New York Giants' Week 8 Stock Report
The New York Giants are sitting on top of the NFC East with a 4-3 record and a real chance to put some more ground between them and the Eagles and Cowboys.
It's certainly not going to be easy, as the Giants, who face the New Orleans Saints at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, haven't won in the Superdome since 1993 during the days of Phil Simms at quarterback and Dan Reeves as the head coach.
The good news for the Giants is they're starting to get contributions from players who perhaps weren't as visible on the radar at the start of the season.
On the flip side, there have been a few struggles where the return of key starters could very well boost this team's turbo power to a whole new level.
Who's who? It's all right here in the weekly stock report.
Stock Up: DE Jason Pierre-Paul
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He's back!
That's right, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul not only passed his Giants-administered team physical, he and his agent came to an agreement on what NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported to be a one-year contract loaded with incentives.
The Giants, who confirmed the transaction, also revealed they have been granted a two-week roster exemption in which Pierre-Paul will begin working with the team's medical staff to build himself back into football shape.
According to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports, Pierre-Paul's return to the lineup could come as soon as Week 10 when the Giants host the Patriots, the Giants' last game before their bye.
The team, however, hasn't set any time frame on the 26-year-old defensive end.
New York's pass rush has been nonexistent this season. The Giants have nine sacks, which is 31st in the league and one ahead of the Atlanta Falcons.
While there is still a long road ahead for Pierre-Paul until he actually gets on the field—he will need to come up to speed on the defense as well as get himself back into football shape—the two biggest obstacles regarding his return have been cleared, with the team now focused on getting whatever Pierre-Paul is able to bring to the party.
Stock Down: CB Jayron Hosley
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To describe cornerback Jayron Hosley's most recent performance as "rough" might just be a little too kind.
According to Pro Football Focus, Hosley allowed four of five pass targets to be completed for 64 yards, 22 of which came after the catch.
While Hosley has shown flashes of being a capable starter, his tackling is far from being in the same zip code as that of Prince Amukamara, who is currently on the shelf with a pectoral injury.
He failed to properly wrap up tight end Jason Witten on a first-quarter pass play on which, by the way, Hosley was late to react. He was also victimized on the quick slant patterns, particularly by receiver Terrance Williams, and was defeated again, this time by Brice Butler, on a back shoulder throw.
Hosley did catch a couple of breaks. One was on a pass intended for Williams, who beat Hosley like a drum but had no chance on the underthrown pass.
Hosley also looked like he interfered with Williams, but again, he was saved by the fact the pass was off-target.
Amukamara probably won't be in the lineup for at least another week, which means the Giants will likely continue to roll with Hosley. If that is indeed the plan, he needs to do a better job all-around.
Stock Up: RB Orleans Darkwa
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Don't look now, but the Giants rushing offense finally has a pulse.
After going six straight games failing to crack the 100-yard mark, the Giants' streak was snapped when the coaches finally called Orleans Darkwa's number.
The fourth-string running back, signed by the team midway through last year off the Miami Dolphins practice squad, didn't disappoint, finishing with 48 yards on eight carries with one touchdown.
"He had an outstanding preseason. So during the course of the week, he had some carries in first and second down," head coach Tom Coughlin said of Darkwa.
"The coaches felt strongly that he should be given an opportunity. It wasn't right away in the game, but eventually he played, and he played well."
Given how well he played, Darkwa has now created a good problem for Coughlin and the coaches, who must figure out how to distribute the carries among four running backs.
"I think right now, it depends on the plan and the type of game we expect and how we strategize and plan on using. But the four healthy guys…that's a great thing, believe me," Coughlin said.
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Stock Down: RT Marshall Newhouse
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With offensive tackle Will Beatty on track to a return by next week, Marshall Newhouse, who has been trying to hold down the fort at right tackle, is probably on his way out barring any injuries striking elsewhere.
Newhouse hasn't quite been the major disaster everyone thought he'd be, but these last two weeks against upper-echelon defensive lines, he's had more belches than hiccups.
Per Pro Football Focus, Newhouse had the lowest overall grade (minus-0.8) on the offensive side of the ball in Week 7, allowing two hurries and one hit against quarterback Eli Manning.
Those pressures, by the way, were the most allowed by the Giants offensive linemen against Dallas' solid defensive front.
While he's given the best effort he has, Newhouse's 25 total pressures allowed are the most by the five starting offensive linemen and perhaps enough of a reason for the coaches to justify making the switch to Beatty once he is added to the active roster.
Stock Up: KOR/PR/WR Dwayne Harris
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Dwayne Harris' 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that gave the Giants the 27-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys is precisely why New York showered him with a five-year, $17.5 million contract, per Spotrac.
After being taken off kickoff-return duties last week given his increased role on the offense—running back Shane Vereen handled the kickoff-return duties—the Giants went back to Harris, and he did not disappoint. His big return boosts the team's kickoff-return average to 27.9, a huge improvement over last year's 23.3 average.
More importantly, Harris, who has come close to breaking other kickoffs for touchdowns, has made the Giants special teams, once a laughing stock of the league, relevant again.
Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.
Follow me on Twitter, @Patricia_Traina.
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