New York Giants Twitter Mailbag: The 'Bye Week' Edition

The annual New York Giants bye week is upon us. While most of the rest of the NFL carries on with business, the Giants get a much-needed rest and opportunity to regroup for an important six-game stretch in which they must be competitive and must come out on top in as many games as possible.

There’s a lot of work to be done when the players return Monday and still a lot of questions that need to be answered such as who they’re going to have back, how they’re going to proceed and if they have what it takes to win these games.

As the coaches figure out those answers, let’s go ahead and answer some questions that are on the mind of some in the Twitter community.

Thanks for the question, James. The top thing the Giants have to change in the fourth quarter is to finish games. That sounds simple enough, yet if you notice, in four of their five losses—the ones decided by four points or less—they got a little sloppy there at the end, failing to make plays that they had made earlier in the game.

The other thing I personally would like to see the Giants do moving forward is to put teams away a lot sooner than they have been.

I thought they did a masterful job playing up to the level of the Patriots last week; however, I don’t know that can be said for other games this year.

Play every game like it’s the Patriots, put teams away and be consistent, and I think a lot of good things can happen for this team in the final six weeks.

I think that’s a given, and not just because of the circumstances surrounding Victor Cruz’s future. (I personally think he’ll play again, though I am not sure he’ll ever be the same player he was prior to all these injuries.)

Rueben Randle, remember, is in a contract year. As he continues to be inconsistent—and remember, he also had the knee issues earlier in the year—I can’t see the Giants spending big money on him next offseason.

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

I think Geremy Davis will eventually have a bigger role, perhaps as the red-zone threat, which is the role that I believe Hakeem Nicks is going to fill for the time being. And I’m not sure what to make of Myles White—who has been inconsistent.

Also remember that the Giants will sign a few young guys to the roster after the season.

One guy who was quite impressive in the spring until a hamstring injury did him in was Ben Edwards—I could see him getting a lot more attention moving forward if he stays healthy and builds on what he started before his hamstring injury. 

I do not think the Giants will make a big splash on a receiver in free agency, not with there being some other more pressing needs.

With all that said, it’s still rather early to be projecting that far into the future, so we’ll see how these last few weeks turn out and if injuries dictate anything unexpected.

Thanks for the question, Peter. Running backs coach Craig Johnson indicated that they’ll stick with the four-man committee when he spoke to reporters on Monday.

“What I’m trying to do is give them all some opportunities and then the guys that really seem to be in a rhythm within each game, you try and give them a little bit more reps,” he said.

If you read my analysis written earlier this week, I so vehemently disagree with this four-man committee approach that I cringe every time I see it.

Michael Perez/Associated Press

I do not believe it’s helping the offense, and unless it’s being done for a circumstance that they’ve kept well hidden, such as an injury to one of Rashad Jennings, Shane Vereen or Andre Williams, I do not see the logic of such a large committee when there are only so many touches to go around.

If it were me, I'd identify the one-two punch necessary to pound the defense into submission based on matchups. Who's my between-the-tackles guy? Who's my outside guy? Who's my third-down guy? I wouldn't run four guys out there every week, but I'm not getting paid to make those decisions.

Thanks for the question, Kenneth. I wouldn’t’ go so far as to say that anyone ever really permanently replaces another player.

With that said, I think the play of Dwayne Harris has shown the Giants that if the unthinkable happens, that if Cruz is indeed done, the next man up has shown that he can be just as effective as Cruz was.

"

@Patricia_Traina do you think the giants get any comp pick this season?

— _Giants_ (@Xx_GiantsFan_xX) November 19, 2015"

Thanks for the question. The NFL comp pick formula, as you no doubt know, is a highly guarded secret. (Why that is, I’m not sure—I suppose it has to do with keeping teams from manipulating comp picks.)

What we do know about the compensatory pick formula, according to B/R’s Tyler Conway, is that comp picks are based on players lost/gained in free agency and that not all free agents are considered equal. That last point, per the league, is based on playing time, postseason and some other factors.

So the short answer is that right now it’s too soon to even project whether the Giants are going to get compensatory picks.

Thanks for the question, Mike. My guess is that Hakeem Nicks will be the fourth receiver on the depth chart and that he’ll primarily be a red-zone threat. I can’t see him replacing Randle at this time nor Harris, and he’s certainly not replacing Odell Beckham Jr.

Gregory Bull/Associated Press

Nicks, remember, hasn’t been able to catch on and remain with a team all season, which is concerning just a bit because you wonder why teams have been passing over him. Hopefully, he’ll recapture some of that magic he had with the Giants before his injuries.

The one thing that we do know is that this coming year for the first time since comp picks were introduced, teams will be able to trade those picks away, something they couldn’t do in the past, as Dallas Cowboys Vice President and committee member Stephen Jones announced on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

Last point. Over the Cap came up with a preliminary projection of what free agents around the league might bring comp picks for their old teams. This list was developed in September, so it shouldn’t be taken as gospel, though it’s a good starting point.

Thanks for the question. I think of those two, Prince Amukamara has the best chance of returning in Week 12. Amukamara has been limited in practice the last two weeks, so that’s a good sign for him moving forward.

I do think J.T. Thomas will return to practice on a limited basis, but I’m not sure if he’ll be ready to go right out of the chute.

Thomas, remember, hasn’t practiced in three weeks since suffering an ankle sprain, so my guess is if he’s healthy, he’ll start out limited and see how it goes before a decision is made.  

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.