Saturday Reading

Giants

Art Stapleton The Record: NYGiants Infectious Disease Emergency Response (IDER) Plan was under review by the NFLPA, but it has now been approved - one of nine to get to that point in the league

Raanan ESPN NY: Giants' 53-man roster projection missing a first-round cornerback
(ESPN +)

https://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/29502894/giants-53-man-roster-projection-missing-first-round-cornerback

RB

Giants.com: Giants 2020 Position Preview: Running Backs
A detailed look at the Giants' depth at running back (Video)
https://www.giants.com/video/position-preview-running-back-saquon-barkley-dion-lewis-wayne-gallman

Lombardo NJ.com: Giants position preview: What will Dion Lewis’ addition mean to Saquon Barkley’s workload at RB? | Analysis
https://www.nj.com/giants/2020/07/giants-position-preview-what-will-dion-lewis-addition-mean-to-saquon-barkleys-workload-at-rb-analysis.html

WR

Giants.com: Giants 2020 Position Preview: Wide Receivers
A detailed look at the Giants' depth at wide receiver (Video)
https://www.giants.com/video/position-preview-wide-receiver-golden-tate-sterling-shepard-darius-slayton


Rosenblatt NJ.com: Why experts think Giants’ Darius Slayton could become the ‘star’ WR that Daniel Jones needs
https://www.nj.com/giants/2020/07/why-some-experts-think-giants-darius-slayton-could-become-the-star-wr-that-daniel-jones-needs.html

OL

Traina SI.com: Giants' 2020 Roster Report Card: Grading the Offensive Line
https://www.si.com/.amp-nygiants/nfl/giants/news/giants-2020-roster-report-card-grading-the-offensive-line

Schwartz NYP: Giants’ Andrew Thomas faces uphill climb to be ready amid pandemic
https://nypost.com/2020/07/25/giants-andrew-thomas-faces-uphill-climb-to-be-ready-amid-pandemic/

DL

Giants.com: Giants 2020 Position Preview: Defensive Line
A detailed look at the Giants' depth on the defensive line ( Video)
https://www.giants.com/video/position-preview-defensive-line-leonard-williams-dexter-lawrence-bj-hill

CB

Schwartz NYP: DeAndre Baker is planning to report to Giants training camp
https://nypost.com/2020/07/24/deandre-baker-is-planning-to-report-to-giants-training-camp/

ST

Falato BBV: Countdown to Camp: Identifying the New Special Teams Aces
https://www.si.com/.amp-nygiants/nfl/giants/news/countdown-to-camp-identifying-the-new-special-teams-aces

NFL

Jason OTC: ICYMI here is a rough estimate of where teams will stand with next years salary cap if it drops to $175M. So teams will have some difficult decisions ahead

Cap Space At 175m
Giants $24,025,753

https://overthecap.com/nfl-asks-for-175m-2021-salary-cap/amp/#click=https://t.co/lf0tQL0y1c

Jason OTC: Average cash spending this year for NFL teams will likely wind up around $210M give or take a few million. Last time the cap was close to $175M average spending was around $185M. So about $25M in salaries.

Charles Robinson Yahoo Sports: Yes, salary caps are more fluid than ever. But considering a $175 million cap FLOOR in 2021, the spotrac snapshot of where the top 5 salary caps stand is...well...get some Rolaids for the Eagles, Saints, Falcons, Chiefs and Texans

Nick Korte OTC: About half of the teams currently have active cap spending in 2021 over $175 million.

Carryover from 2020 will be enough padding for some of those teams

Albert Breer MMQB: I'd mention this too: Many teams have built contracts assuming a rising cap in the coming years. Which means a drop in the cap in 2021, even just to $175 million, would lead to a pretty serious bloodletting on some rosters

Robert Mays The Ringer: If the 2021 salary cap lands at $175 million, 15 teams are *already* projected to be over that number. Teams have built their rosters and cap structures several years into the future with consistent growth in mind. You'd have multiple teams that have to change course midstream

Jason OTC: In general cap hits next year for QBs relative to the cap would be through the roof. Roethlisberger, Ryan, Rodgers, and Brees would have cap hits of 20%+. Wentz, Goff, Stafford, Wilson, Cousins, and Tannehill would all be 16.5%+. Highest this year is Dak at 15.9%.

Difference for some of them compared to a 2nd tag for Dak is that Dak would lock in at a price if no extension. Others could be restructured though Ben is in final year and not sure the Packers would want to push out with Rodgers.

Yes if Dak Prescott was tagged next year he would have a cap hit of over 21% of the cap. However it would be lower than both Matt Ryan (23.4%- $40.9M) and Ben Roethlisberger (23.6%-$41.25M) next year.

