New York Giants: Stock Up, Stock Down from Training Camp Week 3

Rome wasn’t built in a day, so expectations of having a football team be in midseason form are probably a little unrealistic at this point.

However, that doesn’t mean that it’s unrealistic to expect progress, and that is exactly what head coach Tom Coughlin is looking for on Saturday when the New York Giants line up to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second preseason game this summer.

Coughlin, who always plays his personnel plans close to the vest, didn’t reveal all that much as far as what his plans are for Saturday’s game (though he did indicate that the starters will probably play a little bit more than they did in the preseason opener against Cincinnati).

So as we wait to see how that all unfolds, let’s do a quick status check on six players using quotes from the team as well as my own training camp observations in order to gauge how they are coming along. 

Stock Up: OT Bobby Hart

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

In an ideal world, teams would like to have all of their draft picks make some sort of contribution as rookies.

Of course, there is no such thing as an ideal world, as the Giants have found out. Injuries happen—they lost fifth-round pick Mykkele Thompson for the year to a ruptured Achilles. Then there are performance issues where guys, particularly lower-round draft picks, just don’t show enough to make the 53-man roster.

Then there are the exceptions like running back Ahmad Bradshaw and, more recently, offensive lineman Bobby Hart. Hart, the Giants’ seventh-round draft pick, has had, to use offensive line coach Pat Flaherty’s words, "more peaks than valleys this summer," so much so that the youngster out of Florida State has moved up from the third-string offensive line to get snaps with the second-stringers.

Hart, who initially was to convert to guard but who, thanks to injuries and performance has mostly remained at right tackle, hasn’t disappointed. Hart doesn’t quite have the light feet desired for an offensive lineman, but somehow he manages to get the job done, especially on the edge, where he puts his great size to use.

The other thing in Hart’s favor is that he has a feel for the position to where he is able to anticipate. If he messes up, he is the first person who beats himself up, and then he comes back energetically on subsequent plays, making sure he doesn’t mess up again.

"Bobby is a young talented man," offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo said. "He’s a rookie and has to figure some things out, but I think he has some ability and at some point in time may be able to help us." 

That's good news for a team that desperately needs to replenish its offensive line depth.

Stock Down: TE Adrien Robinson

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Remember that ideal world concept I mentioned on the previous slide? Well it sure would be nice if the Giants, when making out their 53-man roster, would abandon this ridiculous practice that general manager Jerry Reese admitted to last year in which they give draft picks a chance to fail, even if it means hanging onto them one year too many after they have repeatedly failed.

If Reese holds true to that practice, then fourth-year tight end Adrien Robinson probably has nothing to worry about, even though his showing this week in practice has been mostly down.

Robinson failed to finish a block against outside linebacker Devon Kennard, he had a dropped pass, and he completely whiffed on another block.

All of these negatives—and there were a few positives sprinkled in—didn’t exactly help resolve questions about his consistency, which is really the only criteria that should be used in filling out the roster. 

Stock Up: WR Geremy Davis

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

One of the most intense battles of training camp for the Giants has been at the wide receiver spot, where the fifth and sixth roster spots are down to veteran James Jones, second-year man Corey Washington and rookie sixth-round draft pick Geremy Davis.

Jones appears to have the inside track despite joining the team after the start of training camp. The question then becomes who of Davis and Washington has the leg up.

The answer is that Davis appears to be slightly ahead in that competition, which is ultimately going to be decided on which man is more consistent at special teams.

Davis, who didn’t really play much special teams at UConn, has been progressing, according to special teams coordinator Tom Quinn. 

“He really works hard at it, [and] he really has a lot of upside,” Quinn said. “He didn’t do a lot of it in college, so a lot of it is new to him, but he has really taken to the coaching, and he tries hard and works hard, so we’ve been pleased with him.”

Quinn explained that the coaches have been trying to stress to the players to use their skill set and to let the coaches worry about putting guys in the right positions.  

