The Giants and Patriots have faced each other 27 times in the preseason.
This is the last opportunity to watch players before cut down day both teams have a lot of decisions to make.
The game lacked the normal star power as the less then sell out crowd saw the Patriots win a sloppy contest 17-13
The Giants decided to sit Davis Webb, Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr, Saquan Barkley, Landon Collins, Damon Harrison, and majority of their starters. Kyle Lauletta received the start at QB for New York which begs the question: Who is the back up to Eli Manning?
Lauletta receives the start since Webb had majority of the preseason game snaps finished up 8-19 for 118 yards a toundown and two interceptions. Not Terrible but not great. Lauletta was amped for the opportunity ” I was very excited. I mean, I have wanted to play more and obviously, I haven’t played a whole lot. Probably the first game was the most that I played, so to say, ‘Hey, you are going to get the start’ was big for me. I don’t think I was nervous. Any time you get out there, you’re a little bit amped up, but I don’t feel nervous. It’s more you just want to do well and you want to throw the balls so good and sometimes when you miss one, you really have to turn the page and move on. Sometimes that will haunt you and will cause you to make more mistakes. I felt comfortable back there; I just missed a couple [of throws], some by a yard or two, but it is what it is. We’ll move on and get ready for the season.”
Coach Shurmer felt strong about his young QB’s performance. ” I think he fell victim to some drops that would’ve made things look a little better. That one scramble where I think he hit (Jerell) Adams, that keeps a drive alive. He was aggressive with this throws down the field, which we wanted to see. You can see he has plenty of arm strength, which is good, and I thought he was pretty poised throughout the game. I thought the same way when (Alex) Tanney came in at the end. I thought Alex did a nice job, too, two pretty good drives. The first drive stalled on third down. Just catch the ball. We had the ball past the sticks and then we got a little fancy with it, so then I intended to go for it on fourth down there, anyways. You can be a little bit more cavalier in the preseason, but it was probably a good decision to go for it.”
Lauletta was not the only story for the Giants. Corner Back Dantye Deayon had two interceptions off of Patriot QB Danny Etling. Deayon who has been a bubble guy going into cut day stated that this was all prep work and being ready when your number is called. ” It is really just the film preparation that goes into it. Studying harder, studying longer, and just being out there taking it one day at a time. Making those plays comes from a lot of instincts, anticipation and things like that. A lot of it goes into that.”
When asked about his touchdown pass he was very happy with the set up and execution. “It was just a man-beating concept, a mesh-concept. We had Amba [Etta-Tawo] coming underneath and a guy was trailing him and he has to fight through a bunch of stuff and we popped out wide open on the other side and he caught it. He had a lot of room; anytime on man-coverage, guys are chasing the receiver. He caught it with a lot of space and he made a great move down in the red-zone. To cut back and score the touchdown, that was a big play.”
Media members if Deayon is nervous for Saturday and his calmness was sort of a relief for someone in his position.”I won’t be nervous. At this point, I put it all out on the table, I put my best foot forward. At this point, what happens, happens. My mindset is to go out and make plays, but really, I just wanted to stay engaged and stay locked in the whole game and play with good technique. When opportunities come, make the plays.”
Coach Shurmer liked Deayon’s efforts. ” I thought he looked pretty good. I saw where he made some tackles, I saw where he disrupted a couple passes. I have to go back and look at it. Sometimes corner play gets a little lost when you start running the ball, but I thought he showed up pretty well just based on what I saw in the game.”
With Saturday being cut day. Questions were asked about being ready for the regular season. “I don’t know about readiness. I feel like we’re on the right path with regard to team building, I feel like we’ve got enough information. We played all the players through the preseason, so we’re not going to be guessing as to whether a guy can do it or not. We’re in a position now to pick that initial 53-man roster. We’re in a position to keep moving forward, and I feel good about the work we’ve done to this point; but, the ultimate team, you need to keep practicing and you play games in between. Hopefully you can stay healthy and continue to improve and be in a position to be in the playoffs.”
Shurmer’s decisions on Saturday will not be easy but has to do whats best for the the team. “The human element of it is tough. I think we all get used to it, but if you’ve got a heart and you’ve got a soul, you’re talking about guys’ livelihood. It’s a tough situation that way, but it’s real.”
We will all have a better idea come 3:45 on Saturday.
Small Game Notes:
The Giants finished 2-2 in the preseason for the fourth consecutive year. They lost both of their home games.
*This was the third year in a row Manning missed two of the four preseason games, all because of coaches’ decisions. It was the fourth year in a row he missed the finale. In his 15 preseasons, Manning has sat out 12 of 61 preseason games, including nine because his coaches chose not to play him.
*Rookie third-string quarterback Danny Etling played the entire game for the Patriots. He completed 18 of 32 passes for 157 yards, including a one-yard touchdown to Ralph Webb, and scored on an 86-yard run around right end after the Patriots stopped the Giants on fourth down late in the game.
*Cornerback Donte Deayon intercepted two Etling passes.
*Tackle Nick Becton and running back Rob Martin left the game with ankle injuries.
*Backup kicker Marshall Koehn was wide right on the extra point try following the Giants’ first touchdown.
*Former Patriot Nate Solder, Russell Shepard and Kareem Martin were the Giants’ game captains