Previous QB highs as a % of cap are

1. Jimmy Garoppolo- 20.9% in 2018
2. Peyton Manning- 20.5% in 2003
3. Peyton Manning- 17.3% in 2009
4. Eli Manning- 17% in 2013
5. Drew Brees- 16.6% in 2015

Carl Banks: I honestly don't have an issue with having no NFL preseason games.. ALL coaches will tell you that the #1 goal is to finish with no injuries. Hence they don't play vets.. any staff worth their salaries will create game simulations

re: Injuries.. There has been Zero " Organized team activities" Zero in person coaching.. it would be a disaster if they adhered to a traditional schedule.. they will need 4wks to *get players ready*...to get ready for football. I'd advocate for a LATE September kickoff

[As to being unable to find the next Victor Cruz]

You're wrong VC did well in camp.. you are assuming that coaches are incapable of creating competitive scenarios to evaluate young player an FA's. Times have changed and the game must and will adapt

Brooks NFL.com: NFL's top 10 second-year players; Washington Football Team rebrand
https://www.nfl.com/_amp/nfl-s-top-10-second-year-players-washington-football-team-rebrand

Brandt NFL.com: 2020 NFL season: Ranking the offseason's top 10 traded players
https://www.nfl.com/_amp/2020-nfl-season-ranking-the-offseason-s-top-10-traded-players

Haritz PFF: When disaster strikes: Ranking every team's backup quarterback situations

“18. NEW YORK GIANTS 
Backup QBs: Colt McCoy, Cooper Rush, Alex Tanney, Case Cookus
McCoy seems destined to stick around the NFL until he’s good and ready to retire. The 10-year veteran hasn’t won a start since 2014, although he’s the type of solid-enough QB with an A+ name to continue to rack up checks deep into his 30s. Neither Rush nor Tanney has a career start to his name, while the former Northern Arizona QB Cookus is unlikely to make the final roster. I wouldn’t count on new-OC Jason Garrett enabling either McCoy or his youngsters to much of a ceiling (or floor) if Daniel Jones is forced to miss much time.”

https://www.pff.com/news/fantasy-football-when-disaster-strikes-ranking-every-teams-backup-quarterback-situations

ATLANTA
Ledbetter AJC: 5 things to know about the Falcons on Friday: Gurley ‘prepared to not play’
https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-falcons/5-things-to-know-about-the-falcons-on-friday/7VPUUR7Z4VGBHHLYTJTDWW35BU/

BALTIMORE
Shaffer Baltimore Sun: Ravens training camp preview: For a talented offensive line, replacing Marshal Yanda won’t be easy
https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-ravens-training-camp-offensive-line-20200721-gqsjro5a6bgtfiz2bsb266tn7y-story.html

Baltimore Sun: Baltimore County police: Ravens lineman’s girlfriend arrested and accused of allegedly assaulting him
https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-ravens-domestic-violence-20200725-4lul7ednvjfibemzckk6xcdusi-story.html

Hensley ESPN Baltimore: Better, worse or the same? Ravens' defense overhauls front seven
https://www.espn.com/blog/baltimore-ravens/post/_/id/52436/better-worse-or-the-same-ravens-defense-overhauls-front-seven?platform=amp

Oyefusi Baltimore Sun: Ravens training camp preview: An instant impact, and a next step, expected for young linebackers
https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-ravens-training-camp-preview-linebackers-20200724-mminsst7vvalvnji2klyn7vhmm-story.html

CAROLINA
Simmons Panthers.com: Bravvion Roy's familiarity with Carolina's coaching staff could give him an edge
https://www.panthers.com/news/bravvion-roy-carolina-staff-baylor-matt-rhule-phil-snow

Alexander Charlotte Observer: Panthers safety Jeremy Chinn was 5-7 in high school. He blossomed into an NFL ‘steal’
https://amp.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/article244350487.html

CHICAGO
Kane Chicago Tribune: Bears cancel all season-ticket packages for 2020 season because of COVID-19 concerns
https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/bears/ct-chicago-bears-season-tickets-canceled-20200724-4r4lgtznrfh2jfrn7l7urkfp7a-story.html

CLEVELAND
Cabot Cleveland Plain Dealer: Browns and other NFL training camps will start on time as NFL and NFLPA approve changes to CBA amid coronavirus pandemic
https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2020/07/browns-and-other-nfl-veterans-still-set-to-report-for-training-camp-on-tuesday-as-nfl-and-nflpa-close-to-an-agreement.html

Bielik Cleveland Plain Dealer: Are the Browns equipped to stop tight ends? Cleveland Browns 20 questions for ’20
https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2020/07/are-the-browns-equipped-to-stop-tight-ends-cleveland-browns-20-questions-for-20.html

DALLAS
Owning Dallas Morning News: Film room: Top candidates to climb Cowboys’ depth chart at camp, including a potential new O-line starter
https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/cowboys/2020/07/24/film-room-top-candidates-to-climb-cowboys-depth-chart-at-training-camp-including-a-potential-new-starter-on-the-o-line/?

INDIANAPOLIS
Sears Indianapolis Star: Colts anticipate 25% capacity for Lucas Oil Stadium
https://amp.indystar.com/amp/5505333002

Erickson Indianapolis Star: Colts 2020 position by position: Is the Adam Vinatieri era over on special teams?
https://amp.indystar.com/amp/3203931001

KANSAS CITY
Ian Rapoport NFL.com: One unsung hero in negotiations: Super Bowl winning #Chiefs coach Andy Reid. He was helpful in walking through the union what training camp could look like, I’m told. And then Commissioner Roger Goodell had him speak on the owners call, as well

Paylor Yahoo Sports: Chiefs' Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, a doctor, becomes 1st NFL player to opt out of 2020 season
https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-laurent-duvernay-tardif-a-doctor-becomes-1st-nfl-player-to-opt-out-of-2020-season-015715778.html

MIAMI
Deen Sun Sentinel: Will Jones and Howard give Dolphins a dynamic foundation for Flores’ new defense? | Countdown to camp
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/fl-sp-dolphins-camp-countdown4-20200724-lkgzas6ovvh5znpvhl4dom5sry-story.html

MINNESOTA
Cronin ESPN Minn: Vikings owners follow through with commitment to Mike Zimmer; Rick Spielman up next
https://www.espn.com/blog/minnesota-vikings/post/_/id/30036/vikings-owners-follow-through-with-commitment-to-mike-zimmer-rick-spielman-up-next?

NEW ORLEANS
Just Nola.com: NFL, players reach agreement on coronavirus-affected season; Saints to report to camp Tuesday
https://www.nola.com/sports/saints/article_49efd63a-cdfb-11ea-bbd5-d7062dfd079b.amp.html

PHILADELPHIA
Bowen Phil Inquirer: NFL and players reach agreement on final issues, so Eagles and other teams can start training camp Tuesday
https://www.inquirer.com/eagles/eagles-nfl-training-camp-players-union-coronavirus-veterans-rookies-20200724.html

Kaye NJ.com: Eagles face difficult 2021 salary cap outlook following agreement between NFL, NFLPA
https://www.nj.com/eagles/2020/07/eagles-face-very-difficult-2021-salary-cap-situation-following-agreement-between-nfl-nflpa.html

Kaye NJ.com: How will Eagles use Malik Jackson behind Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave? Defensive line breakdown
https://www.nj.com/eagles/2020/07/how-will-eagles-use-malik-jackson-behind-fletcher-cox-javon-hargrave-defensive-line-breakdown.html

SAN FRANCISCO
Branch SF Chronicle: No preseason games? 49ers’ Shanahan says OK with him
https://www.sfchronicle.com/49ers/article/No-preseason-No-problem-for-49ers-Shanahan-says-15432277.php

Ted Nguyen The Athletic: What makes the 49ers’ run game so explosive

- How in tune the OL has gotten with each other
- QB's responsibilities in the run game
- The next evolution in 21 personnel
- Manipulating the defense with pre-snap movement

https://theathletic.com/1918399/2020/07/23/what-makes-the-49ers-run-game-so-explosive/

SEATTLE
Condotta Seattle Times: Seahawks training camp is on as the NFL and its players’ union agree on return-to-play deal
https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/seahawks-training-camp-is-on-as-the-nfl-and-its-players-union-agree-on-return-to-play-deal/?

Condotta Seattle Times: Training camp countdown: Ranking the Seahawks roster, Part 5 (30-16)
https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/training-camp-countdown-ranking-the-seahawks-roster-part-5-30-16/?

TAMPA BAY
Laine ESPN TB: Better, worse or the same? Bucs defense relying on same cast to grow better
https://tv5.espn.com/blog/tampa-bay-buccaneers/post/_/id/23939/better-worse-or-the-same-bucs-defense-will-mostly-rely-on-same-cast?

WASHINGTON
Jhabalva Washington Post: Alex Smith, after 17 surgeries, near clearance from team docs to resume football activity
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/07/24/alex-smith-after-17-surgeries-near-clearance-team-docs-resume-football-activity/?

John Keim ESPN Washington: Do think it’s important to note: Alex Smith was cleared by his doctors. Has not been looked at any Washington’s doctors. That’s a huge key. Some big hurdles remain. Again, impressive to reach this point. But would not go further in any discussion than “cleared by his doctors”.

Now, one of his doctors is Robin West, who is also with Washington. So that’s good. But let’s just go step by step here. Today is a good step for him. See what happens when he reports. Then go from there.

Jhabalva Washington Post: Washington’s Cody Latimer appears in court for May arrest; expected to report to training camp
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/07/24/cody-latimer-appears-court-washington-wide-receiver/

Colleges/ Draft

Rang SI.com: Countdown to College Football Kickoff: Top NFL prospects at Cal
https://www.si.com/nfl/draft/news/countdown-to-college-football-kickoff-top-nfl-prospects-at-cal

LB
Jeremiah NFL.com: Scouting Dylan Moses: Alabama LB reminiscent of Myles Jack
https://www.nfl.com/_amp/scouting-dylan-moses-alabama-lb-reminiscent-of-myles-jack

History

Schneier CBS Sports.com: Giants all-time 53-man depth chart: Why Eli Manning gets QB nod, stacked front seven equals tough choices
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/giants-all-time-53-man-depth-chart-why-eli-manning-gets-qb-nod-stacked-front-seven-equals-tough-choices/amp/

Turney PFJ: Looking at the Quarterbacks Waiting for HOF Induction
http://nflfootballjournal.blogspot.com/2019/07/looking-at-quarterbacks-waiting-for-hof.html

Branch SF Chronicle: Former 49ers defensive lineman Stan Hindman dies at age 76

Hindman had 12 sacks in 1967, 25½ for career, career-high vs Dallas, 1967 (3½ sacks)

https://www.sfchronicle.com/49ers/article/Former-49ers-defensive-lineman-Stan-Hindman-dies-15432736.php

Dan Daly: Was talking last night about Dan Marino's 48 TDs for the #Dolphins in 1984 & how it was one of the great passing seasons of all time. Also mentioned that Giants HOFer Y.A. Tittle had thrown *47* TD passes in a 16-game stretch in 1962-63 -- 2 decades earlier!

A few things of note:
1. Tittle's age. He was no Young Gun like Marino (23). He did this at 36 and 37.
2. He had a 7-TD & a 6-TD game along the way.
3. In 2 games he didn't throw *any* TD passes, and in 1 he threw just 2 passes total.
4. He missed the 2nd game of the '63 season.

