many of those players answered that question in the affirmative.The Giants gave up 5.2 yards per rush (12 carries, 62 yards), including runs of 18, 17, and 15 yards in the first half. They seemed unable to hold the point of attack. Nose tackle Josh Tupou played 21 snaps and, without the benefit of having looked at the All-22, I would say he showed why he was a practice squad player for the Baltimore Ravens the past two seasons.BBVs Chris Pflum and I have been having an interesting debate about Bobby Jamison-Travis, the nose tackle the Giants drafted in the sixth round. Jamison-Travis played 25 second-half snaps, and the Ravens ran 15 times for 49 yards. That is 3.3 yards per attempt.From the press box, where admittedly it can be difficult to judge nose tackle play with the naked eye, Jamison-Travis did not appear to do much. He did not have a single tackle and was not showing up behind the line of scrimmage.Chriss view on TV was different. He sent me this note:I thought BJT played well. He didnt get moved, ate blockers, created piles, and forced cutbacks. Its not a sexy or flashy job, but it made the other guys lives easier.I am going to be interested to see what Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson think. Jamison-Travis has worked with the third team all summer. Is that about to change?If Chris is right, it might.
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