What Nicks brings to the table.

separation, his best play will be the back shoulder catch....however, you can only go to the well, so many times...His advantage? He is not the #1 receiver anymore, and will not get that much attention...

In comment 12633689 RollBlue said:

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predicting Nicks will bring nothing to the table. Were you the same guys who said 1. JPP won't play this year, and 2. even if he does, he will bring nothing to the table??? If the guy had nothing left, the Giants would not have signed him. Let's see him play before trashing him.

This is a stupid post. Nicks was sitting on his living room couch, cut by the fucking Titans. The Giants signed him in desperation after Cruz needed surgery. Do you not remember that he tried out here 3 weeks ago and din't get signed? This is what you get when you need to sign depth in Week 12.

Harris has become a godsend

is all I hope for a better 3rd down conversion percentage.

Eli and Nicks already have it.

I'm presuming that at 27, Hakeem Nicks isn't dead yet. And I'm presuming that with Eli, he will be far more effective than he was with Luck, or that he would be with anyone else.

Keep this in mind - if it weren't for Free Agency, Nicks would never have been cut from the Giants. Preston Parker would not have unseated him.

Comes down to health. I have high hopes.

In comment 12633746 x meadowlander said:

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Eli and Nicks already have it. I'm presuming that at 27, Hakeem Nicks isn't dead yet. And I'm presuming that with Eli, he will be far more effective than he was with Luck, or that he would be with anyone else. Keep this in mind - if it weren't for Free Agency, Nicks would never have been cut from the Giants. Preston Parker would not have unseated him. Comes down to health. I have high hopes.

Yes in retrospect this move corrects a very bad situation where we over paid a very slight fragile salsa dancer

He doesn't know the MacAdoo system. He left badly, as noted here, dogged his final year when he might have made a difference. One of the few Giants who I didn't apply "once a giant always a Giant", to.

Which only means that I've read everything wrong...because if so, no way JR or TC bring him back.

although leadership isn't overrated.

Just "wait and see" if Nicks is that guy.

is the giant fork in his back. I'll keep an open mind, but I'll be stunned if he has anything to contribute.

In comment 12633689 RollBlue said:

Quote:

predicting Nicks will bring nothing to the table. Were you the same guys who said 1. JPP won't play this year, and 2. even if he does, he will bring nothing to the table??? If the guy had nothing left, the Giants would not have signed him. Let's see him play before trashing him.

Trashing other posters for doubting Nicks is kinda silly. What has Nicks done in the past 3 years to provide any indication that he is anything other than a late season emergency body? His situation bears no resemblance to JPP's in any way.

Possession guy.. Someone, who can keep the chains moving. I'm sure he can still catch. And in this offense, he'll get looks. Even if it's all short routes.

especially as the Giants (more than any other team)know exactly what he can and can't do anymore and how his health issues have limited his athleticism at this point in his career...not to mention Eli's knowledge of what kind of receiver he is and how he can contribute in the new offense at his current level of play.

he's not very smart and age doesn't equal intelligence.

What I believe he's here to do is take some snaps from Randle as I believe Randle is a lot more hurt than the cracker jack medical staff is leading us to believe.

Hopefully some rest will help.

but he does bring a large catching radius, good blocking skills and he will be effective in the "pick" type plays.

He's also a good run blocker. If he can be effective in a limited role I'll take it.

that Eli loves to throw near sideline, Nicks runs it and catches is well.

what a normal TE does in the endzone.

he will demand at least attention from one DB, and not a linebacker. That will help when we have multiple targets in the game for Eli.

If Nicks catches zero footballs and his presence at the LOS opens anything up for someone else, nice.

If he actually flashes here and there and contributes? Huge bonus heading toward the stretch run against some solid opposition.

We know one thing Nicks will not bring to the table and that is game changing speed. He has just about everything else you would ask for in a receiver if he can just stay on the field. Now even a 70% Nicks against most 3rd or 4th DB's should be advantage Nicks. I think that the NFL is proving yearly that the money may be good in FA but most players find the grass is not greener once they leave.