Think of how much more passer-friendly the rules were in 1984 vs. 1962-63. Dan's season statline was 564-362-5,084-48-17, with a 108.9 rating & a 64.2 completion %. Y.A.'s 16 games: 436-249-3,864-47-13, 110.1 rating, 57.1%.

Will finish up by saying: Lengthening the schedule has a tendency to erase the past because of the #NFL's insistence, for record purposes, on treating a season as a season, regardless of how many games were played. Marino played 16 games, Tittle 14, Unitas 12 (1st 5 years)

Baugh & Luckman played even less than that in some seasons. It alters perceptions of players. Then there are the rules they played under. . . . When the #NFL goes to 17 games, that will affect the 16-Game Era Guys. If it goes to 18, that will *really* affect them. Just sayin'.

Dan Daly: Who am I? Only 7 players in NFL history have gained 1,000 yards from scrimmage and had 1,000 return yards (KO and punt) in the same season. I'm the last to do it.

Answer: WR Randall Cobb with the 2012 Packers is the last NFLer who gained 1,000 yards from scrimmage and had 1,000 return yards (KO and punt) in the same season

Dan Daly: J. Watt and Mike Vrabel are the only players in the Super Bowl era (1966-present) to accomplish what statistical feat?

Answer: Watt (2014) and Vrabel (2005) are the only NFL players since the '60s to have a TD catch and a pick-6 in the same season. In fact, they both had *3* TD catches those years.

Dan Daly: Today's NFL Trivia Question: The record has passed from O.J. Simpson (5) to Earl Campbell (6) to Eric Dickerson (7) to Larry Johnson (8). What do these numbers represent?

Answer: The Iron Man mark for consecutive games with 25+ carries. Johnson did it in 8 straight for the Chiefs at the end of his terrific 2005 season

Giants Birthdays 7-25

Robert Douglas RB UDFA-Memphis 2007 NYG 2007 7-25-1982

Kenny Hill SS TR-OAK 1984 NYG 1984-1988 7-25-1958

NYT: YALE STUDY HABITS HELPING HILL ADJUST (8-31-1984)

“The National Football League's record books show that Kenny Hill spent four years with the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders as a defensive back. The record books exaggerate.
For four years, including his rookie season on injured reserve, Hill was a member of the Raiders, and he did play on every special team. But he played only infrequent defense, because the Raiders' secondary was already so strong. When Los Angeles acquired Mike Haynes from the New England Patriots late last season, the team was left with four genuine stars at defensive back: Haynes, Lester Hayes, Mike Davis and Vann McElroy.
''It was tough to get mentally attuned,'' said Hill, ''to whether you were going to play or not play.''
All that changed Monday, when the Giants traded an undisclosed draft choice to the Raiders for Hill. Bill Currier, the Giants' starting strong safety, had back spasms again, so the Giants needed help.

Biophysics and Biochemistry
The player they acquired is different. He is pro football's only Yale graduate with a degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry. Unlike other members of Yale's class of 1980, he can play strong safety, return punts and kickoffs and race downfield with enough speed to make him a good member of kick-coverage teams.
Pete Shaw, who was waived Monday and signed again Wednesday, is likely to start at strong safety in the opener Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles at Giants Stadium. However, Hill has made fast progress in learning a new system.
''He's doing fine,'' Coach Bill Parcells said today. ''If he can convince us he knows what he's doing, he might start. I know a lot of the Raiders' terminology, so I can relate and make his learning quicker.''
Not all players would enjoy leaving a Super Bowl champion for a team that finished last year with a 3-12-1 record. Hill found a bright side in the opportunity to become a starter, though he did not know how he would be received on a team that had dropped so many veterans.

''I'm sure a lot of guys wanted to see if I'm worth the equipment I got here,'' he said. ''But they've really been supportive of me. I haven't sensed any feeling of animosity.''
Super Bowl Ring Noticed
When Harry Carson, the Giants' all-pro linebacker, was asked if he noticed anything special about Hill, he answered quickly, ''A Super Bowl ring.''
The Raiders almost always play a man-to-man pass defense. The Giants, like most other pro teams, primarily play a zone.
''The mentality required to play the two are entirely different,'' said Hill. ''To play a zone, you have to be disciplined. In man to man, you've got to be locked into your man, like nothing else exists. It's an entirely different discipline. Most defensive backs would prefer a zone, because you can rely on a lot more help.''

Hill is 26 years old, 6 feet and 195 pounds. He played running back and defensive back at Oak Grove (La.) High School. He passed up a full athletic scholarship at Louisiana State to attend Yale, helped by two partial academic scholarships and two loans (''I'm still paying them back,'' he said).
He finds a positive relationship between his college studies and his current situation.
''I have to cram and learn a new system in a couple of days,'' he said. ''I'm thankful I learned good study habits.''
If Currier is healthy in a month and is reactivated, Shaw may be dropped. Mike Dennis, another reserve defensive back, has already been dropped. Shaw and Dennis are known as hitters. Hill left no doubt that he was a hitter, too.
''I am an ex-Raider,'' he said. ''I think that speaks for itself.''

Jameel McClain MLB W-BAL 2014 NYG 2014 7-25-1985

Brandon McManus PK W-IND 2014 NYG Training Camp 2014 7-25-1991

Kent Wells NT W-WAS 1990 NYG 1990 7-25-1967

In Memoriam

Bruce Maher SS TR-DET 1968 NYG 1968-1969 Born 7-25-1947 Died 7-6-2018

Bruce Maher was a Detroit native who had the opportunity to play for his hometown team. A fifteenth round draft selection of the Lions in 1960, he spent three seasons as a part time starter at corner before becoming a starting strong safety in 1963. His first year as a starter the Lion’s secondary featured two HOF’s in Night Train Lane and Yale Lary and a third excellent DB in Dick LeBeau.

LCB Night Train Lane
LS Bruce Maher
FS Yale Lary
RCB Dick LeBeau

Maher remained the Lions starting strong safety until 1967. Lacking great size he was nonetheless a feared hitter and leader.

“Nobody in the league plays with more desire,@ assistant coach Carl Taseff said in 1965, the year Maher was voted the team’s most valuable player. “Bruce is the reckless type when it comes to throwing himself into any play.”

He also was a minor league catcher in the Tigers organization.

In 1968 the Giants acquired Maher in a trade for RB Bill Triplett and OLB Bill Swain. The Giants also received third and fourth round draft choices from the Lions. Maher became the glue that held a young Giants secondary together. In 1968 the Giants secondary intercepted passes at a rate seldom seen in Giants history.

LCB Scott Eaton 4 INT 20 yds
SS Bruce Maher 1 INT 89 yds
FS Spider Lockhart 8 INT 130 yds 2 TD
RCB Willie Williams 10 INT 103 yds

The Giants secondary featured that year Maher, Spider Lockhart in his second year as a free safety after being a CB in 1965-1966, Scott Eaton a second year CB who was a basketball player at Oregon, and Willie Williams who after his Giants’ rookie year in 1965 signed with the Raiders, who released him in 1967 when he rejoined the Giants.
1968 was Williams first full season as a starting CB.

Maher had a huge interception return in the Giants upset win at Dallas in 1968.

UPI: “The Dallas Cowboys may have lost their fat lead in the National Football League's Capitol Division Sunday because receiver Lance Rentzel went into a deep freeze that let New York gets its third interception and beat the Cowboys 27-21. Pete Gogolak had just kicked the second of two fourth-quarter field goals with 2:44 left in the game when the Cowboys, 17 point pre-game favorites, launched a desperate bid to pull out the key victory before a hometown crowd of 72,163 fans. Gogolak, whose 25 and 10-yard field goals provided the margin of victory and snapped a six- game New York losing streak to Dallas, kicked off deep into the end zone and Dallas started its desperation drive on its own 20- yard line. Don Meredith quickly hit Bob Hayes with a 25-yarder out to the 45-yard line and then Meredith rolled slowly to his right on the next play. Rentzel had gone deep down the right sideline and did not have a Giant defender within 15 yards of him. He was waving frantically for Meredith's atten tion. But, by the time Meredith noticed him, so had New York's Carl Lockhart, who sped across and intercepted the pass that ended Dallas' chances and cut the Cowboys (7-2) lead over the Giants (6-3) to one game with five games to play. Meredith generally drew the blame for not picking up a wide open receiver sooner, but Rentzel would not have any of that version. "I thought I was wide open and I froze for a minute," he said. "I should have come back on the ball. It was a bad play on my part ... not Don's. Lockhart had his own version: "We were in a prevent defense. Rentzel had run a deep sideline pattern through (Bruce) Maher's zone. When I looked over there, he (Rentzel) was wide open and waving. It's a good thing Meredith was running the sprint out because he had to stop and plant his foot. If that had not happened I would not have had time to get over there." It was Maher who earlier had picked off another of Meredith's passes and scooted 89 yards with it to set up the Giants' second touchdown, which came on a five-yard flip from Frank Tarkenton to Joe Morrison for a 14-0 New York lead. Tarkenton had scrambled 22 yards for the first touchdown. He later hit Homer Jones with 60-yard scoring bomb and set up the first of Gogolak's winning field goal.”

During that season he would play the entire second half against the Eagles after being knocked out cold in the first half of the game. He would be voted the team’s defensive MVP in 1968.

Maher would have 5 interceptions himself in 1969. An example of his leadership:

UPI: Oct. 13, 1969 Giants Find Defense Pays Webster's 11 Contains Steelers for 10-7 Win

“Defensive football, which used to win championships for the Giants before it took a five-year leave of absence, looks like it's back to stay, and coach Alex Webster couldn't be happier. "It looked like the defense of old," said Webster in the sweaty but happy New York Giants - locker room after yesterday's 10 to 7 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. But Webster and the Giants might not have been so happy had Steeler coach Chuck Noll not decided to go for a touchdown disdaining a try for an easy field goal just before the end of the first half. With the ball on the New York two Pittsburgh tried to sweep left end on fourth down but fullback Earl Gros was dropped for no gain by middle linebacker Ralph Heck. "We were insulted when they decided to go for it," said defensive end Bruce Anderson. "Maher (safety Bruce Maher) said 'let's shove it down their throats,' so we got up and stopped them," he explained. At that time the Giants had a 7 to 0 lead, and the Steelers were moving the ball on one of their few marches of the day. But with 62,987 fans urging them on, the Maramen responded with a goal line stand reminiscent of that displayed by the forefathers of a decade ago. With a first-and-goal on the New York 5 Gros tried right end and was dropped for a yard loss by Scott Eaton and Carl Lock-hart. On second down quarterback Dick Shiner found Gros In the left flat, but linebacker Tommy Crutcher was there too, and tackled him for no gain. Shiner faded to throw on third down but couldn't find any receivers and took off for the right corner. But Maher, coming up quickly from the end zone, nailed him on the 2, setting the stage for Heck's heroes.”

