Giants vs Cowboys Week 1 in Primetime | Big Blue Kickoff Live | New York Giants

0:00 Welcome to Monday's edition of Big Blue Kickoff Live

0:02 here on giants.com YouTube as well as the mobile app.

0:05 He's Paul Dino.

0:06 I'm Lance Meadow with you for the next 60 minutes.

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0:42 Keep getting better.

0:43 So, we got some news early this morning

0:45 in terms of the week one matchup for the Giants.

0:48 We'll get into that.

0:49 Also, rookie mini camp was this past weekend.

0:52 So, Paul and I will provide some takeaways.

0:55 Certainly a lot to delve into, a lot to jump into.

0:58 It's also nice to be alongside you, Paul.

1:00 I feel like we haven't done a show in quite some time.

1:02 It does seem like it's been a while, Lance.

1:04 But here's the good news.

1:05 Now that the wheels are starting to turn

1:07 and we're starting to get those drips of the schedule,

1:09 football season is getting closer and closer and closer,

1:12 and we're going to have a lot more fun talking about it.

1:15 Indeed.

1:15 And before we get to the drum rollesque reveal,

1:18 which I'm sure everybody knows by now, so it's not that much of a buildup.

1:22 Wednesday they'll release the international games and then Thursday is

1:25 the full schedule release and there are indications and reports nothing official

1:29 of course that in all likelihood the Giants will play an international

1:33 game maybe in Germany given they have strong ties to that market.

1:37 Well, they do have the marketing rights.

1:38 As you folks know, a couple of years back,

1:40 the NFL decided to divvy up different

1:43 teams to get different countries for international

1:46 marketing rights for merchandising and stuff

1:48 of that nature for events, etc., etc.

1:52 Um, clubs, classes, clinics, all those kinds of things, right?

1:56 And the Giants in particular were assigned to Germany.

2:00 So,

2:01 Germany absolutely you would believe is in play.

2:04 Uh, I believe potentially London could be in play.

2:07 The Giants have also been there before.

2:09 So, but that's that's just an educated guess based on different

2:14 circumstances that we have seen so far to this point.

2:17 There has been no quote leaks or any crumbs

2:21 of information that have actually come across anybody's desk.

2:24 So, Paul is still working on expanding his pallet as he

2:28 prepares for perhaps where the Giants are going to be headed.

2:30 Good news is though once again London and Germany you've

2:33 been see that's what they got to work out they have

2:36 to meet your needs that would be a heck of a trip

2:38 though in all seriousness to have a game in Italy

2:41 well that's that's the real thing right there

2:43 whether you're a football fan or not how would you not want to go

2:46 I for food purposes of course sure and then the football becomes

2:50 the compliment not even the main course how about that

2:53 I'm telling you so no Italy's not on the list yet commissioner look

2:58 yeah we got to work on that

2:59 listening all right I hear about all these other countries.

3:01 I don't hear Italy.

3:03 No, I'm all for that.

3:04 I fully support your cause.

3:06 All right.

3:06 So, the game that we know about is week one.

3:09 It will be at Metife Stadium and it is going

3:12 to be the latest chapter of the renewal of the rivalry between,

3:15 of course, the Giants and the Cowboys.

3:17 This is the eighth time in the last 15 seasons they're meeting in week one.

3:22 First time since 2023.

3:24 And this is going to be the third time that a game

3:28 will be played in New Jersey because of the previous seven matchups,

3:31 Paul, five have been in Dallas, two have been in East Rutherford,

3:35 you had the 2012 opener that was after the Giants won the Super Bowl,

3:39 and then you had, of course, the game 3 years ago in 2023.

3:43 So, I can't say this is a surprise.

3:45 We know why the NFL loves to showcase the Cowboys and the Giants in week one.

3:50 We do.

3:50 It's the popularity.

3:52 It's the rivalry.

3:53 It's the markets.

3:53 It goes without saying, but as a side note, and Paul,

3:57 you and I have had multiple conversations on and off the air,

4:00 I still would rather them wait three

4:03 or four weeks into the season for divisional games.

4:05 I think given the importance and the value of these games,

4:09 it would be nicer to have the teams get a feel for each other themselves within

4:17 the confines of their own teams before they have

4:20 to now solve the riddle of a divisional foe.

4:23 Well, you know how often I like to quote one of your old buddies, Bill Polon.

4:27 Uh, and he always says, "It takes four weeks to know what your team is.

4:31 You got to wait till a month into the season." Because

4:34 the way that the CBA has morphed training camp and then we

4:37 reduced the preseason games from six to four to three and soon

4:42 going to be two as we both know at some point.

4:44 It's only a matter of time.

4:46 It's very very very difficult for teams to really get their sea

4:50 legs in the first two to three weeks of the season.

4:53 In fact, it's almost next to impossible.

4:56 So, I agree with you.

4:58 I would love to see all of the divisional games

5:01 at the very earliest last week of September at the earliest.

5:05 I don't think the first two weeks should

5:07 have any division games if at all possible.

5:09 Now, again, do we really need to throw a wrench into the computer?

5:13 We know what it is over there.

5:15 those poor NFL people.

5:16 Uh Mike North and company who run the NFL schedule department,

5:21 they go through what what is the number every year?

5:23 $1.5 million million different combinations.

5:26 Oh, absolutely.

5:27 That they have to then whittle down.

5:28 Yeah.

5:29 Because they get multiple printouts from the computer and then

5:31 they choose which one they feel is the most appealing.

5:34 Quite the

5:35 process.

5:35 And I kid you not, if you've ever looked up Mike North on YouTube,

5:39 he has done so many interviews over the years,

5:41 including interviews here for the Giants

5:43 where he describes what they go through.

5:45 And the process is absolutely insane before they finally get one

5:51 that they print out and hand to the commissioner and say, "Okay, Roger,

5:55 give us a check mark for this." And you know,

5:59 I I know that they've got I don't know how many different rules and parameters.

6:04 There's something like over a dozen rules and parameters

6:07 that they try to implement for each and every team.

6:10 Some of them are really easy, right?

6:12 They don't want to give you three road games in a row.

6:14 That's a really easy one.

6:15 Another rule is after the uh the international game,

6:19 they offer every team a by-week.

6:21 They can take it or they don't have to take it,

6:23 but that throws another wrench into the into the schedule.

6:26 So, there are a whole bunch of things.

6:27 The one I love that they added several years ago

6:30 is you have to end the season with a division game.

6:33 I love that one for competitive purposes.

6:36 I think that's a really big plus.

6:38 I would love to be able to throw in that extra rule.

6:41 No division games for at least the first two weeks.

6:44 Three might be a little much, but could computer handle two?

6:47 Well, ideally, I'd love to start divisional play in week five,

6:50 but I understand there may be challenges.

6:52 I could live with week three being the earliest.

6:55 That's fine.

6:56 I think that's a fair compromise.

6:57 I just I am not a fan of once again seeing

6:59 them this early in the season in week one and week two.

7:02 But this is the reality of the circumstance

7:04 because it's not just the competitiveness of the league,

7:08 it's the marketability of the league that they have

7:10 to weigh simultaneously with the reveal of the schedule.

7:13 Now, at least on the surface for this matchup,

7:17 it's always intriguing because they're division rivals,

7:19 but this year you're going to get two new defensive coordinators.

7:23 each team.

7:24 Remember, the Cowboys changed their defensive coordinators,

7:26 so there's not going to be film for either one of them.

7:30 Now, there's film out there for the Dallas

7:31 offense because that's not changing with Brian Shenheimer.

7:34 There's going to be newness across the board,

7:36 of course, with respect to the Giants.

7:38 But it is interesting that each team is bringing

7:41 a new defensive scheme to the table where both squads,

7:45 at least on the offensive side of the ball,

7:47 are going to have to anticipate a little bit because

7:50 there's not going to be any film for them to consume.

7:52 at least with these coordinators running these teams.

7:55 The good news about this matchup for for NBC

7:58 and they're getting it on Sunday Night Football.

8:00 We should mention that it's a prime time

8:01 game and they've had it many many years now.

8:05 In fact, virtually every year that I can remember except

8:08 for last season going back as far as I can remember,

8:13 the Giants and Cowboys have had at least one game in a national window.

8:17 If not a prime time game, it's been the 4:00 or 4:30 game.

8:21 The networks love the Giants and Cowboys because habitually,

8:25 regardless of the team's records, it draws.

8:29 People watch the Giants and Cowboys.

