New York Giants news for Thursday

Good morning, New York Giants fans!

Giants’ Evan Neal takes on fans, and makes a huge mistake

Read Ed’s take on Evan Neal’s ill-advised rant calling Giants fans criticizing him “sheep,” among other things.

More from Big Blue View

• Did the Giants evaluate themselves properly after surprising 2022 season?
• Andrew Thomas, John Michael Schmitz not practicing for Giants
• Giants-Dolphins, Week 5: 4 storylines to watch
• Film Study: How has Marcus McKethan played through three games?
• NFL power rankings, Week 5: Giants firmly entrenched near the bottom
• Sign up for Big Blue View second-chance Survivor Pool now!

Other Giant observations

Giants’ Evan Neal dares his critics to ‘boo louder,’ blasts ‘fair-weather’ fans as ‘sheep’ | NJ.com

Among the comments that Neal made on Wednesday:

“Why would a lion concern himself with the opinion of a sheep?”

“The person that’s commenting on my performance, what does he do? Flip hot dogs and hamburgers somewhere?”

“Would it upset you if someone that’s a fan of you is booing you as you’re typing out your articles and as you’re doing your work? Would it piss you off? You’re a human, ain’t you?”

Mike Francesa blasts Brian Daboll: Giants have 'fallen to such a depth' | ESNY

“Everything that he gained last year — and let’s be honest, he was treated like a king in the offseason, and he deserved that — he has given every bit of that back,” Francesa said. “That’s how bad this team has been coached, that’s how bad this team has been led, that’s how bad this team has played in the first four games of the season...I mean, the bottom line is, this team has fallen to such a depth this year. They have now dug a hole that it is scary. They have played in primetime twice and been mortified. I mean, the roads to the turnpike and the Lincoln Tunnel were full with 13 minutes left in the game.”

Orlovsky: Daniel Jones needs to play better

32 NFL observations after Week 4: Micah Parsons’ pass-rush impact | PFF

New York Giants: No quarterback has scrambled as much as Daniel Jones, who leads the way with 17.

Botched play call may be telling sign of bigger Giants disconnect | New York Post

Trailing 14-3 with 1:14 left in the first half, the Giants faced third-and-11 from their own 24-yard-line desperate to cut their deficit, as Seattle was set to receive the ball to start the second half. The Giants opted for an overly cautious play call, and Jones handed the ball off to Matt Breida for a 4-yard gain before punting to close the half.

But Daboll revealed after the game that they had called for a pass, and Jones misheard and subsequently delivered the wrong play in the huddle to his teammates.

Mueller: How I would handle the Bengals’, Giants’ and Patriots’ slow starts before it’s too late | The Athletic

The Giants’ season is on the brink of slipping away one month in. They are tied with the Bengals for the fewest yards per play in the NFL. And their QBs have been pressured an NFL-high 82 times, or 47 percent of pass plays (third-most in the league). Next on the agenda: a trip to Miami and then to Buffalo.

Daniel Jones: All that matters is what we do moving forward

Giants are a hot mess and it’s up to Brian Daboll to figure out a way to fix things | NJ.com

The head coach is pushing all the wrong buttons, digging the Giants a 1-3 hole that could get much deeper with road games against the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills looming in the next two weeks.

Presser Points: Saquon Barkley participates in team reps | Giants.com

Veteran wide receiver Sterling Shepard has played just 31 snaps since he re-signed with the team this offseason. They have amounted to just two catches for 10 yards. That could all change soon.

"We have a bunch of personnel groups with different receivers in them. You can see there is a lot of different guys out there. Shep has them, too. They weren't called, so I'd anticipate seeing him a little bit more. How many? I don't know what that is, but I'd anticipate seeing him a little bit more."

A quarter way into the season an the Giants defense is still looking for their first turnover

The Giants offense is broken. Does Brian Daboll have the tools to fix it? | The Athletic

That’s a taller task now, as the Giants had the element of surprise early last season with a new staff. But the smoke and mirrors offense they cobbled together started to get solved by opponents as last season progressed.

Now, it appears that the book is out on the offense. The play-action bootlegs that so frequently set up quarterback Daniel Jones for big runs and easy completions have been blown up. San Francisco’s Nick Bosa nearly dumped Jones for a safety on a bootleg in Week 3 and Seattle’s Mario Edwards got a strip sack after Jones evaded a free rusher on a bootleg on Monday.

