Talkin' Ball with Pat Leonard

Giants searching for punt returners, an Azeez update, Hodgins' value and more

Broadcast on:: 27 Aug 2024
Audio Format:: other

The New York Daily News' Pat Leonard shares news, insight and analysis on the Giants' latest free agent and waiver activity as the NFL's cutdown deadline to 53 approaches. That includes their pursuit for a returner with Gunner Olszewski and Isaiah McKenzie both hurt. Be there at the start of the chat to answer a trivia question and land a FREE bottle of @drinkestate98 coffee. SUBSCRIBE to the @PLonNFL YouTube page to get the latest Giants updates and news delivered directly to you, and to participate in regular LIVE Q&A chats with Pat. Purchase a Super Chat or Super Sticker to have your comments elevated to the top of the feed and have Pat answer your question FIRST! Watch the full video of this podcast on Pat's YouTube Channel. Find Pat also on 'X' (@PLeonardNYDN), Instagram (@PLonNFL) & TikTok (@PLonNFL). Talkin' Ball with Pat Leonard is sponsored by @BoomChaga, the BOOM Chaga Mushroom SuperDrink, a natural extract loaded with anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting antioxidants and heart-healthy compounds. We are also sponsored by @BetOnlineag_Official and @Estate98Coffee on @Bleav.

(air whooshing) Every team, every topic, everywhere. This is Believed. - All right. Welcome to another episode of Talking Ball Live with Pat Leonard, everybody. Thank you for being here. Thanks for being a part of the Talking Ball with Pat Leonard community. Thank you for being such diehard Giants fans. Thank you for being so plugged in. Been messaging some of you guys on Instagram today, in the Twitter mentions, in the X mentions, preparing for this chat, a lot of movement, a lot of intrigue about what the Giants are going to do and what's happening around the league. As unfortunately, a lot of players end up getting released and coming free, but also presents opportunities, both for some of those players and also the teams to try to make their roster better. I'm here to tell you about how I feel the Giants can do that and what I've heard so far about what they're trying in order to become a better football team for week one when they have to face the Minnesota Vikings. And I want to start off by telling you about what I've heard from several league sources today, which is that the Giants are searching for a punt returner, specifically because Gunnar Olzewski, their primary returner, and even the backup, Isaiah Mackenzie, are both injured. Mackenzie obviously didn't have a really good preseason finale there either, but also was injured. And so they are in the market. Now, in the market doesn't mean that they're going to trade for a punt returner. When I say in the market, I'm talking about the Giants looking around the league, perhaps gauging who's going to shake free. And there are names that have come back to me as far as who to look for and maybe who the Giants are looking for. One at the top of the list is the Green Bay Packers, Samori Torre, wide receiver, also with a return ability, had some punt returns this preseason, so has even done it recently, and has some downfield ability as a receiver. I think a guy that the Giants would have some interest in if he does get released cut by the Green Bay Packers, a team that obviously has invested in the wide receiver position and is pretty deep there. So if Torre comes free, that's a guy to watch for to become a giant. Now, the Jets Brandon Codrington, their undrafted rookie corner. Also an interesting one, because the Giants got an up close and personal look at that player specifically, and he's obviously popped a little bit here in the preseason. Of course, if you're the Giants, it might make more sense to try to go a little bit more veteran than just for a rookie who can make a big play, but also you worry perhaps about when the games count, when the moments get bigger, ball security, things of that nature, but Codrington, a player to watch, one that really caught my eye as I did more work on this throughout the afternoon. Now, we'll see what happens on these cut down days, and across the league at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, August 27th. But as we sit here on August 26th, Monday, 9 p.m. Eastern, there's a veteran out there who could possibly help the Giants at corner, and who also has punt return ability. Now, didn't make a very good play recently, muffing upon in a preseason game, but Desmond King, the corner in Houston, he's a guy where they have some depth now in the secondary, he's helped them, even going back to late last season, being a guy that Houston counted on a big spot as a nickel corner. But he has a lot of return experience, remember going back early with the Chargers, and now with Houston most recently, when you look around the league, the Giants have a pro-person else to have their job is to have evaluations on these guys already, essentially done, and also to try to gauge which teams are going to let what players go to have an idea of who's going to be available. Now, Desmond King would not be a waiver claim if he got cut, he would become a free agent immediately, that would be a signing eligible player. That is one that really intrigues me, 'cause he might be able to help the Giants kill two birds with one stone. Now, he is a veteran, he's not a young player, he's a guy who probably would have a good market if he got cut by the Houston Texans, 29 years old. So that could be a guy who finds a place, if not a contender, then maybe a team that has both opportunity and aspirations higher than probably what the Giants are going to achieve this year. But the Giants would have two needs that he would fill, so that's a guy I think is interesting. But that's just one of many. I mentioned Tura, I mentioned Codrington, I mentioned Desmond King. Other players to look for who have shaken free or who may shake free, Asop Winston Jr. He's a wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks who returned puns for the New Orleans Saints in 2021. Now, remember, as we just talked about, a guy like Desmond King, could he help? Yes, but he's a veteran. You know, is he looking, what kind of money is a player like that looking for the Giants, Joe Shane? If you can find a young player with Upside who's cheap but also helps your team, a guy like Winston Jr., Isop Winston Jr. from Seattle, if he gets cut, that's the kind of player that you can take a flyer on. And remember too, Gunnar Al Juski is the guy. So we don't know when he's going to be back, we don't know how long it's going to take for Gunnar. Assuming he's out week one, but isn't going to be out until week five or six, you know, you could take a chance on a young player who doesn't cost a lot and not make any serious investment knowing that Al Juski's coming back eventually. Now, other players that I was interested in, just seeing them shake free from a return standpoint, Boston Scott from the Rams, obviously Giants killer. He's more of a kick returner in his NFL career than a punt returner, but for me, if I'm the Giants, I would just sign him and stash him so he doesn't play against me this season. And then, I'm not saying this guy would be the answer, but Donovan people's Jones, the Lions releasing him, you know, he returned puns several years, I think three or four years running for the Cleveland Browns prior to joining the Detroit Lions. And that's a guy who has experience there as well. Obviously the Giants priority is catching the football when it comes to punt return. Like you want juice, you want explosiveness, you want returnability, but, you know, you do not, above all, you don't want muff puns. You don't want, let's say, what you saw from Mackenzie in the preseason finale, right? Misreading a punt, it bounces into your teammate, you know, muffing a punt as well. You want ball security, if you're the Giants here above all, getting putt return, but, so those are names to look for. I'll give you the names again real quick. Samori Torre, Brandon Caudrington, Boston Scott, Esaup Winston, Jr., Desmond King of the Texans and Donovan Peoples-Jones. I would say in that regard, my order of preference of those players would probably be King Torre Winston, Jr., you know, Caudrington, I guess, is probably how I would go. Caudrington obviously might be more explosive than some of the other guys. Rookie though, you know, you wonder about that. But of course, I know Giants fans, I know. You don't want to hear really about punt returners. You want to hear about corners. You want to hear about where else are the Giants looking. You want to hear about what's going on in the league. I have it for you, I'm here. I have more insight on these things. First, I want to tell you about our sponsors and we'll get right to your questions. I see the queue is loaded up. A lot of people were sitting here right when I logged on, eager to talk Giants as they prepared a cut from 90 down to 53. Obviously they already made, I think it was 13 cuts so far coming out of the Jets pre-season game and including two-way vineyard. So the process is underway, but we're going to get to it all. Remember, if you want to comment or question answered first or addressed immediately, then you can pay for a super chat or super sticker and have it elevated to the top of the chat. And if no super chat or super sticker, hit those like buttons as we are sitting here live, talking Giants and talking NFL. That is a great way to push this out there into the world, tell Giants fans, tell NFL fans what we are doing and bring them over to the talking ball with Pat Leonard community because it's growing. We've have a lot of information here for you. And I love days like this where it's a combination of analysis, information, kind of being on the edge or at the forefront of conversations that are ongoing in the league. I can tell you some guys I think won't shake free from the Giants roster. I had a lot of conversations today and yesterday. So a lot to get to, really excited about this chat, really excited too, that we are sponsored here by Boom Chaga mushroom super drink and natural extract loaded with anti-inflammatory immune boosting antioxidants and heart healthy compounds. You can easily pour this natural liquid supplement into any of your favorite drinks I put mine in my coffee every morning and immediately feel the difference. I personally have felt a post-workout-like energy boost with Boom Chaga also has the ability to lower cholesterol, reduce inflammation and improve immune and heart health with its beta gluten and antioxidants. Go to boomchaga.com today to place your first order. And if you use the discount code talking ball 25 or access it through the QR code on your screen, you will get 25% off your first subscribe and save order. Right now that means a month's supply cost you only $30. Start feeling the difference today at boomchaga.com. Boomchaga.com, subscribe and save, talk in ball 25 code, purchase a bag of it, try it, you'll love it. If you don't want to stay subscribed, cancel the subscription, no harm, no foul. Also brought to you here by a state 98 coffee and all natural specialty coffee with no sugar that is convenient for on the go professionals and parents. Takes me less than 10 seconds to make a delicious estate 98 iced coffee and only a minute more to make a hot coffee or a lot of tape on this all natural concentrate. Go to estate98.com/talkingball to get a special buy one, get one free deal. Also coming shortly, coming soon. Right after this next ad read, we're gonna do a quick giants trivia and the winner, the person who answers the question first in the chat. I'll just go by whose answer shows up first. We'll win a free jar of estate 98 coffee. So it'll be 16 servings of a state 98 coffee in a jar. I'll connect with you afterwards. We'll get on Instagram. You can DM me an address or a PO box and I will ship it personally to you. Liven up the chat a little bit and reward you guys for being so committed and so supportive. That online is also a sponsor of talking ball with Pat Leonard. It's the world's most trusted betting platform and your number one source for everything football. From the preseason NFL, the college kicking off, bet online has every stat, every matchup and even live odds and spreads while the games are being played. Think you know your stuff. Get in on our winner take all $300,000 NFL survivor pool for the upcoming season. When the game is over, head on over to our online casino and get in on a game of blackjack or poker or unwind with one of our over 150 slot games. Head to the website today and use the promo code to leave to get in on the action. Bet online the game starts here. If you're listening after the live chat on Apple Spotify, wherever you get your audio podcasts, thank you for listening. Thank you for tuning in here on The Believe Network and please join us next time live on the PL on NFL YouTube channel if you can. If you can't, audio is great. Thank you for listening. Thank you for subscribing and downloading the podcast. You know, I really appreciate it and continues to grow here. How much Giants fans seem to appreciate this kind of direct information that we bring from the practice field, from the locker room at the facility, from the locker room post game when we do talking ball live post game from the stadium, whether it's MetLife Stadium or whatever the Giants on the road. It really is a blast and I can't thank you guys enough again. All right, before we get into the questions, here is your trivia question, okay? Your trivia question is, over the last two seasons, the Giants leading touchdown scorer, not including Daniel Jones, okay? Not including Daniel Jones the quarterback. Their leading touchdown scorer as a skill player was Saquon Barkley, obviously. I believe he has 20 touchdowns the last two years, I think that was the number, okay? Saquon Barkley is gone. With Saquon Barkley gone, which giant on the current roster has the most touchdowns on this team the last two years. Go, skill player, go. I'm waiting for the right answer. I am waiting for the right answer. I love this, I love this. I see them rolling in, I see them rolling in. All right, we have a lot of Darius Slaton guesses. We have a lot of Daniel, we have a Daniel Bellinger, we have an Evan Neal, we have a Richie James. However, the winner of our first giveaway here on Talking Ball live with Pat Leonard of the estate 98 coffee free jar is Dave Z checks in with Isaiah Hodgens seven touchdowns for Isaiah Hodgens the last two years with the Giants four and three, respectively, Darius Slaton has six. So Isaiah Hodgens, a guy who legitimately could end up as we sit here now. This is a guy who could get cut from the team. This is a receiver who when I made my 53 man roster based on looking at the kind of camp he's had and looking at, you know, the lay of the land on the wide receiver depth chart and looking at the other players and how they've played, I projected Hodgens to be cut, right? That's how I projected it to happen on Tuesday. But it's interesting, isn't it interesting that Isaiah Hodgens is the leading touchdown scorer the last two years on the Giants. Now that Seguan Barkley is not here amazing. Dave Z, please DM me on Instagram. You know, my, it's the same handle PL on NFL and send me your address there or a PO box or wherever you want me to mail it. And I will mail you a jar of estate 98 coffee. Thank you for participating everybody you guessed. And thanks for knowing your stuff, Dave. And thanks for always being here. I know you're a diehard here and I appreciate you. We're gonna continue to do more of that on these live chats. But I wanna get to your questions and remind me, if I forget as I get into the questions, I do have more information, not just the punt return stuff to give you. So we'll get to that. All right. Mel says, thank you for starting the channel fellow. Huge difference. All right, appreciate you, Mel's as always. A lot of enthusiasm. Antonio, what's going on? Great to see you. Antonio says, how active will the Giants be on the waiver wire this Wednesday? And what positions will they be targeting? So another position that I heard that they've been poking around on is edge, okay? Now, edge meaning outside linebacker pass, you know, edge, outside linebacker edge, right, et cetera. Now remember, those are the kind of players that can also help you on special teams. So the Giants are sniffing around on those types of players. Could be for like a pass rush slash special teams value or a guy who you know can play special teams. And then you're hoping could pop for you eventually and become a guy who can help you in the pass rush. Now, as far as the Giants current roster, as we sit here now, you know, Brian Burns and KVON Thibodeau and everybody else as at the edge position for the Giants roster. After that, there's been a lot of talk about, you know, Boogie Bashum, Benton Whitley, Aziz Ojolari though, is a guy who a lot of people feel like could he be traded? Is this guy going to end up playing elsewhere? Is he going to get shipped out? Listen, things can change. So what I hear today could be different tomorrow. What I tell you now could be