8:32 They love that game.

8:34 The ratings are always one of the best

8:36 regular season rated games every single year.

8:40 Now, part of it is America's team.

8:42 Yes, there's no doubt there's still this this aura about the Cowboys.

8:46 The other part is the Giants are in the New York market,

8:48 number one market in the country.

8:50 Okay.

8:50 Plus, Giants fans are also across the nation too.

8:53 Well, represented.

8:54 No doubt.

8:54 So, so I get the mathematics and the networks actually a lot of times they

8:58 fight over the Giants Cowboys game even if the two teams are not very good.

9:03 Now, last year, you'll recall it didn't happen.

9:06 They did not get in the national window last year, which was very odd.

9:11 Prior to it was a 1:00 game,

9:12 the first one that went to overtime that Dallas won.

9:15 And then the last game obviously had nothing.

9:17 begin to tell you how many straight seasons it was

9:19 that it was either the late Sunday or a prime time.

9:23 I mean, it it seemed like it was forever.

9:26 Now, I will say this since the uh was

9:29 it the 2015 season you quoted the stretch of games?

9:33 Uh go back to the 2012 season.

9:35 2012 season.

9:35 All right.

9:36 Since that time, right, Dallas is uh six and one, correct?

9:43 In the previous seven matchups on week, right?

9:46 They are 2-0 at Metife Stadium in week one.

9:50 12 and 23.

9:52 Correct.

9:52 Yep.

9:53 Okay.

9:53 It has been one-sided

9:55 without a doubt.

9:56 The lone win was 2016 Dak Prescott's first ever game,

10:01 his rookie year, and that was the game,

10:02 remember when Terrence Williams couldn't run out of bounds.

10:04 Correct.

10:05 Dallas was trying to get a game-winning field goal attempt.

10:08 So, it has been a lopsided Cowboys affair.

10:11 Some of those games have come down to the final moments.

10:15 um once or twice Dallas just basically took

10:18 the Giants behind the shed and beat them up.

10:20 That happened.

10:20 The last few have actually been the lopsided ones, Paul.

10:23 I know.

10:24 So, uh it is certainly an interesting dynamic

10:28 as John Harbaugh comes up here to the Giants.

10:31 Uh brand new situation, been to the playoffs 12 out of 18 years.

10:36 John Harbaugh's career record on week in week one, any any idea?

10:41 No, I did not look into that.

10:43 12 and six.

10:45 Okay, not bad.

10:45 He is very good in week one.

10:49 In fact, against division rivals while he was in Baltimore, 5-1 against

10:57 in week one when he opens up against in week

10:59 one against the AFC North when he was in Baltimore.

11:02 The only loss was to Cincinnati when the Bengals

11:05 scored a touchdown inside 5 minutes to go.

11:08 He has been incredibly successful in the opener and I think that goes

11:14 to a lot of his offseason preparation to be frank with you.

11:17 I think it says a lot for him cuz he will practice guys during training camp.

11:22 They're not they're not going to get uh any light-hearted deals here.

11:25 Okay, this is a guy who's going to read that CBA very carefully and make

11:30 sure that he works them to every minute

11:32 and every second of availability in the CBA.

11:37 And I do think that that 12-6 week one record is reflective of his preparation,

11:43 his attention to detail,

11:45 his work ethic, and the fact that he does work his teams hard in the offseason.

11:49 We can see it now during this offseason program.

11:52 These guys are here.

11:53 The attendance has been incredible, and these guys are working hard.

11:57 And so I think that's a very, very, very big plus for the Giants.

12:02 Uh, I also think that, you know,

12:04 Shottenheimimer because he's in his second

12:06 year and Harbaugh's in his first year,

12:08 there's a little more newness for the Giants.

12:11 Uh, because at least when you look at the familiarity

12:14 of some of the players who have been in this matchup,

12:16 Harball becomes the true wild card here.

12:18 The Giants have gone up against the Shenheimer team before.

12:21 You know what I mean?

12:22 So, we'll see.

12:23 Yeah.

12:23 In terms of the players and their familiarity,

12:26 but the coaching staff is brand new.

12:28 The schemes on both sides of the ball.

12:29 Yeah.

12:30 There's a little bit more guessing that the Cowboys are

12:32 going to have to go through compared to the Giants.

12:35 No, I'm in a complete agreement with you there.

12:37 You got me thinking.

12:37 I was just looking.

12:38 Believe it or not, this is going to be the first time

12:40 that a John Harbaugh team opens up against a division rival since 2020.

12:44 His last few years, he did not play a division rival.

12:47 In 2020, they hosted the Browns.

12:50 They won that game.

12:51 So lately it's been an AFC opponent that the Ravens had opened up against,

12:56 but interestingly not within the AFC North.

13:00 So this will be a little bit new for him as well

13:02 as he gets back to divisional play quite early in the season.

13:06 What you were just hitting on, I think,

13:07 is a great transition to the tone and the intensity

13:11 that he set forward this past weekend at rookie mini camp.

13:14 We heard from Harbaugh.

13:16 We heard from several of the Giants draft picks.

13:19 And we also heard from assistant GM Brendan Brown.

13:22 So, I want to go through Paul some of the takeaways.

13:24 Of course, there's only so much you're

13:26 going to take away from the football field.

13:27 Remember, they're still running around

13:28 in their underwear and there's no contact,

13:30 but I found two things interesting in terms of pickups

13:36 from what the players/ Brendan Brown had to say.

13:39 And I actually tweeted about this the other day.

13:42 So, can I interrupt you?

13:43 Sure.

13:43 Yeah, absolutely.

13:43 Before you go there, I want to give you two very generic but very important

13:48 observations about the rookie mini camp before we talk about details.

13:52 Absolutely.

13:52 Yeah.

13:52 Number one, no music.

13:56 Okay.

13:57 We've seen coaches and even Tom Coughlin at the end

14:00 of his tenure here, he didn't want to.

14:02 He bit his lip, but they asked the players asked for music and he will end it.

14:07 Okay.

14:08 Uh this was serious.

14:10 There was no music out there.

14:11 I wonder though, is that just you think for rookie mini camp?

14:15 We will see.

14:15 I don't know.

14:16 Something to keep in mind because it's the young guys, they're just coming in.

14:19 It may have been an intentional decision on his part.

14:23 Just want to throw that out there.

14:24 I I can't say for sure.

14:25 I It will merit further review and investigation

14:29 and more observations as we go forward.

14:32 But this was a very serious rookie mini camp.

14:34 There was no music out there to distract people and consequently

14:38 uh there was no guys dancing around and having fun either.

14:43 Okay.

14:43 Well, they had to force Colton Hood to celebrate the pick six.

14:47 Yeah.

14:47 Right.

14:47 Because he wasn't necessarily thinking about doing it.

14:49 And even said, because it's in a practice setting against my teammates,

14:53 I didn't think it was necessary.

14:55 Incredible play by the way.

14:56 Incredible.

14:56 Incredible play.

14:57 But the point being uh we've already seen

15:00 the tenor that Harbaugh has tried to implement here.

15:05 It is a much more serious, much more detailed and much more focused uh approach

15:11 to the off season than we have seen in a long time.

15:17 So I leave you with that.

15:18 Sure.

15:18 Well, on a side note,

15:19 while I brought up the Colton Hood pick six and the celebration,

15:23 what do you think of his celebration?

15:25 cuz you're not a celebration guy.

15:27 So, I'm not trying to open up Pandora's box here,

15:30 but you are aware of what he did in college.

15:32 The hood.

15:33 Okay.

15:33 I was just curious creativity.

15:35 You give him any stylistic points whatsoever.

15:38 Putting aside your personal feelings about celebrations.

15:41 I'm I'm not a big celebration fan.

15:44 I admit to that.

15:44 And I'm not going to suddenly change my tune because And I'm not asking you to.

15:49 I'm just curious in terms of the creativity, the thought that he put into it.

15:54 It's what you thought about.

15:55 Okay, look at that.

15:56 We got some originality points out.

15:58 It's original.

15:59 And honestly, I guess what I like about it is it's more subdued

16:05 than some other celebrations.

16:07 Yeah.

16:08 It's not out there.

16:09 He's not getting in the grill of an opponent.

16:12 Broadway choreographer.

16:13 No, of course.

16:14 To give him a dance line, a kick line,

16:16 or anything similar to that like so many of these people

16:20 decided they had to do whenever they make a play.

16:23 I mean, come on.

