Giants Daily Blitz Blog

TE Robinson waits to hear his number called

With Bear Pascoe unable to practice this week due to an ankle injury, that leaves two healthy tight ends on the 53-man roster. One is Martellus Bennett, who is second on the team with 45 catches, and the other is Adrien Robinson, a rookie who has dressed just twice this season.

On Wednesday, Tom Coughlin said his fourth-round draft pick out of Cincinnati is “going to have to get after it this week” when asked if he could step in for Pascoe if need be.

Robinson knows the opportunity is there, but he is keeping on the steady track tight ends coach Mike Pope has laid out for him.

“There hasn’t really been any difference,” Robinson said. “I’m just studying and watching film. Everything is pretty much the same. I’m waiting to see if my number gets called.”

Each week, a list of inactive players is submitted 90 minutes prior to kickoff, and Robinson’s number has been on it six times. Robinson suited up for the season opener against Dallas and again four weeks ago when Cleveland came to town. Robinson received a “couple snaps” against the Browns for his only playing time this season.

From the start of training camp, Robinson has been playing catch-up after missing most of the Organized Team Activities over the offseason due to his college scheduling.

At the halfway point of his rookie campaign, Robinson assessed his progress.

“I’m way more comfortable with the offense than I was at the beginning, missing OTAs and everything,” he said. “I’m finally caught up now. So I just have to earn the coaches’ trust and I’ll be out there.”

Rookie Blog: CB Jayron Hosley

Cornerback Jayron Hosley was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round this past April. Throughout the season, the Virginia Tech product and Florida native will provide an inside look into his journey of making it in the NFL. This week’s post begins with the final drive against Dallas before the team headed back to the Tri-State Area to prepare for Hurricane Sandy.

The Cowboys were putting up one last fight. There were some close calls at the end, but I can control what I can control and we can only control what we can control. It was as close as it can get. They were moving the ball down the field, but we came through in the end when we had to.

When we landed back in New Jersey late after the game, I was just trying to prepare myself for when the storm came. During the hurricane, I was with a couple teammates, Jerrel Jernigan and Adrien Robinson, that stay in the same complex as me. We got together, hung out, and kind of rode it out.

I didn’t really expect it to be like it is. I’ve been through hurricanes before. Living in Florida, I’ve been through quite a few. Down in Delray Beach, Palm Beach County, we’ve seen some Categories 3 and 4. Obviously here, being close to the water and the Hudson River and the bays around there and the Jersey Shore, it’s where you’re most vulnerable to the flooding and everything. Where I was at, it wasn’t hit too bad and there was a little bit of flooding. But other than that, it was fine. I didn’t really expect it to be that bad elsewhere and cause as much damage as it did. Right now, I’m without power, but obviously it’s a lot worse in other places. So I send my condolences and thoughts out to those people.

Meanwhile, it’s another one of those big games this Sunday. It’s another big week to prepare and focus in. Things are rolling right now. We’re trying to get to 7-2 – that’s our only goal. This week we’re focused on a high-powered Steelers offense with a lot of speed. They can beat you in a lot of ways. They can beat you down the field. They can beat you short. They have a good running back, a guy who has a lot to prove and has definitely proven himself. So we have a lot on our plate. They’re rolling. We’re rolling, too. So it’s definitely going to be one of those games to watch.

Previous Posts

» Rookie Blog: A Sigh of Relief

» Rookie Blog: Playing like an 11-man machine

» Rookie Blog: It’s a business trip

» Rookie Blog: First NFL action

» Rookie Blog: Anticipating NFL Kickoff

» Rookie Blog Training Camp: Making a name for yourself

» Rookie Blog Training Camp: Arrival

You can also follow Jayron on Twitter @hosley_jayron

Fantasy Preview: Thursday Night Football

The views expressed in this article are not of the New York Football Giants but those of an independent Fantasy Expert.

QB Matt Cassel, Chiefs

Last Week: 218 passing yards, TD, 2 turnovers

Cassel has been plagued with injuries for the past few seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, excluding his first season where he led them to the playoffs and earned a trip to Hawaii.  Lately, though, he has been
receiving more criticism than anyone for the team’s failures — past and present — which is not uncommon for any struggling team to blame the starting quarterback .  What better chance could Cassel ask for than on a prime time stage to show all the doubters he’s still got something?

RB Ronnie Brown, Chargers

Last Week: 102 total yards

Brown is always a risky play due to the plethora of running backs San Diego has established and maintains throughout this season in particular. However, his seven catches for 85 yards and 17 rushing yards last week alone give a more comforting feeling to the situation. Brown has been making his mark on offense in both the passing and rushing attacks and could finally get a chance to score his first touchdown of the year.

Daily Blitz: Eli, Ben add to legacy of draft class

Ten picks separated Ben Roethliserger from Eli Manning in the 2004 NFL Draft. Since then, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback has been keeping tabs on the first overall selection out of Mississippi.

Roethlisberger, the 11th pick out of Miami (Ohio), confirmed as much on a conference call with Giants beat reporters on Wednesday, saying there is also a fraternity among the draft class.

Said Big Ben, “I think early on for me, it was more wanting to do better than him and I don’t want to say animosity, but he was the number one pick and I think as a guy that’s not picked number one or anytime someone is picked ahead of you, you want to beat that guy out. But as I’ve gotten older, it’s more neat to see his success, to see him getting two Super Bowls because I think it just adds to the legacy of our draft class and all four quarterbacks, Matt Schaub, Philip [Rivers], myself and Eli that were drafted there. I hope that we can play well enough that one day they talk about us as maybe the best quarterback draft class of all-time.”

While both quarterbacks have won two championships and made two Pro Bowls, Manning edged Roethlisberger out with two Super Bowl MVPs (wide receivers Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes were the MVPs in Roethlisberger’s Super Bowls).

Sunday will be just the third time their teams have met in their careers (the Giants and Steelers split the first two games), but Roethlisberger says it’s more than “Eli vs. Ben.”

“He’s obviously a great player and it would be fun to play him [more],” Roethlisberger said. “But I think you lose the fact that it’s not him versus me. It’s their team versus our team and I think he’ll tell you the same thing.”

QUARTERBACKS DRAFTED IN 2004

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