I still think the trade deadline was a very big mistake not getting a speed WR or slot WR. It takes a 3rd to 4th round pick at WR anywhere from a year or more to find a role in an offense. A 5th round pick I'm sure could have gotten a WR who is just a bench warmer on another team. JR has to take much of the blame for this because no matter how you say it Cruz was never a sure bet to return after the calf injury this year.

In comment 12633729 Doomster said:

Quote:

separation, his best play will be the back shoulder catch....however, you can only go to the well, so many times...His advantage? He is not the #1 receiver anymore, and will not get that much attention...

I thought the same thing. But, the other day it was correctly pointed out that the back shoulder fade and other comeback routes lose their effectiveness rather quickly if there is no realistic threat of the player getting behind you deep.

Shane Vereen than Nicks himself. I expect the two of them to be on the field a lot together. Nicks being there with OBJ, RR, and DH in 4 WR sets with Vereen coming out of the backfield or even lining up as a fifth WR I feel will give Vereen even better looks making him that much more dangerous.

Nicks using his blocking skills to open things up for screens/quick passes to Vereen.

push Randle a little bit. Perhaps that's another reason for bringing a vet like him back, as well.

In comment 12634271 Tom [Giants fan] said:

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Shane Vereen than Nicks himself. I expect the two of them to be on the field a lot together. Nicks being there with OBJ, RR, and DH in 4 WR sets with Vereen coming out of the backfield or even lining up as a fifth WR I feel will give Vereen even better looks making him that much more dangerous.

This is a good point. If a team tries to go man against a 3 or 4 WR set with Nicks and Vereen, they are likely committing a LB to one of them. Whomever ends up with a LB on them it is a mismatch in the Giants favor.

is better than Whyte

will find a role for him here, I am sure. Sure handed possession receivers can find dead spots in zones. Expect him and Eli to hook up quite often on set plays. ELI is a very accurate passer and technician IMO, and he will make this work.

In comment 12633754 EVERY4YEARS said:

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Yes in retrospect this move corrects a very bad situation where we over paid a very slight fragile salsa dancer

This may be the most ignorant post regarding a Giants' player of all time on BBI. And it's not an opinion, even.

Do you even watch Giants' football, fool? Cruz is not "very slight", not by the wildest stretch of misinformed lack of observation.

I also think that having low expectations is perfectly fine and actually a positive in this instance.

Nicks doesn't need to be the Nicks he once was to have a positive effect on this team. Myles White is the 4th WR on this team, and he has been just ok thus far (3 rec is 3 games). Sure he has upside, but the Giants need to win right now, at least for the last 6 games. They way I think of it, if Nicks can provide a reliable target (something to the tune of 2 catches a game) he will be an upgrade at the 4th WR spot. Davis and White simply are not ready yet.

Sure, Nicks doesn't know the system, and his speed (which was never much better than 4.5) is gone, but he has other attributes. Such as great hands, good route running, knowing how to position himself to shield the ball away from defenders, and being aggressive to the ball. Sure he has lost speed, but he is a polished, veteran WR who should have plenty of luck running slants and other routes associated with the WCO. I actually think he is an ideal WR for those "pick" plays we see so much of.

Do I think Nicks will come here and return to his 2011 self. no not at all. But even if he duplicates his play with the Colts (which was just ok) it will be a significant improvement over the teams production at the 4th WR slot. Lets remember unlike 2013 when Nicks left, this time the Giants are actually paying the right amount for the production they expect to get.