16:25 Seriously, a first down guy gets up after catching a first down pass

16:29 on third and 11 and all of a sudden he wants a Tony award.

16:33 I mean, please.

16:36 Yeah, it's a it's a ridiculous.

16:37 So, at least Hood's celebration is really about as toned down as you could get.

16:42 Yeah, I would say it's pretty subdued compared to others.

16:46 No, I'm with you there.

16:47 So, I I Yeah, that that doesn't really No, that doesn't really bother me.

16:51 That one's I I can digest that.

16:54 Well, I just thought it was interesting how clever it was

16:57 to play off of his name and work that right into the celebration.

17:00 And when you think about it, he went with the hood of a jacket or a sweatshirt,

17:05 but he could have went like the hood of a car.

17:07 He could have done something, you know,

17:08 you close the hood or something like that, too.

17:10 Could have went in a variety of different directions.

17:12 That would have been interesting.

17:14 I will say this, I've had the chance to meet him and speak with him.

17:17 He is a really, really good guy.

17:20 Fun.

17:21 Um, he's got a good personality, excitable, and really enjoys the game.

17:26 And and look, transferred twice.

17:29 Okay, this was his third school in Colorado by the time he

17:33 got to Tennessee and wasn't even supposed to be a boundary corner.

17:37 He was supposed to be the slot corner.

17:38 They had two injuries at the VS on the outside.

17:41 Forced him to play outside this past season out of necessity.

17:46 and he goes out there and puts forth what some people thought was

17:50 a late first round pick tape and the Giants get him at 37.

17:55 Uh my small interaction with him so far is

17:58 that he's just been a pleasure to be around.

18:00 Well, I'm glad we're getting into Colton Hood because that was

18:03 one of the first takeaways I wanted to bring up.

18:06 He mentioned this in passing and then Brendan Brown provided I

18:10 think really interesting context and that's where I want to start.

18:14 Whenever Brendan Brown talks after the draft,

18:16 it's always great because he provides some nice nuggets of what

18:20 they looked for when they were scouting some of these players.

18:23 And the term that

18:25 is always interesting, Paul, that he brings up is touch points.

18:28 He always uses that phrase.

18:30 And for members of the audience that may not understand what we're referring

18:33 to is it's the level and amount of interactions they have with a player,

18:39 whether it's at the high school level, the college level,

18:42 talking to a coach, there's different touch points.

18:44 And basically the goal is by the time the draft comes around,

18:48 you want to make sure that you've had

18:49 all those intersections and a high level of touch

18:52 points so that it gives you a better

18:55 idea of what you're getting out of the player.

18:57 And Paul, it's not always X's and O's.

19:00 It may just be about the personality or the family.

19:03 So that once again when you look at the resume,

19:07 you feel as if you've had all of your tees crossed and eyes dotted.

19:11 And that is a huge point of emphasis

19:13 since Joe Shane and Brendan Brown came aboard.

19:17 I think the best way to describe this is

19:20 that they've had to widen their scope when they talk about this as a resume

19:25 or as a job interview when they're going into the draft.

19:29 teams have have widened their scope now.

19:31 Now it's not just looking at the tape.

19:33 It's not just talking to the coaches to find out about the guy's attitude.

19:37 You know, that stuff is so archaic.

19:39 Now you need to know much more.

19:40 Now you're digging into the guy's social media.

19:43 You're digging into the guy's high school programs.

19:46 Now you're also digging into Well, he transferred once,

19:49 twice, who knows, maybe even three times.

19:52 Now you got to find out why.

19:54 The NIL deal, too.

19:56 How Yeah.

19:56 What what were his what were his reasonings for the NIL in terms

20:00 of well we knew he got money but how much did he get?

20:03 Was he a tough negotiator?

20:05 Was he turning down more money because he wanted to stay

20:08 at the school to be loyal to his coach who recruited him?

20:11 How does he handle money too?

20:13 How does he handle his money?

20:14 No question.

20:15 There's the the scope of research.

20:18 Now think about it folks.

20:20 you walk into any business, okay?

20:23 And I'm specifically talking about a business that is uh more button-d down,

20:29 like a Wall Street business or, you know,

20:31 something of that nature, a button-down office job.

20:34 You walk into one of those, and what do you do?

20:37 You make sure you got the right clothes on.

20:40 You make sure your hair's done right.

20:42 You make sure either you shave or you don't shave,

20:44 depending upon what you know about the company.

20:47 you know, you're going to make sure, you know,

20:49 that everything is, you know, dotted, crossed, and you look exactly right.

20:55 You're going to make sure you're on time.

20:58 You're going to make sure that, you know, you have a pen and pad with you.

21:02 You're going to make sure that everything is going

21:04 to be taken care of before you walk into that interview.

21:08 And this is what the teams have now started to do.

21:11 The research is much wider is really what I'm getting to.

21:16 the scope is much wider.

21:18 There are many more factors involved when they're

21:21 looking at these college prospects than ever before.

21:25 And quite honestly, and this this this one will

21:29 will kind of shock you just a little bit too.

21:31 When you said about handling their money with NIL, that's now part of it too.

21:37 teams are looking for if they know a guy got x number of dollars in his NIL.

21:42 They want to know when that guy comes to the interview, what's he wearing?

21:47 How much jewelry does he have on?

21:49 How much money did he spend on his jewelry?

21:51 Uh did he pull up in in a Mercedes?

21:53 Did he pull up in a Cadillac or did he pull up in uh in in just a regular sedan?

21:59 You know, these are all things that they

22:03 will take notice of because it's all part

22:06 of this new expanded checklist for what these players

22:09 are going to bring into your locker room.

22:11 And how hungry is the player given the fact that he's had exposure to money?

22:16 It's one thing to love football,

22:17 but does that still drive you to take your game to the next level?

22:21 And related to what you were just talking about,

22:24 Malachi Fields is the perfect example of that, the Notre Dame wide receiver,

22:28 because he started at Virginia,

22:31 but decided to stay in school for an additional year.

22:34 Now, Fields, when he spoke to the media, he acknowledged, listen,

22:38 I got feedback from scouts and they told

22:40 me there's things I still need to work on.

22:42 And that's what drove me to then change to programs and get to a point

22:48 where I could then put on film the things that maybe they were questioning.

22:51 But you could see another player, Paul, to your point,

22:55 decide to come back simply because they're making good NIL money.

22:59 And it really has nothing to do with shaping and formulating

23:02 their game to elevate it and take it to another level

23:06 or winning a national title in college.

23:07 Sure.

23:07 All those competitive things.

23:09 Big thing for a lot of college players.

23:11 They think they got a chance to win a title.

23:13 They want to come back and win a title before they turn pro.

23:16 Other guys, no.

23:18 Uh, winning's nice, but uh, how much NIL money am I gonna make this year?

23:22 Ah, that's not enough.

23:23 I think I'm jumping.

23:24 I'm going to be a first round pick.

23:25 I'm going to jump.

23:25 Yeah, this stuff matters.

23:27 Well, it's changed the mindset of players.

23:30 And since the mindset of the player now has altered,

23:33 now GMs and executives need to tweak

23:36 their thinking and can't take things for granted

23:39 or overlook factors that maybe they weren't necessarily

23:42 too invested in perhaps seven, eight years ago.

23:45 So the reason I bring up the touch point aspect is going back to high school

23:51 and what Colton Hood did caught the Giants

23:54 attention and that was his baseball career interestingly.

23:58 So, he was a two-time allstate center fielder

24:01 at Eagles Landing Christian Academy in Mcdana, Georgia.

24:05 Now, why is that interesting?

24:06 Well, first of all, when Hood spoke to reporters,

24:10 and this was after the pick six,

24:12 he said it is 10 times more difficult to track a baseball than a football.

24:18 So he said his experience from playing the outfield actually helped

24:22 his football skill set because it gave him maybe a better background than

24:27 other defensive backs in terms of the pursuit of the ball and what

24:30 you have to do and what you have to put into that.

24:33 And then Brendan Brown, the assistant GM of the Giants,

24:38 he further expanded on how that skill set caught

24:42 the attention and eye of the Giants front office.

24:46 And of course, just his overall athleticism.

24:49 And that's the other thing.

24:51 Not to say that this wasn't relevant, Paul, 20 years ago.

24:54 There have always been multisport athletes in high school and college.

24:58 But if you have a track background, if you have a baseball background,

25:02 if you've played basketball, volleyball, you name it.

