Latest On Josh Brown's Suspension
- Giants kicker Josh Brown was arrested in May 2015 on a fourth-degree misdemeanor charge as a result of an incident with his now-former wife, but the NFL didn’t discipline him until Wednesday. When asked what took so long to punish Brown, who received a one-game suspension, vice president of communications Brian McCarthy told James Kratch of NJ.com, “It was a comprehensive investigation with multiple interviews, analyzing a tremendous amount of documents. Also, the player appealed.” Given that Brown appealed, it’s no surprise that he doesn’t agree with the punishment (via Kratch). Brown’s reasoning is that the state of Washington, where the dispute occurred, dropped the charge against him five days after his arrest. “While I’m not OK with the decision, I have to respect it,” he conceded.
Giants Waive Matt Smalley
- The Giants have waived defensive back Matt Smalley with a failure to disclose physical condition designation, tweets Wilson.
Giants Notes: DeOssie, Brown
- Giants long snapper Zak DeOssie is in a fight for a job, George Willis of the New York Post writes. After undergoing wrist surgery in December, the team had some doubts about DeOssie’s grip strength and snapping ability, prompting them to keep Tyler Ott on the roster. DeOssie, 32, is one of four remaining players from the 2011 Super Bowl team along with Manning, Victor Cruz, and Jason Pierre-Paul – for now.
- Giants kicker Josh Brown‘s fourth-degree domestic violence charge in 2015 was dropped five days after his arrest, James Kratch of NJ.com writes. Brown was suspended for one game by the NFL for a violation of its personal conduct policy, though the league did not specifically disclose whether the arrest was the reason for his suspension. According to the police report, Brown grabbed the victim’s wrist while she was picking up a phone.
- Eli Apple isn’t the only Giants rookie that can make an impact this season, scouting guru Dave-Te Thomas tells PFR.
NFL Suspends Giants K Josh Brown
7:58pm: Brown’s suspension is the result of a May 2015 arrest on a fourth-degree misdemeanor domestic violence charge, reports James Kratch of NJ.com. The arrest happened at a residence Brown and his wife share in Woodinville, Wa. Brown and the victim “quarrelled (sic),” according to the police report, with Brown grabbing the victim’s wrist while the victim was picking up a phone. After his arrest, Brown was booked into the county jail and released on $2K bond.
3:03pm: The NFL announced that Giants kicker Josh Brown has been suspended one game for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. In a statement, Brown says that he accepts the suspension, although he does not agree with it. The cause of the one-game ban is not immediately clear. 
Brown, 37, has racked up a total of 1,353 points over the course of his NFL career, with the Seahawks, Rams, Bengals, and Giants. His 134 points in 2015 represented a career high, and earned him his first Pro Bowl nod.
In April, Brown re-signed with the Giants on a two-year, $4MM deal, marking a significant raise over his previous contract. In 2014 and 2015, Brown was one of the league’s most accurate kickers, converting 24 of 26 field goals in 2014, and 30 of 32 field goals in 2015. He also made all but one of his extra point attempts, for a total of five overall misses in two years.
Assuming Brown continues to hold the Giants’ kicking job until his new contract expires, he has a good chance to become one of the NFL’s top 20 scorers of all time. He currently ranks 30th on the league’s all-time scoring list.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Giants Sign DB Joe Powell
- The Giants signed defensive back Joe Powell, who attended Globe Institute of Technology in Manhattan, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN (Twitter link). Powell will take the place of fellow DB Matt Smalley, who suffered a dislocated shoulder Monday.
Panthers To Work Out Will Beatty
10:13am: Beatty is also on the Cardinals’ radar, Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910 (on Twitter) hears.
9:22am: Will Beatty will work out for the Panthers today, according to a source who spoke with Newsday’s Tom Rock. Beatty already has an offer from the Jaguars in hand, but he is apparently checking out other options first. 
The Jaguars recently worked out Beatty and the Eagles are also said to have him on their radar as they brace for Lane Johnson‘s ten-game suspension. Still, Rock hears that a reunion with the Giants remains unlikely.
Beatty, 31, is hoping to sign with a team that will give him a starting job, the source said. The Panthers have Michael Oher to start at left tackle, but the team may not be inspired by Daryl Williams and Mike Remmers on the right side. Williams hasn’t pushed Remmers like they hoped he would and Beatty could be a more attractive option.
The veteran missed the entire 2015 campaign after tearing his pectoral, and was released by New York following the season. Still, Beatty missed only one game in the three seasons prior to 2015 and he is said to be fully healthy. PFR ranked Beatty as one of the best offensive free agents still on the board earlier this year. Since that time, five of the six players listed ahead of Beatty have found new deals.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Giants Roster Projections
- James Kratch of NJ.com sees the Giants keeping running backs Rashad Jennings, Shane Vereen, Andre Williams, and Paul Perkins, leaving Orleans Darkwa, Bobby Rainey, and Marshaun Coprich on the outs. Williams, he says, is clearly ahead of Darkwa in the minds of coaches and Rainey likely cost himself any chance of making the squad when he had a fumble in last week’s preseason game.
Opinion: Dark Horse NYG Roster Candidates
- Tight end Matt LaCosse is among the under-the-radar players who could make the Giants‘ roster, ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan writes. “He brings a knowledge of the position, number one, and he’s a big target,” tight ends coach Kevin M. Gilbride said. “I would say overall, as far as him going into his second season, he does everything pretty well. So when we talk about getting those tight ends, to get them in the position that we want them in, to execute their jobs, he can execute all of the jobs. But with that being said, there might be someone who’s a better run-blocker, a better threat down the field, but Matt executes everything well.” Raanan also highlights linebacker Brad Bars, wide receiver Tavarres King, cornerback Donte Deayon, and offensive lineman Adam Gettis as other dark horse candidates.
- On Tuesday morning, scouting guru Dave-Te Thomas ran down the Giants‘ rookie class and highlighted their impact first-year players.
Impact Rookies: New York Giants
The old adage that defense wins championships may or may not be true, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a title-winning team that didn’t build heavily through the draft. Rookie classes, naturally, are evaluated on the perceived upside of the NFL newcomers, but which rookies are ready to contribute right out of the gate? And, how do they fit in with their new team schematically?
To help us forecast the immediate future of these NFL neophytes, we enlisted the help of draft guru Dave-Te Thomas who has served as a scouting personnel consultant to NFL teams for multiple decades.
General manager Jerry Reese went to the credit union often during the offseason, spending over $200MM to improve his team’s defensive front seven issues. But, despite some questionable purchases, the draft provided the team with two stud newcomers in cornerback Eli Apple and receiver Sterling Shepard, as both are expected to immediately contribute. Cooper Taylor’s tenure with New York could be coming to an end, especially if third round pick, Darian Thompson, is as good as he advertised during mini camp.
While Shepard is expected to at least earn a slot position, he could move outside if Victor Cruz continues to deal with injury issues. If Cruz fails to return to form, California free agent, Darius Powe, or off-the-field bad boy, Roger Lewis, might have a chance to secure the final receiver spot coming out of training camp.
First Round – Eli Apple , CB (Ohio State, No. 10 overall)
Our staff touted Eli Apple as the best cornerback in the draft not named Jalen Ramsey since Day One. We even provided our contracted teams with a very detailed statistical comparison chart that featured Apple, Ramsey, Mackensie Alexander, Vernon Hargreaves III, and William Jackson III. It seems Giants brass agreed, taking the Buckeye with the tenth pick. 
The early first round surprise could be starting by the time the season opener rolls around, at least as the nickel corner. He’s likely to ease Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie off the roster after the season to take his place opposite high-priced Rams addition, Janoris Jenkins. The first thing you notice about this former Buckeye is his natural playmaking instincts. He understands how receivers are trying to attack coverage and he is a master at reading quarterbacks’ eyes when having to drop into zone coverage. He also does an excellent job of mid-pointing high-low routes.
Apple is an explosive, quick-twitch athlete with a sudden closing burst, especially when receivers catch the ball in front of him. He possesses that second gear needed to track the ball downfield and he’s fast enough to recover when gets caught out of position. Thanks to his fluid hips, he can make the smooth transition when forced to change directions quickly. When he stays under control and keeps his knees bent, is a good tackler in space.
The two-time letter-winner started all but one of the 28 games he has appeared in. As a redshirt freshman, he collected 53 tackles and broke up thirteen passes, as opposing quarterbacks often tried to challenge the first-time starter. Eight of those thirteen pass break-ups came on third-down snaps and all three of his interceptions were followed by Buckeyes touchdown drives during their 2014 national championship campaign.
The Buckeyes cornerback can consistently break up passes when in position, as he also has the athleticism to reach around the receiver and disrupt the action without committing the penalty. When he breaks up those passes, more often it is the result of violent hits right as the ball arrives. While not a valid ball thief, he does have the natural hands to reach out and pluck the ball to make the tough interception.
Teams were very leery to fire the ball into Apple’s territory in 2015, and he managed just 28 tackles, as a result. However, he impressed scouts with his outstanding coverage skills, as he not only defended nine passes (including one interception), but only 14-of-67 passes targeted in his area were completed (20.9%). He delivered twenty third-down stops, three more on fourth-down snaps. Proving to be one of the most physical cornerbacks in college, he jammed/rerouted his main pass coverage assignments away from 38 incomplete passes last season, the second-highest total in the NCAA FBS ranks. In short: the future is bright for the Giants’ first-round choice.
Continue reading about the Giants’ rookies..
Giants Sign Leon Hall
SATURDAY, 9:35am: ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan tweets that Hall’s contract is actually worth $1.5MM, with up to $500K available in per-game bonuses. Furthermore, the veteran is only guaranteed $115K, allowing the Giants to easily get out of the contract.
THURSDAY, 8:43am: One of the biggest names left on the board in August has found an NFL home. Cornerback Leon Hall has signed with the Giants, the team confirmed via press release. Hall’s one-year deal can be worth up to $2MM, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
In New York, Hall will join a cornerback depth chart headlined by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and major free agent acquisition Janoris Jenkins. Hall will primarily offer support in the slot, allowing first-round pick Eli Apple to concentrate on playing boundary corner. Though, he’ll also be moved around a bit. The Giants believe Hall can play nickel, corner, and even safety in some packages and help offset the team’s inexperience in the secondary, Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets.
Until today, Hall spent the entirety of his career with the Bengals, starting 105 games for the club since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2007. Even entering his age-31 season, Hall is still a capable contributor, though he’s mostly limited to the slot these days. Injuries have been a concern over the past few seasons, as Hall has suffered two torn Achilles since 2011, and underwent back surgery over the offseason.
Those health issues could be the reason Hall didn’t land a job until today, despite taking numerous visits with interested clubs. Hall met with or was linked to the Cardinals, Bengals, Falcons, Cowboys, and Dolphins at various points in the offseason. A reunion with the Bengals felt especially likely this week after first-round pick William Jackson III suffered a torn pectoral muscle, but that didn’t take place for one reason or another.
Before adding Hall, Trevin Wade was projected to serve as the Giants’ top slot corner. It now remains to be seen how he’ll fit in to the team’s plans going forward.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.