different in an hour. My best understanding after talking to some people today is that Aziz Ojolari is going to be on the team. Now, you know, to start the season. Like, you know, as far as going through cut down day, there's been a lot of talk about, is he going to be traded? As far as I understand, what I've been told is that's not in the cards. Now, anything I tell you now could obviously change, for example, what if the Giants intentions on Monday, August 26th is to not trade Aziz Ojolari, right? And then the next day, a player comes available at a position of need in a trade, and that team knows that Aziz isn't necessarily your top two edge rusher anymore. So he may be expendable and asks you to throw him in. And that's what's going to get it done to get like the corner you're chasing or whatever. Now, that's how a player could go from, hey, we're not planning to trade this guy to he's getting dealt, right? So that could always happen. But as I sit here now and tell you, this is all the information I have now, right? I think Aziz Ojolari is not going to be trade is going to be on this team, you know, we'll see. He definitely obviously knows how to get to the quarterback when he's healthy. And if he's not playing every down, we're not playing most downs frankly, because Kvonne and Brian Mearns aren't going to come off the field much if ever. You know, then maybe you do have a guy who can truly be the situational pass rusher who you literally put him on the field eight to 10 plays or 12 plays or however many third downs are on the game and let him pin his ears back and go, okay? So, Antonio, I'll get to more positions, but just to get through the chat, I focused on Edge there. Well, Alan Robbins and make the team, I think he will. We'll see how that falls. Obviously, we just kind of covered that with Hodgins. I think Alan Robinson will. You know, obviously, the idea that they are looking at these punt returners, if they acquire a punt returner who's also a young wide receiver, like Samore Tore or the Seahawks, East South Winston Jr. Then the receiver depth chart looks a little bit different and then maybe something happens that you didn't expect, you know, as a right here and now pre-cut day. So that could change the calculus as well. FYI, on the receiver end, have heard the bills are looking for a receiver, have heard the Steelers are in the market for a receiver. The Lions, we've talked about this a lot. The Lions look like a team who needs a receiver, who needs a receiver they can count on. Now, I've been asked by people today, is Darius Slaton, you know, the Giants willing to trade him? Is this the guy they're gonna trade? Is he on the block? I don't see, looking at their roster right now, how they could afford to do that. I have not been told they would trade him. I have not been told that that's in the cards. Everything I've gotten back to me recently has been that, you know, that's no longer where it was in the spring. But, you know, Joe and Hyatt, if he had grabbed a hold of that third spot, that would be a different conversation. But, you know, just putting out there into the universe that there are teams looking for capable wide receivers. You know, could they help the Giants with positions they need? Maybe. But again, if you're the Giants on offense, right now does Darius Slaton really look like a player that you can live without, given how this offense is assembled and what players can do for you? Hard to sit here right now and say yes, right? But, we'll see. All right, are they gonna bring in Phillips, Tyree Phillips? Are they interested in bringing Tyree Phillips back, the tackle? I would think as he takes visits that the Giants would be one of them. If, assuming, let's say he has a list of five teams and he makes his visits before deciding, you know, that I would think they would be on his list. Now, maybe with Ty's to the Eagles previously, et cetera, maybe he goes to a building like that and doesn't get out, that could also be possible. Let's see. Chronicle says, what do you predict a wide receiver depth chart will look like? And he trades you have heard about any corners that stand out to you that the Giants may have interest in top targets, et cetera. A lot of questions there, Gabe. Appreciate you. You jamming them all in there. Okay, so let's see. We talked a little bit about why I've received her a lot already. Any trades or I've heard about why I just gave you some of Z's non-trade scuttlebutt? Any corners that stand out to you that the Giants may have interest in? I think that, you know, I would look at young players that get cut. You know, we just saw them bring in, again, I mentioned this every chat, but it's worth reminding you again. Shane Bowen sang a few weeks ago. We claimed a corner last week. We claimed one yesterday and we'll probably claim another one in October that just how it's going to go is basically the quote. And I think what he's telling you, what he's showing you is we're looking young, we're looking cheap, and we're gonna continue looking. And so they hosted a guy named Gregory Jr. for a visit. He was, he's a young player, was waved injured by the Jaguars in early August. So do they end up signing a guy like that? Does he have a workout? And then they just let him walk and had somebody else. We'll see, obviously not the big splash edition at a position of need that Giants fans are looking for if they bring in that player. But just shows you that the search continues as cut down they approaches as the Giants, you know, continue to kind of work the phones and work their options. I would consider though that there could be some young players who shake free from some of these rosters. And the Giants are gonna put them all on a board essentially figuratively or literally and look at, okay, what kind of talent is, what kind of talent is here? Is there a high end talent we can take a flyer on? Is there a guy who's been healthy? You know, who we can mold? Is there a young corner or a cheap available corner who can play zone effectively, right? Because Shane Bowlin plays a lot and more zone, obviously than Wink Martindale. Is there a player who could help us in zone? As I mentioned earlier, Desmond King, the corner for the Texans who also has returnability. He can play zone. He's a pretty good zone corner. I had mentioned Marcus Peters before being a good fit 'cause he could play zone well too. And obviously he's a vet. Maybe he wouldn't wanna be necessarily on a bad team anymore. Could be a locker room issue, right? Type of guy who gets in there, sees that the team doesn't know what it's doing in certain areas or is losing and bucks and talks too much, right? So maybe that's the type of personality they wouldn't want in there. But I like Peters. I mean, he's competitive. I think he's one of those guys who's always trying to make everybody around him better, even if he's loud and proud, right? But, you know, that would obviously be a little bit off the beaten path for them. Stephen Nelson's a name has come up a lot, you know, that we talked about actually going back more to like June. You know, he retired, of course. And, you know, when players like that retire in the middle of the summer, is that somebody who, you know, could he shake free? Is he just looking for the right spot? Is he the type of veteran who, if the right opportunity rolls around, would pop back in, you know, take another paycheck and, you know, and help the team that's acquiring him. I mean, he's a veteran. Now, again, the giants to me are not a team that will be going out there trying to spend big money. Like, I think they would try to get pedigree at value. So even if a guy like Stephen Nelson, you know, became a free agent and unretired, for example, to sign somewhere and help, would it be with a team like the Giants? Would it be for the veteran minimum on a VSB deal, right? That's not the kind of thing that a player does to unretire, right? So, but those are some of the names that you hear and that I've heard. Let's see. Who is our swing tackle? Because Neil doesn't look good enough to even be that. I don't think they have a capable swing tackle on the roster at the moment. I mean, I think chronicles, I think that, you know, Josh Miles, Josh Azudu, Evan Neal, these are all guys who put some good snaps on tape. They're all guys who obviously need work and development and continued work at those positions. I don't think they have a swing tackle on the roster though, where they could say we have this guy so we don't need one. That's, I truly do not believe that. All right, let's see. I can see chronicles was getting restless earlier. Just dump what you heard working the phones, man. Demanding there, Gabe, demanding. D Kit says, Pat, you caused a stir this morning on the jet pod. Oh yeah, why did I cause a stir there? I'm sure you'll explain it to me. It looks like you got a super chat dropped in. D Kit always supporting the channel. $5 super chat here, thank you D Kit. He says, so Pat, in their infinite wisdom are the giants fine going to battle with Nacho Davidson, Riley Chapman, along with Dex as our D line room. Really? Man, oh man, to be honest with you D Kit, this is a position where I think the giants have to understand they need to add players, but again, similar to let's say their corner room, right? Look at the investments in this room. Dexter Lawrence was a Dave Gettleman draft pick. After that, it's Joe Shane signing Nacho Nuna's roaches. Joe Shane draft picks DJ Davidson, Jordan Riley. Joe Shane, undrafted rookie Elijah Chapman. So you're not in a position anymore where Joe Shane, the new GM is getting rid of and replacing the old GM Dave Gettleman's guys, which is the position we've been in really for a year and a half, two years there. Now we're at the position D Kit where when you say totally honestly and truly and validly, is this really what they're going with? You're citing investments by the current general manager that he believes are going to pay off and play capable/high level football, right? So, you know, my answer to you would be, I think they understand they need better play in that room next to Dexter and as far as depth. But do I definitely know for sure they're going to add a player there to upgrade it? I do not. I can honestly say I do not. I mean, the rotation in camp, the way they had Ryder Anderson, Elijah Chapman, playing up high there. DJ Davidson getting meaningful snaps. Like these are guys who they're, the way that they're trying to, let's say, you know, force Trey Hawkins into a prominent role to prove that he can do it. That's kind of what they're doing with some of these guys on the D line. It's like if they make a flash play, it's like, okay, now you could be our number two, right? When the guy's really a number four or five. So I think they need more depth and more players there. I think it's going to be tough though to shake free a stud interior defensive lineman or even one who's super reliable on the interior at this point because I was actually talking to somebody today who said, I could actually tell you what they texted me. This is one of my league sources I was talking to today. We're saying that, you know, a lot of teams are looking for pass rushes for, even if they have them, they're looking for more because like the good teams, the teams that are strong, the teams that are trying to go deep, they know they need seven or eight really good D linemen or really effective pass rushing D linemen to push and compete and win. And so that's a position, for example. And like I said, the Giants poking around at edge as well. But those are positions where talk about strong competition for players if you're in that market. I mean, holy cow. All right, let's see. Right, so you said I caused a stir on the jet pod. Yeah, without knowing exactly what you mean, I did go on Peter's podcast or Twitter space there. Peter and I ran into each other, you know, Connor's book signing at bookends in Ridgewood. And he asked me to pop on a Monday morning and talk a little jets and giants. And so that was fun. I don't usually do Twitter spaces or X spaces, I guess. You call them now, but you know, that was fun. I enjoyed it. And obviously, I know a lot of our giant content creators on here do Twitter spaces and X spaces as well. So when I have time, you know, I love to do stuff like that. I mean, that's great. All right, Barb says, "Bucks are releasing Keenan Isaac a corner." Okay, there's another name to put on the board there. Manzo says, "Any chance we can steal Adrian Martinez from the Jets or do you think he makes their 53-man roster?" That's a good question. I do think Martinez is an interesting player, has some mobility there, a guy who could be developmental, you know, and basically be a better version of what they've been getting from Tommy DeVita. Now that said, the giants have a pretty complicated offense. And so you do want to get new and young talent and players in the building always. And certainly the quarterback room looks like it could use an upgrade behind Daniel Jones, no doubt. But will Adrian Martinez, if he comes in, like, I think the giants fans should not expect a player like that to come in. And like, if he's needed to win a game in week four because of injuries, win that game. Like, that's what I think people need to understand is, you know, oh, sorry, your question was, do I think he's going to make the Jets roster? The Jets have Aaron Rodgers and Tyrod Taylor on the depth chart. I mean, I, you know, I think Adrian Martinez is a guy that popped a little bit for the Jets for sure. But I think he's a guy who probably ends up getting cut there. I mean, we'll see, we'll see what ends up happening. But obviously you saw, you guys saw that the quarterback, third quarterback exemption rule, the emergency quarterback, teams are going to be forced again to carry that quarterback on their final 53-man roster and not just stash him on the practice squad and elevate him as many times as they want. So, you know, in that case, you know, if the Jets need them or want them, they have to keep them on the 53, you know, to be that emergency third, to be that third quarterback on the depth chart. Personally, don't think he makes the Jets roster, you know, the Giants should be in the quarterback market in my mind. I'd rather have a different QB3 at this point. But I'm just trying to temper expectations as we sit here and talk about it. If a guy like Adrian Martinez was brought in by the Giants, that would be a guy that they were learning and grooming and teaching the offense who's running scout team and eventually down the road, hopefully contributing, but would not be somebody who was going to come in, you know, learn the offense quickly and contribute immediately in a week five win when Daniel Jones and Drew Lock go down. Michael Knight, good evening, good to see you. Galak says, "Hey, Pat, if Giants win enough games, "will Shane change his mind yet again and extend Jones "or is Jones gone no matter what?" Well, if they win enough games and Jones plays out of his mind well, then, you know, he's on your contract for two more years. There's no, you're not extending him at that point, he's still under contract for two more years in this four year deal. And, you know, then you sit back and you say, "I'm a genius, I signed this guy for way less money "than what the going rate is now for an elite quarterback "and now I have an elite quarterback." So, if Jones plays out of his mind and they have a really good team and they go to the playoffs and go on a deep run, you know, that's what ends up happening there. But that is a ultimate best case scenario that I don't think anyone truly envisions occurring. It's possible, but all of those things going that right. But that would be my answer to you, Galak, to answer your question. I think that's what would happen. I do believe, however, that Daniel Jones has an uphill battle here to be the Giants starting quarterback in 2025, right? The clear intent of the Giants was to move on, right? D Kit checks in with another $10 Super Chat, setting the precedent. Thank you so much, D. Really appreciate all your support. Just taking a drink there. I have three drinks next to me, by the way, tonight. This is something I do at breakfast a lot. I call it the trifecta at breakfast I do. Now I'm always a coffee guy. But if I go to breakfast at a diner sometimes, I'll order three drinks, coffee, water, orange juice, have them all lined up, you know, sipping each one as I go. Right now, you know, hard to explain, but I have a glass of red wine almost finished. I have a cup of coffee and I have a bottle of water because I was unwinding a little bit with a glass of wine as I was talking to some people on the phone and texting with a bunch of people around the league. And then I grabbed some leftover coffee and heated it up 'cause I need a little jolt as we went into talking more live. And I have the water because obviously as you talk a lot, kind of need to wet your whistle to help yourself keep going. So we got a system over here. It's a little bit different every time. I laugh recently 'cause as we do these talking more lives, obviously I love having like a glass of bourbon