25:05 I think knowing that is critical information

25:09 for front offices because you're also wondering, okay,

25:13 how does that potential athleticism translate to how we may

25:16 utilize that player on the NFL level such as, for example,

25:21 an Arville Ree who still is a bit raw

25:24 in terms of his development as a young player.

25:27 Well, we have often talked about guys who

25:29 had basketball skills or wrestling skills for that matter

25:34 who have been able to use some of that stuff when they get to the NFL.

25:37 We talk about particularly guys in the trenches about that wrestling background

25:42 offensive lineman

25:43 can help them with leverage, you know.

25:45 So, these things are all very important.

25:47 But I think the point that we made about these touch points and about

25:51 the research and the scope and the focus of of what these teams

25:55 are now doing to check on these guys was all very apparent when you

26:01 listened to Brandon Brown and even Harbaugh and Shane when the draft was over.

26:07 listening to the detail that they had on these guys.

26:11 This whole class of seven draft picks, they had such deep,

26:17 deep, minute details on all of these guys.

26:21 It was impressive.

26:22 I mean, don't for one second think the Giants

26:26 skimmed or or were lax in their research.

26:30 They really did their homework.

26:32 Not to say that they haven't done it before because I

26:35 always thought and had great respect for the Giants personnel department,

26:39 but my goodness, they were very,

26:42 very careful when they vetted out these picks this year.

26:45 Yeah.

26:45 And that's why Brendan Brown's press conference is always

26:48 interesting because he reveals that level of attention to detail.

26:52 The other thing that came up in his press conference was

26:55 them putting resources and attention into some of the smaller allstar games.

27:02 And why do they go there?

27:03 Because they want to see how a player they

27:06 may have interest in goes up against better competition.

27:10 Case in point, Bobby Jameson Travis, their sixth round pick out of Auburn.

27:14 And Brendon Brown even mentioned, listen,

27:16 there are things that he still needs to work on from a technique standpoint,

27:20 but they got to see him in an all-star game setting.

27:24 That gave them another indicator of maybe what

27:27 the offensive line coach can do, Mike Bloomrren,

27:30 and how he can maybe tweak to get to the level

27:34 of where they need him to be on the NFL front.

27:37 And it was the same thing with some

27:38 of the undrafted players that they wound up signing.

27:41 Seeing them in an allstar setting when you're playing at Kutztown, for example,

27:47 versus what you do when you're going up against division one

27:50 caliber players gives you just a better idea and another touch point,

27:55 as Brendan Brown likes to call it,

27:57 to see if you're making a substantive decision.

28:00 So, I thought all of that was interesting.

28:02 The other thing that I wanted to bring up that I thought was something

28:06 of note from the press conferences was when

28:10 Cece Francis Maui Noah spoke to the media, their second first round pick,

28:15 the offensive lineman out of Miami, and he mentioned that

28:20 he worked with John Feliciano,

28:21 which is a name that Giants fans should recognize, the former Giant.

28:25 But he also recently had a conversation, Paul, with Jaylen Rivers.

28:29 Now, why is that name interesting?

28:30 Jaylen Rivers was the left tackle at Miami who crossed over

28:34 a few years with Cece and he was a 2025 fifth round pick

28:38 of the Cincinnati Bengals and clearly he had the final two years

28:42 of his experience with the Hurricanes on the left side as a tackle.

28:47 Now he did play left guard prior to that earlier in his career at college,

28:50 but the Bengals brought him in.

28:52 They had a lot of injuries and he wound up starting seven games at right guard.

28:57 So, the reason why CC wanted to speak to him is he wanted to get an idea.

29:01 Year one, you're transitioning to a new position, at least on the NFL level.

29:07 What was it like?

29:08 So, you could tell Maui Noah is doing his homework

29:11 even beyond what is going on on the practice field.

29:14 However, and this is still important to note,

29:17 the difference though between his teammate Rivers and Maui Noah is

29:21 Maui Noah all 42 starts were at right tackle at Miami,

29:24 but he practiced.

29:26 practiced at another position, but as you well know,

29:28 there's a distinct difference in practicing versus game situations,

29:32 whereas Rivers had two seasons worth of experience.

29:35 They didn't start all games at left guard and then

29:39 moved over to left tackle for his final two years.

29:42 So, a little bit of a difference in terms of Rivers brought some

29:44 experience in games at the collegiate level with him to the NFL at guard.

29:49 to backtrack for just a second because you

29:50 were talking about Fields a moment or two ago.

29:53 Uh Fields was a high school quarterback.

29:55 Yeah.

29:56 Which also went into that whole thing about what they did

29:59 finding out about Hood being a center fielder in high school.

30:03 Fields was a quarterback in high school and they believe that that actually

30:06 has helped him also not only running routes but dealing with defensive backs,

30:12 looking at mannerisms,

30:13 what a quarterback is thinking when he's got to throw him the ball.

30:16 These are all this this this I can't tell

30:20 you how impressed I am with what the Giants did.

30:22 I really can't.

30:22 Well, it was fascinating once again to listen

30:24 to the players talk about their history and then

30:27 of course Brendan Brown because we have received

30:31 a lot of these Nuggets and Intel in previous years,

30:33 but they really went into a lot of detail it felt this season,

30:37 maybe more so in previous years, not about their college experiences,

30:41 but really getting into the weeds of high school.

30:45 I can't remember in previous years them tapping, okay,

30:53 that could then relate to how we're going to utilize them on the NFL level.

30:57 That I thought was a little bit new, at least in terms of the feedback

31:02 and just sort of reflecting on the draft process.

31:06 And as we've heard in previous years,

31:08 Brendan Brown really gave a lot of credit to the area

31:11 scouts who picked up on some of these players and got

31:15 to know the ins and outs of their family as well

31:18 as what they did once again on the high school level.

31:22 And then of course with Colton Hood, it helps when Rodri Hood,

31:25 your uncle, played for John Harbaugh with the Philadelphia Eagles.

31:28 So let's not forget there was a lot of overlap, a lot of questions.

31:32 I will say this though, if anybody is trying out for the Giants softball team,

31:37 I guess you're not going to be playing center field

31:38 this year if Colton Hood wants to get some reps.

31:41 And by the way, also being mentored by Patrick Peterson, too.

31:45 Yes.

31:45 Former Arizona Cardinals cornerback.

31:47 Don good one as well.

31:48 No doubt about it.

31:49 Yeah.

31:49 A lot of overlap by the way with NFL

31:52 players and that we have seen Peterson with Hood.

31:55 We talked about Feliciano with Maui Noah.

31:57 Then there's of course Roger Hood who talks to his nephew as well.

32:01 Well, it always helps to get the perspective of a former NFL player.

32:05 And the other thing that Maui Noah talked about was

32:08 the fact that he still stays in communication with his Miami

32:12 coaches just to get their perspective on some

32:15 of the things that he should be working on from technique.

32:17 He credited the Miami offensive line coach, and the name is escaping me.

32:22 I have to look it up for grooming him and selling him on practicing at just

32:29 about every position because a you just never know.

32:32 Correct.

32:33 You never know what's going to happen during the course of a season,

32:35 but also knowing that on the NFL level, they may not see you as a tackle.

32:41 They may not see you as a guard.

32:43 So, if you tell them, hey, you know what?

32:45 I had some exposure elsewhere, that at least gives you a better foundation.

32:48 We've dealt with Mario Crystalall, the head coach of the Hurricanes in the past,

32:52 who is a former offensive line himself.

32:54 And I was going to say, yep,

32:56 folks, if you don't know anything about Crystal Ball,

32:58 he's one of those Harbaugh types.

33:00 Loves football 247.

33:02 Lives it, breathes it.

33:03 He's been that way his whole career since he

33:05 came out of the Hurricanes program as a player, and it hasn't changed one bit.

33:10 So, you know, you know what you're getting if

33:12 Crystal Ball gives the guy the stamp of approval.

33:16 No, I think that's a great point.

33:17 I mean, I remember when the Giants drafted Evan Neil.

33:19 I had a conversation with Crystal Ball 101 to get reflection.

33:23 I mean, he just it's amazing.

33:25 He was with Sabin with the Tide.

33:27 He's moved from team to team.

33:28 You name it, he's been all around the block.

33:31 So, he knows when it comes to molding

33:34 and mentoring offensive linemen because once again,

33:36 he lived it up close and personal.

33:38 All right, let's open up the phone lines.

33:40 We'll also get to some of your social media comments as well.

