New York Giants' Biggest Preseason Disappointments so Far
Every year at the start of training camp, there is always so much hope for the best, with dreams of players stepping up and becoming the next great thing since sliced bread.
Unfortunately, life isn’t perfect, and in every NFL team, there is usually a great deal of disappointment that settles in on a training camp, forcing a front office to go in another unplanned direction.
The New York Giants are certainly no different in this regard. Each year the duo of general manager Jerry Reese and head coach Tom Coughlin creates competition in hopes that it brings out the best in the players.
Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. Then sometimes unexpected things like injuries get in the way, which is something the Giants and their fans are unfortunately all too familiar with.
With all that said, let’s go ahead and rank the top five biggest disappointments thus far in Giants training camp.
5. TE Adrien Robinson
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Normally there are modest expectations for a fourth-round draft pick.
However, when the general manager makes the slightest comparison of that pick to a team’s first-round pick who, in the year prior set the league on fire, then yeah, the expectations are going to be high.
Such is the story of 2012 fourth-round pick tight end Adrien Robinson, a.k.a. “the JPP of tight ends,” named after defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, the 2010 first-round pick, who in 2011 had his best season.
Now to be fair, when general manager Jerry Reese uttered that now-regrettable comparison, he was in fact referring to Robinson’s physical attributes, which indeed are very similar to that of Pierre-Paul’s.
Of course, somewhere along the way, the comparison might have been twisted out of context (Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN has the full quote in context). As a result, people have been expecting Robinson to be the type of player Pierre-Paul was in 2011.
That, obviously, has not been the case either because of injury or simply because Robinson just hasn’t been able to demonstrate to the coaches that he is capable of being that well-rounded tight end the team is so desperately seeking.
Last season, his first in a supposedly easier and more receiver-type offensive system, a healthy Robinson received just 77 snaps. As a receiver, he was targeted seven times, catching five balls for 50 yards, a simple 10.0 yards-per-reception average.
So far this preseason, Robinson continues to not make any kind of impact, either as a receiver or as a run-blocker.
While he has caught both passes thrown his way, he’s averaging six yards per catch and has only two yards after the catch in as many games. Not good.
Even his run blocking, which showed signs of promise at the end of last season, has gone south. Pro Football Focus currently has him with a minus-2.1 run-blocking grade, his worst grade from the advanced analytical site since he entered the NFL.
So to recap, Robinson has not been a very consistent run-blocker, and he is not really a threat as a receiver.
So why is he still on the roster? More importantly, will his draft status save him from “the Turk”?
Stay tuned to find out.
4. Cooper Taylor
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Cooper Taylor has everything a team could want in a safety.
Size?
Standing 6’4” and 228 pounds, Taylor definitely has it.
Athleticism?
According to this Bleacher Report draft scouting report, he has that too.
Luck?
Ah, now we are getting somewhere.
In two seasons, Taylor has spent all or part of each on injured reserve, which has prevented him from receiving the coaching he needs on simple things such as perfecting his technique so he can transition from that small-school player into a legitimate NFL safety.
This past week, Taylor’s old injury bugaboo reared its ugly head again, as he missed two practices and the second preseason game with a toe ailment.
Before that, Taylor’s star had begun to fade when after working all spring with the starting defense, he was demoted early in training camp in favor of Bennett Jackson.
When he did play this preseason, he received just 25 snaps on defense, his lone ripple on the stat sheet being a sack of which he was actually the benefactor of a push and failed pursuit of a defensive lineman who chased the quarterback into Taylor’s vicinity.
Safeties of Taylor’s size are indeed rare commodities. It’s just too bad that he has struggled to put together the fearlessness and skill at this level in order to capitalize on his physical gifts.
3. OT Marshall Newhouse
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Unfortunately by now, the Giants’ “next man up” mantra is very well-known, thanks to the injury bug’s annual feasting on the roster.
However, the “next man up” doesn’t always mean that there won’t be a drop-off in talent, be it due to skill or fit.
