EAST RUTHERFORD
Infant George Asafo-Adjei Jersey , N.J. (AP) — Odell Beckham Jr. is sick of losing and frustrated with seemingly being asked to take tests every other week
by the NFL for performance-enhancers.Beckham tweeted about the tests Thursday
before the Giants (0-2) practiced for Sunday’s game in Houston against the
Texans (0-2).“It’s actually funny how I ‘randomly’ get tested every other week,”
Beckham wrote. “Dear @NFL please stop sending these people, ur takin away from
meeting times and film… thanks.”Beckham has never been suspended by the league
for using a banned substance.As far as losing, Beckham hasn’t been on the field
for a win since the end of the 2016 season. He was hurt in Game 5 last year,
breaking his ankle against the Chargers.There are limits to the amount of times
a player can be tested.Under the 2018 NFL Policy on Performance Enhancing
Substances, the program is run by an independent administrator. A computer
randomly picks up to 10 players a week to be tested.Players may have their urine
and or blood tested a maximum of 24 times annually for reasonable cause.
Offseason tests are limited to a maximum of six urine and/or blood tests per
player.Once informed they have been chosen for testing, players have three hours
to submit a sample.The program was set up in collective bargaining between the
league and the NFL Players Association.Hours after his tweet, Beckham seemed
more tolerant about the tests, which he said were for
performance-enhancers.“Yeah, that’s like steroids. I’m looking big!” said the
25-year-old who recently became the NFL’s highest-paid receiver. “This is like
performance-enhancing stuff. I pretty much get tested every week. I’ll just take
it as a compliment.”Beckham had had an up-and-down season in returning from his
injury. He had 11 catches in the opener against Jacksonville and was limited to
four against Dallas this past weekend. There were long stretches against the
Cowboys where he was not involved in the offense.“It’s tough, but I think that’s
the part where I’ve grown up the most, is just being able to stay in it and know
that it’s always one play that’s right there,” said Beckham, who is averaging
almost 11 yards a catch. “It’s always one play away.”While the Giants have
scored 28 points in two games, Beckham thinks the offense can be potent.“I feel
personally, I could score two touchdowns every game,” said Beckham, who has not
scored this season. “I feel like Saquon (Barkley) could score two every game.
There are other people on this team who could score every single game.“That’s
over 35 points. It’s just a matter of executing it and making it happen, really.
But it doesn’t seem out of reach for me in my mind, I don’t want to win 24-21.
I’m trying to win 52-18, whatever they score.”The most recent time Beckham won a
game was the regular-season finale against Washington in 2016. New York lost the
playoff game to Green Bay and started last season with five straight losses.
Beckham only played in four of those games, missing the season opener with an
ankle injury. So he is on a personal six-game losing streak.“I don’t remember
the last time I won a game was,” he said. “Maybe some cards or
something
George Asafo-Adjei Jersey Draft , but not an NFL football game. I haven’t won one in a long time. It’s definitely not a good feeling, not something you
come here to do. You don’t come here to lose, you just don’t.”NOTES: CB Eli
Apple (hamstring) and LB Olivier Vernon (high ankle sprain) did not practice. It
seems unlikely they will play this weekend. … LB Connor Barwin (knee) and TE
Evan Engram (ankle) were both back on a limited basis and are expected to play
Sunday. … Giants special teams coach Thomas McGaughey has been taking a trip to
Houston for months to get cancer treatment. He plans to see his wife and
children again but he won’t have much time. “Game day is game day. It’s a
business trip. I just went home on Monday. It’s one of those deals, you go ahead
and go play, get on the plane and go back home.” We learned a lot about the
Giants from the offseason, but there are still several pressing questions that
they’ll need to answer in the coming weeks and months." />Skip to main
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Week 17Filed under:New York Giants News7 lingering questions for Giants ahead of
training campNew,81commentsWe learned a lot about the Giants from the offseason,
but there are still several pressing questions that they’ll need to answer in
the coming weeks and months. EDTShareTweetShareShare7 lingering questions for
Giants ahead of training campNoah K. Murray-USA TODAY SportsEven though the New
York Giants still have a few more practices remaining this week — they’ll wrap
up on Thursday while the rookies will stay an extra week — the media access is
over until the start of training camp. We’ve learned quite a bit about the shape
this Giants franchise is headed, but with all we’ve learned, there are still a
few burning questions that will eventually have to be answered. Here’s a look at
some of them.1. How will they handle passing the baton from Eli Manning to
Daniel Jones?We might as well start with the quarterback question since that
story line dominated the spring. At some point, Daniel Jones is going to get
some reps in a game, and I have a feeling that it won’t merely be in a mop-up
role. If the Giants are sincere about following the “Kansas City Model” to a
tee, hopefully, they’ll lock up a postseason berth to where they’ll have the
luxury of letting Jones go through an entire week of preparation as the starter
and play in a game. And if Jones should light things up to where you get the
pounding of the drum to keep him in there, how will head coach Pat Shurmur
handle that? Remember, Shurmur has gone out of his way to work with general
manager Dave Gettleman to ensure the locker room is free of distractions. Well,
nothing spells distraction more than a quarterback controversy. Still, with the
Giants ultimately needing to move on from Manning, let’s hope they have a plan
in place that won’t create a distraction. 2. Is the offensive line better or
different?This was a question we had last year, and we quickly found out the
answer was “different.” By the end of the year, after many tweaks, the offensive
line got “better
George Asafo-Adjei NFL Jersey ,” but there was still a lot of work to be done on that unit.This offseason, Gettleman went the veteran route, adding
established starters like Kevin Zeitler and Mike Remmers to the right side of
the line. On paper, the unit should be improved significantly, but it sure
looked like that would be the case last year.Adding to the question is the fact
that we have yet to see the projected starting offensive line work together.
