Approach to the Game – New York Giants at Baltimore Ravens, August 28, 2003: The Giants will be 0-4 after this game, but don’t be blue (no pun intended). The Giants are treating this game with the Ravens on par with an intra-squad scrimmage. Out or likely out are QB Kerry Collins, HB Tiki Barber, TE Jeremy Shockey, TE Marcellus Rivers, LT Luke Petitgout, OC Chris Bober, RT Ian Allen, DE Michael Strahan, DE Kenny Holmes, DT Keith Hamilton, CB Will Allen, SS Shaun Williams, LS Ryan Kuehl, and PK Mike Hollis.
What the coaching staff is using this game for is to make some tough final decisions on the roster, such as:
- Who will be the place kicker? Mike Hollis or Matt Bryant. With Hollis not playing against the Ravens, Bryant has a chance to impress or choke against the Ravens.
- Who will be the team’s sole fullback? Jim Finn or Charles Stackhouse. Finn is more consistent and steadier; Stackhouse has a bigger upside but makes mental mistakes.
- Who will be the primary back-up halfback? Dorsey Levens or Ron Dayne. Does Delvin Joyce make the team? I get the feeling that all Levens needs to do is put together another solid performance and he is the #2 halfback. Would the Giants dare cut Ron Dayne? Fassel loves Joyce, can they find a way to keep him?
- Who will be the primary back-up quarterback? Jesse Palmer or Jason Garrett. Palmer needs to out-play Garrett possibly to keep the #2 job. With Collins out, each will get about a half of football to impress.
- How many wide receivers do the Giants keep (5 or 6) and who stays other than Amani Toomer, Ike Hilliard, and Tim Carter? Willie Ponder, David Tyree, and Daryl Jones are all on the spot. Toomer and Hilliard are likely to play only two series so the others will see a lot of playing time.
- Can TE Darnell Dinkins do enough to stick? It appears as if Marcellus Rivers is safe as the #2 man and Visanthe Shiancoe is safely entrenched as the #3 tight end. With Shockey and Rivers both out of the game, Shiancoe and Dinkins will see a ton of playing time.
- Who are the primary back-ups on the offensive line? How many offensive linemen do the Giants keep? Safe are the starters Luke Petitgout, Rich Seubert, Chris Bober, David Diehl, and Ian Allen. But there are six other offensive linemen on the roster and the Giants can’t keep them all. Playing for roster spots are Jeff Roehl, Omar Smith, Wayne Lucier, Tam Hopkins, Barrett Brooks, and Jeff Hatch. With Petitgout, Bober, and Allen all out of the game, the back-ups will play a ton.
- How many linebackers do the Giants keep? Brandon Short, Mike Barrow, Dhani Jones, Nick Greisen, and Kevin Lewis are all safe. Wes Mallard and Quincy Monk are on the bubble in my opinion.
- Who sticks at cornerback after Will Allen, Will Peterson, Ralph Brown, and Rod Babers? Brown is the nickel back and the Giants are not going to cut the rookie 4th rounder Babers. That leaves 6th rounder Frank Walker (whose development was slowed due to an injury in camp), Kato Serwanga, and Ray Green. One – perhaps two – of these guys will stick. Walker has the biggest upside, but is raw.
- Who makes it at safety after Shaun Williams, Omar Stoutmire, and Johnnie Harris? Ryan Clark has seen a lot of playing time with the first unit this preseason and hasn’t looked bad. Clarence LeBlanc is a playmaker who missed a lot of time rehabbing from his broken leg. Probably only one of these guys sticks, though there is an outside chance for both.
The easy cuts in my opinion? DE Radell Lockhart, DE Frank Ferrara, LB Josh Hotchkiss, S Calvin Spears, and P Steve Cheek (I’m still hoping the Giants might be able to trade him for a 7th rounder). But the Giants need to cut 11 more players besides these five. The injuries to LS Ryan Kuehl and PK Mike Hollis complicate things.