33:44 But before we do that, a reminder, Giants fans,

33:46 you can be there for the 2026 Town Hall presented by Verizon.

33:50 It's live from the Beacon Theater in New York City on Monday, May 18th.

33:53 You can get an exclusive preview of the season

33:56 with GM Joe Shane and head coach John Harbaugh.

33:58 Plus, you can hear from current players like Jackson Dart, Cam Scataboo,

34:02 and Brian Burns, along with members of the newest draft class.

34:05 Secure your seats now.

34:06 Giants.com/townall.

34:09 That's giants.com/townhall.

34:12 And kudos to our top producer John for looking up.

34:16 So Alex Mirabbal is the University of Miami

34:18 Hurricanes offensive line coach and assistant head coach.

34:21 That was the individual that Maui Noah gave credit to for helping him

34:25 move around and practice different positions throughout

34:28 the season as well as the offseason.

34:31 All right, let's open up the phone lines.

34:32 Johnny Mack is all football all the time

34:34 without a doubt.

34:35 There is no off switch except when the Knicks are playing.

34:39 Okay, so and he gets a slight out.

34:41 That's okay because we all appreciate the New York.

34:43 But you could actually be watching a Knicks

34:45 game and still thinking about Giants football in fairness.

34:48 That's true.

34:49 So maybe he never really truly distracts himself.

34:51 Did you ever think about that?

34:52 We're really getting deep here on this program.

34:55 Okay, we'll put that in his personnel file for when he gets drafted.

34:57 No doubt about it.

34:57 Yeah, another touch point for us

35:01 indeed.

35:00 Within the framework of BBKL.

35:02 All right, let's head to the lines.

35:04 We got Abdul in Minneapolis joining us.

35:06 What's happening, Abdul?

35:07 Hey guys, what's up?

35:08 Hi.

35:08 Uh so uh I think another reason why they they owe their opening with Dallas New

35:13 York on um on Sunday night is I

35:16 think that weekend is the 20th 25th anniversary of

35:19 it is it's two days right after that cuz it's

35:20 the game is on the 13th which is right after obviously the

35:23 might have something in life stadium and just

35:26 I think that might be a reason

35:28 it's also 40th anniversary of the 86 Super Bowl team too.

35:32 Don't forget that.

35:33 Yeah.

35:33 But but Abdul, before I let you continue,

35:36 I think is is is I think it's symbolic

35:38 that they might want to do something on that night.

35:40 Yeah.

35:40 No, no, I I agree with you, but in fairness,

35:42 they didn't necessarily have to play the Cowboys.

35:44 They could open up the season at Metife so

35:46 that it's a home game in the local area,

35:48 but they didn't necessarily have to play the Cowboys.

35:50 I don't know if that necessarily

35:52 the degrading cherry on top.

35:53 You know what I mean?

35:53 Sure.

35:54 No, no.

35:54 I I understand.

35:55 I'm saying the rationale and the reasoning,

35:56 but I was just saying your 9/11 correlation.

35:59 I really don't think it matters who the Giants would play

36:02 in that setting because you're still going to honor and do

36:05 your due diligence with respect to all of the lives that we

36:08 lost from a local perspective regardless of who the opponent is,

36:11 I guess, is what I'm getting at.

36:13 Agreed.

36:13 Agreed.

36:14 Um what I meant to call is I'm um I really I'm hoping

36:18 that the Giants are um are really have finally invested in the um

36:24 growing the the interior of the both offense and defensive line or the offensive

36:28 defense because for many years people always talk about you know it's

36:31 important to build from the inside to the outside and then when

36:33 the rubber meets the road they draft they draft receivers and this year you

36:37 know and things like that you know flashier signier things and this year

36:40 when they picked um the tackle from Miami over downs or over a receiver.

36:46 That was a really big indication that they're that they

36:48 finally are serious to start building it the right way.

36:51 And it's really uh given me besides just having Harbar, you know,

36:55 in the building that they are finally headed the right way.

36:58 Um and I think, you know, just my other big team, the Knicks,

37:02 the Knicks are finally doing it the right way and it shows,

37:05 you know, not trying to, you know,

37:06 sign older uh free agents like like they're used to.

37:09 They they built it in the right way and the Knicks turned it around.

37:11 So, I'm hoping the uh the Giants have

37:13 a Nick a nickesque turnaround this year uh the season.

37:17 All right, Abdul.

37:18 Appreciate the phone call.

37:20 Yeah, thanks for giving us a ring.

37:21 The one thing though I I will say in fairness

37:24 and I get the point about at least this year's draft,

37:27 you took an offensive line in the top 10, but Paul,

37:30 recent history, John Michael Schmidz was a second

37:33 round pick and then Evan Neil was

37:35 in a similar circumstance when they had two

37:38 first rounders just like we saw this year.

37:40 So, how do you think they got Andrew Thomas?

37:42 He was a firstrounder.

37:43 Correct.

37:44 But Thomas is a little bit further back, I guess, is what I'm saying.

37:46 I'm talking about recent history, 22 23.

37:48 You don't have to go that far back.

37:50 And we've even talked about this over the years.

37:52 And this is not a defense mechanism that I'm pulling out here.

37:54 All I'm saying is is that there is

37:56 a distinct difference between being willing to draft

38:00 offensive linemen and then whether or not it

38:03 works out is the opposite side of the equation.

38:06 So, I think the Giants have shown a willingness to invest in the trenches.

38:10 Unfortunately, previous linemen haven't necessarily panned out and that's

38:15 why obviously they're back to the drawing board.

38:18 Yeah.

38:19 So, you know, I just think that it's important to at least

38:21 understand that I don't think they've been ignoring the trenches.

38:25 It's just the players that previously

38:27 have come through there haven't stayed healthy or for a variety of other reasons

38:33 haven't performed at the level that they needed.

38:35 And that's why once again now they are

38:37 looking to start the youth movement once again.

38:40 Lance, I would not sleep on JC Davis out of Illinois.

38:43 Sixth round pick.

38:45 That is a big mistake if people are overlooking that guy.

38:48 Oh, sixth round pick, you know, late third day.

38:51 Practice squad guy.

38:52 Look, I don't know if he'll be on the practice squad of the 53 this year,

38:56 but I know one thing from watching that guy's tape.

38:59 You put him in a phone booth at guard, oh man, he has got power.

39:04 He's got the frame, the width, the size,

39:08 he is going to be a really good NFL guard one day.

39:12 As long as he takes to the coaching and makes the conversion

39:15 to the phone booth because he was a tackle at Illinois,

39:18 he is not a tackle in the NFL in my opinion.

39:20 Even though he has the size and the length to do it, not athletic enough,

39:25 couldn't handle the speed rushes off the edge as well as I would like

39:28 him to, but I think at guard he is going to be really good.

39:33 65 335.

39:35 I'm not a huge fan of making comparisons,

39:37 but the last time that did draft an offensive lineman out of Illinois,

39:40 we know how that worked out.

39:41 And that was our colleague David Deal.

39:44 So, he was a late round pick, too.

39:47 He sure was.

39:48 You never know.

39:49 To your point.

39:50 So, it's going to be once again tough,

39:52 at least in year one, for him to make an indent.

39:55 No doubt.

39:55 But down the road, Paul, keep an eye on him.

39:58 I'm just telling you folks, keep an eye on JC Davis.

40:01 Let's head back to the phone lines.

40:03 Roberto is in Florida joining us.

40:05 What's happening, Roberto?

40:07 Hey, Lance.

40:08 Uh, my man Paulie.

40:11 Hi.

40:10 Listen, check Hey, check this out.

40:12 Right.

40:12 Uh, going real quick.

40:16 Jack Kelly will not be in a practice squad.

40:20 He will be at least in a special team, right?

40:24 But check this out.

40:26 Sunday night, Cowboys.

40:29 We if we check our records from Thursday night and Sunday nights,

40:33 if you check our winning records, we can make a horror movie out of that, right?

40:37 I know it's been rough.

40:38 I know all about it.

40:40 Yeah.

40:40 Okay, so this is where I'm at with this.

40:43 A lot of people be like, "Oh my god, Sunday night the games that." No,

40:48 this Sunday night for us will be an exclamation point, right?

40:52 The buck stops here.

40:54 Cuz I've been telling Paulie and moves, I call myself Mr.

40:58 excitement.

41:00 Yeah.

41:00 Right.

41:02 Yeah.

41:01 We were we that the not being able to play 60 minutes of football, that's gone.

41:07 We are going to play.

