Big Blue Kickoff Live 10/23 | Giants vs. Texans Preview

0:04 It's time for a big blue kickoff live.

0:06 Nobody can ever tell you that you couldn't do it because you didn't. On Giants.com.

0:10 You know what I saw?

0:12 New York Giant pride. And the Giants mobile app. 17-14 is the final. One touchdown, we are world champions. Believe it, and it will happen. Part of the Giants podcast network. It's going down like a bunch of crazy dogs.

0:26 That's it.

0:27 Hello again, everybody, and welcome to Friday's edition of Big Blue Kickoff Live, presented by Cadillac, the official luxury vehicle of the New York football Giants. Paul Dottito, Matt Sightake with you for the next hour to talk Giants football and any NFL headlines that you want to throw out there as well. We come to you from the Giants podcast studio, presented by Hackensack Meridian Health. Keep getting better.

0:49 Our phone number is 201-939-4513. 201-939-4513. And as always, this program is simulcast live on the New York Giants YouTube channel. So you can hit us up there with some questions and comments as well. And don't forget, if you don't catch the show live, you can always go to the archive. Our entire podcast network is over there. You can get us on Apple and Spotify and everything else, I guess, all those podcast platforms online. as well as the Giants mobile app and Giants.com slash podcasts. Look, folks, we come to you from the Hackensack Meridian Health Studio, but I don't mean to make light of this. There's a lot of injuries in this game coming up between the Giants and the Texans. I don't know if Hackensack can help

1:35 get everybody healthy in time, but guys, if you want to come on down here to the Meant Lands, help us out. The injury list is long. Now, I will say this, Matt. The good news is that the list of guys who are not practicing is a little shorter than the rest of them. But there's a lot of guys who are limited. There are guys who are practicing in full but are still nursing injuries and are gimpy.

1:59 Same thing, to be frank with you, for the Texans. They've got a few key players who are hurt as well who have not practiced the last few days. So we'll see where all of this kind of lands over the course of the next 24 hours. But right now the Giants are on the practice field. Again, I know you keep monitoring some of the things that are coming off of the field. There are some key names.

2:22 Yeah, no doubt about it. Let's start with the Texans just to breeze through it real quick. Aaron Wilson, who covers the Houston Texans, also tweets a lot of. you know, reports.

2:31 And he's really on top of it. He's very, very informative.

2:34 He knows, clearly has sources around the NFL, but he does cover the Houston Texans. And he tweeted about 25 minutes ago that, and I'm not sure if this is coming directly from D'Amico Ryan's, but the way he phrased this, it sounds definitive that David Montgomery will be out, which it was trending that way. Honestly, he hadn't practiced all week, uh, safety or slot corner slash safety, Jalen Petrae. who has a shoulder injury.

3:01 Big deal. Because he is a huge part of their defense against tight ends. Yep. Isaiah Likely, it's going to be a good day for you. He will be out.

3:11 And also, safety Reed Blankenship, who is in concussion protocol, all will be out, he said. So that's the guy that lines up in the slot and one of your safeties. I hope Malik Neighbors and Isaiah Likely see season-high rates of lining up in the slot this weekend. He also tweeted that Blake Fisher, one of their offensive tackles, is not expected to play. That one doesn't seem definitive, obviously, but that is the Texan side of things.

3:41 Now, Fisher is a backup, though. Trent Brown is expected to play.

3:44 Trent Brown is expected to play, yeah.

3:46 He's their third. He's their swing tackle.

3:48 Although, I will say, Trent Brown, who has had success in the NFL, currently ranks, I believe, in the top 10 in highest pressure rates allowed among offensive tackles this season.

4:00 He's getting on in years, and he's been banged up. Yeah.

4:03 All right. On to the Giants. Let's start with the guys that have not practiced on Wednesday or Thursday because it's less of those, Paul, as you mentioned. The big one, though, Tremaine Edmonds, who seemed to get dinged up on the, I think it was the last play the Giants had on defense against the Saints this Kind of ran off the field. We didn't hear much about it, but he's been listed on the injury report with a shoulder injury.

4:32 Did not practice yesterday or Wednesday. And the reports from the beat reporters that are currently out there, he's not out there again today. So three DNPs obviously would put him trending in the wrong direction for Sunday. Then there is Greg Newsome, cornerback Greg Newsome, who is dealing with a concussion. Also has not practiced yet this week. The way that obviously with concussions, you never really know. It's not like a linear track to recovery and to be cleared, but typically the way that it has trended in the last couple of years is you got to get back on the field in some capacity by Thursday to have a realistic chance of suiting up on Sunday. He is not, you know, maybe, maybe he's out there today is limited,

5:20 which I guess would give him somewhat of a chance, but The fact that he's been DNP already Wednesday and Thursday, again, I would say has him trending in the wrong direction. But again, with concussions, you never know. So those were the two DNPs for Wednesday and Thursday. Chris Manhurts was added to the injury report yesterday with a calf injury.

5:41 He was DNP. I have not seen any reports from the beat reporters about him not being out there at least. So we'll have to see. But so that's the, I guess, more of the pessimistic news. In more positive news, the Giants had three players return to practice yesterday that were DNPs on Wednesday. Well, actually four guys. There was Jermaine Illuminor, who obviously missed last week with a calf injury. He was able to practice last Friday before being ruled out.

6:17 Yeah, which made me optimistic, but it was not to be. Correct.

6:20 Correct. You know, so he was DNP Wednesday, upgraded to limited yesterday. We'll see what the reports are today or what the injury report says about him today. Similarly, Andrew Thomas, who previously had been DNP Wednesday and Thursday the last few weeks and then getting back on the field on Friday, he was a limited participant yesterday. So the fact that he was out there practicing a day earlier than normal, I would say, unless we hear otherwise from coach, would put him in the trending in the right direction Jermaine who we'll see but Thomas considering the last couple of weeks how his practice routine has gone I would say there's a good chance that we see Andrew Thomas out there and then Abdul Carter who was a where is

7:09 he no sorry Marcus Bowe that I'm thinking of last week Marcus Bowe was a DNP on Wednesday and Upgraded to limited yesterday. So that, again, step in the right direction.