Bruce Maher weighing just 185 pounds, once described his job as strong safety this way: “It’s not a luxurious life. The main job is to stop the pass to the tight end. He’s a cross between a tackle and a flanker, with touches of bull moose. He runs to size and he runs for speed. It’s nothing for a tight end to outweigh the safety by 50 pounds. But size hasn’t handicapped me yet. Mental attitude is the big thing. A defensive back has to psyche himself."

However Maher would retire after that 1969 season when he and the Giants couldn’t agree on a new contract. His absence was felt in the Giants secondary as the Giants narrowly missed the playoffs in 1970.

George Shaw QB TR-BAL 1959 NYG 1959-1960 Born 7-25-1933 Died 1-03-1998

1959: The 5 quarterbacks

Charlie Conerly came within minutes of being the MVP in what would become known as the “Greatest Game” ever played...his reward was a 5 way battle for the Giants starting quarterback job in 1959:

WINOOSKI PARK, V:., July 30.- Thc New York football Giants today acquired veteran Quarterback George Shaw from the Champion Baltimore Colts in exchange for a high 1959 draft choice and the Giants' No. 1 draft choice for I960. Shaw was the Colts' bonus selection in the 1955 college draft but, lost his starting job to Johnny Unitas two years ago and has been Baltimore's No. 2 man ever since. Ths 25-year-old former NCAA passing king stirred up a hornet's nest this spring when he notified the Colts that he wanted to be traded unless he could play more. No amount of persuasion by Baltimore Coach Webb Ewbank could change Shaw's mind, and he threatened to quit the game unless he was dealt to another NFL club. The four-year veteran thus becomes the fifth quarterback candidate with the Giants this season. Currently bidding for the job in camp are Charlie Conerly, Don Hcinrich and Frank Glfford, the all-league halfback who is attempt-ing to make the big jump to quarter. Rcokie Lee Grosscup, New York's first draft pick this season, is now with the College All-Stars in Chicago. He will join the Giants in Hershcy, Pa., Aug. 15. The Giants, of course, will not go into the regular campaign with
five quarterbacks on the roster. "We may carry three," said Head Coach Jim Lee Howell, "but which three is something that remains to be seen. Conerly, at the moment, is still my starting quarterback. And Gifford and Heinrich are in the picture with Shaw, too."

Today in Pro Football History: 1959: Colts Trade George Shaw to Giants

“Coming to the Giants, Shaw faced a crowded quarterback situation that included the 38-year-old starter, Charlie Conerly, plus veteran backup Don Heinrich, and the team’s first draft choice, rookie Lee Grosscup. In addition, star HB Frank Gifford was being given a trial at quarterback, although he ended up staying put at running back.

Shaw made the team, but was hindered by an injured thumb on his throwing hand. He started one game in place of Conerly, who had an outstanding season as the Giants won the Eastern Conference for the third time in four years, and was a more effective passer than Heinrich when he did play - he completed 66.7 percent of his throws for 433 yards while Heinrich was successful on just 37.9 percent for 329 yards while tossing 22 more passes than Shaw (58 to 36); he also threw six interceptions to Shaw’s one, and each threw a TD pass. Grosscup was shunted off to the taxi squad...”

https://fs64sports.blogspot.com/2011/07/1959-colts-trade-george-shaw-to-giants.html

Maule SI.com: THE BATTLE-WISE COLTS TEACH THE COLLEGE ALL-STARS A LESSON AND PROVE THE PROS CAN WIN THIS GAME WHEN THEY WANT

“Most of the All-Stars began their postgraduate football studies a couple of days after the game, as rookies on the various teams in the National Football League. Grosscup, who belongs to the New York Giants, flew out of Chicago Saturday morning to Hershey, Pa., where he watched the Giants lose their first exhibition game to the Philadelphia Eagles 21-17.

"I got to start all over," he said before he left. "The Giants use different terminology and a different cadence and I'll be just about starting from scratch."

Saturday's game must have been an interesting one for Grosscup, one of five candidates for the quarterback's job on the Giant team. Coach Jim Lee Howell tested all four of the other candidates: Frank Gifford, who wants to convert from halfback; George Shaw, recent acquisition from the Colts; Don Heinrich, No. 2 behind Charley Conerly for several years, and Conerly himself.

Howell opened the game with Gifford, who was surprisingly capable, mixing short and long passes with keeper plays in which he ran the ball well. Gifford completed three of six passes, Shaw three of 10, Conerly two of four and Heinrich two of six. Probably the most effective of the quartet, though, was Conerly. The aging (38) Giant quarterback marched his team 65 yards in 11 plays in the third quarter for a touchdown and apparently has lost none of the cunning and poise which have made him the Giants' top quarterback for 11 years.

Grosscup, handicapped by his late start, may have a tough time breaking into the Giant lineup. But he is probably the best passer of the five quarterbacks and he is a cool operator under pressure, as he showed abundantly in the time he played against the Colts. He has gained some 20 pounds in the last couple of years, mostly through working with barbells, and, as Otto Graham pointed out after working with Lee in the All-Star camp, he is smart.

He has the additional advantage of being the youngest of the aspirants. Gifford, who would certainly return to his halfback post should he fail in the bid for a quarterback job, is 29; Heinrich, Conerly's well-used understudy, is 28. Shaw, probably the best second-string quarterback in football during the time he watched Unitas play from the Colt bench, is 26.

