Thursday Reading

Giants

Giants.com: 30 Questions in 30 Days: Pick the top position group
http://www.giants.com/videos/videos/30-Questions-in-30-Days-Most-vital-position-group/0fe86137-63d3-4615-b6de-e5f10479391b

QB

Kratch NJ.com: Giants roster countdown, No. 46: QB Geno Smith
http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2017/07/giants_roster_countdown_no_46_can_geno_smith_salva.html

Duggan NJ.com: Giants roster countdown, No. 47: Can Josh Johnson win the backup QB job?
http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2017/07/giants_roster_countdown_no_47_can_josh_johnson_win.html

Giants.com: Giants Insider: QB Davis Webb
http://www.giants.com/videos/videos/Giants-Insider-QB-Davis-Webb/f29a64bf-c33f-49a8-a88a-b3653007b882

TE

Kramer Newsday: Rookie TE Evan Engram eager to win over Giants fans
http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/giants/rookie-te-evan-engram-eager-to-win-over-giants-fans-1.13797252

C

Weyburn Review: Brett Jones share skills, experiences from NFL
"Asked about how his career is going with the Giants, Jones said, “Every year it’s a battle to get on the team, but the Giants have a great organization. We’ve got a good battle for positions, and I look forward to competing for a place in the lineup again.”
http://www.weyburnreview.com/sports/local-sports/brett-jones-share-skills-experiences-from-nfl-1.21065909

DT

Duggan NJ.com: Giants roster countdown, No. 45: Can Corbin Bryant enter the DT mix?
http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2017/07/giants_roster_countdown_no_45_can_corbin_bryant_en.html

NFL

Freeman B/R: Mike Freeman's 10-Point Stance: Malcolm Jenkins May Be NFL's Most Important Man

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8. Eli Manning Deserves Better Giants defensive tackle Damon Harrison on the NFL Network's Good Morning Football show was asked his feelings about teammate Eli Manning not making the network's top 100 players of 2017 list. Compiled based on votes by players, the list often gets bashed, but the choices generally are pretty defensible. Harrison, though, said leaving Manning off the list was a mistake, and he's right. "When you look at Eli, it's kind of like when you look at LeBron," Harrison said. "I'm not saying they're the same, but look at Eli's numbers. Any other quarterback would have those numbers, it'd be an amazing year, but, it being Eli, nobody is respecting it as much, as we do LeBron. LeBron can average 30 [points], 15 rebounds and 12 assists, and it's like, 'He didn't do enough.' I don't know what's the deal." The LeBron James comparison aside, pay attention to the substance of what he said. Last year, Manning threw for more than 4,000 yards and completed over 60 percent of his passes for the third consecutive year. If Manning isn't a top-100 player, then I'm Denzel Washington."

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2720344-mike-freemans-10-point-stance-malcolm-jenkins-finds-a-cause-as-big-as-football

ESPN: Who will be called next time there's an NFL head-coaching job open?

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"Steve Spagnuolo | New York Giants Current position: Defensive coordinator& #8232;Age: 57 He helped engineer one of the great upsets in NFL history when the Giants took down the mighty Brady-Moss 2007 Patriots in the Super Bowl, which propelled him to the head job in St. Louis. But that was a forgettable three-year stretch with the Rams. Still, Spagnuolo's defensive wizardry was again on display in 2016, and he could get some looks."

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/19955662/the-next-wave-nfl-head-coaches-2017-offseason

Kelly The Ringer: The 16 Best NFL Free Agents Still on the Market
https://theringer.com/nfl-free-agency-16-best-available-ce68b86ca06c

Arthur SOE: NFL TIGHT END RANKINGS

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"17. New York Giants - Evan Engram*, Will Tye, Rhett Ellison "Engram is an incredible tight end prospect who certainly may end up being better than Howard -- or any other young tight end -- in the long run, but the learning curve for rookies is steep and the backups for the Giants are a bit limited. In two years, we may be talking about Engram as a top-five tight end. He had an impressive 2.59 yards/route ran at Ole Miss."

http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/241901392/tight-end-nfl-rankings

Hruby Vice Sports: Football's Brain Injury Crisis Isn't Just for Star Players
https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/evdbzw/footballs-brain-injury-crisis-isnt-just-for-star-players

Badenhausen Forbes.com: Full List: The World's 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams 2017
Jon Machota (@jonmachota)
7/12/17, 2:23 PM
Most valuable NFL teams via @Forbes:
Cowboys $4.2 billion
Patriots $3.4 billion
Giants $3.1 billion
49ers $3 billion
Redskins $2.95 billion
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2017/07/12/full-list-the-worlds-50-most-valuable-sports-teams-2017/