7:25 He is wearing a knee brace, which is there for everybody to see. They're not hiding it. He does have a sore knee.

7:30 He does have a knee. It happened on the third-to-last play of the game. And then he kind of, I'm sure you saw, watching the film from the last play, it looked like he was struggling a little bit, but it was the very last play of the game. He wasn't coming out. And then Javon Holland. who played the whole game, then got listed on Wednesday with a concussion.

7:57 So he was in the protocol. He upgraded yesterday to a limited participant and was in the non-contact uniform. That is the first step in the right direction towards getting cleared. We'll see today if he can shed the non-contact jersey today, that would put him in at least in good, trending in the right direction to be cleared in time for Sunday. Similarly, Colton Hood did shed the non-contact and was upgraded to a full participant in yesterday's practice. He missed last week with a concussion. Let's see, Jordan Stout, obviously big, big part of the special teams, was limited on Wednesday, upgraded to full yesterday. That was good to see. Am I missing anyone?

8:43 No, I mean, I was more interested in just the guys up on the top because I think over the next 24 hours, whether or not they're ruled out by 4 o'clock or they're ruled that they may be doubtful or questionable and you've got to find out if they're going to be on the trip. Those are the guys that I think are really, really the most in doubt at the moment or the most questionable at the moment.

9:05 So I will say this, okay? To have offensive tackles at less than 100% against this duo of Daniil Hunter and Will Anderson... It's very concerning. Anderson had three sacks against Tennessee two weeks ago. He's got seven and a half on the season, which leads to the National Football League. He also has 35 pressures, which is third in the NFL.

9:34 And Hunter, while only with three sacks, and I say only three sacks, for the last decade, he has been one of the top 10 cumulative pass rushing specialists in the league and has 28 pressures this year, which is seventh in the NFL.

9:49 Okay?

9:50 These two guys, they're game wreckers. Now, the back seven, not so good.

10:00 And they're not.

10:02 They're not. I mean, they are in the bottom six, I think, in pass defense in terms of yardage allowed. They've got issues now with Petrie being out. Blankenship, who to me has been very disappointing for them. They expected a lot more from him. He's given up like 90% completion percentage on targets. He's having a really rough year.

10:24 You know, the problem is you've got to get the ball off. And as Ernie Corsi always used to say, your quarterback can't throw it from his back. And that's the problem. That's the problem. If those two edge guys wreck the game on you, And J.J. McCarthy's going to have to be very astute at watching what those guys are doing, where they're lining up, when they're coming, et cetera, et cetera. He's got to get the ball out. You can do damage against them deep. That you can do.

10:56 But you've got to be able to keep your quarterback on his feet. And that's the biggest issue for me, as I know Andrew Thomas is really fighting through that sore groin. Illumina is fighting through a sore calf. Bo's fighting through a sore knee. oh boy, I would rather have all three of them at 100%. Of course.

11:18 That would go without saying, no matter who the Giants are playing, but especially against that edge rush to do it. Now, I just want to push back a little bit about what you said about the Texans secondary because.

11:28 You love Stingley. You love Stingley. They do have Derek Stingley Jr. He's great.

11:32 The last two seasons.

11:33 Premier.

11:34 First-team All-Pro both years.

11:36 Premier.

11:36 Now, he got off this season to what would be considered a very slow start for anyone, but especially for him. But he started to look like the old Derek Stingley the last couple of weeks, which that's why him alone, I would say that is why I had to push back a little bit about saying the secondary, you know, is not great. And Kamari Lassiter not playing consistently. He's had ups and downs. He made some, has made some great plays, but he's also gotten burned. I'm not quite as concerned with him as I would be with Derek Stingley, you know, and I feel like, It's pretty safe to assume that when Malik Neighbors is lined up outside, he will see a lot of Derek Stingley. But fortunately for Malik Neighbors and for the Giants, Matt Nagy has done

12:20 a very good job of moving Malik Neighbors all around the formation. He lined up in the slot a season high, I believe it was 43% of his routes last week. He has just as many receiving yards from the slot as he does on the outside, and that is with about a third less of the amount of targets. So I do think the secondary can be beat, as you mentioned, but it all starts with giving J.J. McCarthy time. And so I feel like this matchup against the Texans and this defense particularly, we saw plenty of people at the beginning of the week say, give Jameis one more week before you put J.J. out there against this defense. But I think part of the reason why they put J.J.

13:11 in this week instead of giving him an extra couple of weeks through the bye was because of this matchup. Now, Jameis Winston obviously has been pretty good since he took over, but he's not a dual-threat quarterback. I think he's moved better in the pocket and shown better mobility than people maybe expected from him. But I don't think anyone's confusing him for Jackson Dart scrambling in the pocket or scrambling outside.

13:37 I don't think so. J.J.

13:38 McCarthy, on the other hand, is way more mobile and closer to the Jackson Dart skill set than Jameis Winston. I had no idea about this. I found this stat on NextGenStats this week that J.J. McCarthy, since the start of the 2025 season, on scrambles, so not designed quarterback runs, but scrambles, He has run the ball 19 times for 185 yards and three touchdowns. That's 9.7 yards per scramble, which is the highest among all quarterbacks since 2025. So obviously with this Will Anderson and Daniil Hunter duo, J.J. McCarthy, he's not going to be able to just sit in the pocket and get comfortable back there. He's probably going to be moving around a lot, but his ability to scramble and pick up yards with his legs I think

14:28 is a big reason why they did decide to go to him this week as opposed to giving him a few more weeks.

14:34 All right. A couple things to work off of what you just said. The Houston Texans have given up a total of 43 yards to scrambling quarterbacks this year, which is tied for the sixth fewest in the NFL. They don't let quarterbacks run a whole lot. They're really good at closing the pocket.

14:57 They're just going to have to.