41:08 Also, when we play, I think what was it?

41:11 Wilson threw for like 500 or a couple thousand

41:13 yards against the Cowboys that first game last year.

41:17 Okay.

41:17 Quite the clinic.

41:18 Yeah.

41:18 They did add a lot of defense by the way this off season.

41:21 The Cowboys are much better defense.

41:23 We lose the game in overtime because of I think that guy's name was Hudson.

41:28 committed those uh you know offense.

41:30 I think he was playing guard in place for Thomas.

41:33 No, he Yeah, he was he was the left tackle and he's not here anymore.

41:38 That's very true.

41:39 Yeah.

41:39 You talk about all the penalties in the first quarter.

41:41 Yeah, he he three three three penalties.

41:45 One of them was for a touchdown.

41:47 I wonder why.

41:48 But listen, I like the fact that we can do some slot things, right?

41:55 Even Mooney, right?

41:57 We got we got U.

41:58 Hey, before I go any further,

42:00 when I talked to you a minute ago, couple months ago,

42:03 I came in with a shopping list and I haven't heard

42:05 you say shopping list since I brought in a shopping list.

42:09 Four of those guys that were in my shopping list are with the G today.

42:14 Now, as far as the draft, the draft this year was nothing other than brilliant

42:23 because on we didn't have a third round pick

42:25 and somehow we managed to give up something

42:29 to get in the third round and get Malachi Fields.

42:32 Brilliant.

42:32 Right

42:35 now, when I spoke to Paulie last week, I was talking about Harris and Alexander.

42:40 Those boys are going to be a terror this year.

42:42 They've going to be hard to beat for a spot.

42:44 But when I mention ma Marcus Bo,

42:49 I mentioned Marcus Bo when I was talking about the offensive lineman

42:53 and Paulie thought I was talking about Marcus Bo being in in the defense.

42:57 No, I know we brought that.

42:59 You merged all the names together.

43:01 You were talking about defensive line and then all of a sudden you threw Marcus

43:04 Bose's name in there and and you really confused us the way you were going.

43:09 But but you're absolutely right.

43:11 The Giants have some young players on both

43:13 sides of the trenches who if they develop properly,

43:16 which they haven't always done here, to Lance's point,

43:19 this could be a really really nice situation for them.

43:24 Yes.

43:24 And and my point for the call is we, you know, listen,

43:30 I'm not a gambler, but I know one thing, a scareman can't win.

43:33 I don't like prevent defense defense

43:35 because prevent defense prevents you from winning.

43:38 That's my That's my thought, right?

43:41 Stone.

43:42 But this year, I'm excited.

43:45 I'm positive.

43:46 Bring the Cowboys.

43:47 I already mentioned we are taking this division and one

43:51 of the wild card games going to come through the Maryland.

43:55 Now, with that, listen, I love the show.

43:59 I love you guys.

44:00 And I just got to get better educated about football.

44:03 I've been watching it for like since I was in diapers.

44:06 Well, diapers.

44:07 Yeah.

44:07 We have hampers.

44:08 But glad you clarified that.

44:11 Yes.

44:12 You know that.

44:13 Yeah.

44:13 But that's called TMI as in too much information.

44:16 Okay.

44:18 Yeah.

44:18 Yeah.

44:18 I know.

44:19 Take I'm taking it off the air.

44:21 You know, give me give me some exciting thoughts about Sunday Night Football.

44:25 All right, Roberto.

44:26 Yeah, you got it.

44:27 Appreciate the phone call.

44:28 I mean, I think we talked a lot about it off the top.

44:30 I don't know necessarily if it would classify as exciting.

44:33 We were certainly sticking to the facts and talking about the recent history.

44:36 The one thing though I will say,

44:38 and this definitely doesn't fall under the excitement umbrella, Roberto,

44:41 I would not read so much into previous Cowboys Giants matchups,

44:46 very rarely do they relate to one another,

44:48 especially if you're talking about the previous season.

44:51 There's new personnel.

44:53 As Paul and I were discussing,

44:54 you've got a new defensive coordinator for the Cowboys, a lot of new personnel.

44:58 We know the Giants have newness across the board.

45:00 Whether Russell Wilson threw for x amount of yards

45:03 in the first matchup against the Cowboys really doesn't say much

45:07 of anything about how this one is going to go

45:09 because it's going to be familiarity to a certain degree,

45:14 but a lot of unfamiliarity with respect to that.

45:18 Excitement should always come to the forefront when you talk about a new season.

45:22 And I think it's a great right out of the gates test,

45:26 Paul, for the Giants when you do play a division rival.

45:29 Because this goes back to when John Harbaugh got the job

45:32 and he was talking about this in a recent interview.

45:35 It wasn't on the Giants website or anything like that, but he said you've

45:39 got to build a team that is

45:41 capable of competing and beating your division rivals.

45:45 Not to say that, of course, there's still 11 games outside of the division,

45:50 but he understands the importance of feeling you've got

45:54 the personnel in place to go mono with the Cowboys,

46:01 with the Eagles, with the Commanders,

46:02 and feel as if you're in good position to win a football game.

46:07 So, he's going to get a taste of that immediately with his team.

46:11 I mean, there is no get comfortable, get warm and fuzzy,

46:17 and then four or five games in, see how you fare against the NFC East.

46:22 It's right away Sunday Night Football,

46:24 there's going to be a lot of eyes because it's

46:26 a premier prime time game and they don't have competition elsewhere.

46:30 Everybody else would have finished up earlier in the day.

46:32 So, I think once again, it's exciting from the standpoint of you get to gauge

46:38 early in the season where the Giants are at.

46:42 Well, to your point about the division, and every good head coach always says

46:45 you have to talk about your division first.

46:48 So, I don't know that that's necessarily special,

46:50 but here's where I will agree with you a thousand%.

46:53 Harbaugh saw when he took this job that if you look at the NFC East,

46:59 both sides of the ball, the offensive and defensive fronts,

47:03 this could be the toughest or certainly one

47:06 of the two toughest divisions in the National

47:08 Football League if you strictly look at the fronts along the line of scrimmage.

47:13 And he made it clear that during the Giants off season,

47:17 they were going to do what they could do to improve both of those fronts.

47:22 And whether or not it was free agency or the draft,

47:25 they addressed the fronts on both sides of the ball.

47:28 And that was not an accident.

47:30 That was intentional.

47:32 That was a primary objective by coach Harbaugh.

47:35 And when they couldn't address the front

47:36 any further on the defensive line uh perspective,

47:40 they wind up getting Arll Reese,

47:43 who was the the number one uh you know, front seven guy in in this draft.

47:51 I mean, there's no question about that.

47:52 And now Bailey at the moment better pure pass rusher at the moment,

47:57 but in terms of overall ability,

47:58 the best front seven guy in this draft was Arville Reese.

48:01 Everybody knew that.

48:02 And somehow the Giants lucked into getting him at five.

48:05 So that's that's to the point about the trenches and about the division.

48:10 It's clear this is a trenches division.

48:12 You remember the old black and blue division we used to call the NFC

48:15 Central with the Bears and the Lions and the Vikings and the Packers?

48:18 That was the old black and blue division.

48:20 The NFC East is now the black

48:22 and blue division of of the National Football League.

48:25 And you need to play bully ball if you're going to win,

48:28 certainly if you're going to compete at the very least.

48:30 And I think that's to me that's the theme

48:33 of of what Harbaugh's trying to go go at.

48:35 Well, on a related note to that, as we look ahead

48:38 to this week one matchup now that we know it's the Cowboys,

48:41 two facets that we have been discussing on this show,

48:44 at least on the defensive side of the ball that the Giants need to improve.

48:47 Number one, they need to improve the run defense.

48:49 Okay, they're going up against a Dallas team that I

48:52 thought made strides in that department last season with Javvante Williams.

48:56 So, you're going to get an idea of, okay,

48:58 how far did the Giants move in the right direction

49:02 in terms of shoring up their run defense and then

49:04 the secondary where there's going to be jobs that are

49:07 still up for grabs of course during training camp.

49:09 So, we don't know exactly who's going to start week one,

49:13 but you've got Paul Sadbo coming off a season where he battled some injuries.

49:18 What type of a role does Deontay Banks have?

49:21 Is Colton Hood going to win out?

49:23 Is Greg Nuome going to take charge?

49:26 Is Drew Phillips going to be the main slot guy?

49:28 I threw out a lot of questions and you're going to get CD Lamb.