ATLANTA
Culpepper AJC: Which young Falcon has the potential to surpass Julio Jones?
http://www.ajc.com/sports/which-young-falcon-has-the-potential-surpass-julio-jones/9cLP5kiblFGuF8QhBqzuOK/

Ledbetter AJC: Andersen rooting for Knappe to make Falcons
http://www.myajc.com/sports/football/andersen-rooting-for-knappe-make-falcons/9uDtmj6cjSSEqX1NXltveI/

Thomas SB Nation: 5 reasons Falcons pass rusher Takk McKinley will be your new favorite NFL player
https://www.sbnation.com/2017/7/12/15826478/falcons-pass-rusher-takk-mckinley-dances-grandmother-codeine-the-dog

BUFFALO
Skurski Buffalo News: Leslie Frazier, who is in charge of cleaning up the defensive mess Rex Ryan made, talks about how he'll do that here
http://buffalonews.com/2017/07/12/bills-defensive-coordinator-leslie-frazier-tells-siriusxm-dont-want-complicate-things-players/

CAROLINA
Fowler Charlotte Observer: Ranking top 20 Panthers of all time shows just how loaded 2017 team will be
http://amp.charlotteobserver.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/scott-fowler/article160900229.html

Sorensen Charlotte Observer: DeAngelo Williams grapples with life after football, but it could work out
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/tom-sorensen-blog/article160892749.html

CHICAGO
Thompson Chicago Tribune: Bears' Charles Leno doesn't put much stock in preseason grades
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chicagoinc/ct-charles-leno-bears-chicago-inc-spt-0713-20170712-story.html

CLEVELAND
Cabot Cleve Plain Dealer: Why is Cody Kessler being counted out as the Browns starting QB? Hey, Mary Kay
https://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2017/07/why_is_cody_kessler_being_coun.html

DALLAS
Hill Fort Worth Star Telegram: Former Cowboys QB Tony Romo finally says he is done with football
http://amp.star-telegram.com/sports/article161100809.html

Hairopolous Dallas Morning News: Cowboys TE outlook: Jason Witten is back, but will a clear successor emerge?
https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-cowboys/cowboys/2017/07/12/cowboys-te-outlook-jason-witten-back-will-clear-successor-finally-emerge

DENVER
Klis 9News Denver: 9 reasons why the Broncos could again miss the playoffs in 2017
http://www.9news.com/mb/sports/nfl/denver-broncos/mike-klis/9-reasons-why-the-broncos-could-again-miss-the-playoffs-in-2017/456131195

Legwold ESPN Denver: The Broncos' defense will help make decision on QB
http://www.espn.com/blog/denver-broncos/post/_/id/26662/the-broncos-defense-will-help-make-teams-qb-decision

GREEN BAY
Kirchen Mil Business Journal: Packers revenue up 8%; player costs squeeze profits
https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2017/07/12/packers-revenue-up-8-percent-player-costs-squeeze.html

Demovsky ESPN GB: Small-market Packers could see revenue soar thanks to 'Titletown'
http://www.espn.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/77804/small-market-packers-could-see-revenue-soar-thanks-to-titletown

HOUSTON
Wilson Houston Chronicle: Linebacker Brennan Scarlett has chance to start for Texans
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/texans/article/Linebacker-Brennan-Scarlett-has-chance-to-start-11284733.php

INDIANAPOLIS
Bowen Colts.com: Colts Defense Looking More And More Like Prototypical 3-4 Scheme
http://colts.com/news/article-1/Colts-Defense-Looking-More-And-More-Like-Prototypical-3-4-Scheme/19be529e-4ddb-4ec9-a0a1-48aae3507c2a

JACKSONVILLE
Orr NFL.com: Brunell: No better guy for Jags now than Tom Coughlin
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000819393/article/brunell-no-better-guy-for-jags-now-than-tom-coughlin

Kaye WTLV Jacksonville: Jaguars 90-man roster breakdown: Offensive tackles
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/mb/sports/nfl/jacksonville-jaguars/jaguars-90-man-roster-breakdown-offensive-tackles-training-camp-battles-positional-overview/453021226

KANSAS CITY
Grathoff KC Star: Chiefs’ Cairo Santos took practice kicks at Daytona Speedway
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/for-petes-sake/article160898399.html

MIAMI
Kelly Sun Sentinel: Dolphins players on the roster bubble
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/sfl-dolphins-players-on-the-roster-bubble-20170712-photogallery.html

Habib Palm Beach Post: Don't overlook MarQueis Gray as Miami Dolphins overhaul TEs
http://dailydolphin.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2017/07/12/dont-overlook-marqueis-gray-as-miami-dolphins-overhaul-tes/