As such, the Giants plan to use the 6’2”, 217-pound Davis on all four teams, including as a punt gunner, where the hope is for Davis to use his receiving skills in beating jams at the line to get down the field as a gunner.

So far, Davis has continued to look very promising both on special teams and as a receiver, where he has rivaled Washington when it comes to making receptions.

This is a battle that is likely going to go down to the wire—and certainly injuries will play a factor in it—but right now it sounds as though Davis is leading Washington for a roster spot, if just by a nose.

Stock Down: OL Marshall Newhouse

Uncredited/Associated Press

When the coaching staff is rotating different guys in and out of the position you have allegedly been tapped to fill, that’s not a good sign.

Such is the situation for offensive tackle Marshall Newhouse, whose right tackle spot with the first team has seen John Jerry, Geoff Schwartz and Brandon Mosley all take turns working there this camp.

There’s a good reason for that. Newhouse, who does give a solid effort, struggles in both pass blocking and run blocking.

His footwork in particular is slow and clunky, and he’s particularly susceptible to speed-rushers, as Damontre Moore has proven numerous times this summer when he’s zipped by Newhouse.

Despite his struggles, Newhouse apparently still has some fans among the coaching staff.

Coughlin told reporters that Newhouse would get the start on Saturday against the Jaguars.

In addition, McAdoo had some words of praise for the six-year veteran. 

“He’s growing, he’s getting comfortable with the men around him, and he and John Jerry are working well together,” McAdoo said.

“I have confidence in Marshall. I’ve been around him at a different spot before, and he’s an athletic guy. He’s a smart guy, and I look forward to him growing in the offense.”

As Coughlin likes to say, “talk is cheap,” as the coaches’ decision to try others at that spot speaks louder volumes about how they really feel about Newhouse.  

Stock Up: LB Uani' Unga

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Because of roster numbers, 27-year-old linebacker Uani’ (pronounced WAN-ee) Unga is unlikely to make the 53-man roster.

That hasn’t stopped the former BYU defender from really shining in those opportunities he has received, which have included him working primarily at middle linebacker.

Linebackers coach Jim Herrmann was full of compliments for the young defender, who spent two years fulfilling a Mormon mission in Guatemala.

“I thought he did a great job of taking over the role as the Mike backer and making calls; he made a great call in there and got the guys lined up,” Herrmann said last week.

How good has the 6’1”, 233-pound Unga been? He very quietly was bumped up to the second-string defense earlier this week in practice, where he played middle linebacker.

That move pushed veteran Jameel McClain, widely believed to be starter Jon Beason’s understudy, to the outside. And in that role, Unga did a nice job of getting guys lined up as well as flying to the ball, as he continued to show fine instincts.

“I like his development. I think he’s going to get better and better as he goes,” Herrmann added.

Unga’s only shot at the 53-man roster is if there is an injury at the position. A more realistic scenario for him would be to end up on the practice squad.

Stock Down: OL Geoff Schwartz

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Offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz came to the Giants as an unrestricted free agent in the 2014 preseason after signing a four-year, $16.8 million contract.

However, Schwartz’s Giants career so far hasn’t quite gone according to plan. After being penciled in to be the starting left guard, he suffered a broken toe last preseason that landed him on the temporary injured reserve list.

When he finally did return, he lasted all of 93 snaps over two games, per Pro Football Focus, having moved to right tackle until an ankle injury ended his season for good.

This year has also gotten off to a bumpy start. After making it through the spring, Schwartz soon found himself sidelined for a few days this summer due to ankle soreness.

He has since returned to the practice field, where he has been getting looks at guard and tackle, but surprisingly he will not be in the starting lineup this weekend, according to Coughlin.

While Schwartz figures to get a fair number of snaps, McAdoo currently sounds unsure of what Schwartz brings to the table.

“I need to see Geoff play,” he said. “He’s coming off of a major injury. He needs to get back out on the field and needs to do it on a consistent basis.”

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 @Patricia_Traina.