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Lewis, Dalton News Conference Transcripts 11/10
The Giants over the last three weeks, winning three games in a row, have really been impressive getting their offense going. They are doing a great job at the line of scrimmage. A lot of ‘check-with-me’ type plays with run-pass options and power of choice for the quarterback. He’s doing a really good job of that and really delivering the football. People say they aren’t running the football, but they actually are because a lot of these throws they are making on first down are off run plays, and he’s been delivering the football. Guys are doing a good job making the tight catches on those kind of looks they are giving the defense. And they are hitting some vertical plays. That’s impressive as well. Their receivers all do a very good job of run after the catch. They are physical runners so we have to do a very good job of tackling the catch with them offensively.
Notes: Gilberry gets red-carpet return; Maualuga DNP again (fibula); Odell up
Domata Peko had a smile as big as Wallace Gilberry’s motor before Thursday’s practice when he pointed to his old and new teammate at his locker in the row of defensive linemen. “How many times have you seen him chase a guy down from the other side?” asked Peko of Gilberry’s highly-regarded hustle. That’s one of the reasons he’s back, re-signing this week after a brief stint in Detroit.
With the Bills, Lions, Colts, and Raiders on a bye this week, fantasy owners are once again faced with hitting the waiver wire for replacements. The problem with that is there just isn’t much left worth owning, unless you want to grab guys like Kapri Bibbs (who I think is fool’s gold) or J.J. Nelson (worth owning). Bibbs is a career practice squad player, that has been cut and resigned multiple times snice he went undrafted in 2014. Devontae Booker has been less than impressive in his role as the Broncos No. 1 RB, averaging just 38.0 rushing yards and 2.62 YPC. Last week Bibbs caught a pass that he took 69 yards for a touchdown. That has caused him to be the #1 waiver wire target for most leagues this week. The reality is the kid had one good play, which drastically overinflated his fantasy numbers. If C.J. Anderson hadn’t gotten hurt, Bibbs would still be on the Broncos practice squad today. Let him prove he has value, before you stick him into your line-up.
Friends Hill, OBJ living NFL dream; Maualuga's status in doubt
Last summer, Jeremy Hill and Odell Beckham, Jr. shared the same practice fields for the first time since the pair left LSU following the 2013 college season. Beckham, Jr. was a first-round pick of the New York Giants, and Hill a second-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2014, and they had a reunion of sorts when the two teams shared training-camp dates prior to a preseason game at Paul Brown Stadium.
No regrets for ex-Bengal Leon Hall
During the preseason, there were moments when the possibility arose Leon Hall could return to the Bengals, with the future of his nine-year career still in doubt. It never happened. Soon after the 31-year-old signed a one-year deal to play for the New York Giants. Even as the entire offseason passed and he sat without a deal, one move that never crossed his mind was retiring.
Monday night matchup: Odell Beckham, Jr. will test Bengals corners
Emotional outbursts, touchdown dances and marriage proposals to kicking nets might break social media sites, but New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. has the attention of the Cincinnati Bengals’ cornerbacks for what he does between the goal lines: specifically his attention to detail and incredible athleticism.
Bengals Walkthru: Number nerds on the North
Guessing the last angle anybody wants to hear this week involves validating advanced analytics. The number nerds took one on the chin Tuesday. I've often considered myself on the nerdery side of the analytics vs. eyeballs debate. Both must work together, but value lives in looking at the production. Often our eyes allow us to see what we want, and looking at the right numbers can erase any bias.
Bengals LB Rey Maualuga likely inactive vs. Giants, sources say
Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga likely will not play Monday night vs. the Giants, sources told ESPN's Adam Caplan. Sources told Caplan that Maualuga has a leg injury. The linebacker was not present at practice on Tuesday or Thursday. Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said on Tuesday that Maualuga was fine and had "something to attend to" during practice. He also said his absence at Tuesday's practice was unrelated to playing time.
AFC North Bytes
How We Play Football in the AFC North
ince the Baltimore Ravens were established in 1996, they have played the Pittsburgh Steelers 44 times, including four times in the playoffs. Over the last 20 years, it has been arguably the NFL’s fiercest rivalry. We got former Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward and former Ravens safety Ed Reed to discuss the rivalry, and what it means to play football in the AFC North.
Baltimore Ravens earned right to be in sole possession of first place
The Baltimore Ravens took sole possession of first place in the AFC North, and some will want to put an asterisk next to their name. The Ravens sit atop the division, but they did so by crushing the winless Cleveland Browns 28-7 on Thursday night. Baltimore is the only team in the AFC North with a winning record, but its win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday came with Ben Roethlisberger at less than full strength.
Browns vs. Ravens: Score and Twitter Reaction for Thursday Night Football
A flat first half gave way to a dominant second half, and the Baltimore Ravens dispatched the Cleveland Browns 28-7 at M&T Bank Stadium on Thursday night to capture their second straight win and improve to 5-4.
Random Bytes
Three Giants legends to join Ring of Honor Monday night
Coughlin, who won two Super Bowls in his 12 seasons as head coach; Accorsi, the general manager from 1998-2006 who was instrumental in hiring Coughlin and traded for Eli Manning; and Tuck, a two-time Pro Bowler who was on the two recent championship teams, will become the newest Ring of Honor members Monday night in a ceremony at halftime of the Giants’ game vs. the Cincinnati Bengals.
Roger Goodell says Donald Trump’s comments on women make the NFL’s job more difficult
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is concerned that comments made by President-elect Donald Trump about women will only make the league’s attempts to curtail domestic violence more difficult. "I think our country has to have more respect for one another," Goodell said.
When my phone rang, I didn’t really think anything of it. I mean, how many times does your phone ring and it’s nothing? It’s just one of your homies calling to say wassup, or your mom or dad checking in to see how things are going?
This is Part II of a two-part series chronicling Andrew Hawkins’s road from undersized and undrafted prospect to the leading receiver on an NFL team. Everything I’d been through — the workouts, the persistence, the disappointment — it all finally led me to a pro contract when I signed with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL.