NY Giants Twitter Mailbag: The OTA Edition

Although there is no live contact allowed in the spring OTAs, we’re starting to get a few answers to some burning questions that have been flying around the New York Giants all offseason, such as the new offense and the situation at safety.

While it will take until training camp before the full answers are revealed about these and other topics, here is a look at some of the topics that some of my Twitter followers were most curious about.

Chris, head coach Tom Coughlin was asked this question after OTA No. 6, and he had this to say about Taylor:

"

Well you can see that he’s a much bigger human being right now. He’s worked hard in the offseason, he’s stronger, he’s bigger, he’s in his second go-around so he has an excellent opportunity to contribute in a lot of ways.

"

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Speaking of the safety position and what’s next for the Giants after waiving Will Hill, the projected starters are Antrel Rolle and Stevie Brown.

I believe Quintin Demps is going to get a lot of snaps as well, and if the Giants roll out that three-safety package again, Demps becomes the third safety in the mix.

Rookie draft pick Nat Berhe will compete with Taylor, though I have a feeling the Giants are going to keep five safeties this year because, as Brown continues to rehab from ACL surgery, I suspect he’s going to have his reps managed, which will necessitate carrying an extra safety on the roster. 

Thanks for the question, Dan. Out of all of the roles on the offense, it looks like the tight end seems to have undergone the most change as far as responsibilities.

They’re lining up in line, in the slot, out wide, and in the backfield. They’re motioning to and from the backfield, and I think they're going to the goal being to create confusion for the defense.

So yes, I think we’re going to see a lot more motioning than we have in the past.

However, the Giants need to be careful of penalties with all that motioning. I wouldn’t be surprised if, in the preseason, we see a lot of false start penalties.

Below is a comparison of the number of false start penalties Packers offense and the Giants offense committed over the last two seasons.

	Packers	Giants
2012	16	14
2013	13	8
Totals	29	22

Worth noting is that for the Packers, false start infractions was the second-most frequently called penalty against them in each of the last two seasons.

For the Giants, false start infractions were the fourth-most frequently called penalties last year, down from second-most in 2012.

Toby, my response to your first question is left tackle. Granted, I’ve only been to practices, and they’re not being run at full speed, but I haven’t been impressed with Charles Brown or James Brewer at that position so far.

I’m also very concerned about starting left tackle Will Beatty, who is not going to do any work with the team in the spring.

My concern is the longer he’s out, the more he’s going to fall behind. (Yes, I know about the classroom work, but I firmly believe that to grasp how to do something, you have to physically do it.)

Al Bello/Getty Images

Head coach Tom Coughlin, when asked about Beatty and receiver Mario Manningham, said last week, “Supposedly they’ll be ready for the fall.”

Supposedly?

If that’s not enough—and, by the way, I’d be stunned if Beatty doesn’t open up training camp on the PUP list—the other concern I have with Beatty being sidelined is that I don’t know how much of a chance he’s had to work on his technique, which last year, fell off at an alarming rate. 

Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Beatty, who in 2012 was ranked as the 11th best tackle in the NFL among those who played 75 percent of the snaps (22.3 overall grade),  fell to the 37th best (out of 43), earning a minus-6.3 overall grade.  

As for your second question regarding why third-round pick Jay Bromley hasn't signed yet, my guess is the holdup has to do with how the contract is structured.

The two sides could be wrestling over how many years of the contract have a split salary (a player who lands on injured reserve can get a reduced salary, as specified by the NFL minimum salary chart).  

It’s hard to say exactly what the holdup is—the Giants don't discuss contract negotiations—but if I had to take a guess, that would be it.  

Dave, I addressed the safety situation above, but regarding your second question about Charles James, right now, the depth ahead of him includes Prince Amukamara, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Walter Thurmond and Trumaine McBride.

James will compete with sixth-round pick Bennett Jackson for that final cornerback spot. He can really help his chances of making the roster if he has a strong showing not just on defense but on special teams as well.

Thanks for the questions! We’ll do another mailbag after the upcoming mandatory minicamp wraps up on January 19, so if you have questions, please tweet them to me or post in the comments section.  

Patricia Traina is the senior editor for Inside Football. All quotes and information obtained firsthand, unless otherwise noted.