Walker ESPN Miami: Dolphins face delicate balance this summer with T.J. McDonald
http://www.espn.com/blog/miami-dolphins/post/_/id/25604/dolphins-have-delicate-training-camp-and-preseason-balance-ahead-with-t-j-mcdonald

NEW ENGLAND
Bowers Boston Globe: The average Patriot probably went to an SEC or Big Ten school
https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/patriots/2017/07/12/the-average-patriot-probably-went-sec-big-school/NHlwPY3kNhy7pnkCy53VxH/amp.html

Galanis NESN: Texans’ Bill O’Brien Explains Why Tom Brady Is So Difficult To Coach
http://nesn.com/2017/07/texans-bill-obrien-explains-why-tom-brady-is-so-difficult-to-coach/

Reiss ESPN Boston: Will Dwayne Allen be an upgrade over Martellus Bennett for the Patriots?
http://www.espn.com/blog/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4804085/will-dwayne-allen-be-an-upgrade-over-martellus-bennett-for-the-patriots

OAKLAND
Tafur SF Chronicle: Raiders reportedly have to pay $385 million to relocate to Vegas
http://sfgate.com/raiders/article/Raiders-reportedly-have-to-pay-385-million-to-11284722.php

Williams NBC Bay Area: Raiders Defense May Offer More Disguised Looks
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Raiders-Defense-May-Offer-More-Disguised-Looks-434071963.html

Paskal Raiders.com: Oakland Raiders 2017 Position Battles: Defensive Line
http://m.raiders.com/news/article-1/Oakland-Raiders-2017-Position-Battles-Defensive-Line/129a0d0a-7e14-45d0-a477-3b72487521ab

PHILADELPHIA
Fierro Allentown Morning Call: Busy and glorious times for Eagles QB Carson Wentz
http://www.mcall.com/sports/football/eagles/blog/mc-busy-and-glorious-times-for-eagles-qb-carson-wentz-20170712-story.html

Kapadia Phillyvoice: Eagles training camp preview: Wide receiver
http://www.phillyvoice.com/eagles-training-camp-preview-wide-receiver/

Bailey Phil.com: Eagles great Harold Carmichael confident in Alshon Jeffery
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/philadelphia-eagles-harold-carmichael-alshon-jeffery-wide-receivers-nfl-20170712.html

Lombardo NJ.com: Which Eagles' rookie will have biggest impact? Scout says...
http://www.nj.com/eagles/index.ssf/2017/07/which_eagles_rookie_will_have_biggest_impact_scout.html

PITTSBURGH
Mueller Timesonline: Steelers Spotlight: The Knile Davis of old could be asset in return game
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/steelers/steelers-spotlight-the-knile-davis-of-old-could-be-asset/article_d3897d70-6723-11e7-867d-abdd5b894d81.html

SAN FRANCISCO
Kawakami SJ Mercury News: 49ers are playing the 2018 waiting game for Kirk Cousins
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/07/12/kawakami-49ers-are-playing-the-2018-waiting-game-for-kirk-cousins/

Williams NBC Bay Area: Zuttah Could Provide Upgrade to 49ers at Center
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Zuttah-Could-Provide-Upgrade-to-49ers-at-Center-434079153.html

SEATTLE
ESPN Seattle: Richard Sherman to NFL players: Want bigger deals? Be willing to strike
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/19976380/richard-sherman-seattle-seahawks-says-nfl-players-need-willingness-strike-get-bigger-salaries

TAMPA BAY
Auman TB Times: Warrick Dunn: Jameis Winston is leading in community
http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/bucs/warrick-dunn-jameis-winston-is-leading-in-community/2330173

WASHINGTON
Jones Wash Post: Training camp position battles: Running back Rob Kelley aims for growth in Year 2
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/football-insider/wp/2017/07/12/training-camp-position-battles-running-back-rob-kelley-aims-for-growth-in-year-2/?utm_term=.a713db56cb80


Draft

NFL.com: No players selected in 2017 NFL Supplemental Draft
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000819458/article/no-players-selected-in-2017-nfl-supplemental-draft

Goodbread NFL.com: 17 for '17: College football games with most future NFL players
http://www.nfl.com/photoessays/0ap3000000819447

QB
Zierlein NFL.com: Sam Darnold, Josh Allen lead top CFB QBs to watch in 2017
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000819400/article/sam-darnold-josh-allen-lead-top-cfb-qbs-to-watch-in-2017