next to me. But I've noticed a lot of the times, depending on the day, depending on the night, I have a different need, I have a different drink, you know? So variety spices it up. So Dekit says, first of all, $10 super chat beast. He says, I used to think that the decision to keep Daniel Jones was driven by Shane and Mara and not Dabel. I no longer think that. I think Dabel believes in Jones, Enlock and DeVito. Those are his QBs. Good luck. Yeah, you know, I think offensive head coaches in general, offensive coaches like Dabel. But listen, when they came in, they knew that this, they felt, Brian Dabel, Joe Shane, felt like this was going to be a, we'll do what we can with Daniel in the short term. And then eventually it'll be time to get our own quarterback and we'll go get our own. That was the plan. That's how it was seen. That's how they viewed the situation. They won in year one, they still understood the quarterback's limitations, the team's limitations. But because they were able to make it work and he wins coach of the year and arrows are in the up and up, they all started feeling themselves and they thought they could make a run. They thought they could challenge for a Super Bowl. They thought they could shock the world. They felt flat on their faces. And now they're really in a situation where they have no choice but to stand behind these guys, to stand behind the quarterback. And listen, you know, that's what you have to do in this situation at this point where they're at now with what the roster looks like. This is who their guys are. They gotta roll with them. But like I talked about in that Jets Twitter space earlier, you know, the Giants made very clear that Daniel Jones and their actions this spring that while we saw on hard knocks, while they're talking about we're gonna roll with Daniel and give him a weapon. And this and that, if this doesn't work out, we all saw what didn't work out. I reported to you as it was going on through the draft process, what might have worked out. The Giants looking to trade up, to get a quarterback, to replace Daniel Jones. Daniel Jones on the record now saying that, you know, it ticked him off, that he didn't appreciate it. He's got a chip on his shoulder, right? All of those things. By the way, not to rile everybody up, it's one game. I'm not saying it matters more than what it does. But didn't Drake may look good last night for the Patriots? And I do think behind that offensive line, he might get killed. So that could be a very bad thing for his development, right? That's clearly not an ideal situation for a young quarterback, is if you're playing behind an offensive line like that. I mean, you had his center stepping on his foot, his left guard stepped on his foot. These are all separate plays. Center stepped on his foot, one play. Left guard stepped on his foot, another play. Center got driven back into his lap on a third play. He had to roll and scramble and throw on the run back across his body. He looked good though. He looked good. And again, not rubbing it in, just saying. All right, D-Kids says, Pat, there's no way Shane and Dave will put any real thought into the players we are stuck with on our 53. Now, of course they did. They put a lot of thought into it, a lot of work into it. They scouted them, they drafted them, they signed them. This is their roster, this is their personnel, this is their team with the exception of a handful of players, primarily Daniel Jones, Dexter Lawrence, Andrew Thomas, the guys we're talking about who are not quote unquote, their guys to start, who were added prior to their time, but who are their guys now, of course, all extended by this regime. G-Men says, good evening Pat, I'm going to keep it simple. Drop all your knowledge based on conversations you have had on the phones about what the Giants may be up to, reinforcements at quarter, two and depth at linebacker. Yeah, okay, so G-Men, you're so funny. By the way, G-Men, you just reminded me, I wanted to say thank you to, so on Instagram, I had, let's see, I want to get this right. So on Instagram, I had a mention from, I think it was G-Men 2 on Instagram and Giants Nation 2.0, and I wanted to recognize you here. Giants Nation 2.0 recognized me on their Instagram story today. And as I teased this talking ball live, Giants Nation 2.0 posted as a Giants fan, this is one of the most insightful programs you can listen to. Go check out Pat on YouTube, hashtag Talking Ball. He brings you firsthand info concerning Big Blue. I mean, I just can't thank you enough, Giants 2.0, really appreciate that. That is a Giants account digital creator on Instagram that has 111,000 followers on Instagram that is promoting our channel, promoting the show, promoting the pod. And I really do appreciate that. I wanted to say that, and G-Men seeing you there reminded me of Giants Nation. So I wanted to thank you. But, so you drop all my knowledge, I'm trying to think, is there anything I didn't address and what I had heard earlier? I mentioned the corners, I mentioned that they're poking around on edges/outside linebackers. Obviously the punt returner is a search that they have going on right now. CB2, they're definitely looking, I think right now, it looks like it's more in the bargain bin, but I think if high end talent comes free, guys who they can get cheaply, but who have some ability and pedigree, like that's kind of a sweet spot. You look at their corner room right now, a lot of youth, a lot of cheaper contracts. Joshain playing the card of let's build this foundation and develop with guys who can also help us now. That can be tricky and dangerous, because if they're not good enough in the short term, of course, you won't be lived to tell the story of how they developed. So that's the fine line they're walking, but no veteran big name corner has shaken free or has come to my phone yet as far as the giants are pursuing. But as I mentioned earlier, I did throw a name out there, Desmond King, is a slot corner, a nickel corner with the Texans who has returnability. If he falls off that depth chart coming tomorrow, as we sit here now, it's Monday, if he falls off the depth chart on Tuesday into Wednesday, that's the kind of player maybe that, doesn't become, isn't the young guy who ends up, who is on the Giants radar, maybe that is kind of like breaks the mold. Do I think the Giants are happy with their initial roster? Do you, I think they have a winning team? I will say this, D, and thank you for all your questions and all your support with the Super Chat. I think one thing that stood out to me, and I wrote this for the New York Daily News recently, you guys can check that out some other time, maybe as you're watching me report the cuts on Tuesday, but Brian Deble seemed very flustered by the amount of injuries that his team had in that preseason finale against the Jets pointed him out, he counted him up, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, that's a lot of people. He said availability is important. And really, it's coming to the forefront right now, this new practice regimen, how they're practicing harder, why they're practicing harder, is it going to work, is it going to keep the team healthier? All of that talk though, right? That's one issue that's an interesting and important issue, the injuries and the management of players' bodies, obviously it's been a problem with the Giants for a long time now. But listening to Deble sound flustered and overwhelmed by it this early tells me he's feeling a little bit of pressure and frustration there, watching his team on the field, watching guys go down, thinking about his 53, thinking about what is my team going to look like in week one? Are they ready to win a game, right? The offensive line, not playing any meaningful snaps and practice or games as the starting five together in the preseason, Deble knowledge, yeah, I would like to have them all out there together, I haven't been, that would be nice. And so I view that as, so you asked me, are they happy with their initial roster on the 53? I think I sent some concern there from Deble and I think it's valid. Oh no, no, when I say they're searching for a punt returner, I'm not saying they view that as the missing piece to a contending team. I'm saying they need a punt returner and they're making calls around about them, that's what I'm saying. Let's see. Christian says after watching the last game against the Jets and seeing all the injuries, I'm not sold on it until you see it, especially the O line and the secondary agreed. I did not play pick up basketball tonight, just kind of overheated a little bit if I'm being honest, it's kind of human out. And so that's what's going on, no hoops tonight. I did however, play in my Sunday morning soccer league this week, something I've missed several weeks in a row because football is back, practices are back, games are back, travels back. So I've missed about, I think I missed three weeks in a row, but had a great two hour Sunday morning soccer game, scored a goal, played well. My legs almost gave out at the end of it because it's been a little bit but played well there. Guys, if I answered your questions already, I might end up skipping them, but I'll know that I answered it already. Let's see. Christian thinks this is a slow rebuild for sure. Kind of wish the Giants had an era parent to Daniel Jones because he's not hit long term. Daniel kind of referring to that, I saw your question. I don't think the intention is to trade his ease at this point. Obviously things can change, but I don't believe so. Let's see. Tim says, did the Giants cut DeVito yet, Pat? No, they did cut. I think it was 13 players total. The one that stood out to me most was Marcus McKiefen, the fifth round pick of Joshanes in 2022. That obviously stands out because that's an offensive line draft where they took three linemen, Evan Neal, seventh overall, Josh Azoudo in the third round, Marcus McKiefen in the fifth round. And so far as we sit here and now, none of those players are helping the Giants protect the quarterback. None of those players are in the Giants' plans at the moment. In case you're not aware of the full list of players and the Giants have released so far, Marcus McKiefen, Iyra Sante, Kyler Ball, Breon Borders, Christian Holmes, Clayton Isbell, John Giles, Joshua Kelly, Trey Kaiser, Lorenzo Lindgaard, and Matt Nelson. Also waved injured Timmy Horn, who has a torn Achilles, the defensive tackle and Jonathan Sutherland, the safety. Phil Banff for Iyra Sante. I put on Twitter when I mentioned that he, I would have him on my team. I put that he cares deeply. I know some people said, what do you mean by that? I was referring to after the game against the Jets. I was talking to Iyra at his locker and he was pretty emotional. He felt like he let himself and the team down fumbling that kick off at the start of the game. He had it at the second level. He felt like he was about to break something and just for a split second started to hit a second gear and forgot to protect the ball in that split second and that's when it got knocked out, came out and he lost it. So he felt bad and it was just in the moment, I'm standing there listening to him. I'm empathizing with him and, you know, I just felt like this is a kid who he cares. You know, he understands what it takes, I guess is my point. All right, let's see. Chris checks in with a $5 super chat. Thank you so much, Chris. Chris says, is there a reason why the Giants did not bring anyone could challenge Daniel Jones starting job? Like why wouldn't they try to go after Fields or Wilson or Mac Jones? Well, Russell Wilson, are you talking about Zach Wilson, I guess there? Well, first of all, I would say Daniel Jones is, I think a better player than all three of those guys. You know, I don't have a very high opinion of any of those quarterbacks. Justin Fields obviously can make plays, but can he run an offense effectively? Can he be a true successful pocket passer? Can he limit the turnovers? A lot lacking there, even though he's an incredible athlete. Zach Wilson, I think with Sean Payton, you know, showing that he has some value and ability. Obviously we know he had first round ability, but would have no interest there. And then Mac Jones, not a good track record as a teammate and an employee up in New England, even though obviously the stories tell you that all that relationship fracturing went both ways. But obviously Russell Wilson was in the building, took a visit and, you know, the Giants weren't guaranteeing him a roster spot. So not a roster spot. They weren't guaranteeing him a starting job is what I mean. So, you know, Russell Wilson was in a situation of, hey, I'm gonna come in and be the starter, right? I'm gonna walk in and I'll be the starter to start, right? And the answer was, you know, no, right? So that was the case and that's why he wasn't a giant. You know, the Giants were looking to draft Daniel Jones successor, they didn't. And so they said, let's roll it back because obviously they paid him a ton of money and they were locked into his contract this year. Dee checks in with another $5 super chat man, putting it, putting the chat on his back as we say. Guys, as you can see, I will get through the queue of all the questions, trust me. But if you want your comment or question addressed immediately, purchase a super chat and I will get to it ASAP. Promise you. D kit, my man says, there's an old football adage, hard pre-season may lead to more pre-season injuries, but less injuries during the season. I hope this proves to be true. Yeah, something Joe Judge always used to say was that you're trying to, quote, callus the players' bodies for the type of beating that they're going to take and endure and have to play through come the regular season. And if their bodies aren't ready for that, when they have to play the real thing, as Robert Salas said the other day, you need to prepare the players for their hardest moments because if you don't, when they get to those moments, they will break, right? That was, I thought that was a really good way of saying it. Thank you, Dee, again, for checking in with that super chat. All right, let's see, back in the chat. OG Knockout says, what's good, Pat? Is any QB available? We'll see what happens. I mean, Mike White obviously was released by Miami Dolphins, but that was interesting. Got with some vibes and some swag there. But no one, no quarterbacks available yet. Who are guys where the Giants could acquire them and you would say immediately, oh, this guy's an obvious upgrade to Daniel Jones here and now. Also, remember, remember, I asked Brandon Brown directly and Dee Kid obviously deserves credit as we talked in that chat the day before I talked to Brandon Brown. I asked him if they were in the quarterback market and they said no, so he said no. By the way, when the transcript came out of Brandon Brown's interview, it did not have the sentence where he said no, it was removed. I don't know why. Wellvin says, Pat, think we use much of the $13 million cap space before the season starts. The way they're functioning and operating in Wellvin, it looks like they will use some of it, but try not to use a lot of it. That's what it looks like based on their behavior so far. But we'll see, it depends on what becomes available. Dave Z says, Pat, you're a legend, no Dave, you're a legend. We're getting our first trivia question right and landing the answer that Isaiah Hodgens has the most touchdowns in the last two years of players still on the Giants roster. After obviously Saquon Barkley, who is now with the Eagles. You're right, Malik Willis has gone to the Packers. He would not be better than Daniel Jones. He would not be a coveted player for the Giants. That's not somebody I think that should have been on their radar there. Yes, Boston Scott, the giant killer dude always scores, no doubt. JDJ says boom, shakalaka, boom, shaka. Malik neighbors for offensive rookie of the year. I love it. Yes, boom chaga right here, check it out. Code and QR code up here for you guys to do subscribe and save and purchase a bag. Try it for yourself. And really, thank you for all the super chats and the super stickers. Deakit especially, thanks for carrying us tonight. But also guys, if there's a way that the best way to support our channel right now is to buy a bag of boom chaga and try it out. That's a great way to support the channel. And I would really appreciate that. I think you'll also enjoy it as a product. It'll become a part of your daily routine as it does mine now. Mel says Gunnar al-Juski has to be evaluated again, cannot be kept on return. Special team's tackler, yes, returns. What are they doing, coaching error? Well, Mel's, I would actually have to disagree with you there from what we saw last year. Gunnar al-Juski was reliable for the Giants. And actually, that was, you know, that was one of those moments where you threw up your hands and you said, finally, finally, the Giants found a guy who's going to catch the ball, whether it's a fair catch or a return, he's going to protect the ball. He's going to hold onto it. He's going to make a play every now and then for you. He's going to get you