Many teams will be using the preseason finale as a chance to evaluate players on lower rungs of the depth chart in order to set the back end of their rosters, but the Giants are taking a different approach.
The starting offense will play roughly 12-15 plays against the Patriots even though they unit has already lost wide receiver Victor Cruz and two offensive linemen to injuries this summer. Coach Tom Coughlin said he’s looking for “some execution, some performance” from his starters after watching them score two touchdowns, one of which came on an 84-yard run by David Wilson in an otherwise lacking outing against the Jets, in the first three preseason games.
Running back Andre Brown is even more direct when it comes to the goals for the brief outing by the starting offense.
“Those 12-15 plays gotta be crisp and on point,” Brown said, via Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News. “We’ve got to produce a score at the end of it. Whatever it is, however we punch it in, we’ve just gotta make sure we’re crisp.”
Assuming Cruz, Eli Manning and Hakeem Nicks are healthy, chances are that the Giants offense is going to be just fine come the regular season. Getting them to end preseason with a head of steam can’t hurt, unless, of course, one of the player they’re counting on this season winds up with the trainers on Thursday night.