In comment 12634903 Emil said:

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I also think that having low expectations is perfectly fine and actually a positive in this instance. Nicks doesn't need to be the Nicks he once was to have a positive effect on this team. Myles White is the 4th WR on this team, and he has been just ok thus far (3 rec is 3 games). Sure he has upside, but the Giants need to win right now, at least for the last 6 games. They way I think of it, if Nicks can provide a reliable target (something to the tune of 2 catches a game) he will be an upgrade at the 4th WR spot. Davis and White simply are not ready yet. Sure, Nicks doesn't know the system, and his speed (which was never much better than 4.5) is gone, but he has other attributes. Such as great hands, good route running, knowing how to position himself to shield the ball away from defenders, and being aggressive to the ball. Sure he has lost speed, but he is a polished, veteran WR who should have plenty of luck running slants and other routes associated with the WCO. I actually think he is an ideal WR for those "pick" plays we see so much of. Do I think Nicks will come here and return to his 2011 self. no not at all. But even if he duplicates his play with the Colts (which was just ok) it will be a significant improvement over the teams production at the 4th WR slot. Lets remember unlike 2013 when Nicks left, this time the Giants are actually paying the right amount for the production they expect to get.

Sorry, White has 3 rec in 6 games. Small but big typo.

come from.

Among Giants' WRs lately Steve Smith was an excellent run blocker. Mario Manningham showed a lot of grit and get it on as a run blocker, OBJ has shown he can mix it up real well at times, Randle blocks well for a WR, but Nicks?

Not trying to be a smartass, just curious what these opinions are based on? Anyone got some video to back this up?

James Jones has returning to that team, then we has a winner.

is in his mentoring skill and not his play, why not hire him in a coaching capacity? Why use a valuable roster spot?

Buck and Aikman take us through that fateful Tampa Bay game.
"These kind of injuries just don't heal during the year." - ( New Window )

Disappointed

Only 27. Sometimes we forget how young he is.

he will have a monster game against Washington.

I think his contributions will come on 3rd downs and in the Red Zone. He'll not only open the field up for Vareen if they go 4 wide but will be another big, sure handed target for Eli.

He won't have to have much speed or the ability to get deep. Just find a soft spot, and his size and hands will be an asset.

my expectations of his abilities are miniscule. He has looked shot since his last season in blue.

but I tend to side with JonC here

but fans often tend to remember such a talent at his peak, and then are crushed when the ability is no longer there.

isn't what has hobbled him but I have no idea what particular injury he has that is holding him back. Anyone know exactly what that is?

and can it ever be corrected?

Fats has posted details, perhaps a search will help you but it's related to Compartment Syndrome in his leg.

Couldn't find his post but I saw it on WebMD. It's pretty unusual I take it as it's the first time I heard a Giants player getting it. (And they get everything...)

Here's to hoping Nicks makes the most of his opportunity and he gets better over time.

In comment 12637437 JonC said:

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my expectations of his abilities are miniscule. He has looked shot since his last season in blue.

To be fair, Luck didn't throw the ball to Nicks last year. He always looked for T.Y. Hilton first, and Reggie Wayne second. Nicks played in every game but was targeted only 70 times compared to 130 for Hilton and 116 to Wayne.

Of course maybe Luck didn't throw the ball to Nicks because he wasn't open or because he had made some key drops. But Luck really loved Hilton.

When I watched Nicks he looked shot. No separation, no sign of that ability to burst and create space. Perhaps his sliding confidence has something to do with it, but we know the leg is a massive problem for him.

he can be a possession move the chains guy..

In comment 12638188 blueblood said:

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he can be a possession move the chains guy..

This is a a strong possibility. ELI has been able to find many of our slow footed TEs in open spots as safety valves very effectively. Maybe we can use a WR like Nicks in the same way. The guy has the strength and the hands. Give him the routes.

it's been 4 games since he caught more than 1/2 of his targets. In those games, he has caught 5 of the 15 passes directed at him for 89 yards and 1 td. Impressive. not. On the season, he is catching 60% of his targets. Harris has a better percentage and Randle has a much better percentage.

Jones is what he is and what we saw in preseason: an aging vet who can be useful against #4 db's and has a hard time getting open against a better db.

and I know he has had injury issues and slowed down.

However, the complete dismissal of his abilities around here would seem as ignorant as mine are on his recent history.

He's strong and sure-handed--those are talents that don't go away. Presumably he is slower. So we might have a good possession guy as your 4th guy. He's always had a good rapport with Eli too.

Try some fucking optimism?

but to me it will be very interesting seeing him play.