15:00 Probably. It's a good challenge. That's for sure. Lassiter is tied for the NFL lead being flagged seven times, whether it be defensive holding, pass interference, your typical defensive back penalties, tied for the NFL lead with seven penalty flags drawn. He is having a difficult season. He is a one-time Pro Bowl player some years ago, but he is not the same guy. They've got one guy in the secondary who's really awesome, and that is Stingley. And they've got Petrie, who is also pretty darn good. He's only allowing a 55% completion rate, and he's the guy who mostly handles the tight ends, those receiving tight ends. That's Petrie's job. Without him, to me, you'll move neighbors around. I agree with you.

15:49 You'll move neighbors around, and you're going to want Stingley to follow him. And he's probably going to limit him to some degree because he's that good. He's just that good. He is Stingley. But this is where J.J. McCarthy has to be able. to take advantage of the matchup against Likely. He's got to be able to take advantage of whoever or whatever the Texans try to do to Malachi Fields.

16:16 This needs to be a big breakout game for Malachi Fields, in my opinion. Yeah, 100%.

16:22 I mean, obviously, Malik Neighbors is the top pass catcher in this offense, like the most targets the last three weeks, like no doubt about that. But I think whoever is not getting guarded by Derek Stingley each and every play has probably got to be the primary read for J.J. McCarthy. I'm with you on that. Again, when Malik Nabors sees Derek Stingley, I'm not expecting him to erupt for 100-plus yards in coverage from Stingley. But because Malik has lined up so much in the slot, I do think that does— Give him a very good chance to still, you know, once again have a good game, especially because this defense hasn't quite looked like it did last year. Now it's gotten a lot better the last two weeks with D'Amico

17:05 Ryans taking over the defensive play calling.

17:08 They did give up.

17:09 31 points last week, but that's to the Jaguars, who are looking like one of the best teams in the NFL.

17:13 And Trevor Lawrence is a much more experienced quarterback.

17:16 100%.

17:16 Trevor Lawrence is in the MVP conversation right now.

17:19 Yes, he is.

17:20 And they've also gotten a lot more aggressive since D'Amico Ryans has taken over.

17:24 Yes, sir. So, yeah, J.J.

17:26 McCarthy is going to, I mean, goes without saying, he's going to have to bring his absolute power. A game in this one against this defense.

17:34 And considering that the Texans have only given up about 80-something yards a game on the ground, which is the third fewest yards in the NFL, you know that to get balance in your attack is going to be extremely difficult.

17:45 No doubt about it. Now, one slightly positive stat I will say.

17:50 We could use some.

17:51 Again, from NextGenStats, Houston has used cover three as the fifth highest rate this season, 42.0%.

18:02 J.J.

18:02 McCarthy, obviously limited action last week, but in his 11 minutes against the Saints, where he went off in the fourth quarter, against cover three, he completed six of 11 passes for 122 yards, one touchdown, and a passer rating of 124.1. So just one positive little nugget.

18:20 Find the man-on-man matchup is what you're telling me, and make sure you get the ball to him.

18:25 Yes.

18:25 That's what that tells me. Well, the man that's not getting guarded by Stingley, yes.

18:29 But see, if I'm them... That's what I do. If I'm going to go cover three, Stingley goes on neighbors and I cover three the rest of them.

18:37 For sure, but Stingley doesn't move into the slot. He's got like two snaps in the slot all season. So I'm just saying that would be a way for Matt Nagy and the offense to try to work against that. Because he did last week against the Saints, he had Malik a season high 43% of his routes in the slot. And that was after only 19% through the first five weeks.

19:01 The only other thing to mention to you folks is that on the other side of the ball, Stout, man, I mean, look at this. Second in the NFL in passing yardage. He's got nine touchdown passes. I mean, he's just winging it. Now, they don't have much of a running game, okay? Montgomery's out. Marks is a third down back.

19:23 He is not your typical one, you know, running back one. He's a third down back. He's had to be their lead guy because Montgomery's been nicked up all season. So as a result, basically, Stroud is just throwing the ball around. C.J. Stroud is saying, you know what? I know I don't have much of a running game, so I'm going to wing it. Now, last week, they used a ton of six-man lines. They went up with jumbo formation all right about a third of the time last season uh last week and i believe they averaged over five and a half yards a carry or roughly five and a half yards a carry when using the jumbo formation okay so they're not afraid to load up and try to run it but stroud has certainly rejuvenated after a rough year

20:06 last year he's rejuvenated his passing game Well.

20:09 Just one note about the run game last week for the Texans. A lot of that amazing yards per carry average was from, I believe it's Jawar Jordan.

20:18 Yes.

20:19 Who was elevated from the practice squad, ran the ball great. I think he himself averaged around five yards per carry. He was placed on the practice squad injured reserve this week.

20:29 Yeah.

20:29 So the Texans are literally down to Woody Marks and Tare Agunbowale.

20:35 Yeah.

20:36 I believe that's how you pronounce it.

20:38 Good for you. Good for you.

20:39 I believe those are the only two running backs currently on their roster. Now, I fully expect them to sign or elevate somebody so they have more than those two. But Jordan was a big reason why they had that much success on the ground last week, and now he will be out. Woody Marks is a great pass catcher, but he hasn't shown quite the same ability to run on the ground.

20:59 He's a third down back. That's it.

21:01 And Agun Bawale has not registered a touch this season.

21:05 So.

21:06 We'll see about the run game this week. But CJ Stroud, I have to tip my cap to him because he is playing probably the best football of his career.

21:13 He's coming back strong. He looks great.

21:17 He has Nico Collins back healthy now. Nico Collins missed two weeks with a hamstring injury. And yet CJ Stroud has 270 passing yards when targeting Collins at 10 or more yards down the field, which is the 11th most between a quarterback and a receiver. And that's with Nico Collins missing two full games. So that duo right there has got to be the biggest priority of containing and slowing down if you're the– if Denard Wilson and this Giants defense, do not let Nico Collins beat you for that 40, 50-yard throw downfield because he's obviously very capable of doing that.

21:52 There's no question. He's thrown more big play passes of 20-plus or more yards than most quarterbacks in this league. He's right in the top five. But here's the thing with Stroud. He's thrown one pick. That's it. Over 200 attempts this year, he's thrown one interception. To say he is playing at a high level and playing efficient football is an understatement. Okay? This is one heck of a challenge.

22:19 And you already talked about the Giants secondary being on the injury report. Outside of Banks, there's a bunch of guys on that report. So there are a lot of things to be concerned about in this game on Sunday.

22:30 With that... We'll just very quickly just note, just talking about the injuries in the secondary, that obviously I'm sure this was talked about earlier in the week, Paul Sanediba was designated to return to practice and has been practicing this week.

22:43 You didn't say him before?

22:44 I did not mention him before, no. He's been a limited participant. We don't know if he's going to for sure get activated on Sunday or for Sunday's game, but it would certainly provide the secondary with a boost if he is able to return, if Colton Hood fully recovers. you know, clears concussion protocol.

22:59 That'd be great too.

23:00 As many reinforcements as possible for this matchup, because in addition to Nico Collins, obviously we'll be facing now Marvin Harrison for the second time in the last month.

23:10 And Tank Dell coming back.

23:12 Tank Dell making his debut, his first game back in two years. Jalen Noel coming off one of his best games.

23:17 First 100-yard game.

23:19 First 100-yard game, touchdown. This is all of a sudden a very deep, wide receiver room for the Texans. So the Giants could use as many of their defensive backs as possible.

23:30 201-939-4513. We've taken a bit more of your time than I wanted to, but let's go to the phones. Albert in Florida, you're first up on BBKL. Hello.

23:40 Hey, guys.

23:41 Thanks for having me on. If you haven't already, just talk about John Harbaugh as the new coach. Obviously, he has ties to McCarthy from his brother. Maybe you could just expand on how you see him playing out?

23:59 Because as you know, as a giant fan, we've, we've, we've interviewed, we've had a bunch of coaches in the past that seemed great.

24:06 They had, you know, they had pedigree. And I just wondered if you could give me some opinions on, on his.

24:12 Leadership so far and how you see this playing out for the giants.

24:15 I want to take a stab. Uh, sure.

24:18 Thank you for the call, Albert.

24:20 Uh, I'm just going to say A +. I'll make it short and sweet. Why don't I give you.

24:27 Go ahead. Real quick, just one thing Albert said is the Giants have not basically signed a quarterback with this level of pedigree in the past. They've signed some successful head coaches, but I don't think any that have quite the resume that John Harbaugh had during his 18 years with the Baltimore Ravens.

24:49 Dane Reeves.

24:51 Okay.

24:52 Went to three Super Bowls. True. Didn't win one, but went. And Tom Coughlin had gone to two AFC Championship games, but had not gone to a Super Bowl yet.

25:02 Close, but not quite the same level. John Harbaugh finds himself among all-time coaching win leaders. But John Harbaugh, I think you can see his impact just on how this team goes out and plays every single week. This is a team that Three minutes into week two, lost their starting quarterback. Then the next week, lost their defensive leader.

25:28 And yet this team is still fighting till the final whistle every single week. I mean, what they did last week, obviously the comeback attempt fell short. But they were down 24 points with 11 minutes left. And it came down to a throw in the end zone where they could have scored a touchdown, gone for two and won the game.

25:46 And that is far from the first comeback we've seen this team win. do and I'm not saying that you know teams in the past of these Giants teams in the past have like given up in those situations but I don't think we've seen a team that has shown this much fight each and every week like they have under John Harbaugh and that obviously that comes from his coaching from him instilling this belief in the team that no matter what we are in this game until the final till the clock says zero and the game is over we still have a chance that we're gonna go out there and fight.

26:20 I don't know that I understand the question about, you know, how do we grade his leadership? I think it's pretty obvious to anybody who's been paying attention. It's an A plus. I don't I don't even understand the question. But I will say this. Two things about Coach Harbaugh. Number one, which I think we have picked up over the course of his time here, is that guys are on a short leash. if they don't do what it is that's required of them, if he doesn't believe that they can bring it out of that guy, he's not going to be in the lineup. It's pretty obvious, okay? Now, we don't know the specifics of why Odell Beckham Jr. was cut, or Jihad Ward, or Najee Harris, or why a player gets benched very quickly. I mean, we've kind of had

27:09 some inclinations, but The truth is John Harbaugh is not going to let you get away with subpar play. In one way, shape, or form, he's going to take action pretty quickly. He does not have a lot of patience for guys who do not live up to the standard that they're supposed to be able to hold up to. He just doesn't. And I understand that because he is a very demanding coach. And he believes this team. He really believes this team, especially in this division this year.

27:40 can make some waves. And he is demanding to bring out the best in these players so that they have the chance to make some waves in the NFC East. The other item I will give you is what we found out over the last 48 hours, is that after the Giants had a really poor game the other day against the Saints, a number of mistakes, sloppy and poor tackling, in some instances, some plays that did not show the kind of effort that's required to win an NFL game.

28:11 What happened? Denard Wilson, the defensive coordinator, under head coach John Hallbaugh, gave it to those players. In front of the entire team, let those guys know with the video, you didn't do this, you didn't do that, that's unacceptable, that's not how we play ball here, and that's not going to work. And even talking to some of those players who actually got kind of caught in the periphery of some of that because they were kind of partly the guilty parties, they all said they get it. They manned up. They were accountable. They said we were not yelled at in a mean sense. We were not scolded.

29:00 We were not put down. We were simply reminded, you have to be accountable. You have to be responsible. And you know what? If you get slack and you give slack and you slack off, that's not going to be okay here. So it was kind of like a wake-up call to all those guys, especially on defense, that you better button down. And I love the way that That was handled. John Harbaugh, as the head coach, could have easily told Denard Wilson, no, Denard, we're going to take it easy. We're not going to rip them. We're not going to sell these guys up on the screen. We're just going to pull them aside and talk to them. No, that's not the way it worked. Denard Wilson called them all out. And the response in the locker room yesterday

29:50 when I was in there from the players, a bunch of players, was, hey, we get it. We got a man up to what we did. That tape wasn't good. That's not okay. To me, to me, that is a great example of stellar leadership.

