gman8343
What would Lemmy do?
So… my father-in-law gets together with one of the Giants trainers every so often and I implore him to shoot some fantasy related questions his way. I think they both get a kick out of humoring me.
Nothing spectacular here, and this isn’t a coach, it’s just a trainer, so the info may not be how all Giants brass feel, but it may serve as some useful info.
Here’s last year’s post, where my FIL didn’t get time to ask about Victor Cruz, which turned out to be one heck of a bummer:
2011 Post
So here’s this season’s conversation:
On Eli: They will continue to pass. For a couple of years now the trainer has said this is Eli’s team and they have completely turned the reigns over to him in terms of slinging the rock. 4000+ yards should be a lock – they will certainly try to have a more effective running game but Eli will still be tossing the ball. Thinks Eli is going to cement his claim to the HOF in the next 3 seasons – he’s that good now.
Ahmad Bradshaw - he really is a favorite of the Giants. Drafting of Wilson does not mean Bradshaw will be replaced at all. He should get the most touches if healthy… the *if healthy* thing is something of a concern, and the Giants always like to have solid depth at RB, hence the drafting of Wilson early. His take for fantasy is that Bradshaw will still have essentially the same role, long term depends on Wilson’s development, Bradshaw’s health, etc.
David Wilson – They love his homerun potential. Will have to earn his playing time but that shouldn’t be hard. Bradshaw will still have the lion’s share but Wilson should have value as they will want to keep Bradshaw fresh (and healthy). I had my FIL ask if there was a chance that Wilson would simply blow Bradshaw away this year and assume the #1 gig - he said anything's possible, but Bradshaw's health is probably the most important factor in how the touches will broken down.
Nicks – they’re not concerned about his various injuries – says Nicks is a “fast healer and hard worker”, so when he gets dinged he doesn’t usually miss much time.
Cruz – if only he’d answered this question last offseason… but looking back, he said he wouldn’t have been surprised if Cruz was cut early in the season, and he wasn’t surprised that he broke Giants receiving records. Everyone on the staff knew Cruz had tons of talent but the light hadn’t quite come on the last couple of seasons, and the Giants didn’t quite trust him. That all changed last year - Cruz "gets it" and is going to be a huge part of their plans going forward – he’s a very talented WR and the perfect complement to Nicks. Long term, they hope to resign him and Cruz seems to genuinely want to stay, but you never know how these things go.
Predicts both Cruz and Nicks to be over 1200 yds if healthy, with close to or more than double digit TDs for each. Basically gushed about both along with Eli (could be a bit of homerism in here).
Rueben Randle – should be a strong replacement for Manningham. Has all the necessary skills to be a productive receiver, but like Wilson will have to earn his time. Probably won’t have a ton of work this season as it will mainly be the Nicks/Cruz show, though the #3 can certainly be productive at times in the Giants offense – still, will have to earn the #3 spot.
M. Bennett. They’re cautiously optimistic that he can be a legit receiving TE. Concentration is an issue and they hope to fix that – they also want him to be a blocker in the rushing game. Supposedly Giants were bummed when Jake Ballard got snatched by NE – he is their kind of guy. Tough, willing to do anything, team player etc. Jury still out on whether Bennett can be that, but they’re going to try.
D – this should be a fierce unit again. JPP is simply a force of nature, and trainer expects them to be a dominant D barring injuries. Having said that, they play in a potentially high scoring division with the Eagles and Cowboys, and there could be plenty plenty of shootouts. (this was before Thomas’s ACL injury, which obviously could hurt a bit).
That's pretty much it.
Nothing spectacular here, and this isn’t a coach, it’s just a trainer, so the info may not be how all Giants brass feel, but it may serve as some useful info.
Here’s last year’s post, where my FIL didn’t get time to ask about Victor Cruz, which turned out to be one heck of a bummer:
2011 Post
So here’s this season’s conversation:
On Eli: They will continue to pass. For a couple of years now the trainer has said this is Eli’s team and they have completely turned the reigns over to him in terms of slinging the rock. 4000+ yards should be a lock – they will certainly try to have a more effective running game but Eli will still be tossing the ball. Thinks Eli is going to cement his claim to the HOF in the next 3 seasons – he’s that good now.
Ahmad Bradshaw - he really is a favorite of the Giants. Drafting of Wilson does not mean Bradshaw will be replaced at all. He should get the most touches if healthy… the *if healthy* thing is something of a concern, and the Giants always like to have solid depth at RB, hence the drafting of Wilson early. His take for fantasy is that Bradshaw will still have essentially the same role, long term depends on Wilson’s development, Bradshaw’s health, etc.
David Wilson – They love his homerun potential. Will have to earn his playing time but that shouldn’t be hard. Bradshaw will still have the lion’s share but Wilson should have value as they will want to keep Bradshaw fresh (and healthy). I had my FIL ask if there was a chance that Wilson would simply blow Bradshaw away this year and assume the #1 gig - he said anything's possible, but Bradshaw's health is probably the most important factor in how the touches will broken down.
Nicks – they’re not concerned about his various injuries – says Nicks is a “fast healer and hard worker”, so when he gets dinged he doesn’t usually miss much time.
Cruz – if only he’d answered this question last offseason… but looking back, he said he wouldn’t have been surprised if Cruz was cut early in the season, and he wasn’t surprised that he broke Giants receiving records. Everyone on the staff knew Cruz had tons of talent but the light hadn’t quite come on the last couple of seasons, and the Giants didn’t quite trust him. That all changed last year - Cruz "gets it" and is going to be a huge part of their plans going forward – he’s a very talented WR and the perfect complement to Nicks. Long term, they hope to resign him and Cruz seems to genuinely want to stay, but you never know how these things go.
Predicts both Cruz and Nicks to be over 1200 yds if healthy, with close to or more than double digit TDs for each. Basically gushed about both along with Eli (could be a bit of homerism in here).
Rueben Randle – should be a strong replacement for Manningham. Has all the necessary skills to be a productive receiver, but like Wilson will have to earn his time. Probably won’t have a ton of work this season as it will mainly be the Nicks/Cruz show, though the #3 can certainly be productive at times in the Giants offense – still, will have to earn the #3 spot.
M. Bennett. They’re cautiously optimistic that he can be a legit receiving TE. Concentration is an issue and they hope to fix that – they also want him to be a blocker in the rushing game. Supposedly Giants were bummed when Jake Ballard got snatched by NE – he is their kind of guy. Tough, willing to do anything, team player etc. Jury still out on whether Bennett can be that, but they’re going to try.
D – this should be a fierce unit again. JPP is simply a force of nature, and trainer expects them to be a dominant D barring injuries. Having said that, they play in a potentially high scoring division with the Eagles and Cowboys, and there could be plenty plenty of shootouts. (this was before Thomas’s ACL injury, which obviously could hurt a bit).
That's pretty much it.
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Jernigan wasn't this year -- maybe I'm biased but I don't see him as a difference maker at this level. I don't view him as anything more than a journeyman type talent who'll probably be the 3rd/4th WR on a team at best... of course I could be wrong though, as evidenced by this article touting his impressive performance so far in camp: 