49:33 Okay.

49:33 One of the best wide receivers in the NFL.

49:36 And George Pickins just recently signed his franchise tag.

49:39 So, I would say there's a very good chance

49:40 that he will be wearing a Cowboys uniform next season.

49:43 Okay.

49:43 Well, that's two top-notch wide receivers.

49:47 Where is the Giants secondary in comparison to elite white outs in the NFL?

49:54 The Cowboys personnel offers that once again to give

49:57 the Giants defense and Dinard Wilson an idea of okay,

50:01 where are you in week one and are you where you need to be or where

50:06 can you then make a leap to come let's say week eight or week nine,

50:10 the midway point to the season?

50:11 You know, Lance, going back to our first point though,

50:14 you don't know what your team is the first couple of weeks.

50:17 But even if the Giants don't farewell against Dallas,

50:20 it doesn't mean anything by the time you get to the second half.

50:23 And no disputing there,

50:24 but I think it's at least a litmus test to give the coaching staff an idea.

50:28 Wow, we still have a lot of work to do

50:30 or the competition in training camp help elevate the group a little bit.

50:35 It depends.

50:35 If you were to lose that game, it depends how you lose it.

50:39 Do you lose it because you are out physicalled, so to speak?

50:43 Are you beaten up?

50:44 Do you lose it because they physically they batter you all over the field

50:48 like what the Knicks did to the Sixers on the floor last night?

50:51 Do you just get totally whipped behind the uh the shed?

50:56 Is that what happens?

50:57 Or do you lose that game because you missed a couple of field goals,

51:02 you you had a couple of fumbles,

51:04 uh you had a couple of busted coverages on two touchdown passes.

51:07 Were they memes?

51:08 where they careless mistakes and memes.

51:11 You lose a game like that, it's a lot different than if you get pummeled.

51:16 Well, you're talking about context.

51:18 Context.

51:18 Absolutely.

51:19 Were there mental errors or were there more fundamental issues?

51:22 Look, I just assume they did not play Dallas in week one.

51:25 To be honest, I I've changed my tune over the years.

51:28 years ago, I used to like the division

51:30 opponent being number one because of what's

51:33 happened with training camps becoming so watered

51:35 down and then losing the extra preseason game.

51:38 Now, I could not be more against having a division rival in game one.

51:42 Now, don't get me wrong, that night, you know,

51:45 you're going to have to pick me off the clouds because

51:47 I'm going to be so sky-high and intense for the game.

51:50 Believe me, Harbble's going to want out.

51:51 He's going to want me out there on kickoff coverage.

51:54 But the truth of the matter is I'd still rather have division games later on.

52:00 I really would.

52:01 And and honestly, here's the other thing too about this.

52:05 You know, I don't I don't want to be negative in any way,

52:11 but if you if you get so psychologically ramped up

52:15 for that first game and something goes wrong and you lose,

52:20 now you got a lot of young players in that locker room.

52:22 You got to make sure their psyche doesn't get doesn't get

52:24 hurt because and I know you're going to say, "Well, you know,

52:28 these guys are professionals." No,

52:29 there's a lot of young guys in that locker room

52:31 and and there are psychological effects of certain wins and certain losses.

52:38 you know, if if everyone builds that game up to like be the Giants early

52:43 version of the Super Bowl because it's week one and we're going to show Dallas,

52:46 we're going to show the NFC East,

52:48 we're going to show the nation and the NFL that the Giants are back,

52:52 the Giants are for real, the Giants are contenders,

52:55 and then you go out and you lose whatever the score is.

52:59 All of a sudden it's likew and and that can

53:03 really psychologically weigh on a team because now

53:07 you're going to go into week two and no

53:08 matter who you play week two you know what

53:10 the mantra is going to be around New York City it's going to be the Giants have

53:14 to win week two now it's a must win cuz if you go 0 and2 oh the season's over

53:20 you know that's what's going to happen so that's why I I really

53:24 resist the division game in week one myself but it is what it is.

53:28 Yeah, you tend to get an overreaction, but once again,

53:30 I think that comes from outside sources more than internal sources.

53:35 Here's the other thing.

53:35 He did bring over several players from the Ravens that were with him.

53:39 They understand how fierce division foes are.

53:42 They've also had years where they've struggled

53:44 in the early season and then turned things around.

53:47 So, you got enough diversity, I guess, Paul, I would argue, on this roster.

53:51 I hope so.

53:51 Yeah.

53:52 There are young guys who they maybe lost

53:54 one or two games over their entire collegiate careers.

53:57 There have been holdovers though here who

53:58 have experienced the losing for a while.

54:02 Absolutely.

54:01 You don't want you don't want that infection

54:05 because that early infection could be detrimental.

54:08 No.

54:08 And I get where you're coming from in terms of those group of players.

54:11 But I hurt this team the last two years.

54:14 But I guess did the mindset of here we go again.

54:18 Was that the main reason or did it have more to do with

54:21 there was a there were a lot of execution?

54:23 There were a lot of reasons but it just piles on.

54:26 It does.

54:27 I'm not dismissing what you're saying,

54:29 but I think we're going so deep in terms of the mental,

54:33 psychological side of things.

54:34 And listen, that is a big part of his game,

54:37 but I could point to a lot of things that are completely

54:39 unrelated to that as to why the Giants were in their current circumstance.

54:43 I'm on board.

54:43 I understand what you're saying.

54:45 Let's head back to the phone lines.

54:46 Mike is in Florida with us here on BBKLO.

54:49 What's happening, Mike?

54:50 Hey guys, I've got two questions.

54:53 Uh, one is a non-foot one.

54:56 And Lance, you can answer this.

54:59 If the Giants got the rights to Italy,

55:02 do you think Paul would be a good replacement

55:06 for Stanley Tucci and allow Paul to tour Italy for food?

55:12 You can take that one offline.

55:14 Well, well, just real quick here, Mike.

55:15 I mean, listen, I'm a big film guy.

55:17 Does Tucci do some type of cuisine show?

55:20 I wasn't aware of that.

55:21 Is that what you're referencing?

55:22 Oh, yeah.

55:23 He's back for a uh a second season.

55:26 Oh, he is.

55:27 Okay.

55:27 I didn't realize that he does a cuisine show.

55:28 Okay.

55:29 Really good actor.

55:30 Lot of films that I'm fond of, but I have not tuned into his TV series,

55:35 but I put two and two together.

55:36 So, I will pat myself on the back

55:38 from that standpoint to at least understand your reference.

55:40 I'm going to wait.

55:41 I'm going to ponder.

55:42 I'm going to think about it before I give you an answer.

55:44 So, let's go to the You know, do you not?

55:47 I know who Guy Ferry is.

55:48 Sure.

55:48 Absolutely.

55:49 Well, Guy Ferry doesn't have the acting resume of Stanley Tucci.

55:52 I will tell you that.

55:53 Yes.

55:54 But he's got the food appetite.

55:55 He does.

55:56 No disputing that as well.

55:57 Yes.

55:58 Okay.

55:58 Um, my football question is with all

56:02 of the new coaches and coordinators that Har bought

56:07 in, how does he how have you seen him get them all on the same page?

56:14 because they've got to transmit that vision to the football players.

56:19 So, you know, how does the offensive line coach work

56:23 with the tight end's coach work with the running backs coach?

56:27 What have you guys seen to develop that harmony so

56:31 that when we hit the ground running for game one,

56:35 we got an excellent chance of winning game one.

56:39 All right, we'll let you go on that note, Mike, and appreciate the phone call.

56:43 Too early to tell in terms of our eyewitness accounts.

56:46 We have seen very very very very little.

56:50 I mean there was uh uh the offseason program began.

56:54 They got out on the field for the voluntary mini camp.

56:57 That was there was hardly anything there to see.

56:59 I mean they can't do hardly anything.

57:01 You know what I mean?

57:02 Very rookie mini camp.

57:03 There were 49 guys here and you know only a couple of guys who were holdovers.

57:08 You know those first year players they're allowed to have.

57:11 I mean, no.

57:12 There there's nothing we could tell other

57:15 than the tenor of the conversations we've

57:18 had with people in the building who seem to be all on the same page.

57:22 They all seem to be buying in to what coach Harbaugh is doing.

57:26 And it seems like everybody's pointed in the right direction.

57:29 But quite frankly, I almost feel uncomfortable even giving you that answer

57:33 because we have such a small crumb of a sample size.