30:08 That's how I feel. Yeah, I mean, we've heard and seen, you know, players and coaches in past previous years talk about accountability. This year, we are seeing it each and every week.

30:20 There's action.

30:21 Everyone is being held accountable.

30:23 Accountability now has some bite to it.

30:26 Yeah, it's sort of like, you know, talk is cheap. Well, this is more than talk. Actions speak louder than words here. And we've seen actions take place to hold people accountable for missteps, mistakes, et cetera. So I'm with you. The A-plus grade.

30:43 Yeah, this is the kind of stuff that I saw from Bill Parcells when he was here. And Tom Coughlin. Yeah. Not every coach has shown those traits. I'm seeing that here again.

30:54 And this, you know, I guess you could call it a style or whatever. might lead to some things, some decisions that some people don't like and are unpopular, but everything is being done for a reason. And I firmly, firmly believe that.

31:07 Totally.

31:08 So, totally.

31:09 Abdullah Minneapolis, you're next on the show. Hello.

31:14 Hey, good morning, guys.

31:15 Hi.

31:15 So, I've been reading a lot of these, like, trade proposals, you know, all over the air.

31:19 Oh, boy. That's right.

31:21 And one thing, I've become.

31:24 More of a proponent of using draft capital to... to get players, kind of like the U.S. do, but only in the right circumstances, not just willy-nilly. And the only trade I would do right now, you know, I would not go for running back. I think going for running back is not worth it. Quentin Nelson, he's the only person that's possibly available that makes sense to use any kind of draft capital.

31:50 Because you're not going to get a purse.

31:52 First of all, I think that is probably one of the most glaring needs is the Giants interior line. I think that's one of the most... That and D-tackle. But I think the inside of the Giants offensive line needs.

32:04 A major upgrade.

32:06 And you're not going to get a player... of Quentin Nelson's caliber in the draft.

32:11 It's a very small possibility.

32:14 And that makes him the only person I think that would be worth getting using our leftover draft picks. If the Colts said a third-round pick for Quentin Nelson, I would run that draft pick over to the Colts for Quentin Nelson.

32:30 And I think he would.

32:32 make this team so much better right away, more than anyone else out there. So that's what I want to say.

32:38 Okay. Thanks for the call. Thank you, Abdul. 201-939-4513. If anybody out there, Team X, and you guys know how I do this because I have to go hypotheticals, Team X, we cannot talk about specifics or about the Giants in any type of scenario involving a team that has a player under contract. Quentin Nelson is in the final year of his deal with the Colts. So if Team X wanted to inquire about him or have conversation about him, they've got to figure out, okay, let's see. How many years has he played? How durable has he been? How well is he playing this year? How much money is he probably going to want to ask if you're going to want to resign him and bring him in for more than just as a rental player? These are the

33:29 kinds of things that you have to calculate aside from the potential of what the Colts might want for their player. And you know what? That's not a cut and dried case. That can be pretty complicated.

33:45 No doubt about it. I mean, for me, I'm with you again, not just hypothetically with unnamed team and unnamed players. I don't think you make a trade unless it's you don't make a trade unless it is someone that is going to help you obviously for the rest of this season, but beyond this season, because yes, the giants are in first place. You know, the division is up there for the taking, no doubt about it. It is, but you still have to think longterm. So if you're giving up any sort of draft capital for any player at any position, it's someone that you got to plan to have for 2026, 2027, you know, Beyond that, if it's someone that is in a contract year, then you better have some sort of plan to work out an extension because it's not like

34:36 the Rams trading draft picks for players to push all the chips into the table to go all in. The Giants are not quite in that level.

34:44 No, they are not. They are not.

34:45 So any sort of trade, it's got to be, in my opinion, someone that is going to help you beyond just the 2026 season.

34:53 And right now, the aforementioned offensive lineman that you were talking about is in the final year of his deal. So once again, you'd have to get an understanding as to what it would take to lock him up for additional seasons if you were Team X and wanted to make a deal for him.

35:08 And also, let's just keep in mind that CeCe Maui-Noah was just drafted, who at least right now is playing right guard.

35:15 And really well.

35:17 John Runyon was just signed to a contract extension.

35:20 And.

35:21 Brian Hudson's been playing well the last few weeks.

35:25 You know what's interesting, too? I mean, when you talk about this team going forward, besides Marcus Bowe and J.C.

35:31 Davis, right?

35:33 They got some young players, both tackles. There's always the possibility at some point when you talk about future. I'm not talking about 2026 now. There's always a possibility at some point you might wind up with one of those guys moving inside. if you need help inside.

35:49 I feel like it hasn't been discussed just because those two guys have been playing tackle, but they were drafted with the versatility of playing almost anywhere on the whole offensive line.

35:59 And they will be a lot less expensive on your cap in the next couple of years than would be a veteran who has a very high standard of play.

36:08 Yeah, I mean, a lot of the guys that are on this roster in the offensive line room have that versatility to line up at a variety of positions. The player that you mentioned, Abdul, obviously Quinton Nelson has had a lot of success in the NFL.

36:20 He's a great player.

36:22 A phenomenal player. He's at one position, though.

36:25 He is. He's a one-position guy.

36:27 On the older side, who knows how many years left. I'm just saying, there's a lot more to it than just saying you need to get player X for the 2026 season. There's a lot that goes into it.

36:42 All right.

36:42 And future draft picks play a big part in that.

36:45 Giants Auto Podcast. John usually does a whole bunch of interviews with Giants people, NFL people, etc., etc. We got anything going up here, Matt, today?

36:53 Pearson, I don't even know who's on. We will have Drew Phillips going up this afternoon.

36:57 How about that?

36:57 Talking about the Giants cornerbacks and defense as a whole.