Hayes B/R: The Evolution of Lamar Jackson: Heisman Winner Looking to Take 'The Next Step'
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2721016-the-evolution-of-lamar-jackson-heisman-winner-looking-to-take-the-next-step

DE
Beard Charlotte Observer: NC State DE Chubb eager to apply pass-rush lessons learned
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/article160975954.html

CB

Goodbread NFL.com: What we learned: Alabama's Minkah Fitzpatrick clocks blazing 40
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000819401/article/what-we-learned-alabamas-minkah-fitzpatrick-clocks-blazing-40

Life

Cohen Giants.com: GIANT GIVE BACK BY HOSTING YOUTH FOOTBALL CAMPS
http://giants.com/news-and-blogs/LifeStyleFitnessNews/article-1/Giants-give-back-by-hosting-youth-football-camps/a4206623-590d-41e0-9cf1-


History

Tanier B/R: NFL Nostalgia: Ranking History's Most Clutch Quarterbacks

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25. Jeff Hostetler Jeff Hostetler was an NFL nobody when his big moment arrived. He was a third-round pick buried on the Giants bench, relegated to mop-up duty for six long years. He was frustrated, unable to find a better opportunity in the era before free agency, even willing to consider a position switch just to get onto the field as something besides the field-goal holder. Then Phil Simms broke his foot late in the 1990 season, with the Giants in the heat of the Super Bowl chase. Hostetler led December wins against the Cardinals and Patriots to guide the team to a 13-3 finish. He threw a pair of touchdowns in a 31-3 drubbing of the Bears to start the playoffs. He took some nasty hits in the fourth quarter of the NFC title game against the 49ers, briefly leaving the game. But he returned to lead a pair of field-goal drives for a 15-13 Giants comeback victory.& #8232;Hostetler capped his 1990 relief performance with one of the greatest management efforts in Super Bowl history. He led the Giants back from an early 12-3 deficit, then orchestrated a long field-goal drive to give the Giants a 20-19 lead in the fourth quarter, all the while running a game plan designed to keep the clock ticking and the final score low. The Bills nearly staged a comeback of their own, but you know how that story ends.& #8232;& #8232;Hostetler gave his teams an effective one-two punch of mobility and efficiency. His rushing statistics don't leap off the page, but he was a tricky change-up to the stationary Simms and could scramble for critical first downs when needed. As for efficiency, Hostetler did not throw any interceptions during his entire 1990 relief appearance, from December through the Super Bowl. He was the perfect quarterback for the Giants of that era, which is why he traded the starting job with Simms for a couple of years after the 1990 season, with neither staying healthy long enough to seize the job for good.& #8232;Hostetler later had several fine seasons with the Raiders. The team won when Hostetler was healthy, but Tim Brown was his only true weapon, and Hostetler's scrambles-and-short-passes game never meshed with the Raiders philosophy.& #8232;Hoss' career would have turned out differently if NFL free agency existed in the mid-1980s. He may have put up huge career numbers if he was not trapped on the bench for so long. But we may never have enjoyed the magic of that 1990 season, when Hostetler proved what a mobile, risk-averse quarterback can do off the bench for a team with an outstanding defense. Hostetler didn't quite fit the mold, but the best quarterbacks in crunch time are often the ones who do things a little differently. 19. Tie: Jim Kelly, Fran Tarkenton and Y.A. Tittle Jim Kelly, Fran Tarkenton and Y.A. Tittle are a trio of Hall of Famers who combined for 76 career fourth-quarter comebacks but went 0-10 in Super Bowls/NFL Championship Games.& #8232;Kelly, as you may remember, led one of the most innovative offenses of his era and brought the Bills to Super Bowl after increasingly futile Super Bowl, coming within a missed field goal of winning the first, barely making it out of the tunnel before getting clobbered in the last.& #8232;Tarkenton was the Russell Wilson of the 1960s and 1970s, a pint-sized madcap scrambler for a great Vikings team that was never quite as great as the Steelers or Raiders teams that slapped them around in the Super Bowl.& #8232;Tittle (shown) was one of the best pure pocket passers of the 1950s, a signal-caller with a knack for late-game drama who led the league in fourth-quarter comebacks in 1956 and 1957. His signature play was the "alley-oop," a back-shoulder bomb whose catchy name would migrate to the NBA. Tittle enjoyed a late-career revival with the Giants, guiding the team to three straight NFL Championship Games while posting amazing numbers for the era, including a pair of 30-plus-touchdown seasons. But Tittle threw one touchdown and 10 interceptions in three championship losses to the Packers and Bears.