Granted, there are no pads and no contact in the spring and you can only tell so
much by watching those kinds of practice, but among those critical factors, you
could tell include how well they’re actually communicating when they have just a
few split seconds to execute pulls, blocks and traps, and such.3. Can they
replace Odell Beckham’s production?They believe they have enough receiving
targets between receivers Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate, Corey Coleman; running
back Saquon Barkley, and tight ends Evan Engram and Rhett Ellison to do so. But
as we all know, it’s not about quantity as much as it’s about quality.The good
news is Engram has historically had some of his most productive games without
Beckham in the lineup. However, little nagging injuries like the hamstring
strain that kept him out of the back end of the spring practices keep getting in
the way.Meanwhile, will Barkley see more than just the check down passes? A year
ago, we saw him dazzle on wheel routes, yet those rarely made it into the
offensive playbook during games. Will that change? And how exactly will the
receivers be deployed?There’s a lot to unpack there, but if nothing else, the
Giants might have an advantage without Beckham in the lineup in that opponents
won’t be able to correctly anticipate him getting most of the pass targets,
which will aid their game planning. But whether the Giants get the production
made up by whom they have on the roster is another story.4. Do they have a pass
rush?They think they do, but a lot of that is based on a wing and a prayer. For
example, they’re cautiously optimistic that Markus Golden
George Asafo-Adjei NFL Draft , the only established pass rusher on the team, recaptures his pre-injury form. They’re also praying that second-year man
Lorenzo Carter can flourish and give them more production now that he’s in line
for additional snaps with Olivier Vernon having been shipped off to Cleveland.
And they’re hopeful that the X-man — Oshane Ximines — can contribute to the
fun.The good news is that the prospects are looking up. With an improved
defensive secondary that showed they could do a better job of holding their
coverage down the field, that could force the opposing quarterback to hold the
ball longer and thus increase the pass rushers’ chances of sniffing into the
backfield and creating some disruption. Sacks would be great, but if they get
hits, and hurries, force incompletions and knock down a few batted balls, that
would be just as good.5. How will the cornerback situation play out?A few
competitions are going on at this heavily loaded position, starting with the Sam
Beal-DeAndre Baker competition for a starting job; the Grant Haley-Julian Love
battle for the nickel back; and the depth competition at the bottom of the
unit.The good news is that the runners-up — we won’t call them “losers” — will
still have a significant role on the team, if not this year, then definitely by
next year. For example, whoever finishes second the Beal-Baker competition
figures to be a future starter once the team moves on from Janoris Jenkins. And
whoever comes in second in the Haley-Love competition will probably become the
dime cornerback as well as offer depth.As for the bottom of the depth chart,
Will there be a roster spot for Corey Ballentine, who can also play some safety,
or will they try to stash him on the practice squad? And will there be room for
anyone else at this position? Stay tuned.6. What about the depth on the
offensive line?Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the depth on the
offensive line remains a concern, particularly at tackle.We saw glimpses of it
in the spring where with Nate Solder and Mike Remmers sidelined as they continue
their rehab from their respective off-season surgeries, the Giants had to rely
on backups, one of whom, Chad Wheeler, they replaced at right tackle with Mike
Remmers.Meanwhile, along the interior, the Giants have even younger and
inexperienced depth sitting there. The senior leader of the backups will be
whoever between Jon Halapio and Spencer Pulley loses the starting center
competition.With the offensive line, one can’t really come to any conclusions
until the pads go on
George Asafo-Adjei Buffalo Bills Jersey , but based on what they have on paper, it’s hard not to be concerned about what they’ll do if there’s an injury
to a starter.7. What can they expect out of this year’s draft class?Gettleman
has gone back to the old-fashioned way of roster building, which is to dump
overpriced free-agent contracts and be more thorough with vetting draft picks.
In his first draft as Giants general manager, he appeared to hit a home run with
guys like Saquon Barkley, Will Hernandez, B.J. Hill, and Lorenzo Carter — all
projected starters on this year’s team while Sam Beal and R.J. McIntosh are
expected to become role players. This year, Dexter Lawrence, DeAndre Baker,
Julian Love, Darius Slayton, and Oshane Ximines all project as Day 1 starters or
at the very least, key backups. Down the line, you can also factor in Daniel
Jones as a starter, with guys like Corey Ballentine, Chris Slayton, and George
Asafo-Adjei being key depth players. A lot is expected of the draft class
members as the Giants try to establish a new foundation that’s efficient and
cost-effective. Indeed, the arrow appears to be pointing in the right direction,
but it will also take time for all these new faces to jell into cohesive
units.