37:00 And, of course, you'll hear part of that Drew Phillips interview as part of our WFAN Giants radio pregame show, which airs starting at 11 o'clock. on Sunday morning.

37:09 There is one up right now as well that went up today is the Texans color analyst John Harris just talks about the matchup with the Texans as well.

37:16 Well, there you go. And hopefully... over the course of the next 24 hours, we'll have some more answers regarding all of those injured guys who showed up on the report after yesterday's practice session. Giants TV is the official connected TV streaming app. It's free. It brings original video content and game highlights on demand to big blue fans.

37:34 It's free on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and the Giants mobile app. Don't forget, we still have a chunk of the season left, and you can get your 2026 Giants season tickets. It features member-only events, exclusive access on game days and more. Join the Giants family today by visiting Giants.com slash tickets. Also, you can get single game tickets there as well in case you just want to drop by for one game or don't have the availability to go to all of them. By all means, go to the Giants ticket site and see if you can at least attend one game and enjoy the excitement of New York Giants football. The Giants Foundation will host a 5K racing kids run presented by Quest on Sunday, November 8th at 9 a.m. at MetLife Stadium. Net proceeds

38:16 will benefit the Giants Foundation. There's a commemorative t-shirt you get. You meet Giants legends. You get to hear a live DJ. Register now at Giants.com slash 5K. The Giants Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit corporation. With that, um, Want to go back to the phones, I believe? Oh, you didn't get that name yet? I'm sorry, Pearson. I jumped the gun.

38:38 Go ahead. Just as Pearson gets us ready for the next caller, just a quick note, generally speaking, but the trade deadline this year is not until Tuesday, November 10th.

38:47 Yes.

38:47 So it's still a couple weeks away.

38:48 A little later than usual.

38:49 A little later than usual. So that's three game weeks away. Giants obviously only have two games because of the bye week, but A lot can happen. A lot can change for teams across the NFL in three weeks. So I would expect more action to happen closer to that deadline.

39:07 Jason in New Haven, you're next on Big Blue Kickoff Live. And you know, Jason, every time I see you call and I see New Haven, I can't help but think about the Yale Bowl. It's just something that's deeply embedded in my blood. I can't help it. That's what happens when you've been around as long as I have.

39:25 So initially, Paul, initially I'm from the Bronx, and I moved to Connecticut a few years ago. And I know the Yankees played up here at the Air Bowl. They played in the city. And I'm hoping one day, I know I might get some tomatoes, but I'm hoping one day maybe they'll come back to New York City. That's another topic for another day.

39:45 Yes, sir. Go ahead.

39:46 I understand.

39:47 Jersey's lovely.

39:48 All my Jersey people, Jersey's lovely. No disrespect to my Jersey people.

39:52 Very good.

39:54 Just real quick, Matt, in our respect to Matt and Paul, you know, it's hard to really comment on players on other teams, right? But let's say player X that you were alluding to a few minutes ago. Listen, I've been a big proponent over the years of keeping your draft stock, keeping young talent on cheap contracts, you know, on your books.

40:24 Right.

40:24 But I got to say this, Matt and Paul. I mean, let's just say player X, I think most of the callers in the chat know who we're referring to, a specific offensive lineman. You know, how many draft picks over the last 10 years– whether it be first round, second round, down, it just didn't work out. As we all know, which I've said, the draft is the ultimate, ultimate crapshoot casino game, whatever you want to call it. And I just feel like when you have that kind of talent, especially in a game dependent on trench play, man, having that boost of a player on our line would be such– Like I've said before, while Dart and McCarthy and these guys aren't rookie contracts, man, you've got to seize the opportunity.

41:11 I'm not saying specifically him. Let's just say a player of his ilk. That player would be such a major boon over trading.

41:19 For a running back or a receiver or safety when we know our trench play has been better over the last two, three years, but it still isn't up to snuff yet.

41:30 And I got to push back. I mean, I just feel like a player of that ilk, Player X. I don't know of any other player in the first or second round coming this year that will make an impact on a player that's still kind of young when linemen play into their mid-30s. An example is Andrew Whitworth, who played until he was 38 or 37. Bruce Matthews, those kind of players. So, man, like I said, I'm not saying he's available. I'm not speaking for the Colts. And, Paul, you made a good point. Maybe a good example of not really speaking on players that don't play for the Giants. But, Matt, I got to push back, man. If you have a chance to get a player like that, a potential gold jacket player on your trenches, especially with our run game

42:14 kind of struggling, I would definitely– At least check in on that kind of player. I won't say the name, but that player X.

42:21 Jason, before you go anywhere, and I want to let Matt respond, but I want to give you just two tiny points to make sure that you understand. Number one, we were not advocating or poo-pooing any potential trade for a player who will help this team. Right.

42:36 Right. Right.

42:54 A lot of times people don't understand the different angles and the different questions that a team has to ask itself before engaging in those kinds of talks. That's what we were trying to present to you. Some of these answers are positive and some of them may not be positive. But the other point that I think is important to mention, you were just talking about moving forward, you know, about getting a guy who can be a really good offensive lineman in the draft. How do you know that Marcus Bowe or J.C. Davis, are not going to, or for that matter, even Brian Hudson, who has played really well at center over the last couple of weeks. How do you know that those guys won't be part of the Giants' offensive line in the future? And at a much less

43:37 cost than an experienced veteran who brings a strong resume, who will definitely put a dent in your salary cap.

43:45 Right. I get that, Paul. And like I said, I'm not necessarily coming at you guys for giving both sides of the coin and why it may not or may work or may not work. But what I would say is this. In my opinion, when they hired John Harbaugh, the clock is ticking now. Like, we didn't hire a first-time head coach and we're going to kind of see what happens. And we're kind of just going to give it two or three years. It seems to me like this team, especially with this kind of wonky NFL and NFC East that we've seen where injuries and just play of these teams have not been up to snuff. And I just feel like if you have a potential to get a blue-chip NFL ready-made guard or lineman and you have the ability to do it, especially with a rookie

44:36 quarterback contract, I just feel as– I just– me personally, I just feel like it's worth it because how many years have we complained about this O-line? We've been complaining about this O-line for years. And our interior O-line is still kind of– CeCe's played well, but he's had some mistakes, which is– you know, which, of course, I get. But Runyon is okay. I'm not– you know, I'm not disrespecting Runyon.

