The Giants abruptly canceled Friday’s practice and reverted to 2020 virtual protocols in response to the simultaneous spreads of COVID-19 and the flu through their building.
“We obviously didn’t have outbreaks this big or bad last year for the Giants,” safety Logan Ryan said on a Friday afternoon Zoom call, with all media availability pushed virtual.
Safety J.R. Reed and corner Natrell Jamerson tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, giving the Giants eight positives since Monday. So they’re trying to ensure they’ll have enough players available for Sunday’s home game against the Dallas Cowboys.
“We’ve known since the beginning of last year: the games are gonna go on,” head coach Joe Judge said on Zoom. “So whoever you have, you have to have them ready.”
Ironically, the NFL promptly postponed three of this weekend’s games due to COVID outbreaks only hours after Judge made that statement. The league moved Browns-Raiders from Saturday to Monday at 5 p.m., and Washington-Eagles and Rams-Seahawks to Tuesday at 7 p.m.
The Giants-Cowboys game won’t be moved,though. It is on as scheduled for 1 p.m. at MetLife Stadium, even with the Giants’ secondary decimated by four positive COVID tests and more defensive backs battling the flu.
So Judge’s shorthanded Giants (4-9) have to be ready for the first-place Cowboys (9-4).
“The Cowboys aren’t going to care about how many DBs we’ve got,” Ryan said.
The entire NFL has been blitzed by the Omicron variant, and the flu is hitting hard, too.
Six Giants players with flu symptoms were listed on Friday’s injury report, though all were projected as participants: corners Steve Parker and Jarren Williams, linebackers Reggie Ragland, Benardrick McKinney and Elerson Smith, and kicker Graham Gano.
The Giants intriguingly signed former Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith to their practice squad with the clear intent of playing him against his former team.
They’re calling up defensive tackle David Moa from the practice squad with Leonard Williams (triceps) and Austin Johnson (foot) questionable.
They also hope that unvaccinated free safety Xavier McKinney, who is on the COVID reserve list as a high-risk close contact, continues to test negative to be eligible Sunday.
Still, their only available DBs as of Friday night were Ryan, James Bradberry, Julian Love, Williams, Parker and special teamer Keion Crossen.
“We’re talking through a lot of moves that can happen schematically and defensively making sure we can adjust,” Judge said.
The postponement of the Washington-Eagles game could benefit the Giants the following Sunday, since Philly will have to host them in Week 16 on only four days’ rest.
“That’s crazy,” Eagles corner Darius Slay tweeted. “We play Tuesday night then turn right around an(d) play Sunday!! No Days off, double up on massages this week.”
But the Giants first have to concern themselves with fielding a team to face Dallas.
Judge said the Giants learned of Friday’s test results while conducting socially-distanced meetings inside their practice field bubble in East Rutherford. That’s why they changed the schedule last-minute “out of an abundance of caution.”
They immediately sent those players home, took the rest of the team outside for a half-hour walkthrough with no media present, and then sent the entire team home for more virtual meetings.
The Giants’ non-football staff were still working in the team’s facility on Friday, at least. And Judge does plan to bring his coaches and players back into the building on Saturday for a brief meeting and walkthrough.
Still, losing a scheduled 90-minute practice on Friday is significant. Mike Glennon, who is making his third straight start, said that would be the case when asked about virtual work on Wednesday.
“Meetings aren’t as big of a deal, I think we learned that last year. You can get away with doing the meetings virtually,” Glennon said. “It’s really the practice time … If practice were to be canceled obviously that would be a bigger deal, to not be able to go out and practice … That would obviously be an adjustment.”
They’re also back to living under the intensive 2020 protocols that govern where players can spend time outside of work. The Giants aren’t allowing reporters to interview players in person after Sunday’s game either, even though the Cowboys are planning on keeping it status quo.
“It’s tough,” receiver Sterling Shepard said on Zoom. “You want to be able to get together with your teammates and friends outside the building, but you gotta keep the best interest of the team at heart. And doing that kind of stuff can affect the team. So you have to be cautious of what you do.”
The Giants’ COVID-19 positive tests this week are WR Kadarius Toney, WR John Ross, CB Aaron Robinson, edge Cam Brown, edge Oshane Ximines, CB Adoree Jackson, Reed and Jamerson. Robinson and Jackson are unvaccinated and definitely out Sunday.
“I would say I’ve never had any experience like this, but I kind of played through last year,” Ryan said of the secondary shortage.
Ryan used one of Judge’s mantras to describe how the Giants must handle the ongoing pandemic.
“You have to be willing to adapt, adapt or die, honestly,” Ryan said.
That turn of phrase unfortunately hits too close to reality for what the world has been through since the start of 2020. Ryan, obviously, was just talking about football.
Now nothing is easy about football, either. Just getting to Sunday, at this point, would feel like a small success.
“Yeah, we’re tired of it,” Shepard said of the pandemic and protocols, “but that’s just kind of the world we’re living in right now. You just have to power through it.”
GIANTS INJURY REPORT: OUT: QB Daniel Jones (neck). DOUBTFUL: G Ben Bredeson (ankle). QUESTIONABLE: DT Austin Johnson (foot), WR Sterling Shepard (calf – new injury), DL Leonard Williams (triceps).
COWBOYS INJURY REPORT: OUT: LT Tyron Smith (ankle). QUESTIONABLE: RB Tony Pollard (foot).
Source: Berkshire mont
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