a few yards, if not more, and also retain possession, right? So that's, you know, that's a player I think, hopefully, if he's healthy, but now dealing with that ankle, so. Iconic also asked are the Giants interested in any of the quarterbacks that got cut? Don't have any information on that yet, iconic. Some of those cuts still fresh. I don't have an answer to that for you yet, but I'm working on that as well. Already talked about Ozilari, does Benton Whitley make 53? Not sure. I mean, like I said, if the Giants are out there looking for outside linebackers right now, I feel like if Ozilari is on the team, as it sounds like he will be, then you have a top three of Burns, Thibodeau, Ozilari. And then if they're searching for edges, how many more guys are making the team, right? So that's probably not a good sign for guys like Boogie Bash and Benton Whitley, but we will see. Let's see. Steven said, Pat, you talked about how Dable game plan strategy specific to each game in 2022 leading the wins. Do you see him returning to that? And maybe if he does it, will it help with his game management difference or difficulties of 2023? Steven, I think that's a good hypothesis and a possibility. I think that Dable having his head in the play calling and in the strategy of how to call and execute the game on offense might be able to help his composure on the sidelines and his ability to handle some of those moments. The thing is, he still has to be the, he's still the guy making the decisions. He's still the person managing the game while also being that offensive play caller. He's still the head of the operation, the head of the snake, as they say. And, you know, I do think that ultimately he still is going to need him to improve on his game management and his composure on the sidelines. But I think to your point, his strength, what we saw in 2022 was that ability to craft those game plan specific to opponents. And also just, there was a little bit of, regardless of the opponent, what does our team do well and what do we do poorly? Let's lean into the one and avoid the other, right? And so, I think at the bare minimum on offense with him as play caller and just essentially running the entire show on that side of the ball now Mike Kafka basically sidelined in that regard. You know, I think that Dable now has his hands on every cog and lever of that operation. And so now it falls to, you know, this is a big year. This is a year that's going to define whether he's going to continue being the giant tech coach, he's on the hot seat and he is leaning into what he does best. So Stephen, I think what you described could happen and what could possibly be an advantage of Dable calling plays is part of the reason he's taken over complete control of the offense. No, Boom Chaga does not taste like mushrooms. It actually doesn't taste like much of anything at all. Like when I say I pour it in my coffee every morning, that's not like an ad read that Boom Chaga asked me to do when I say I pour it in my coffee every morning. I pour it in my coffee every morning because it does not materially change the taste of it at all. Right, I'm sure people who drink their coffee, a lot of them have different preferences. You can be picky about what you like, what you put in it, right? All the way down to one cream and three sugars, no sugars, no cream, drink coffee, black, whatever it is. Boom Chaga does not change the taste of my coffee. So that's part of the reason I really like throwing it in there. Yeah, D-Kid says no, it does not. Dave Z says it tastes like winning. Yeah, that's a good answer, a better answer than I had there. Let's see, trauma asks, who do you have winning eagles or packers in week one? Ooh, that's a great question, right off the bat. I will say at this moment, I will say the green bait packers. That's a team I think is going to have a strong season. Might end up being one of the final four or final two when all is said and done based on potential and ability. So, you know, I think the eagles have a lot of talent and they're going to have a good amount of wins this season. But traveling all the way there, obviously tough on both teams. But, you know, I think the eagles are their new group, right? They have a lot of returning players, but they're also a new group, right? No Jason Kelsey, no Fletcher Cox. Bryce Hoff has to grow into a full-time pass rusher, which he hasn't been yet. Saekorn Barkley, exciting, but new. Jalen Hertz, Nick Siriani, a lot of pressure and focus on what are they going to be? Are they going to recover and rehabilitate from all the fractures of last season? So, more drama maybe around the eagles and a quieter, more effective game from the packers. That's what I'll go with at the moment. Diamond says, Pat is the goat. Wow, I appreciate that, especially with that goat emoji. That is really, that should be my new avatar, just that little goat right there. I love it with the horns, let's go. It almost looks like a ram, to be honest with you. Pat is the ram goat. I think that's what you were trying to say there. Let's see. Yes, Chronicles points out when I said that Hodgins had all those touchdowns and a lot of people didn't get it and get it and he said, "Huh, and he's going to get cut tomorrow." Right, interesting, isn't it? Interesting, indeed, big Pat. Let's see. Barb says, "I want Hodgins to stay, always liked him." A2ZMe says, "Amazing how bad this team is." You know, it's interesting, oh no. Undefined says, "Okay, this is interesting." He said that a commercial on the YouTube channel popped up right in the-- - It took a lifetime to find the person you want to marry. Finding the perfect engagement ring is a lot easier. - At Blunile.com, you can find or design the ring you've always dreamed of with help from Blunile's jewelry experts who are on hand 24/7 to answer questions and the ease and convenience of shopping online. For a limited time, get $50 off your purchase of $500 or more with CodePod at Blunile.com. That's $50 off with CodePod at Blunile.com. - Middle of my question about the trivia, so I think commercials run at different times based on when you logged into the chat. So I'm guessing that some people jumped in at different times and so it rolled at different points or different people, but undefined. I apologize for that if that happened to you. That'll remind me to do it maybe earlier in the chat next time. I think I did it maybe six or seven minutes in this time, but maybe we'll do it right off the bat in the future when we do these giveaways so that people who are in here right away can get right into that and get in on the action there. So thank you for that feedback. I'll try to incorporate that into how I do this in the future. Let's see. Big Jim says, "Can I get some free boom chaga?" We will see really that $30 for that bag with the discount code that I gave you. That gives you a month's supply of it. And then you can just cancel the subscription. You don't have to keep it, so. But yes, we're gonna do more giveaways. Hopefully I end up with maybe some giant swag here and there. We got the estate 98. Maybe get some boom chaga out to you guys at points if we're able, so we will see about that. Let's see. Oh, one thing I wanted to mention in relation to the Isaiah Hodgin's point, and we talked a little bit about this on our last chat, but let's hypothetically say, now as you're listening to this, you may already know whether Isaiah Hodgin's got cut or is still on the roster, right? But we know he's on the bubble either way. And what I think is interesting about the fact that he's there and maybe cannot end up not being on the team is yes, Malik neighbors has been added. Yes, Devin Singletary as your primary running back who's gonna touch the ball a lot, be on the field a lot, is going to get in the end zone, is going to be a part of your offense, a major part of your offense, and hopefully gonna score six for you. But Saequan was such a large part of the way that Giants got in the end zone with Daniel Jones running the offense with Brian Daybell calling it, or Mike Kafka calling it, but Brian Daybell's offense, they really don't have a lot of players on this team who have experienced scoring touchdowns for this team, for this offense, for the New York Giants. Like without Saequan Barkley here, without Isaiah Hodgin's in the mix, if he's cut, then the next guy who's been in the end zone most of the last two years, I believe, is Darius Slaton with six. And so, Daniel Jones' whole thing is, moves the ball pretty well between the 20s, when the field shrinks, when the moments get bigger, when the defense changes its looks and brings pressure, gets them off his spot. That's when the problems happen, and it tightens up in the red zone, you can't make it work. And, you know, Darren Waller was acquired via trade. What was a major reason why? To be a key option, especially in the red zone, score touchdowns. Saequan Barkley, he really the only giant who consistently got in the end zone, walks and signs of the Philadelphia Eagles as Waller retires, right? So, the Giants are a team that, if they cut Hodgin's, you're looking at player after player who either knows how to get in the end zone, has a history of getting in the end zone, or got in the end zone for the Giants, not being on the roster anymore. So, yes, you're bringing in fresh blood, you're bringing in new talent, and listen, Malik neighbors based on where he's drafted, you're gonna need to get him in for six. Like, the idea here is to feed Malik, a feed, leak, get him in the end zone, score those TDs. But, that's just an interesting element to me, as I was looking up these stats, gauging where Hodgin stands, where the roster stands, I think that's something that jumped out to me, and that's something that I intend to eventually write about for the New York Daily News. Here as the season comes up is just, who's gonna score, right? Team average 15.6 or something points gained last year. Who is going to score? Let's see. Mel says if he stays on the team, someone passed the word to get him a personal trainer, huge clue to Monty Tuner when he first entered into the league, Hodgin's. Okay, I think you're saying he reminds you of him, Melz. Let's see, big pats has got her better not get cut, because Mackenzie is not too impressive on those punt returns. No, Gunner's not gonna get cut. He may be put on IR and then brought back off IR after the, what is it, four weeks? Whatever it is, you have to sit out on IR before you come back. So, I think it's four. But I think if anything, that's what would happen. I don't think you would be looking at a situation of anything else. I mean, Gunnaros Juski is their primary punt returner. But, he's hurt right now, that's the point. No, Gabe, my point with his ease was I was saying, I was told that the intent here is not to trade him. So, my expectation is that he's gonna be on the team. I'm just saying, knowing how the league works, like I said, if you get into a situation where suddenly a player that you didn't expect to be available comes available to position and need, and the team asked you to throw in his ease Ozilari, is that gonna stop doing it? That's what I was like, oh, I'm saying. But as far as I was told, here and now, today, you know, a player who's not gonna get traded and who's going to be on the team, his ease Ozilari. Dave Z says message sent on IG, thank you everyone, and especially the legend, Pat Leonard. You got it, Dave, thanks for doing that. And thanks for knowing your giants. Let's see. Jimin says, Pat, I think Aziz is actually going to be dealt in the exact scenario you pointed out. We'll see. Well, that would be different than what the information I heard today. But obviously, like I said, leaving that 1% open because you never know. D says, Pat, I have significant questions about this regime's ability to evaluate talent. This includes not only Shane, but Dave Ball and all do nothing's in player personnel. Bottom line, we have to see them hit on some of these draft picks. It's as simple as that in order to change your opinion and change others' opinion you feel that way. Danny R says, I would love to see the giants trade for Patrick Sertane. Pat, could you possibly see that happening? I don't understand why though that the Denver Broncos would trade him. I mean, he's literally considered one of the best corners, best young corners in the NFL. So why would the Broncos trade Pat Sertane? I don't follow that. I mean, I would love to have Pat Sertane for the giants, but I don't know why they would do that. Danny Dut says, in your opinion, do folks in the Giants organization defend Daniel Jones and his contract in public, but in reality, regret and want to move on from him? Danny, I think there is a little bit of that, but I think it's different person to person. There are people in the Giants organization who legitimately talk themselves into, or legitimately will go to their grave believing they didn't do anything wrong by paying him $40 million a year. There are also people in the organization who are not going to walk out and say, we made a huge mistake by doing this, but as they say that, they are well aware of the fact of where it stands and what they're trying to do. I mean, this is the whole organization, the scouting quarterbacks looking to draft another guy to succeed Daniel and then they didn't get up there to do it. Big Pat agrees we're keeping Darius Sleaton. Dut says, if so, I don't get why they need to save face and just be honest with the public. Well, right now Daniel Jones is the quarterback they need to play well into win games in order to help them keep their jobs. So at this point, that's where they're kind of backed into. D says, ironically, it appears that the only two positions that we probably don't need to add at the moment is wide receiver and O line. Yeah, and don't need to add is relative, right? Because they could obviously be better at both of those spots. But I think what you're saying is there's a clear pecking order of who's going to start for them, whereas there's some other positions on the roster that you're still looking at and saying, I don't feel comfortable with player X being our number one option. And I certainly don't feel comfortable with our first backup, right? There are other positions where that's different. Matthew says, any updates on the ankle injuries to kneel and schmitz. Yeah, the belief is that they're, you know, just like they said after the game, that, you know, not severe, not serious, not concerning, not a concern to them. As far as I understand, you know, from what Davel has told us and from what I've heard from people, you know, the intention, the belief, is that they're going to end up with their starting five offensive line out there in week one. John Runyon Jr. getting back on the field this week as we speak is the intent with that shoulder. And the belief is that he'll be at left guard, starting a left guard, John Michael Schmitz, not concerned that he will be available for week one. Now, obviously these types of injuries, ankle tweak, shoulders, et cetera, could that be something that then crops up once they get in those games and start playing? You know, knock on wood, hopefully it does not, but, but yeah, it sounds like good news as far as what it could have been coming out of the game, the other night, Matthew, on the Neil and Schmitz ankles. But continue to watch that because, like I said before, you know, I mean, you know, the running joke with the New York Mets, for example, is always like, they'll announce, hey, initial tests say, it doesn't look as serious as we thought. And then you can, you can take it to the bank, you know, nine hours later, next morning, you know, 830 a.m. So and so is out for the year with a torn, whatever, right? So the Giants recently have kind of been in that boat as far as like, I'll see it when I, I'll believe it when I see it. So that said, you know, I talked to John Michael right after the game and Evan Neal neither of them seemed overly concerned. And that seems to be the initial takeaway from the test they've had. Christian says scuttlebutt, good word. Where did you pick it up? Ooh, I don't know, that's a good question. Sounds like something I would have heard, you know, growing up as far as like trade, trade rumors with leagues, you know, following major league baseball maybe back in the day is what it sounds like. That's where my mind goes when you ask me that. But yeah, I was thinking about putting cuts and scuttlebutt in my, in my headline for tonight's talking ball chat, but I felt like most of the, a lot of people wouldn't know what scuttlebutt meant. So chronicle says to me, Pat, that sounds like a horrible way of explaining how bad this cornerback room is without saying how bad it is. We can just pay one guy. Can't we just pay one guy to be RCB too? Gabe, I feel bad not having better information for you on what's available or who they're going after. I mean, I did reference some names, like some names that you know there, King Stephen Nelson, and also, you know, I'm stressing to you that as cuts happen, I think any young corner with some pedigree who doesn't break the bank for the Giants is a candidate