45:02 He's a good vet. I'm not– Player X, like we talked about, would be such an upgrade. And then my last point, I'm hoping this week, you know, listen, I'm hoping our screen game can kind of, with Daniil Hunter, Will Anderson, that D-line kind of getting off to the quarterback, it's so important to keep them off base, keep them off field. So then I just, which I'm sure you two know in the chat knows, We can't just sit back and drop back 30 times. That's not going to work.

45:32 No, it's not.

45:33 I'm hoping to see a lot of 12, 13 personnel in a screen game, and I appreciate you guys.

45:37 Thank you for the call.

45:38 Go ahead, Matt.

45:39 Okay, so I want to make one thing very clear. John Harbaugh, Joe Sheen, throughout 2026, this calendar year, they have made it abundantly clear they will always look for ways to improve this roster. They have said that. They have backed it up with actions. No doubt about it, if there are players available across the league that they think are going to help this team both this year and beyond, I am sure they're looking into those different routes, different options and stuff. But I just think you got to keep in mind, yes, like I said before, that this division is wide open. It's there for the taking.

46:17 The Giants are currently a game and a half up of everyone else.

46:19 In the division.

46:20 No doubt about it. But you still have to also understand think about the future as well. And right now, for the 2027 NFL draft, the Giants don't have a fourth-round pick. They don't have their fifth-round pick. Now they are in line. If you want to look at the projections for compensatory picks, they are in line to potentially pick up a fifth-round pick, but that's not guaranteed. So there's a chance that the Giants don't have a fourth-round pick or a fifth-round pick. They don't have a seventh-round pick.

46:46 They have two sixth-round picks, and one, two, and three. So you're already going into a draft where you don't have your full draft slew of draft picks available and so now you're talking about sacrificing more of that for again the hypothetical very good player but in a group where there are we mentioned there are a lot of young players that have shown flashes of potentially being good starting caliber players that haven't had a full opportunity yet so like this is like I gotta push back just a little bit this isn't like fantasy football you're you're building a team for 2026, for 2027, for 2028. And a part of that is having draft picks that you could go and add young players on rookie contracts. You

47:31 were just talking about Jackson Dart and JJ McCarthy being on rookie contracts. Well, it helps when you have a lot of contributing players on rookie contracts. And as we mentioned, there are currently a group of offensive linemen that are on rookie contracts right now that have shown flashes of potentially being good players that haven't had an opportunity yet.

47:50 So That would be my pushback a little bit. Again, this player, hypothetical player, as we mentioned, is a very good football player. I'm not doubting that. Obviously, he would help the Giants. No doubt about it. But there's more to it than just saying we need to go out and get player X because he's so good at football.

48:08 Many, many factors that have to be digested. And the truth is there's no right or wrong answer as we sit here today. In fact, with a lot of these kinds of things, whether or not they happen or don't happen, you don't know if they're right or wrong until the results come in. You know, it's because you can make logical arguments for going out and pursuing a guy in a deal, and you can make logical arguments for not pursuing a guy in a deal. There really are a number of legitimate, rational reasons on both sides of the fence.

48:39 And that's what makes it so hard. That's why GMs get paid so much.

48:42 100%.

48:42 And just about the offensive line overall. I mean, we were talking all offseason how the unit was coming off its best season in that it's had in years.

48:50 They were.

48:51 They were.

48:52 And, you know, I'm not sitting up here and saying that the production through six games has been the same, but there obviously have been a lot of circumstances that have hit this offense that have led to just changes all around. I mean, again, the Giants spent all offseason, all training camp, building an offense around Jackson Dart and his skill set. And in week one, that looked amazing.

49:14 And then obviously he gets hurt six plays into week two. And now all of a sudden you have Jameis Winston under center, who is a completely different quarterback and does not have the same skillset as Jackson Dart. So that whole offense that you spent so many months building around a mobile dual threat quarterback, is kind of thrown out the window now.

49:31 Yeah, but the biggest problem is that the offensive line is not blocking very well in the run game. And that has nothing to do with the changing quarterbacks.

49:38 I think that has part of it to do because when you have Jackson Darnold under center, quarterback, you have to respect the threat of him being able to run the ball. With Jameis Winston there, teams aren't scared of him running the ball. No offense to Jameis. That's not his skill set.

49:51 You still got to be effective in throwing your blocks.

49:54 No doubt about it.

49:54 And they haven't done that at a high enough rate.

49:56 I'm not... I agree with you completely. I agree with you, but I am just saying that there are circumstances that have hit this offense that were unforeseen that have led to just, no, no, I get it. I don't know what the exact word, Correct word is, but a lot of unforeseen circumstances to hit the whole offense. And I'm not excusing everything we've seen from the offensive line on that, but it certainly has played a part in it. Not to mention the injuries.

50:21 Yes, yes.

50:22 The injuries to that unit in particular.

50:24 All these little darts that have been thrown against the balloon have helped take some of the air out of the balloon. That's the net result, right? Quickly, let's go through a couple of these YouTube comments. JCNY718, listen, this passing defense isn't the greatest in Houston. Texas D has given up 24 points a game. This is a winnable game.

50:44 DeMonk Mayen says, battle will be in the trenches. We need to keep the dam intact this week for the offense and the defense. Have to be able to lean on special teams like in week one and two. Jason Benjamin, $ 77. 54. In my opinion, we need to run a lot of 12 and 13 personnel and lots of RPOs. And Eric NVA, $ 234. 56. Says, hoping with JJ's similar skill set to Dart, we'll run game with Scott and Tracy return to game one form.

51:16 All very legitimate and logical comments. Steve in New Jersey, you're next on the show.

51:22 Hello.

51:24 Hi, Steve. Hey.

