Roster moves

It sure looks like Snee's career may be in jeopardy. He is coming off a down year last year and had surgery for a torn labrum in his left hip in the offseason which he was trying to recover from. But now he tore the labrum in his right (good) hip and will probably have surgery to repair it - which means he will be gone for the year. The Giants apparently restructured his contract to get them some salary cap room to sign a replacement this year. Restructuring contracts doesn't work unless there is another year (at least) behind it, and that is case with Snee - he has one year left after this one, becoming a free agent after 2014 season. Snee's contract was guaranteed for the year, as with all veterans that are on the roster in week one. So he's not going to restructure the contract and move guaranteed money out of this year that would become "unguaranteed" next year. That means that if the Giants were to cut Snee before the 2014 season, they would still have some guaranteed money to pay him and a salary cap hit of about $3M + whatever they guaranteed him in this restructure. Otherwise, his salary next year would be about 7.25M, so his job is still in jeopardy.

Giants, desperate for OL help signed a C, Dallas Reynolds, who played for the Eagles last year and was out of football to date in 2013. He played a bit for an awful Eagles OL last year, but it sure seems like Baas is going to be out for a while if they are signing this C. Cordle started at C last week and Boothe is the only other C on the team. With Snee ailing, Giants don't have enough depth at G to slide someone in there and move Boothe to C in case Cordle were to get hurt; you need a backup for every position. That's why it seems like Baas is out. To make room for Reynolds, Giants cut Da'Rel Scott. He did not look like an NFL caliber player.

I can understand the OL affecting the running game badly. It also affects the passing game of course, but there are some steps you can take to improve it. Gilbride has to put in some 3 step drops and quick routes to get things moving, protect the QB and give the OL a chance. The Giants offense is filled with 5 and 7 step drops and has Eli looking down the field all the time. The lack of a good TE really hurts (Myers seems to be a huge downgrade from Bennett last year) with those short routes and Eli has been under pressure. It is difficult to see on television, but it looks like opposing defenses are playing the Giants WRs very tight, very physical, daring them to go long. That forces Eli to hold the ball and the OL collapses because it can't hold them out long enough. When the OL does hold up and Eli gets off a deep ball, the WRs (especially Nicks last week and Randle also) have not been making plays on the ball. Long passes by their nature have a lower completion percentage, of course, but the WRs have missed a few deep balls that Eli has put right in their hands. I never thought I'd say this, but I really hope Diehl comes back soon.

Giants need help at S also and Will Hill is due back this week from his 4 game suspension - so there is another roster move coming before he can be activated. If Hosley is hurt, maybe he goes on IR; he has not been getting much playing time anyway. I don't know the extent and the long term health of Webster's or Ross's injuries are. Speaking of players that are marginal - Bear Pascoe should be a candidate for being cut. Larry Donnell is more athletic and if Adrien Robinson comes back from his foot injury, Pascoe could go. Pascoe can play some FB, but the problem is he doesn't play it well. Easiest cut would be Marcus Harris, a WR who never gets on the field on offense, only plays ST and that ST spot could be taken by Hill.