57:36 Well, I'll give you two things that have

57:39 nothing to really do much yet with this season.

57:42 Number one, there was a story that Todd Monkin told

57:47 when he was hired as the Cleveland Browns head coach recently,

57:51 and he referenced a play that they were running

57:54 during practice for a few weeks where Isaiah Likely,

57:59 I believe, got the ball out of the back field

58:01 on a handoff and then ran in for a touchdown against,

58:04 coincidentally, the Cleveland Browns.

58:06 And Monin was discussing the fact that they were working on it during practice.

58:11 They were tweaking it.

58:12 It got to a point where they felt good about it.

58:15 And Harbaugh was the one that pushed the button in the game and campaigned

58:20 for this being the right moment where the score was to implement the play.

58:26 So if you're looking for once again synergy,

58:30 which is right what the caller's question was,

58:32 that to me is an example of something that happened

58:34 at least in recent history where Harball's the head coach.

58:37 He's letting his coordinators do their thing,

58:39 but he's still very handson in terms of developing plays and giving

58:44 his two cents as to when the right time to go for them.

58:49 Then the other thing that I was going to bring up which is somewhat related is

58:52 I thought Matt Naggi when he spoke to the media poll if you recall gave at least

58:58 a good idea of some of the conversations

59:00 that are happening behind closed doors where he was

59:03 saying listen we are taking multiple coaches with different

59:07 backgrounds who have not worked with one another previously.

59:11 You've got Naggie, you've got Greg Roman,

59:13 you've got Brian Callahan who's the QB coach.

59:16 Roman is the run game coordinator.

59:18 All previous offensive coordinators.

59:20 Yeah.

59:21 Right.

59:21 All individuals that have orchestrated NFL offenses,

59:25 but completely different backgrounds.

59:27 And one of the things that Naggie had said, and I'm paraphrasing, of course, but

59:33 everybody's under the assumption, oh,

59:35 this is going to be an Andy Reedesque Matt Naggie type.

59:39 This is a meatloaf is what it is.

59:41 And that's my point, Paul.

59:42 Correct.

59:42 You hit it right on the nose to where I was going.

59:45 So he was saying, "We're going to take things that Callahan worked with.

59:50 We're going to listen and infuse to what Roman wants

59:53 to do with the run game." So you've got three different minds,

59:56 three different backgrounds working together

59:59 to put together an offensive system.

1:00:01 And I think Harbaugh envisioned that they will be able to coexist and we'll be

1:00:09 able to take from one another and he's going to let them do his thing.

1:00:13 But he's also going to have ideas about philosophy

1:00:17 in the run game that he envisions and wants

1:00:21 to instill and he's going to give them the flexibility

1:00:24 but at the same time stay very much involved.

1:00:28 So that is just me infusing my opinion based on what

1:00:33 I've heard through press conferences and little crumbs here or there.

1:00:37 But I think the Monkin example is maybe something that gives

1:00:41 you an idea of how he's going to walk that fine

1:00:43 line as a head coach who doesn't call plays but still

1:00:47 very much is engaged in the day-to-day operation of the team.

1:00:51 So I'm hoping that both of our answers at least gives a little bit of something.

1:00:56 Before we wrap up, I just want to take

1:00:58 a glance at some of the social media comments because

1:01:01 I know a lot of people stay very much engaged

1:01:03 with our show and may not want to call in.

1:01:06 a lot of reaction to the history of the Giants or the Cowboys,

1:01:10 which is not necessarily a surprise from that standpoint,

1:01:14 and how they feel what Harbaugh is doing and the makeup

1:01:18 of this team is restoring faith in the fan base.

1:01:21 So, that goes back to what we were talking about earlier in terms of excitement.

1:01:25 So, I don't know if one in particular stands out,

1:01:28 but you know, let me read this.

1:01:29 This was an interesting family tie-in.

1:01:31 Richard writes, "Well, at least the first games at home.

1:01:34 I can't recall an opening day win at home in recent history,

1:01:38 and we were talking about that.

1:01:39 Last opening day win was against Tennessee.

1:01:43 That was Brian Dable's first game, but remember that was a road game,

1:01:46 so that was not a home game." And he says two point conversion.

1:01:50 Correct.

1:01:50 And he says this year's game is on his wife's

1:01:53 birthday and would be a great birthday gift.

1:01:56 So, how about that?

1:01:57 Interesting tiein from that standpoint.

1:01:59 And the other thing that we need to address,

1:02:01 I've not forgotten about the first question from Mike,

1:02:03 the Stanley Tucci aspect about whether or not you would be a valid replacement

1:02:08 for Tui in his cuisine show if we got an adoption of the NFL in Italy.

1:02:19 Well, see, Paul, in fairness,

1:02:21 cannot match wits with Stanley Tui's acting resume.

1:02:25 He may battle him in terms of food.

1:02:28 I'm not going to question your love of Italian cuisine,

1:02:30 but Muuchi's got the who's who list of films.

1:02:35 So, I don't know, Mike, if I'm willing to go that far,

1:02:38 I need to see a little bit more acting chops out of Paul.

1:02:41 Okay.

1:02:42 Before I make the judgment, but you're talking to me.

1:02:46 Out of curiosity, how many Stanley Tui films do you think you have consumed?

1:02:52 I haven't even begun to count.

1:02:54 Okay.

1:02:55 I was just curious.

1:02:57 You haven't seen Have you seen The Devil Wears Prada?

1:02:59 Something tells me you have not seen

1:03:00 that because number two is coming out right now.

1:03:03 I'm aware of that.

1:03:04 Okay.

1:03:04 But he was in that.

1:03:05 So, not to say that that is the sole movie that I would associate.

1:03:10 We are excited program for this conversation.

1:03:13 Well, it's at the very tail end.

1:03:14 Come on.

1:03:15 I mean, as if we haven't talked enough Giants football for the last 60 minutes.

1:03:19 How about the Hunger Games?

1:03:21 Any of those you haven't seen?

1:03:23 Okay.

1:03:23 because those are actually here's one last one I'm going to throw out.

1:03:27 Okay, so appease me here.

1:03:29 Spotlight.

1:03:30 Have you seen that was an Academy Award-winning film that's

1:03:32 about the church and the coverage of the Boston Globe?

1:03:38 No.

1:03:38 No.

1:03:38 Okay.

1:03:39 I'm not really plays an attorney in that.

1:03:41 No, I I know you're not.

1:03:43 You know what films I watch.

1:03:44 I know.

1:03:44 But I watch game films.

1:03:46 But I understand you.

1:03:47 See, but see, this is where I'm getting to my answer.

1:03:50 I want to see if you have consumed the art

1:03:53 of Stanley Tucci before I'm willing to replace him.

1:03:56 Okay.

1:03:56 Hey, Mike, you got to give me credit.

1:03:58 I at least delved a little bit deeper

1:04:00 into the response that perhaps he was hoping for.

1:04:03 All right.

1:04:04 Now, I think we could close up shop

1:04:06 and get ready for our own consumption of cuisine here at the Giant Facility.

1:04:12 Okay.

1:04:12 Well, I think you told him loud and clear.

1:04:14 Last I checked, the microphone is still working from that standpoint.

1:04:18 All right, that is going to wrap up Monday's edition of Big Blue Kickoff Live.

1:04:22 We appreciate everybody for tuning in.

1:04:24 Today's episode is presented by Cadillac,

1:04:27 the official luxury vehicle of the Giants,

1:04:29 coming to you from the Giants podcast studio,

1:04:30 presented by HackinSack Meridian Health, Keep Getting Better, and the show,

1:04:34 which is part of the Giants Platforms Everywhere,

1:04:36 the Giants YouTube channel, and Giants.com/mpodcast.

1:04:40 We're going to be up and running again on Tuesday, 12:30 p.m.

1:04:43 Eastern as we inch closer to the release of the entire schedule.

1:04:47 On Thursday, Wednesday though,

1:04:48 we will learn about the international slate of games.

1:04:52 Giants Cowboys, Sunday Night Football, week 1, Metife Stadium, September 13th.

1:04:58 This man is already foaming at the mouth.

1:05:00 I'm sure the rest of you are doing a much

1:05:02 better disciplined job in keeping your emotions in check,

1:05:06 even though you are true Blue Fans.

1:05:08 All right, for Paul Dino, I'm Lance Meadow.

1:05:11 Stay locked to giants.com for all the latest.

1:05:13 We'll speak to you on Tuesday right here on BBKL.

1:05:15 Have a good one.