Such is the current case on the offensive line at right tackle. Veteran Marshall Newhouse, signed in the offseason to provide insurance at tackle, has been thrust into the starting lineup, thanks to the pectoral injury left tackle Will Beatty suffered, an injury that has necessitated rookie Ereck Flowers to move from the right to the left tackle spot.
Although offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo openly declared his confidence in Newhouse’s abilities to continue growing in this offense, action speaks louder than words.
This past weekend, the Giants played Newhouse, Geoff Schwartz and John Jerry at the right tackle position in an effort to find the right combination at right guard and right tackle.
So if, as McAdoo told reporters, Newhouse and John Jerry “are working well together,” why break up that band with other combinations along that starting offensive line?
There’s only one reason, and that is Newhouse hasn’t been as consistent as the coaching staff would like—and therein lies the disappointment...this position is still an issue midway through the preseason.
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2. WR Corey Washington
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One year ago, a young receiver by the name of Corey Washington set the NFL on fire in the preseason with his ability to streak past defensive backs and make the big plays for touchdowns.
Conjuring up images of becoming the next Victor Cruz, the undrafted Washington made the Giants' 53-man roster but then quickly found himself banished to no-man’s land when head coach Tom Coughlin used the 6’4”, 214-pound receiver in just 57 offensive snaps.
Fast-forward to the present. Washington, now a year into his NFL career, is once again trying to re-establish himself with the Giants and show that he belongs, and he is doing so with more maturity, according to head coach Tom Coughlin.
“He has worked hard. He has had a good attitude,” Coughlin told reporters in the spring. “He has had a smile on his face. He has done most everything we have asked him to do. I think every time he has been called upon he seems to have responded.
“I think the opportunities he has had offensively, he has taken full advantage of his year to learn, and I think he has matured a little bit.”
That all sounds like the words for a player who’s well on his way toward sewing up a roster spot. The only problem is that Washington is in a three-way race for one of the last remaining projected roster spots at receiver (with rookie Geremy Davis and veteran James Jones).
Why is Washington, who looked so brilliant a year ago, suddenly in this position?
The answer is a lack of consistency. For every play Washington makes, he seems to miss another. In addition, he has come up short on the little things such as going all out when he is the decoy or using his body to shield the ball from receivers.
If the 53-man roster were to be set tomorrow, chances are that Washington would not make the cut. There is still time for him to turn it around, but not much at that.
1. DT Markus Kuhn
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If you were an employer, chances are you would welcome an employee like defensive tackle Markus Kuhn with open arms.
And why not? Kuhn is a well-spoken, well-mannered 29-year-old who is a hard worker, who doesn’t take short cuts, who is willing to make sacrifices for the good of the organization and who is likable to boot.
Unfortunately, those positive qualities might not be enough to save his spot on the Giants' 53-man roster.
Kuhn, who has been working with the starters, gives 100 percent on each play. The problem is that he rarely sheds blocks, he doesn’t use his hands well, he can’t defeat solo blocking and he really doesn’t make many impact plays for a four-year veteran.
Interestingly, head coach Tom Coughlin, whose opinion is probably one of a small handful of people whose opinion about Kuhn really matters, spoke glowingly about the German-born Giant.
“Well, he’s a big, strong guy. We’ve talked an awful lot about stopping the run, and he can hold the point in there, which he’s done over and over,” Coughlin said.
“He’s very smart, and so we look at him as a guy who can anchor down in there and knock back off the ball. And he’s pretty much done that.”
Will Coughlin’s sentiments save Kuhn, who is in competition with Johnathan Hankins, Kenrick Ellis, Jay Bromley and Cullen Jenkins for one of four projected defensive tackle positions, from the Turk?
Unless Coughlin is seeing something else in Kuhn’s play that the rest of us are missing, which is certainly possible since he’s clued into the specifics of each player’s assignments, all of Kuhn’s hard work and his terrific attitude might just end up going to waste.
Unless otherwise noted, advanced analytics and snap counts are from Pro Football Focus.
Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.
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