for them to break, to bring in, to see if he can fit in that locker room. Maybe guys that, you know, remember a couple of years ago, they would just constantly sign guys to the practice squad and elevate them. So obviously I know this isn't what you want to hear. And frankly, Gabe chronicles, I can feel the frustration in your voice as I see some of your comments. And that's okay, but I can read it. Like I can feel it as I read your comments. And I know, I knew coming on here too, without any definitive knowledge or info on that the Giants are like actively pursuing a top corner in a big way. I knew that Giants Nation be pulling their hair out about it. I knew that this, that would be nothing anybody wants to hear, that's not popular, that's not encouraging for what you feel like this needs to look like. But sorry, that's what I got right now. Bill says, don't we need to experience a corner? Why would we go young? We already have a lot of young corners. Well, for financial sake, because they don't have all the money in the world to spend. And also because any corner who is out there, who is worth a ton of money, is probably a guy going to a place where he has a chance to win, right? That is paying him for that. But, we'll see. I mean, we'll see who else comes available, Bill. But I hear what you're saying. You're saying you want reliability and high end play. You don't care about young. But what I'm saying is that Joe Shannon, the Giants are selling this idea of, we have talent, but we're young and we're growing and trying to keep kind of that, the lid on, you know. If we lose a bunch of games this year, but this player and this player and this player show promise, look at where we're headed. And here we go, and then we add more pieces next year and now look at us, right? So that would be the argument for that, even though I know that's not what you want to hear. Let's see. Ryan, what's going on? Great to see you. I was talking to Ryan earlier. Patch, we expect a balanced attack on offense this season. The run blocking has shown early promise. I would like to see a heavy emphasis on the run to set up play action. Or is it let DJ rip the ball? Great question there, Ryan. I had to take a huge chug of Agua there. Feeling a little bit hoarse tonight, but hopefully sounding okay for everybody as we talk ball and talk Giants, talk NFL. So Ryan, I think as much focus has been put on Daniel Jones pushing the ball down the field. And for good reason. That's what they're trying to get him to do. That's what they're emphasizing. That's what Brian Deibel is emphasizing. That's what the offense is built, hopefully, to do better. Is to take those shots, to have speed down the field, to beat those corners in one-on-one coverage, to get behind the defense, to make explosive and score touchdowns, right? And so that is the element of the offense they're trying to add that they feel is missing. That is something that they believe Daniel Jones can do. And they're trying to unlock with better pass protection and better weapons. But Ryan, I think there's gonna be a lot more of the 2022 type Giants offense than people understand. I do think that Devin Singletary is going to be a major part of this offense. I think they're going to try to control the ball and set up play actions for targeted shots where Deibel can hopefully, as much as he wants to, as much as he's able, control the elements for Daniel Jones, control that extra pass protection with the tight end as a full back, right? Helping the offensive line. The two tight ends in there helping you. Every deep pass play starts looking like one of the run plays he ran in the first quarter. Turns out you're running out of the same heavy formation play action off of that, taking a shot. I think you're gonna see a lot of that from Deibel where you're not only running the ball to set up play action as far as bringing the defense down, you're also throwing deep passes out of formations that look like those same run plays and that you're dressing it up one way but end up running another. I think that a lot of catch and run short pass completions from Daniel Jones to Wandao Robinson and Malik neighbors is going to be an emphasis in the offense. Those guys are gonna get some jet sweeps. They're going to get some drag routes across the field. Neighbors on a drag, like kind of back across the line is deadly, like out of the slot there. That is a play that I will predict he scores at least one touchdown on this season. Really ends up being Daniel flicking the ball to neighbors like three yards up the field and him just turning the corner after getting a few steps on his man across the line. If you get the right coverage against that like man to man and you get a clear out of one side of the field and get him one on one with a guy who's mismatched. You know, you're talking a house call there but you asked me, you know, balanced attack. I think it is going to be balanced. I think it's going to be out of necessity, frankly, Ryan because as much as you and I and everybody else wants to see Josh Allen and Daniel Jones's body this year as Brian Dables trying to unlock those elements of him and augment his passing game, I think the reality is we know and you heard Tim McDonald say it himself in hard knocks. Said like, if Daniel's our quarterback, we need a running game to support him, right? That was a very clear and true statement from a high ranking personnel person in their building. And so I think Ryan that you're going to see some balance. You and I both know though that the balance that Dable is looking for is not the same, like the idea of balance in a Dable offense is not the same kind of idea as a balance as, you know, we were used to in football growing up, right? Where literally you're talking about a 50/50 balance or you're talking about, you know, not neglecting either part of run or the pass game and leaning both on them heavily. I'm not saying that Dable wants to run the ball a ton. I'm saying out of necessity, I think he's going to lean on single Terry as a running back in the screen game and on neighbors and Wandel Robinson and even on Daniel Jones's legs a little bit to supplement and support and be kind of the, the engine starter of the offense that sets up the deep shots and the deep passing game. I hope that answers your question. Let's see, Lucas says September 8th. Yeah, that's what it's all about right now, September 8th, Minnesota Vikings. Jimin says, been saying this for weeks. When in doubt, just sign a vet corner with starting games under his belt and experience. Not a guy who has not proven himself in the league. Lucas says, Joe is going to do what's right. So he has faith in the GM. ZX says between Wandel and Hyatt who has more yards and who has more TDs. That's an interesting question. I would say, oh man, that's a good question. Without looking at it, I would say, I know Wandel Robinson would have more catches. Touchdowns, they might be tied and then Hyatt might have him edged on yards just because he has 100 yard game under his belt and he's gone deep. I'll say Wandel without looking at it as I look it up now to check. I'll say Wandel's ahead and catches in yards and they're tied in touchdowns. All right, so let's see, we have Jail and Hyatt. 23 catches, 373 yards, zero touchdowns. I forgot he had zero touchdowns. Wow, man, see, I even forgot that. Wandel Robinson, 83 catches, 752 yards, two touchdown catches and one rushing touchdown. So, wow, see, that even surprises me how much more he's done than Hyatt. So 83 to 23 and catches, 752 to 373 in yards and four, oh no, three zero in touchdowns. Obviously, Wandel's been in the league for an extra year but he did get hurt that first season but definitely in my mind, I didn't recall that he had those 23 catches in that first season with that touchdown. So, that kind of added to the total that I was really projecting in my head. But wow, it's funny. Isn't it funny how different the perception of what Jail and Hyatt has been versus the reality numbers wise so far? Like there really is a lot more on the bone there that needs to be uncovered. Let's see. Let's see. Big Pat says that's all we got right now. Joel says James Bradbury might get cut. He was good in zone. Would they go after him? Based on how the Giants handled that situation, that was not an appreciated operation. Joe Shane and James Bradbury, my understanding. So, I don't think James Bradbury would be interested in that. Now, I'm not saying he could be choosy at this point of his career based on how he played last year and how he's been playing recently. But I don't think that was a pleasant, or I know that was not a pleasant ending here in New York with how he dealt with Joe Shane in the Giants front office and his representation there. So, I do not think a return is happening. Big Blue for life, 57 Ortiz says, Pat, please keep giving us great New York Giants content. You're doing a great job, brother. Thank you, Big Blue. Thank you for saying that. Really, really appreciate that. JD J says Bradbury, zone or man, he's holding in both, ouch. Bradbury gave the Giants some good football, and good man, like him a lot, I root for him, and he was so accountable after the Super Bowl. That was great. Really, I'll never forget that. Simeon says the Giants need to sign Tyree Phillips at offensive tackle if he is healthy, hard to disagree with that. What's up, Dave G says, what's up, big Pat? Dave G, good to see you. Big Pat says Chapman on the D line could be a great surprise. We gotta see, hopefully he is, because they need someone to pop there. Dave G says Bradbury is a shell of what he was two years ago. The reason the Eagles might cut him. Yeah, no, that's true. His game is not what it used to be. Let's see. Big Pat says Rodgers and Tyrod are extremely injury prone right now with the Jets as far as quarterback. Eureka says the Giants don't need a quarterback. Okay, interesting. Well, you know, to Eureka's point, I mean, would it be nice to upgrade your depth? Yes, but really they have Daniel Jones as the starter. And, you know, unless you're finding an upgrade on that at this point, he's your guy. And also, you're not, you know, adding a new quarterback now, teaching him the offense, having him jump ahead of Daniel on the depth chart, it's late for that kind of thing right now to be a solution, right? Big Pat says Jones is under the same pressure he was in 2022. Let's see what he does this time. Big Jim likes my trifecta at breakfast, the orange juice, water, and coffee at breakfast. He says the trifecta is a Jersey staple, Pat. Well done. Oh, interesting. I didn't even know that, but I am from Philadelphia, so Northeast. So I guess it's, you know, it's probably just in me. You know what I mean? It's probably just came to me naturally. I didn't even know. Big Jim wants to know what my food order is at breakfast. Good question. Well, I love, I love diners. Like I'm a big diner guy, you know, even going back to, you know, going down the shore as a kid. Love, you know, love going down, going to a good diner down the shore, having breakfast. I would say my order right now is an egg white omelet with bacon and Swiss with home fries and some rye toast with that trifecta. If I'm not getting the omelet, I tend to get a Taylor Ham egg and cheese on a roll or a bagel, depending on what the place is. You know, pepper ketchup or salt pepper ketchup, depending on where I'm getting it from. So those are, those are kind of my two primary orders. Every now and then throw a little spinach in the omelet. Let's see. Nell says we could have had David's Mills from Houston. Guys, just imagine him pushing Daniel Jones to get his shit together. Maybe Locke can still happen. But for, for $5 million, we shouldn't have acquired him. Gotcha. Chris Peace, Chris Peace says good evening, Pat. Good to hear you this morning on that Jets Twitter space. Would love to hear you check in on a giant space. I would be happy to Chris that that was purely, like I said, that kind of happened in real life, like time where I, I met Peter at, you know, Connor's book signing. We exchanged information. He said, would you do the space? I said, absolutely, let's do it. And we put it on the calendar and that's, that was that. So if somebody wants me to jump in on a giant Twitter space, at some point, let's put it on the calendar, shoot me a note, send me a DM on Instagram at PL on NFL. And we'll try to make it happen one day. Cecil thinks as long as the giant's oh line does its job, this will be a great season. That would be a nice, a nice change and a nice upgrade to what they've had going on the recent year, Cecil. So hard not to, hard not to think that that wouldn't help things because we haven't seen it, right? Elias says, Hey, Pat, I've become a huge fan and I love your inside info and unbiased criticisms and positives. I think you are wrongly accused of being Mr. Negative with Giants when really it's that team is, is no good. (laughs) Right, or is leaning no good. Yeah, Elias, thank you for saying that. Really appreciate it. Listen, nobody would be more enthused in week one if the giants beat the Vikings with Malik neighbors with 200 yards and two touchdowns than me. Like we're talking, we're talking the giants irrelevant, the giants are doing it. Can the giants win the NFC East? Is Malik neighbors offensive rookie of the year, right? Like is Daniel Jones shoving in everybody's faces and the giants immediately become a relevant team, right? Like those, let's get some excitement going, you know? Let's do it. But Elias, thank you for saying that. I think, you know, being a reporter means getting to the bottom of, you know, whatever the stories are and wherever it leads you and right. And a lot of the stories or a lot of the goings on for the giants as I've been covering the team have been either regrettable or dysfunctional or like you said, things that are contributing to losing, things that need to change. And also that require autopsies of what went wrong so it doesn't happen the next time, right? Daniel says, Pat, we wouldn't have neighbors if we drafted May. Yeah, that's true. That's true. Of course. I mean, having a franchise quarterback is the priority. Let's be clear here. You know, I mean, I know you're excited about neighbors 'cause he's a giant now, but like if Drake May turns out to be a franchise quarterback, you'd say, oh, wow, that would have been nice, right? Like a really true top quarterback of BONIX who was on the board when the giants picked turns out to be a franchise quarterback. You won't say, wow, it would have been nice if we had that guy, right? But I hear you, neighbors is your guy, you're riding with them now. So I respect that, no harm. King Chris has feel like if they really wanted to help DJ, keeping saquat along with you at the neighbors should have been a priority, 100%. 100%, that King Chris is the point that I took out of the off season, hard knocks. Like you're watching guys around Joe Sheen tell him why it would be risky to get rid of saquat and why they need a player like that, why the offense needs a player like that, why the quarterback does. You could see it was just the intention was for this not to happen anymore, right? It looked like from both sides, it was time to go. But certainly Joe Sheen did not seem eager to bring saquat back to the Giants, right? Even in the face of John Marra trying to make it happen, right? So, but I agree with you because we'll see how teams defend them, but, and you know, there's some people who think even, you know, it's gonna be hard for neighbors as a rookie really to command double teams right away. But, you know, let's say even he is that guy who pops and is the clear number one, it'll be pretty obvious who teams have to key on and focus on. And, you know, saquat, even when he wasn't producing and wasn't living up to the expectations. A lot of times it was because teams were packing eight, nine in the box and key on him. Like he was, he was the game plan for opposing defenses. Devin Singletary is a good NFL player, but he's not a, we have to stop them in Singletary this week guy. There is no other player on the Giants roster who is that guy, on offense. So. Danny R says, "Yeah, Giants Nation 2.0 content is amazing. "Go follow." Yeah, I appreciate that love from Giants Nation 2.0 on IG. Dave Z says, "Hit that like button if you haven't yet." Yes, guys, please. Super chats, that's a great way to support the channel. Moves you to the top of the chat. I answer your question or address your opinion immediately. If not, hit the like button while we are live. That helps drive the traffic and the algorithm. Tells all those Giants fans out there searching for some good content and some good info. Tells us, tells them we're live, tells them we're here. - Ready to pop the question and take advantage of 30% off? The jewelers at blunile.com have got sparkled down to a science with beautiful lab-grown diamonds worthy of your most brilliant moments. Their lab-grown diamonds are independently graded and guaranteed identical to natural diamonds and they're ready to ship to your door. Go to blunile.com to get 30% off. Select lab-grown diamonds. That's blunile.com for 30% off lab-grown diamonds. Blunile.com. Tells them that we're doing these on Mondays and Thursdays at 9 p.m. and after every Giants home and road game from the press box of the stadium, right after talking to the players and the coaches in the locker room. Half the words and to Brian Dable. This is a community that continues to grow. It grows because of you guys. Can't thank you enough. 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Also brought to you by Ben online and by a state 98 coffee. All natural specialty coffee with no sugar, convenient for on-the-go professionals and parents. Takes less than 10 seconds to make a nice coffee. estate98.com/talkingball to get a special buy one, get one free deal. Dave Z got a free jar of it today, getting that trivia question right. But for the rest of you, if you go to estate98.com/talkingball, buy one, get one free on estate98. It's not expensive, it's a great product, you'll love it. You'll be getting essentially more than a month's worth of coffee for the price of one jar. So that's estate98.com/talkingball. So, A2Z me agrees. He says 100% agree you have access to the team and you're still honest with your opinions, not a bootlicker like most others won't name names. Yeah, I think you have to be yourself, be your own person. You have to use your eyes and own ears. And to me, nothing matters more than integrity of opinions, integrity of your information. And, you know, trying to be as authentic and direct and honest as I can be. Bill Hardnet is here better late than never. No doubt Bill, great to see you as always. Thanks for always being here in the chat. You know, let's see. Definitely gonna get to some of your questions here. I know. Dave Z says, isn't the field turf they are considered one of the worst playing surfaces in the league? I know they're going to install in grass for the World Cup, but why not for their own bread and butter? Well, they've changed the turf a couple of times. You know, I think the hope is the one they have down now, which is, you know, was a composite that the players had to say in choosing to be the new turf at the stadium. That was something that they put high priority on. You know, I think eventually he says, who cares if the field is muddy for concerts? Oh, yeah, right, exactly. I think definitely they make a lot of money throughout the off season with concerts and all kinds of events. So that's a major reason why. But also, you know, like you said, with the World Cup coming with soccer coming, I mean, I think if you can do it for the World Cup and you can do it for soccer, you can do it for the NFL players who are putting their bodies on the line. And that's definitely something that matters and should be continued looked at. And hopefully they get back to grass and they get full-time grass, Philadelphia has grass, Washington has grass, et cetera. But also, I just don't like how it's always referenced as like the reason why guys get hurt because, you know, stop pointing to the turf for why you have so many injuries. If there's other things going on, there's other people involved, there's other decisions being made about players' bodies, it's not always the turf, right? Like I think, I think that's a way sometimes to skirt and steer accountability away to other places. Mo says, I believe Tommy DeVito is better than Daniel Jones. Mo, all due respect, he is not. But I can understand why when Tommy's playing well and you're seeing the team win with him at quarterback, why the vibes and the feeling of that working feels so good and why Daniel Jones and the good with the kind of impending doom concern with the turnovers and mistakes is a feeling that you're just tired of. So I can understand that. But Daniel's a better quarterback. Daniel's a better quarterback. Let's see. Yeah, no way you can say that Tommy's better than DJ after that preseason game. Yeah, and I think that just confirmed what I know and what we saw for sure. But again, I understand what your sentiment is where your sentiment is coming from. Is it true that Vito, the QB rule today, Pat, make it train, 44 says, yeah, just that if you're gonna keep an emergency third quarterback that the guy has to be carried on the roster. So essentially, instead of having the ability to elevate unlimited amount of times an emergency third quarterback off the practice squad, the guy has to be carried on your active roster. So yes, that is true. Next year, are you rocking with Beck, Dart, or Sanders? Says Luciano, as far as a Giants quarterback in the draft. Luciano, I'm good. I gotta admit, I have to study those players' games more and talk more to people who know more about the college game and players and those prospects specifically down and down out than I do, I do think it's hard for me to imagine that Dion Sanders' son is going to end up being a giant for a lot of reasons. It's sad that Jones is the best option. I really hope he would get better, says Dave Z. Let's see. Chronicles wants to know if I play in an adult rec league or a church community type thing. I actually have, I belong to an adult soccer league. It's paid into, it's a lot of guys who played D1 and D2 and D3 soccer. Some guys are younger than I am, some guys are older than I am, but it's a pretty high level game. Play 90 minute games. Basically, we play for two hours with a five minute halftime and maybe one extra water break, but it's a lot of people in North Jersey. I think some guys who come from New York as well and it's a pretty high level game for a men's league, but it's also like a good even keel, right? It's serious and it's competitive, but everybody's out there to have fun. Everybody knows we're not trying to injure each other. We all have jobs to do, right? So it's a good kind of balance. So that's what all I'm always looking for in my men's league, whether it's basketball or soccer or whatever. I want to compete and I want to get the juices flowing right and all that, but I don't want to get to the point where I'm slamming a ball down or I'm pushing and shoving with people and taking it too seriously. 'Cause we're not winning any championships anymore. We're not a, maybe you're winning a men's league championship in basketball, but there are more important things in life at this point. So I always am searching for that middle ground and that's what I found in my Sunday morning soccer league. G-Men says, "Adam Schefter put out an interesting list of select players around the league as cut and trade candidates. Of the 12 players he mentioned, two giants made the list, Alan Robinson and Tommy DeVito. That's interesting. You know, DeVito is making noise earlier in camp about essentially daring them to cut them and saying like, you know, basically to be your loss, you know, DeVito thinks he can play, he's a confident kid and he looks to me like a guy who wants an opportunity and thinks that he deserves one. So maybe all that noise is coming from that part of him and from that part of his representation. So if he wants to be a starting quarterback or compete for a job, you know, it's not here. Elias says, "Hey Pat, how close is running to coming back if he does and JMS is fine? Does that mean Giants at least can game plan for week one with all starting five alignment?" Elias, yes, I do believe, but from what I can understand, the Giants intention, their belief is that they will have their starting five offensive line together for week one with Runyon Junior in there and Schmidt's. Runyon Junior, of course, as we sit here on August 26th has not been back to practice. Gables said the plan was for him to get back on the field with the guys this week. So that would have him back on the field preparing here this week and then preparing the following week for that September 8th opener probably would give him one real week all told of practices back before that game. So not a lot of time, but hopefully enough. Yeah, Rafael says DeVito played with the third team relax. Yeah, I think that's, you know, my viewpoint is that's probably coming from his representation. Let's see. Dave Z says D kit, you rock for all no doubt about it. Setting the example with the super chats, no doubt. Closing in on 3000 subs on the YouTube channel says A2Z me, very nice. Yeah, no, that's all, that's all 'cause of you guys, man. All 'cause of you guys, thank you so much. We're continuing to grow too. Like, I very much intend for this to be the place for fans, Giants fans, NFL fans for people to show up and to talk giants for information, for breaking news. Like, this is where I want you guys to bookmark it. Every time we're on here, you could be missing something that's happening right now, right then and there. That's coming right off my phone, right to you guys. Joey B with a super chat. Joey B, thank you so much. Joe is the man. He says, "What's up?" Was introducing GMT, Sun to the original. Sorry about that, I'm missing that. Let's see. Who else is getting cut at? Do you think any surprises that are going to be cut have a kneel trades? Joe, I think, you know, the team is off today. They're gonna come back on Tuesday and we're going to see the Giants clean house of the rest of their roster down to 53. Evan Neal, I mean, I don't know what to say about that other than, I think to your point, Joe, if Evan Neal got cut, you would say that, okay, that's where it was headed, from a production standpoint, from a play standpoint, knowing this isn't going to work, right? You've not, you're heading to say, of course. But can the Giants really cut that player at this juncture? Can Joe, Shane, cut Evan Neal two years, basically, after drafting him, number seven overall, just out and out, just cut the guy? When he also doesn't have a tackle in the building, like to me, that's just not a thing that he could do and get away with. It would be such an indictment of their process, of their scouting, of their decision-making in the draft. You know, at this point, you know, I think you're trying to get what you can out of that player, if at all. The thing I think they should be doing with Evan Neal is moving him to the guard, moving him to the left guard and seeing if he can be a backup there and how serviceable he can be there. I think you got to stop thinking of him, trying to think of him as a backup tackle. You know, I'm not sure it's going to happen. And like I said, like I said multiple times, I think I said this in the Jets Twitter space too. You're, there aren't people who think he can be your swing tackle, like that's not a thing. At least it isn't one that people I've talked to believe he can do. Kyler says, what do you think I'm trying to trade for or picking up Leonard Till the third if the Jets put him on the, if the Jets don't put him on the 53? So you're saying, you're saying pick him up off waivers if he gets cut. Good vibes to you and your fam says Kyler. Thank you, Kyler, for saying that about the fam. That looks like the type of player that a team would not let get off its initial 53 man roster because they're not going to want to lose them. Like I said, a lot of teams looking for pass rushers right now, so not sure the Jets would be eager to let go of a guy like that. Trying to trade for a guy like that. I mean, he is, he is still a rookie. He still is an undrafted rookie. So as far as trading, I'm not sure that would happen either. So I think your head is in the right place though, Kyler, of what the Giants could use. And that's the type of player that pops off the page and pops off the screen and off the field when you're sitting there watching him play against your team and beat your backup offensive lineman. And you say, wow, we can use a guy like that, right? To me, that's also as a GM and as a scouting staff, you watch a player like that live against your own team. You go back and you say, where did we have this guy? Why did we not sign him? Why did we not get him? Did we pursue him? Write all of those things. Socrates says, I know this is sacrilege, but if everything goes bad for the Giants this year and Dak is available at the end of the year. Is he a consideration for quarterback? Don't hate me, chat. You know, Socrates, I don't think that's a crazy thing. I mean, I think Dak Prescott at the end of this year is an option and a possibility if the team looks good, but Daniel Jones doesn't, right? If the team looks pretty good and Daniel doesn't, so the team has an okay record, but the quarterback holds it back, but neighbors looks great, the line looks better. Some of the draft picks are popping, all that. That to me is a situation where as much as a lot of league sources have told me they think the Giants would go draft if they need a quarterback next year or if they're going in the quarterback market. Joe Shane to me has proven that he's a big game hunter, right? You think of that Brian Burns trade as Exhibit A. And I think that Joe Shane would be the kind of guy who would go get a quarterback like Dak would pay, right? Would make the argument like, hey, look, our team is actually now building towards ready and now we can get a veteran quarterback who could take us there, right? So, you know, I don't think it's out of the question. Dave Z says, I can totally see a Dak Prescott stopgap solution until they mortgage the future to trade up for arch-manning. They just love those manning jeans. It is hard to see arch-manning playing for a different franchise, isn't it? Dave Z says, I may not like it if Dak's a giant, but I can see it. Greg Farrell says, keep up the great work, Pat. You're great, thank you, Greg, thank you for saying that. Really appreciate that. Christian says, DeVito took too many sacks last year and he took too many sacks against cut candidates against the Jets. Doesn't seem to be much improved at all. If we're gonna hold three QBs, we can do better. I agree with that, Christian. I agree, I agree with everything you just said. Ray says, Ojilari is brittle, trade him. You're not the only one who feels that way. Obviously that would be a way to hopefully get something for a player who hasn't been able to stay healthy, but at least from what I understand, he's not being traded at this juncture. That's at least my understanding at the moment. Do you think the Giants will get a starting corner to play opposite of bags by September, says Mike? I think they're in the market for it, but I keep seeing them look at low-level waiver claims and young guys, and I continue to question how much they're really going to invest and whether that's actually going to happen. But I think they know they have that need. And like I mentioned earlier in the chat, Desmond King from the Texans, if he shakes free. He's interesting to me, because like I said, several people telling me today that the Giants were calling around about punt returners with Gunnar Ojewski and Isaiah Mackenzie injured. And so King could give you both. He could give you some nickel help. He's not an outside corner, but he could give you some nickel help and he could give you a punt return. Barb says starting off the season, not facing Duran Bland with Cowboys or Chubb with Browns. Barb taking a look at the schedule, projecting it out, like it. Ray says, where is Corey Webster, right? You know, Shane over three with the O line in that draft. It looks like it so far. JD J says, Pat, you got to do giveaways for Giants, tickets, or at least Medium Pepsi. Medium Pepsi jokes will always be funny, says Dave Z. Yes, they will. Well, let's see, Ray saying Saequan, who, that's funny. Let's see. Ray says, Pat, we barely scored touchdown with Saequan. Come on now. Oh, no, I know that, Ray. I know that. But while the Giants rarely scored touchdowns anyway, he was really the only guy who got in the end zone at any regular amount. So that's what, that's my point. My point is that the only player who had any regular success at getting in the end zone is not on the team. That's the point. And the second most, the second, the guy who was most in the end zone second behind Saequan might get cut hours from as we sit here now. Ray though, believes that neighbors will open it up and DJ will be comeback player of the year. Love it, love the optimism. If the Giants play like last year, we deserve a 24-pack of Pepsi or at least a large, says Socrates, love it. Barb confirms IR is for four weeks. Kadarius, another great pick, yeah, that's right. Justin says, Pat, thank you for all your great coverage of the team. What have you heard about the team telling Jones to be more aggressive in this office offense since they drafted neighbors? Definitely the emphasis included in that Houston game, Dave Ol was calling plays and trying to emphasize two Daniel Jones, like let's take these shots, let's feel the rush and let's understand what is going to be expected this year playing in this offense, taking those chances and trusting those receivers. But Justin, I don't think Daniel needs to be told, hey, be aggressive and throw to Malik neighbors downfield when he's open. Like I think Daniel, I know Daniel, but listen, he's a quarterback. He's been a quarterback his whole life. He's an NFL quarterback. Who's more excited about Malik neighbors than Daniel Jones? Daniel Jones is the one who's the most fired up about pushing ball