By Mark Halpern
Last week we saw an embarrassing NYG offense against the Jets. With it being primarily second and third stringers even against a weak Jets defense, the Giants could only manage a 4th quarter touchdown. As for the Jets, we had a great showing from Mike White, and Zach Wilson was not bad for the few drives he played. As for the Giants, there was not an offensive stand-out. Even the NYG defense couldn’t do much except hold the Jets to 12 points.
This weekend we find the boys in blue battling the boys in brown in Cleveland. During this week, the Giants and Browns had joint practices, becoming more and more common around the league. The Giants have been working out many different defensive schemes as they expect to face the Browns first string, even if it is only for about half a quarter. The good thing was there were no significant brawls like we saw in other joint practices over the past week with Tampa’s Antonio Brown and LA Rams Aaron Donald. Safety Logan Ryan said, “I’ve been part of a few joint practices in my career. I think they’re great, different stimulus, taking the show on the road, dealing with different pressures and stuff like that. (They’re) kind of like the road games, so you’ve got to bring your energy. I think we did a good job today. We won some, we lost some, but it’s practice. You learn from it. Nobody was perfect today on both sides. Come back tomorrow and make the adjustments.” That is precisely what the giants have done. Jabril Peppers, who was once a Giant, enjoyed practicing against his team as he will be on the field Sunday.
I highly doubt we will see the likes of Saquan Barkley, who is still recovering from knee surgery last year and still is not 100% ready for week 1. He has been ramping up his workouts but, we won’t get to see him before that. Daniel Jones will also not appear in the game along with a handful of the other first-stringers.
The Giants, like a few other teams, have fragile options at the backup quarterback spot, and Clayton Thorson is currently leading the way with Mike Glennon behind him. However, Thorson is on IR with a concussion, leaving Mike Glennon and Brian Lewerke, a quarterback from Michigan State. If things don’t start to look up for the Gmen, they will have to sign another quarterback, and with one preseason game left, time is running out.
I foresee the Giants defense getting worked over well, and Odell Beckham Jr and Jarvis Landry will see plenty of passes, and don’t forget Chubb and Hunt as they make one of the best parings or running backs on any team. My prediction is Cleveland 28
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