Howell has said that he will carry only two quarterbacks; and Gifford, before the training camp began, said, "I will have to be good enough to be the No. 1 quarterback or else I will be back at halfback."

Seldom has a pro coach been so pleasantly embarrassed by riches at this position. Regardless of which two quarterbacks he keeps, Howell will have prime trading material in the ones he decides to let go...”

https://www.si.com/vault/1959/08/24/606056/nice-boys-but-no-match

Note: The trade for Shaw involved the Giants first and second round draft selections...the first round selection went from the Colts to the 49ers who selected a QB from UCLA named Billy Kilmer...it was the presence of young (at the time) mobile quarterbacks in Red Hickey’s shotgun formation like Kilmer, John Brodie, and Bobby Waters that led the 49ers to trade the immobile Y.A. Tittle to the Giants in 1961.

The Giants would recoup the first round draft selection by trading Shaw to expansion Minnesota in 1961. Shaw would not be able to attain success with the Vikings despite high expectations from new Head Coach and recently retired quarterback of the 1960 championship Eagles, Norm Van Brocklin.

The Vikings also would acquire Grosscup from the Giants in 1962, but the Vikings QB job would belong to future Giants’ QB Fran Tarkenton.

The Giants would use the valuable first round selection acquired from expansion Minnesota as a bargaining chip with LA Rams. There were two trades in the 1961 offseason where the Giants sent a 1962 first round selection to another team; the first was in the three team deal that allowed the Giants to acquire Erich Barnes from the Rams [UPI 1-28-1961 The Giants gave up their No. 1 draft choice to the Rams, but they still have a first pick which they acquired previously from the new Minnesota franchise] the second trade was when the Giants acquired Del Shofner from the Rams.

It could well have been the Giants sent their own 1962 selection (which figured to be at the end of the first round) to the Rams in the Barnes trade, then modified that to the Vikings pick (which figured to be one of the top two picks in the 1962 draft) when the Giants acquired Shofner from the Rams. The Giants then used their own selection in 1962 to draft LB Jerry Hillebrand.

Regardless, the Rams used the pick they acquired from the Giants (through Minnesota) at the top of the 1962 draft to select QB Roman Gabriel.

Conerly would keep his starting QB job until 1961, Gifford would return to HB, and Heinrich would join the expansion Cowboys in 1960.

Maule SI: THE ANGRY YOUNG QUARTERBACK
GEORGE SHAW HAS BEEN AN UNDERSTUDY TO TWO OF FOOTBALL'S BEST PASSERS; NOW, PLAYING BEHIND THE GIANTS' CHARLIE CONERLY, HE HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME A TOP BANANA
(10-17-1960)

“George Shaw is a stocky, sandy-haired young man who has been the second-best quarterback on the two best teams in football for the last four years. He started his pro career as the No. 1 quarterback for the Baltimore Colts, then had the misfortune to suffer a leg injury. His replacement was John Unitas. You might, with very good reason, consider that his second misfortune.

"No one knows how good Johnny is better than I do," Shaw said the other day, en route to Pittsburgh with the New York Giants. "I sat on the bench for two years and watched him. I developed second-stringitis. I began to doubt myself."
Shaw, a serious 26-year-old who is taking an executive training course in a Portland, Ore. bank during the off season, has a bent for self-analysis. When he discovered two years ago that he was suffering from second-class citizenship, he went to Weeb Ewbank, the head coach of the Colts, and asked to be traded to the Giants or to the San Francisco 49ers; Charlie Conerly and Y. A. Tittle even then were two of the oldest quarterbacks in the league.

"I told Weeb that I thought I was damaging myself and the Colts," he said. "When you sit on the bench game after game you find yourself losing interest. I used to go to Weeb and ask him to let me play a little bit just to keep my hand in. You know, go in when we were way ahead. I told him I thought it would be better for the club if Johnny got hurt. But Weeb's theory is go with one quarterback and that's what he did. Johnny's the same age I am and I knew if I stayed with the Colts, I'd spend my life on the bench.
"Weeb and Don Kellett were wonderful," Shaw said. "They made sure I got to the Giants. I've been lucky. I've learned my trade from two of the smartest quarterbacks in the business."
When Shaw came to New York, Allie Sherman, the brilliant young Giant offensive coach, took him aside. "It's up to you, George," he said. "You'll be given every opportunity. But you have to do it yourself. You have to be grim and you have to go into a game with an inner anger. You have to take charge."
In his first year with the Giants, Shaw suffered a severe thumb injury and never was able to play much. This year his thumb is well again and he has assumed the role Don Heinrich used to play as secondary quarterback to Conerly. Shaw had trouble at first learning the Giant numbering system in signal calling, since the Giant and Colt systems are exact opposites.

"I'd be calling the plays left-handed," he said. "The Colts number the holes on one side of the line odd and on the other even and the Giants reversed this. It cost me confidence for a while. I wasn't sure whose signals I was calling. But I've got them right now."
Shaw, after five years as a pro quarterback, still wasn't completely comfortable in the position although he played in most Giant exhibitions this summer.
"When you go in, you feel the responsibility so much," he said. "A couple of years ago, when Johnny was hurt, I played two games at quarterback. I wasn't relaxed and I wasn't confident because I was afraid of playing poorly. Not afraid of giving a bad performance myself, but afraid of failing the team. Maybe I shouldn't say it, but you know when you're out there that the guys up in the line aren't making as much money as the quarterback. When they are great players on a team which is about to win a championship, they demand a lot from a quarterback. They expect you to be as good as they are, or better. It's a big load."
Conerly was unable to play much in the first two Giant games this year because of infected teeth and the burden of quarterbacking fell squarely on Shaw. He squeaked through the first game (a narrow victory over San Francisco) with a relatively undistinguished performance; before the Giants' second game with the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis, Sherman needled him. Sherman will not say what he told Shaw but whatever it was it worked.

