How New York media is covering Thursday’s Patriots-Giants game
The Big Apple's press corps couldn't resist one superstar story this week.
The fourth and final preseason game is rarely a star-studded affair. The starters who make headlines throughout the year step back onto the sidelines and watch players who will dot the bottom of the depth chart attempt to carve out a niche for themselves on the 53-man roster.
Ahead of Thursday night’s matchup between the Patriots and Giants, the New York media — much like their counterparts in Boston — turned its overwhelming spotlight on those bubble contenders. However, the Big Apple’s press corps couldn’t resist one superstar story this week: Odell Beckham Jr. wore a polo shirt.
The Giants wide receiver agreed to a five-year, $95 million contract extension Tuesday that will make him the NFL’s highest-paid pass catcher. The team can now turn its focus from those negotiations — and a miserable 3-13 season — to the small business of competing in the NFC East. As it does so, it will have a fully invested Beckham Jr. leading the charge in team-branded style.
“See this polo?” Beckham Jr. joked at his first press conference since inking the deal, per the New York Times. “I’m growing up.”
Beckham Jr. almost certainly will not play on Thursday. He has not touched the field for a single snap this preseason. Neither will many of the other starters, likely including rookie running back Saquon Barkley. Two players that will be out there for the Giants are quarterback Davis Webb and defensive end Josh Mauro.
Webb, currently Eli Manning’s primary backup, has been inconsistent thus far in the exhibition games.
As Howie Kussoy writes in the New York Post, “Webb likely will see his most playing time of the preseason in Thursday night’s game against the Patriots. Then, if all goes according to plan, the backup quarterback won’t see the field again the rest of the season.”
Meanwhile, Mauro is in a situation Patriots fans will find all too familiar this summer: he’s set to begin a four-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. Much like Julian Edelman — and 12 other NFL players facing a PED suspension to start the season — Mauro is now looking for a way to simulate playing football for the next month or so. He knows that won’t be easy.
“There are not a lot of 300-pound guys who can move and are good with their hands. They don’t grow on trees,” he said, per NJ.com. “It will be hard to get that simulation, but as far as conditioning, weights, [I’ll be] trying to simulate as much football-related activity and exercise as possible just to stay up to par and be able to contribute when I get back.”
Edelman and Mauro have one last run-around before their respective suspensions begin. It will be up to Bill Belichick and Giants coach Pat Shurmur whether the final preseason reps go towards those two, or the players who will have to replace them until Week 5.
