The Giants won “The Snoopy Bowl” on Friday night in the annual preseason clash with their MetLife Stadium co-tenants Jets, 35-24. With the win, the Giants have gone 4-0 on the summer slate with one final clash on the docket with the Patriots before the opener in Motown. Here’s what shook out.
Giants Starters Show a Pulse
Somebody Finally Woke the Eli Up: It took nearly three and a half games to finally look something like a viable NFL offense, but Eli Manning finally rid himself of the malaise that has ailed him. He’s still having some hiccups that are certainly concerning with the season right around the corner, but with the way the starters have looked as of late, any sign of improvement is a plus. On the night, Manning finished with an overall efficient night, going 12/21 for 139 yards and a touchdown to Reuben Randle just seconds before halftime. Aside from an eyesore of an attempted throwaway that luckily ended up being an incompletion, the guy that makes everything go looked solid. It’ll be interesting to see how many reps the starters get on Thursday. With the struggles, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the starters get as much time in as they can.
Nassib is the Backup: It was pretty much cemented last night as the second-year man from Syracuse commandeered the Giants to 28 points in the second half. The other contestant for the job, Curtis Painter, never saw the field. Nassib again showed the tools that make the Giants brass curious and excited about his prospects for being Eli Manning’s eventual successor, while seamlessly transitioning into Ben McAdoo’s West Coast system; something that the incumbent has not done. Eli’s not going anywhere (despite not having an extension yet), but it’s looking like the Giants could be in good hands if Nassib is ever given the keys to the Big Blue car, or as a potential trade piece down the line for some other quarterback-needy franchise. Kudos to Jerry Reese and Marc Ross for pilfering him in the fourth round of last year’s draft. It looks like Nassib could pay off big one way or the other. You’d have to believe that it will take the game of Painter’s life on Thursday to knock Nassib from the spot.
O-Line is Still a Problem: The Jets weren’t treating this game like an exhibition in the first half. The Giants were routinely beaten to the punch and were run over a ton. It continues to be an issue, and you have to wonder now if the Giants faith in Will Beatty was rushed, because he is still a liability instead of being anything close to a quality player. Brandon Moseley, in a battle with Weston Richburg for a guard spot, got bulldozed so badly on one play early on that it looked like he was performing a “Stop, Drop, and Roll” public service announcement. There are going to be growing pains with this rebuilt group, so the short passing game is looking more and more like a necessity. It also appears that the Giants dodged an injury bullet with newcomer Geoff Schwartz, who was carted off with a dislocated toe. Anytime you see the cart coming out onto the field, it raises the alert levels, but it seemed to be mostly precautionary. They hope.
The Corey Washington Experience: He’s the new Cris Carter. All he does is catch touchdowns. Ho-hum.
Up Next: The Giants host the Patriots on Thursday night for the final tuneup before everything actually matters.
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