& #8232;One of the hardest things about assembling this countdown has been selecting quarterbacks who lost big games over the quarterbacks who defeated them. Kelly is on this countdown, but not Troy Aikman. Tarkenton is here, but not Terry Bradshaw. Tittle is here, but Bart Starr is not. How can "clutch" quarterbacks keep losing big games to quarterbacks who didn't make the cut?& #8232;Ask the question the other way: How did Kelly, Tarkenton and Tittle keep battling back, year after year? How did they keep their teams from falling apart?& #8232;The greatest quarterbacks usually lead the greatest teams. The most clutch quarterbacks are, with notable exceptions, perennial underdogs who have to keep finding new ways to climb the mountain. What Kelly, Tarkenton and Tittle did took incredible perseverance. It was never easy. And they never gave up until they had nothing left to give. 18. Earl Morrall& #8232;The greatest backup quarterback in NFL history laid an egg in the biggest game of his career...perhaps the biggest game of anyone's career.& #8232;Earl Morrall was the goat of Super Bowl III, throwing three interceptions against an unfamiliar Jets defense and needing Johnny Unitas to limp off the bench to try in vain to save the day.& #8232;Morrall threw 26 touchdown passes during the 1968 season and led the Colts to a 13-1 record after Unitas was injured in the final preseason game. One of history's greatest teams was led by its backup quarterback. But history forgets the details and remembers Super Bowl III.& #8232;Morrall took over for an injured Unitas in the second quarter of Super Bowl V, helping guide the Colts to a victory over the Cowboys. But Super Bowl V is The Phantom Menace of Super Bowls, the one history tries to forget because it was so awful. Super Bowl III was more memorable.& #8232;Morrall went 9-0 in relief of Bob Griese during the Dolphins' undefeated 1972 season. He won a pair of playoff games. The 1972 Dolphins are one of the most celebrated teams in pro football history. Morrall rarely gets celebrated. Instead, we remember Super Bowl III.& #8232;OK...let's go waaaay back. The 1962 Lions, who fielded one of the greatest defenses in NFL history, trailed the Colts, 14-7, in the fourth quarter of a December game in the heat of the playoff chase. Morrall replaced Lions starter Milt Plum, completed seven of eight passes, threw one touchdown and ran for another in a 21-14 comeback victory.& #8232;The Lions then went back to Plum and missed the playoffs. The only person who seemed to remember Morrall's heroics was Colts coach Don Shula, who signed Morrall as Unitas' backup, which brings us back to Super Bowl III.& #8232;There has never been another backup quarterback like Morrall, who spent what should have been his prime for those hopelessly bewildered post-Bobby Layne Lions. Morrall's efforts for the Colts and Dolphins helped make the NFL what it is today. And yes, that can also be said about his loss in Super Bowl III. But if there is any quarterback in history whose contributions should not be defined by his worst game, it's Earl Morrall. 10. Eli Manning& #8232;Manning led three late-game comeback victories for the 2007 Giants in the regular season. He then led the Giants back from behind to beat the Cowboys in the playoffs. And of course, he executed one of the most miraculous drives in Super Bowl history, highlighted by David Tyree's unforgettable off-the-helmet 32-yard reception.& #8232;The storyline: Ha ha, the Patriots choked, and Manning sure was lucky Tyree could catch passes with his ear hole.& #8232;Manning led five fourth-quarter comebacks during the 2011 season, guiding the Giants back from a 34-22 late-game deficit for a crucial December win against the Cowboys. After another round of nip-and-tuck playoff games, he led the Giants back from a 17-9 third-quarter deficit, driving 88 yards in the final minutes of the game to once again beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.& #8232;The storyline: Ha ha, Wes Welker dropped a late-game pass that would've helped the Patriots bleed the clock and prevent the comeback. So let's argue about whether Eli is "elite."& #8232;Manning led six comebacks or game-winning drives last season, bringing the Giants back to the postseason for the first time in five years. But with party boats, playoff losses and wall punches dominating the conversation in January, there was no way Manning's clutch performances were getting noticed.& #8232;The Giants are loaded for a Super Bowl surge this season. If they get it done, it will be because Manning once again kept his cool week in and week out on a team full of mercurial personalities in the nation's most unforgiving sports environment.& #8232;If Manning's clutch performances do lead to a third Super Bowl win, chances are the storyline will be all about what happened to Tom Brady."

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2718337-nfl-nostalgia-ranking-historys-most-clutch-quarterbacks

Simmons Toronto Sun: The story behind The Day Toronto Owned The Football World
http://torontosun.com/2017/07/11/simmons-the-story-behind-the-day-toronto-owned-the-football-world

Giants Birthdays 7-13

Harold Hart RB W-TB 1977 NYG 1977 7-13-1952