"He went into the game grim," Sherman said. "He was mad at me and at the Cardinals and at himself. He was an angry young man. This kind of controlled inner anger is a part of being a good quarterback. All the best ones have it. You've seen Bobby Layne cuss out his team for bad blocking. Norm Van Brocklin does the same thing. Conerly is not that effusive, but he gets his point across to the players. The quarterback has to be able to do that. He has to demand and get respect from all the players on the team. He's got to know more than the rest of them. He's a kind of middle ground, above the players and below the coaches. It's a lonely place and no place for a really nice guy. A little anger helps."
The new, angry Shaw passed for four touchdowns in the Giants' 35-14 victory over the Cardinals. On the way to the game in Pittsburgh, he seemed, at last, sure of himself, relaxed and confident.
"I know I'll get to play here," he said. "I'm adjusted to the receivers on this team now. They're great. A quarterback doesn't have much time to look when he drops back; Gifford and Rote and Schnelker run their patterns so well that you know they'll be there when you look for them. The Colt receivers are great, too, but I never threw to them often enough to get adjusted to their styles of running."
Shaw started against the Steelers. He played for most of the first three quarters, and when he left the game the Giants were leading 12-7. He throws a flat pass, harder than the feathery, easy-to-catch Conerly passes, and Giant receivers two or three times dropped the ball when it was on target. Even so, he looked good, and he ran the team crisply and well.

"He made one call I wouldn't have made," Jim Lee Howell, the Giant head coach, said after the game. "We'reahead 12-7, in field-goal range, and he called a pass that was intercepted. A field goal would have been as good as a touchdown. But then he called another play I wouldn't have a little earlier and threw to Rote for a touchdown. The way I look at it is that it's his game while he's in there to run the way he wants to. He's in charge, all the way. If I start sending in plays, I have to send all the plays in and I'm not going to start doing that. You have to give the quarterback authority. It is the only way he can run a team."
When Shaw was taken out of the game, late in the third quarter, it was because Howell thought that Conerly, through his long experience and past superlative performances, would provide a psychological lift for the Giants which Shaw, still a relative newcomer, could not'. Shaw, aware of the reason, was not angry.
Sitting on the bench, he absorbed an object lesson in controlled anger from Conerly. The 39-year-old Giant quarterback, who has worked very little during the last five weeks, was off in his passing. Time and again he overthrew Giant receivers who had worked free behind the rather porous Pittsburgh secondary defense. Each time he left the field, Conerly looked grimmer and angrier. The Steelers' own angry old man—Bobby Layne—passed beautifully to young Buddy Dial for a Steeler touchdown in the third quarter, then herded his team into field-goal range in the fourth to take a 17-12 lead with 7½ minutes to play. Here Conerly, tired and weak and, above all, angry, produced two wonderful, desperate plays. On a fourth down deep in Giant territory, he passed 18 yards to Kyle Rote, who lateraled to Schnelker for another 16. Two plays later, he threw a long, tall pass 44 yards in the air and Frank Gifford, timing his leap perfectly, took the ball between two Steeler defenders and fell over the goal for the winning touchdown.

With Conerly recovering now, it is likely that Shaw will play only a quarter or two a game.
"It's a lot better than it was with the Colts," he said. "I'm beginning to get my confidence back. I think aggressively and positively now." And angrily.”

https://vault.si.com/.amp/vault/1960/10/17/the-angry-young-quarterback

Joe Zapustas E UDFA-Fordham 1933 NYG 1933 Born 7-25-1907 Died 1-04-2001

Obituary: “After graduating from Fordham University in 1933, he played two games as an outfielder for the Philadelphia Athletics in the American League before they traded him to Toledo in the American Association. In that same year, he was an end for the New York Giants in the National Football League in two games. From 1936 to 1938 he played for the Boston Shamrocks in the American Football League. In 1938, he was an owner/coach on the Shamrocks. He spent nearly 40 years as athletic director at Randolph High School and before that served 10 years as a teacher and a coach. In 1981 he was inducted into the Massachusetts Football Coaches Hall of Fame, and in 1990 he was inducted into the Stetson / Randolph High School Hall of Fame. The town of Randolph named its ice skating rink -- the Joseph J. Zapustas Arena -- in his honor. Mr. Zapustas also served many years as a boxing referee, officiating bouts featuring legends such as Rocky Marciano, Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson.”

Until 2017: “The only person born in Lithuania to ever play in Major League Baseball was a fellow named Joe Zapustas, who has his own intriguing tale. After emigrating to the U.S. as a child, Zapustas went on to become an outfielder for two games with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1933 – going 1-for-5 – and later that same year he played in two NFL games for the New York Giants, catching one pass for 26 yards.”

In 2017 Dovydas Neverauskas, taking the roster spot of DL-bound Adam Frazier, becomes the second person born in Lithuania, but the first raised there, to appear in a major league game when he throws two innings of one-run ball for the Pirates in 14-3 loss to the Cubs at PNC Park. A’s outfielder Joe Zapustas, who played two games for the team in 1933, was also born in the Baltic state, but spent his childhood in Boston.