51:26 Hey, fellas, can you hear me?

51:27 Yes, we can. How you doing, Steve? Good to talk to you.

51:30 Good to talk to you as well.

51:31 Long-time listener, first-time caller.

51:33 Thank you. I just wanted to piggyback off.

51:35 The conversation that you just had with the last caller on a complete opposite take. Instead, taking a look at what a very successful team has done in the past, like the Patriots under Belichick, and actually stockpiling draft picks this coming draft. in order to get more talent on both the defense and the offense, not only for 2027, but for 2028 and 2029, and hypothetical ways of potentially just trading out of the first round for future first-round picks or second-round picks to stockpile. You know, later on, it seems as though this team definitely needs talent across, you know, all levels of the defense and really still all levels of the offense, not including potentially, like, quarterback.

52:19 But as the previous caller mentioned, the offensive interior line would help. So would interior defensive line. And I feel like you could find some of those guys later, you know, in later rounds. But probably with numbers, if you stockpile bodies. So just interesting– take from the last caller, wanted to piggyback it and see what you fellas think about that.

52:39 Well, I think we still need to let the rest of this season play out before we talk about what the Giants need to do in the draft in the next couple of years. But I'll say this, and I think Matt's going to be in agreement on this one. The Giants defense actually took a couple of big hits this season already. One of them is not even being talked about, but Ray Robertson Harris getting injured before the season even started. He was supposed to be one of those guys in the defensive tackle rotation that was going to be helped by the new scheme and by the new linebacking core that was going to help make this rush defense better. That was a big loss when he was eliminated from the equation before the season even started.

53:23 And I don't think anybody's even talking about that. And it's not because he's an all-pro player. It's because he was going to be one of the components that was going to benefit from the additional talent around him. And that has hurt this team. And now Chauncey Golston going out. Another front seven guy, somebody who was playing defensive line snaps.

53:46 That's two guys who are going to be significant parts of the defensive line rotation, and you don't have them. I hate to say it, but that's part of the reason the Giants' rush defense has not improved to the level we thought it would.

54:02 I'm with you. I mean, I think because of how the run defense has performed, especially in the last couple of weeks altogether, DJ Reader is not getting any recognition, and he's having a really good season.

54:13 He can't play every snap, though.

54:15 He can't play every snap. No, he's 32 years old now, and he wasn't a guy that was going to play 100% of the snaps even when.

54:21 He was younger.

54:22 But he's having a really good season, and I'm with you that if Roy Robertson Harris was there lining up next to him, taking up a lot of those snaps next to him, I think we'd be having a different conversation about this run defense. Shelby Harris, he's played solid ball. Again, not all pro level, but solid with exactly what you brought him in here to do. And I think Roy Robertson Harris is just another very experienced NFL veteran that would have brought a lot to that interior defensive line and helped that unit all together. And I'm with you.

54:54 No one's talking about it just because it happened back in May in the spring. And that feels like a lifetime ago.

55:00 But didn't have them at all.

55:01 I do think that I'm with you that I do think that definitely played a part in this run defense in particular, taking a bit of a hit.

55:09 I don't think there's any doubt. I mean, and so the depth at the D tackle spot is really, really thin. They don't have a ton of experience at a Koye. They don't have a ton of experience in, in Jamison Travis. You know, those guys, those guys are raw and they're being asked to play rotational snaps and it's tough. It's really, really tough. And now, again, we don't know about Edmund's status right now, but he's among the leaders in the league.

55:38 I think he's in the top 15 in tackles. I don't really like him having to potentially miss a game. However, Micah McFadden, capable starter in this league, and we know that. And we've talked about how much it hurt the defense last year when he got injured.

55:53 Yeah, I mean, again... very fortunate to have Micah McFadden as your quote is your third linebacker for, you know, we talked about it all training camp. You know, if someone were to get hurt, you have a very capable starter waiting to, to, you know, take their place. Now, obviously Micah McFadden is not quite the same build and no, his Tremaine Edmonds. Obviously I don't think anyone's confusing the two of them, but he has shown that he could play that position in the NFL and have success. And just to go back to your, your point, Steve, We've seen Joe Shane, since he's taken over at GM, make trades to move up in the draft and make trades to move back in the draft.

56:33 And to get picks.

56:34 And to get picks. So to your point, I think it is fully possible. As we have come to learn this year, I think anything is on the table. Anything that, any move that could potentially help the Giants, both defensively Now and moving forward, this front office and coaching staff are going to consider it. I think that has become abundantly clear. Even moves that in the moment might not seem as the most popular to, you know, fans, everything is being done for a reason. It's to build a team that's going to compete, try to compete in 2026 and also in 2027 when, you know, when Jackson Dart will hopefully be back, when Brian Burns will hopefully be back, both at 100% health.

57:12 So... The wheels are always turning between Coach Arbaugh and Joe Shane, the GM. The wheels are constantly turning every single day to try to move this team forward. That's very clear.

57:25 Yes.

57:25 Very clear.

57:25 And everything is on the table. That we have come to learn. Everything is on the table.

57:31 All right, folks, that'll do it for today's edition of Big Blue Kickoff Live, presented by Cadillac, the official luxury vehicle of the New York football Giants, coming to you from the Giants podcast studio, presented by Hackensack Meridian Health. Keep getting better. Remember, on Sunday, the Giants take on the Houston Texans. It's a 1 o'clock kickoff here in New York. which means 11 a.m. for the New York Giants WFAN Giants radio pregame show for two hours till the kickoff right after the game is over. Flip it over to MSG for the one-hour postgame show, Giants postgame live.

58:05 We'll have locker room reaction, hopefully on the field reaction if the Giants should win. And, of course, there's also the WFAN Giants postgame show, which goes for two hours following the end of the football game. That'll do it once again for today's program. We wish you a great weekend. And as always, this show is part of the Giants podcast platforms everywhere, the Giants YouTube channel and Giants.com slash podcasts.

58:30 For Matt Sytek, I'm Paul Dottino. We'll see you next time.