down the field of Malik neighbors. So yes, they're telling him emphasizing it and that's the emphasis of Brian Gable's offense in large part, combined with, as I talked with Ryan about trying to balance it out by necessity with that run game. But the bottom line is what we got to trade here, Cardinals traded linebacker Cam Thomas to the Chiefs for a seventh round pick, some added edge help. Interesting. Okay. But yes, I think Daniel's as excited about pushing the ball as anybody. Let's see, Mike says, what did you make of the O-line's performance versus the Jets? I saw a tweet saying the G men would have a lot of trouble if they end up having to play any O-line that played versus the Jets, except for Schmitt's. I think that the Giants O-line, the backup O-line against the Jets, is that what you're talking about? In the game, they were not good enough. In the practice, the Giants O-line gave up. I counted two to three sacks. There was one that was, it could have been, might not have been, was close. So two to three sacks, but it wasn't, it wasn't like free runners all day all over the place. One thing I will say is, it's like a combination of, the pocket does seem to hold up a little bit better than it has in the past, right? That said, there's a play every practice, right? And even in the joint practices, there's plays where, yeah, you have a couple positives, but then there's one where if it was real football, it would be a devastating hit and a sack fumble where a hit as the ball is being thrown, right? So all it takes is one of those plays and we're still seeing those pop up in the passing game. They're just not as regular as we've seen in the past. So is it better? Maybe, hopefully, yes, but how much better and is it going to cure all their ills and prevent those big mistakes from happening? We don't know that yet. Dekit says to me, the roster is not a competitive one. There are blue chippers, while there are blue chippers and potential ones, there are also massive deficiencies in all position groups. Yeah, I agree with that, Dekit. Jay says, I don't understand why they just don't make a move. We have flexibility cap-wise to do so. You know, players have to be available for you to make a move. And also from Joe Shane's standpoint, the GM is trying to both improve the team now and be better now and also play the long game on, like in other words, is Joe Shane interested in mortgaging high picks from next year into this year, right? Because that's sometimes what you see happen when it's like we have to go broke or go home because if you're trading next year's first or next year's second or whatever, and you're losing, you know, you're not trading, you know, if you get fired, that's not your draft pick anymore anyway. That's not hurting your next draft. That's someone else coming in and that's their draft pick, right? So we haven't seen that kind of desperation yet. And I think that's because while there, while everyone in my opinion is on the hot seat this year and certainly Brian Dable is, and everybody the consensus I think is Brian Dable is, but, you know, I think everybody is. I think Joe Shane is too, especially, like it has to go really bad, but I think that's a possibility given how things have gone around here. And so Shane, you know, being on after this year is a possibility even if more of an outside one than Dable. But I think that, you know, you look at how they're operating. I think Joe Shane's ideal world will be to continue to build this stepping stone into a longer term consummation of this process. But the question is, will the team be good enough this year to continue to buy that time, right? That's also the question there. The big gym wants to know what number neighbors is going to win or is going to wear. You know, I think if it's not nine that he's wearing now, maybe it ends up being six, you know, after Bryce Ford Wheaton gets cut as my guest, but we don't know that for sure yet. Bill says, thanks for the response. You got it, Bill, thanks for being here. Noomette says, what's up, Pat? The viewers are growing. Shout out to Pat Leonard for excellent Giants coverage leading up to the season. Noomette, thanks for always being here. You're one of the true followers and supporters. Really appreciate you always here for Talking Ball Live. Shabari says, what's the word on the Dory Jackson? Just called his people today, waiting on a call back there tonight. You know, my read on that from talking to people over the last few weeks and really all off season has been, you know, there were plenty of people. The Giants, there was not a high opinion of how he played here last year. So, you know, he was on obviously a lucrative contract when he was with the Giants. A Dory, I would think at this juncture is the type of player who would want to hook onto a team that has a chance to do something special. I mean, he isn't that far removed from essentially shutting down Justin Jefferson in a playoff game. So if there's a team that appreciates him more than that, that has a little bit of a more of a chance than the Giants do, maybe that's where he ends up. It could come out of left field, right tomorrow and suddenly Dory Jackson's back, but I've had some pretty direct conversations with people and I don't believe that he's gonna be a giant again. But, you know, we'll see. Let's see, what other questions do we have here in the chat? We're pushing against two hours here. I'm talking about live, this has been a lot of fun. Danny says, "Dayball wants Daniel Jones to push the ball down the field. I predict we will see a lot of interceptions. I can see Daniel reverting to his tendencies of short throws. He has made a career of possible, hopefully not possible." Let's see. Mike says, "It's insane how most analysts say Daniel Jones is a bust when he's never had to bonafide a thousand yard receiver like all the playoff teams and best QBs have had." Well, Mike, I mean, yes and no. I mean, you're right that Daniel Jones has never had a star receiver, like a true star like Odell Beckham was before he got here or like neighbors could end up being that he has now. So that's fair for sure. But also, as much as star receivers help some of the top offenses, right? And certainly top regular season offenses now, especially top receiver tendons, right? Like A.J. Brown to Monte Smith, Tyree Kilgiano and Waddle, just a couple examples, Devonta Adams, Jacobi Myers, whatever. But the teams that win usually, like the teams that win Super Bowls, that win championships usually aren't the ones with the highest paid receivers, with the star number one break the bank wide receiver. Those teams actually don't end up winning the Super Bowl usually, which is very interesting, even if they end up being some of the top offenses. Danny says, "Mike, you know the QB plays a role we'll make in a thousand yard receiver." Yeah, but I also, I see both sides of that, yep. Mike says, "Not to name any names, but Sean McCoy and all the other analysts brush over the fact that the O line has been bottom of the barrel was second worst in the league history last year in Zacks." I don't know how anyone could gloss over that, I mean, and I don't know how anyone could gloss over that when evaluating the front office and how they've run the team. Mel says, "They have Slaton as a number one or two, all of a sudden he has to get more physical. We could put together a package to make someone a contender while upgrading our roster." Interesting. Big Pat says, "The fact that Daniel Jones has a recent playoff win under his belt where he showed out, compared that to the Herbert's of the world. These analysts are hilarious at this point." Mike says, "But to have a thousand yard receiver, you need an O line that can give you time to read the field and throw to receivers getting open." Garret, good to hear from you. Garret says, "What's good Pat? Off topic question. Who's your favorite fellow beat writer and who's your least?" Any good stories to share. That's funny, good question Dr. Garret. My favorite fellow beat writer. Geez, that's tough. I mean, they all have good qualities and different things that people are good at or that you go to them to get more insight on, right? Whether it's breaking news, whether it's breaking down the cap, whether it's telling stories, whatever the case is. Everyone's got a skill. Everyone's got something to bring to the table. So to be honest, Dr. Garret, I don't usually do this, but I'm not going to answer that question because I'm not going to say I prefer one person over the other on the beat. I'm not going to do that. I respect everybody on the beat. And I will say that there is good and lively banter on a daily basis between, like a lot of us do the same age like me, Jordan, Connor, Hughes is now kind of in the mix. And Doug in Ryan Dunleavy, popping in from the post, Charlotte Carroll with the athletic. A lot of good banter, a lot of good back and forth, a lot of good idea shares and a lot of fun. You know, but it's a good beat. Everyone brings something to the table. So not picking favorites there, that's for sure. Andre says, oh, and also, you know, Daryl Slater too. Daryl Slater, you know, a really good writer, good reporter and a hilarious personality. And then obviously you have the folks like Paul Schwartz, Art Stapleton, you know, Kim Jones, Newsday, Tom Rock, who is now NFL columnist, but who I've spent a lot of years with in that room and done a lot with. And, you know, that's just some of the names, obviously that pop up that I am privileged to share that room with every day. But, you know, it's a great group. It's a lot of fun. The funniest thing about being a part of the beat, Dr. Garrett is you, like I work for the New York Daily News and then I do the talking ball with Pat Leonard podcast and I believe that work. But my colleagues, it always feels almost like your colleagues are your competitors because you're with them so much. So you're competing against each other, but you spend more time with each other than you spend with the people who you actually work with in your own company. It's very weird dynamic. So you become friends, but you're also competing. Giant topic says, what's up, Pat? Hope all is well. Why haven't the Giants given a fair shot at the quarterback position? We knew Locke DeVito wasn't gonna get pressure on Daniel Jones. If this is Daniel Jones last year, why not put pressure on him? Expressing your love can look many different ways. And with the right jewelry gift from Blue Nile, it can truly sparkle. Blue Nile's collection of classic diamond jewelry makes for the kind of gift that speaks volumes without saying a single word. Or switch things up with a sapphire piece sure to spark conversation. Either way, Blue Nile's diamond guarantee ensures you get the highest quality at the best price. Express yourself with Blue Nile and get up to 30% off at bluenile.com. That's bluenile.com. I think Locke, the intention was for Locke to be here, to put a little pressure on, and he hasn't been able to do it. And also they were in the market to draft one, and then they didn't. Let's see. A2Z Mises, my egg white omelet plus bacon balances out the healthy. That's right. (laughs) Right, yeah, I don't need any of that fat in that yolk of the egg, but if you throw some bacon in there, yeah, I appreciate it. Yeah, see, you see how my funky mind works. Brods Man Sacks says hard to imagine we would acquire bums like Glennon From, Taylor, Geno Smith, Locke, et cetera. How is our QB room sunk so low? Geno Smith does not belong on the list, you just gave me. Geno Smith is a good quarterback. Tyrone Taylor is a good quarterback. Locke has shown some good football. Obviously, you'd like to see more from him as a giant. I could see what you mean by Glennon From, but hey, Geno's good, Geno's good. Mike says anyone who actually watches giants games can see how there's immediate pressure on almost every place. See Hall to wear it, knowing for their pass rush and the O line couldn't even block Max Pro. Mark says, "I think the Giants are gonna be watching "the Jets and Eagles cards very closely. "Ely Ricks may be a corner." That's another type of player that the Giants should be looking at. Yes, young corners, guys who will come relatively cheaply, guys who can compete, that's the market they're in. I don't think they're in the premium corner market that we were hoping they would be in, but depends on who gets free, veterans, young players, et cetera. But that's a good point, Mark. And yes, the Eagles are a team, offensive lineman, secondary, they're another team to watch. Thank you for bringing that up. Dave says, "Why is Tim McDonald considered an up-and-comer, "recruiting at Notre Dame, pretty easy to recruit there? "Then Scout had a player person out here. "Who did he recruit, Scout, that was a stud? "No one nepotism." No, Tim, listen, Tim knows what he's talking about. I think you saw that in Hard Knocks, at least when he spoke. It seemed like he kept pretty quiet in front of those microphones and cameras a lot. Probably trying to pick and choose when he speaks, 'cause he does have that ownership connection, obviously, even though it's also in the personnel department. Recruiting at Notre Dame, first of all, is not as easy as you would think. And what I mean by that is yes, you can get people to come to Notre Dame. But when you're trying to challenge for national titles and you're recruiting against the SEC and the teams who win national titles and are competing there at the top of the sport with you, that is not easy. Now, Notre Dame, now, NIL, they can obviously compete in that. And nothing against the state of Indiana, but I went to Notre Dame for four years. And sometimes it's hard to get a kid from Georgia or Florida or Texas or California or whatever it is to come to Northern Indiana for four years. Like, that's a hard sell, no matter what the brand is. So not as easy to recruit Notre Dame as you think. But I hear what you're saying, big brand, et cetera. Yeah, no, listen, Tim McDonald, like anybody else in the Giants organization, is someone who in recent years has been a part of some good and a part of some mistakes that have been misses, right? And the hope is that somebody like him and everybody in their front office learns. You know, they're accountable, they're responsible, they learn and grow. And that's what John Marath thinks has happened with Tim McDonald, is that he has grown to the point where, around the league, he is well respected and revered as somebody who has a keen eye and is plugged in and knows what he's looking at from a personnel evaluation standpoint. And, you know, he's one of the key voices in that Giants room. But, you know, Dave Z, it's really difficult to parse all the time, like, who liked this player and who didn't and this was a draft pick of this guy, but not this guy and this assistant GM wanted him and this pro personnel director, one of that player was most responsible for that. You know, it's not always easy to get to that. I will say, I believe it was Shane, it might have been Dable, actually. One of the two of them mentioned that their information on neighbors, a lot of it came from Tim McDonald's connection there with Brian Kelly, the Notre Dame connection, et cetera. Or it might have been, actually, you know what? Brandon Brown might have been the one who mentioned that. That Tim McDonald kind of had that connection to the LSU staff to getting kind of intel and information on neighbors. So that's a good example for you. His Malik neighbors, the number six overall pick, at least from what we heard from the assistant GM, was, you know, that he was, that he was, that McDonald was integrally involved in that process. - Wow, the cue tonight is longer than I think I've ever seen of fan comments. So I gotta be honest, I probably won't get to everything all the way down to the bottom, but I'll try to skip through, skip things that we've already talked about and get to it. If I don't though, if it's something pressing, you can purchase a small super chat and I can get to it before I check out of here. We've been going over two hours. We'll keep going a little bit longer, but just letting you guys know from a time standpoint. T Patrick, what's going on? He says, "The offensive line Jones's play behind "that has been legendarily awful. "Stop the nonsense. "He's had no receivers, four different playbooks as well." Well, I mean, you know, that a lot of that is true as far as, hey, like he needs better options. He needs better weapons. He needs a better line, et cetera, that's true. But how many years are you going to wait? It's also the question, right? "The only news is the real people's choice," says Brotsman, Sacks, "not the times or the post." Brotsman, my man. Like you a lot. Let's see. Dr. Garrett says, "If you really want to throw up "in your mouth, go back and look at every draft pick "the Cowboys and Giants have made since 2012. "It's easy to see why one team competes every year "and one doesn't." You said it. That is a very good point. Good exercise, good recommendation. Brotsman says, "Our lack of O-line cost DJs career "and ruined Eli's last years." Yeah, Eli also didn't have the same game at the