Where do the Giants go from here? | SBNation.com

The Giants are currently dead last in EPA per play and 28th in Success Rate. For as good as Kafka and head coach Brian Daboll were last year at finding answers for a roster loaded with middling talent, it seems like all of the answers have run out, especially up front.

This offense is cratering fast, and it really feels like Daboll is fed up. He’s out of solutions, and he can only scheme so far. It’s like the old adage, “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.” Well, Daboll has led this offense to water before, but he can’t go out there and make the throws, or make the blocks. That’s up to his highly paid QB and multiple high investments on the offensive line, and he’s even on his last nerve there.

Justin Pugh returns to the Giants with his old number

Joe Schoen — and not just Brian Daboll — has failed Giants amid disgraceful start | NJ.com

There are many reasons the Giants look like frauds right now. Injuries haven’t helped — especially on the offensive line (and to Saquon Barkley, of course). Tackling has been downright brutal at times. Special teams mistakes might wind up costing coordinator Thomas McGaughey his job.

This week’s opponent

De'Von Achane averaging a ridiculous 11.4 yards per carry | Pro Football Talk

Achane had 18 carries for 203 yards in Week Three and followed that up with eight carries for 101 yards in Week Four. For the season, Achane has 27 carries for 309 yards, a ridiculous average of 11.44 yards per carry.

32 NFL observations after Week 4: Patrick Mahomes escaping pressure and more | PFF

Miami Dolphins: Of all receivers to run at least 100 routes, Tyreek Hill has the best yards per route run number at 3.92.

Dolphins return Nik Needham, Robert Jones to practice and start 21-day IR return timeline | The Phinsider

Cornerback Nik Needham and guard Robert Jones will return to practice beginning on Wednesday, according to head coach Mike McDaniel. Needham began the season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list while Jones was placed on injured reserve. Returning to practice starts a 21-day clock on both of them, with the team having to either move them back to the 53-man active roster or leave them on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.

Ranking Every NFL Team by Yards Per Play Differential Through Week 4 | The 33rd Team

Miami is tops in the league, with an offensive average of 8.02 versus the defense giving up 5.72, for a +2.30. The next closest team is San Francisco at +1.83.

The top three teams in terms of average yards per play offensively are Miami, San Francisco and Minnesota. All have quarterbacks who have been considered highly questionable, but all have great supporting casts. You can cover up an average quarterback.

Around the league

Commanders say Jahan Dotson, Curtis Samuel good to go Thursday night | Pro Football Talk

Film Session: Sam Howell, Eric Bieniemy stand out majorly against Eagles | Hogs Haven

Measuring-stick time: 49ers’ Brock Purdy will take on the Cowboys’ No. 1 defense | The Athletic

Rams designate Cooper Kupp for return from IR | Pro Football Talk

Patriots reportedly reacquiring CB J.C. Jackson from Chargers | ESPN.com

The Patriots Have Hit Rock Bottom, and There’s No Easy Way Back Up | The Ringer

Why the Broncos are releasing Randy Gregory amid the team’s defensive struggles | The Athletic

Mike Tomlin doesn’t rule out future changes to coaching | Pro Football Talk

Jets coach Robert Saleh: 'No pitch count' anymore for RB Breece Hall | NFL.com

New York Jets’ Nathaniel Hackett has something to prove in Denver | ESPN.com

Browns GM Andrew Berry: Deshaun Watson (right shoulder) not viewed as 'long-term injury' | NFL.com

Bills' Von Miller pushing to return in Week 5 in London vs. Jaguars | CBSSports.com

Colts’ Jonathan Taylor could play against Titans in Week 5 | Stampede Blue

Bills quarterback Allen, 49ers running back McCaffrey highlight Players of the Week | NFL.com

New York State alters booze laws to accommodate Bills’ start time for London game | Buffalo Rumblings

Chiefs’ Travis Kelce, Eagles’ Jason Kelce believe NFL is ‘overdoing’ Taylor Swift coverage | CBSSports.com

BBV mailbag

Have a Giants-related question? E-mail it to [email protected] and it might be featured in our weekly mailbag.

BBV podcast

You can find and subscribe to Big Blue View radio from the show’s home page

BBV YouTube

You can find and subscribe to Big Blue View YouTube from the show’s home page

Follow BBV

BBV on Twitter: Follow @BigBlueView

Ed Valentine: Follow @Valentine_Ed

BBV on Facebook: Click here to like the Big Blue View Facebook page

BBV on YouTube: Subscribe to the Big Blue View YouTube channel

BBV on Instagram: Click here to follow our Instagram page

BBV podcasts: Click here to subscribe to BBV Radio