E-GIANTS
Dave Klein was the Giants' beat
writer for The Star-Ledger from 1961 to 1995. He is the author of 26 books
and he is one of only three sportswriters to have covered all the Super Bowls.
Dave has allowed TEAM GIANTS to reprint some of his articles.
GIANTS COULD BE AT FULL STRENGTH FOR SUNDAY'S GAME AGAINST CARDS; BARKLEY,
ENGRAM SHEPARD MAY RETURN By
Dave Klein The Giants got a little help
from their friends Sunday when the New York Jets, with whom they share a stadium,
beat the Dallas Cowboys. What that did
was leave the Giants, at 2-4, just one game behind the Cowboys and Philadelphia
Eagles, who are 3-3. And by no stretch
are the Cowboys and Giants friends, but the Dallas failure to beat one of the
worst teams in the NFL did provide a welcome boost to Pat Shurmur's team.
"Yeah, I watched a lot of football Sunday," said Shurmur, whose team,
of course, played (and lost badly, but didn't play badly) to the New England Patriots
last Thursday night. "But mostly, I watched Arizona. We play them Sunday
(at MetLife Stadium). But I did get to see some of the other games, too."
If the Giants are actually going to be part of some race in the NFC East to decide
the best among a handful of mediocre teams, at least they figure to come into
Sunday's game with more of their offensive weapons than previously thought. There
is every reason to expect to see running back Saquon Barkley, tight end-wide receiver
Evan Engram and wide receiver Sterling Shepard in uniform and on the field, although
Shurmur wouldn't say that positively.
"They practiced today [Monday] and did a lot of good things," is what
he would say. "Getting back to work, for all the players, is the most important
thing for us now." Well, Barkley was taking handoffs from Daniel Jones, and
Engram was running routes, as was Shepard, and if they can all play the Giants
will be suddenly vastly improved. And
what about Barkley, perhaps the most effective running back in the NFL? How will
Shurmur know he's ready, recovered from that high ankle sprain?
"He has to show he can handle practice well and be ready to play. He practiced
today, so we'll see when he comes in tomorrow, how he feels. Then the next day
and so on and so forth. Hopes? We'll just have to see. I'm going to let the week
kind of determine that." Clearly,
Shurmur has mastered the art of answering questions without really answering them.
Shepard is still in the concussion protocol,
but Shurmur wouldn't say how far along he is. "I
can't talk about that," he said softly. "I know where he is, but that's
not for public consumption. He's in the protocol, and when he's able to play,
our doctors will let us know that and he'll be playing. It is out of my hands.
"So that's where we're at. I really don't have anything to add. I understand
the interest in all of this, but there's really nothing that I can add."
EXTRA POINTS – The Giants re-signed wide receiver Bennie Fowler, who was released
three weeks ago, and to make room for him released linebacker Nate Stupar, who
made a grievous error against New England Thursday night by allowing a punt to
ricochet off his helmet and be recovered by the Patriots, leading to a touchdown.
They also signed running back Buck Allen,
who spent four years (2015-18) with the Baltimore Ravens. ... Even if Barkley
returns, there is more doubt that the same will happen for his backup, Wayne Gallman
(he, too, is in the concussion protocol), and at least Allen has some NFL experience.
... The rookie who was suddenly the starter, Jon Hilliman, fumbled against N.E.
and was released. But he has been re-signed and placed on the practice squad,
from which he was activated two weeks ago. The
Giants are in the unique position of being favored in their next game. ... They
are 3-point favorites over the Cardinals, a team that features another first-round
rookie quarterback in the starting lineup, Oklahoma's Kyler Murray. ... Murray
was the first overall selection, Jones the sixth. Shurmur's
record as the Giants' head coach is now 7-15. ... It is likely that next season,
assuming the team misses the playoffs once again, that he'll be under some sort
of pressure to start winning. ... Speaking of former head coaches, somebody said
to his friend: "Hey, I saw Ben McAdoo yesterday," to which his friend
said, "Where?" ... The answer: "At the car wash, I tipped him three
bucks." Check out Dave's website
at E-GIANTS
where you can subscribe to his newsletters which
run much more frequently than what is available here. - Team Giants
NOW
- Send a request to davesklein@aol.com
for a free week's worth of news!
|