end as well, but I hear your point, you know, poor drafting at that spot. Brotsman says, "Sake one should have been signed and retained." Let's see, all right. Kevin says he's trying to get tickets to the Vikings game, guys. Let's see Kevin Sullivan here in the chat. He says he's trying to get some tickets to the Vikings game, the home opener. On September 8th, the season opener, week one. So if any of you have tickets or access to extra tickets, you know what, Kevin, if you tell people what your handle is on Instagram in the chat right now, people, hopefully you guys connect on IG or maybe on X or somewhere. And hopefully this chat can bring you together with somebody else in the chat who has access to tickets. And then, you know, maybe we'll see you in the stadium, that would be nice. So drop that in the chat, hopefully that works. Brotsman says, "Buffalo brain trust isn't so trustful "after all, talking about Debo and Shane." El Scorcho says, "So disappointed in Neil. "What's the best play for him now? "I think they need to start working him at left guard, "though obviously their hope is that he can help them "as a tackle as well. "That's what he was drafted to be. "And, you know, I think part of that may be as stuck "in trying to justify the evaluation of him pre-draft. "I think I've talked to enough people who think "that playing on the left side might help him "a good amount. "So I think that's what they should be doing with him. "We'll probably see, you know, some attention paid "to the tackle position by the Giants here "in the coming days as well, they need it." (mouse clicking) Let's see. Jay says, "Delusional fans thinking DeVito "is better than Jones." Yeah, I agree that's stretching it too far, though I do understand why people locally tired of seeing the same old get excited by something new. Let's see. Um... Jay says Jones isn't consistent and Joe Judge and Garrett ruined him. Don't agree with that at all. Do not agree with that. I do think I don't think that offense was good for him. I don't think continually learning new offenses is good for him. But I wouldn't say they ruined him. I think at that point, there was a large priority being put on trying to protect Daniel from himself coming off of all the turnovers, right? So that was part of the issue there. Mike C. says Tyrone Tracy Jr. could give us a big spark this year. I agree with that, Mike. I think the fifth round pick out of Purdue, converted receiver, running back, has returnability. Also, like just a bigger physical guy than you would imagine for a rookie, for a guy, obviously is older, coming out of college from the Boilermakers. But Tracy Jr. popped and can't, showed well. The injury was scary. It's good that he averted. It appears major injury. But, you know, we'll see how well he will return, how capable he will be. Will he have that same explosiveness and burst that we saw before the ankle sprain there in practice? But it looks like he's going to be their short yardage back to start, frankly. That's what we saw a lot during training camp. So I agree. I think that's a player that the arrow seems to be pointing up on. Let's see. James says, Pat, if you're wrong in fairness, you were way wrong two years ago, what would you be wrong about if the Giants win nine or 10 games this year? For the record, I think they will go nine and eight. Yes, I was wrong two years ago. And I admitted it, I had put on the clown makeup on my TikTok filter, whatever it was, and admitted I was a clown for predicting them to win. What was it, three games that year? If the Giants win nine or 10 games, what I would be wrong about is that, to be honest, I think it would be that the defense is going to be bad. Like, I personally think that the Giants defense is going to regress this year from what I've seen, from what I know about how well they were run the last couple of years, about how quick and kind of abrupt this turnover is to Shane Bowen running the show with personnel holes and some key spots. I think the defense is going to regress. So I think actually if they win nine or 10, what I would be most wrong about would be that would put them in a space where they would be a pretty strong defensive team to win that many games, which I think would surprise me, even with the investments of Burns and Lawrence there. Obviously that would also mean scoring a ton of points. Neighbors looks like he could be the real deal as a weapon. So even though I don't think that's going to happen from what I've seen on offense, they did add an explosive game breaker to their offense. So maybe that unlocks things, right? Table as play caller, maybe that augments it, full-time play caller, I should say. Maybe that augments it, but I think I would just be most wrong about the fact that the operation is headed in the right direction, because I don't think it is. I think from the game management, from the fact that the offense doesn't look like it's going to score a lot of points, from the defense is going to regress. But, so I think I would be wrong about a lot in that case, James. But I think the defense would be the right answer there, that that would be what I would be most wrong about. T. Patrick says, "People who don't know football things "at new quarterback can just magically make you win." T, that's a fair point as far as it takes more than that. It takes a full team. And also, there are only a handful of quarterbacks who can do that, right? You can upgrade a quarterback, but if you don't have that high-end quarterback, he isn't necessarily going to turn everything around. That said, I would give you the example of C.J. Stroud in Houston as an example of young team, turning over coaches a lot, a lot of fracturing and drama with front office and bad blood and constant losing and one of the worst teams every year. And yes, they had hydraphics, they were drafting young guys, but a lot of painful years, a lot of losing, always bottom of the barrel. And what changed the Texans' fortunes? C.J. Stroud, that is the answer. Yes, they had some good young players, yes, they had added some pizzas, but C.J. Stroud is what changed the Houston Texans. So that would be my counter argument to that. Let's see. So Joey B said he was late 'cause he was introducing his son to the Alien movie, "The Original." Wow, that's a big moment. Okay, let's see. Mr. Gadd says, "Yeah, I'm Mr. Negative, "but I would be shocked if our starting our line "can play one quarter of football together. "Some would say a series together would be a win. "Yeah, you just have to see high level play "and the health to believe it. "I understand why you're skeptical. "The projection is starting five "on the field in four week one." Let's see. Joey B. says, "How much money would we save on the cap "if we cut Ebonyl?" So if the Giants were to cut Ebonyl, this year they would eat 10.7 million in dead money. So they would not save money. They would eat money. They would go 4 million in the, they would still be 4 million in the red. They would go 4 million in the red for that to do that. So that's not a financially beneficial move. So remember, rookie contracts, you're fully guaranteed. Lot of debate about the quarterback position today, which I understand. Evan says he doesn't want back. D-Kitt says, "Newsflash, McKibectin drafted 11th "by the Jets to play left tackle in 2020 "was released after three failed injury-ridden years "and picked up by the Eagles "and has slotted to be their starting right guard." Yes, right. Good point about what you can do to pivot D-Kitt. Also to me, one example of why the Eagles need to show me who they are, like they need to reprove themselves to me. Why would you believe that McKibectin is going to stay healthy and be a reliable guard for you? Is my question. Now, maybe playing guard helps him stay healthy, playing tackle, not as good for his body. He's not capable, big guy. They put different strains on different parts of your body like your back. That's something I've talked to guys about before. So that's possible. But the fair point D-Kitt, fair point. Let's see. Who else is in the chat? Mel says, "Why would you keep Neil "as a topic of conversation "for the fan base, his footwork is awful, "must have bullied guys in school." He reminds him of Eric Flowers. Only answering questions for the most part there, Mel's, but I see your point for sure. Let's see. James says, "Thanks for the great coverage, Pat. "You're welcome. Thank you for being here." Andrew Thomas has been the only player in the O-line consistent last year. It says, "Mike, yep, agree with that." Let's see. Allias says, "Pat with Jordan Addison officially out." Does that mean our secondary is a solid chance or does Minnesota still have enough weapons to be a problem? Allias, what do you mean officially out? Why would Addison be officially out? Andre says, "If you were a defensive coordinator, "how would you attack the Giants' offense, "or how do you think teams will attack the Giants' offense?" I think they'll generate pressure and create some dummy looks and send guys from different places. I do think the way to attack the Giants right now is to send pressure and force Daniel Jones to make you pay to know that you can't. So I think Brian Flores in week one is the first DC you're going up against. That's a great test for Daniel. Also an imposing one because that's how he likes to operate. Let's see. Nelson, sorry to say this. The coaches are awful. Dabel is a mirror of judge. Ego gets in the way hindering progress of self. Dabel hasn't even addressed Daniel's on the run passing. Andre wants to know how many years of Shane's and Dabel's contracts. I think they were matching five-year contracts. I think, I believe so. That's, I believe so. Let's see. Running out of some time here, but... Let's see what else I can get in. Trauma says, "Who do you have winning? "North Carolina or Minnesota?" I have to admit, I do... I do not know. I do not have a prediction there. That is not something I am armed and prepared to answer. I'll just be honest with you. Let's see. Candyman says he's checking in late if or nothing else than to smash the like button. Thank you, Candyman. Candyman, by the way, are you a deadhead or do you love the dead? Is that the genesis of the Candyman name? It's curious about that. And also, by the way, Candyman, a lot of conversation early on in the chat about what the Giants are looking at, what they're looking for, players they're pursuing, players they're making calls on, things to watch, and also a lot coming, you know, once Tuesday arrives with cuts and then players available on waiver claims, et cetera. Kind of interested in Julian Okora, by the way, who got released by the Eagles there, Ed Druscher, you know, athletic. You know, that's a player I think is interesting. Peeks my interest. Remember, Romeo here made some difference for the Giants. God, they should have kept around and did not. So that's a player I think is interesting. Dave Z says, "Okay, I will give Tim McDonald a chance." Lucas has been saying September 8th about every 10 minutes, the whole chat, he is pumped, no doubt, for that Vikings game. Ryan says, "Hey, Pat, I believe in Dave Bull "when he first came, but I have changed my mind on that. "I just think he is not an aggressive coach "the way he acts from his vanilla play calling I have seen." Or from his play calling, "I have seen all is vanilla." Yeah, he, listen, the deal with Dave Bull and the deal with the Giants in general is, you know, they had two years. One, that looked encouraging. And then that really fizzled. And then one, that was a total disaster. And so it's time to prove which one was the anomaly. Ryan says, "I think if the veto plays "by the starting O line, he will do better than Jones." Wow, wow. Well, he played behind the starting line last year and was sacked like basically a record amount of times. I know he won some games, made some throws. Obviously, the defense drove those wins too, had like forced 13 turnovers in three games, something like that. But there is a portion of the fan base that feels that way, Ryan. I do not, I mean, he is not a better quarterback Daniel, but I can see, again, I understand why you want something new, you want something fresh and you're looking for something better. James says, "Great insight, Pat, thank you." Giant topic says, "Pat, Jay, oh, right." So, topic is citing this Jordan Addison suspended for six games report. That tweet was not true. That was false, that was made up, that was something from an account that's not, you know, a real account, not a real report. As D kids pointing out, that Jordan Addison thing was a false report, no doubt. Ryan says, "Pat, keep asking Dable tough questions. "I've noticed a lot of beat writers "just beat around the bush, that makes no sense, agree. "Who is a surprise cut the giants will make?" Peace of the E says. I know Hodgens isn't a surprise, but I project maybe that's the kind of player to look at. You know, maybe, you know, you guys have probably read my 53 man projection by now. I mean, it's already changing by the day. I guess at this point, knowing Aziz looks like he's gonna stick on the team, I would say Boogie Bashum then is in trouble. You know, surprises. I mean, I guess a surprise for me would be if Josh Azudu was cut, because as much as I don't think he can get it done, they definitely seem to be trying to be forcing the issue there, see, you know, trying to make sure he can be a tackle for them and a reliable backup and swing. So I guess that would surprise me because they look like they're really insisting on using him there. D kid says, "Go to bed, Pat, this was great. "Good night, great pod." D kid, thank you for driving the chat tonight with those super chats. D kid checked in with several super chats, Chris joined in, Ryan, Joey B, and a lot of you had great questions. Thank you so much. We went almost two and a half hours tonight. Remember, we are sponsored by Boom Chaga Mushroom Super Drink, a natural extract loaded with anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting antioxidants and heart-healthy compounds. You can easily pour this natural liquid supplement into any of your favorite drinks. I put mine in my coffee every morning and immediately feel the difference. I personally have felt a post-workout like energy boost with Boom. Chaga also has the ability to lower cholesterol, reduce inflammation and improve immune and heart health with beta-glutenants and antioxidants. Go to boomchaga.com today to place your first order. And if you use the discount code Talking Ball 25 or access it through the QR code on your screen, you'll get 25% off your first subscribe and save order. 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Dave Z, you want a free jar of estate 98 tonight by getting this giant trivia question correct first. We will continue to do giveaways like that for everybody on our live chats. And it will be usually, I think what we'll do is just do it right at the beginning as early as possible to make sure everybody can get in on the action. Deacon says two hours and 24 minutes, still not our record, that's correct. But thank you so much for being here. If you're listening on Apple or Spotify or anywhere you listen to audio podcasts, thank you for the support. Thank you for listening here on the Believe Network. Try checking in next time if you can on the YouTube channel, live PL on NFL is the channel. You follow me on X or Twitter, P Leonard NYDN everywhere else, PL on NFL. Pat Leonard from the New York Daily News and the Talking Ball Live podcast saying so long from Northern New Jersey as we approach cut down day, the drama building for week one as the Giants regular season is on the verge of beginning. - Bingo. - All right, Phil, we're recording now, so it's live. Go ahead, pick on me the way that you want to. - Did I say that? - I would say that to my son, man, I mean, come on, man. - Just go. - This isn't CBS. - All right, be quiet for a few seconds. Why would people want to listen to the Sims complete podcast? Well, a couple of things. One, if you like to see sons pick on their father, this might be the place. If you want to see a place where the father just kicks the (beep) out of his son, this would be the place. What do you like about it, Matt? - Ditto. Father, son, dynamic duo talking about the game of football that we love and share and appreciate together. And, you know, hey, it's an extension of what we did, right? Growing up, I was able to watch my father play football, then obviously watch him as a broadcaster, and then he taught me the game of football and share the wisdom that he learned throughout his playing career. And, you know, hey, sometimes we're full of it, and sometimes we actually know a thing or two. - Well, we do do a lot of research, at least I do. You're a little spotty, but you know, you're hanging in there. It's fun, I love doing this, and it's been awesome. - Sims complete, check us out. Wherever your podcasts are available on the Believe Network, appreciate it. See you. - If you liked the show, please take a moment to rate, review, and subscribe. It really does help the show to grow. Thank you for listening. (audience cheering) [BLANK_AUDIO]