WRs

Can't anybody get open?
There's been lots of talk and hand wringing about the departure of Smith and Boss and worry that the passing game will be affected. I am not sure about the impact of their departure, but I am seeing a disturbing trend of WRs just not getting a lot of separation in their routes from their defenders. I don't know if it's because the WRs are not as good or quick as I think they are, if the routes they run in Gilbride's offense are so predictable that defenders are all over them, if they are learning new positions (particularly Manningham who has been moved into the slot occasionally) or if their timing needs to be improved. It just seems like every throw that Manning makes, he has to squeeze into a narrow window.  You watch other NFL teams and a good number of throws that the QB makes are easy pitch and catch to a wide open WR and very few of those throws exist for the Giants offense. Even the one down field throw Eli completed to Cruz, had to be a perfect throw, because Cruz was just a step beyond the defender. Maybe this is a preseason phenomenon, where Gilbride and the Giants don't want to show their offense to the rest of the league.

TE and FB
Beckum hasn't shown much in pass catching, the best he has done has been to run some seam routes and cleared out the middle of the field, but they don't ever throw to him. Interestingly, though, I see his run blocking improving and he is not a total zero there. He is lighter and smaller than typical TEs and you can't expect him to take on a great DE on a pass rush, but he may be passable. Pascoe's blocking has been mediocre.

Hynoski at FB also hasn't showed that much. For a one dimensional player, a throwback player, pure blocking FB, he should be wiping out defenders on every play with every punishing block he makes. It's not happening. If you can only do one thing, you better do it really well. Coats, TE the Giants picked up when cut by Cincinatti, just looks like a football player and mostly, looks like a TE. (Being 6'2", 270 might contribute to that "look".) He caught a TD at the end of the game from Carr and I would not be surprised at all if he makes the team and beats out Ballard or even nudges out Pascoe. The logic here is that if Beckum is on the team, you want a big TE to balance him out. Pascoe's blocking from the TE position is not great, so they may want some bigger at that position. Pascoe probably makes the team, but if he does, that may spell the end to Hynoski. Remeber, Pascoe was a pure TE and the Giants taught him the FB position. Maybe they can do the same with Coats and have him and Pascoe share time at TE/FB.